Keeley Thomson (Book 4): Demon Trap Read Online Free PDF Page B

few weeks, or the boy would be left a child forever, due to the failure of his parents. Short of claiming the man's wife for himself, Zack could pretty much ask for anything .
    "You have rich platinum deposits in your land?" She knew the answer, but the man nodded slowly.
    "Much, and much." His tone was so confused that it was apparent he couldn't see the point of her asking. It was worth no more to him than copper was in North America.
    "Zack will take your weight in that metal, to be delivered one week after your arrival at your home. You wish a trip back as well?"
    The man seemed excited, and a little scared suddenly. It wouldn't be hard for him to get the stuff at all, but the price was so cheap he couldn't believe it wasn't a put on or a joke.
    Keeley smiled.
    "Then double the amount. Twice your weight, in platinum, pure metal, to be delivered at the time of pick up. It needs to be in small blocks that one man can pick up however." It would take extra work for him to get it all, but Zack needed a nest egg. That would about do it. She could sell it for him even and turn a big enough profit from the deal that no one would think twice about why it was happening.
    The man went across the room and started to talk to his wife, who was actually taller than he was, and thin. No children were in the room, because it was a den of strange beings that were possibly dangerous. That just made sense. Also, it was a bit boring. Keeley tamped that down inside herself, along with everything but a mildly pleased sensation, which meant she was perfectly gentle and kind when Zack leaned in to whisper to her.
    "I can't take that, it's too much. I mean, it will take me what? Half an hour, tops. That must be millions of dollars worth of precious metal." He glanced guiltily across the space at Strump.
    "Don't worry, where he's from it's a bit like granite is here. You get millions, minus my twenty percent, and he gets travel that would cost at least that much or more, plus a lot of death, for almost anyone else to arrange. On his side though that's only a few thousand dollars worth of metal. It would cost more for him to fly to Miami." It would too, at least with the whole family going along.
    They had to stop talking then, as a very angry woman stepped up, her face set and unkind, a large knife in her right hand. No one else even bothered to look too hard, except Bey and Lenore, who started across the room, but stopped when the women tried to stab Keeley with a move that was so fast it took slowing down time for it to be tracked at all. She barely stepped back in time, but reached out and took the knife carefully, her muscles straining in the air, the whole action calm and relaxed seeming to anyone watching that could track the move. As she did it, her hand brushed the woman's at the bare wrist. That wasn't an accident of course.
    She was a Wen'pth. Whatever the heck that was. Keeley actually knew, as soon as she got the name, having the lives of several of her people in the record that The Librarian, Tarsus, had given her some months back. They were an angry and warlike people, but the women were considered to be the more peaceful tribal members. It was one of those hidden population deals too, so even though she looked a bit bluish gray and had very large eyes and fast reflexes, the lady came from New York. Upstate though, not in the city.
    It wasn't a personal thing however, she just wanted to try and kill Keeley, since that would make her look very good among her own kind. She'd heard a rumor that she wasn't all that old, and was possibly easy prey.
    There were several options she could have gone with, since the woman was clearly gearing up for another attack, even as she stood there thinking about it all. Keeley could take her as a slave of course, but Wen'pth were notoriously easy that way, so it wouldn't be much of a challenge, or show off her skills particularly at all. On the other hand, killing her physically, would make her look a