by Susan Illene
Fallon grabbed my arm. “Is he alive?”
“Yeah, but probably not for long.” I had sensed enough people dying to know when they were close. Grant would be lucky if he could fight it out another ten or fifteen minutes.
Fallon let go, and I leaped down. My knees absorbed the landing, and I found more places to leap, using the strength and reflexes my immortality afforded me. A minute later, I reached Grant’s car where his head was resting against the steering wheel. There was a nasty gash on his forehead and blood covered his face.
He looked up at me with pain-glazed eyes and spoke in a raspy voice, “I knew you’d follow me.”
I tried yanking on his door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Yeah, well, now you’re going to die because of your stupidity.”
“Maybe, but I won’t be the only one.” He gave me a bloody smile. “I let the detonator go off after I got a few blocks away. While you were following me, your friends were dying.”
The sick bastard. I would have finished him off right then if he’d really managed it. “Actually, they’re alive and well. We dismantled the bomb right after you left.”
And when O’Connell called me last time, he’d told me the bomb disposal unit was already at the apartment. He would have mentioned if the C-4 had exploded despite Fallon’s handiwork.
“Damn.” Grant coughed and wheezed for a minute. “I guess I’ll just have to satisfy myself with hurting you instead.”
“You’re not exactly in any shape to do that,” I pointed out, glancing at Fallon as he jumped down beside me.
I heard Grant’s hand sifting through glass. “That’s what you think. If I hadn’t crashed and you’d gotten a little closer…”
Fallon grabbed me and leaped into the air, taking us as far from the wrecked vehicle as possible. When we landed on the next rocky outcropping, he jumped to another. A few seconds later an explosion shook the ground. Rocks started to fall, pummeling into our bodies with bone-breaking force and knocking us down with them. Pain exploded in my skull as my head smashed into a boulder. I continued my descent, tumbling farther and farther down until my body hit ice-cold ocean water. It sucked me under. I kicked and fought through the pain wracking my body until I reached the surface.
I’d barely managed to get my bearings when a wave slammed me into a huge rock, knocking the breath from me. I grabbed hold of it, ignoring my aching ribs and hauled myself out of the water. For a moment, all I could do was hack and cough until I cleared the saltwater from my lungs.
I used my radar to search for Fallon next, and detected him about a dozen feet away. According to my senses, he’d been rendered unconscious. My vision was hazy, but I felt my way over the slick rocks, crawling an inch at a time. Every movement hurt. My ribs continued to protest, and one of my ankles couldn’t bend or take any weight. Once I reached the vampire, I checked him over as best I could. Fallon had countless wounds, and his hair was sticky with blood, but at least his head was still attached. He’d live to fight another day.
Someone shouted from the top of the cliff, and lights flashed down toward us. I waved and managed to scream a few times before the excruciating pain in my head made me stop. It was all I could do not to pass out. Gabriel appeared before me, his white wings flapping as he hovered over the water.
“Don’t fall asleep, Melena,” he said, his voice loud and clear above the crashing waves. “I’ve sent humans to help you, but you must remain awake for them.”
“Why don’t you just fly me up there and save them the trouble?” I asked, squinting. Good grief, he was really bright against the darkness.
“I’ve done what I can,” he said, and disappeared.
I decided right then and there that angels were more trouble than they were worth. Slumping against a rock behind me, I waited for the rescue team. At least I could take comfort in the knowledge Grant was dead and that he couldn’t hurt me or anyone else again.
Epilogue
Melena
Party lanterns were strewn about the yard, and a white pop-up tent was set up with food and tables under it as a place for guests to eat. Not far from that, Micah and his band played some light rock music for entertainment. Nearly a hundred people had come out to our house for our late wedding celebration. Tonight marked two weeks since Lucas and I had gotten married. It seemed more like it had been a few days ago, but the time had passed quickly with all that had happened.
Lucas pulled my back against his chest. “It’s good to see you healthy and smiling.”
“It’s good to be all in one piece again,” I replied, craning my neck to look up at him.
He’d been less than pleased when I’d returned from California a few days ago, still healing from my numerous wounds. There had been even more broken bones, cuts, and bruises than I’d first realized while I sat waiting for rescuers.
“Aniya seems to be recovering well,” he said, gesturing toward the food tent.
She, Cage, and Lisette were over there eating and chatting together. It had taken Aniya a couple of days to shake off the trauma of being kidnapped again, but her boyfriend was doing a good job of helping her through it.
He was getting an alarm system installed in his house, protection wards put in place, and he’d already gotten a Labrador retriever named Gunner. Currently, Cage’s new black dog was chasing Sable along the tree line, which was amusing because she was a black leopard at the moment. Every so often they stopped to wrestle around before taking off again.
“Yeah. I think Aniya will be alright,” I replied, and turned to face him. “Much like we will be.”
“If you will ever stop running headlong into danger.” Lucas leaned down and gave me a kiss that left me breathless. Now that was an incentive to stay home more often.
It took me a moment to return to myself. “Just being around you is dangerous.”
“I’ll show you true peril later.” He pulled away and nodded toward the house. “But for now, it appears we have another guest.”
