“But I was,” she tapped the side of her head. I didn’t need an explanation. She saw.
I shrugged. “So, what? You’re here to tell me what Adaline didn’t want, but guess what? She’s not here.”
“No,” Lucian shook his head. “I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. Don’t go through this by yourself. I let you before, but I won’t again, Pet.”
The vampire held my gaze. He meant what he said.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
Lucian gave my shoulder a squeeze before leaving the squad room. Ophelia still hung around for a while, and I enjoyed the accompanied silence.
“My time to go is near, Mackenzie. I trust you will call on me when the time is right.”
I didn’t answer. I prayed I’d never have to call on her or any of the Oracles again.
Most of the damage control had been completed overnight without a single shred of evidence left to be found by the humans. I didn’t leave the SIU. Alexander tried to get me to go to Scotland with him and Ranulf, but I refused. I needed peace and quiet. I needed time with my own thoughts.
“Bobby left this for you,” Cassidy said when he walked into the squad room and handed me an envelope.
“Thanks,” I said and opened it.
Inside was a vial of blood and a note from the warlock.
Mackenzie,
This is horrible timing, but I thought you should have this. His sacrifice should not be in vain, and if you wish to complete the cure, then this is the final ingredient.
Both of your debts have been paid in full.
I wish you the best.
-Bobby Wu
I read the note twice before putting the items back in the envelope.
“Did he say anything else?” I asked.
Cas shook his head. “He only told me to tell you ‘thank you’.”
I cocked my head. Thank you for what? I almost got him killed too.
“Did you hear?” Cas whispered. “Briggs made Malakai a liaison between the SIU and the Fae. He’ll be here once a week.”
I hadn’t heard, but I was glad they were giving the rebel Fae a shot. They fought and died alongside us—they deserved it.
“That’s good.” I slipped the envelope in my messenger bag and shut my computer down. “Goodnight, boys,” I said as I locked my desk up. Finn patted me on the back as he passed by and Michaels walked me to the elevator. He’d broken his arm and it was in a cast. Beside some cuts and bruises, he survived the war.
“You did good, Grey,” he said as he bumped his shoulder into mine, playfully.
I wanted to say I wish I would have done better.
“You too,” I bumped him back. “See you tomorrow?”
He nodded as he held the elevator door for me. “Lunch is on me.”
The SIU was exactly where I needed to be. Catching bad guys, one day at a time.
Before the elevator doors shut, Briggs stuck out his meaty arm and stopped them.
“Grey!” he barked. “You’re on territory duty. Go see the Djinn first thing tomorrow morning,” he commanded and let the doors slide shut.
I chuckled. Of course, Briggs would be the only one to treat me as if nothing was wrong.
Instead of taking public transportation, I took the scenic route home. I was trying to come up with the perfect way to say what I wanted to say, but nothing sounded right.
When I made it to my apartment, it was already dark out and Amy was awake. She was scrolling through Netflix for something to watch.
“Alexander has been calling nonstop,” she said as she lifted my cellphone in the air. I’d left it at home, once again. “He wants to see you.”
“I’ll call him later,” I said as I dropped my bag on the kitchen counter and pulled out the envelope and the cure that I kept safely in my medicine cabinet.
“Amy?” I said as I moved her feet from the sofa and sat with her. “We need to talk.”
Her green eyes unpeeled from the TV. “What’s up?”
It was now or never. “I have something for you. I’d been working on it for some time now. It started as a fool’s errand until I met the one warlock who could get it done—and he did.”
Her body tensed with each word I spoke. “Kenz…you’re scaring me. What did you do?”
I pulled out the cure and the vial of Jonah’s blood. “When combined these two vials are the cure to vampirism.”
Amy gasped. “Mackenzie, you didn’t…”
“I did,” I whispered. “When I made Lucian turn you, it wasn’t fair, but I won’t sit here and say I regret that decision. Even now, with our fragile friendship, I’d still do it all over again,” I paused, “but I want to give you the choice—you deserve to choose your own path. I should have never taken that away. That is what I regret.”
As she watched me, her green eyes glossed over with unshed tears. I carefully poured the blood into the cure and let it distill like Bobby said.
“Here,” I handed her the sealed cure. “Now the choice is in your hands. Human or vampire, you decide, and you alone as it always should have been.”
With cold, shaky fingers, she tentatively reached for the cure. As her cold hands wrapped around it, her eyes never left mine.
“Are you for real, Kenz? Is this really the cure?” she whispered.
I nodded.
“I-I…don’t know what to do,” she stuttered.
I smiled. “That’s okay. You don’t have to make a decision now.”
She shook her head. “I should though. I should take it right now and go back to my life but….”
“I understand,” I enclosed my hands around hers. “How can you go from extraordinary to ordinary? Just know you’ve never been ordinary, Aims,” I winked and she laughed. “When you’re ready, you’ll know.”
35
The drive to Cadwell Estate was particularly long this time around. A lump had formed in my throat and I was out of tears. It’d been a week since the Battle on Ellis Island and the supernatural community was still reeling.
