Read Before the Fall for Free Online

just . . . mine.”
    He ached to test it out, to wield the weapon that had once been as dear to him as his life. If he lifted it, it would be weightless now—and only for him—the heavy metal as light as a mere stick, but deadlier than any gun or dagger he might have used. He dug beneath the sword until he felt leather brush his fingers, then dragged out the broad leather belt he’d stored there. He set it on the console, closed the case, then passed it back to Shanna.
    â€œWhat’s that for?”
    â€œFor when we stop again. It’s time to keep it close to me.”
    Shanna climbed back between the seats and refastened her seatbelt. She watched him stroke the soft, worn leather.
    Feeling like an intruder, she cleared her throat. “So, werewolves, Vampyre . . . Mages. What else is there? I mean, if we’re going to come across more bogeymen, I want to know what they are.”
    â€œLeeches, which you’d probably call zombies. Ghosts, ghouls, Djinn.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œGenies.”
    â€œOh.” She wouldn’t mind one of those right about now. Three wishes and maybe none of this would be happening. Maybe she’d be snuggled in bed, dreaming sweet dreams instead of living a nightmare.
    She watched his profile quietly, unsure about how he’d react to the question perched on her tongue. “And you?”
    He held her attention for several long seconds before returning his focus to the road. “What about me?”
    â€œAre you . . .” She licked her lips, “human?”
    She closed her eyes, somewhat disturbed at the possibility that she might have had sex with a demon of some kind. She wasn’t one of those women who found Dracula sexy. She’d always preferred Jonathan Harker—the sweet, reliable fiancé who’d go to the ends of the earth to save the woman he loved.
    â€œI’m human. Plenty of humans work for the Order of Ancients. Mystics and Seers and sentinels.”
    â€œWhich were you?” He’d told her some of this, but she’d thought he’d been full of shit and hadn’t really paid attention. Now, however, she was all ears.
    â€œSentinel. I worked for Ares.”
    She tilted her head, studying him. His strong chin, deep-set eyes, and long nose. He looked human, but there were still things about him that she couldn’t explain. “That weird body temperature thing you’ve always had. That doesn’t seem human, now that I know there are other possibilities for it.”
    â€œProtection from Ares. Mages like to use temperature against their enemies. Fire, ice. That sort of thing.”
    â€œOh.” What else was there to say? It was like she was walking in a novel co-written by R.L. Salvatore and R.L. Stein.
    As they merged onto the highway, it was as though someone had erected a wall of cars in their path. Bumper-to-bumper exhaust fumes, created by panicked evacuees.
    Horns blared from ahead and beside them. “We’re going to have to use back roads. This will take forever.”
    The parade of bright red brake lights ahead wasn’t so much as inching forward any more. Then, there was the sound of metal on metal, and every muscle in Shanna’s body tensed.
    â€œZach?”
    The back wheels of the van bounced violently, as if being lifted from the ground, and Shanna lurched forward, bashing her head into the dash.
    â€œShit!” Zach yelled. “Get out! Get out of the damned van!”
    She threw open her door. Her feet barely touched the pavement before he was beside her, snatching the weapons bag and guitar case from the back seat. He threw open the case, wrapped the sheath around his chest and slid the sword inside so it lay pressed against his spine. He grabbed her hand, pulling her around the neighboring vehicle, but as Shanna started to run, the pavement rumbled, throwing her off balance. She caught herself on the hood of a truck just