Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

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  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.

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  Tainted Whispers

  An Amber City Book

  Outcast. Heartbroken. Humanity’s Last Hope.

  Welcome to Amber City. Population eight million. Gangs are too many to count. Rich and powerful families own eighty percent of city and represented five percent of the populace. The rest of the community are made up of poor suckers. And vigilantes like me from the traveler community, who have sworn to protect the less fortunate, are the last hope of saving the city from complete anarchy.

  Chapter 1

  Darkness engulfed Little J’s. The scratchy sound of shuffling feet nearby confirmed I wasn’t alone inside the gymnasium. Saturday nights were for friends, sexing up with my boyfriend, and drinking, not playing spy. Guess the only sucker here was me. But I’d give up every weekend for five years straight if it meant uncovering the monster killing kids in Amber City.

  I glanced out from behind the mountain of gym mattresses. Jack, the gym owner, was in his office at least twenty feet from my position. He faced away from me, hands flying about as he used sign language. A gorilla-sized guy stood next to him, arms folded, watching him. Last minute disagreement?

  When the big guy stared out the window, I jerked back. Little J’s, a non-profit community center for children, ran various classes to keep kids busy after school and weekends, including training by skilled bojutsu martial arts teachers.

  So, why the hell had my recent psychometry session for a dead boy brought me here? I owed it to his parents, who’d hired me to find his body and track down whoever was responsible. Technically, even if the authorities hadn’t found the boy’s remains, I knew without a doubt he was dead. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have received the vision. My readings on objects only worked for people who’d passed.

  Everyone respected Jack. He helped anyone who asked. I’d taken his training classes a couple of years ago, which was when I decided to learn sign language to speak with him. Besides, it was a cool skill to have for my PI business.

  I struggled to believe he would willingly hurt children. Had someone forced his hand?

  I wouldn’t be shocked with the latter, only disappointed. After all, we lived in Amber City. Gangs ruled the streets, the powerful owned everything, and vigilantes like me were the last hope of saving the city from complete anarchy. Being a private investigator came with charms. Trust me, none of them glittered. I had died three years ago for ten minutes, and that had only been the beginning. When I’d woken up, Death Magic had coursed through my veins. Add to that my psychometry—object reading—and my life was in peril. No running away. So I embraced my differences and aided whomever needed help. Even if the danger would likely kill me one day. For good this time.

  I retrieved a tiny glass marble from the front pocket of my jeans and closed a fist over the sphere. I concentrated on drawing the object’s energy into me. Shimmering glints of power flashed up my arm, leaving me buzzing. Within seconds, my body morphed into a translucent finish—down to my clothes. Death Magic was amazing that way. When I’d come back from the dead, I’d woken up with three marbles in my hand: glass, wood, and metal. I’d had no idea where they’d come from, but one day I hoped to discover the truth. Regardless, they allowed me to take on their physical form. Sure, the effect only lasted ten minutes max. But that was long enough for me to sneak through the darkened gym without detection.

  I crept out and darted across the room. My sights locked on the office window bursting with fluorescent light.

  Jack, a tall, lean man, had stopped pacing, but his cheeks reddened. Mr. Gorilla hadn’t moved. Well, if they had killed a kid, there’d be dissent, right? A partner betraying you, covering tracks, getting busted. Part of me prayed Jack wasn’t involved.

  Mr. Gorilla snapped around. He stared in my direction, his brows pinched together in a straight line.

  I halted and froze midstride, like in those stupid Simon Says games. My ability made me transparent, not invisible, so I was hard to spot if I stood still in the dark.

  The guy’s arms, which were the size of tree trunks, dropped by his sides, revealing his mud-splattered top.

  I waited, my legs shaking from the weird bend at the knees.

  Look away, damn you. Sweat dripped down my neck. My fingers tingled with the urgency to grab a ninja star from my belt and hurl it between his eyes. But then I’d lose any chance of discovering evidence by overhearing their plotting. My psychometry had never led me astray before.

  Mr. Gorilla jerked toward the door. Jack spun around, his face ashen.

  Fuck.

  I threw myself forward, targeting the corridor to my right, leading to the changing rooms. The moment I dove into the corridor, the overhead lights flicked on.

  Except I slammed into someone around the corner.

  I was in the stranger’s arms, both of us falling to the ground. Panic constricted my lungs, breathing was impossible. The sudden brightness caused stars to dance in my vision.

  I rolled aside and leaped to my feet, taking the blade from my belt. But the guy in black charged to my side.

  He swung behind me and locked an arm across my mouth as the other seized my hand with the knife.

  Ahead of us, footfalls closed in. Jack would discover me spying. Three against one didn’t bode well for me.

  The guy at my back dragged me with such strength, I didn’t have time to respond to his swiftness. He pulled past a door and we entered a locker room. I jabbed my free elbow into his gut. He released me as the door shut behind us.

  Darkness cloaked the room. I recoiled, gripping my blade. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Robyn, keep quiet.”

  The smooth voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. No one in the city knew my plans. Let alone wouldn’t freak out over finding me in my transparent guise. My boyfriend might have followed; the guy was a detective and stuck his nose into everything. Except this wasn’t him.

