Free Horizon, Soul Guardians Book 3 by Kim Richardson Page A

breeds. I’m telling you …
they’ll be running the other way when they see me
coming.”
    Kara rolled her eyes. “David. Promise
me you won’t do anything stupid. Promise me.”
    David grinned. “Me? Do anything
stupid? Of course not, cutie—I’m the most responsible, most
law-abiding angel in all Horizon.”
    Even with all the theatrics, Kara knew
David well enough to know that he was hiding his true feelings. He
was terrified, just as she was. The more he fooled around, the more
anxious he truly was. And that only made Kara more
nervous.
    “ See you guys later.” And
with that, David trotted down the slope and joined the mass of
guardians heading for the pools.
    Regretfully, Kara watched
David disappear under a wave of angels. She clenched her fists as
she remembered the half-breed demon who had sucked the life source
from her rookie Tom so easily. She knew many angels would die
today, probably thousands. Would these
faces make it back? How many angels had
the necessary skills to fight higher demons?
    Kara flinched as she remembered the
sounds of terrified children screaming and the hungry cries of the
demons. She was to blame. She was responsible.
    “ Come on, Kara.” Jenny
tugged on her shirt and urged her along. As she galloped down the
slope, puffs of red dust flew up behind her like a cape.
    Reluctantly, Kara followed Jenny
towards the elevators. She could only hope that CDD would be the
answer to Asmodeus and his demons—but something in Michael’s manner
earlier told her that it wouldn’t.

Chapter 7
    Teammates
     
     
     
    K ara shoved her CDD case in her front pocket and followed
Jenny through a maze of cubicles and chairs. All around them, the
Counter Demon Division was alive with sounds. Kara remembered the
division being a pretty hectic environment, but this was more like
anarchy. Papers fell from the levels above and covered the floors
in a white carpet. Angels shouted at each other from across the
chamber. They pushed and shoved one another. Some ran around the
room, jumping over chairs and desks like deer. Their eyes were
filled with panic. They were not the confident faces Kara had seen
before.
    Screams pierced the cacophony of level
five, and Kara could not help but watch the large holographic
screens that were mounted in the center of the chamber and along
the walls. Every screen showed images of terrified men, women and
children. They screamed at the top of their lungs as four-legged
demons, with raw-red bodies plagued with oozing sores, ripped
easily through the mortals’ flesh with their sharp black talons.
Blood spurted onto the walls of the rooms on the
screens.
    Kara heard another scream. It was
coming from the holographic screen right in front of her. A young
girl with dark brown hair and large brown eyes cowered against a
wall. Blood trickled down her petrified face from a large gash on
the side of her head. A shiver rolled up Kara’s back. The girl
looked like a younger version of herself. Something dark flashed
across the screen. Kara wanted to warn the girl, but she stood
transfixed. A moment later, a shadow demon materialized, grabbed
the young girl by the neck and ripped out her heart. Kara forced
herself to look away.
    She tried to focus on the task at
hand, but the screams overpowered her thoughts. Death stared back
at her from every screen, a reminder of her failure. A reminder of
what she had done.
    “ You coming?” Jenny
appeared beside her and knocked Kara out of her trance. Jenny
looked at the screens and then at Kara, “We can’t do anything for
them now. I know it’s hard not look … or not to feel anything—but
we have to stay focused.” She pressed her hand gently on Kara’s
shoulder. “Come. We should go.”
    Kara lowered her eyes. “This is my
fault, Jenny,” she whispered, keeping her eyes low. “All of it.
They’re all dying because of me.” Her bottom lip
trembled.
    “ You couldn’t have known
what he intended to do with you, Kara,” said