Black Widow Demon Read Free Page B

beneath his weight.
    He had a far better view from this height and proximity. From a distance she had been an attractive woman. Up close, she was stunning. She had beautifully shaped eyes, lined liberally with long lashes that swept her cheeks when she closed them. Gold-toned skin and full, curving lips distracted him further. He could see why she had been accused of being a spawn. Demons in mortal form were considered irresistible to mortals. And demons had pursued mortal women for their remarkable and unusual beauty, so their offspring would be astonishing.
    Blade was not easily impressed by the physical appearance of a woman, however, regardless of the attraction that seared through him. It was her dignity and refusal to plead for her life or appeal to the crowd that truly arrested him.
    Someone lit the torches that had been strapped to long poles embedded in the earth around the platform. Blade spotted a coil of rope near the woman’s feet. She had not yet been strapped to the stake, yet she stood ramrod straight and without support. He silently applauded her for refusing to give in to the fear she no doubt was feeling. He slid one of his knives into his palm and waited for his opportunity. He couldn’t save her, but he could at least allow her to keep her dignity intact. No one deserved a death such as this.
    The Godseeker stood at the front of the platform and lifted his hands for silence. The light from the torches danced in his eyes. When he spoke, the effect of his words mesmerized the audience.
    “For a long time I’ve been receiving warnings about my daughter’s behavior. Mothers and fathers alike have told me that she’s tempted their sons. They expressed concern for how she dresses and that she doesn’t show enough respect for the way her own mother raised her. She’s too free with her smiles, provoking jealousy and competition among our men.”
    A few in the crowd murmured agreement. Many more remained silent. Blade could almost enjoy the Godseeker’s eloquent speech if the outcome were not so sobering. Women were a rare and valuable commodity in this part of the world, but when it came to disputes over sex, they were always to blame.
    Blade weighed the knife in his hand, undecided. Perhaps he had read the situation incorrectly. If the Godseeker was the girl’s father, then his plan might be to auction her off to the highest bidder, the fire being a lesson to those gathered and nothing more. But why, then, accuse her of being spawn, which would only diminish her value?
    The Godseeker’s next words recaptured Blade’s attention.
    “Two nights ago,” the man said, his gaze sweeping the crowd, “she tried to tempt me, her own father. When I resisted, she stabbed me.”
    An accusation of incest, expressed so openly, was more serious again. Blade reassessed the woman. He had once owned a saloon and lived with experienced whores. Despite the cut of her dress she did not strike him at all as a temptress, experienced or not. Besides, if she’d had her choice of young men, as the Godseeker insinuated, why would she choose to tempt this one? Of the two of them, the woman and the Godseeker, who would prove the greater temptation to whom?
    Blade’s eyes narrowed as he considered shifting his target and planting his knife in the Godseeker’s heart instead. But it would serve no purpose. Life was not guaranteed to be fair. No matter what he did, the woman was as good as dead. He would keep her from suffering, that was all. He refused to feel pity or guilt for a situation he had not created.
    It was not like him to hesitate this way. He knew what needed to be done. He pushed sentiment aside and drew back his arm.
    The Godseeker, however, had one more revelation for the gathered crowd. He held up the stone he wore on a chain around his neck. Blade, who had grown up in the Godseeker Mountains, recognized it and its purpose. The goddesses had given these amulets to their favorites so that other goddesses would