  “Who are you?”

  A tiny beam shone from a flashlight held by the strange man, revealing him. I struggled to inhale, to move, to do anything.

  “Dante?” What was my ex doing here? The same person I’d avoided for the past three years. His rash decision had lead to my brother’s and my deaths. Except my brother never woke up.

  Footfalls sounded just outside.

  Dante hauled me by the arm deeper inside. His beam guided us down the path. He shoved me into the farthest shower cubicle and switched off his light. “See you still got your chameleon abilities.”

  “Fuck you.” Yeah, I’d let him know about my abilities after the accident three years earlier, but clearly, that had been a mistake.

  The door opened.

  I shuddered. Not only would I be found, but while holding company with the notorious gang leader of the Hood. I’d be lucky to avoid a death sentence. The police had a warrant out on the Hood, along with anyone aiding them. And that was me, right there: ex-Hood member.

  Our backs pressed to the side wall, Dante tucked against me. I stayed attached to his side, his exhales tickling my cheek. I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more. Me getting caught or him being there.

  The overhead lights switched on, and the heavy grunt of rushed inh
ales fluttered. We huddled tight behind the half-drawn shower curtain. I prayed whoever checked didn’t wander this far.

  My insides bounced. Hating that Dante stood so close, hating what he’d done years ago. And hating myself because I let myself miss him. He had no right to make me feel anything. Never again.

  New footsteps entered the room. “The others are empty,” the newcomer said. “Let’s finish this quick.”

  Yep, if anyone sounded guilty, it was beef-head.

  They receded, and we were thrown back into darkness before the door thumped shut.

  Neither of us stirred. I expected someone to burst in and find us. After the longest pause, I slid away from Dante and stood across from him.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I whispered at complete darkness, given I couldn’t even see my hands in front of my face.

  He turned on his flashlight, the illumination pointed at his feet. The reflection was enough to reveal Dante. All six-foot-two, broad-shouldered, solid and dangerously gorgeous. He had his hair pulled into a messy ponytail, his stubble short. But his eyes always undid me. Pale green set against tanned skin and dark lashes that brought back our times together. Particularly his insatiable grin each time we fucked.

  “I could ask you the same question.” A southern drawl lined his words, leaving me coated in goosebumps.

  If I shut my eyes and listened to him speak, I’d climax. Yeah, the guy was sex on legs, but he was a dangerous son-of-a-bitch.

  “You’ve ruined my plans for the night,” he said.

  “Me?” My response climbed an octave. “This is my jurisdiction.”

  He closed the distance between us in a second flat. A hand pressed to my mouth; his chest pressed against mine. I inhaled his muskiness, and my knees weakened. “Sweetheart, keep that honeyed voice low.”

  I nudged his hand off me, and his perfect body left me burning. “Why are you here?”

  “Following a lead. Dash’s been missing for two days. Last seen here.”

  “You mean Baby Blue Eyes?” My heart clenched at discovering he’d last been seen at the gymnasium. A couple of nights ago… Same night the dead boy I searched for had gone missing.

  “Robyn, Dash is nineteen now. He’s a different man.”

  At sixteen, Dash had been the youngest recruit in the Hood—and gullible. Like Dante and me, he’d come from the Traveler community. He’d been coaxed to join the gang to help those in need—the poor, the underprivileged. Our tradition dictated that the younger generation should continue the practice, but it wasn’t obligatory. It was a rite of passage for many. When I’d finally parted ways with the Hood, I’d begged Dash to leave with me.

  Dante studied me, so I said, “Yeah, but I remember perfectly well a lot of things that probably haven’t changed at the Hood.”

  Dante huffed and lowered his gaze momentarily. “I can’t tell you how much it kills me that Richard died that night. Especially when I thought I’d lost you, too.”

  The agony was a knife to my chest. Talking to Dante was like going back in time to the mission that had gone horribly wrong, to how I’d taken my last breath. All because of his rash decisions.

  “I’m not here to chat. I have to go.” I stepped out of the cubicle and blindly raced in the direction of the door. I bumped into a sink with my hip. Screw the pain because nothing compared to that shitty night. I’d left the Hood years ago, putting that part of my life behind me. Now, I spent two minutes with Dante, and the rawness of my past hit me like a bulldozer.

  I pulled open the door in slow motion and listened. No sounds. Outside, the lights were off. I darted toward the main gymnasium, noting I was no longer transparent. Great. I’d wasted that ability, and I couldn’t use it again for another few hours.

  The office remained submerged in the dark. Crap! Did they leave? I tried the handle. Locked. I knew for a fact that Little J’s didn’t have video surveillance. There was nothing to steal from the premises. The only security was in the storeroom.

  “Look what you did,” Dante said.

  “This is on you. You ruined my chances. Thanks a lot.” I stormed past him, my shoulder clipping his.

  His hand snaked out, grabbing mine. Damn, he was fast. “Why are you here?”

