by J. N. Baker
“You’re probably right,” I said. I wasn’t sure he was. I nodded anyway.
Alec stood from the bed and extended his hand to me a second time. I hesitated before taking it. Small bursts of electricity pulsed between us, but my mind stayed in the here and now. He pulled me to my feet and led me out of the medical chamber, back into the real world.
A world without Josh.
Alec led me through the castle and out the front gates where I saw snowflakes falling from the heavens. Cody wasn’t kidding when he said that we’d lost a lot of people. I scanned the small crowd as they worked to put the pieces of our broken kingdom together again. From the looks of it, we went from over nine hundred down to sixty-three vampires, forty-one shifts, and twenty-eight humans, seven of whom were children. Plus, the six of us. A small part of me was surprised that even that many had survived.
A burly man with a nasty scar around his neck stormed back and forth across the castle grounds, barking orders at what remained of our people. In many ways, he reminded me of Markus, but no one could ever replace that infuriating, filter-less brute of a man. This much younger man, who had quite obviously assumed the role of MFWIC—motherfucker who’s in charge—looked familiar but I couldn’t be sure. There were so many people at one point. It used to be hard to keep them all straight. That wouldn’t be such a problem anymore.
There were a few more familiar faces among the survivors. Holly was still tagging around any man with a six-pack. Though, I noticed how her eyes always seemed to land on Cody when he was in the vicinity. She reminded me a lot of Cindy, but no one could ever fill those five hundred-dollar shoes.
Godfrey, William’s faithful little right-hand man, was also still alive. A vamp of his advanced years would be too wise or stubborn to succumb to death. James, against all odds, had somehow managed to survive his injuries. Maybe it was his still-dormant shift blood, or maybe he was just incredibly lucky. Either way, he stuck to Jade’s heels like a lost puppy. She kept shooing him away, telling him to go rest somewhere, but he was a persistent one. Talk about barking up the wrong thorn-covered tree.
I quickly realized that the burly man barking orders was James’s brother—the shift who was sure we would all be annihilated in battle. Well, it looked like he was almost right.
“Have they buried Josh?” I asked absently, my eyes lingering on the massive cemetery on the far side of the kingdom. Torches lit up several of our people dropping bodies into the ground.
“Zoe,” Alec said cautiously, a sadness in his voice as he ran his hands over my shoulders. “There was nothing left to bury. I’m sorry. I know how much he meant to you.”
I wondered how hard Alec had tried to save Josh—if he’d even tried at all. It was no secret that jealousy consumed him when it came to my old friend. I shook the thought from my mind. No, like Alec said, he knew how much Josh meant to me. He would have done everything in his power to save him. Alec was a good man. He loved me.
“Come on,” Alec called softly. “I know William wants to speak with you.”
“He can wait,” I found myself saying. “There’s someone I need to talk to first. Alone,” I added before Alec could follow me. I headed off in the direction of the newly expanded cemetery, my eyes locked onto the back of Ryuu’s head.
“Why didn’t you kill him?” I asked when I came up behind him.
Ryuu whirled around on me and pain flashed across his face, confirming my suspicions. He didn’t come see me in the medical chamber because he’d be avoiding me—avoiding this conversation. “Zoe…”
“Why didn’t you kill him?” I asked again, my voice dropping an octave.
He sighed, running a hand through his black hair. His hazel eyes finally found mine. “I could not kill him without also killing you. You know that.”
“You should have done it anyway,” I snapped.
“You really think I would have killed you just to take him down?” He sounded more hurt than angry.
“I was dead anyway. You should have taken the shot. Now that monster is still out there and will be back for all our heads.” I wasn’t sure why I was lashing out at Ryuu. Maybe it was because part of me knew he was one of the reasons I was still alive.
“I am sorry you feel that way,” he said, his voice flat. “And perhaps you would have been okay with me sacrificing you, but I would not have. And I would be the one who had to live with that decision, not you, Zoe. So, yes, I had to try saving you. And if given the chance, I would do it all over again, because we are family…and family protects each other. We’ll find another way to kill Baldric. One that doesn’t involve sacrificing one of our own.”
With that, Ryuu turned and walked away, leaving me feeling like an utter and complete ass. The image of him straining to hold back the Sythen so that I could escape chose that exact moment to pop into my head, only amplifying the feeling of guilt swelling within me. Son of a bitch.
