Playing with Darkness: Book 3.5 (Sensor Series) by Susan Illene Read Free Book Online

got.
    I ran a hand down his chest. "Think we can give them a good show?"
    Golden heat flared in his eyes.
    Ireth cleared her throat. "Perhaps we could discuss ways for Melena to establish good faith with the city another time. Could we just have the device back now, please?”
    “Give it to them,” Lucas said, letting me go. “I’ll ensure we come to some sort of arrangement for you later.”
    Sounded good to me. Maybe they’d forget all about it and just leave me alone.
    I dug the device out of my pocket and handed it over to Ireth. She took it quickly and ran her fingers over the smooth stone. I could sense the tension leaving her as she verified it was still in one piece.
    “You have what you want,” Lucas said. “We’ll take our leave now.”
    He bowed formally to the elders and dragged me from the council chambers. We didn’t get far before running into Nienna, who had an anxious look on her face.
    “What is it?” I asked.
    “We’ve got trouble outside,” she said, urging us with a wave of her hand to move quickly. “Your guardian must have gotten bored while you were gone.”
    I wanted to kick myself for not noticing Kerbasi had left the house. Now that I paid attention, my senses told me he’d moved closer to the street in front of the palace.
    I picked up my pace. “What has he done now?”
    “Oh, you’ll see.” Nienna’s voice resonated with doom.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    We rushed out of the palace to find a crowd gathered out on the street. A circle of smoke rose up from somewhere in the middle. I couldn’t see past all the fae to figure out what was happening. A shout from Lucas got them to clear a path, but it still took time to break through to the front. As soon as we did, I felt my blood boil with rage.
    Kerbasi was fighting a half-dozen trolls within a ring of fire. The stupid creatures kept running up to slam him only to get thrown back. One of them landed in the flames and screamed before rolling away. Some of the fae watching yelled at him to get up and attack the guardian again.
    I’d seen enough.
    I pulled my Sig .45 out and shot three rounds into the air at an angle. Everyone—including the fighters—stopped to look at me. Modern weapons weren’t allowed in Feidlimid. It made for a good way to get their attention fast.
    “Was that really necessary?” Lucas asked, rubbing at his ears.
    He’d been standing next to me when I’d shot the gun, but unlike him I’d developed the habit of tamping down my hearing before firing.
    I shrugged. “It always works in the movies. Looks like it does here, too.”
    Kerbasi lumbered toward us, extinguishing the ring of fire along the way. He looked less than pleased with my intervention.
    “Sensor, there was no reason to disrupt my battle,” he declared, putting his hands on his hips.
    Other than his black hair flying wildly about his head, he didn’t look any worse for wear. The trolls, on the other hand, were covered in wounds.
    “I told you to stay out of trouble while I was gone,” I said, matching his hard gaze.
    “This was not trouble, but merely a test of strength and skills. I even promised not to kill them.”
    “Well that just makes everything okay.” I rolled my eyes. “Everyone knows it’s a waste of time to fight trolls. They’re just like the ones on the internet and always come back for more.”
    “Good, then I can be assured they won’t tire quickly.” He turned away and headed back toward his opponents. They were already on their feet with expectant expressions on their faces.
    “Kerbasi, stop,” I ordered. “I can’t allow you to continue this.”
    He looked over his shoulder. “I’m not violating our contract. I’ll do as I wish.”
    The guardian flicked his hand and lit up the circle of fire again.
    If talking to him wouldn’t work, I’d just have to resort to more drastic measures. I aimed my gun and shot him in the back of the head. He jerked, but kept going. I shot him three more