Infernal Ties Read Online Free PDF Page A

wouldn’t budge.  
    I tried again, frustration and confusion clouding my mind. I finally looked at the opening times to see I had to wait five minutes. With a heavy sigh, I turned and leaned back against the front window, and waited. I reminded myself that they didn’t know what was going on, and I hadn’t warned them that I was coming. It was perfectly reasonable to be closed. The cool vial in my pocket brushed against my hip and reminded me why I was there. That beast was unlike anything I’d seen before. I’d grown up hunting the supernals who dared break the simple rules. I knew them inside out, but that thing…  
    It could have been a misformed lycan, perhaps it came from a poor bloodline and it couldn’t shift properly. I hadn’t heard of intense inbreeding, they usually had too much weight placed in strength and good blood for that. That was the only thing I could think of, though. The lock clicked and the door opened. I burst inside, looking for the alchemist. A startled guy a little younger than me stared at me.  
    I gave him what I hoped was a gentle smile and said, “I’m looking for the alchemist.”
    He blushed a little and grinned at me before he pointed to a narrow door behind the counter. His dark brown hair fell over his eyes and he stood rooted to where he was. I gave him a nod of thanks and headed behind the counter, hoping that the alchemist would be of more use.  
    I paused for a moment as I felt the constrictive cool of old magic surround me. I wished I had Quin’s magic dispersal powder on me. Taking a deep breath, I continued down the narrow passage and emerged into a large, chaotic room. The ceiling was hidden above hanging herbs, flowers, and varying vials and other odds and ends. I didn’t know where to look first.  
    Bottles, vials, and other containers filled every space on the shelves covering the walls. The tables were equally as covered in varying bowls, bottles, and glassware. There were more colours than I thought were possible to conceive of. I knew that Quin would be grinning if he saw that place; I couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement on his behalf. I wanted to run my hands over the leather-bound books that were piled high under one of the tables.  
    A collection of pale pink and orange orbs floated into the room ahead of an elf. I kicked myself for forgetting that the damn alchemist was an elf; they were notoriously difficult to deal with. His long pale blond hair was tied back. He was absorbed in a notebook that he held in one hand while gesturing to himself with the other. His cupid bow mouth was smiling to himself; I couldn’t help but notice his blue-green eyes. I had no doubt that many women before me had fallen into them.  
    I cleared my throat and pulled out the vial with the drops of blood in it. He looked up at me and his smile broadened.  
    “You must be Evelyn, the other half of the Hawke twins.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

    I kept a smile on my face as my hand gripped the vial a little closer; I couldn’t help but feel that I was starting things on the back foot, never a good position to be in with an elf. His pale skin highlighted his bright blue-green eyes; I found myself admiring the lithe body that hid beneath a loose white shirt and half-apron tied around his waist.  
    He cleared his throat and smirked at me, “When you’ve quite finished…”
    I tried not to blush and glared at him before I held the vial out in front of me. “I took this blood from a creature that I need you to identify.”
    He carefully placed the notebook down on top of a small stack of similar notebooks at the edge of a workbench before he pouted at me. He shook his head softly and casually leaned against the edge of the workbench, his strong lean arms crossed in front of his chest, and I sighed. I was very definitely in a poor position.  
    “You haven’t even introduced yourself, and yet you make demands?”
    I smiled in what I hoped was a polite way as I stepped