Blood Debt (The Blood Sisters Book 2) Read Free

civilians. He gripped the wheel harder, held his breath, his
mind spinning. Looking for a solution.
    A way
out.
    He gazed
at Amanda and the fear she had on her face. “I’m sorry,” Duncan whispered.
Already he had failed. He had to protect her, but he couldn’t risk the lives of
everyone in that city.
    “Slow the
car,” Amanda said and when Duncan didn’t immediately respond, she said it with
more force. “I said to slow the car,
Duncan!”
    He let up
on the gas and off in the distance he saw a rising golden light coming from the
horizon of the city. Above the skyscrapers and into the clouds, the light shone
in a luminescent vortex aimed right at them. Amanda squealed and bent forward
at the stomach, grabbing at something hurt, hurt badly .
    In an
instant, Duncan felt it too, but probably not as strong as the empath. A sonic
wave of power erupted from the clouds in a golden light and threw the pursuing
demons back like ants on a blustery picnic day. A flutter of eagle’s wings like
that of the angel soared in the distance.
He had to drive toward it. Didn’t know why or how he knew, just that he did.
    The
fissures behind them were no longer expanding. Lourdes, for now, had given
up—or had been put in her place. Mike gave Duncan an exasperated, slack jawed
look and Duncan felt their luck too. Maybe priests didn’t have a direct line to
God, but it seemed Amanda Blood knew an angel. Maybe that angel even owed
Amanda her life.
    Duncan
started the car forward again at a crawl. Cautious. Didn’t know if the demons
would lunge again. The further the tires spun, the easier Duncan relaxed and
the tension just ran out straight out of him.
    Amanda
pushed her hair back with a long exhale. Her green eyes a little clearer.
Duncan had a boat load of questions for her, but for the moment, thought he’d
let it keep. He’d allow victory, for lack of a better word, just sink in.
    The light
of the angel in the distance beckoned them home.

2:
Amanda Blood

 
    T he city
had no idea how close to destruction it had come, but Amanda felt it deep
inside. Now the shadow of death was receding like an ocean tide. The car drove
toward the bright light, as Duncan called it, but he didn’t see it the way
Amanda did. She doubted anyone could. The warmth and amber dust danced inside
like tiny fairies. It had its own song, but not one she could discern with her
ears.
    Her heart
and soul heard it. Like a cherub strumming his harp, that’s how Amanda knew it was no ordinary light. It came from an angel, maybe
even more than one. Now they were headed toward it, like it was a spotlight,
the Bat-signal, and thinking that made Amanda think of Jessica.
    Jessica
loved superheroes. A story where the hero always won, Jessica always said. For
someone who craved happy endings so much, she hated romantic comedies, where
they were pretty much guaranteed. Her sister, Jessica Blood, the realist.
    The old
protector of her family and now she was gone? Lost forever, so Lourdes would
have them all believe.
    Amanda
wouldn’t, she couldn’t. She’d find a way to get Jessica back if she had to
travel the world for a solution. If she had to rip a hole in the veil of the
underworld to do it. When it came to Jessica, Amanda would stop at nothing,
because that’s the very thing Jessica would do. They protected each other. Had
each other’s back. Amanda owed her, but more than that, Amanda loved her.
    Needed
her to survive.
    I’m going to come get you, sister. I
promise.
    They
drove through the city and Amanda allowed herself to relax. The streets were
calm, a man strolled with his dog, but over his head, a dark cloud hung. They passed a chubby girl nursing a coffee and donut, but no
one could see her pain just by looking at her, but Amanda felt it.
    Alone,
desperate. Sad.
    The city
was rife with it, but it was normal human down-on-your-luck stuff.   It made them all such easy targets for the
demons and their promises of lies. A drug that brought the promise