Smoke Sky

by Amy Braun

  Nash dropped the ropes in his hand and started to walk toward me.

  A lump formed in my throat. I wondered if he helped Sawyer carry me from the Academy. If he’d tended my wounds and given me new clothes. If he’d draped the blanket over me so I stayed warm. I couldn’t imagine Sawyer doing that for me, so it must have been Nash. What was I supposed to say? How could I ever make up for how badly I’d hurt him?

  Tears stung my eyes as he closed the distance between us. I didn’t deserve to look at him, but my eyes refused to go anywhere else.

  He was right in front of me. “Nash, I––”

  His fingers slid into my hair and held my head. He dipped his chin and put his lips against mine.

  For a second, I was confused. He wasn’t trying to hurt me or push me away. He was kissing me.

  The instant I felt the tenderness of his hand in my hair and the gentleness of his kiss, I repaid the favor. My lips crushed his, opening wider to taste as much of him as I could. I pressed myself to his chest and placed my hands on his muscled biceps. His warm, earthy smell became the very air that I breathed. I couldn’t get enough.

  Nash broke the kiss. I almost cried.

  “Nash, I’m so––”

  His hand slid from my hair to my cheek. His thumb stroked my lower lip. I could barely remember how to breathe, let alone speak.

  “Don’t say it, Gemma. There’s no need.”

  I blinked. And I thought Sawyer’s offer for me to stay was inexplicable. “But I––”

  “I know what you did,” he interrupted, no trace of malice in his voice. “I was there, remember?”

  He grinned, but I winced. His other hand found my waist and pulled me to his strong, sturdy chest.

  “I get it, because I’ve been there. I’m not mad, because I knew you would come back. I never doubted that.”

  “How?” I whispered, my voice straining with emotion.

  Nash smiled, in that perfect way that made him the most beautiful person in this broken world. A person worth loving.

  His thumb moved from my lip to my cheek, stroking my skin like it were made of glass. The look in his eyes was breathtaking, as if he saw me the same way I saw him.

  “Same way I knew you would come up here. You showed me the real Gemma without ever realizing it. She’s beautiful, strong, funny, and won’t back down from a challenge. She’s a good person, no matter what she thinks.” His strong hand slid into my hair, cupping the nape of my neck. “I’ll show her to you, if you let me.”

  Good men like Nash didn’t exist in this world anymore. Daily life tore the decency from their hearts and left a dark shell behind. Nash was stronger than most of them, but he would slip eventually. Everyone did.

  Unless he had a reason not to.

  I kissed Nash full on the lips, letting loose every desire and dream I had with him at the center. I knew there would be more.

  When I ended the kiss, he was the one left breathless.

  “Well then,” I purred, giving him a saucy grin. “Maybe we should start the lessons.”

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  Huge, huge, huge thank you for reading Smoke Sky. This is one of my favourite stories written to date, and I’m so excited to share Gemma’s adventures with Nash and Sawyer with other reading enthusiasts. None of this would have happened without the help and encouragement of certain people.

  Firstly, my friends and family for their unending love and support. I love you all. Many thanks to the team at Deranged Doctor Design for yet again making a truly spectacular cover and providing stellar promotional art. Big, big thanks to author Ed Hoornaert for his Beta reading and Eden Royce for helping with the final touches. Immense thank-yous to the book bloggers and reviewers who enthusiastically offered to help with promotion. You have no idea how grateful I am to all of you.

  Final thanks to you, the reader, for giving this little story a chance. If you enjoy what you read, please take the time to leave a review wherever you choose. Reviews really, truly do sell more books and help authors live their dream.

  The Dark Sky series currently consists of the prequel novella Amber Sky and the full length novels Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky, as well as the short story Engineered Deceit in Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires from Mocha Memoirs Press. The final novel and conclusion of the series titled Obsidian Sky will be released in early February 2017. Until then, happy reading!

  About The Author

  Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She is the recipient of April Moon Books Editor Award for “author voice, world-building and general bad-assery,” and the One Book Two Standout Award in 2015 for her Cursed trilogy. She has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, and is an active member of the Writing GIAM and Weekend Writing Warrior communities. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.

