Darkness Unleashed Read Online Free PDF Page A

me to Culligan.” Her fingers tightened, revealing she possessed all the strength of a pureblood. “Do you know where he is hiding, or not?”
    “No.”
    “But…”
    “Like you, I lost his trail at the edge of town. That’s where I picked up your scent.”
    “Damn.” She dropped her hand and stepped back. Jagr swallowed his low growl of disappointment. “How could his trail just disappear?”
    “Most imps can create portals to move through long distances.”
    “Not Culligan.” Her lips twisted with a grim satisfaction. “He’s a weak, pathetic bully who can barely cast a hex.”
    Jagr shrugged. “Then he could be dead, although it’s far more likely he had assistance in covering his presence.”
    He watched the frustration ripple over Regan’s delicate features. They weren’t an exact replica of Darcy’s. Her eyes were a darker emerald, her brows more gold than blond, and her expression was hardened by years of abuse. But overall, she shared Darcy’s fragile, heartrending beauty.
    The sort of fragility that made even a scarred recluse want to toss her over his shoulder and take her somewhere he could keep her safe.
    Unaware of his shocking thoughts, Regan furrowed her brow. “How would he cover his presence? A witch?”
    “A witch would have the power. But, of course, so would any number of demons.”
    “Great.” The green eyes flashed with irritation. “You’re a butt-load of help. So glad you showed up.”
    “It was because the imp’s trail ended that I asked you to tell me of him. I need to know more before I can decide how best to lure him from the shadows.” He lifted his brows as she regarded him with a stubborn expression. “Regan?”
    “I don’t want your help.”
    He narrowed his gaze, knowing he had to take a stand. This woman was so blinded by her need for revenge, she couldn’t think clearly. If she wasn’t to end up back in Culligan’s power, or dead, he would have to find some means to keep her distracted while he considered the best means of flushing the imp into the open.
    “And I don’t want to be trapped playing nanny to a pint-sized Were with even less charm than myself.” His voice was sheer ice. “Unfortunately we’re stuck with one another until I hand you over to Darcy, and you can devote yourself to making her life a misery.”
    She quivered with rage. “Pint-sized?”
    “I believe that’s the current term used to describe a smaller than usual object.”
    “Why you son of a…”
    The crack of gunshots interrupted the angry tirade, the sound so unexpected that the bullets smashed though the window before Jagr was able to launch forward and force Regan to the floor. His teeth clenched in pain, his thoughts dark with fury.
    He had protected the more delicate Were, but three of the bullets had lodged in his back, the fourth slicing through his arm to create a nasty gash.
    Not life-threatening injuries, but they left him too weak to battle whoever was attacking them.
    Shit.
    If he survived this, Styx was going to kill him.

Chapter 2
    Shocked by the sudden attack, not to mention the six-foot-plus vampire that had just landed on top of her, Regan struggled to clear the fog from her mind.
    What the hell?
    She knew enough to realize someone had shot through the window. And that Jagr had quite likely saved her from a nasty injury.
    What she didn’t know was why.
    It couldn’t have been Culligan. The few times the imp had tried to use a gun, he hadn’t been able to hit the broadside of a barn. Besides, if he’d come gunning for her, he would have brought a rocket launcher. The son of a bitch knew he had one chance, and one chance only, to kill her before she ripped out his throat.
    Jagr’s groan jolted her out of her inane thoughts, and Regan wriggled from beneath his heavy body. He was too weak to protest, lying face-down on the carpet to reveal the brutal injuries that were even now oozing with a frightening amount of blood.
    A flare of terror raced through