Satan's Sword (Imp Book 2) by Debra Dunbar Read Free Book Online Page A

felt fine. Now for the scary part.
    I placed my hand on the outline of the gate and examined its structure, felt how the energy supporting it was anchored. The outline was irregular, but surprisingly basic. Taking a deep breath, I put my hand gingerly back into the gate. I didn’t feel anything particularly alarming, so I sent out a scan around the edges. The gate itself was shallow, and definitely opened up into something, although I couldn’t tell what or where. The edges narrowed into a point at the top, like a triangle, but it was tall enough that a human (or a demon) wouldn’t have to stoop when going through. I pulled my hand back and tried to work up the nerve to go through. Several times I stuck my hand back in and pulled it out, but couldn’t bring myself to put any additional body parts in.
    Finally I gave up. Chickened out. I don’t have any qualms about throwing myself into unknown, potentially deadly situations, but this gate really hit a nerve with me. My instincts normally have a direct line to my moving parts, and they told me to run as far from this gate as I could. In spite of my instincts, I was still determined to get to the other side and try to figure it out. I wanted to do it without unnecessary pain and suffering though. Or death. I was coming back to try again, but not today. I needed to think about what safeguards I could put in place to ensure I didn’t die in this little experiment.
    I was in a bad mood as I drove to The Eastside Tavern to meet Wyatt. I’d pondered some possibilities in exploring the gate without due risk, but I felt like a failure for walking away today. Fucking coward. I’d always just jumped into things without any thought at all about my personal safety. Why was I weak in the knees over this one?
    The narrow strip of asphalt in front of The Eastside Tavern that served as a parking lot was full, as always, so I drove around back and parked by the wooded area past the dumpster. I beeped the car alarm, although at this point all the regulars knew my car and respectfully kept their sticky hands to themselves. The usual crowd of smokers was milling around the front lot and on the enclosed deck area by the door. I swung open the iron barred glass door and wandered through the bar and dining area to see if Wyatt was already there. They’d added a coyote to their taxidermy decorations, and I patted the fellow’s head as I passed by. Finally I spotted Wyatt toward the rear, sitting at one of the Formica-topped tables.
    “Would you rather sit at the bar?” he asked as I plopped down beside him in the torn vinyl chair. “I can tell Brenda to bring our food and drinks up there.”
    “This is fine.” I kissed his cheek like a normal girlfriend. “What did you order?”
    “Burgers and hot wings. And your usual,” he added as the waitress put down an ice cold vodka and a Bud Light in front of me.
    He was the best. I sucked down the vodka appreciating that they now had my favorite, Van Gogh Espresso, in the freezer. Just for little old me.
    “I need your help with something,” I told him. “And do you want to go to a beer and seafood thing with me next Saturday?”
    Wyatt made a face. “I want to go, but I’ve got an online tournament that will probably run all day and into the evening. How late is it? I can meet you there, but it would be around seven or so.”
    “Nah, I hope to have things wrapped up and be back by dinner time.”
    I wondered about Wyatt’s tournament. The only tournament I’d ever participated in had ended in disaster. I have a hard enough time staying on a horse without someone poking at me with a long pole. After my fifth time being knocked off, I got pissed and boiled my opponent in his little metal suit, which didn’t go over very well. There was a cry of “witch” and “sorcery” and I’d had to make a mad dash for the closest gate. I’d barely made it through before being overrun by angry humans or nabbed by an angel. I couldn’t