Huntress, Black Dawn, Witchlight Read Online Free Page A

flashing sparks. Aunt Nan looked more worried and dismayed.
    “Are you okay?” she said, leaning in slightly to try and get a look at Jez’s room. “We heard a lot of noise.”
    And you’d have heard more earlier if you hadn’t been watching TV. “I’m fine. I’m great. You know how it is when you can’t find something.” Jez lifted the ruler. Then she stepped back and opened the door farther.
    Aunt Nan’s eyes widened as she took in the mess. “Jez…this does not happen when you can’t find a ruler. This looks like Claire’s room.”
    Claire made a choked sound of indignation. “It does not. My room’s never been this bad. And what’s that smell ?” She slipped by Aunt Nan and advanced on Jez, who sidestepped to keep her from getting to the pile of blankets.
    Claire stopped dead anyway, her face wrinkling. She put a hand to cover her nose and mouth. “It’s you, ” she said, pointing at Jez. “ You smell like that.”
    “Sorry.” It was true; what with all the contact she’d had with the ghoul, and the dirty knife in her boot, she was pretty ripe. “I think I stepped in something on the way home.”
    “I didn’t smell anything when you came in,” Claire said suspiciously.
    “And that’s another thing,” Aunt Nan said. She had been glancing around the room, but there was nothing suspicious to see except the unusual clutter—the curtains hung motionless over the shut window; the pile of bedding on the floor was still. Now she turned to face Jez again. “You didn’t call to say youwere going to miss dinner again. I need to know where you go after school, Jez. I need to know when you’re going to be out late. It’s common courtesy.”
    “I know. I’ll remember next time. I really will.” Jez said it as sincerely as possible, and in a tone she hoped would close the subject. She needed to get rid of these people and look at the boy under the blankets. He might be seriously hurt.
    Aunt Nan was nodding. “You’d better. And you’d better take a shower before you do anything else. Throw your clothes in the laundry room; I’ll put them in the wash.” She made as if to kiss Jez on the cheek, but stopped, wrinkled her nose, and then just nodded again at her.
    “And that’s it? That’s all?” Claire was looking at her mother in disbelief. “Mom, she’s up to something, can’t you see that? She comes in late, smelling like dead skunk and sewage and I don’t know what, and then she locks herself in and bangs around and lies, and all you’re going to say is ‘Don’t do it again’? She gets away with everything around here—”
    “Claire, quit it. She said she was sorry. I’m sure she won’t let it happen again.”
    “If I did something like that you’d skin me, but, no, if Jez does it, it must be okay. Well, I’ll tell you something else. She cut school today. She left before sixth period.”
    “Is that true, Jez?” a new voice asked. Uncle Jim was standing in the doorway, pulling at his chin with long fingers. He looked sad.
    It was true. Jez had left early to set up a trap for the vampire and shapeshifter. She looked at her uncle and made a regretful motion with her head and shoulders.
    “Jez, you just can’t do that. I’m trying to be reasonable, but this is only the second week of school. You can’t start this kind of behavior again. It can’t be like last year.” He thought. “From now on, you leave your motorcycle at home. You drive to school and back with Claire, in the Audi.”
    Jez nodded. “Okay, Uncle Jim,” she said out loud. Now go away, she added silently. Thin curls of anxiety were churning in her stomach.
    “Thank you.” He smiled at her.
    “See?” Claire jumped in, her voice hitting a note to shatter glass. “This is just what I’m talking about! You never yell at her, either! Is it because you’re afraid she’ll run away, like she did from her dad’s relatives? So everybody has to walk on eggshells around her because otherwise she’ll