Wicked Waves: Solsti Prophecy #2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

turned to her. “With two hands on the hilt.”
    She complied and raised the burnished metal. Damn, this has to weigh ten pounds .
    As if reading her thoughts, Brenin said, “You need to work on your upper body strength before you can wield it properly. Pick it up once every couple days, work with it in short intense bursts. That’ll help you get a feel for it.”
    “Why would I ever have to use it?”
    “You need to be prepared for anything, Brooke. Yeah, you probably won’t charge into battle holding that.”   He nodded at the huge sword. “But your opponent may use one. If that’s the only weapon available, you need to know how to handle it. How to defend yourself.”
    “From what?” She took a clumsy swing. She and Nicole had been shocked to learn that demons walked among them, as well as fairies, witches, and other creatures that were supposed to be myths. Most lived on Torth, but some slipped into the human population, with no one the wiser.
    “From whatever’s out there.” Brenin’s blue eyes were serious as he appraised her work. “Hell, your arms are shaking. Okay, enough with the swords. I want to work on some of the demon-specific weapons.”
    Brooke let out a huge sigh and her shoulders sagged. “Thank goodness.”   She returned the sword and took a long drink from her water bottle.
    Brenin picked up a wicked-looking curved blade and turned it over, letting the light gleam off the shining silver surface.
    “What’s that for?”
    “Carving the heart out of a Neshi demon.”
    Brooke gulped. “Can’t you use your demonfire instead?”
    His eyes locked with hers. “I can, but you can’t. The thing about Neshis is their skin burns slowly, like rubber. It takes a while for the fire to cause serious damage, so this is faster.”
    “It’ll keep fighting, even if it’s on fire?”
    “Yep.”
    Brooke grimaced and nodded at the blade. “So, what do you do with that?”
    Brenin proceeded to show her how to angle the point so that it would slide in between a Neshi’s ribs, then twist with the long handle. “I hope I never have to use this,” she muttered.
    “Neshis have scaly, orange-reddish skin and four arms, so they probably won’t visit Earth anytime soon. They’re too distinct.”
    “That didn’t stop Maeron,” Brooke said with a shudder. The seven-foot-tall, gray-skinned, yellow-eyed monster had orchestrated the stabbings of hundreds of humans throughout Chicago a month ago, before the Lash demons had put a fiery end to his sorry life.
    “Maeron was insane. You never know what could be out there.”
    Brenin sat the curved blade down and moved on, discussing the uses for the variety of unique weapons on the table. Just when Brooke’s head started to spin from memorizing each blade with its intended foe, her stomach rumbled.
    Brenin turned at the sound, and his eyes twinkled with realization. “You didn’t eat with us.”
    She shook her head.
    “Then it’s time for a break. But I don’t know if there’s any food le—”
    He laughed as Brooke darted around him and beat him out the door. “Nicole saved me a piece!   You guys are bottomless pits,” she called over her shoulder as she dashed up the stairs in search of her sister.
    Seated at the island a few minutes later, Brooke sank her teeth into the last piece of apple pancake, which Nicole claimed she had to hide in her bedroom. The cinnamon-dusted dough melted in her mouth, contrasting nicely with the slightly crunchy apple slices. She closed her eyes, let her body fully relax, and sighed, “Mmm.”
    She opened her eyes to spear another bite with her fork, and found Kai staring at her. Her skin prickled under the heat of his stare, but she held his gaze. She thought about asking him why he was there. Or telling him to leave. Or explaining that she hadn’t eaten yet. But she didn’t say anything. Why should I?   I’m not going to let him ruin my lunch . She raised her fork and ate a second bite.
    His eyes left hers,