Dealers of Light Read Free Page A

with his familiar, rigid military bearing. Sean held out a sheaf of papers. “Here are the latest reports from the other groups.”
    “Excellent. ” Rolf yawned and flicked through the papers, noting nothing of vital importance. He brushed a hand across his burning eyelids. “Is everything settled in the house?”
    “Yes, sir. The crates came from London only yesterday, but all the rooms are furnished.” Sean rubbed a hand over his chin.  “If you don’t mind my saying so, you look like hell, Sir.”
    Rolf thrust the reports back at Sean. “ Milan was hell.”
    “At least all the Takers were destroyed.”
    A flush of feral triumph warmed Rolf’s otherwise exhausted body. “Yes. All dead, their remains scattered to the four winds.”
    Sean cleared his throat. “There’s one small problem.”
    “What?”
    “Some of the crystals on the globe were crushed in transport. They’ll have to be replaced.”
    Irritation coursed through Rolf, amplified by his fatigue. He struggled to push the ire away. The globe would still shield him sufficiently for a day or so, even at half strength. He had time to repair it. His gaze switched to the Grecian urn on a table under the Rembrandt, its familiar beauty calming him. He remembered buying the urn in a bazaar for pennies four hundred years ago. But more immediate needs forced away the pleasant memory. “How did the damage occur?”
    Sean flushed but held Rolf’s gaze. “Sorry, sir. One of the straps bracing it inside the crate broke.”
    “Unfortunate.” He’ d hoped to begin the hunt right away, but it wouldn’t be safe without the globe working properly. Keeping his presence hidden was too important. “I’ll have to find somewhere locally to buy more.”
    “I thought so.” Sean let out a breath and handed a small piece of paper to his boss. “Here’s a list of possible stores in the area.”
    The burning irritation eased . It wasn’t Sean’s fault the globe had been damaged. “Very good. Any word of potential victim sites from the team?”
    “Not yet. But there are plenty of opportunities in the clubs and nightlife here.”
    A tingle of anticipation pierced his fog of weariness. Soon he would hunt his prey.
    But first he needed rest. Seven long days of death-filled battles left his senses dull to the point of danger. He must be at his best against the familiar evil that drew him here to Norfolk. An evil he’d thought dead centuries ago.
    The urge to hunt tortured him, pushing him ever onward—the compulsion to eliminate the evil Takers. But first, he had to fix the globe or he would become the hunted. “Set up what we have. Let me know if any more news comes in.”
    “I will. But I don’t anticipate hearing anything before tomorrow morning.” Sean left the foyer, heels clicking on the marble floor with sharp precision that echoed under the high ceiling.
    Rolf flexed his fingers, imagining the feel of skin and the tingling flow of energy when he sucked the Light from a Taker, ending their existence. Expectation of the heady sensation prickled the hairs on the back of his neck.
    With heavy legs, he navigated the stairs to the second floor. The smell of fresh paint hung faintly in the air. Passing familiar paintings and tapestries decorating the walls, he paused in the third doorway. His bedroom. Against the left wall, the massive bed stood draped in filmy netting from the ceiling. Two wooden lions guarded the foot opposite a scrolled headboard. The mattress sat on a platform and invited his tired body with its crisp white linens.  He closed his eyes for a moment, the memory of flesh-warming heat from the desert chasing the chill from his bones. Back home, the sound of palm fronds brushing against each other in a breeze from the Nile delta would lull him to sleep. The earthy smell of sun-baked bricks hung just beyond his imagination along with the rush of the Nile waters.
    He pushed aside the sheer drapes and fell across the bed without removing his