Darkness on Fire Read Online Free

tracking. The normal rustlings of the park’s residents were soothing.
    Wait—what was that? Her stomach lurched as she realized that the four-legged and winged creatures had suddenly taken cover, hiding in the deepest shadows. Jora’s pulse raced to the same frightened pace as theirs did, all because the two-legged predators stalking the night were now headed her way. Not one, but two. From this distance she couldn’t tell much about them other than they were both male, both intent on doing violence, and she was their target. Obviously she hadn’t hidden her tracks as well as she’d thought.
    Jora dashed inside the cabin, stripping off her robe to pull on her sweats, then grabbing the backpack she kept ready at all times in case she got called out to the field on short notice. She quickly added her father’s sword, a revolver, and a pair of throwing blades to the pile of things she needed to take.
    She left her bedside lamp on and took one last look around the small cabin she called home during the summer. Now, how to best make her getaway? Although she knew these woods as well as anyone, she had a feeling the darkness would do little to slow her enemies down. She wouldn’t stand much of a chance on foot against two adult males.
    That left her SUV and one other choice—the small dirt bike she sometimes used on back trails. If she took the car, they’d know that she’d escaped as soon as they realized the carport was empty. The bike was light enough to roll it some distance before firing it up. If it bought her even a few minutes’ advantage, she might just survive the night.
    She stuck her laptop into the pack and locked the door on the way out. No use in making entry easy for the bastards. After strapping the pack onto the back of the bike, she pulled it out of the carport and started rolling it down the road toward town. As soon as she sensed the cabin had been breached, she straddled the seat and kick-started the bike.
    The roar of the engine echoing off the trees sounded inordinately loud, and she knew her enemies would use the noise to track her. She made a beeline for town. There was no point in trying to mislead her pursuers; it was the only logical destination.
    Where should she go to ground once she got there? The diner was open all night, but she’d be putting innocent bystanders at risk if the enemy was determined to find her. Betsy might take Jora in for the night, but she was reluctant to bring trouble to her friend’s door. And the local police department wouldn’t know how to battle two killers from another world.
    There was only one possibility that made any sense—Penn Sebastian. How would he react to her showing up on his doorstep claiming that death was on her trail? It all depended on whether he’d read her reports, and if he believed what she’d said in them.
    Only one way to find out. She revved the engine and tore down the narrow highway, hoping to find sanctuary before her enemies found her.
    Penn burrowed under the pile of pillows, wishing whoever was out in the parking lot pounding on a door would just stop. Now—before he picked up his sword and taught the bastard a lesson in manners. Who would be raising such a ruckus at this ungodly hour anyway? It wasn’t as if he was in the barracks back in Seattle with Devlin or Trahern rousting everyone out because the barrier was failing.
    It had been a long time since he’d last been in that position. He missed it. The only thing worse than dying in battle was having to stand by and watch while his friends bled and died without him. On that cheery thought, he rolled over and tried to will himself back to sleep. But as soon as he closed his eyes, the phone started ringing.
    That was enough to vanquish the last hope for a restful night. No one he knew would be calling on the motel phone. Time to teach someone a lesson about careless dialing. He’d show them how wrong this number really was. He flung his hand out to snatch the receiver and