I turned and found Ariel standing on the porch. The former archangel almost looked like her old self again. She’d brushed her brown hair until it gleamed, and she’d donned a long white dress. Her expression was calm and pleasant, but I sensed that she wasn’t entirely whole. Deep inside there was a darkness haunting her that she struggled to keep at bay. Only time would tell if the wounds to her soul would heal, but we’d be there to help her.
Everyone struggled with some sort of inner demons, but what got us through the difficult times was our friends and family. No one could go it alone and hope to survive for long. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“Maybe we should go talk to her,” I suggested to Lucas.
“No.” He nodded to a point across the lawn. “The nerou are coming to greet her now.”
We watched as they gathered around Ariel. Their faces were lit up with hope and love for the woman who’d helped make their freedom possible. Some people might give me a lot of the credit, but I could never have done it without the former archangel—and she’d suffered the most for our efforts.
Olivia took Ariel’s hand, and I overheard her say, “We love you, and we are here for you. Thank you for everything that you’ve done.”
The other nerou took turns, conveying similar sentiments.
Ariel acknowledged them with tears of happiness running down her face. “Bless you all.”
“It was a good idea to invite them,” I said, taking Lucas’ hand.
His gaze met mine. “Sometimes, it helps to see the fruits of your labors. It reminds you that your troubles were worth it, despite the high costs.”
I smiled. “Speaking of which, you should give Patrick a call now.”
Lucas looked like he’d just swallowed a lemon. “Must we?”
“Yes,” I said sternly.
“Very well.” He took out his cell phone and made the call, letting Patrick know he could return now.
After he hung up, we made our way to Emily. She’d invited Gabby up for the weekend.
The teenage werewolf was still recovering from the loss of her father, but she’d managed a few smiles since she’d arrived earlier in the afternoon. When Emily was determined to cheer a person up, it was hard for them to stay in a depressed mood for long. I felt horrible for what had happened to Gabby, and asked Lucas to set up a college fund for her. It was the least we could do.
Emily narrowed her eyes at us when we walked up. “Where’s my Dad? You told him to get the ice from the store, right? Not fresh from the Arctic or something?”
“I’m certain he’ll be along any minute,” Lucas replied, managing to keep a straight face.
True to his word, Patrick registered on our senses a few moments later. I gazed around at the party to keep my mind off of what was coming. Kerbasi was over at the food table, stuffing his face. Cori was talking to Bartol on the opposite side of the lawn, no doubt telling him the wonderful news that a house near hers was up for sale.
The cantankerous woman who’d been Cori’s neighbor for years had decided to move in with her son out of state. If Bartol decided he wanted the place, it would need some work, but at least it would be cheap and mostly private. The real trick would be getting him to move into a place near Cori. He had a few weeks to think about it before the house went up for sale, though.
Emily gasped. “Oh, my God. What is he driving?”
Patrick was just coming down the driveway in a red Hummer, which had extra armor plating installed for our own peace of mind. Emily had wanted a Porsche, but we’d shot down that idea with a majority vote.
“That is your new car,” I informed her.
Her mouth dropped. “Seriously?”
Lucas and I exchanged nervous glances, waiting for her to process the news. We’d agreed if she really hated it that we’d try something else, but we hoped she’d like the Hummer.
“That is so awesome!” Emily squealed.
Taking Gabby’s hand, she raced down the gravel drive where Patrick had parked—there weren’t a lot of open spaces with so many guests around at the moment. She gave her father a hug and then stole the keys from him. Before we knew what she was doing, she and Gabby raced out of there, disappearing in a cloud of dust toward the highway.
“That didn’t go quite how I expected,” I said to Lucas.
His lips twitched. “I’d guessed she wouldn’t stay long, which is why I suggested we wait as long as possible.”
Micah appeared next to us, his band having just gone on break. “Should I go after them?”
Lucas glanced at his brother. “Not yet. I’ve already got the tracking device on, so we’ll give the girls an hour before making them come back.”
For the moment, things had calmed down in Fairbanks. No more fires, kidnappings, shootings, or anything else of an extremely violent nature. Without Grant and his group around to stir up trouble, things had become rather quiet. I didn’t expect it to last forever—humans still needed more time to adjust to supernaturals being around—but at least it meant I could let Emily go out and have some semi-unsupervised fun for one day.
Cori joined us. “I missed you giving her the Hummer, didn’t I?”
“Yep,” I said, glancing over at her. “How’d the conversation go with Bartol?”
She shrugged. “He said he’ll think about it.”
“That’s better than a flat-out no.”
“He can take it or leave it.” Cori sipped from a cup of spiked punch in her hand and stared across the lawn, not meeting my gaze. “I don’t really care.”
“Uh huh.” She cared, but she’d never admit it.
Cori’s eyes widened. “What is your cat doing?”
I followed her line of sight to the food tent. Sable was standing on one of the tables, eating all the hamburgers Derrick had just cooked on the grill. The few she didn’t eat, she tossed down to Gunner, who gobbled them up.
“I’m going to throttle her,” I said under my breath.
Cori laughed. “At least she found a new friend.”
