Jar of Souls Read Online Free PDF Page A

swords like we talked about?”
    “I did.”
    “And?”
    “And I’m still getting the hang of it,” I said, slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t worked as hard at using both disciplines together as I should have.
    “Well, guess what we will be doing during our next training session?”
    “You are going to swing that big ass sword of yours at me while you tell me what spells to cast on the fly.”
    “Exactly.”
    “I hate it when we do that. Can’t we work on something new?”
    “Not until you can cast everything I call out without hesitation. Thinking about it is what slows you down. You need to react and let the magic do the work.”
    Stupid freaking magic. Nothing put me in my place faster than talking magic with Marcus or swords with April. Marcus may as well have said, it’s going to take you forever cause you think too much and don’t work hard enough . Thankfully someone knocked on the door, and I was saved from voicing just how much I hated that plan, even if it would save my life someday. I already had a training class where I was drowning in new information, and then I got to enjoy getting my ass kicked four times a week by my best friends. Damned if it wasn’t worth it, but sometimes it just felt like I was struggling to stay afloat. Not to mention that it cut into the time I wanted to spend with Britta.
    Opening the door revealed my favorite person in the world. She launched herself into my arms and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Yep, that was my Britta, five foot five with black hair that made midnight jealous. From the exuberance of her entrance, she could have also been confused for a bouncing ball of energy. Her enthusiasm for everything always made me feel better. She was one of a kind, and unless I screwed it up, she was mine. She walked past me and gave Marcus a hug, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her body spoke to me; in fact, it did more than that—it called to me. Damn, and I had to wait through an entire dinner to get her alone.
    “The place looks awesome,” Britta said.
    “Thanks,” Marcus and I said together.
    Britta gave a little frown, and then it turned into a smile. “Let me guess, Marcus did all of it, right?”
    Marcus gave me the eye from across the room. “Ok, so Marcus did do all of it,” I said. “But he refused to let me help.”
    “That’s because the last time you helped, when the lights turned on, it almost burned down your place,” he said with a wink.
    “Let’s not exaggerate. My place is carved out of solid rock. It wouldn’t have burned down.”
    “No, but all of the people and things inside of it would have.”
    “Touché.”
    “Well, it looks amazing. Is April still coming?” Britta asked.
    “She sure is. If she had the same problems that I did washing sand out of my hair, then she might be a little late.”
    “You guys sparred outside. In this weather?”
    “Yeah, you know April. It was a golden opportunity to learn.”
    “Or to get struck by lightning.” Britta laughed.
    I wanted to reply with something witty, but her laugh seemed to have robbed me of all my senses. She bounced over to the couch and took a seat. Finally, I tore my eyes away to see Marcus laughing at me and shaking his head in disbelief. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know how I ended up with the girl. When the knock at the door came, it was the perfect opportunity to stop myself from being able to make any further recriminations about my character. I shook the thoughts of Britta’s beautiful body from my head and headed to the door.
    April walked in, her bright red hair tamed to a dull red as it dried. She had it tied up in a bun to keep it from getting her shirt wet. I pulled her inside and gave her a quick hug before sending her over to Marcus and joining Britta on the couch. When I sat down, she grabbed my hand and held it in her lap. I looked over and almost died in her smile. Sometimes God just really seems to throw you a bone.
    “Man,