The Cursed (League of the Black Swan) Read Online Free PDF Page A

raised both hands and shook his head at the Grendel as it lowered its head and charged.
    “Too bad for you, buddy. I tried to give you a chance.
Ignatio.
” The fire coalesced in his hands and poured outward in twin streams of blue flame, arrowing in on the snarling monster and punching straight into its chest. The force of the fire drove the Grendel backward through the air a dozen feet until it smashed into the wall and fell, dead, into a burning heap.
    Luke leapt up onto the roof and pulled Rio into his arms again, in spite of her protests, and then jumped down, careful to channel air currents to cushion their landing so as not to jar her injured ankle.
    “You’re bleeding,” she said. “Did it hurt you?”
    He stared at her, briefly wondering why she had sparkly stuff flashing around her eyes, before he decided the reason really didn’t matter. He hugged her closer to his chest and inhaled her scent.
    “Pretty,” he said, smiling down at her.
    Rio’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you suddenly look and sound drunk? Luke?”
    The back door slammed open, and Miro trudged out, a rag wrapped around his head and one eye swollen shut. He stopped and looked down at the burning body of the Grendel, took a deep sniff, and then smiled at them with a whole hell of a lot of teeth.
    “Yum. Barbecue.”
    “I think I’m going to be sick,” Rio said. “Put me down. Now.”
    Luke tightened his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “No. Mine.”
    “Miro, do you know anything about Grendels?” she asked, sounding a little breathless.
    Good.
Luke liked it when she was breathless. Naked and breathless and—oh, wait. He’d never gotten her naked yet, except in his dreams. Why was that again?
    “Need you naked,” he mumbled, lurching forward a little. “Whoa. Who moved the ground?”
    Miro ambled closer and stared down at Luke. “Yep. Grendels have poisonous claws. Wouldn’t kill this one, but probably leave him drunk and stupid for a while.”
    “’M already stupid,” Luke volunteered happily. “Stupid for you, Rio Jones Green. Or is it Rio Green Jones? Heh. Green Jones Green Jones Green Jones.”
    He wobbled again and almost dropped Rio.
    “Put me down, Luke,” she said again, this time with a sweet smile that turned his brain to mush. Or made it mushier. Or something. Wow, that venom felt like a three-day whiskey bender.
    He carefully lowered Rio to her feet and then leaned against her when the world kept spinning, nearly knocking her over. She winced and lifted her injured ankle off the ground but got a tighter grip around his waist.
    “I think I’m going to need help, Miro,” she said, just before her face got all swirly and the sky turned dark. Very dark. Almost fall-on-his-face dark.
    Luke blinked rapidly to clear his vision and realized an ogre was moving in on his woman. Every protective instinct in his body went apeshit, and he pushed Rio behind him. Something familiar about the ogre . . . He shook his head, trying to shake off the effects of the venom, but everything in his line of sight started to collapse in on itself like a kaleidoscoping tunnel.
    “Must protect you now,” he said, whirling around and scooping Rio up again. He glared a warning at the ogre, called the Shadows, and stepped into them, carrying his precious bundle tightly against his chest.
    “
Traversa
,” he whispered, and the Shadows carried them to his office, where the wards on the door and walls recognized his magic. He made it through the door and fell back against it, putting Rio down before the venom overtook his immune system. The walls started melting, and his desk turned into a giant dandelion. He swayed on his feet and took a step with some vague idea of making it to the couch or to Rio.
    “They could bottle this stuff,” he told her. “Whoa.”
    “You are in very bad shape,” she said, half a smile teasing the edges of her lips. She caught him when he stumbled into her, which brought her lovely face too close to