  Website: amybraunauthor.com

  Twitter: @amybraunauthor

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/amybraunauthor

  Praise for Amy Braun

  MIDNIGHT SKY

  “Amy Braun is a story teller of the highest degree... She writes a face paced, action packed story with a lot of emotion and heart. If you want to delve into a world that is post apocalyptic steampunk, jump on in.” – Nell, One Book Two

  CRIMSON SKY

  “There are so many twists in Crimson Sky, you will be hooked immediately. Though this is an excellent stand-alone book; I see a great start to an action packed series. I would highly recommend this to any reader, regardless of genre preference.” – Boundless Book Reviews

  DEMON’S DAUGHTER

  “I’d say the Cursed series is going to be one to watch for any urban fantasy fan.” – Ivana, One Book Two

  DARK DIVINITY

  “In Dark Divinity, Braun creates a magical world with magnificently beautiful and terrifying characters. The reader is easily able to use their own imagination and can be instantly transported into the world of angels and demons. Once again, another stunner from Amy Braun!” – The Blonde Bookworm

  DAMNATION’S DOOR

  “I enjoy Braun’s writing. It is fast-paced but not frenetic. She provides enough description to provide an almost immersive reading experience. The characters are solid and all provide something to the story. There are no wasted words.” – Quesarasera Book Blog

  STORM BORN

  “Riveting, moving and absolutely shocking in its intensity, Storm Born is a young adult fantasy that should not be missed.” – Tome Tender Book Blog

  PATH OF THE HORSEMAN

  “This woman is officially an auto-buy author for me!” – The Bookish Crypt

  If you enjoyed Smoke Sky, feel free to continue the rest of the Dark Sky series, beginning with the full length novel Crimson Sky. Keep reading to enjoy the first chapter!

  They’re always watching. They’re always waiting. They’re always starving…

  Ten years ago, the sky shattered and the Hellions emerged. No one was able to keep them from destroying the city of Westraven. Now that the bloodthirsty monsters rule the skies and have forced the few remaining humans underground, Claire Abernathy lives in a nightmare. She survives by using her skills as an engineer for a ruthless tyrant connected to her mother and father’s past failure.

  Then Claire’s world is torn apart when her sister Abby is kidnapped by the Hellions, and Claire herself is taken by dangerous sky pirates known as marauders. But Claire will not be intimidated by them while her sister’s life hangs by a thread, and so she strikes a deal with them: If they help rescue Abby, she will fix their ship and give them the chance to take the revenge they desperately seek.

  As Claire fights for her sister’s life, she begins to realize that the Hellions are not the only
dangers she’ll face. Burdensome secrets and devastating betrayals threaten her at every turn, and if she loses herself to them, it won’t just be her life that is destroyed…

  Chapter 1

  The sky used to hold hope for me. Now it only held terror.

  My legs ached with every movement, but I didn’t have time for pain. If I stopped to feel it, they would catch me. They would stab their onyx claws into my back and drag me into the ground. They would plunge their needles into my neck to drain all the blood in my body, and no amount of screaming would stop them–

  Damn it, Claire! Don’t think about it! Move!

  Thinking of my own horrible death was exactly what I needed to run faster.

  We’re almost there, I told myself. Close, we’re so close–

  A piercing scream came from behind me, startling me so badly I nearly tripped on the rocky ground. I shouldn’t have glanced over my shoulder, but I had to know how close the Hellions were, and who they had grabbed.

  Gordon had been taken down, one of the Hellions pushing him into the broken concrete, putting its knees in his back and trapping him. The monster didn’t hesitate, crunching its body down and stabbing the pointed needle of its respirator into the back of Gordon’s neck. My partner screamed as the blood was sucked out of him, feeding the Hellion.

  Two more of the monsters charged out from beyond a cracked slump of white stone. They didn’t glance at Gordon or the feasting Hellion. They wanted us.

  I hated that daylight didn’t slow them down anymore, and wished they hadn’t learned how to cover themselves from the sun. In the beginning, they only came at night, descending from the Behemoth in their quick raiding skiffs and taking anyone they could snatch in their claws. It was horrifying– it always would be– but we’d been able to predict them.

  Now they were prepared. They dressed in black jumpsuits with blood-red buttons along the left breast. The heavy boots, leather gloves, and round helmet almost made them look like the old Sky Guard, aside from the black gas mask with two black bulging glass goggles that made their eyes resemble an insect’s.

  A black respirator with a pointed needle on the end covered the Hellion’s mouth, their tool for drinking blood during the day. I’d never been stabbed with one of those needles, and intended to keep it that way.

  Kevin sprinted beside me, but he was panting heavily. He’d drawn his flintlock when the Hellion skiffs appeared and found us, but hadn’t fired a single shot. I wished he’d give me the damn thing. I wasn’t a swashbuckler, but at least I would put up a fight, or distract them so–

  Distract them.

  No time like the present.

  Still running, I reached for my utility belt and took out a glass tube. I quickly unscrewed the caps on the top and bottom. Then I turned, arched my arm, and launched the flashbang. I knew the Hellions heard the clicking of the flashbang as gears and cogs spun rapidly inside the tube, powering the wires I’d connected to the fluorescent light. The Hellions skidded to a stop, covering their faces as the flashbang crashed onto the ground and shattered. White light flashed behind me and the Hellions roared their fury. I kept running, knowing I only had seconds before the artificial light faded.

