Prince of Demons 2: The Order of the Black Swan Read Online Free PDF Page B

moment, the prospect of falling down and never waking up had a certain appeal.
    “What now, Brave?”
    “It’s almost dark.” She looked at the horizon and realized that, even though they’d covered a lot of miles, the daylight hours in that world were short. “We need a place to stay and I know one that might do in a pinch.”
    She opened her mouth, but he held up his hand.
    “If we keep going, we’ll be there before dark and we’ll also be away from the bad smell.” He looked at her for an indication that she agreed, but she offered nothing. “But we’ve…”
    “…got to keep moving.”
    “Yeah.”
    When he hesitated, her brows rose and she waved the air in front of her like she was attempting to herd him away from the direction they’d just come. He shook his head and tried not to smile, but she was too cute to ignore.
    She followed behind as he resumed walking with legs several inches longer than hers. Keeping up with him required effort, but she tried to keep her mind on other things besides achy muscles, scorched thighs, and plant stings.
    “What sort of place are you taking us to now?” she said to Brave’s back. He moved with a fluid graceful athleticism showing none of the wear and tear that she was feeling. She was beginning to feel a little resentful about that. And the long legs.
    “It’s kind of an outpost shelter. It’s been abandoned all my life, but I know that it’s still used sometimes.”
    “For what?”
    “Oh. If a hunter gets caught in a storm.” He chuckled. “Or if somebody is in big trouble with his wife.”
    “By somebody you mean a demon?”
    “Yes. They are somebody, you know.”
    “Well, I meant… demons have wives?”
    “Well, yeah, except for sex demons, which I don’t know that they really exist. I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never actually seen one.” He looked back over his shoulder. “You thought all demons were single?”
    “I guess I never had any reason to give it much thought. Until recently, I thought all demons were just mythic characters, maybe even asexual.”
    He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. “Really?”
    Looking up at Brave she had to smile at the way he’d screwed up his face. “Yeah. Really.” She looked past him and then at the fading light on the horizon. “How much longer?”
    He pointed. “You see where the edge of the cliff seems to disappear behind those trees?”
    “Yes.”
    “When we get closer, you’ll see that it doesn’t disappear. It bends back behind that stand of trees. The building that I’m hoping is still there should be sitting on the bluff overlooking the valley.”
    “But if it’s a place demons use when they’re in the rain or the doghouse, how can we be safe there?”
    “Doghouse?”
    “A place where husbands go when they get kicked out.”
    “Oh. As soon as we get to the trees, I’m going to leave you hidden and go check it out. I’ll make sure it’s safe and then come back for you.”
    By the time they reached the trees, the light was all but gone. Brave tucked her behind a large tree trunk a few yards inside the tree line.
    “Brave.” She grabbed at his arm and looked around nervously.
    “Yeah?”
    “Don’t leave me here long,” she whispered it like she didn’t want the trees to hear her say it.
    He smiled and pushed her hair back from her face. “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”
    “In a strange demon world where I have no idea what’s going to happen next? Yes. Yes, I am.”
    Brave leaned in and she felt the warm breath from his chuckle on her cheek. “I won’t leave you, Lana. I’ll be right back. Be brave.”
    Then he was gone.

Chapter 3
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    A t first she was grateful to be sitting down, but after a while the muscle soreness was replaced with a growing awareness by her back that she was leaning against tree bark and a growing awareness that her ass was trying to conform to uneven ground covered with a variety of hard pointy objects like stones and