Black Dawn Read Online Free PDF

her neck.
“Goodby—”
    A strong arm locked around the demon’s own throat and threw
him bodily backward. The demon rolled several times before his spine met with a
wrought iron bedpost.
    Darr stalked up to him, his shoulders visibly tight beneath
his shirt, fists clenched at his sides. “You dare, ” he growled, his deep voice full of venom and promises of
pain.
    “W-wait!” the demon begged, pushing to his knees and
struggling to stand.
    Darr yanked him to his feet and locked a hand around his
neck. Izzy couldn’t hear what he said next, but she didn’t need to. A cold
chill swept through the room, the overhead lights flickered, and the demon let
out a gurgled scream Izzy could barely hear. Darr released the corpse a moment
before it was consumed in black hellfire.
    The chill faded. The lighting stabilized.
    Izzy pushed herself to her knees, realizing her ankle had
twisted when her attacker’s concentration had snapped and she’d fallen. But
that was the least of her pains. She’d crashed into a metal bar and tumbled
into a solid wooden wall, cracking her head and at least one of her shoulders. He made it…
    “Izzy,” Darr called gently, dropping to a knee in front of
her as his hands landed on her shoulders. His touch was feather light as he
discerned her injuries. “I’m sorry.”
    The guilt that choked his voice squeezed her heart.
    “I’m okay,” she insisted. “Just some new bruises. No bikini
for me tomorrow.”
    Darr frowned deeply. He clearly wasn’t appreciative of her
attempted humor. “I’m going to pick you up,” he warned. A heartbeat after she
nodded her understanding, he’d swept her into his arms. The movement sent some
new jolts of pain through her, but being settled and cradled against his
strong, broad chest countered that pain with encompassing warmth.
    Izzy groaned faintly and let her head land on his shoulder
as he stood.
    “Is she okay?” Britt asked quietly from somewhere behind
Darr.
    “She will be.”
    “What about … other demons?” Letty asked hesitantly. “Will
there be more?”
    “Unlikely,” Darr replied as he moved toward Izzy’s claimed
bed. He stepped right over the new scorch mark on the floor where the other
demon had died. He laid her down carefully before lifting his gaze to the two
watching women. “Could you give us privacy?” He worded it like a request, but
Izzy knew better. The last time she’d been injured—again in his brief absence,
no less—he’d nearly blown a hole in her roof. And her then-boyfriend had wasted
no time ending things, although she’d been kind of relieved about that part.
    “Of course,” Britt said, catching Letty’s elbow. “Come on,
we’ll crash with Ainsley tonight.”
    Letty nodded and after grabbing a change of clothes added,
“Take care of her.”
    As if that needed to be said. If there was one thing Izzy
had learned over the years, it was that Darr would always be there for her.
    After the door closed behind her friends Darr moved and sat
on the edge of the mattress at her side. He brushed some straggling orange-red
wisps from her face and said, “Your shoulder is dislocated. I can pop it back
into place, but it’ll hurt.”
    Izzy cringed and her head rallied against her for it.
Releasing a heavy breath, she said, “Okay, let’s get it over with. Then can you
get the Aleve from my bag? I hit my head, too.”
    Darr ran his hand over her head with a frown. Silence
ticked between them until he finally said, “Your head should be fine, it’s just
sore.”
    He helped Izzy to a sitting position, hovered his hands over
her shoulder, and told her to be sure not to bite her tongue. She locked her
jaw shut, closed her eyes, and did her best not to scream as searing pain shot
through her from her shoulder. It tore at her, lighting her senses on fire for
a minute before fading rapidly. “Ah.” She gasped when she was sure she wouldn’t
scream. “Wow, that hurt.”
    “Does it feel better?” Darr asked,