The Tome of Bill (Book 6): Half A Prayer Read Online Free PDF Page A

passed through my mind, Dr. Death stirring his ugly head, maybe? I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just me being a jealous prick. Oh well, depending on how thorough my earlier compulsion had been, cuddling would be all she and Robert would be doing. One needed to take comfort where one could get it.
    “So, you were saying?”
    “About what?” I asked, completely caught up in my thoughts.
    “You said you were here to recruit me.”
    “Well, it’s not so much recruiting as hoping you’ll help.”
    She sat down, laying the sword across her lap - almost as if she were afraid I would take it back. As if I could even if I wanted to.
    “Be careful with that thing. Don’t let Robbie go and try hocking it at the next Comic Con.”
    “Don’t worry. I have the perfect place to hide it. How’d you find it anyway? I thought you said something earlier about being trapped in Switzerland?”
    “I was. Long story. Sally was actually holding on to it. Everyone thought you were...” I didn’t want to go there again. “Anyway, she found it after the fight with Remington and thought it deserved better than sitting in some evidence locker.” I left out that her definition of better had turned out to be storing it in a smelly old duffle bag.
    “Thank her for me, please.”
    “I will,” I lied. “So about that recruiting part...”
    * * *
    I filled her in on my adventures with Vehron, how he’d kicked our asses all throughout the tri-state area, finally ending with the disastrous battle in Boston.
    “So this James,” she asked when I’d finished my tale, “he’s one of those Draculas?”
    “Yeah, one of the thirteen vamps in charge and the only good egg in the bunch, at least that I’ve met so far.”
    “Aren’t they the same group that put a warrant out for my head?”
    I guess some things were hard to forget, even after taking a subsonic chunk of metal to the skull. “Yeah. I’m still working out the details, but I’m thinking due to their general disposition toward you, we might have to play this one under the radar. Won’t be too hard. This new Freewill has pretty much killed or enslaved everyone he could get his hands on.”
    She sat back and looked pensive. I could understand. Living life was so much easier when you didn’t have vampire death squads hunting you down.
    “I’ll figure something out,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “I promise. Hell, James will be so happy to have Calibra back that he’ll probably...”
    She sat up straight. “Calibra?”
    “She’s the current Prefect in charge of Boston, assuming she’s still alive. Anyway, James kinda likes her. I get the impression she’s sort of his star pupil.”
    “Oh...okay.” She sat back down, a frown creasing her lips.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I thought the name sounded familiar for a moment.”
    “Tall girl, thin, wears her hair in a tight bun and walks around like she has a stick jammed up her ass.”
    “Not that...never mind. It’s probably nothing. The Templar used to drill me nonstop in their dogma. I think one of the things they mentioned had a similar name. That’s all.”
    “Well, she could probably pass for the patron saint of office drones. Anyway, James might be able to put in a good word...maybe even get the Draculas off our asses.”
    “You mean my ass.”
    “Ours. Believe me, I’m not going to ditch you...and also, I have a feeling they’ll be kinda pissed at me anyway. Seems they always are.”
    “Bill...”
    “It’s no big deal. I’m used to it by n...”
    “I can’t help you.”
    That stopped me mid-sentence. “What?”
    “I can’t help, at least not now.”
    “You don’t have to be afraid of any of them.”
    “I’m not.”
    Oh, of course not. “And you’ll be helping a lot of people out. What’s left of my coven is enthralled by this asshole, not to mention a metric shit-ton of other vamps from the surrounding...”
    “That’s the problem.” Her eyes momentarily flashed white.