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

jumping into the air when Alison tried to hit her feet. Then she made a mistake, and grinned cheekily at her sister.
    Alison immediately began swinging faster and harder, and Adela found herself being driven toward the wall with the weapons chest. She brought her sword up to block Alison’s blows, and soon came up against the wall entirely.
    Alison slid her sword up Adela’s and leaned in, leering. “You think you’re so smart, Adela,” she taunted. “You think you’re so perfect. I’ve seen the way you look at Louis. I’ve seen the way you look at the hood. You’re so certain that you’ll win them both.”
    “You can have Louis,” Adela spat. “I care not. But the hood is mine!” And she pushed Alison off, sending the other girl to the ground. When she tried to rush at Alison, though, the younger girl brought her sword up and struck Adela across the head.
    Adela dropped to the ground, stunned, and Angeline gasped.
    “Yield!” Alison shouted, pointing the tip of her sword at Adela’s chest. “I’ve beaten you fairly, and you must yield to me!”
    But Adela scraped a handful of dirt form the ground—so quickly that Angeline barely saw it— and threw it into Alison’s face. When Alison screamed and turned away, trying to protect her eyes, Adela regained her feet and dove at Alison, striking her in the knees and taking her down. She grabbed Alison’s sword, which the other girl had dropped in her pain, and brought the weapon down to Alison’s neck.
    “I will never yield to the likes of you,” she hissed. “Never.”
    Angeline moved suddenly between them, having seen enough.
    “Cheater!” Alison cried. “Again, she must cheat to beat me!”
    “She used everything at her disposal,” Angeline corrected. “And that was well within the rules. It is what anyone would do in the field. It is what you must learn to think of, young one. Adela wins the day. But—” She turned to Adela, her face growing more serious. “—Remember that Alison is your little sister. And beware of her safety in the future. The dirt could have done serious harm, and it will not do for you two to become enemies. You are family.”
    Adela nodded once. “And I’m happy to remember that, Mother, if she does.”
    Angeline nodded at that and then turned away. Yes, her decision was made. The choice was obvious. But what would it do to the girls when she told them?

10
    G eoffrey looked up at Louis as they walked, wondering about his friend. Louis was taller than Geoffrey—always had been—and Geoffrey knew for a fact that Louis was also more handsome. Geoffrey himself had been lucky, he’d always thought, that Louis had agreed to work with him rather than going to one of the other woodcutters in the area.
    When his father died, leaving him alone with his mother, Louis had turned to woodcutting but hadn’t had a clue about where to do it, or how, or even how to stay safe during the process. But he’d known Geoffrey already—they’d played together as young boys—and had gone to him with his thoughts. Geoffrey and Piers had immediately agreed to teach Louis the lay of the land. Since then, of course, Louis had outstripped Geoff in both size and strength, and it was becoming obvious that Louis was the better woodcutter.
    Of course, Geoff had always considered himself slightly cleverer than Louis—at least when it came to safety, and business. He’d quickly taken the lead in their pricing and distribution, and fancied that he did a good job at it. Louis, on the other hand, was the adventurer. And he was proving as much right now.
    “They should have let us stay with them,” Louis was muttering, his long strides taking him quickly through the forest. “Those three ladies shouldn’t be in the woods by themselves if something is about. We could have protected them.”
    Geoffrey snorted and tried to match his pace to his friend’s. “Methinks Madam Angeline is more than capable of protecting them herself. And Adela is