There'll be Hell to Pay (Hellcat Series Book 6) by Sharon Hannaford Read Free Book Online

Alexander, Julius’s second in command, never
travelled with them on SID assignments. It was impossible for
Julius to avoid the responsibility that had been thrust on them by
the Princeps, and that made it even more important that there was a
strong second to oversee the Clan while he and Gabi were
travelling. Despite the support of the Princeps, there was no
guarantee a power-hungry Vampire without a city to call his or her
own wouldn’t try their luck and challenge for control while Julius
was tied up elsewhere in the world. Alexander had already proven
his mettle once before, and he would again if he needed
to.
    All three of
her friends’ faces grew serious.
    “ Demon attacks are still on the rise,” Kyle told her. “The Magi
are working with us and can usually give us a bit of warning.
They’ve identified another three weak spots though. And they’re not
sure if there are more forming or if we just haven’t found them
all.”
    Gabi grimaced;
that wasn’t good news. The Magi were responsible for maintaining
the integrity of the Veil, a magically charged shield that
separated the demon plane, the Etherworld, from their own. If the
Veil became weak, tears could form, allowing demons to force their
way through into the natural world. Once on this side of the Veil,
demons created chaos, killing and maiming anyone they came across.
There was also the ever-present risk of humans turning into Ghouls
from the bite or blood of a demon. There was only one good demon
and that was a dead one. No one actually wanted a zombie apocalypse
despite what mainstream TV would have you believe.
    “ The Magi still aren’t up to full strength?” she asked. Since
the battle for the Source, a fight with Dark Magi over control of
the largest pool of magical power in the world, the Magi’s numbers
had been severely compromised. Dozens had died and some others had
exhausted their magic so completely that it had yet to return to
its former strength. They had been working to bolster their forces,
fast-tracking promising youngsters and recruiting from across the
world, but their race had never been prolific breeders and their
population as a whole was small.
    “ Athena is trying her best,” Trish said. “She looks exhausted
every time we see her, but there just aren’t enough of them to go
around right now. And the problem isn’t just here, it’s widespread.
The best they can do is try to limit the demon raids to cities
where there is a force in place to deal with them.”
    “ We’ve started working with Packs in other cities,” Derek put
in. “Explaining the dangers, training them to deal with demon
raids, shipping them the most effective weapons. We’re kind of
hoping what we’ve started here will rub off on some other towns and
cities. If more Werewolf Packs have a proper job, hopefully
there’ll be less infighting and less senseless violence. Look how
well it’s worked here.” It was true; Gabi hadn’t heard of another
city in the world that was home to six different Werewolf Packs
that worked together for the good of all, but there was no reason
their model couldn’t be adopted elsewhere. Derek was as bad as his
sister.
    “ Annoying optimist,” she growled, backhanding him across the
shoulder. “You are doing pretty well though, I have to admit.” She
finished her coffee and glanced at her watch. It was after four and
she’d only slept about five hours in the last twenty-four, time to
get back to the Estate and try to grab a catnap before Julius woke
from his daysleep. She called to Ross and Rory, telling them it was
time to go, when her phone rang in her back pocket.
    The name that
flashed under caller ID shouldn’t have made her nervous, but a lead
weight suddenly landed in the pit of her stomach all the same.
    “ Hi, Evan,” she said as she answered the call from the man who
was technically her stepfather. “Everything okay?” She didn’t
bother with pleasantries. It wasn’t like he ever called her just