The Stone Demon Read Online Free PDF Page A

shares. I didn’t hear you arguing with her about it when she said something about how the Demon King has taken a shine to you.”
    Donna crossed her arms. “That’s because she’s currently my boss. Sort of. And Miranda’s choice of words was far less annoying.”
    “I realize how annoying it must be that I’m right all the time, but I told you as much when you first opened the Gate to Hell,” Robert replied. “The look in Demian’s eyes when he spoke to you was pretty weird. Creepy, even. Like you were a commodity rather than a person.”
    Donna knew something about that look, but not from Robert’s description of the demon. She remembered what her mother had written in her journal—about Simon Gaunt’s expression when he noticed the young Donna’s growing power. She shivered.
    “We’re not just talking about some guy here, Robert. He’s a demon. The Demon King . Do you honestly think that’s what this is about?” Donna picked up the invitation and tossed it at him.
    He ducked as the heavy paper fluttered to the ground like a dead, black thing. “Ah, so serious.” Seeing that she really was mad at him, Robert sobered. “Sorry, Donna. I was just kidding. Trying to take the edge off all this bloody tension.”
    Her shoulders were still tight with anger. Or perhaps with fear. “Well, then, you’re doing a shitty job of it.”
    He ran his tongue over the silver lip ring that caught the candlelight, a nervous habit. “Right. I got that. Once again, my apologies.”
    Donna forced herself to relax. “Demian only cares about power. If he fancies anything, that’s what this is all about.”
    “He wants something from you,” Robert said. “That’s certainly true.”
    “Yeah,” she snapped. “Maybe he does, but it sure as hell isn’t a date.”

    Donna stomped out of the library and ran upstairs to her bedroom. She wanted privacy for the phone call she was about to make.
    When her mother picked up on the second ring, Donna’s face broke into a grin of pure relief.
    “Hey, Mom.”
    “Donna.” The smile was evident in her mother’s voice, although Donna could also detect a note of strain. “It’s good to hear from you.”
    The strange bird with its invitation from Demian was the first thing on Donna’s mind, but she tried to wait. At least for a moment. “I miss you.”
    “You didn’t call just to catch up.” Rachel Underwood’s tone was suddenly all business. “This is about that so-called ball the Demon King has dreamed up. Any excuse to get us all in one place, I’m sure.”
    “So, everybody got invitations?”
    “Yes. The Order of the Rose in Prague—they aren’t too happy about it, let me tell you! It takes something special to dig them out of that mausoleum they call a home. Even an alchemist from the Order of the Lion was found by Demian’s messengers. We don’t know how he managed it, but I would imagine that a demon has his ways.”
    The Order of the Lion was the most clandestine branch of alchemy; the members were more like spies or super-secret agents. Half the time, nobody was even sure where their latest base of operations was—whether or not they were on covert missions or just sitting around somewhere sipping martinis (shaken, not stirred). Locating one of their members out in the middle of nowhere and deep undercover—to personally deliver an invitation to something as ordinary as a party—was pretty impressive. Demian clearly hadn’t had any trouble finding them, which was just another demonstration of his effortless power.
    “At least we’ll find out what he wants—he may be about to offer terms,” Rachel added.
    Donna immediately felt shards of ice smash any pleasure she felt at speaking with her mom. “Terms? Maybe he’s just feeling destructive. The British Museum is pretty much gone.”
    “It’s terrible, of course, but this is exactly the kind of behavior we expect from a creature like that. Why do you think the alchemists worked so hard to lock