  But we were at the entrance to the underground. I never thought I would be so happy to see a sewer drain my whole life. I skidded to a stop along the dust and rubble, dropping to my knees and pulling the manhole cover. My arms strained with effort, but I moved the cover enough to slip down into the tunnel. Now I could lose myself and get back to–

  Crack!

  I jumped at the sound of a pistol being fired. I looked up and saw that Kevin had fallen. He flipped onto his back and shot at the Hellions catching up to him. All three of them, since Gordon was now lying on the dilapidated street in a motionless, bloody heap.

  I hadn’t even seen him fall. Hadn’t even heard him. If I had, I would have done something. I didn’t like that he was sent on this mission with me since he constantly looked at me like I was a piece of meat that needed to be devoured, but no one deserved to die the way he was going to die.

  But I was out of flashbangs, and my only other weapon was a pocketknife. Completely useless against something as strong as a Hellion.

  I looked at the manhole cover in my hands. I could pick it up, use it as some kind of shield, or battering ram. I tried to lift it, but my arms were thin, frail from so little food–

  Bang!

  Another shot from the pistol. I tried to lift the manhole cover, finally hefting it off the ground rather than sliding it. I looked up.

  Kevin fumbled with the flintlock, trying to get another shot out of it. But the Hellions pounced on him, pinning his arms and legs. Kevin tried to fight, but gave up and screamed when the Hellions began stabbing him with the needles on their masks.

  I cringed and looked away, knowing there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even end his suffering. Anything I did would just get me killed, and there was someone in my life that needed me. If I died, Garnet would make her suffer in ways I didn’t dare think about.

  Abby. Think about Abby. You couldn’t save Gordon. You can’t save Kevin. You can protect Abby.

  Thinking about her didn’t take the guilty sting from my heart, or the disgust I felt as I saved myself. It wouldn’t take their painful screams out of my head. Wouldn’t save me from the nightmares.

  With a heavy, pounding heart, I concentrated on sliding into the sewers, dragging the manhole cover with me. Before I closed the cover above my head, I caught a glimpse of one of the Hellions as it looked up.

  This one was bigger than the other two, broader and taller. It paused from its feeding to look at me. Which meant it was smarter, too.

  I snapped the manhole cover closed and climbed into the sewer. I fumbled my way down the ladder rungs, unable to see in the pitch blackness now surrounding me. My boot slipped through empty air, telling me I’d reached the bottom. I dropped into the tunnel, sending a jolt through my sore legs, and started running blindly. I had to keep moving in case that large Hellion decided to act on impulse and hunt me down.

  I didn’t have a Hellion’s night vision, so I reached for my belt again. My fingers floundered until they nudged across another glass tube, slimmer than the flashbang. When it was closed, my handheld torch fit soundly on my belt. When the ends were pulled apart, it was a clear tube no longer than my forearm, though half as wide. As it was pulled, the gears inside spun together and snapped around a conductor that created a dim light. It was almost like a flashbang, but far less explosive.

  A dull yellow glow filled the tunnel as I pulled the torch apart. The runoff from the sewers was dry now, but the sour smell of human excrement clung to the walls. The torch’s light illuminated almost the entire tunnel, but it took me a few minutes to figure out where I had to go.

  The underground stretched all throughout Westraven, and was our only safe place since the Hellions took control of the sky and our lives a decade ago. I had been eight years old when they appeared, shrouded by smoky clouds and illuminated by angry lightning. Even ten years later, I couldn’t forget the thunder that exploded through the sky, signaling them to descend in their hellish skiffs to steal anyone they set their eyes on. Those who resisted were slaughtered, torn to shreds by demons with black, razor teeth, onyx claws, and blood-red eyes.

  The Sky Guard had been no match for them. Neither had the freebooting marauders. The Hellions came too fast and too quickly, raining fire and death over us, forcing us into the tunnels to escape.

  But there was no escaping, because while we’d been struggling to survive in the dark, they had been creating barricades around the city, making it impossible to leave to other parts of Aon. We hadn’t heard anything from other parts of the country, so we had to assume that they were under attack as well. It was impossible to know if anyone had survived, or if we were the last city with living residents. Ten years was a lot of time for genocide.

  We were trapped like mice, starving in the dark until we became desperate
enough to risk higher ground, where the hungry cats waited to pick us off.

  I looked over my shoulder, checking to see if the Hellions were following me. But there was nothing visible at my back. No sounds other than my own footsteps. I slowed down, asking myself the same question I’d asked so many times before: