Shadow's Awakening: The Shadow Warder Series, Book One (An Urban Fantasy Romance Series) by Molle McGregor Read Free Book Online Page A

around the corner, out of its line of sight. The Voratus in the doorway recovered its balance and ran out into the yard. It wasn’t especially tall or big, just a rangy man of average height with stringy hair and vacant eyes.
    “Idiot,” Conner said under his breath. He shouldn’t complain. The Voratus had done exactly what they’d wanted: left the safety of the house. A second followed the first. This one was bigger, its gaze sharp. According to the Oracle’s count, that would leave no more than five in the house. Kiernan used the remaining parked cars as cover, circling back toward the fire. He flanked the first demon without the second seeing him.
    The first Voratus ran as close as it could get to the car, as if trying to determine what had started the fire. The possibility of attack didn’t seem to have occurred to it. Conner shook his head. The Voratus really was dumb. He left it to Kiernan and focused on the second demon. This one looked a little more alert.
    It moved in an arc, giving the burning SUV a wide berth. Smoke boiled up from the vehicle, turning the air acrid and greasy. The gas tank had exploded already, but there was plenty of fabric and rubber left as fuel. Conner left his hiding place around the side of the house, approaching the second Voratus silently. With the instinct of a survivor, it whirled on Conner just as Kiernan made his move on the first demon.
    Conner’s Voratus froze for a second, as if wondering if it should attack or flee. Out of the corner of his eye, Conner saw Kiernan take down his Voratus with a quick roundhouse. While the demon lay stunned by the hit, Kiernan stabbed it with a calix. Vorati might be hard to kill but a calix did the job every time.
    Conner didn’t think his target would be such an easy mark. He drew his knife and launched himself at the demon. There was no time to wait. By now the others knew something was going on. He and Kiernan had to get in the house to find the Shadow before it was too late.
    Conner struck the Voratus hard, taking them both to the ground. He managed to sink his blade in the thing’s side before it shoved him off and rolled away. Bleeding from the stab wound, the Voratus kicked out at Conner’s head, its booted feet swinging heavily through the air. Conner ducked to his right, knocked off balance as one boot grazed the side of his head.
    He dove for the Voratus again. Better to keep the fight on the ground. The Voratus’s reach almost equaled Conner’s own. On their feet, it might get lucky with a punch or kick. It was big, but not as big as Conner. Half its size was fat, not muscle. If Conner could pin it while it was down, it wouldn’t have the strength to break away.
    Rolling on top of the bleeding Voratus, Conner allowed it to push him to the side. As he slid to his back, Conner pulled the Voratus with him, letting the thing flail in his grip until it lay half over his lap. Conner had a loose hold on its arm. In its panic, the demon hadn’t realized it was trapped. Conner wrenched the Voratus’s arm back at a painful angle. The hold didn’t just threaten to break the demon’s arm, it immobilized its torso just enough for Conner to pull out a calix and stab it in the chest. As soon as he heard the rushing sound that signaled the calix was doing its job, Conner pushed the Voratus away and came to his feet. The front door of the house hung open. Sounds of fighting drifted out into the yard. Conner sprinted for the door.
    Inside, Kiernan was busy with two Vorati demons. They both equaled him in size, but a moment of watching told Conner they weren’t a match for Kiernan.
    As if sensing Conner behind him, Kiernan spoke. “Find the girl,” Kiernan said. “I’ll take care of anything down here.”
    Conner headed for the staircase opposite the door. From above he heard a door slam. His feet pounding on the stairs, he followed the sound to his target.

    Hannah dozed on her bed, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun on her