Sorceress Hunting (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

natural gag reflex. The hard-fought battle drained away the
last of her strength, and her fingers loosened their grip, but her iron will
won the fight, conquering her aversion to his blood. Though by her deep grimace
and the occasional muffled gag, she didn’t like it. To be honest, he took no
joy in the act either. It simply hurt.
    She jerked her head to the side.
    “Enough.” She held up a hand, which trembled with near
violence. “If you force me to drink more, I swear, I’ll throw up all over you.”
    Shadowlight didn’t know how much blood was required,
but took her at her word and instead held his wrist over her bite marks again.
    “Dammit, that hurts!”
    He nodded. “It’s working then.”
    “Fuck. You don’t say!” She curled into a fetal
position and buried her face in her forearms. It did little to muffle her pain
sounds.
    “There is no one else near,” he offered helpfully.
“You can scream if you want.”
    “Good to know,” she gasped and shuddered. “Might take
you up on your offer later.”
    “Or I can knock you unconscious, though it might be
better if you remain alert enough to tell me how you feel.” He paused and
lapped at his bleeding wrist so his saliva would aid in healing the small
wound. After a brief internal debate, he decided to tell her the truth. “I’ve
never done a blood exchange or healing before. I’m too young and have never had
the chance. Although, I know how it is done.”
    She looked up, her expression etched with pain, her
brown skin sweat-covered and taking on an ashen, greyish tint. “Seriously?”
    If she would have said more, it was stolen by a
convulsion wracking her body.
    He sat next to her and then gathered her up against
his side so she wouldn’t beat herself black and blue against the tree’s gnarled
old roots. The Riven taint was putting up a good fight, but he sensed his blood
was winning. Soon, there would be nowhere in her body it could hide.
    “Distract me,” she managed after the first wave of
convulsions past. “Young. How young?”
    He didn’t see any point in lying. The truth couldn’t
harm her.
    Besides, he wanted to make friends. The few Fae he’d
interacted with treated him with the greatest respect, but were aloof and cold.
Well, perhaps not Greenborrow. The leshii seem genuinely interested in offering
friendship. Something about this human’s boldness and quick mouth reminded him
of the leshii.
    “I’m eight.”
    “Eight?” She eyed him from the tips of his horns all
the way down to where his talons dug into the soft loam. “Eight what? Eight
years?!”
    He stopped lapping at his wrist. “Yes.”
    “Are you fully grown?”
    “No.”
    “Lord,” she choked. “If you’re a child of your kind, I
don’t want to meet any adults.”
    “My father is only a little taller. Hmmm…it’s probably
best if you don’t meet him just yet.”
    Shadowlight decided his parents probably wouldn’t be
happy about what he’d done.
    Perhaps not Lillian or Gregory either. Gran? She
seemed the most open. Maybe he could confide in her once the human was healed.
Yes, that sounded like a good idea.
    Decision made, he looked back down at the human. She
was unconscious again, but she breathed. A quick survey of her wounds showed
they were still grievous. However, he thought she might live.
    For now, he would have to find a place to hide her
from the other Fae. Once she was healed, there wasn’t anything the others could
do. They’d eventually see the good in her.
    They wouldn’t harm another of Light’s warriors, after
all.
    With a happy snort, he scooped up the human and headed
back toward home. After he stashed the human somewhere safe and wove a spell of
protection, he’d find Greenborrow as his father had ordered. Later, when no one
would miss him, he’d come back and tend to the human’s wounds and then find a
more permanent place to stash her.
     

Chapter Four
     
    “Come on,” Lillian held out what she called a polo
shirt and