Read The Necromancer's Betrayal (The Final Formula Series, Book 2.5) for Free Online Page A

body a meld between hellhound and man.
    Hello, little brother, Gavin said in his old world brogue. He stepped into James’s line of sight, his form the same, except his eyes glowed red where James’s were green.
    I want to learn to soul track. James didn’t like to ask Gavin for favors. For one, the guy was insane—who knew if the information was accurate.
    Have you lost someone, little brother? The pretty alchemist?
    I simply wish to learn.
    Will you bring her back? I like her scent, and I long to taste her.
    James snarled. Stay away from her.
    Touchy, touchy. Gavin stepped closer. To soul track, you must have first tasted the soul.
    I have.
    Then it is a simple matter. Hold that taste in your mind and let your desire for it guide you.
    You’re messing with me.
    Gavin lifted his upper lip, exposing a muzzle full of teeth. Faith, little brother .
    James sighed, the sound closer to a growl in this form. He pulled open the portal.
    You must track from here. Only this form has that power.
    James let the portal go. Why?
    This is our true form, the two as one. You must be one or the other on the mortal plane. The hound feels no desire and the human cannot see the soul.
    But what if the one I seek is on the mortal plane?
    The soul transcends all: there, here, and beyond.
    James studied the creature before him. How could he know that? Then, too, Gavin could be blowing smoke up his ass. But James was out nothing for trying. He closed his eyes.
    Yes . Gavin moved closer. His body gave off no heat—he truly was a ghost—but James sensed his closeness.
    Can you taste it still? Gavin asked. Life? True life?
    Yes, James whispered, though he really hadn’t meant to. He didn’t want Gavin to have any part of this, yet just the thought of the ambrosia that was Elysia’s blood had him in thrall.
    Find her, Gavin whispered, his tone low, urgent… excited.
    James didn’t question how Gavin knew the one he sought was female. He probably thought he searched for Addie. But James had never tasted Addie’s blood in its pure form. Suddenly he wanted to.
    Focus, Gavin said.
    James focused on Elysia, his body beginning to tingle with the anticipation of another taste. Then he felt her. She wasn’t far, but nowhere was far from here.
    Careful . Gavin’s voice was distant and growing fainter. Do not let your desire rule you .
    James’s clawed feet thumped against the ground, and it wasn’t until that moment that he realized he had traveled. He opened his eyes and found the landscape unchanged. Gavin was gone, yet he wasn’t alone.
    She was there, here, in the land of the dead. Her soul a beacon of light in this dark, featureless place. He took a step toward her, drawn by her light and the desire that still crackled across his nerves. The blood lust.
    He took a step. Then another. The distance between them shrank.
    She gasped and turned to face him, her pale eyes going wide.
    James hesitated, suddenly consumed by the irrational urge to hide, to not let her see his nightmare form. But that made no sense. He should want to scare her, to force her to free him.
    Stop . A form James hadn’t noticed stepped between them. A cloaked woman, her features hidden, but with a soul almost as bright as Elysia’s. Child, go .
    Elysia turned away. A gust of wind carrying her vibrancy, and she was gone.
    She is not for you, demon .
    James eyed the figure before him. He had met the occasional spirit in this place, but all fled from him here. This woman was different.
    She seemed to study him from within her hood. Another gust of cool air and she was gone, though unlike Elysia, he didn’t smell life, he scented cold stone and darkness.
    His hackles rose.
    Turning away, he followed Elysia, the ability coming more easily or perhaps it was the freshness of her scent. An instant later, he landed on four paws beside the old barn. The moon had risen above the trees and frost now coated the grass. Elysia lay curled on her side in the old leaves piled against the