21 Shades of Night, page 76
He leaned in and pressed his lips square against mine, and something in me shifted as we kissed. Gold light shimmered across him. The sun was up, the moon on the window was full. The curse was permanent.
He pulled away and took one of my hands gently in his own.
“Now I love you,” he said, and with his free hand, he swiped a tear off my cheek with his thumb. “And I always will. Now and forever.”
Epilogue
TWO WEEKS LATER, they laid Dalton to rest. It took all I could do to sit there without squirming out of my own skin. He was a monster. He wanted me dead. If he’d had his way, I would be the one they were lowering into the ground right now, nothing more than a bloodless husk.
But the townsfolk didn’t know that. To them, sitting all teary eyed and justified, he had been a victim of Abram’s. Even if they still couldn’t quite put into words what Abram had turned into (and, as a result, were beginning to make stupid and mundane excuses about it) the narrative still stated the obvious. Abram was a murderer, a villain they had needed to bring to justice.
Even if he hadn’t been seen by anyone in town since that night.
Anyone but me, anyway.
Some believed he died and that wild animals had dragged off his carcass, but others thought he was still alive, out there, on the prowl, ready to strike again at any moment.
Because everyone knew about his place in the woods, Abram had been forced to hide out in an abandoned farmhouse in the next town over. It wasn’t much, but it was off the beaten path, close enough for me to stop by every day, and there was a basement with enough space to lock him in when the sun went down.
People were still after him, and they were looking for both a man and a monster. We couldn’t be too careful. Still, it was only a temporary solution.
Things at home didn’t get any better, either. Lulu was despondent after the death of her brother. And though she didn’t come out and say it, I could tell she blamed me at least in part for what happened. She knew that I had sided with Abram, and since the town never was able to confirm whether Dalton had died before or after they had supposedly killed Abram, for all she knew, Abram was responsible for her brother’s death.
Dalton was a hero not only to her, but to the entire town. And though I was a victim in their eyes as well, I was also a facilitator. And they weren’t going to let me forget it.
Doors got closed in my face. Children sneered at me. It was like the entire place was filled with Esters. New Haven had finally realized how much I didn’t belong here, and I absolutely agreed.
A week after Dalton’s funeral, I left town. Lulu was still talking to me. God bless her, she was trying to move past things. But I could hardly look at her. It was me who had snuffed the life from her brother’s eyes. And whether he deserved it or not, that fact weighed on me heavily.
“You’re like my sister, you know?” she’d said before the taxi pulled up to get me. “Nothing’s ever going to change that.”
There were tears in her eyes when she hugged me goodbye. And there were tears in mine when the cab pulled away.
I met Abram two days later on the island of Grimold. It was a tiny dot of a place in the Mediterranean that I had never heard of, but the instant I stepped off the plane, I knew I had made a good choice.
When Abram had first told me we were leaving, I hadn’t wanted to go. Not with a third beast still known to be in New Haven. But Abram promised me he would hunt that one down before meeting me in Grimold, and he’d held true to his promise. In a way, it wasn’t someone I knew being a beast that really scared me, though. It was that there were so many, complete strangers, insignificant in the scheme of themes yet ingrained in my life in the worst possible way.
But now was not the time to linger on those thoughts. Abram was finally here with me. New Haven was safe from the beasts and Abram was safe from New Haven. He stood on the tarmac, dressed in white, all tanned and rested, his hands hanging freely at his sides. Seeing him was like coming home, and his easy smile made me feel as though everything would be okay.
“What do we do first?” I asked after he gave me the sweetest, longest kiss of my entire life.
“Whatever you want,” he said, running his hands down my back and resting them near my big beautiful butt. “We’ve got the rest of our lives. All we have to do is live it.”
* * *
ON OUR THIRD day in Grimold, Abram took me for a walk along the ocean. The mist of all that had happened dissipated there. It was no match for the sun, sand, and sea. It was no match for the man standing next to me or for the way I felt about him.
“Tell me again,” I demanded, smiling and leaning into him.
“Again?” he asked with a secretive smile.
“You owe me,” I said, kissing his bare arm.
“I love you,” he said, and he dropped a kiss on my hairline. “I love you,” he repeated, kissing me again. “I love you. I love you. I love you. A thousand times over, Charisse, I love you, and I always will.”
Satisfied by his proclamation, I let my cheek rest against his shoulder, my fingers entwined with his, breathing in the smell of salt and sun on his warm skin.
This was my life now. Unending happiness.
And then I heard her.
“This sounds familiar.”
Satina’s voice was about as welcome as a hangnail. I spun around to find her standing along the shore in a fringe bikini. The crystal clear waves lapped at her feet, and she had one of those ridiculous drinks with the little umbrellas.
