The Black God (#2, Damian Eternal Series) Read Free Page A

tracking and eliminating the last of them. The Others were
able to locate vamps and Guardians at will, which was one of the
reasons they were such a threat. No one was able to hide.
    Once he figured out how to use it, the
otherworldly device would make the difference between him defeating
the rogue elements and Valon’s vamps winning this war. His only
challenge was preventing word from leaking to the Guardians about
his civil war before he could stop it.
    “Understood,” said Charles. “You headed
back?”
    Jonny shook his head. “I need to ask someone
something.”
    “Ah. Good luck.”
    Jonny didn’t reply. Charles could help him
with tactics and strategy, but so could anyone else who had been
around long enough. His ongoing struggle was with understanding the
power of a god charged with being the devil. His off and on
guidance came in the form of the Original Vamp, the first natural
born vamp, who was as dangerous as he was helpful. Jonny was tired
of not knowing how to fix his own issues without asking for help
from someone likely to cash in the favors one day. On nights like
these, he didn’t feel like he had much of a choice.
    He Traveled to a nearby beach and knelt to
wash his hands in the cold waters running onto shore. Releasing a
breath, he rolled his shoulders and head, unable to shake the wired
frustration he’d been dealing with for the past four months. As
much as he loved the ocean, it wasn’t helping calm his nerves this
night.
    Being a god wasn’t easy. Being the Black God
… well, he’d had to unlearn a lifetime of reality in order to
embrace his duty. His job was to ensure the survival of a race of
predators who fed off humans, and he’d long since reached the
conclusion he couldn’t do it alone. He didn’t have the numbers or
the infrastructure he needed.
    The vamp way of life for the past ten
thousand years wasn’t sustainable. He’d already won one war and
wasn’t anywhere near capable of facing another so soon. He wasn’t
willing to continue the long-standing war with the White God when
the casualties were already too high – and disproportionately
vamp.
    To preserve his people, he needed peace. And
peace meant difficult compromise.
    “What is it?” the low growl came from the
mentor he hadn’t been certain he wanted to see.
    Jonny straightened and faced Xander, the
biggest vamp and man he’d ever seen in his life. With long, dark
hair and glowing red eyes, Xander was about as welcoming as Jonny’s
dinner would be when his intentions became clear. Having been
warned off multiple times from approaching the secluded house where
Xander and his family lived, Jonny had begun going to a beach
nearby, close enough for Xander’s protective wards to warn him but
not so close as to make the psychopathic vamp hostile.
    “I have a small problem,” Jonny began, not
about to admit the full truth to the creature who bartered
information to White and Black Gods, depending on whose side he
felt like being on.
    “I haven’t heard those words in a
while.”
    Jonny bit back his initial
response. Xander was a vamp, yes, but he wasn’t his vamp and he was well connected.
“Yeah. Believe it or not I figured out some stuff.”
    “I believe it.” Xander’s muscular arms were
across his chest. He approached and paused at the edge of where the
water reached the sand. “I always knew you had potential. How
bad?”
    “Pretty bad,” Jonny allowed.
    “Does it have anything to do with the vamps
you’re whacking?”
    “Yeah.”
    Xander glanced at him. “Not just cleaning
house or disciplining vamps, are we?”
    “It’s partially it,” Jonny replied.
    “Damian believes you to be crushing any
dissension in the ranks. But I have a feeling there’s something
else going on.”
    “It’s none of your business, or his, Xander,
how I do my job,” Jonny said firmly.
    “Fine. What am I doing here?”
    “Was my predecessor able to track
vamps?”
    “You have trackers for that.”
    Sorta. Two of