I took off running toward the tent. As I got closer, I saw Kerbasi trying to shoo the cat away. She swiped her paw at him, and he barely missed getting hit with her claws. Of all the things to go wrong at my wedding party, I hadn’t considered this. It was then that a thought struck me, and I stopped in my tracks.
I’d faced all kinds of death and tragedy in my life—obstacles that seemed to rise to insurmountable heights. All the while, I kept wishing for normalcy, but what was it? Maybe it was a teenager running off with her best friend in her new car, or a cat stealing food from the table. Maybe it was helping friends who’d suffered tragedies.
Sure, the cat was a shape-shifter, the teenagers were a sensor and a werewolf, and the friends were all sorts of supernaturals. But if I put all that aside and only looked at them as people, perhaps I’d finally found my normalcy. One glimpse around the yard at all the smiling faces, and I knew I had something amazing here. This was my life, and I could live with it.
I turned back around and returned to Lucas.
He lifted an inquiring brow. “You’re not going to do anything?”
“Nah.” I smiled. “Let the cat have the hamburgers. It just means she won’t have room for cake.”
“I wouldn’t speak too soon,” Lucas replied, gesturing toward the house.
Olivia—unaware of the current troubles—was carrying the cake across the lawn, and Sable had almost reached her.
“Don’t you dare, you stupid cat!” Kerbasi screamed, trailing after the shape-shifter.
Micah’s daughter stumbled as Sable circled her legs and the cake teetered precariously on the tray. Olivia tried to regain her balance, but Gunner joined in the fun and stepped into her path. She fell right over him and the cake went flying directly onto Kerbasi’s Italian leather shoes. The guardian cried out, his expression filled with horror, while I stifled a laugh. I figured I’d wait an hour before telling him there was a second cake stashed away in the kitchen.
Author’s Note
I want to thank all the readers for giving the Sensor Series a chance and sticking with it to the end. As some of you may be wondering, the story isn’t quite over yet for some characters. Early next year (2017) I will be releasing the first full-length spinoff novel in the Sensor World, featuring Bartol and Cori. There will be more books to come after that with other characters. For now, Lucas and Melena’s story is closed. It doesn’t mean for a fact they’ll never get another book, but I have no plans for one at the moment. You will get to see them in the spin-offs, though, so don’t worry that they’re gone forever.
To be sure you don’t miss out on future novels, be sure to sign up for my new release alert list here (your email will not be shared or used for any other purpose).
As a bonus for now, I’m including the holiday short story “An Unexpected Gift” at the end of this book. It was first published on Nocturnal Book Reviews. You’ll get to see Kerbasi, Kariann, and an all-new female character who narrates the story. On the Sensor Series timeline, it does fall after Darkness Wanes.
An Unexpected Gift
The sun set hours ago and all Brandi could think about was getting home safely. Not many people braved the streets at nine o’clock on Christmas Eve and certainly not in this weather. Her headlights fought to penetrate the heavy snow swirling in front of her car. She was used to this kind of thing after living in Alaska her whole life, but this blizzard was worse than most. It reminded her of a previous storm—one she did not want to relive again.
Brandi gripped the steering wheel harder as her vehicle briefly lost traction on the road. Conditions were getting worse and she still had several miles to go. How was she ever going to make it? If she’d had the money to replace her tires, she would have, but funds had been tight lately. That was the whole reason why she was coming home so late. She’d worked overtime at the mall in the hopes of catching up on her bills.
A porch light glowed up ahead at a recently built tavern. The place could have come straight out of the Middle Ages with it
s white-washed walls, dark-wood trim, and a thatched roof that somehow defied all types of weather. It sat on the outskirts of Fairbanks. Brandi had passed it a hundred times, but she’d never had any desire to stop there. Something about the tavern didn’t sit right with her. The place had an otherworldly quality to it that couldn’t be normal.
Tonight, though, it stood out like a beacon—a refuge where she could wait for the winter storm to pass. Any reservations she might have had about the tavern were dwarfed by her need to get off the road. Brandi pulled her car into the lot, managing to find an empty space without too much snow packing it. She zipped her coat up to her neck and pulled her hood over her head before pushing the door open. A cold rush of wind hit her face as soon as she got out and snow stung her eyes. Shivering, she hurried for the entrance. Bars usually weren’t her scene, but she’d make an exception tonight.
Warmth greeted her when Brandi stepped inside. She stomped the snow off her boots on the welcome mat and took a look around. Two large, lit fireplaces set at each end of the tavern made it feel cozy, along with a full house of patrons. The interior appeared just as old-fashioned as the exterior: the same white-washed walls and wooden trim as well as heavy beams running across the ceiling. Most of the lighting came from lanterns set on the tables and concealed electric lights behind the bar.
Her nose twitched at the myriad of scents—wood-smoke, beer, and sweat. There was also a hint of pine coming from the Christmas tree near the door. Overall, the atmosphere was jovial as friends talked and laughed with each other.
Brandi felt awkward and out of place. She avoided meeting anyone’s eyes as she searched for somewhere to sit. All the tables were taken and though she caught a few offers to join others, she ignored them. The voices sounded friendly enough, but something wasn’t quite right. Some sixth sense that told her that she didn’t belong and should leave.