Bone Cold: A Soul Shamans Novel (Volume 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“They’ve found him?”
    “They may know where he’s been hiding,” she said with a nod. “He’s probably weak, but we don’t want to take any chances. They need as big a team as possible, so I’m going with them to track him down.”
    “Mom. Why does it have to be you?” I asked. “There’s no telling what Anthony will do when you show up and try to arrest him or whatever it is you’re going to do.”
    “We’re making sure he gets locked away for a very long time, but not by the human police.”
    “You didn’t answer my question.”
    “Holly.” My mom’s eyes flashed with something I’d never seen before. “That man trapped me inside of my own mind to the point it almost killed me. I will be involved in his takedown. I refuse to have it any other way.”
    I opened my mouth and then shut it again. Even though I couldn’t stand the thought of my mother facing the man that had made her life a living hell, I couldn’t fault her as to why she felt she had to do it. But that didn’t mean I was okay with it.
    “I thought you didn’t trust anyone in the shaman world,” I said.
    “Well.” She fiddled with a ziplock bag, her sharp fingernails pressing hard into the plastic. “I couldn’t be sure how deep Anthony’s involvement was and who exactly he had under his thumb. I was worried more shamans would be sympathetic to his side.”
    “And now?”
    “And now there’s a team trying to track him down and lock him up. I know not to blindly trust these guys, and I’ll keep my guard up. Just remember, if they sympathized with Anthony, they wouldn’t be hunting him.”
    I rolled my eyes. “If you say so.”
    “Oh, Holly.” Mom sighed and stood from the table.
    “You can’t blame me for being worried.”
    “No, I can’t. I just wish life had worked out differently and that you’d never been in the position you were. Thankfully, that’s over now. I look after you, not the other way around.” She left me at the kitchen table to stew in my thoughts and returned a moment later with two musty books covered in a thick layer of dust.
    “What’s this?” I wiped my palm across the surface of one of the books to reveal the standard protection rune etched into the leather cover.
    “I promised to teach you more about shamanism today.” She tapped a pointy red fingernail at the top book. “This is a poor replacement for what I can share with you first-hand, but it can get you started. Read through these. Learn about our shaman history and the rules of the world. When I get back from my trip, I’ll answer any questions you have.”
    Eyes widening, I eagerly flipped open the cover. The crinkly pages fanned out before me, revealing words scrawled in ancient ink. This was more shaman information than I’d ever been given my entire life. There were explanations about my world in between these antique brown covers, and even though I wasn’t learning it the way I wanted to be, it was way better than the nothing I’d had until now.
    ***
    Two hours later, the fridge was packed full of pre-cooked meals and the living room empty of all signs of Mom. She bustled out the front door, teetering in heels she hadn’t worn in months, brushing a soft kiss on my forehead before disappearing in a cloud of sweet perfume.
    “Laura,” I mumbled into the landline, wrapping the cord around my finger. “What are you up to today?”
    “Sleeping?” Sheets rustled on the other end of the line. Laura still hadn’t gotten up yet. Typical.
    “Mom’s gone.” The words tasted alien as if they were from another time and another life. Even though Mom used to go on trips all the time, it had been so long I forgot what it had felt like.
    “What do you mean, gone?” Laura’s voice lost its sleepy quality, replaced by an alertness I could only get by downing a gallon of coffee in one big gulp.
    “She took off.” I wrapped the cord all the way around my body and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. “Off to hunt down