Witch & Curse Read Online Free PDF Page B

their powers,” he chanted in old French, placing his bleeding left hand over his mouth. “I call upon the Darkness. I call upon the Hunting Hounds to aid me in the chase.
Avantes, mes chiens
.”
    The distant moaning of a tempest wind echoed through the room. The tip of the mound of ashes in the fireplace shifted very slightly. Michael continued to kneel, tasting his blood on his lips, and waited.
    The keening grew louder. A chill breeze ruffled the hair at the back of Michael’s neck, and he smiled with anticipation. The Hunting Hounds had unleashed themselves.
    â€œMes chiens, mes fréres du diable,”
he said boldly, calling to them.
“Aides-moi.”
    Then he lifted his hand from his mouth and held it up, much as one would raise the right hand to swear to tell the truth in court. The faint whistle became the fierce belling of huge canines, animals with devilish cunning and dark senses; were-creatures that sniffed out souls and light and devoured them whole, rippingto shreds any protective wards or talismans designed to prevent Michael’s ritual from achieving his aim.
    A sigh escaped Marie-Claire. To his shock, she shifted on the couch, as if seeking a more comfortable sleeping position.
    She shouldn’t be able to move at all
.
    â€œMarie-Claire?” he asked softly, carefully. She didn’t answer, but lay as pale and still as death. He wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing. “Laurent?” Michael called. “Is that you?”
    Marie-Claire moved again. Definitely moved.
    â€œAides-moi!”
Michael whispered beneath the supernatural howling, which then erupted into frenzied barking. As he gazed at the unconscious woman, the invisible hounds howled triumphantly. They had picked up the scent of something opposing him and weakening his focus, and they screamed with demonic glee as they coursed the hidden forests of his realm of power. Obstacles had presented themselves before, of course, especially during other spells. No warlock alive was without his enemies, and Michael, being ambitious, had many, many enemies.
    Has Sir William heard of the plan to overthrow him? Has one of my allies in the Supreme Coven turned on me?
    He would leave trespassers and invaders to the Hounds for now. If they caught something, he woulddeal with it then. In the meantime, he would try to continue as best he could, to outpace anyone or anything that was trying to stop him. The forces were in alignment
now
, and it wasn’t possible to change them.
    He scowled in concentration as he held his wounded hand over the ashes. His rich, red blood dripped steadily and his heart caught up the rhythm as he began to chant in the ancient tongue of his ancestors. In his mind, he translated the potent words:
I call up the Black Fire of the Deveraux, I conjure the Burning Night. It is our Hour. It is our Will
.
    It is my Destiny
.
    The paws of the dogs clattered over the freshly waxed wood floors of the Cathers mansion. They began to take form and shape. Vague, blurry shadows darted across the boards, racing through the furniture, pawing at the wallpaper. The elaborate crystal chandelier above the sofa swung back and forth like a buoy on Elliott Bay.
    The dogs were definitely after something, and it was leading them on a wild hunt. Whatever it was, it was drawing near. Any moment now, it might materialize in this room.
    Michael opened his eyes very wide and pressed his forefinger against the whites, opening his Sight with his blood. His vision swam with viscous pink, andbeneath the mounting cacophony he heard the rustle of the dead falcon he had walled up in the Andersons’ chimney as it sought to join the fray.
    He thought he saw the faint outline of a human figure, but he could not be sure. He squinted hard through the blood as the Hounds tore around the shimmering form, baying and shrieking like banshees. From his hand, his blood dripped steadily onto the wooden floor.
    â€œGet thee from