Courting the Darkness Read Online Free Page B

go out. Anything’s better than sitting around here listening to that garbage.”
    There was a knock on his door before he could reach it. Throwing open the door, he saw Mica standing on his front porch. “Hey, buddy! I was just going to go out to find you.” He slapped Mica on the back. “The walls are caving in on me here. I need some action.”
    “I’m glad to hear you say that.” Mica grinned at his old friend. “I have an assignment, and I need your help.”
    Caleb frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “What assignment? Since when do you take orders?”
    Shrugging, he smiled at his expression. “Drake needs a favor.”
    “This must be some favor. Doesn’t he have others in his nest that can do his favors for him?”
    “Possibly.” He shrugged again. “Drake has a taste for vengeance, and you know I’m always itching for a good fight.”
    Caleb threw his head back, laughing. “Okay, so what’s this assignment?”
    He walked past Caleb, sitting down on his couch. He gestured for his friend to sit as well. “We have to drive to Salem and rescue a witch.”
    The smile left Caleb’s face. Sitting down, he shook his head. “So what did this witch do to piss Drake off?”
    Mica laughed. “I said we had to rescue the witch.” Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees. “Drake wants her back. Jason Hargrove grabbed her this morning, and they’re going to burn her.”
    Caleb splayed his hands, and shrugged. “So, why does Drake care?”
    He shrugged in response, sitting back against the couch. “Drake believes that she might be powerful enough to cast a spell so that we may go out in the daylight.”
    Caleb shook his head. “There’s no witch that powerful. She’s tricking your master.”
    Mica’s eyes flashed red, his fangs dropping. “I have no master.”
    Caleb cringed. “Sorry, you know I didn’t mean anything by that. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
    He sighed heavily. “Drake sought her out. She never said she could actually do it, but she has agreed to try.”
    “What makes Drake believe so strongly that she’s that powerful?”
    “She’s a hundred and twenty-five years old.”
    Caleb’s mouth dropped open. “We’re going to all this trouble for an old crone?”
    Mica smiled this time. “Drake says she cast a spell on herself a hundred years ago, and she hasn’t aged a day since. He says she’s no old crone.”
    “Okay, I still think this is a waste of our time.” He shrugged, shaking his head in thought. “But since I don’t have anything better to do, I’m in. When do we leave?”
    “Drake said that the trial will be short and the execution swift.” Mica looked at his watch. “They have about a twelve hour head start on us. That means we have to leave now.”
    Caleb jumped up, grabbing his jacket. “Let’s go. Since dawn is in about six hours, you take the first shift.”
    He stood, slapping his friend on the back. “Thanks for coming along.”
    “No problem.” They walked out the front door. Caleb turned, closing the door behind them. Following Mica, he stopped short of the van. “Is this what you call a van?” He whistled through his teeth. “This Express Van is nice, but what about the windows?”
    “That’s just a technicality.” Mica held out the remote and pushed a button. “Check this out.” A small motor hummed and a steel plate rose up to the top of the vehicle, covering each of the back windows, making it totally dark on the inside. “These plates are invisible from the outside with the tinted windows, and they’re bullet proof. All the glass is bullet proof too.” He opened the hatch, throwing back the rug. “We also have a complete arsenal at our disposal, but I don’t think it will come to that. I can take care of Hargrove with my bare hands.”
    Caleb ran his hand over the high-tech weaponry in appreciation. “Drake sure has some fancy toys.”
    “Yeah, he does.” He covered them back up with the rug. “This should be