I sat in the back of an all-black SUV with Ranulf and Alexander. They were both outfitted in black argyle jackets with their clan tartan kilts. I settled on a plain, long sleeved black dress. My hair for once, cooperated with me and I was able to tie it back in a low ponytail.
“Mackenzie,” Alexander started. “Yer more than welcomed to come back to Scotland with me. Even for just a while.”
He’d been trying to convince me to take a break and go to Castle Mac. After everything, a break was what I wanted, but it wasn’t what I needed. I knew myself and if I ran away again, it would be all I’d be doing—running away from my problems. And I didn’t want to run anymore. I was tired of running.
“I can’t, Alexander,” I said. “I appreciate the gesture, but New York City is where I need to be.”
“I don’ want to leave ye, lass. Ye been through too much. I worry for ye.”
“Don’t. Your daughter is tough as nails. I’ll be okay,” I grinned.
“My daughter?” he reiterated.
“Yeah, Pops,” I laughed. His gray eyes shone with excitement as I acknowledged him. I wasn’t calling him dad per se, but we’d work on that, in time.
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Ollie.
Mackenzie: Can you make it out to NY next week? I have someone I want you guys to meet.
I pressed send and after a few minutes he responded.
Ollie: I’ll put in my leave papers now. Is it a guy?
I sent him a winking emoji and left it like that.
When we pulled up to the Estate, Sebastian was there waiting for me. From the outside he appeared okay, like nothing was wrong. But those eyes. Those blue eyes didn’t lie. They were red—either from sleepless nights or tears—I didn’t know which. His jaw tightened as he controlled his staggered breathing. He didn’t dare show the pain he was in, but I knew.
He opened the door of the SUV and helped me get out.
“Mackenzie,” Bash said. We ha
dn’t spoken much since the battle. Like me, he was grieving and had a whole Pack to care for. Jonah was his best friend, a brother, and his Pack’s Beta. He helped Jackson and Charles with the funeral arrangements, they both were too torn up about it to do anything.
Alexander went up to Sebastian, and stared him down. Bash like the good soldier he was, bowed his head to his King.
“Look at me,” Alexander said. “If ye plan to be with my daughter, ye will never look down again.” He extended a hand to the Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack and Bash shook it without a second glance. “Treat her well, or I’ll be back,” he winked.
Sebastian nodded and waited until Alexander and Ranulf went inside the Estate where Jonah’s memorial service was being held.
“Hey,” I whispered as I stood before him. Bash was in a well-tailored, all black suit. He was clean shaven, and I’d never seen him so GQ before, it took me a little by surprise. “You clean up nice.”
“As do you,” he said, taking my hand in his.
“Is—”
“Everyone is here,” he reassured me. “Lucian and Amy arrived a few minutes before you did.”
“Charles let them—”
“Only for the memorial service. They will not be allowed to attend the ceremony.”
A Lycan funeral was quite a sight to behold. I only witnessed it once during the funeral of the Lunas. And like before, the ceremony was not meant for the eyes of anyone else except Lycans.
“Okay,” I nodded, attempting to get my bearings. I let out a deep breath to shake off the nerves. It was time to say goodbye and I wasn’t ready. Jonah gave the ultimate sacrifice for Amy, for all of us. He knew he was dying, and he made sure his death would stand for something.
“If you need space,” Bash was about to let go of my hand when I clutched it even harder.
“No. Never again,” I swallowed. “I just need a minute.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear that had come loose. “Take all the time you need, Mackenzie. I’m not going anywhere.”
Nothing was right about what happened. I never got to say goodbye. But I was done running. I would no longer turn my back on the people who cared about me. I wasn’t alone.
At that moment I realized everything would be okay. Not now, but one day. We had all lost a lot, but it was through those losses that we would be able to heal together.
Our journey wasn’t over.
It all started with a shift, a lone-wolf they couldn’t keep caged—because she was the Alpha and the Omega.
Keep reading for a sneak peek at my new series:
THE LAST VALKYRIE
Coming soon!
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is never easy. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions, many days of wearing pajamas, and consuming unhealthy amounts of coffee. But no one see’s the people in the background. The individuals who keep us motivated when we want to give up, the ones who listen to your ramblings when you need to talk out an idea, and the ones who take the time to read your book before anyone else. As cliché as it may sound, it really does take a village to complete a novel.
The support I receive from my family is mind-blowing. My mom is my rock and none of this would be possible without her constant push for me to follow my dreams.
My best friend, Daniella Brooks, you’ve been with me from day one and I’d be lost without our IHOP and Applebee’s dinners where we plan and outline my books. You always pull me back from the edge and give me the tough love that I sometimes need. Thank you for also dealing with my constant text messaging, even when you were in law school.
Every writer should have their tribe (and if you don’t, you really should!) and I have been beyond blessed to have H.D. Gordon and Janelle Stalder as part of my tribe. Without our group messaging, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate the publishing world. We motivate each other, support one another’s projects, and when we need to vent, you’re both there to listen. Thank you for being my best author friends.
