Chaos Broken Read Online Free PDF Page A

of black, and it cascaded past his shoulders, reminding me of a lion’s mane. His black nephilim eyes mirrored those of Roman and Casper, and I noticed scarring twisting up his neck. The scars looked old, the skin mottled and scorched, reminding me of an old burn.
    Gorath held both his hands out to Casper in a gesture of welcome. ‘You look well, brother. Thank you for your trust tonight.’
    Casper grunted, and for a moment I wasn’t sure he was going to respond. But then he raised his hands to grasp Gorath’s own and they shook once. Gorath turned to Roman, repeating the gesture.
    â€˜Brother. It is a great honour to meet you and break bread.’
    â€˜I appreciate the chance to talk.’ Roman’s voice was guarded as he briefly took Gorath’s hands.
    â€˜The honour is mine.’ Gorath inclined his head to Roman, then turned my way, his smile widening. ‘And here she is. In the flesh.’ He held his hands out to me. ‘Lora Blackgoat. I welcome you with open arms.’
    Since I’m not as polite as Roman, and I remembered quite clearly what happened the last time Gorath and I sort of met, I just stared at him. Then I folded my arms. Gorath threw back his head and laughed, a deep, booming sound. He glanced back at the woman in red, who watched us with an indulgent look.
    â€˜She’s got that same stubborn streak you do, my love,’ she called out.
    Gorath looked back at me, still smiling. ‘What do you think of my nightclub, Lora?’
    I bristled, jerking a thumb over my shoulder. ‘Look. Are we having this sit-down, or are we just going to watch that guy get his nuts stepped on? I could have stayed in Applecross for that.’
    â€˜Lora,’ Roman murmured: a warning to mind my manners.
    Gorath’s smile slipped, before he recovered and nodded. ‘Of course. Please follow me to where we can talk in private.’
    My mouth opened to say something smart about walking into traps, but then Roman’s hand landed heavily on my shoulder. Seems I’d played my role in setting the tone and now it was time to shut up and get down to it. Either we got talking, or we got bloody.
    The crowd parted for us and we followed Gorath into a second room. This one had walls covered with books, a heavy table in the middle and a crackling fireplace casting a warm light. A well-dressed figure stood by the flames, arm resting on the mantle. I stopped abruptly when familiar amber eyes met mine.
    â€˜Hello, Lora.’ Seth Hallow gave me an easy smile.
    â€˜Uh,’ I replied, because my mind had gone blank. Last time I’d seen Seth was six months ago, when I’d watched him stand with members of Harken Council as they unveiled the renovated grand fountain in Avalon Square. Apparently, Seth had funded the renovations out of the goodness of his heart. Which I totally didn’t buy and after a bit of digging, I’d found he’d turned into quite the philanthropist after leaving the City Watch to become the leader of the Reaper Street Gang. Talk about a contradiction. Where this path of supposed respectability was going I had no idea — any way you tried to shade it, the Reapers were deadly assassins and all other shades of nasty, and now he was their leader.
    Seth’s sleeves were rolled up and I saw he’d got a spanking new scythe tattoo on his forearm, the mark of the Reapers.
    â€˜What are you doing here?’ I blurted out. Roman gave me a gentle push into the room and I stumbled forward.
    â€˜Seth.’ Casper sounded surprised. ‘Good to see you, old friend.’
    â€˜Casper.’ Seth nodded.
    Gorath took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for us to join him. ‘Seth was the one who suggested this gathering. Naturally, being the leader of the powerful Reaper Street Gang, I thought it prudent for him to attend.’
    I was starting to sit myself when Gorath said this, and I paused, mid-squat, wondering