On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

we speak.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “Now, why don’t you tell me more about the hidden ritual?”
    She looked at the mess in front of her as if she were trying to avoid me, and caught her niece’s eye instead.
    “You two talk, I’ve got this.” Lavie kneeled in front of the coffee table, collecting the ruined fragments of the porcelain cup and saucer.
    Sally licked her lips and nodded. “If you and Oren can decipher the contents, you’ll be able to find out how to put an end to the ritual and how to stop what the Obscurus want to unleash.”  
    “I thought you said the text covered what they intended to do—”
    “It does, but what’s even more important is how to turn it against them.”
    “So all is not lost, then?” I asked.
    “No, most of it isn’t.” Sally averted her gaze away from mine, but not before I noticed the unshed tears.
    I suspected her prediction would eventually come to pass, but I wasn’t going to let it interfere with my life right now. We were all predestined to die at some point—my time might just be messier, and sooner than expected.

Chapter Two
    I knocked a third time, making sure to really smack my knuckles against the white door.  
    After leaving Lavie and Sally on a somewhat melancholy note—because not even pleasant conversation can erase your death prediction—I’d stopped by Ebony’s apartment. I even called her home phone and mobile about a hundred times, but heard the ringing of both coming from inside her empty apartment.  
    There was only one other place she could be—with Conrad, the Vamp Boy.
    Speak of the devil. There he was, standing on the other side of the window situated beside the closed front door. He pushed the curtains aside long enough for me to catch a glimpse of him. When our eyes met he stepped back and away, leaving behind the swaying fabric.  
    Too late—I already knew he was home.  
    Conrad lived in the same kind of apartment block as Ebony—a simple three story brick structure with deck access to each flat’s front door, and parking out the back.
    I smacked my palm hard against the wooden surface, making full contact. The constant knocking would no doubt annoy him. I really needed to find out if Ebony was with him.  
    “I know you’re in there, Conrad!”
    The front door finally opened wide enough for him to fit inside the frame. He yawned as he looked me up and down. “Hey, what the hell can I do for you, Mistress of the Dead?”
    “Very funny, Vamp Boy.” It was hard to believe we’d actually worked pretty well together only a few weeks ago. Of course, it had been to save Ebony and now that she was back, we’d reverted to being frenemies.
    Conrad wore nothing but a pair of faded jeans that hung low on his narrow hips and a silver chain with a crucifix sitting in the hollow of his throat. He rubbed his taut abdomen, looking bored. “You’re not stalking me, are you?”
    “No, you idiot, I’m not stalking you. I’m looking for Ebony.”
    “Yeah, sure, but how do you know where I live?” He yawned again. “I’d hate to have your wolf blow my door down because you’ve developed a crush on me.” A lazy smile curved his lips.
    “Don’t flatter yourself. It wasn’t as hard as you think. The Internet reveals a lot of interesting things.” This conversation was going nowhere. “I need to see Ebony.”
    “I’m sorry. She’s asleep.” He looked almost apologetic as he avoided my eyes. Almost.  
      “Don’t bullshit me. I’m a big girl, I can take it.” I sighed. At least my suspicions were confirmed. Now all I had to do was convince him to call her outside. “She’s not asleep. She just doesn’t want to see me, but she’s going to have to talk to me sometime. It might as well be now.”
    “No, actually, now’s not that time.” Conrad took a step back, but I grabbed his wrist before he could duck inside.
    “I know she has to work through this on her own, but I…”
    He glared at my fingers, which