Read Insidious Whispers (The Hunter Diaries) for Free Online

she had to face the very creatures that caused her nightmares as a kid, she would.
    “You okay?” Phoenix rode beside her on a large black stallion. The horse pranced nervously across the planks of the drawbridge.
    “Fine.”
    “Good.”
    She sighed in relief. She didn’t want him to know she was scared. Beth rode on a smaller dapple gray mare whose muscles quivered beneath the saddle. Beth stroked its neck. “Shhh, it’ll be fine. We’ll both be fine.”
    An eyebrow rose on Phoenix’s face and Beth grimaced. She knew what he was thinking. Who are you trying to convince Beth? Yourself, or the horse?
    The courtyard to the Fortress was just as black and gray as the exterior, and just as foreboding. These vamps sure liked to make a statement. They dismounted, and two young stable-boys ran out to take their horses. Phoenix reached up and tossed the prince over his shoulder. Arlen was still out. Beth didn’t know how he’d slept this long. Maybe it had something to do with the rope they’d used to tie him up. After all, Phoenix had said that it was enchanted. She took a swallow shoving her fear down her throat, and followed them into the Fortress.
    Phoenix didn’t waste any time. He walked straight to the main hall. Nodding at the guards by the door, he marched into the room and strode towards the dais where the Elders waited. There were four men and one woman seated at large thrones up on a raised area. Beth assumed these were the Elders. They didn’t look that imposing, but she knew that looks could easily deceive. 
    Her gaze was caught by the elder in the center of the group, and she saw death in his eyes. She tried to avert her gaze, but she couldn’t. It was as though they were locked into place. After a short time, the elder nodded and she once again had control of her head.
    The elder looked instead at Phoenix.
    “Dear boy, I’m so glad you have returned to us. I trust you have the object in question?”
    “Yes. However, there was a complication.”
    “Oh?” The elder didn’t sound surprised.
    “Yes, the Guardian...” he gestured towards Beth, “cannot leave the Tome unattended. She insisted on accompanying the book.”
    “Interesting... and what do we have here?” The elder gestured toward the man Phoenix carried over his shoulder.
    “This is Prince Arlen. This may save us a load of trouble.”
    “Hmmm, I see. And just what do you propose we do with the young prince, Enforcer?”
    Beth watched the edge of Phoenix’s jaw clench at the word Enforcer. Evidently, he didn’t appreciate the position.
    “We ransom him back to Queen Genevieve in exchange for her promise to leave our kind and the Tome alone. If she refuses, then we kill him.”
    “Sounds reasonable. And what do you propose we do with the Tome? It can’t be left unattended. And we have no reason to trust the current Guardian.”  The snide look on the elder’s face made Beth cringe inside.  He was right; she’d avoided the Other Realm since her parents were killed. No one really knew her, or knew what she was about. The only thing they knew was that she’d been born the Guardian. She wouldn’t trust her either if she were looking at things from their perspective.
    Phoenix stepped forward, and placed himself in front of her. “She is the Guardian. We have to trust that as others have before. She did stop me from taking the Tome without her. The Guardian hasn’t let it out of her sight since I’ve met her. I think she can be trusted.”
    “We can debate this later.” The elder waived off his opinion. “I believe you may be right about the Queen however.  I shall send a messenger with instructions, and she must sign a blood oath that she will not seek to harm our kind again. If she accepts, then we shall agree to a meeting where we will exchange her son for her signed oath.” He turned back towards his chair and then glanced coyly over his shoulder at them. “Does that sound reasonable to you, Enforcer?”
    Beth could