Unleashed Fury (BloodRunes: Book 1) by Laura R Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

to bag
myself a big rack,” he gave Renee a stiff bow and nodded to
Jezebel.
    Layna fought hard to control the laughter
that threatened to emerge. He turned his twinkling eyes towards her
and winked again before whisking himself out of the room. Layna
stole a glance at Jezebel, and could tell that the woman was raging
underneath her cool exterior.
    A chill ran down Layna's spine, all thoughts
of laughter disappearing.
    “That man is unruly; I really don't know why
I keep him around,” Jezebel said icily into the silence that
followed Gryffon's exit.
    Renee was still watching the door that
Gryffon had left through. “He's quite a good looking man though,
Jezebel, just that factor alone is pretty compelling.”
    Jezebel relaxed somewhat and laughed, but
Layna could almost see the storm still roiling beneath her
carefully controlled expression. “There is that,” she conceded.
“There is that.”
    The rest of the visit went somewhat normally,
with idle chit-chat and only a few nasty comments directed at Layna
for her inability to read their minds when they wanted more of
something. Much of their complaints consisted of how Gryffon wasn't
doing enough of what Jezebel wanted him to or not fast enough. How
life in general simply wasn't fair. She complained to Renee that
even though she was the most undeserving of bad things and always
trying to help other people, things just kept popping up at
her.
    Like this woman Jezebel had come to the house
a few times. Jezebel had lent her money to pay for one of her sons
to have his talent trained – wasn’t that so very nice of me,
Renee? - and then she’d had the audacity to get sick and die on
her before Jezebel was repaid. What she conveniently forgot to
mention was that it was Jezebel's father who had actually lent the
money, and he had only done it because he thought that the woman's
family would feel obligated to back him in a coming vote in the
merchant guildhall. Not to mention she’s mad at her for
dying…
    Jezebel also kept hinting – not so subtly,
though Renee did not seem to be picking up on it – that she had
something exciting in the works. Something that she wasn’t about to
tell Renee about but obviously wanted her to know she wasn’t being
told. Unfortunately for Jezebel, Renee was apparently too dull to
pick up on it, and Layna could tell that Jezebel’s patience for her
was waning as her more and more obvious comments continued to go
unnoticed.
    Finally, after what seemed like hours of
listening to Jezebel complain about her life to an eager-to-please
Renee, Jezebel announced that she was tired and needed to get some
rest before dinner. Renee almost immediately sprang out of her
chair to comply with Jezebel's request and quickly showed herself
out. When Renee had gone, Jezebel turned to Layna. “I'm going out
for a while. When I come back, I expect that all your normal chores
will be done. You've done quite enough idling about for one
day.”
    Layna felt another chill at the look Jezebel
gave her and she curtsied deeply, holding the position until
Jezebel had stalked off. Fear crept into her and she wondered if
perhaps Gryffon had done her an injustice by his comment. She could
hear Jezebel screaming for Devon down the hallway, and by the
sounds of it she was already working herself into a frenzy over his
delay in answering.

CHAPTER 4
     
    “Devon!” Jezebel growled at the man as he
hurried up to her from outside. “I have been calling you for the
longest time.”
    Devon bowed deeply. “My apologies, my lady,
but I come from the temple and hope that some good news might
brighten your demeanor?”
    Jezebel wasn't in the mood to be told she was
in a bad one, but the prospect of news and what it most likely was
concerning was tantalizing. She ushered him back inside the
library.
    The little strumpet girl was clearing away
the last of the remains from Renee's visit. Jezebel glared at her
until she gathered up the last of the dishes and closed the