Deception Read Online Free PDF Page A

own. You have no one.”
    Finley tilted his head, his angry aura seeping from his rigid frame. “Everyone finds themselves alone, Quin. You must know you’d be fighting a losing battle.”
    “You’ll stay away from him,” Layla snapped. “Or you'll deal with me.”
    Her aura swelled, drowning Quin in a rippling river of dark and ominous colors, and he flipped his gaze to her face, finding a temper he’d never seen before. His chest and throat tightened as he watched her jaw flex, and it strengthened her delicate visage. An untapped well of anger bubbled beneath the surface, awakened by Finley’s threats.
    Quin cleared his throat and tightened his hold, lifting her with him as he stood. “Conceal us, love. We’re leaving.”
    “Thank you,” she sighed, turning her face into his neck.
    Quin kept his eyes on Finley as Layla worked her magic. Then he shot toward the sky, hoping Finley wouldn’t follow.
    Taking an entirely different route back, Quin often dipped into the forest and flew several miles out of his way, so it took him more than half an hour to reach the northeast side of the community.
    He landed two miles outside their property line then floated through the forest, straining his eyes and ears for danger, but all he sensed was nature, its serenity conflicting with his mood. He dug Layla’s cell phone from his bag, contemplating the risks of calling home. Then a screech pierced the silence, drawing his attention to the treetops. Zenith – his great grandpa’s hawk.
    Quin searched for her, but couldn’t find her until she squawked again, this time from a nearby limb. “Clever girl,” he commended.
    Zenith chirped and shook her feathers. Then Caitrin's worried voice echoed in Quin’s head.
    ‘Are you okay? Is Layla okay?’
    ‘Yes,’ Quin answered. ‘Is it safe to return?’
    ‘As safe as it's going to get.’
    ‘We’ll be there shortly.’

Chapter 3

    Quin flew over Finley's tent when he entered the lawn and was disappointed to see the meddler’s silhouette moving around. Quin had hoped Layla's solid rejection would make Finley reconsider his stay, but no such luck. The guy was too arrogant and felt too entitled to cede so quickly.
    Quin looked up, laying eyes on a much bigger tent in the middle of the lawn, and Finley slipped his mind. There was only one explanation for the tent – multiple casualties.
    He summoned a dress from Layla’s closet as he landed in the firelight spilling from the tent’s canvas flaps. After magicking the frock onto her body, he entered the makeshift infirmary.
    Sweeping his gaze right to left, he counted five beds. Shit . Layla wasn’t going to handle this well at all. He focused on the bodies in the beds – Belinos, Devlin, Drystan, Kearny . . . and his dad. Shit .
    Quin flew to the latter, trying not to panic. “Lift your spells, Layla.”
    She obeyed, and several people gasped before sighing.
    “Quinlan,” Cordelia sobbed. “You're here. You're okay.”
    “I'm fine,” Quin assured. “What happened?”
    “Electricity,” Serafin answered.
    “Is he going to be okay?” Quin pressed.
    “He already survived the worst of it,” Serafin replied. “None of the shocks hit his heart, and the rest of his organs were healthy enough to withstand the voltage. Right now we’re healing residual burns. He’s been conscious, but chose to be sedated. Everything except what we're working on is numb, so he shouldn't be experiencing too much pain.”
    Every word Serafin spoke twisted Layla’s heart and thickened her throat. She didn't know who they were talking about, and she was terrified to look. Not that it mattered. She cared for everyone in the coven and didn't want those awful things affecting any of them. She took a labored breath. Then she forced her face from Quin's neck and followed his gaze to the bed.
    Several wide electric burns gouged Kemble’s bloody flesh – trenches so deep they looked like they’d been dug with burning spades.
    Layla’s