Free Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning

the day before, she had wanted to kill him. Her extremities started to tingle and her heart felt as if it could pound out of her chest. She wondered if her reaction had everything to do with being born and trained to kill him. Any emotion other than loathing and hate felt unnatural.
    “You don’t have to try to make me feel better. I haven’t thought about Matt for three years. I’m not going to start now.” Janie folded her arms in front of her chest.
    “Do what you want with your life.” Kai turned and left the room, exhibiting another one of his unexpected attitudes.
    She blinked at his directness. She’d assumed they were having a heart-to-heart. “Okay, then.”
    Matt stirred. His muscular legs stretched over the sofa’s arm.
    He moaned. “Where am I? It looks like my great-aunt’s house. And what’s with all the bright colors, and the beads?” he said, attempting to lift his head off the pillow.
    Janie whirled over to his side. “You’re okay.” He looked pale, but otherwise healthy. She helped him to a seated position.
    “What happened?” He grabbed his forehead. “Aw, my head. How long have I been asleep?”
    Janie decided to blurt out everything at once, which she quickly regretted. “You’re at Albania’s, downtown. She’s a witch. She healed you after you were punctured by a poisonous demon splint, and you’ve been asleep for about eight hours, if you count the time you passed out due to the poison.”
    Matt sprung up off the couch. “What? You’re crazy. This is all crazy. I’ve totally gone insane.” He pointed to Janie. “ You’re insane.”
    “Okay, maybe not the reaction I was going for, but we’ll go with it,” she said. How do I explain this in human terms? I can’t. Uh— She smacked her forehead with her palm.
    “There’s no need to hit yourself,” Kai said, returning from the kitchen clutching a powdered doughnut.
    Matt pointed to him. “What’s he doing here? He killed Billy.” Matt fell back on to the sofa. His head slid into his hands. “I mean, the totally mental Billy with black eyes, and fangs.”
    “I think your boyfriend’s losing it.” Kai moved back to the chair, not the least bit fazed by the commotion.
    A stream of long, wavy flame-red hair flew by Janie’s peripheral vision. “Is everything okay out here?” Albania said, dressed in light green silk pajamas with spaghetti straps. Albania’s vibrant red hair swam around her body and her celery-colored pajamas accentuated the green of her eyes. And she doesn’t need anything else accentuated.
    “Janie’s boyfriend’s lost his mind.” Kai popped the last piece of doughnut into his mouth and brushed the loose powder off his lap.
    Janie glared at Kai. She spun around and addressed Albania. “Do you have anything to calm Matt down? Valium or tranquilizers, or. . .something. He’s not taking all of this very well,” Janie said, waving her hands around in the air, signaling the “magic atmosphere.”  
    “I’m fine. Just give me a second to process everything,” Matt said through his hands. He massaged his forehead.
    “Oh, sorry—” Janie wheezed and dropped to her knees. Unable to breathe, she tottered on the rug like a Weeble Wobble.
    “Janie, are you okay?” Kai knelt down beside her.
    She shook her head. Speaking required air, and at the moment she couldn’t find any.
    “She needs her inhaler. She lost it last night.” Kai anchored his arm around her back. “You’re going to be okay.” He looked up at Albania. “Can you do anything?”
    “Sorry, Kai, I can handle demon poison, but asthma is out of my area of expertise. She needs a medical doctor.”
    “See that Matt gets home,” he instructed Albania.
    Kai flipped Janie into his arms. Her head slipped back onto his bicep, her dark hair spilling over his arm. “I’m taking her home. During the car ride here she said she had another inhaler.”
    Matt stood. “Towson is at least fifteen minutes away without traffic.” His