Matt Archer: Bloodlines (Matt Archer #4) Read Online Free Page A

my knees
to swipe both knives across its torso. He fell, spitting curses in a mix of
English and its own language, before crumpling to the ground. The wounds in its
abdomen wept orange blood into the red earth, staining it dark. Tink cried out
in triumph.
    With the boss dead, the remaining two hung back. What were
they waiting on?
    I hazarded a glance behind me, thinking I’d see Aunt Julie
pointing her Beretta at the monsters. Instead, I found my dad, kneeling on the
hood of a Humvee, with an assault rifle in his hands. He gave me a curt nod,
then fired at one of the monsters.
    The bullet hit it in the nose. It swatted at its face, and
both of them ran toward the team, taking a route that would make it impossible
for me to catch them first.
    I hauled ass, wincing when something popped in my ankle.
Ignoring this new pain, I arrived at the Humvees two steps behind the Dingoes.
One of them swiped at Captain Johnson. He ducked at the last second, and the
monster banged its arm into the vehicle. The Humvee shuddered under the blow.
    “Down!” Dad barked.
    We threw ourselves to the ground as three rapid shots fired.
Both Dingoes staggered backwards and I took my chance. Barreling at them as
fast as my bum ankle would allow, I jumped between them, slicing at their
throats with either hand. Both of them went wide-eyed and clutched at their necks
before collapsing, one on top of the other.
    In the sudden quiet, not-Will sang out, “Well, that’s just
too bad.”
    Aunt Julie, her dark hair pulled free from its ponytail and
sticking to her sweaty face, clenched her fists and started toward him. “His
gag’s going back in or I’m going to knock him out.”
    “Wait,” I said, breathing hard. “Give me a second, okay?”
    I limped over to him and sank into a crouch. My ankle shot a
searing pain into my leg and I decided sitting down was better. I did keep
enough distance that Will couldn’t snatch a knife or punch me. “Tink, can you
do anything to help him out?”
    I think we can, if she and I work together, Coach
Shaw said before Tink could answer.
    I decided to cut him some slack for butting in, given that
Will was his responsibility. “Now, or do we need to wait for the sun to come
up?”
    Dawn. We need the light, Tink murmured. She sounded
weary…and sad. That poor boy. I can barely hear him, but he’s stuck in
there, and he’s frightened.
    The thought of Will being fully conscious in his own mind,
trapped by a demon, made me sick with rage. “Dawn then, and we’ll fix him. What
about the Dingoes that ran? Think they’re coming back?”
    Not tonight , Tink said. They’re far afield now,
right brother?
    Yes, their signatures are very faint. They aren’t going
to return this night.
    But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t return at some other
point. I’d need to keep them in mind, because I had a feeling more monsters
were waiting their turn to attack.
    “Okay, we’ll stay here for the night,” I said, scouring the
blades with sand before wiping them clean on my jacket.
    Not-Will strained at his leash. “I’ll kill you before dawn.”
    “ Now can I knock him unconscious?” Julie called.
    Allow me, Tink said, her voice coldly gleeful.
    Before I knew what I was doing, the tip of my knife was at
Will’s throat and a tiny trickle of blood ran down from a cut just below his
Adam’s apple. His eyes rolled back in his head and his back arched. I skittered
backwards as he writhed on the ground.
    “What did you do? ” I cried.
    Just wait.
    A second later, not-Will sighed and collapsed. I hurried to
check his pulse, just in case Tink had accidentally killed him. It thrummed
strong and even under my fingers. He let out a snore before curling into a
ball, sound asleep.
    “Huh. Well, thanks,” I said.
    It’ll take a lot more than that to free him. Be prepared.
    I glanced at my best friend’s prone form. Asleep, he looked
perfectly normal. “We’ll get him back, no matter what I have to do.”
     
     

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