"Arthur, Keri - Damask Circle 03 - Circle of Desire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Arthur Keri)

Keri Arthur

Circle of Desire
Published by ImaJinn Books, a division of ImaJinn
Copyright й2003 by Keri Arthur
All rights reserved.
PUBLISHERТS NOTE:
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents
are products of the authorТs imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.


One
Air hissed through the silence. Tendrils of smoke began
to curl past the window seams, its color sickly, luminous.
Katherine Tanner tugged free one of the two white ash
stakes strapped to her jeans and clenched it tight. On the
opposite side of the room, a little girl slept on, oblivious to
the smoky slivers of evil beginning to slip past the window.
Kat hoped she remained unaware. Remained asleep and
alive.
But if GwenТs premonition was rightЧand her
grandmotherТs premonitions usually wereЧthis child
would be the next to go missing. TheyТd done everything
they could to prevent that. TheyТd nailed the windows shut,
had cops patrolling close by, and warding stones had been
placed around the childТs bed to prevent any form of magic
coming close.
But these wards werenТt designed to stop evil itselfЧ
and thatТs what was seeping into this room tonight.
Her stomach began to churn. Though sheТd spent the
last ten years hunting the rogue elements of the
supernatural community who preyed on humans, sheТd
never come across anything that went after kids the way
this thing did.
Had never met anything that did to them what this
thing did.
She closed her eyes, fighting tears, trying not to relive
the moment two nights before when theyТd stepped into
that old factory and found the body of the second missing
four-year-old. Daniel had been unmarked except for two
small puncture wounds on his neck. Though heТd been
drained of blood, this was not what had caused his death.
Only those gifted with psychic sight would ever see that.
Something had stolen his soulЧhad ripped it from his
body between the beats of his heart. HeТd died quickly but
in pain. Terrible, terrible pain.
She didnТt want to face the thing that could do
something like that. No one in their right mind would. But