by Kristie Cook
I lost myself in it.
Epilogue
By the time we landed in Florida, night had settled in. I couldn’t wait to get home, and we had to avoid the authorities anyway, so we flashed right off the plane and to the island. We appeared on the beach across the street from the safe house, Vanessa’s temporary home and where Dorian waited for us. My heart swelled with excitement to see my son and hold him again.
Then, after a few hours with him, Tristan and I would finally be able to enjoy some real time together. That kiss on the plane had only been a tease.
When we stepped onto the safe house’s property, though, I knew immediately something was wrong. I didn’t feel the little buzz of crossing through a shield. Had the mages left already? Perhaps Blossom knew we were home, and they could lower the shield. Maybe they’d done it so we could flash directly into the house. But there was something wrong with that possibility. Vanessa gasped and covered her nose and mouth with her palm.
“Everything was fine when I left,” Tristan said, feeling it, too.
Vanessa shook her head vehemently, and her voice came out muffled behind her hand. “Blood. Lots of blood.”
“Vanessa, stay here,” I ordered, my words tumbling out of my mouth in a rush as my body strained to run for the safe house. “Promise me!”
“I . . . I’ll be in the water.” She blurred toward the Gulf to immerse her senses in the salt water.
Tristan and I exchanged a glance, then flashed into the house.
Right into the scene of a horror movie.
A pattern of crimson splattered the wall of the common room. The bodies of the four mages from the colony lay crumpled on the floor, blood spilling from ripped-out throats and decimated wrists. Tristan blurred to each of them. Shook his head each time.
Oh, no!
“Blossom,” I cried out. “Dorian!”
“Alexis?” Blossom came running down the dark hallway, her phone in her hand. “Alexis! Tristan! They’re gone! Sheree . . .”
“Sheree?” I echoed, my voice several octaves too high.
“She’s in Sonya’s room. She’s okay. Not great, but okay.”
Tristan rushed past me for Sonya’s room to help the shifter.
“Sonya?”
Blossom shook her head. “She’s gone. Heather is, too. Her mom just called, freaking out. Sonya . . .” Tears leaked from her eyes as she drew in a shudder of a breath. “She . . . she did this, Alexis. We couldn’t stop her. I’m so . . . so sorry.”
I took the witch’s hands in mine.
“It’s not your fault,” I said, as firmly as I could muster. My own emotional stability was on the line. This was supposed to be my safe house. I was responsible for it and everyone here. And now four mages were dead and a Norman missing, her life in grave danger. I sucked in a breath, trying to calm my own nerves. “Where’s Dorian? He’s okay?”
“I think so.”
My stomach rolled.
“What do you mean you think?”
“He hasn’t come out of the room where you left him. He probably heard the screams and hid. Sasha’s in there with him.”
I nodded, but the prickly feeling that something was wrong climbed up my spine. Dear God, please say my baby’s okay. I ran across the common room and into his wing. Blood smeared the walls, and I told myself it came from the mages. He’s just hiding. He’s fine. But the blood trailed all the way to his closed door.
My hand shook as I reached out for the knob. I gripped hard as though I expected it to be ripped out of my hand. With a deep breath, I slowly opened the door.
“Dorian?” I said as I peeked in. My heart sped, hammering against my ribs. I could barely speak, my throat too constricted to let the words out. They came out in a choked whisper. “Where are you, little man?”
No answer.
Tristan appeared next to me. “Is he in here?”
“I . . . I don’t know.” The suite was too big to see everything from the door, but when I reached out with my mind, I only found one signature. Not human.
Before I could say anything else, Tristan took off down the hallway, throwing open other doors. “Dorian! Dorian, come out!”
I stepped farther into the front room of his suite on shaky legs, my heart not accepting what my mind already knew. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and everything looked fine. But I knew everything was far from fine. Even with this knowledge, though, when I entered the bedroom, I gasped at the disaster area. The blanket had been yanked from the bed and the sheet shredded. Little white things littered the floor. My stomach clenched. Feathers. I told myself they were from the pillow. Down feathers. That’s all.
