Netherworld II: Blood Potion No. 9 Read Free

contentment from him just the same. “The cool air was swift
against face and wing. I am invigorated by the briskness of harvest
time.”
    “You’ve been flying. I wish I could fly
too. You make it sound so wonderful.”
    A cold, elegant voice flowed over my
ears, bringing a thrill of fear along with desire. “I take it
you’re talking to Brandilynn and not yourself, old
friend?”
    I straightened and looked at my
boyfriend. Well, the vampire aspect of my boyfriend. I love Tristan
Keith with all my heart during the day when his body is dead and
he’s a plain old ghost. But when he’s a vampire, all sharp with
hunger, I’m a little freaked out.
    Okay, I’m a lot freaked out. Vampires
are scary.
    He’s gorgeous whether man or vamp.
Tristan has hair as black as night, cut short in an elegant 1920’s
‘do. Already handsome, the predatory aspect of his fanged self
lends dangerous charm to his well-formed features. If GQ ever
wanted to put a vampire on their cover, Tristan should be at the
top of the list. He dresses well in custom-made suits that flatter
his lean muscled frame. Tristan has never had to drink pouched or
bottled blood. The groupies line up for him.
    A small, well-padded Hispanic woman
stood behind him. She looks like the best mom in the neighborhood,
the one whose house all the kids gather at for milk and cookies. I
thought she might be somewhere in her forties, but she’s got one of
those ageless faces where it’s hard to tell. She might have been
anywhere from 35 to 60. She radiates kindness.
    She sat down in a leather chair in
front of his desk. “I will prepare myself.”

    This was Isabella, my channel. I
sighed. I like Isabella, but I don’t like using her body. It’s
weird and uncomfortable. When I’m inside her, I see both the real
world and the spirit world, which can play heck on my equilibrium.
Fortunately, Para Central is the same in both realms. As long as we
didn’t go for a walk anywhere, I wouldn’t be too
off-kilter.
    I watched her close her eyes. It didn’t
take long for her body to relax completely and the light lines in
her face to smooth out. She’s a pro at this. I went to her and sat
down on top, as if to give her my Christmas list. Instead of
landing on Isabella’s lap, I ended up inside her. The heaviness of
a corporeal body settled over me like a suffocating blanket. I felt
a twinge of her in the back of our shared mind, but she was very
quiet. When Isabella is channeling, she’s unaware of what’s going
on. Lucky her.
    I opened her eyes and looked up at the
black-eyed vampire looming over me. “I’m here.”
    He smiled, a little human warmth
creeping into his pale face. “How is your haunting of Sanderson
Cottage going?”
    It was at his request that I’d been
giving Halloween thrills to tourists at his former employer’s home.
My payment for being all spooky was staving off boredom. Being dead
gives you a lot of time on your hands.
    I told him, “It’s fun. Patricia liked
my dress. What’s up?”
    “I need you to replace Dan for a little
while spying on the Beasts.”
    Oh, this definitely sounded
interesting. One of Tristan’s campaign promises at the last
election was to clean up Fulton Falls’ crime problems, and the
Beasts Motorcycle Club was at the top of his list. Composed of
violent were-critters, the Beasts were suspected of everything from
blackmail to murder. As organized as any crime syndicate, the
Beasts had chapters all over North America, Asia, and Europe. Even
little ol’ Fulton Falls has a group of about three dozen getting up
to heaven knows what.
    My other boyfriend, Dan Saling, had
been spying on the Beasts for weeks now on Tristan’s behalf. Dan is
like me, a full time ghost. As to why I have two boyfriends … well,
that’s a Brandilynn-inspired mess. Neither man is thrilled about
sharing me, but they’re putting up with it. For now.
    First things first. Playing spy sounded
fun, especially since weres can’t see ghosts. No real