Shadow of Hope Read Online Free PDF Page A

Armageddon. End-of-days, what have you?
         No. All we need now is the portal. And then these apathetic fools shall see what real war is all about. You know what to do, Lucian. Do not fail me.”
         Lucian bowed once more. “I shall not fail, my Lord.”
         W ith that he was gone, and Aries stood alone on the sky deck once again.

Chapter: Two
    Zoe locked up the veterinary clinic and headed toward her car. She pulled the keys out of her purse as she walked toward it. They slipped from her fingers, landing on the ground. She let out a small groan as she bent down to retrieve them. Her knees popped in protest as she scooped them up. Having knelt down on one knee, she found it harder to get up as quick as she got down. And while she wrestled with this annoying little fact, she noticed a pair of shoes peeking out from behind the tires on the driver’s side. Unsure what to do she remained on the ground a moment longer.
    Who the hell is that?
    She glanced around the small parking lot and didn’t see any other vehicles. She needed to get up, but going to her car seemed like a bad idea. She had no clue who the person attached to the shoes was. The thought of running crossed her mind, but after the day she had she wasn’t sure she was going to make it to the car walking, let alone running. She stood, her body groaning in protest, and walked toward her vehicle.
    She pulled the necklace from her shirt, took a few more steps and held the heart shaped mirror angled to the side. She didn’t get a good look, but she saw enough to know that running might be for the best. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties and in a lot better shape than sh e was. She needed a head start…a really big head start.
    “Aw man,” she said, loud enough for him to hear. “I forgot my stethoscope.”
    She headed back to the clinic. If she could make it inside she could lock herself in and call the police. She would have used her cell phone, but there was no way she could run and dial.
    Picking up the pace, she was about fifteen feet from the door and about twenty feet from the stranger. She heard footsteps and they were moving faster than her feet. Plan A was a bust; it was time to move to plan B. She took off running with everything she had.
    Lack of oxygen clouded her thoughts, but getting somewhere where there were a lot of people was her only goal. Then she would have witnesses for whatever this stranger had planned. She hauled ass down North Milwaukee Avenue. At this time of day there would be plenty of people out shopping, eating and leaving work. Crowded, exactly what she needed.
    Her legs began to cramp, and her lungs burned. Hitting the gym was now a new priority. How and when did I get so out of shape? She shook her head to clear the wandering thoughts. Focus! She turned the corner and noted the 1 On 1 fitness center. I need to come back here later. Holy shit, I’m out of shape. As she passed the second entrance, a pair of strong hands grabbed her arms and yanked her back.
    “Let go of me!” she screamed. She struggled to get away, but he pulled her closer and held her tighter. “Help!” she yelled.
    People stopped and stared at her, but at this moment she wanted all of Chicago to see her. She would not be a victim. She would not, a screaming lunatic absolutely.
    “Stop yelling and tell me my why you were running.”
    She turned and looked down at his feet. He wasn’t wearing shoes. Her eyes followed the line of his leg, dressed in black exercise pants, up to his bare chest, and he wasn’t breathing hard, unlike her who was one breath away from hyperventilating. She glanced up and saw his face. Handsome, but not in the traditional sense, and not with the frown plastered on his face. He had dark brown hair currently sporting a messy do, hard jaw line and dark brown eyes that glared at her.
    “You weren’t chasing me?” The words left her mouth before she could take them back. She would have smacked her