Abram’s body tensed against mine. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, his voice dropping to a protective growl. “How did you find us?”
“Two questions with but one answer,” she said, her voice lilting. “I told you fate wasn’t done with your little Supplicant here. There’s more to your story.”
“No,” Abram said flatly. “We are done with this, Satina. Leave now.”
“I could,” she said. “And I will. But that won’t change anything. These things will happen whether I’m here or not. So I suggest you hear me out and prepare while you still have time.”
I stepped forward, half terrified and half resolved to hear what she had to say.
“What?” I asked, crossing my arms in a poor attempt to stop my hands from trembling. “Skip the riddles and cut to the chase.”
“I have the answer to the question you never asked,” she said, tilting her head. “You know—how you used magic. Supplicants can’t use magic, Charisse. They can only facilitate it. And yet your blood performed magic without a Conduit to conduct a spell. Don’t you find that strange?”
“Well, I guess you were just wrong then,” I said, rolling my eyes.
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Yes and no. I was wrong about you, but now I know why. You aren’t just a Supplicant, Charisse. You’re the bridge. You’re the fuel and the fire.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“You’re not just a Supplicant. You’re a Conduit, too.”
I stepped back. “No, I’m not.”
“You are,” she insisted. “And you’ll either be the key to fixing this mess or the key to destroying our world, so I suggest you take what I have to say seriously. The hunt for you will not end here. Mystics all over the world have been prophesying about you, and it won’t be long before every Conduit on this planet knows who you are and what you are. And they will come for you.”
I shook my head, trying to will away everything she had said, but there was no unhearing her words. “Fine. Let’s say you’re right,” I said. “Then what happens now?”
“What always happens, Charisse. The next.”
“Enough,” Abram barked. “You promised me you would give us—”
“I already gave you time!” she shouted, a storm taking over her features. “I gave you as long as I could. There is no more time, Abram.”
Abram clenched his jaw, and he stepped past me, right up to Satina. His body was hulking compared to the body she had borrowed. “I said we’re done, Satina.”
“Uh-uh.” She didn’t even flinch. “Sorry, lover boy, but your romance will have to wait. What is will turn into what needs to be.”
“Great, more riddles,” I mumbled.
Just then, a mass fell to the shore, landing with a thud and bursting in warm red ribbons.
No. Not ribbons. Blood.
It splattered against my legs and the skirt of my sun dress. And that mass…it was a man. A very dead man, with two simple words carved into his forehead.
She sleeps.
I covered my mouth, holding back a horrified gasp, and lifted my gaze to Satina. “What does it mean?”
“It means,” Satina said, waving her drink to the side, “that you two have work to do.”
* * *
Check out the new Urban Fantasy series that readers are comparing to Karen Marie Moning's Darkfever and HBO's True Blood.
http://shadowsofsalem.com
* * *
About Kressley & Hamilton
Conner Kressley is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA. He is an avid reader and all around lover of storytelling. His book "The Breaker's Code" is the first in the epic "Fixed Points" series that pits free will against fate and true love against good intentions and bad situations. You can learn more about Conner and his books below.
http://www.amazon.com/Conner-Kressley/e/B00N1JVL6O/
Rebecca Hamilton is a USA Today Bestselling Paranormal Fantasy author who also dabbles in Horror and Literary Fiction. She lives in Florida with her husband and four kids. She is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA and has been published internationally, in three languages. You can learn more about Rebecca and her books below.
http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Hamilton/e/B0072J4RS8/
* * *
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JUMP TO...
BENEATH THE BROKEN MOON by SARAH MÄKELÄ
CLOSE LIAISONS by ANNA ZAIRES
TAKEN BY THE BEAST by KRESSLEY & HAMILTON
NIGHT HAWK by J.E. TAYLOR
ROOK by JC ANDRIJESKI
THE LOST QUEEN by ANGEL LAWSON
A PRESCRIPTION FOR DELIRIUM by NOREE COSPER
REAPER by K. DE LONG
PURGATORY by SUSAN STEC
FORBIDDEN LOVE by TERRY SPEAR
THE WOLF, THE WITCH, AND THE WASTELAND by JACQUELINE SWEET
KNIGHTS OF STONE: MASON by LISA CARLISLE
HUNTER UNDONE by EDEN ASHE
SOUL TIES by LJ SWALLOW
WOLF IN EXILE by AMBER ELLA MONROE
AWAKENED by LAXMI HARIHARAN
HIGHLANDER’S KISS by JOANNE WADSWORTH
THE WATCHER’S DAUGHTER by CJ FLYNN
DARK WINGS by SKYLA MADI
DESIRING DEATH by C.P. MANDARA
WITCH OF THE CARDS by CATHERINE STINE
NIGHT HAWK
BY J.E. TAYLOR
Copyright © 2012 by J.E. Taylor
Sentenced to death at the hands of a demon, Naomi Hawk has a firsthand lesson in betrayal. Now, she thirsts for justice... and revenge.
