Stone Soldiers 4: Shades of War Read Online Free Page A

curses were more powerful than death.
    Mark Kenslir stepped out of the empty wading pool. He was immediately tackled by Dr. Laura Olson.
    "Honey! You're home!"
    Josie had heard the expression of women throwing themselves at men before, but this was the first time she'd actually seen it. The vampire had leapt forward, moving with inhuman speed and grabbed Kenslir in a tight embrace. Then she'd locked her full lips on his.
    On top of Kenslir's bald head, hair and eyebrows were was quickly growing as his healing abilities finished their work. He pushed the vampire away just as his hair had finished reforming into the out dated flattop he'd worn when he first died, over fifty years ago.
    "Laura!" he snapped angrily.
    "Oh, look," the vampire said, running her hands down over her dress. "You've got me all wet."
    Her dress was indeed wet, from the thin film of water that covered Kenslir like perspiration. The dress was now completely transparent in spots.
    "Can I borrow your towel?" the vampire asked, pointing with one hand and grinning devilishly.
    "Status?" Kenslir asked, turning to a blushing Josie and ignoring the vampire.
    "Mission accomplished, sir," Josie said handing over a folded stack of pants, shirt and boxer shorts. "The giant is dead and the team rounded up all the remaining insurgents."
    Josie hoped that was the right word for it.
    "All of them?"
    "Oh, Mark," Laura chided, undressing him with her eyes. "I do good work for you, you know that. We got them all."
    Kenslir nodded to both women. Josie immediately turned around to give him privacy. The Colonel watched Dr. Olson, waiting for her to turn.
    "What? I'm a doctor- I've seen it all before," Laura said, smiling.
    Kenslir glared and the vampire made a fake frown but finally turned away.
    "What's Victor's status?" Kenslir asked, removing his towel and starting to get dressed.
    Out of the corner of her eye, Josie saw Laura unfolding a compact and looking at it. Or rather, looking over her shoulder, watching the Colonel putting on his boxers in the reflection.
    "He's been restored and should be undergoing the transformation once more," Josie said. She glared at Laura and concentrated. A thin sheen of frost formed on the mirror, blocking out any view the vampire might have had.
    "Any other casualties?” Kenslir asked, slipping on his khaki pants. Laura frowned and cast a genuinely angry glance at Josie.
    "No, sir," the vampire said, turning around to face Kenslir. "Colonel. Sir."
    Kenslir ignored Olson and slipped on the shirt Josie had brought him- a dark blue polo shirt.
    Josie turned around also and handed Kenslir a pair of socks with one hand, while holding onto a pair of size 14, tan leather, desert army boots with the other. "But there has been a development."
    "Oh?" Kenslir asked, slipping on one sock, then the other.
    "Yep. They're waiting in the briefing room for you," Laura chimed in. She slid her chair over for the Colonel to sit in while he put his boots on.
    "What's up?"
    "Captain Smith said it was a Pandora Event..." Josie said. She didn't know any details beyond that, and judging from the look on Kenslir's face, she wasn't sure she wanted to.
    "Head on upstairs," Kenslir said, quickly putting on his boots and tying them. "I want to check on Victor first."

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
     
    It hadn't taken long to fly south to the United States. Even battered and weary from the trek north on foot, this new body was still able to channel enough power for very rapid flight. Not as fast as his own body had been, but fast enough.
    He began to decrease altitude, feeling himself drawing ever closer to his target. Breaking through the clouds he looked down at the quiet neighborhood below, bathed in the light of the full moon. All was peaceful.
    Landing so lightly he made less noise than a footstep, he touched down in the backyard of one very specific, two story home. It was only a few years old, with bright, fresh paint, and clean vinyl siding. A suburban family's modest