Demon Storm: Belador book 5 Read Online Free PDF Page B

like it was made of bone. It was whiter than snow and smooth as polished alabaster, all except his face, where black, orange and red jagged lines radiated from his eyes to his ears and chin. Spikes of yellow and blood-red hair tufted between two pointy ears. Thick wads of hair fell to his shoulders, past his arms and to his waist in different lengths, braided thick as two of Storm’s fingers. One horn shot straight up from his forehead. His eyes were nothing but flickering flames. A necklace of bones rough-cut into circles swung from his neck.
    Not just circles. Those were eye sockets.
    When Hanhau opened his mouth to speak, fire raged at the back of his throat. “You have asked to enter my domain, Storm of the Ashaninka, and I have granted it. To remain here, you must state your intentions for coming to Mitnal.”
    “That’s not what–” Nadina started to argue and her lips disappeared from her face. She turned wild eyes on Storm.
    Storm shook his head at her, careful to sound more demon than human in front of Hanhau when he told Nadina, “Sympathy is the last thing to expect after striking a deal with someone more evil than you are.”
    Cold hatred shoved the wildness from her eyes.
    Storm ignored her to concentrate on how best to answer Hanhau. “I thought we discussed that before I came through the bolthole.”
    “That was to allow you to enter. To remain, you must state your intentions. If you came here with ulterior motives, you will regret it.”
    Nadina’s eyes rounded large, begging him to allow her to speak.
    Standing with arms crossed and legs apart, Storm said, “I came here to train your demons.”
    That lie caused no physical pain, but Storm ignored the oddity for now and focused on the threat he faced.
    Hanhau sat forward. His horns erupted into flames.
    What was wrong? Storm had given the demon ruler what he wanted, according to Nadina.
    Hanhau’s lips twisted into a smile, then his mouth burst open with belly-deep laughter. His demons howled and chortled with him. Hanhau clapped his hands, “I am much pleased, Nadina.”
    Storm swung his head to Nadina, whose lips had returned and were now smirking at him.
    No, this couldn’t be happening.
    He fought to bring words up from his throat.
    She had no trouble speaking. “I told you I would have you as my demon, but I’m willing to share you with my master, Hanhau. You and I will not be leaving together so that oath is of no use, but I found it entertaining.”  She laughed, a brittle, evil sound that died just before she tossed his own words back at him. “Sympathy is the last thing to expect after striking a deal with someone more evil than you are.”
    His world was crashing in on itself, but Storm couldn’t hear it above the screaming inside his head.

Chapter 3
    S tanding here was going to kill her.
    Or someone else if this didn’t move along soon.
    Evalle shifted her feet, tired of standing in place waiting, waiting, waiting.
    Enough already.
    She had to find Storm for any hope of tracking down Brina. The longer the Belador warrior queen was missing from Treoir Castle, the longer all the Beladors back in Atlanta, and the rest of the mortal world, were at risk of annihilation.
    Treoir Castle stood, as powerful looking as it had been the first time Evalle visited this island hidden in a mist above the Irish Sea. The structure might still be strong but without a Treoir descendant physically inside the beautiful building, Belador warriors had no powers. As it was, only an empty-eyed, holographic effigy of Brina, the last living Treoir, remained. She’d been attacked with black majik dust.
    Not just any run-of-the-mill black majik, but Noirre.
    Hundreds of warriors standing around Evalle on the lawn leading up to the castle shifted their feet, anxiously waiting for their goddess Macha to speak.
    Sooner than later would be nice, but this deity moved at her own pace.
    Evalle had already mouthed off once and survived that. Twice in one lifetime