  I remembered Dash all too well. “I think someone from Little J’s kidnapped a young boy and that it ended in his death.” Who knew why God had given me the ability of psychometry after I’d come back from the dead, but it had led to helping others.

  Dante tilted his head to the side, his black outfit giving him a menacing appearance. He still wore the green sash around his bicep… a symbol of the Hood. I’d told him to get rid of it, not make himself an easy target, but he’d insisted people had to know who the good guys were. Try telling that to the authorities that classified the Hood as murderers.

  “A real lead or your object touching?” he asked.

  “Screw you.” I pulled free. “For your information, it’s real. Nice seeing you.” I marched toward the rear exit, furious that Dante had awakened feelings and hurt I’d tucked away. Reminding me of what I’d lost. Shit, at one stage, I’d believed we’d marry. After all, Travelers were together for life, and he promised me so much more. But I’d been a fool.

  I glanced over my shoulder, staring at Dante, who hadn’t moved. “I take that back. It sucked bumping into you.”

  “Come on, Robyn. Let’s get a coffee. Catch up.” He stood there, hands in the pockets of his pants, his eyes glinting from the flashlight. His mouth pulled in a devilish grin. For a smidgen of a second, I considered taking him up on his offer. But he’d broken me long ago and reopening Pandora’s box left me shaking.

  “See you, Dante.” I walked away, unable to put distance between us quickly enough.

  “Heard you’ve been visiting the Lower Corner.”

  I stopped in my tracks. Of course, he’d know everything that went down in the Lower Corner. The Hood’s families lived there. The community had always traveled around America, but thirty years ago they’d set up residence in Amber City. It had once been my home as a child, but my parents had passed. So yeah, I kept in touch with their friends. Many of the elders possessed knowledge on Death Magic, demons that lingered in shadows, and many other supernatural beings that most people dismissed as stories. I’d always been skeptical, but after coming back to life with my power, I believed the older Travelers’ tales. They helped me understand what I’d become. How to control and use my ability.

  “’How’s that your business?”

  When Dante didn’t respond, I pushed forward, refusing to chat. Being near him opened me up to falling for him again. Except my life had changed. I was in a good relationship with Ryker, and I couldn’t be happier.

  I unlocked the rear exit and stepped outside. I shut the door and pressed my back to it for those few seconds, struggling to take air into my lungs. So much raw pain rocked through me, cutting me, striking my open wounds. The cruel joke was that hadn’t gotten over Dante. I loathed him for what he’d taken from me. I was shattered.

  A wild wind tugged on my plaited hair. I wiped my eyes. I’d pleaded with Dante to cancel his plans three years ago, to leave Richard behind. But Dante always believed everyone made up their own mind. Richard had been eighteen, impressionable, and full of energy to prove his worth.

  My past sat on my shoulders like weights, and the hollowness in my chest ripped open again. It was the same hole I thought I’d stitched up. I scratched my hand and stared at the dagger tattoo on my inner wrist. Dante and I had gotten matching ink, and now the design was a constant reminder of what I’d walked away from.

  I pushed into a jog, hugging myself as shivers crawled up my legs. The land behind Little J’s always gave me the creeps. No reason other than the hairs on my arms stood on end, and I quickened my pace along the windy road, reaching nearby stores, along with a few apartments.

  Sirens howled in the distance, the occasional car zipped past, and streetlights lit up the sidewalk. I kicked a peb
ble, sending it into a trashcan.

  I crossed the quiet road, hoping to flag down a cab, hating the idea of Dante following me home. Though if he wanted to know, he would have already found out where I lived. Didn’t mean I wanted to see any more of him. I reached the main road, where more cars filled the streets. Bars pumped music and drunks stumbled from one establishment to the next. Up ahead, a man wrapped in blankets was curled up on a sheet of cardboard. I pulled out a twenty and tucked it into his hand. Then I flagged a cab and jumped in.

  “33 Everlight Lane, please.”

  The guy nodded and edged into traffic. A soft guitar instrumental tune played on the speakers. It reminded me of the times Dante had played solos around the campfire to entertain the gang. The Hood lived out in the woods surrounding the city. The team stood for the poor, the misfortunate, those who got ripped off by the powerful. I mean, the rich ran Amber City, and every decision aided them, not the majority. And the Hood stepped in to make things right.

  I supported their achievements and would never reveal them. I might have left the Hood, but I assisted those in need from within the legal system. My private investigation helped anyone who’d been wronged. And I charged on a sliding scale, depending on how much clients could afford.

  Lounging in the back of the cab, I watched the city swish past. Once I got home, several shots of bourbon were way overdue. I’d forget I crossed paths with Dante.

  My phone chirped in my pocket. I plucked it out. Ryker. I smiled because I could do with a distraction like him. Wouldn’t be the first time we’d called each other in the middle of the night for a booty session. He worked late shifts as a detective at the local precinct.

  I answered. “Hey, sexy.”

  “Robyn.” Ryker used his business voice; the serious tone told me this wasn’t a pleasure call but work. Other cops must be near, so no flirting. We kept our relationship a secret to avoid conflicts of interest on cases. “You free to come down? We have a case for you.”