The Compass Key (Book 5) Read Free Page A

way. I have already sen t a vision to my most trusted faithful. He is prepared to take this child to her power center where she will be mended in relative safety.”
    “Tha-” Sari starts to say until a strong grip wraps around her throat. She gasps for air as phantom fingers squeeze her windpipe.
    “You are not a real being, child!” Gabriel bellows, erasing her pain with the sound of his voice. “ You are merely a mental projection wandering through your own mind. The pain you are going to endure will be intense, but you cannot truly die here.”
    “Actually, dying her e means she loses her sanity,” Crisus timidly interjects. “It is best not to lie to her or she might do something reckless.”
    Gabriel lets his hand fall to the hilt of his sword, his temper boiling hot enough to turn his face red. Crisus slowly backs away with his head bowed in an act of respect, but he is sure the god of destiny is going to strike him. Both gods stop when Sari shrieks again, her voice more powerful and blood-curdling than before. Crisus takes the opportunity to vanish and return to Ambervale causing Gabriel to curse about the lesser god’s cowardice.
    Rolling his eyes, Gabriel turns around to see what form of torture the gypsy is being subject to now. He freezes when he sees Sari standing with her arms out to him. The smell of burning flesh fills the air as words are branded into her skin. Her emerald eyes are pouring tears that create a glistening puddle on the floor.
    “This child is my new toy, old friend,” Gabriel reads out loud. A cold smirk crosses his face as he turns away. “Enjoy this toy for as long as you have her. I will take her back into my fold before tomorrow’s sunset.”
    Gabriel vanishes in the blink of an eye, leaving Sari whimpering and staring at her scarred arms until the words fade away. With a shuddering breath, she staggers to her feet and looks around the room. Every noise and wisp of wind causes her to jump, expecting another surge of pain and blood. Minutes pass in silence and Sari calms down, believing that Stephen has decided to leave her alone for the moment.
    “You don’t think you’re going to get any rest, do you?” asks a female voice that causes Sari to jump in fright.
    “Are you a goddess?” Sari asks, reaching for a dagger. She only feels the shredded remains of her skirt and her bare, bruised legs.
    “It hurts that you forgot about me,” a redheaded woman says as she steps out from behind Sari. The young woman’s clothes are nothing more than soiled rags and she smells like she has not bathed in weeks. “Then again, we barely knew each other before you killed me.”
    Sari stares at the young woman, her mind racing to put a name to the grinning, dirt-stained face. The woman flicks her hair to reveal two neat, puncture scars on her neck. It is not long before Sari recognizes the vampire bite and backs away from the woman. With a cruel grin, the redhead approaches Sari until she traps her against the icy wall. The woman takes a deep sniff of Sari’s azure hair and reaches out to gently stroke her cheek.
    The gypsy locks eyes with the woman and is terrified to see glazed, dead pupils staring back at her. “I didn’t mean to get you killed, Mira. It was an accident. I didn’t know the hellhound was out there or that it would eat you.”
    “Yet, you still feel guilty,” Mira whispers into Sari’s ear before licking her cheek. “This is in your head, little gypsy. I’m here because you feel guilty and your mind is picking up where Stephen left off. You really wish to torture yourself and revel in your pain. Face all your juicy demons and push yourself to the breaking point.”
    “I don’t want to do that!” Sari snaps, shoving Mira away with all her might. “I want the pain to stop and to be back with my friends. I want to be with Luke again. I want to tease Nyx again. I want-”
    “You want, you want, you want!” Mira interrupts in a high-pitched mocking voice.