Day of Sacrifice (Day of Sacrifice #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

then settled on Fauna. He exhaled for a prolonged moment. “I understand your motives, but your lack of trust in my ability to take care of the situation is appalling.” Fauna studied her feet.
    The urge to yell at her father gripped Flora’s throat, but she knew that her speaking would only infuriate him. To him, she wasn’t a person, his daughter, but a means to an end.
    “Fauna, look me in the eye when I’m talking to you. For Gods sake, Hamiltons don’t cower.”
    She snapped her head up, her jaw set. She was itching to yell at him too, Flora could tell.
    He nodded. “I’m aware that you heard about my failed deal with the Fitzgeralds. May I suggest that the next time you choose to eavesdrop you come to me to discuss what you heard? This whole mess at Aiden Grant’s Day of Sacrifice could have been avoided.”
    “Flora wasn’t safe, Dad!” Fauna blurted.
    Their father exhaled at length again. “As far as you knew.”
    “Then there was a plan to keep her safe?” Julian asked, moving closer to Flora’s side, his hand grazing hers.
    “I had men en route to the hotel.”
    She couldn’t help it. Her dad was such an amazing asshole. “You are aware,” she said, “that if Faun hadn’t warned me that Fitz’s goon was coming that I would have been caught even more unprepared than I was? I barely made it out of that hotel alive! When did ‘your men’ show up? After I’d already fled for my life?”
    “What I’m aware of is your despicable behavior, Sacrifice. You and you alone are responsible for your being unguarded. If--”
    “Her name is Flora, Sir,” Julian choked out.
    “I know what her name is.” Her father pushed his chair back from the desk and swiveled toward the wall of windows that overlooked the city. “For some reason, you’re invested in keeping her alive. This is also what I want for the time being. I’ve spoken to your superiors and they are willing to make an exception seeing as her Day of Sacrifice is only three days away. Take her somewhere secluded.” He stood, still facing away from them. “If you even think about crossing me and she does not show up to her ceremony, I’ll have your wings severed from your body. You will be on a fast track to humanity before you even know what happened. Do you understand me, Guardian?”
    Fuck it. She wasn’t going to see her father until the day she died anyway. “His name is Julian, you horrible son of a bitch,” Flora shouted, throwing a fireball at the back of his office chair, igniting it.
    For the second time that day Julian’s wings enveloped her and they disappeared.
     
     
     
    The downy protective cocoon that she’d transported in slid away from her as Julian crumpled to the ground.
    “Well, this is embarrassing,” he muttered.
    She plopped down on the ground next to him, stunned, and took in their surroundings. They were in a field. There wasn’t a single structure or another person to be seen. Anywhere. The landscape consisted of four trees shadowed by the setting sun on the horizon. When Julian heard her father say “someplace secluded,” he must have translated that as “middle of nowhere.” Wide open spaces were so not her thing. She was a city girl with an outdoorsy name, not the other way around. With the exceptions of spending time with Julian and attempting to light her father on fire, this day had sucked.
    “Where in the hell have you brought me?” Flora huffed, taking her cell from her pocket and praying there would be a signal. A blank gray digital display stared back at her. “Awesome.” She tossed the phone into the tall grass.
    “This is my home,” Julian stated, sounding offended. He stood quickly, staggered a little and then marched through the field.
    Flora had never met anyone from the Outer Territory. She thought only criminals and loners lived out here. She hurried after him, cursing that she’d let some of her spoiled Sacrifice attitude come out. “Hey! Wait up!” she called.
    He stopped