Never Again by Michele Bardsley Read Free Book Online Page A

completely. He’d seen the way the light had died out of her eyes when she realized he wouldn’t help her. How many people had already slammed their doors in her pretty face?
    Fucking Bernard Franco. He’d always been a prick, even before he “resigned” from his position in the House of Ravens. After the last and worst scandal, rumor had it he was given an ultimatum by the House’s Inner Court to leave of his own accord. Worse still, some said that he’d been paid off to keep the House’s darker secrets. Lucy had been in his bed, accepting his gifts, enduring his humiliation, playing the simpering paramour.
    It sickened him.
    He gripped the black leather duster in his hands. Old magic pulsed in its seams; memories of days gone by—and people, too—whispered from the leather. He realized it was his grandfather’s, and before that, it had belonged to other Calhoun men. A red dragon shimmered across the back, a powerful symbol of his House and family. He’d never worn it, but the old coot had made it clear he wanted Gray to wear these threads.
    He’d never donned the coat because then . . . he’d have to admit he was fully committed to the auspices of guardianship. That this was his life, and always would be. Even after five years of living here, he didn’t feel as if he belonged in the very town he grew up in, and though he did all that was required of his office, he wasn’t a social kind of guy. He didn’t want to get close to anyone, even old friends.
    He didn’t care what that meant, either.
    Gray put on the duster, and left the house before he changed his mind. Usually, he’d walk to town, but since he wasn’t sure where Lucy had gone or where he might find her, not to mention he was going out into the unrelenting storm, he decided to take his grandfather’s old Ford truck. It was a rusted bucket of bolts, but it ran well, and it was good enough to take Lucy to the bus station. All he had to do was buy the girl a ticket to wherever she wanted to go. Then he could quit feeling like a jerk, and she could keep running away from Franco.
    He didn’t figure she’d actually stop in town. She was a practiced enough witch to feel the negative energy undulations. She’d probably been in town ten seconds before everyone knew about her arrival and had passed their judgments. They didn’t even need to know that there was a history between Lucy and their Guardian. Being a Rackmore was reason enough for most folks to distrust her.
    His house perched on a large hill that overlooked downtown. The street in front of the old Victorian ended abruptly, but Main Street passed to the left of his home. He pulled onto it, taking a right. If he’d gone left, the paved road eventually gave way to gravel. There were three family farms out that way, and the road petered out at the entrance to the Gomez farm.
    When Gray got to Brujo Boulevard, he turned right and just past the school, he took a left on Cedar Road. It was the only street that led to the highway; there was no other way in or out of town, at least by car.
    The storm had worsened, and the windshield wipers sucked. Rain fell in thick, chilled sheets of silver, and even though he didn’t want to be, he was worried about Lucy surviving in this crap. Guilt assailed him once again, but he shoved it away. She’s not my fucking problem.
    Only she was.
    Gray slowed the truck and peered through the torrents. Damn. She’d fallen into a ditch, gotten a ride, or squirreled away someplace. He pulled onto the shoulder, and stared out the windshield. He didn’t want to use a summoning spell. He had no idea where she was, and if she’d made it out of town, he sure as hell didn’t want to draw her back. And a tracking spell wouldn’t work if he didn’t have a possession of hers. He could use something as small as a hair, but he didn’t even have that.
    Maybe she ran into the sheriff. It was possible his old friend would stick her in magical quarantine. Taylor Mooreland’s