by Kristin Cast
He popped the trunk and sat on the lip of the bumper. He peeled off his mud-caked shoes and socks, tossed them into the opening, and grabbed an old towel. Dirt stuck to the back of his legs, and he roughly wiped it away. The tingling in the back of his throat persisted, and he snatched a water bottle from the pack before closing the trunk. The discomfort cooled as he slurped the liquid. He draped the towel over the driver’s seat and collapsed into the comfort of the leather.
Hello. The muffled purr drifted into the car.
“Fucking kids.” He shook his head. “Shouldn’t you be in school or something?” He yelled before shutting the door.
He started the car and his dashboard illuminated. “Shit, I’m late,” he mumbled, glancing at the clock hovering over his preset radio choices. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.” He angrily rammed his gearshift into drive, and sped onto the road. He was almost home when the tickling in his throat returned. He took another swig of water and coughs erupted from his lungs. Water spurted passed his lips and coated the steering wheel.
“Goddamnit!” The car swerved as he reached behind his back and yanked the towel free. He wiped at the dripping steering wheel as more hacking coughs forced their way up his throat. He clutched the towel against his mouth, and his torso clenched with wracking coughs.
“Oh, shit,” he groaned, wiping spittle from his chin. “Where the fuck did that come from?” He dropped the towel on his lap and cleared the last strings of mucous from his throat. Small, black flecks glistened up at him, begging for his attention. He pulled into his garage, and lifted the rough towel to his face. “That’s fucking gross.” He balled it up and tossed it on the floorboard before climbing out of the car.
“Babe,” he called as he shut the door behind him. “You’re not going to believe what I just coughed up.”
Hello. The hum of multiple voices floated through his ears.
He walked into the kitchen and paused, listening for the voices. “Monica?”
“I heard you. You can tell me all about it when we’re in the car. After you’ve showered and changed. I knew you shouldn’t have gone for that run. We’re probably going to lose our reservation.” She turned the corner and stopped as soon as she saw him. “Tyson, you look awful. Are you feeling okay?” She set her earrings down on the counter and grabbed a glass from next to the sink. She turned on the water and filled the glass halfway. “Wait a second to drink this. Let me go grab those allergy pills out of my purse.” She handed him the water before heading into the living room. “It’s probably pollen or ragweed, and you know how allergic you get.”
His pulse thundered behind his ears, and he let her voice fade into the background.
“Here,” she said, dropping the pills into his hand. “I hope you’re not coming down with something. Didn’t you say a few guys in your office are out with the flu?” She held the back of her hand against his clammy forehead. “You’re burning up. How long have you felt sick?”
He popped the pills in his mouth and drained the glass. “I don’t feel bad. I just have this—” Violent, phlegmy coughs folded his body, and he gripped the counter to steady himself.
“That sounds horrible. You need to sit down.” She scooted a bar stool under his butt. “Sit before you start coughing again.”
“I’m fine,” he grunted weakly as he followed her instruction. “Just need a minute.” The coughing returned, doubling him over. Black specks sprayed from his mouth and peppered the countertop. “Gnats,” he gasped. “They’re just gnats. I ran through a bunch of them at the park.” Globs of spit dripped off of his chin and onto his sweaty shirt.
“Those are not gnats, and you’re definitely not fine.” She rushed over to the sink and unraveled a wad of paper towels from the holder. “I’m canceling our reservation, and I’m calling the doctor. Hopefully he can get you in on such short notice.” She handed him the fistful of towels, and he weakly dabbed them against his face.
The doctor. Overlapping voices sizzled and popped, their words hissing between his temples.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered, pulling the scratchy paper towels away from his face.
“Oh my God, Tyson, your nose.” Monica backed away from him slowly.
He glanced at the towels. A cherry red circle glared up at him. He touched his upper lip and looked down at his hand. “I’m bleeding.”
“And your eyes. You’re coughing too hard. They’re getting bloodshot. I’m getting the number for the doctor. Stay right there. I don’t want to get sick too.” She rushed out of the kitchen. Her fast footsteps hammered up the stairs.
The clump of paper towels dropped to the floor as more coughs ripped at his lungs.
I’m bleeding. The voices taunted.
“Monica,” he shouted, stumbling through the kitchen and into the living room. Terror and exhaustion sped his frantically beating heart. “Monica, can you hear them? They followed me. They’re inside.”
They’re inside. They’re inside. They’re inside. They chanted.
He tore at his hair and the heat behind his eyes. “Get them out!” he screamed, foam bubbling from his throat.
They’re inside. They’re inside. They’re inside. They screeched.
“Get them out!”
“Tyson, what are you doing?”
His body twitched as he glared at her. Clumps of scalp and hair clung to his bloody fingers.
“You’re really sick.” She gripped the bannister and carefully maneuvered backward up the stairs. “Stay there. I’ll call an ambulance.”
“They’re inside.” Red dissected the whites of his eyes, and he spasmodically jerked as he ascended the stairs.
“That’s okay,” she said shakily. “I’ll get someone.”
Frothy saliva fizzed from between his lips, and each breath was a gurgle.
“Tyson, can you hear me? Stay there. Tyson?”
He surged up the stairs with a growl.
“Tyson!” she screamed.
The End…For Now.
Acknowledgments
To the amazing House of Night fans who are joining me for this next journey, thank you!
Big thanks to my wonderful agent Meredith Bernstein. Thank you for believing in me and trusting me. Without you, there would be no Kristin Cast.
CZ and Dusty—thank you for the brainstorming help and for pointing me down the right path.
Thank you, Andrew, for being my rock, my North Star, my soft place to land. It’s cliché, but true. I love you.
A huge I HEART YOU goes to my fabulous Diversion Books team. Working with each of you has been a dream come true. I could not have chosen a better editor than Randall Klein. Thank you for helping me to transform each page into magic.
Coming Soon…
Scarlet Rain
The Escaped - Book Two
In Amber Smoke, Kristin Cast introduced readers to Alek & Eva.
Alek, son of the Furies, has been charged to recapture the souls of who escaped Tartarus into the mortal realm in order to save not only his home from assured destruction, but also the mortal realm. But he can't do it alone...
Eva has discovered that she has powers beyond her comprehension, a destiny to fulfill, and that there are people who will stop at nothing to destroy her.
Now, in Scarlet Rain, the Nosoi—the spirits of illness—have been unleashed on the mortal realm, releasing a plague as clever and adaptable as it is insidious. Alek and Eva must capture and banish the Nosoi back to their underworld prison—but Eva has yet to harness the powers to defeat such a powerful enemy, and Alek sustains catastrophic wounds in the attempt. They must rely on detective James Graham, and Eva’s best friend Bridget, if they are to even slow down the plague. But can mere mortals come through in the face of such overwhelming peril?
Coming December 2015!
Kristin Cast is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who teamed with her mother to write the wildly successful House of Night series. She has editorial credits, a thriving t-shirt
line, and a passion for all things paranormal. When away from her writing desk, Kristin loves relaxing with her significant other and their dogs, and discovering new hobbies. This year she’ll work on swimming, yoga, and adding to her Doctor Who collection.
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