I’d have to do some serious ass kissing later. I knew Ryuu would understand. At least, I hoped he would. After all, he wasn’t Jade, and he sure as shit wasn’t William. But it would have to wait. I had somewhere else I needed to be—something I needed to do.
After making a quick trip up to my room, I grabbed one of the few remaining horses from the stable and mounted her bare back. I dug my heels into her flanks and she took off for the trees.
The horse trotted across open fields, heading toward an all-too-familiar stone formation. Snow blanketed the entire land, soft flakes collecting on the tops of each massive stone. They floated down to earth, dancing joyfully in the wind as if the entire world hadn’t completely fallen to shit.
I slid off the horse as we drew closer, patting her strong chest as I walked by. I strolled past the outer stones, heading for the center without hesitation. A wave of energy washed over me before quickly dissipating.
I kneeled in front of one of the flat center stones, running my fingertips over its rough surface, dusting away the thin layer of freshly fallen snow. I rested my forehead against it. Josh’s scent still lingered in the air. I knew that was impossible but, God, I missed him.
I pulled out the old photograph I’d taken from my room, looking down at Josh’s smiling face. A twinge shot through my chest and I wondered if the pain would ever fade. Deep down, I knew it wouldn’t. I’d miss Josh until the day I died, which, no thanks to William and the nurse—and even Ryuu—wasn’t coming any time soon.
“I love you,” I whispered. “Very much. I think I always have.”
Leather boots treaded silently through the thick snow behind me. I almost didn’t hear them. William stopped five feet away from me. He didn’t speak.
“How does it feel?” I asked him.
“How does what feel, Zoe?”
“To be wrong for once in your long life?”
“I am sure I do not know what you are talking about,” William finally said, taking another step forward. The snow crunched under his boots.
“The visions,” I started, rising to my feet and turning to face him. “You said they always came true—no matter what.”
William stared at me for a moment, his eyes more distant than usual. “Yes.”
“Well, then, I guess the Great and All-Knowing William was finally wrong,” I continued. I turned my back to him, staring at the blanket of snow forming on the giant rock. “Josh is dead and now this vision will never come to pass.”
“Are you certain of that?”
Coming Soon
The adventure continues in Into the Dark, the third book in the Until Dawn series.
Coming Spring 2021
Follow J.N. Baker on Facebook for release updates, cover reveals, sneak peeks, and more!
Acknowledgments
I want to send along a HUGE thank you to my amazing readers! It means so much to me that you have come along on this crazy journey with me. Zoe’s story is very near and dear to me and I’m so happy to share it with all of you. I hope you are enjoying reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.<
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Of course, I also want to thank my amazing husband for his endless—and sometimes annoying—support. I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful partner who believes in my dreams and pushes me to reach for them.
Another big shoutout to my wonderful editing team. Tina and Shannon, you ladies are amazing and Night Falls wouldn’t be the same without your creative touches.
A raving round of applause for the brilliant Daqri at Covers by Combs for her stunning cover art. Her work always blows me away. I can’t wait to reveal the cover for book 3 soon.
My alpha reader and dear friend, Sevan, thank you for continuing to bear with my endless writer talk and my roughest of drafts. Also, sorry for killing your beloved Markus—oops. #sorrynotsorry. I’ll try to make it up to you!
To my beta readers, you are AMAZING. Thank you for continuing to dive into Zoe’s crazy world. Your support and encouragement means the world to me. And a special shout out to my beta reader, Nico, who has taken on the role of Marketing Queen—you rock, girly!
Thank you all so very much!
About the Author
Teacher by day and writer by night, J.N. Baker has been telling stories since she was old enough to read them. With a passion for both urban fantasy and paranormal romance, J.N. Baker loves to write post-apocalyptic stories with complicated, badass female leads that have no filters. She believes that a sign of a good book is the sudden urge to throw it across the room and run to pick it back up. A healthy dash of steamy romance doesn’t hurt either.
J.N. Baker lives with her husband and new daughter on their farm in California. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys curling up with a good book, a glass of wine, and one of her many furry critters.
Find her page on Facebook to follow more of her writing shenanigans.