Silver Blade Read Online Free PDF Page B

not his.
    He remembered being tied to a horse and dragged through town. He remembered the dust and dirt in his eyes, and nose, and mouth. He remembered the people coming out to see what all the ruckus was, but they could not do anything for fear of their own lives. He didn’t blame them.
    He remembered being tied upside down to a tree. He remembered that the first bullet hurt the most, and he remembered the sound of their laughter. He remembered the metallic taste of the blood as it ran into his mouth, and the sharp sting as it went into his eyes. He remembered opening his eyes and thinking that angels were supposed to wear white, not dark jeans and a Stetson.
    The stranger took out a sword and cut him down. The stranger saved him, and helped him mend. And then the stranger asked Oz’s permission to kill him.
    “It didn’t hurt as much that time. The sword was quicker than being used for target practice.”
    “The stranger was Jared, wasn’t it?”
    Oz stared at her.
    “His pendant. It’s the same as yours,” she explained.
    Oz reached up to the small dagger he wore. “Yes, the man was Jared. Jared, myself, and our brethren, we’re demon hunters. We hunt down and kill demons. Rapists. Murderers. Worse. Men who feed upon the evil they commit to the point where they aren’t even recognizable as human anymore. One managed to cut me with his claws a few days ago before escaping, and with my blood scent he was able to track me here.”
    “Was it him…the demon…that ran you off the road the other night?”
    “I can’t be sure, but I think it is a safe guess. I saw red eyes as the SUV pulled beside me. My house offers protection. They must have followed my scent to the yard, but they wouldn’t have been able to come in. That is why I told you to stay inside.”
    “Was he…was he one of them ?” Angela asked inclining her head to the empty field.
    “I think so. I won’t know for sure for awhile. Demons aren’t very smart. They’re consumed by their need for pain and destruction. Jared and my brothers are coming soon and then we’ll make sure. I think for now, however, it is best that you leave.”
    ****
    Oz paced back and forth, the cue still in his hand but the game of pool forgotten.
    “What has your sword in a knot? You’re more restless than normal, and your game sucks.”
    “Nothing,” he said as he drained the last of the scotch from his glass. The cool burn of the liquid felt like heaven to his throat. He walked to the cabinet mounted on the wall and returned the cue.
    “Don’t lie to me, McAvoy. I’ve known you for years. Something has you troubled. I’ve never seen you like this—this preoccupied before. The demon who had your blood is dead.” Jared took aim, and sank the last ball. “It can’t be love, can it?”
    “You know it’s not,” replied Oz to the elder hunter. He stared at Jared’s pendant, its miniature hilt encrusted with a tiny ruby which spoke of the other man’s seniority.
    “And why not?”
    “We're demon hunters, Jared. We can’t fall in love. What would the point be?”
    “We can fall in love and you know it. Some hunters manage to fall in love and nurture relationships. I have loved and lost. Just because I have no one now does not mean I will stay without a mate forever. Love chooses us; we do not choose who we will love or who will love us. Everything that happens today was written by the Fates long ago, and you cannot change that, young Oz.”
    Oz walked to the bar and poured himself another scotch, the smell as heady as the nectar itself. What was Angela doing right now? Did she think of him? “I can’t endanger her life again.”
    “You are making excuses. In all these many years, you have only let two demons escape, and they were both dead soon after. That is a number to be proud of. With the right spells and wards, you and the woman you chose could be safe. It was the wrong place at the wrong time. That is all. A demon attack like that at your house