The Final Formula by Becca Andre Read Free Book Online Page A

break in and spike all his glassware.”
    “Sounds risky.”
    I shrugged. “Once he’s mine to command, I’ll make him drink a truth serum.”
    “Can’t you command him not to lie?”
    “Yes, but a truth serum leaves no doubt. It compels you to tell the truth. The potion I just hit you with lacks that compulsion. Care for a demonstration?”
    His brow wrinkled. “Maybe?”
    “Tell me, James, what’s a grim? Don’t lie.”
    He blinked and then straightened. “Someone with hellhound blood in them.” He bit his lip as if to stop the words.
    “Do you see how much control you still have? If I’d used a truth serum, you’d feel compelled to tell me everything.”
    “I…”
    “It’s okay. Tell me when you’re ready.”
    He looked away. “It’s just…”
    “James?”
    He turned to face me, his brow wrinkling as he met my eyes.
    “Do the Chicken Dance.”
    “Addie!” He began to flap his arms.
     
    The following evening found me sitting beside James beneath a large rhododendron bush. I squirmed, chilled and stiff from several hours spent watching the sprawling Victorian house that served as the Elements’ Cincinnati office. We’d chosen this shrub for the cover of its glossy leaves and the clear view of the kitchen door and adjacent parking area.
    It turned out to be a busy place. Delivery trucks had come and gone. A news van from a local TV station had stopped to film the building’s exterior. And later, a school bus had loaded up a group of noisy children who must have been on a field trip. But now that darkness had fallen, things seemed to be winding down.
    “Anyone else?” I whispered. Moments ago, we’d watched the kitchen staff leave.
    James’s eyes glowed faintly as he studied the house. He claimed he could hear the people inside. I’d asked him why his eyes glowed when he listened, but he wouldn’t give me an answer.
    “Three others, but no one near the kitchen,” he said. The dim light in the kitchen barely escaped the curtained windows, and only one light shone through an upstairs window.
    “Housekeeping?”
    “Probably.”
    The Elements were long gone. A limo had pulled around front and a short time later, driven off. I assumed that had been their ride. Over the next hour, several servants in black livery had left as well. The new gods of the modern world lived a life of ease.
    I shrugged off my coat and the branches rustled with the movement. “Look good?” I held out my arms to display my homemade camo.
    James cleared his throat. “With or without the Shadow Dust?”
    I caught a flash of teeth in the dimness and punched his arm. I’d dusted my black bodysuit with a special powder that enabled it to blend better with the shadows. It wasn’t invisibility—that took a lot longer to brew—but it would conceal me well enough, as long as there were shadows.
    James pulled off his shoes and wiggled his bare toes. “Wait by those bushes by the door.” He slipped off his jacket. “I’ll let you in in a moment.”
    “How exactly are you going to get inside? That last guy to leave locked the door behind him.”
    He hesitated with his hands on the hem of his sweatshirt. “Leave me a few secrets, Addie.”
    I sighed. “Fine. I’ll go be curious by the door.”
    He chuckled as I crept out of our thicket. I stuck to the shadows and squeezed in behind a pine shrub. The coarse needles poked through my bodysuit. I squirmed to get comfortable, stirring up musty pine scent from the old needles beneath my feet. Suddenly the back door swung open and I froze.
    “Well?” James whispered from within.
    I barely heard the soft word over my thundering pulse. I got to my feet and discovered him leaning around the open door. Holy crap. “How did you—”
    “Just get inside.” He ducked back behind the door.
    I hurried inside, and when I turned to face James, a giant black hellhound stood wagging at me. Wow. I didn’t realize he could shift that fast. But how had he gotten inside? More