My cover designer, Laura Hidalgo, thank you for always making magic when it comes to the Mackenzie Grey series. When I wanted the give the series a complete make-over, you worked your ass off to make them the masterpieces that they are. Like I’ve told you many times before, you’re a freakin’ magician!
A shout-out to McKenzie Hunter—you have been a major help when it comes to teaching me the ways of marketing. You’re a damn Jedi, and I thank you for responding to the Facebook message from a little author who is a fan of your work.
To my PA Amber Garcia, I don’t know how I’ve made it thus far without you. You keep me organized, and you’re always at the ready to read and/or help me with anything, and it is much appreciated.
My reviewers, you ladies rock! Every release, you all drop what you’re doing to read the next Mackenzie Grey book, and it’s always staggering to see how much you love the series. Your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed, thank you!
And most importantly, the people who really make it happen: my readers. I started off with a series that no one liked because the heroine was annoying, too crude, not feminine enough, and it made me so nervous to publish SHIFT. I almost backed out at the last minute and I’m so glad I didn’t. Because of you—the readers—I continued to write Mackenzie Grey. Your reviews, messages, emails, etc. have been the biggest motivation for me to tell her story. When I feel like giving up, I go back to those emails and it brightens up my day.
The Mackenzie Grey series isn’t the next great American novel. But it’s all about girl power—the need for women to rise up and defend their rights—and to show that it is okay to be a confident woman, to be a badass. And I hope I was able to convey that.
All-in-all, a million ‘thank you’s’ to everyone who helped make this series happen. I’m sad to see it end, but excited for future stories that I’m dying to share.
About the Author
Karina Espinosa is the Urban Fantasy author of the Sins of the Fallen series, and the Mackenzie Grey novels. Infatuated with travel, pop culture, and the need to write everything down, she spends much of her days in front of a computer working on her next book, shopping online, and listening to music. With nomadic tendencies, she is currently resting her head in South Florida until the itch to move strikes again. You can usually catch her on Facebook, Instagram, and live-tweeting during episodes of Game of Thrones and Orphan Black. Follow her on social media!
For more information:
www.karinaespinosa.com
[email protected]
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The Last Valkyrie
The Last Valkyrie
Humans were weird.
They frequented bars with their cool, casual demeanors when, in reality, they were self-obsessed morons with a blinking sign above their heads begging for others to love them. Pathetic. Then again, their realities were morphed. With their high-tech gadgets and social media, they constructed narratives to better suit them, sharing a make-believe life for likes.
I poured a shot of tequila and threw it back, my mind wandering to the primitive nature of the human race as I observed them from behind the bar. And here I was, the last of my kind amid the humans—the last Valkyrie.
When the gates to Valhalla permanently closed seventy-five years ago, I stayed behind with the ideology there was still hope for mankind. I should have listened to my sisters and followed them home. Now, I’m stuck here, secretly living among them and praying for their ultimate destruction. It’ll happen, and the sooner it does, the quicker my end will be.
“Shots!” a woman shrieked from the back of the dimly-lit dive bar. The gaggle of women she was with cheered in unison, agreeing to a night of intoxication.
Then again, I was no one to judge.
I worked the bar at The Hidden Monkey, slinging drinks and tossing on
e back with each customer. I wouldn’t say I was an alcoholic per se, more like an indulger of fine beverages. Who was I kidding? I could barely stay awake half the time.
The woman approached the bar, a pink sash across her body that said Maid of Honor in glitter. Arching a brow, I snorted. A bachelorette party in this rinky-dink bar?
“What can I get for you?”
“Ten Princess Shots,” the Maid of Honor giggled.
Of course.
“Coming right up,” I muttered, reaching for the vodka, watermelon pucker, and whiskey sour mix. So predictable.
Bartending wasn’t what I’d planned to do the rest of my immortal life. I’d been a fighter, a warrior, a bringer of death. I’d held souls of those slain in battle in my hands. I’d chosen who lived or died—who was worthy to rest for all eternity in the paradise of Valhalla.
Not anymore.
Those souls were now condemned to float in limbo, never to rest in peace.
It was cruel, unjust, but mankind had done this to themselves. In the time of World War II, the atrocities we’d witnessed were too much for even my sisters and me to stomach. Instead of evolving, the humans became animals, savages, and the Valkyries had left, believing they didn’t deserve to enter Valhalla. If only I’d given up on man as well.
I set the tray of bright-pink shots on the countertop for the Maid of Honor.
“Here you go,” I said.
“Keep the change.” She slid me a hundred-dollar bill and winked. My eyes narrowed as I assessed the blonde a little further. She was cute. The bubbly kind. A talker. I could tune her out.
I wasn’t opposed to women. It was one thing I didn’t understand about humans—their constant need to label and restrict themselves from what they’d been given. Men, women, they were all the same—pleasure was pleasure, no matter how it was achieved.
OMEGA: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Mackenzie Grey Book 4) Page 28