Sinister Seraphim of Mine (Overworld Chronicles Book 8) Read Online Free PDF

Maybe this would jog something loose.
    "I got to pet kangaroos," Ivy said, eyes bright as we walked up the stairs to the den.
    "In a zoo?" I asked.
    She shook her head. "I chased them down. It was so much fun!"
    I imagined my sister streaking after the poor animals and repressed a snort. Daelissa had tried to turn Ivy into a killing machine, and Jeremiah Conroy had used her in his quest for vengeance. Despite all the brainwashing, my sister was still just a young girl who loved the simple things most of us took for granted.
    Cutsauce, my pint-sized hellhound, rushed up to us the instant we reached ground level, wagging his tail so hard, his entire body shook. He yipped at Ivy.
    "Cutsauce told me he loved it when you dressed him up like a princess," I told Ivy.
    She giggled. "Oh, I loved it too." She picked up the hellhound and let him lick her face, then cuddled him like a baby.
    His paws hung daintily and his tail wagged furiously. He was in doggie heaven.
    Most hellhounds were huge, vicious, and would tear out a person's throat. Cutsauce just liked to be coddled.
    Elyssa and Shelton stood in front of Jeremiah's still form.
    "Hello, dear," Mom said to Elyssa. "I'm so sorry my son keeps getting you into trouble."
    My girlfriend laughed. "I'm used to it."
    Shelton pshawed. "Yeah, after saving the world a few times, nearly getting killed every few days becomes old hat."
    I waved off their comments. "Yeah, yeah. Can you move so she can see him?"
    Elyssa and Shelton stepped apart, revealing Jeremiah. Mom's eyes went wide, and her face blanched. "Moses." Pressing a hand to her chest, she stepped back. "Who—where—"
    "That's Jeremiah," I said.
    "I knew something about him felt so familiar," she said. "Moses looks nothing like Jeremiah, but the mannerisms gave me such a sense of déjà vu at times."
    "Who the heck is Moses?" Ivy asked. She puckered her lips. "Oh, wait, I think I remember Daelissa saying how much she hated him and wanted to boil his intestines into blood pudding."
    A horrified look flashed across Elyssa's face.
    I hastily jumped back into the conversation and told Mom about what Jeremiah had said, and my battle with Daelissa.
    "Justin Slade!" Mom said, mouth dropping open. "What were you thinking trying to fight her?"
    I held up my hands in a surrendering gesture. "I know it wasn't the smartest thing, but, as much as I hate to say it, we need Jeremiah."
    "Are we gonna keep calling him that even though it was a pseudonym?" Shelton said.
    "The name will suffice," said a deep voice. Jeremiah sat up and regarded Mom, his eyes sad. "I am truly sorry for the deception, Alysea, but I couldn't afford to take any chances lest Daelissa discover my true identity." He rubbed his temple as if warding off a headache.
    Mom nodded her head. "I understand." She leaned close, eyes narrowed. "However, do not expect me to be so understanding about the way you used Ivy in your vengeful game of chess."
    "Things make a lot more sense now," Ivy said, mimicking Mom's angry expression. "Like when you wanted to kill all those vampires even though they were Daelissa's allies, or when you took the Cyrinthian Rune and didn't tell her even though she needed it. And then bunches of times when Daelissa told us to do something and you made me help you do the opposite."
    Jeremiah regarded her with a sad expression, but offered no defense.
    "The rune." Elyssa's eyes widened with worry. "Where is it?"
    "It is in the vault." Jeremiah folded his arms. "I am the only one who can retrieve it since the gateway in my house is destroyed."
    "The vault?" Shelton asked.
    "A pocket dimension," Elyssa said. "He had a door that operated like the ones leading into the Grotto."
    "Pocket dimension is something of a misnomer, in this case." Jeremiah clasped his hands. "The vault exists on Eden, though the portal magic used to access it is much like the doorway to the Grotto."
    "Is the rune safe?" I asked. Daelissa could use it to reactivate the Grand Nexus if the