Selling your soul has never been so charming and Mark throws in a little something to sweeten the pot, his girlfriend Naomi.
Sentenced to death at the hands of a demon, Naomi Hawk has a firsthand lesson in despair and betrayal in Mark’s deal for fame with all the trimmings. Deep in the clutches of the underground brotherhood, Naomi's light is coveted for the Master's gain.
When she slips and falls eighty stories from a precarious ledge, Naomi resigns herself to the inevitable impact and death by shattered bones. Before she can escape her demons in eternal slumber, something sinister plucks her from the plummet, stealing her out of the night to sacrifice her forever to the shadows.
Imprisoned in bottomless darkness, Naomi thirsts for justice…and revenge.
Night Hawk © 2013 by J.E. Taylor
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Chapter 1
Naomi
I STILL REMEMBER the first night.
The full moon illuminated the landscape and I could see for miles from my perch. The eighty-floor drop left me dizzy and I stepped farther back into the wall. My heart thundered in my chest and the adrenaline warmed my skin against the frigid air.
“There’s nowhere for you to go.”
His growl yanked my gaze from the busy city street below to his dark and crazed eyes.
My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, dry as desert sand and I shook my head. I didn’t want to fall, and I reconsidered my situation. Maybe going inside was a much better alternative, no matter how horrifying death at his hands promised to be. The fear of dying by terminal velocity was even greater and it cemented my feet to that small ledge.
“I can wait.” His evil laugh hung on the air, chilling whatever heat I had left right out of my bones and I clamped my jaw tight against the tears that threatened, leaving my vision warped.
I slid farther away from the open window and the glistening blade in his hand. He ran it slowly along the brick, creating a screaming sound that made my teeth ache.
Either way, I was screwed. A flare of anger shot through the fear, adding to the tremor in my skin. Damn you, Mark, why did you turn me over to these vultures?
Demon boy looked up at me and chuckled as if he heard my silent question. His shaded gaze flashed red before it sank back to the sharp blade. “It was the only way my boss would honor his deal,” he muttered and glanced back at me. “His soul and your life and your boyfriend will have all the fame and fortune he could ever envision.”
“But why me?”
“Your life force is quite a delicacy.” The knife scraped against the brick again. “My boss has waited for millenniums to taste the beating heart of a child of the light.”
“Fuck you,” I said, my voice shook with the flare of anger and I took another step away, however a gale caught me off guard and I teetered on the edge trying to grasp at the brick wall; but my hands were too cold to gain the purchase necessary to catch my balance. All it took was another wind gust and I slipped, the scream barreling out of my mouth at the sudden weightless freefall.
I had a moment of satisfaction when the demon’s expression transitioned into fear-tinted shock at losing what his master coveted.
Gravity pulled and my hair whipped across my face, blinding me to anything but streaks of light. I thought my heart would catapult out of my chest, it beat so hard, and I drew in a breath waiting for the impact that would turn out the lights for good.
Pain bit around my waist and I was yanked from the descent by a strong grasp. A sharp cry ripped from my throat, and the sound of beating wings filled my world. Before I could focus on what had saved me from certain death, I was tumbling through space again, this time, the hard asphalt of a nearby roof bit into my skin and I rolled away.
When I got my bearings, I brushed the hair from my face in time to see a human form at the edge of the roof. A man in a dark overcoat stepped from the shadows, his intense glare fell on me and he licked his lips, revealing a sharp set of canines.
“Who are you?” I whispered and climbed to my feet. My legs shook under my weight, barely able to hold me up.
He smiled and stepped into the light.
“I’ve been watching you.”
The mere thought of a fiend like him studying me from afar gave me the creeps. The movies always made it quite romantic to be the object of a vampire’s affection, but in reality all they wanted was an entertaining meal.
“Why?” I asked fumbling for the knife clasped to my belt. When my hand came up empty, he laughed, dangling the weapon from his fingers.
“You really think your little dagger will stop me?” He tossed the knife to the edge of the rooftop and stepped toward me.
Being a demon’s meal was bad, but being this bastard’s chew toy was worse. I would rather have been splattered on the pavement. I took another shaking step backwards, too aware of my near frozen condition.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said, trying to stall him until I could maneuver close enough to dive for my weapon.
He stared me down with hard black eyes. Eyes no more distinct than the shadow he stepped out of.
“Why?” he replied. “Because I swore I’d destroy anything that bastard wants and you are at the top of that list. I’m sure he’s gutting his little lackey right now for not being more subtle. He’ll be even more pissed when he finds out I’m the one that stole his dessert.”
