Demonglass Read Online Free PDF Page B

gleamed in the sunlight. “I’m Kristopher,” he said, his voice thick with an unidentifiable accent. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Sophia.” His eyes were icy blue instead of gold, but he was definitely a shifter. I could feel it.
    Wondering if he turned into a husky dog, I turned to the next guy, craning my neck to look up at him. He must’ve been nearly seven feet tall, and his huge wings reminded me of water in oil: they were black, but they still swirled with every color, from green to blue to pink.
    “Roderick,” he said as my hand disappeared into his. The woman was Elizabeth, and with her soft gray hair and little round glasses, I thought she looked like someone’s nana; but when I went to shake her hand, she yanked me to her and sniffed my hair.
    Great. Another werewolf.
    Dad said something about speaking with all of them later, and then, finally, we headed inside.
    Jenna gasped as we moved into the foyer, and if I hadn’t still been reeling from the one-two punch of the Council on the steps, plus the demon teenagers, I probably would have too. It was one of those spaces where you felt like you could look forever and still not see everything. Hecate could be overwhelming as well, but it was nothing like this. The black-and-white marble floor underneath my feet was shiny enough to make me glad I hadn’t worn a skirt, and I was nearly blinded by the acres of gilt that covered every surface. Like Hecate, the main entrance was dominated by a staircase, but this one was a lot bigger, and carved from white limestone. The steps were covered in a carpet as red as spilled blood.
    Overhead, the curved ceiling was covered in a mural, but I couldn’t quite make out what was being depicted. From the looks of it, it was violent and tragic. Other paintings around the room showed the same kind of scene: stern-faced men pointing swords at weeping women, or men charging into battle while their horses’ eyes rolled in fear.
    I shivered. Even in June, it was impossible to believe you could ever be warm in a room like this. Or maybe my goose bumps were from all the magic, as though five hundred years’ worth of spells had seeped into the stone and wood.
    “They have statues,” Jenna said. “In a hallway .” Sure enough, two bronze statues of veiled women guarded the massive staircase, where even more people were now lining up. They were all wearing black uniforms, and had nearly identical smiles plastered on their faces.
    “What are those people doing?” Jenna whispered to me.
    “I don’t know,” I replied through a frozen grin, “but I’m afraid a musical number might be involved.”
    “This is our household staff,” Dad said, sweeping his arm toward the group. “Anything you need, they’ll be happy to help you with.”
    “Oh,” I said weakly, feeling like my voice echoed in the cavernous room. “Great.”
    Beyond the crowd, at the top of the stairs, was a large marble arch. Dad nodded toward it and said, “Our temporary offices are through there, but we can see those later. I’m sure you’d like to see your rooms now.”
    I caught the edge of Dad’s sleeve and pulled him away from the group. “Actually,” I whispered, “I’d like to know where those other demons came from. Are they—they’re not my brother and sister, are they?”
    Dad’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “No,” he said. “Dear Lord, no. Daisy and Nick are…We can talk more about them at another time, but no, they’re no relation to us.”
    “Then why are they here?”
    Dad frowned and rolled his shoulders. “Because they have nowhere else to go, and this is the safest place for them.”
    That made sense. “Right. Because you guys could take them out if they went all super-demon.”
    But Dad shook his head, puzzled. “No, Sophie, I meant it’s safer for them . Nick and Daisy have already had several attempts made on their lives.”
    He didn’t even give me time to react before raising his hand and waving Lara over.