Read Ivory Guard for Free Online Page A

thought I would have to talk with you about what happened back there. You know, in a way like Amber would have done? I’m not good at talking about…that stuff.”
    Right, that stuff being her feelings and a rather traumatic experience. But unbelievable as it might seem, Lillian understood the angel and showed him by trying the ghost of a smile and rolling her eyes at him. “Who’d have thought?”
    Silence descended upon them , the awkward kind that could feel almost like a growing being in the close confinements of a car, as Lillian’s mind once again was flooded with images of Amber. She turned her head away, looking out the window without seeing anything.
    “She died trying to save you.”
    “I know.”
    “Don’t let that sacrifice go to waste.”
    “I know . Dammit.” She took a shaky breath and then promised with strength in her voice, “I won’t.” Wiping away the tears that had sneaked out, as if to prove her point, she asked, “Where are we going anyway?”
    “Iowa.”
    She stared over at him. “You want me to guard a hellhole in Iowa?”
    “Not quite. I want to train you around hellholes , plural, in Iowa.”
    “How many are there?”
    “In Iowa? Or in general?”
    “Both.”
    “There’re three at the moment in Iowa and about twenty all over the States. Hard to keep track actually. They can pop up nearly everywhere but don’t necessarily stay. They can move around or close up if the picking’s not good.”
    “Huh?”
    “If there aren’t enough souls around.”
    Right. Weirdest conversation ever. She had the feeling they would have a lot of those. Frowning as her mind still struggled against this new reality Lillian tried to absorb all the information.
    “So, what about the one that got away?”
    A muscle jumped in his jaw. “The demon leading the attack.”
    Ah shit. “The evil, sexy guy?” She had hoped it had been one of the others. But of course, it kind of figured. He seemed the type that would sneak out the backdoor while his buddies became black ooze on her parents’ hardwood floor.
    Raz shot her a sideway glance. “You find him sexy?”
    Her brow knitted as she called an image of the guy back to mind. “No and yes. Since he didn’t give me a name it was just what I called him in my head. You know, in contrast to the ugly whatever-they-were also present. He was good-looking. A little too good and too hot actually. Everything about him seemed evil and calculated.” Realization hit. “Ah, let me guess. Being seduced by him equals losing one’s soul or something?”
    The angel ’s face nearly made a Christmas tree look bleak as he smiled at her. Lillian had never seen him do more than frown or scowl and discovering that Raz had the cutest hint of a dimple on his right cheek, had her swallowing. Wow. Talk about hidden assets. 
    “Exactly. Incubus. He flew out of there the moment I got there.” He looked at her as if there might be chance for her to survive the next day. “Not bad at all. Really, not bad at all.”
    Lillian tried to smile back but was sure it didn’t look like it. Thinking about the demon had her thinking about Amb er as well. “Did you just say ‘flew’? He had wings?”
    “He’s an Ebony. Kind of your counterpart. We’ll get back to that later once we start your training.”
    “What was that thing he used to…kill her with? I kinda assumed angels couldn’t die.” And what a kick to the gut finding out the truth had been.
    Raz focused his attention back on the road and explained in a serious tone, “The weapon he used is the only thing that can kill us. Angels as well as Ivorys. The dagger is called shadow dagger or shade.” He glanced at her. “Does the name Abaddon sound familiar to you?”
    “ Actually, yes.” A crease formed between her brows as Lillian tried to remember what she had read about Abaddon. “It’s not quite clear whether he’s an angel, or the Devil himself. He’s also called the Destroyer.”
    The angel nodded.