But then more blood.
I moved around the bed, following the trail, barely able to breathe.
“Dorian?” I choked out.
My son wasn’t there, I already knew this, but a small, white figure lay still on the floor.
“Sasha?” I fell to my knees next to her. She blinked and whimpered, but otherwise didn’t move. My hands fluttered over her broken body, not knowing what to do.
“Did you find him?” Blossom asked, running into the suite and to the bedroom doorway. Unable to speak, I shook my head, not knowing if she could see me or not. Not caring.
“Is he in here?” Tristan asked, right behind her. “Ah, fuck!”
A loud crash sounded behind me. He must have taken in the scene.
I still couldn’t speak. I just stared through the tears at the lykora, my son’s protector, as she lay there. Silvery blood gushed from where one wing had been torn from her back. I blinked back the tears that insisted on falling, and a silver glint next to Sasha caught my eye. Not her blood. But the tip of my dagger.
“I always get what I want. I will get what’s mine.” Lucas’s words taunted me from inside my own head.
The rest of my dagger hid under Sasha’s normally white nuzzle, which was now stained crimson. She’d put up a fight. But she’d lost.
And Dorian was gone.
Tristan fell to my side, his arms swallowed me, and he rocked me back and forth, back and forth, horrible, horrible noises wrenching through his throat all the way from his heart and soul.
“Maybe . . . maybe Dorian flew away,” Blossom said from right behind us, her voice a mere whisper, “just like we taught him. Maybe he’s hiding somewhere.”
Grasping at this fine thread of renewed hope, I opened my mind and searched for Dorian’s mind signature. I pushed beyond the safe house, forcing my mind outward, scanning through all the signatures for the only one that mattered,
past the shores of Captiva
over the sound to the other islands
to the mainland
as far as I could push my mental boundaries
but not him
not him
not him.
He was nowhere to be found.
They’d taken my baby.
Continue on for an excerpt from the next book or click here to buy Sacred Wrath. Before you read Sacred Wrath, you might want to read Prophecy of the Wolves, which introduces Sundae, who you’ll see in Sacred Wrath. Download your free copy of Prophecy of the Wolves by subscribing to my reader group and receive other bonus and exclusive content, as well as be the first to know about new releases, sales, and special events.
Glossary & Cast
A.K. Emerson – Alexis’s famous pen name.
Alexis Ames Knight – Youngest Amadis daughter who is second in line for matriarch of the Amadis. Married to Tristan Knight and mother of Dorian. Youngest daughter to ever go through the Ang’dora. Her bio father is the leader of the Daemoni. Known abilities include telepathy, electricity, telekinesis, super strength, speed and senses, Amadis power.
Amadis (uh-MAH-dees) – Secret matriarchal society that serves as the Angels’ army on Earth, currently led by Katerina Ames. Their purpose is to defend human souls from the Daemoni and to convert Daemoni souls to Amadis. Consist of a variety of supernatural beings.
Amadis daughters
– Women of the bloodline of the original creator of the Amadis. Each daughter eventually serves as the matriarch. Currently use the surname Ames. They always have daughters, which are sometimes accompanied by a male twin. Until Alexis anyway.
Amadis power – A special power of love and light gifted to the Amadis by the Angels. The Amadis daughters receive it during the Ang’dora. Other society members are granted a lower level of power upon conversion and official acceptance into the Amadis.
Andrew – The Angel who fell from Heaven and fathered Cassandra and Jordan before eventually ascending (read about it in Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella).
Ang’dora – Literally means “gift of the Angels” (Ang = angels, dora = Greek word for gifts). An enigmatic change all Amadis daughters go through to receive their powers and supernatural abilities. Usually happens in middle age, after the daughter has experienced major milestones of life as a human, but Alexis went through it quite early. Until Sophia, no Amadis daughter has given birth after the Ang’dora.
Armand – French vampire on Rina’s council, he oversees Amadis police force and is anti-Tristan.
