Kill It With Magic: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Lillim Callina Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

Being around this one was not making me like them any better. Aside from the fact that the blood suckers brought back memories of snarling fangs and horrific claws ripping into my flesh, spilling my blood into the rain-soaked mud as I ran screaming and flailing, they’re really quite rude about the whole disemboweling and dismemberment thing. Given the chance, most vampires would gladly spill my entrails onto the ground and frolic in my hot, wet blood.
    “You’ve been expecting me? For what? What are you doing here?” I called and was pretty sure it didn’t sound as impressive as I’d have liked.
    “Lighting candles for the dead,” he replied as though it was perfectly natural for him to be in a church. Which it might have been… I wasn’t up to date on what all the cool bloodsuckers were doing. Maybe they hung out in churches now.
    “But you kill people!” I exclaimed. Behind him, an immense painting of Jesus and His Apostles caught my eye. Jesus’ gaze seemed to bear down on me, and without realizing it, I took a step back.
    “Then it is even more important for me to honor the dead.” The vampire turned toward me, his lips stretching into a crooked smile as he folded his hands over a silver crucifix. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
    I tried to keep the surprise off my face and I wasn’t sure how well it worked. I could deal with a vampire in a church… it wasn’t that odd, but a vampire holding onto a crucifix? That was a little strange. Now, I never claimed to quite understand faith magic. We’ve all seen movies where vampires and ghosts are incapacitated by crosses. However, there are just as many films where vampires and ghosts destroy those same crosses effortlessly.
    This was one of those times where I should have just listened to my mother and studied. Then I wouldn’t be relying on Hollywood’s version of the facts. If I got out of this alive I was totally going to study. Well… I was going to think about studying. Baby steps.
    I shook my head and narrowed my eyes. “But you’re a vampire!”
    “Voln D’Lamprey.” He bowed his head.
    The chill that ran down my back was so cold that I was sure someone had dropped an ice cube down the back of my shirt. I knew that name. Voln D’Lamprey was very well known because he was really good at tricking people into doing his bidding. It was rumored that he had been the driving force behind the Louisiana Purchase.
    “Forgive me,” I mumbled and bowed my head. He gestured above my head and said something in what I thought to be Latin.
    “Don’t worry, my lady,” he said as I raised my head. “If I were still human I might have reacted just as you did. I know you were expecting to find Joshua here, but, alas, it is only I who reside in this cathedral.”
    He smiled, white teeth flashing in the dim light, and my head started to swim. I couldn’t look directly at him. The hard lines that made up his features had blurred into a whitish mass of light. I shook my head and swallowed before continuing.
    “I don’t know how I wound up here.” I spread my arms to indicate the surrounding room. “I was looking for Joshua and ended up here. But I haven’t quite figured out why.”
    “Yes, Joshua told me you would help me with a task, a tiny trifle. In return for this small favor, I will relay to you Joshua’s exact whereabouts. How does that sound?”
    I shook my head in an effort to break his gaze. I had to stop myself from taking a step back from him. I hadn’t really dealt with something as ancient as Voln before and it scared me. Even just being in his presence made me feel small, and I knew there were things even older than him… things like drakes. My god… I must be crazy. What kind of person would go after something so old, so ancient, that Voln might as well be a puppy in comparison?
    I turned to leave, desperate to get out of his presence. Voln spoke again; his voice was low and musical. “You won’t be able