Remnants of Magic by S. Ravynheart, S.A. Archer Read Free Book Online Page A

enchanted, whatever term you want to use, it amounts to the same thing.”
    The pause and the tone that followed expressed Selena’s opinion of this decision. She both disagreed with and accepted London’s choice. “With your young man from this evening, then?”
    “No.” She thought about it and then added, “At least not right now. And not with Donovan, either. All of the Unseelie of the Glamour Club are rather miffed with me at the moment. I’ll need to steer clear of Kilkenny for a while.”
    “I see.” Again, the tone of disapproval, but this time London imagined it was more Selena’s status as a master vampire that chaffed at the very notion of avoiding an enemy better faced and conquered.
    “And apparently not in service of that Sidhe we met through the Changeling, either. The Sidhe was there, at the Glamour Club. Were he any better trained, he’d have killed me for certain.”
    Selena chuckled low and seductive, likely recalling her own visit with the young Sidhe upon whose blood she’d feasted. “Well, that’s to be expected, I suppose.”
    “Expected?” London shook her head. “I expected that he’d have been impressed that I survived that suicide mission he sent me on.”
    “Oh, London, don’t be stupid. You didn’t for a moment believe that Changeling’s story about working for the Sidhe. Did you not use your eyes? What Sidhe would ever allow a clutch of vampires free and unrestricted access to his body and blood? What Sidhe would desire to wallow in that filthy cave with goblins for caretakers? You know yourself that the Changelings bear no love for the Sidhe; that’s what got Rico killed. Did you not see the ligature wounds about his wrists? No, luv, that Sidhe in the cave was nothing more than livestock to be milked of his blood and magic and to be used for such entertainment as we desired.”
    London pulled the phone away from her face slowly and stared down at it. She pressed the ‘end’ button. She couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat anyway. It was true. Now that she thought about it, she had been stupid. So willing to believe anything to get her fix, she’d even believed the Changeling’s lies. No wonder the lad wanted to kill her.
    London slumped back against the car. Once more, she stared up at the stars. At the eternity above her. If she truly meant to walk the path of the enchanted, she wouldn’t find one of Donovan’s Unseelie willing to take her on after all this, putting her right back at square one.
    Her cell phone vibrated in her hand. London checked the message from a number she didn’t recognize.
    We’re coming for you.

    ###

Bloodhound

    Chapter One

    (This story begins on the same day as the events in
    Enchanted : Touched #3)

    “You’re so dead, mate!” Bryce shouted over the explosion of gunfire.
    Malcolm flung himself back from the onslaught with a growl. “You’re naff!” Blood splattered on the telly as his man on the video game got massacred for the fifth time in a row. “That’s it! No more Mr. Nice Guy.” He hit the rematch button. “This time I’m bringing out the railgun. See how you like that.”
    They jostled into each other as they jumped and dodged with their computer guys in a no-holds-barred, two-player combat to the death.
    Again.
    It didn’t even matter that Bryce crushed him on the stupid video game. Not really. Leastwise for the last few hours Malcolm hadn’t thought about magic at all. Pretty much, anyway. Donovan was the only one who didn’t think Malcolm’s bloodhound ‘magic’ was lame. The other Sidhe did, even if they played it off like it wasn’t any big deal. Like Malcolm wasn’t too awful weird, just kinda twitchy. But for the last couple hours, he’d just been one of the lads with Bryce, playing this video game like they were just regular 17-year-olds. And Malcolm sorta forgot for a tiny bit that they weren’t just that.
    All up until a high-pitched whistle sliced over the racket from the game.
    It was