The Seer's Lover (The Seven Archangels Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

house.
    “There you are!” Ron said, practically running right into Gotzone. “Aren’t the other horses ready? Anna said she told you yesterday her friends from Casa del Noche wanted to go out with you first thing this morning. Apparently the girl struck a deal with her dad so she could go horse-back riding as the last thing they do together on their family trip.”
    Despite the heat, the hair on the back of Lucas’s neck stood up. A shiver of fear mingled with disgusted anger ran down his spine. “No, she didn’t tell me.”
    Anna held open the front door, and the family headed toward him. Paymon whispered something to his son and their auras expanded and darkened around them.
    “Ron, Carmen needs me to work at the restaurant for lunch, so I won’t be able to—”
    Ron shot him a pleading glance. “Nonsense. What’re you talking about? I’ll talk to Carmen, and we’ll pay you double. Hurry up and get the horses ready to go. Treat these people right for Anna.”
    Lucas avoided eye contact with the men and tried in vain to construct an escape route. The fourteen-year-old girl approached and petted Gotzone. The horse allowed this but kept taking steps backwards, away from the demons.
    Nicor stood close to his dad and glared at his sister. Unhappy she relished a moment of happiness; he flicked his wrist and flung a swarm of mosquitoes at her. The movement appeared inconsequential, like shooing away a fly. But as a seer, Lucas watched the insects descend on the poor girl who wriggled and squirmed, swatting at the empty air around her. She whimpered as tiny red welts appeared all over her skin from yet another unseen attack. She ran to her mother.
    Lucas decided he would get the women to the safety of Carmen’s restaurant before battling the demons. He calmed his mind to dissolve the swarm and tensed his body for the inevitable fight. He checked his pocket for his— NO! Anna took my knives. Shit. He needed to get the women to safety—now.
    “What’s your name?” Lucas asked.
    She cowered behind her mother. “Marla.” She refused to even look at him.
    The demons sneered and waited while he readied the horses.
    The mother asked, “Is the trail ride dangerous?”
    He wanted to answer, “Yes, dangerous for you.” Instead, he said, “It could be a bit scary. If just the men are interested, the girls could stay here with Ron.” Lucas offered them the out and prayed the demons underestimated a true seer’s advantages in a fight—the ability to see their next physical move before it happened and the control to dissolve their illusions.
    According to his aunt, seers from diluted bloodlines were abundant. Tossed aside as the crazy street people rambling about evil and auras, most were diagnosed as schizophrenics, heavily medicated, or simply locked up. These dilutes were never trained to fight back or hone their skills. But Lucas’s undiluted and pure family bloodline trained for centuries to fight back and expose demons for what they were, hence threatening demon’s power over mankind.
    “Absolutely not. The women are coming. Put them on horses,” Paymon directed.
    Ron cocked an eyebrow at Lucas. “What’s the matter? I said these are Anna’s friends. Take care of them. C’mon!”
    Reluctantly, he got the horses ready and put Marla on Nelly, a bomb-proof, twenty-five year old mare, who usually provided a sure and steady ride as one of the older, more experienced horses. A standard bay with black points, Nelly had been bitten by three snakes and survived. Lucas felt fairly confident that with whatever the boys threw at her, she would hold steady for Marla.
    The girl looked thrilled, beaming with joy and stroking the horse’s neck. Nelly lifted her head, enjoying the attention from Marla.
    Lucas helped the mother mount Rocket, his tallest black mare at almost sixteen hands high. She had a white star and one white stocking and carried the coveted Paso Fino lineage, as evidenced by her dark dorsal stripe.