Vampire in the Woods (Merlin's Hoods Book 2) by Carl Waters Read Free Book Online Page A

night,” he said, his face falling at her answer.
    Angeline nodded and turned to Geoffrey. “And you?”
    “I’ll run right home, ma’am, I swear it,” he said quickly. “And I’ll tell my father to keep the fire burning as well. All night, so help me.”
    “And neither of you is to allow any strangers into your homes, do you hear me? If you see someone at your doors that you do not know, tell them to go away and come back tomorrow, during the daylight hours. Do not open the door, do not invite them into your houses.”
    Both boys nodded at that, and she nodded back then shoved them out the door, taking a moment to stare at the sky as she did. She could just see a window of blue between the trees, and it gave her the best possible answer: The blue was dark, but it was still visible, and that meant they had time before sunset. Time before the boys were in danger.
    She could only pray that they got home before the sky went to red, and then to black. And that they didn’t allow anyone into their houses, if the vampires chose to go calling.
    Turning back to the house, she gazed quietly at her two daughters. The girls seemed to understand that something was amiss, for they’d ceased their bickering for once and stared at her with open concern.
    “What is it, Mother?” Adela finally asked. “What’s happened? Did you find the body? Who was it?”
    “It was Rowan,” Angeline answered sharply, moving back toward the table. “And he was killed by a vampire. Three or four of them, if I read the signs correctly.”
    This drew a pair of gasps from the girls, and Angeline nodded. It was far past time to protect these two. The moment she’d been dreading had come, and she must open their eyes to the goings on of the world and prepare one or the other to become the Red Hood. The world needed one of them to carry on, in her name.
    “Well, Adela need not worry about vampires, as she is too small, slow, and weak to fight them,” Alison said bluntly. “She should worry about her cooking.”
    Angeline narrowed her eyes at her younger daughter. Truthfully, she was growing impatient with the girl’s attitude of superiority. Perhaps it was time to teach Alison some respect.
    She looked outside and saw that there was still enough daylight remaining. “We’re going to end the day with a sparring match,” she said quickly. “The two of you, without any help from me. Wooden swords, but I’ll expect you to fight until we have a clear winner. I need to start making my decision, and that begins now.”
    She knew she was setting Alison up to lose. Though she was taller, faster, and stronger, she’d never defeated Adela in a true sparring match. Adela was too quick, too wily for Alison. She thought three steps ahead, and the larger girl could never manage to keep up. What was more: Adela was relentless. She didn’t take breaks, didn’t pause to breathe. She fought until the end.
    A part of Angeline’s mind inquired suddenly whether she’d done this one purpose because her choice was already made. The hood answered for her: If she had, it was the right thing to do.
    Without another word, she escorted the girls outside, grabbed a pair of wooden swords from the weapons chest, and tossed them toward her daughters. “And begin!” she shouted, leaving them to figure out the rules and where they would fight.
    Adela did not wait. She dove right for Alison’s legs, rolled, and took the younger girl down without ever drawing her sword. Then she came up swinging, smacking Alison once, and then twice, across the arms while the younger girl was down. But Alison was getting better at reacting to her sister’s sudden moves, and she was back on her feet within moments, the sword in her hand. Here she showed her lack of patience, though, for she swung wildly and without any scheme, meaning only to take Adela off her feet with the force of the blow.
    The wild, consistent swings were easily managed, and Adela was soon ducking and weaving,