Attair – Amadis warlock from Arabia who’s on Rina’s council and is anti-Tristan.
Blossom – Amadis witch from the Daytona coven who befriends Alexis and the guys.
Bree – Fae and Tristan’s birth mother.
Carlie – Alexis’s human classmate during her first year at college.
Cassandra – Half angel, half human who started the Amadis (read her story in Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella).
Chandra – Amadis were-tiger who sits on Rina’s council and oversees the region of India.
Charlotte Allbright – Amadis warlock, Owen’s mother, Sophia’s best friend, new addition to Rina’s council, and overall badass aunt figure to Alexis.
Cloak – A magic spell performed by mages that hides or makes invisible its subject. Often used in conjunction with a shield.
Conversion – The process of eliminating dark or light energy and replacing it with the opposite, then indoctrinating the supernatural being into the new society. The Amadis purpose is to convert Daemoni souls before they become damned, destroyed, or forever lost. However, on occasion, Amadis members will convert to the Daemoni (e.g., Ian).
Daemoni (day-MAH-nee) – Satan’s servants as the Demons’ army on Earth, currently led by Lucas. The Amadis enemies harvest souls to build their army. The Amadis try to stop them.
Dorian Knight – Son of Alexis and Tristan, unknown creature but currently human. Known abilities include self-healing and flying.
Edmund – Member of the Daemoni. Known abilities include flashing, super strength and speed, idiocy, and being an overall douche-canoe.
Eris – Daemoni witch from ancient times who helped Jordan create the potion that changed everything (read about it in Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella).
Faeries/Fae – Little is known about the fae as they tend to stay away from human affairs, as well as those of the Amadis and Daemoni. A handful do enjoy wreaking havoc in the Earthly realm, and sometimes they may even help out. They’re considered Otherworldly creatures, because their world is not exactly part of Earth. They closely guard their secrets about the Faerie realm.
Ferrer – Blacksmith mage who lives on Amadis Island.
Fertility Stone – The faerie stone Bree gave Tristan when he was a young boy, embedding it in his heart with the instructions to give it to his true mate. Only when she has possession of it can he father children. The stone also allows the holder to share their emotions so he could feel his mate’s love—but also the possessor’s darker emotions.
Flashing – The supernatural ability to transport to another location up to a hundred miles away (give or take) in the blink of an eye. While objects can be held or attached to the body during a flash, Tristan is the only known creature who can flash while carrying another person. While both Daemoni and Amadis can flash, it’s not necessarily a natural ability for all—some creatures have to be assisted by mages.
Galina – Russian warlock and a member of Rina’s council, she favors Tristan and Alexis.
Hades – Daemoni HQ, an underground city in the Taymyr Peninsula of Siberia.
Heather – Human girl, Dorian’s babysitter and friend, daughter of Phil and sister to Sonya.
Ian – Member of the Daemoni, converted from the Amadis. Known abilities include compensating for his miniscule junk by spilling secrets, causing problems with the Amadis, and ruining Alexis’s life.
Jax – Were-croc who resides in the Australian Outback.
Jelani – Wizard from Africa who is one of Rina’s council members.
Jessica – Faerie with a southern accent, calls Lisa her sister.
Jordan – Early leader of the Daemoni who sought power over all, inadvertently helping to create the Amadis (read his story in Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella).
Julia Acerbi – Vampire, Amadis council member, and one of Rina’s closest advisors.
Kali – Daemoni sorceress who took over Martin Allbright’s body
Katerina “Rina” Ames – Current matriarch of the Amadis. Known abilities include telepathy, super strength and speed, flashing, bonding souls, converting souls to Amadis, making ballgowns everyday attire.
Kuckaroo – Amadis village in Australia.
Lilith – Bree’s daughter and Tristan’s sister.
Lisa – Faerie with a southern accent, calls Jessica her sister.
Lucas – Alexis’s sperm donor and leader of the Daemoni. Often (but not always) uses the last name Emerson.
