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

and let her catch up to him. They walked north for a couple of hours, not talking, the landscape not changing except to darken as night came on. She kept a low flame going in her right hand to help light their way, but when she realized that Julian didn’t seem to need it, she put it out. No use in wasting power.
    When they met a gravel road and made their way up a driveway that led to a farmhouse, relief washed over her. She was dead tired. Julian stepped onto the porch and opened the front door. He turned to her, blocking her entrance into the house.
    “I’ve never brought another soul here. It was the first place I thought of. There are wards around the property, you’ll be safe here, but if you hate it, we can move tomorrow.” He turned and walked into the house.
    She reached forward, grasping his arm. “I’m sorry for insulting you,” she said to the back of his head. “It’s nice here, just not what I’m used to. It’s good to know I’ll be safe. Today has been nerve-wracking and I acted like a brat, it won’t happen again.”
    Julian let go of the tension he’d been holding in his shoulders and placed his hand on Flora’s. He turned to look at her. “I may have been overreacting. The transporting has me worn out.”
    She stepped through the doorway. “Well, we better get you into bed then.” She cringed at her words, glad for the darkness of the house.
    He chuckled. “Oh?”
    Her hand slipped from his arm. “You know that’s not what I meant!” she said, bumbling forward into a wooden chair. “Uh, are there any lights in this joint?”
    Leaning past her, he took something off a shelf and folded it into her palm. “Here’s a candle, less draining on your power than keeping fire in your hands. We don’t want you breaking your neck trying to walk around in the dark.”
    Grazing her other palm over the top of it, she lit the wick. They were in an old-fashioned sitting room, furnished with two wooden straight backed chairs, a worn in rocking chair and an uncomfortable looking small couch. She held the candle up and illuminated the room. On the wall behind the couch hung two framed photographs. She moved in to get a better look.
    “Careful with that candle, Flor,” Julian warned.
    She pulled it back slightly. The photos were those old-timey types that looked almost like portraits. She was getting the feeling that Julian was a lot older than she’d thought he was. The first photo was of a handsome couple, the man had a broad welcoming smile, and the woman’s wavy blond hair struggled to stay in its bun, curly strands forming a halo around her head. “These are your parents?”
    “Yes.”
    “You look like your mom,” she said, smiling. The next photo took her by surprise. Two teenaged Julians stared back at her. The boys were indistinguishable from one another. She and Fauna only kind of looked alike. “Wow,” she said, her smile growing wide. “You’re a twin too.”
    He nodded. “I am.” He pointed to the boy on the left. “This is me. My brother’s name was August.”
    “Ha!” she giggled. “July and August, huh?”
    “The plight of being a twin, I expect.”
    “What happened to him? Is he a Guardian as well?”
    “No,” Julian said, inhaling deeply. “No, he was our Sacrifice.”
    “What?” Flora shouted, whirling around so quickly she extinguished the candle. “You used to be Supernatural? I thought Guardians were strictly former humans?” She lit the candle again and waited for Julian’s answer. No wonder he understood Sacrifices so well.
    “Can we talk about this tomorrow?” he pleaded. He did look tired, his eyes showing a hint of age.
    “Sure. Of course, I’ll be up all night thinking about you an--”
    “Oh?” He grinned.
    “That is not what I meant!” She blew the candle out to hide her embarrassment, which was a stupid thing to do because then they were standing there in the dark.
    “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” Julian put an arm around