The Painter Mage: Books 1-3 by D.K. Holmberg

Author:D.K. Holmberg [Holmberg, D.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2015-07-30T19:00:00+00:00

9

It was late and I was tired. What I needed more than anything was rest. I hadn’t used a lot of power throughout the day, but enough that I could feel the way it drained me. Facing Adazi once had been hard enough. If it came to a second time, I’d need to be at my best in order to survive. Devan’s life might depend on it. That’s why I wanted to find the damn orb as soon as I could. Once I did, then I could take an hour and nap before confronting Adazi and getting her back.

I wouldn’t let myself consider anything else. I would get her back.

We drove through Conlin, and for the first time, I wished the truck wasn’t so loud. The damn thing seemed to rumble through the streets like a tank. I kept the lights on but was ready to dim them quickly if needed and kill the ignition. It wouldn’t surprise me to find Jakes following me, especially since he knew what I was after and seemed determined to keep me from it.

“Are you sure about the address?” I asked Taylor.

She was a shadow next to me in the truck. “I looked it up. Unless it changed in the time since that phonebook was published, it’s accurate.”

“That phonebook was over ten years old,” I reminded her.

Taylor shot me a look I managed to see through the darkness. “And your point?”

I snorted and shook my head. “No point. This is Conlin. Not too many people move.”

And old Sheriff Jakes hadn’t really even been a person. How much did shifters move?

We rolled onto Ridge Street. If the phonebook was right, then we’d find Jakes’s house here. About halfway down the street, I saw the house number. Tall oak trees grew out front. A large weeping willow dipped toward the street, sweeping branches just overhead. A long drive led off the street, set off by a simple fence.

“Nice place,” Taylor whispered.

It was nice for Conlin. The kind of place that gave off a sense of home and permanence. It was the kind of house that told me Sheriff Jakes had been in town for a long time. Long enough to set down roots, to establish himself in the community. And then to die protecting Conlin from magical creatures out of a nightmare.

I sighed, letting the truck move past the house.

“What are you doing?” Taylor asked.

“I’m not going to just pull into the driveway. It’s not like this is an inconspicuous truck. If Jakes sees me—”

“If Jakes sees us, we’ll be ready.”

I shifted in my seat and turned to her. “No. Not like that, Taylor. We’re here to find out what we can, not attack him again. The last time, you nearly destroyed my house.”

She lowered her eyes. “We couldn’t really destroy it, could we? The Elder placed protections around it.”

“With enough energy, I think anything can be destroyed. Even my father’s work.”

I shifted the truck into park and got out, closing the door as quietly as I could manage.

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