Gena Showalter - [Lords of the Underworld 13] Read Online Free PDF Page A

green. They were a mix of brown, green—and red. Demon red.
    A sense of repugnance grew. Disaster was attempting to control him. And the demon was actually succeeding, whispering reminders about what had happened inside that cave.
    A hand here...a mouth there...so helpless...
    How dirty was Kane now? How tainted?
    A whip across your legs. A dagger along your ribs.
    How much of a failure was he?
    Hot breath on your wounded skin...kisses...tongues...
    Fighting to breathe, Kane flattened his hands on the edge of the sink. He hardly cared when the porcelain cracked. He wanted to rip Disaster out of his chest, and strangle the creature with his bare hands.
    Yes. That’s the way his tormentor would die.
    Soon.
    If he could get his mind right, at least a little, he could figure out a way to make it happen. But any time he wasn’t plagued by gut-wrenching memories, he was plagued by thoughts about the girl from the motel. The Fae. He ached as he’d done when she’d touched him. He tensed. He cursed.
    He yearned.
    He remembered the adoration painted on her face as she looked at him, as if he were someone special. A look he still didn’t understand—but wanted to experience again.
    He replayed the silly words she’d spoken to him.
    I never lie—except for the few times I do, in fact, lie, but it’s never intentional, and I’m totally telling the truth right now, I promise.
    You weigh, like, ten thousand pounds. But they’re glorious pounds.
    I’ve been crossing off the seconds in the calendar in my heart.
    He wanted to know what else she would say.
    Who was she? Where was she? What was she doing?
    Were memories she’d rather not recall afflicting her? Was she hurt? Alone? Scared?
    A few times, fear had wiped away her adoration and sass, leaving her with nothing but tremors.
    He understood all too well the difficulty—the desperation—of an inescapable past.
    Had she found someone to end her? Had she ended herself?
    Or was she still alive?
    His arms dropped to his sides as his hands fisted. She was his. She—
    Wasn’t his.
    Still, he wasn’t going to take care of his problem until he’d taken care of hers, was he? He couldn’t leave her out there, desperate and afraid, possibly in danger. The girl had saved him from the most horrific situation of his life. Even though she’d run away from him, he had to step up and save her from what had to be the most horrific situation of hers.
    She was right, after all. He owed her. And he would pay up. Just not the way she wished. He would fix her life the way he couldn’t fix his own. Then, one of them would be happy.
    She deserved to be happy.
    If she still lived.
    He sucked in a sharp breath. She had better still live, or he would...he would... He punched the mirror, shattering the glass. The sound of tinkling bells filled the small enclosure. Several pieces arrowed into his leg, cutting into his thigh. A gift from Disaster, he was sure. Gritting his teeth, he removed the shards.
    After he helped the girl, he could concentrate on killing the demon. He wouldn’t give up until he succeeded. He couldn’t take this anymore, and he didn’t want his friends to have to take it anymore, either. He was too much of a danger to those around him, and there were too many innocents here.
    He would leave today, he decided, and he wouldn’t ever come back.
    Sorrow settled heavily on his shoulders, weighing him down. He couldn’t talk to his friends about his decision. They wouldn’t understand. They would try to talk him into taking another path. They might even lock him away for his “own good.”
    They’d done it once before.
    Kane wouldn’t sneak away, but he wouldn’t admit the truth, either. He would say his goodbyes, as if he meant to return after his rescuer had been saved. Only he would know this was it. The end.
    Jaw locked, Kane strapped weapons all over his body. There were multiple blades, two Sigs and several clips. He dressed in a black T-shirt and camo pants, then