Dark Awakening Read Free

"You scared me."
    Brittany ignored her. Turning her head to address someone hidden in the darkness behind her, the woman asked, "Is she powerful enough for your needs, Augustin?"
    "Quite. She is exquisitely strong."
    The man's voice was a rich baritone, and it made him sound pleasant, even attractive, but it raised goose bumps on Kimi's arms and she backed up a step.
    "And as young as I promised," Brittany said.
    "Beautiful as well. I'll delight in and taking her body as much as I enjoy seizing her magic."
    He edged forward just far enough for Kimi to see his silhouette and she took another step back before she realized she couldn't run. She was only five and a half feet tall and this man towered over her by nearly a foot; if she attempted to flee, he'd catch her in a few strides. Fighting face-to-face gave her more options than being grabbed from the rear. Kimi shifted to balance her weight evenly.
    This couldn't be happening, though. She had to be misunderstanding what was going on. Had to be. Brittany was majo; she wouldn't sell Kimi out. "Brittany? What's the deal?"
    "The deal?" The woman finally looked at Kimi. "The deal, Kirstie, is that humans are falling behind, and that's only going to get worse as the alliance grows between the fangs and the dogs. I'm doing what I have to in order to ensure that I'm not among the losers."
    Kimi fisted her hands, then relaxed her grip. "Kimi. My name is Kim-mee," she enunciated clearly, wanting the older woman to know exactly whom she'd betrayed. "And your explanation doesn't really tell me a whole lot."
    "She is young," Augustin commented. He finally came into view.
    The first thing Kimi noticed was his eyes. The irises were so pale, she couldn't guess their color in the dim light. He was a demon, then. The next thing she noticed was how obscenely handsome he was—Hollywood would love his face. He had waist-length, dark blond hair, and at both temples he had a tiny braid, each interwoven with shiny thread. Bak-Faru.
    Mika's admonition to never use the name of that branch rang in her mind, and immediately on the heels of that thought came the dozens of warnings her cousin had given her about the Dark Ones. Kimi's gulp was audible in the silence.
    Augustin smiled at her fear and held out his hand. "Come to me," the demon ordered.
    Kimi shook her head. There was no way in hell she was going to make it easy for him. He was big, he was muscular, and he had the power of the darkest of the demon branches, but she would fight him with everything that she had.
    "Excellent," he said. "The more you struggle against me, the easier it will be to wrest your magic from you."
    He'd read her mind and that scared her, but not half as much as the fact that she was getting information from him and didn't think Augustin was sending it on purpose. A demon acquired a kijo's powers through sex, and he planned to rape her to get it. Like hell. She wasn't letting anyone take what was hers.
    Making the decision calmed her somewhat. Kimi felt her heart begin to slow, and her respiration became deeper, more even. She'd only had a few weeks of training and hadn't used her magic yet, but she knew she could protect herself with a shield of light. Calling it forward, she surrounded herself, letting it thicken and grow until it would be impenetrable.
    "Think you that such a meager defense will stop me?"
    It took all her will, but she forced a smile and shrugged, trying to appear unconcerned. Her dad said if she didn't have a full house, to bluff 'em into thinking she held a royal flush. The dark demon threw back his head and laughed. Damn it, he was still picking up her thoughts.
    Brittany shifted then, and Kimi looked to her, hoping the other woman was reconsidering her actions and would help her. In a glance, she knew she was on her own. So be it. Kimi had one advantage—the demon wanted her alive—and she'd exploit that as much as possible.
    "Come to me," Augustin ordered once more. This time, there was a