Free Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla Page A

Adare scoffed. “Bet she’s fun to hang around.”
    Raif smiled as he led the way back to the SUV, where Delilah sat, still blathering on about absolutely nothing. “She’s been like this since we found her,” Raif said. “Frankly, I’m glad to be done with her. Will you be taking her to Portland straightaway?”
    Adare looked Delilah over in the way a three-year-old looks with terrified awe at a stalking tiger caged at a zoo. Little bat-shit crazy Delilah had warriors crawling out of their skin. I had to admire her intimidation tactics. Raif inclined his head, and I ducked inside the vehicle. “Come on, Delilah. The train stops here. The PNT is going to babysit you for a while.”
    I reached for her arm to pull her out when she lurchedforward. Her sour breath hit my face before she laid her cheek to mine, her mouth close to my ear. “You belong to the Man now. Maybe he’ll introduce you to Brakae before he kills everyone you love.”
    My fingers constricted around Delilah’s bony arm. Raif was right. We should have killed her and done the council a favor. “I don’t respond well to threats,” I said. “Especially ones from bony-assed bitches like you. Threaten me again and you won’t make it to Portland to stand trial—you got me?”
    Delilah giggled in my ear, the sound sending rivers of chills across my flesh. “He will become the master of time and command the Keeper. He will finish what I started. You should have let me bleed you dry. Now it’s too late.”
    I hauled her ass out of the seat so fast, her head lashed back from the force. I’d had it with her smart mouth, and what I really wanted was to shut her up for good. Let her be the PNT’s problem. They could try to decipher the crazy shit pouring out of her useless mouth. Threatening my loved ones, whether directly or indirectly, had been the last straw. She could rot in hell for all I cared, dead sister or not.
    With a less than gentle shove, I handed Delilah over to Adare. He caught her before she tumbled to the ground and set her right on her feet. “You are hereby taken into custody of the Pacific Northwest Territories Council,” Adare instructed. “You are to stand trial for kidnapping, in addition to conspiracy for your malicious acts against the Shaede Nation. You are forbidden to speak or take action against any living thing until the next full moon when the council will hear your case.” He touched his thumb to a spot on her forehead just above her nose, the third eye. A glittering gold spark ignited between their skin, and Delilah fell completely silent. Her eyes glazed over; her limbs hung limp. She’d effectively become a rag doll. Since she offered no resistance, Adare was able to lead Delilah toward the mirrored building.
    Raif waved in parting and didn’t waste any time jumpingback in the front seat of the Lincoln. Adare stood stoic at the building’s entrance, waiting for the second member of his security team. I watched his partner emerge through the glass doors, his energy hitting me as if a king-sized tuning fork had been driven right into my skull. The vibration nearly sent me to my knees, but I fought the toppling sensation, fixing my gaze on the man whose power barreled toward me like a shock wave.
    He was eternally young and vibrant, his dark hair framing his face and making the gray of his eyes all the more startling. A corner of his mouth tugged into a sardonic smile, the kind that invites a challenge. He stared straight at me, ignoring his partner as well as Delilah, who shrank away from his presence, her tiny shoulders hunched and quivering.
    I took my seat and quickly shut the door. An involuntary spasm shook my body as I felt the weight of his stare right through the tinted glass window. Power surged from him, as if he knew I could feel it and wanted me to know exactly what kind of heat he was packing. This guy was the Excalibur of otherworldly energy. My vision blurred, and the sound of my blood pulsed in my