Black Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page A

frustration of that reality would be blatantly apparent.
    “Seriously?” Letty asked. “How have you kept that up? I
want to jump him after five minutes. Demon or not, that body is—”
    “I get it!” Izzy said quickly, holding her hand up to cut
off Letty’s words. She paused, then, and looked between her friends. She was
alone—truly alone—for the first time in a long time. It wouldn’t last, but … why not take the opportunity? “Honestly,” she
began on a sigh, “it’s not that I haven’t wanted to.”
    Both Letty’s and Britt’s expressions became curious and
they leaned forward. “Go on,” Letty urged.
    Fighting her embarrassment, Izzy embraced her brief
freedom. “There’s not much to ‘go on’ about,” she admitted. “And that’s the
problem. I think I’ve been hot for him since high school, but of course I
couldn’t do anything about it.” She took a breath and slumped into the back of
the futon. “He’ll never touch me like that, though.”
    “You definitely wanted him in high school,” Britt offered
with a knowing grin.
    “How could she not? All those hormones and his sexy body
constantly around?” Letty snickered briefly before turning her gaze back to
Izzy. “But what’s the hold up now? You’re an adult, he’s still smokin’. I don’t
see the problem.”
    Izzy frowned, tears stinging her eyes for the second time
that night. The real reason was also the reason she never made a move herself.
“It wouldn’t be right of me. With the Life Bond, he has to stay close and protect me. If he doesn’t want me like that,
he’d probably fake it just to make life easier for a while.” She returned her
gaze to her friends and quietly added, “I can’t force him into my bed like
that.” It’d be wrong on every level.
    Both women frowned.
    “But how do you know he isn’t interested?” Letty pushed.
    “Couldn’t your father release him from the bond?” Britt
asked.
    Izzy smiled a bit and shook her head. “Why would he be? I’m
the face of his servitude, essentially. I’m amazed he doesn’t hate me—or he
hides it insanely well. And no, a Life Bond is a permanent thing. Breakable
only by someone’s death.”
    “Like yours?”
    All three jumped at the unfamiliar male voice coming from
the back of the cabin. A male figure stepped into the yellow globe light, the
sneer on his lips assuring Izzy he wasn’t there to make friends.
    “How did you get in here?” Britt demanded, pushing to her
feet.
    “Britt,” Izzy called as she and Letty stood as well.
Clearly Britt wasn’t attuned to identifying demons like Izzy was.
    “The usual way,” the demon returned. He switched his
sneering gaze to Izzy and added, “I don’t suppose you’re interested in
releasing Darr from the ties that bind?”
    Izzy swallowed. “If you kill me he’ll die, too.”
    “Supposedly.” The demon rushed her without warning,
knocking her off her feet and sending her friends diving out of the way.
    Izzy crashed over the futon and into a wall, her body
aching from the impact. And he’d only hit her with his hand . If he summoned a dark energy wave for her she’d be a goner.
    “Darr.”
    Sometime in the first couple of years, Darr had taught her
a short, wordless spell she could use to call for him when he wasn’t already
beside her. He said it sent a jolt through him, alerting his senses to her
situation and pulling him to her practically without his consent. She hated
using it, but she couldn’t let this demon kill her. And he’d surely go for her
friends next if he succeeded in killing her. She couldn’t let that happen,
either.
    “Get up,” the demon commanded. An invisible hand wrapped
around her throat and hauled her mercilessly off the floor. She could barely
dig her bare toes into the wood floor. The demon smirked and cocked his head.
“Little Izzy Duchane,” he taunted, rolling his extended wrist slightly. The
force holding her throat rolled to match, straining the side of