The Haunting (Immortals) Read Online Free

trigger.
    The bullet slammed into the man’s shoulder, knocking him around so that his own shot went wide.
    Come on. Where are they
? Nick thought as the forest spun around him. Through vision that was starting to blur and tunnel, Nick saw the man recover his stance. His heart slammed against his chest, trying to pump enough blood to his brain. The roaring in his ears was so loud now that he heard only a couple of the gunman’s words. “…kill you, mother fu…”
    Nick felt himself fading, knew that in a matter of seconds he’d be dead. As time slowed, his vision suddenly grew sharp. He saw the instant the gunman’s finger started to squeeze the trigger, and Nick used the last of his strength to pull his first.
    The roar of both guns was deafening—and then there was nothing.
    “I thought you loved that apartment.”
    “I needed a change,” Mai said, stepping off the elevator. “I’ve lived at this old place so long, I just wanted something different.”
Something safe
. “Besides, the new one has a much better location.”
    “One that’s costing you twice the money for half the space.”
    “I can afford it.”
    Heather Barnes didn’t look like she was one hundred percent convinced, but she didn’t press the matter. Heather, who belonged to the Coven of Light, was one of the witches who had helped summon the Immortals to vanquish the ancient demon. That’s when Mai had met her and they’d been friends since.
    “I really appreciate your help.” Mai was feeling a little nervous as they walked down the hall to her old apartment. Since the hallucination two days ago, she’d been staying at a hotel. This was the first time she’d been back. “There’s no way I could move all my stuff by myself,” she continued as she found her key and inserted it in the lock of her door.
    “I hope you won’t mind, but I thought we might need more help,” Heather said. “So I made a call.”
    Mai pushed open the door and saw a tall, slender woman with long black hair and light gray eyes. Beside her stood an even taller, muscle-bound man with shoulder-length dark hair and a sleeveless long black duster. His well-defined bare chest and arms were covered in tattoos.
    “Lexi! Darius!” Mai rushed forward and embraced her friend. She might have hugged Lexi a little too tight and there might have been moisture in her eyes when she finally pulled away, but Lexi was nice enough to ignore it. “What are you two doing here?” She gave Darius a quick hug thinking again how lucky they both were to have found each other.
    “Heather called and told us what was going on,” Lexi explained.
    Mai looked at Heather in disbelief. “I thought the Calling spell was only supposed to be used in cases of real emergencies. Like the-world-coming-to-an-end-as-we-know-it kind of stuff.”
    Heather and Lexi laughed. “That’s not how she called me,” Lexi explained. “She used her cell phone.”
    Mai was sure she looked as confused as she felt.
    “We weren’t in Ravenscroft,” Lexi continued. “We were upstate—at my parents’ place.”
    “Sekhmet let you go?” Mai asked, knowing how protective the goddess was of her grandson.
    “Not without some persuading,” Darius admitted.
    “She means well,” Lexi put in.
    Mai knew that Lexi had a fondness for her ultracontrolling mother-in-law.
    “Anyway, we were already planning to drop by for a visit when Heather called.”
    “But where’s Zach?” Mai looked around for her godson. She hadn’t seen him since his birth and wondered how big he’d grown.
    “We left him with my folks.” At her frown, Lexi smiled and gave her arm a pat. “Don’t worry. When we’re done here, I’ll bring him by for a visit. Now, let’s talk about your move. Heather said you wanted out fast, so Darius and I started packing a few of your things while we waited. Come on, I’ll show you.”
    Lexi took her arm and led her into the bedroom.
    “I can’t believe it,” Mai exclaimed, looking around.