Lykora – An Angelic being that is extremely loyal and highly protective of its master. When in hidden form, looks like a small white dog, but when in defensive mode, can grow as large as necessary to protect, has a wolf head and body, tiger stripes on a white coat, and feathered wings.
Mages – The wide classification of supernatural beings that can wield magic, including witches/wizards, warlocks, and Sorcerers/sorceresses. These general sub-classifications are based on strength of power. Some may call themselves by other names, depending on the type of magic they use, preference, or other reasons (e.g., Shamans, Druids, etc.).
Martin Allbright – Powerful warlock, Charlotte’s husband and Owen’s father.
Minh – Vietnamese witch council member who oversees the Asian region for the Amadis.
Norms/Normans – Normal humans.
Ophelia – Witch who serves as head of staff at the Amadis matriarch’s mansion.
Otherworld – Currently unknown but seems to refer to Heaven and Hell, as well as Faerie.
Owen Allbright – Warlock and Alexis’s so-called protector. Also like a brother to her and Tristan’s best friend. Known abilities include shielding, cloaking, magical bindings, flashing, and pushing everyone’s limits. And now a big, fat traitor.
Phillip Jones – Human wife beater, child abuser, and overall scum of the earth who drove an older orange Camaro. Heather and Sonya’s father.
Rene – Daemoni were-cheetah who chases Alexis down in Hades.
Safe House – Homes, lodges, and other accommodations scattered around the world where Amadis can retreat to when under attack or when going through the conversion or transformation process.
Sasha – Dorian’s lykora.
Savio – Italian were-shark who sits on Rina’s council and is anti-Tristan.
Seth – Tristan’s former name when he was Daemoni. The Daemoni still call him that.
Sheree – An Amadis were-tiger who’d been bitten and turned against her will by the Daemoni. She was Alexis’s first ever conversion from Daemoni to Amadis. Now she helps with conversions of others.
Shield – A magic spell performed by mages that puts a protective barrier around its subject. If the subject is not also cloaked, the subject can still be seen, so it’s often used in conjunction with a cloaking spell.
Shihab – Wizard from Arabia who sits on Rina’s council.
Solomon – Vampire, Katerina’s partner, and Amadis coun
cil member. Known abilities include being scary AF.
Sonya – Recently turned vampire, now converted to Amadis. Heather’s sister. A.K. Emerson’s “biggest fan” (a/k/a stalker).
Sophia Ames (a/k/a Mom a/k/a Mimi) – Alexis’s mother and Amadis daughter who is next in line for matriarch. Known abilities include telekinesis, summoning and manipulating water, persuading others to do as she likes, sensing the truth of a situation, super strength and speed, flashing, converting souls to Amadis.
Sorcerers/Sorceresses – The most powerful of the mages that can boost their energy by siphoning more from the earth and everything around them. Their greed for power, narcissism, and general disdain for pretty much everyone make them loners and also not part of the Amadis.
Stefan – Warlock, council member, and Sophia’s former protector. Known abilities included creating a protective shield, flashing, serving as Alexis’s only father figure. Died in book 1.
Sylvie (Aunt Sylvie) – Blossom’s aunt and leader of the Daytona Beach witch coven.
Trevor – Amadis werewolf and leader of the main Florida wolf pack.
Tristan Knight – Former Daemoni converted to Amadis by Sophia. Sexy AF warrior. Known abilities include shooting fire from his palm, quickly determining the best solution if he knows enough of the facts, telekinesis, paralysis, instant killing power, super-duper strength and speed, brooding with guilt, giving a girl multiple Os.
Vampires – Supernatural beings that are sustained by blood. They can also feed on fear and other emotional energy. There are vampires on both the Amadis and the Daemoni sides.
Vanessa – Formerly one of the Daemoni’s star vampires recently converted to Amadis. Alexis’s half-sister, Victor’s twin, and Lucas’s daughter. Known abilities include stirring up trouble and pissing everyone off.
Victor – Vanessa’s twin brother, Alexis’s half-brother, Lucas’s son and Daemoni vampire who’s not too bright.