The Demon Within Read Online Free Page A

his limbs snapped free from the stone’s perpetual hold.
    He lifted his head and arched his back until the stretch and pull of muscles screamed for mercy.
    The terrible pain was delicious after decades of nothingness.
    As if he’d rolled in a pile of nettles, his skin burned and tingled with enough force to yank the breath from his body.
    Freedom!
    He knelt and touched the pool of congealed blood near his boot. Lifting his hand to his nose, he inhaled deeply, memorizing the smell of his savior, the one person guaranteed to free him.
    If he didn’t fuck it up again.
    The smell of sunshine filled his lungs, and he closed his eyes to savor the sensations around him.
    The smell of humans lingered in the area.
    Then the bittersweet stench of demon suffused him. His body snapped taut, and a wave of fury engulfed him.
    He jumped off the pedestal and paused, scenting the air, then took off at a speed that blurred his surroundings. Adrenaline surged through his system, and he lengthened his stride further until his muscles burned. The path seemed to part in welcome, and he flowed over the forest floor.
    No way in hell would he let his savior die before he had a chance to redeem himself.
    The path diverged in two directions.
    Indecision struck, and he hesitated. The scent of his charge suffocated under the foul odor of too many demons.
    He couldn’t choose wrong.
    Not when his salvation stood in the balance.
    Making a snap decision, he headed left toward the greatest concentration of demons. And one step closer to the chance of regaining everything he’d lost.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Four

     
    C aly gaped at Oscar, her chest so tight she couldn’t breathe past the pain. She knew he was ruthless, that he would go to extraordinary lengths to win a battle, but actually sacrificing the company went too far.
    “You can’t mean to leave them out there.”
    “I wouldn’t wish them dead, but it doesn’t change the fact it’s already too late. Either way, they’re of no use to us.” He thumped the heel of his spear against the ground, and she barely resisted the urge to kick out and snap the blasted thing in half. “Gather yourself. This isn’t the time to be weak. The battle’s almost upon us, and we’re not even close to being prepared.”
    It was pointless to argue with the truth. Numbness spread through her system like anesthesia, allowing her mind to cower behind a wall of disbelief. The last rays of the sun streaked across the horizon, the red light filtering in from the hostile world beyond the temple as darkness crept closer.
    An omen of death.
    Cunningham.
    Her chest hurt as if the temple walls had caved in to crush her. Creaking like an old woman, Caly rose. Although the chances were slim, she hoped they’d made it out alive.
    “If they head in our direction, we’ll be trapped. We should leave now while we have the chance.” The thought of being trapped inside the temple sent chills skittering down her spine.
    Oscar shook his head and turned away. “It’s much too late for that. We’d be caught out in the open when darkness fell.”
    His ominous words put her on edge, and she resisted the urge to yell out her anger at the unfairness. A glance over her shoulder revealed darkness would cover the land in less than ten minutes. The temperature had dropped considerably, sucking the heat from her body.
    Oscar was right. Vengeance tightened its hold on her. It was time to prepare to kick some demon ass.
    Caly dusted off the seat of her pants and rechecked her weapon belt, comforted by the well-worn knife handles. A sixth sense warned her she’d need all her wits and weapons about her.
    Demons were the devil to kill and weapons alone wouldn’t hold them back. They needed a workable defense.
    Not to mention a miracle.
    Restlessness ate away at her, and she paced. She needed to do something, needed to feel useful. She stopped abruptly when she faced the wall. Her brows furrowed, and she whirled to look at the temple