Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

hide and the cheapest places to eat. “I know this
campsite off the beaten track where we’d be hard to find.”
    “We thought they’d never
find us here,” Thai reminded her.
    “At least it’s away from
this place!” Henry said. “Someone could show up any minute, and look at us. We
wouldn’t last long.”
    “What about Chisisi?
He’ll be here any day now,” Thai reminded him.
    “Oakland’s not far. We’ll
send a message through Azra,” Henry argued.
    Valerie sighed. She
didn’t want to leave the place she’d been so happy, but she didn’t think Henry
could wait another day without having a breakdown. “Okay. Let’s pack up and go.
There’s a bus stop a couple of miles away. It’ll take us all day to get to
Oakland, so we better get a move on.”
    Thai nodded his
agreement, and Henry stopped obsessively chewing his thumbnail. A few hours
later, they were packed and ready to go.
    “Just give me five
minutes,” Valerie said, and she walked to the cliffs that overlooked the sea so
she could take it all in, one last time. She stopped and stared out at the
endless stretch of blue-green water. After a while, Thai joined her.
    “Take your time. Henry’s
going to use the disposable cell to call his dad before we go.”
    The sun glinted on the
waves, and a bittersweet longing crashed over her heart. She bit hard on her
lip to keep the tears out of her eyes. Suddenly, Thai’s warm hand was in hers.
    “I’ll miss this,” he
said, his eyes on her, not the view.
    “Not as much as I will.”
    The contact of his hand
against hers sent shivers of energy up her arm. He was staring at her as if he
was debating something in his mind. But before he decided, the crunch of shoes
against the sand made them both turn around.
    “There you are! I saw
that you guys are packing. You’re going already?” Logan’s sweet voice broke the
mood, and Thai let go of Valerie’s hand.
    “Yes, our vacation is
over and it’s time for us to go back to school,” Thai said, falling easily into
the lie that they had concocted for strangers.
    Logan pouted a little. “Can’t
you stay a little longer? My parents want to meet you—both of you—and thank you
for saving my life.”
    “Sorry, but we’ve got a
plane to catch,” he said with a shake of his head.
    Logan stuck out her
bottom lip in an exaggerated pout, and Valerie suspected she hadn’t been denied
what she wanted very often. She turned her big blue eyes to Valerie.
    “How about you, Vanessa?
Let’s grab some dinner so I can thank you properly.”
    “Actually, her name is
Valerie,” Thai interrupted, his friendly smile gone. Logan blushed.
    “Oops, sorry, Valerie.”
    “No worries. Your offer
is really nice, but like Thai said, we have to go. Maybe someday—”
    “Yes! Here, take my
number,” Logan interrupted, giving her a slip of paper with a sidelong look to
Thai. “Promise you’ll stay in touch.”
    “Um…”
    “Promise!”
    “Of course, sure,” she
said. Logan hugged her, and then turned to Thai.
    “You have to promise,
too.”
    “Okay. Nice to meet you,
Logan. Stay safe,” he replied, and she gave him a tight hug that lasted longer
than Valerie liked.
    Logan sauntered off, and
Valerie turned to Thai and said, “Beautiful blonde girl tripping all over
herself for you—just another day in the life of Thai.”
    He stared at her with a
sudden intensity. “I’m not interested in Logan.”
    “Guys? You ready?”
Henry’s voice called from the campsite.
    She tore her eyes away from Thai’s and took a step
toward her brother. “We’re ready. Let’s get a move on.”
    It took four hours,
three buses, two trains, and a long hike to get to the Anthony Chabot Regional
Park in Oakland. By the time their tents were set up, they all collapsed into
deep sleep.
    The next day, as Valerie
showered, she decided to take the opportunity to visit her old hospital. She’d
never be this close again, and she had promised her friends there that