Blood Promise (A SkinWalker Novel #4) (A DarkWorld SkinWalker Novel) Read Online Free PDF

boy.
    Storm smiled as the boy watched him through half-closed lids. "Good. I have some IT work that needs updating."
    That teased a smile from the kid. Encouraging.
    "What's your name?" asked Storm.
    "Baz," he rasped. "Sebastian Ross."
    "Nice to meet you, Baz," I said giving him a nod over Storm's shoulder.
    Storm straightened. "Right. We'll get him settled and I'll have Chloe come and give him a once-over." He turned to Cassie. "Infirmary?" he asked.
    She was about to take Baz's arm when a gentle voice spoke from the doorway. "Niki said you needed me."
    We all turned around. Chloe Murdoch stood in the doorway radiating calm as if it was something she sprayed on every morning like a fragrance. Her soft auburn curls were piled up on her head, delicate tendrils drifting to her shoulders. In her fifties she could easily pass for thirty.
    I gave her a happy grin and gestured to the sofa. "Yes. The boy. Baz. He needs you."  
    Chloe went straight to him, and placed her pale hand on his dark arm. "Right, young man. All you need to do is relax. I can feel the tension and fear in you. You don't have to be afraid of anyone here. We are all here to help you."
    When Baz glanced at Cassie, I stifled a snort.
    "Yes," I said, keeping my features neutral. "Even Cassie."
    His gaze flicked from Cassie's weak but encouraging smile, to my face, and then up to Chloe's. I'd bet the older woman's kinder features were much more attractive than either of ours. Poor kid had been through far too much.
    His shoulders sank into the cheap satin pillows beneath him, as if an invisible layer of tension had weighed him down for all this time and had only now been lifted.  
    Chloe crouched down, her hand stroking his shoulder inches from his ravaged neck. "How do you feel?"
    He nodded and his teeth glinted white against his dark skin. A soft smile if it were possible to ignore the sharp point of his canines.
    "Tell us about yourself." Chloe continued to stroke. "That way we can get you the best kind of help."
    "I'm from London." He said it a little defensively, his well-educated accent becoming more pronounced. "Born and bred."
    And I understood. People of color didn't fit that well into the general idea of a highly educated Londoner. You'd think more along the lines of white. But for me, born-and-bred was enough.
    When nobody challenged his claim, not even the only other Brit in the room, he said, "I went to Eton, studied programming. But I f- . . . I mean I was stupid. This guy got in touch with me on a programming forum. Wanted some sort of complicated code. We met. And yeah, now, I'm here."
    "Was it the demon we killed?" I asked softly.
    "You killed him?" He seemed to want confirmation even though I'd already told him the demon was dead.
    "Yes. You don't have to worry about them anymore." I focused my attention on him. "How long were you in the house?" I didn't want to ask him how long he'd been beneath the floor.
    His mouth twisted. "About two months. They took me there when I refused to write their program. I heard them say that once they turned me, I'd have no choice."
    "Did you write it?"
    He shook his head. "You killed him and the others will find the place empty when they get back."
    Cassie was already hurrying out the room, phone in hand, to let Sentinel know that more vamp-demons were expected at the house.
    "What was it they wanted you to do?" I asked softly, hoping he had the energy to keep talking. Judging by the gray undertone to his dark caramel skin, I didn't think he'd last much longer. And neither did Chloe. She gave me a stern glance.
    Baz cleared his throat. "Hack into MI6."
    The silence in the room pierced my ears.
    "Why?' asked Chloe, now too intrigued to stop him.
    "A terrorist," Baz said "One of their own. He was in trouble with MI6 and on their kill-list. He wanted off."
    I'd bet he did. "Did you give them anything?"
    He grinned. "Just a program that keeps going into an endless loop. They'll figure it out eventually but for now