A Fall of Silver Read Online Free Page A

actions further eroded his dominance.
    She knew what it was like when vampires smelled weakness, and she wouldn’t want to be in his position.
    Despite her fear, s ome demonic impulse made her prod them further. “All vampires are untrustworthy.” Her chin rose. “Until they die, of course. You can absolutely trust a pile of dust.”
    “ Please.” Despite that polite word, Kethan frowned, his expression harsh and unyielding. His intense gaze tore into her although he directed his words toward the vampires. “Mr. Sutton, please, be seated.” He gestured at the vampire’s knife. “There’s no need for weapons. Everyone, please sit down. Do you want to end our talks before they even begin?”
    “ The truce has been broken. We can’t ignore that, right?” The question was rhetorical. The brittle edge of Sutton’s voice lisping past his sharp canines underscored his belief that negotiations were over.
    “ Have we lost sight of our original purpose? No one wants a renewal of the recent bloodshed,” an older, gray haired man stated in a soft voice. “Both sides will lose. Haven’t we agreed we’ve seen enough death? Enough hunting?”
    “ Then get rid of ‘er.” Sutton’s thick, coarse voice had more in common with the vowel-heavy speech of London’s East End than the posh, clipped tones of the British Broadcasting Company.
    T here was no mistaking what he meant. The tension in the room thickened, coiling around them like a living thing. Instinctively Quicksilver took a step back, protecting her back. Jason held one of her whips, dangling from his fingers while Kethan held another.
    She had one whip left. Ice seemed to glaze her palms, stiffening her fingers.
    A desperate impulse urged her to kill them, now. Her only hope lay in quick action and surprise, and she’d already lost the element of surprise. The scars on her neck tightened and ached, reminding her of the price of failure.
    I can’t…. No! She would not make the mistake of listening to their words again, accepting a bargain they had no intentions of keeping.
    There were only four vampires. Jason was more likely to hurt himself with the whip than anyone else. She could do this. She could destroy them and protect Kathy Sherman.
    Her right foot moved to brace herself, but at the last moment, she wavered. T here were the two humans, one of them a huge man who seemed all sinew and taut muscle.
    Kethan. He was a problem. She couldn’t just kill a human.
    Don’t hesitate! Hesitation meant death. Talking meant death. Both gave your opponent the opportunity to kill you or to betray you. Move! Do it!
    Her only safety lay in quick, decisive action , but Kethan’s presence held her back, slowed her reflexes as if she swam in a pool of sweet, heavy molasses.
    In the infinitesimal moment of her uncertainty, h e must have divined her purpose. He rested his hand on her shoulder and gently, but insistently, urged her toward the door.
    “ Father Donatello, make arrangements with Mr. Sutton. We’ll resume this meeting another night.”
    Quicksilver resisted, shrugging her shoulder to force him to remove his hand. Her gaze focused on Jason who gingerly held her weapon dangling between the tips of his fingers and thumb.
    “Let me go.” She rotated her shoulder and stepped aside, tightening her grip on the third, and last, whip.
    Kethan’s eyes followed her glance. “Jason, hand Father Donatello the whip. Please.”
    “I —” When Jason caught Kethan’s glance, his shoulders sagged. He handed the whip to Father Donatello, only lifting his gaze from the floor to send an angry flash of warning at Quicksilver.
    The red flickers in h is eyes promised death, or worse, if he should find her alone some evening.
    She smiled sweetly at the vampire, but her expression faltered when Father Donatello sighed. The slender man had a high brow with a few strands of fine gray hair swept back that gave him an oddly vulnerable appearance. His thin, ascetic face wore an