The Smokiest Grave (The Unnatural Series Book 1)

by Tosha Y. Miller

  “Hendrick needs you.” That got Cat’s attention, and her glossy eyes cleared. “The legend of Sapphires told of the great mystical smoke that was able to amplify powers. Do you have the ability to use the smoke?”

  Yvonne’s frantic voice wasn’t registering entirely with Cat. But she knew what she was saying. She needed to push out her smoke to amplify someone’s power. She gave Yvonne one nod; her body was so tired and weak it was all she could manage.

  The problem was, Cat didn’t know how to smoke. It just always happened. Yvonne remembered the tales about them being emotional creatures. Their hair and smoke would activate their emotions which got them killed when a Hunter was around.

  ***

  Cat religiously cut her hair and Yvonne was betting that kept the hair color at bay, but what about her smoke. “Cat, look up. Hendrick is dying.” Yvonne hoped this would work.

  If Cat couldn’t do this, she didn’t know what they would do. She mentally crossed her fingers.

  ***

  Cat looked up as Yvonne said that and her oxygen-deprived brain registered Hendrick lying on top of her. Her body woke up a little. The adrenaline shot through her body, “Hendrick?” Her voice was still weak, but her insides were stronger.

  Hendrick was on top of her, his eyes were open but not seeing. Oh, my Goddess is he…

  Like Yvonne hoped, Cat’s smoke burst out of her like a wildfire burning inside her. Except the smoke didn't rise like normal. Instead, the gray cloud moved with intelligence, and it covered Hendrick's body.

  The air around them became heated, filling Yvonne’s eyes with water. Yvonne got up from the ground, “Oh thank the Gods,” she said and could hear similar whispers from the others.

  When Hendrick jerked awake, Yvonne released a breath she didn't know she was holding. They watched as the wound on his back knitted itself together.

  “What the bloody hell?” Hendrick asked, looking around and showing everyone his fangs.

  He looked magnificent with his disheveled hair and scorched clothes. Like a warrior ready to strike to save the queen.

  “Not that I'm ungrateful, but what happened, pet?” he asked when no one answered the first time. He looked around in the thick smoke until he noticed Cat lying on the floor, crushed.

  Yvonne's tears slid down the barrier, “Cat healed you,” she said with a huge smile.

  “That's why I feel supercharged,” he said at her side now, lifting his head. In a swift movement, he pierced his teeth into his wrist.

  “What are you doing, Hendrick?” Jake asked, his voice stressed and worried.

  “What do you mean? I'm going to heal her, of course.”

  “You should wait until the smoke is out of your system, or at least wait until the smoke completely disappears. We don't know the effect your amplified blood will have on Cat,” Jake tried to explain.

  “He's right, sweetie,” Yvonne interjected using a name that told Hendrick he was acting irrationally. He couldn’t think straight; he had tons of adrenaline coursing through him that made him feel invincible. Like when his vampire beast was running things.

  “Nonsense, it will only heal her faster,” he said putting his bloody wrists to her mouth, “the lass needs it. Ye worry too much.” If Hendrick was honest with himself, he knew they were right, but he couldn’t bear it if she died because of him. The death shield must have pulled on her life source harder because she was the most likely to live.

  Hendrick pulled his hand away from Cat’s mouth. A gust of strong wind stirred Hendrick and Cat’s hair. He looked at Cat, noticing that the wind came from under Cat. He stood up. The force of the second blow of wind smacked him against the shield. The inside of the shield sizzled against his exposed skin.

  Whatever happened, it was enough to make the shield crumble at everyone’s feet. Hendrick looked at Cat, and the smoke was decorating the cement ground.

  All eyes were on Cat. Blinking, dumbfounded. The Sapphire was floating. The strange part was Cat’s smoke drifted to her back where it clumped together, forming something. “Is that what I think it is Hendrick?” Yvonne asked, standing next to him.

  Hendrick didn’t answer, the smoke answered for him. The gray fluff was forming into wings. If he could touch them, he knew they would be soft. The now wholly developed wings expanded, raising Cat up higher.

  The way the wings wrapped around Cat’s back made them look like extensions of her.

  “What's happening?” Yvonne said, crumbling into Hendrick's arms. She didn’t want to faint in front of everyone, but this was ridiculous. Cat was her adopted sister.

  Yvonne's older sister and her family were a few thousand miles away and hadn’t spoken to her since her chosen career path wasn’t a lawyer. Yvonne opened her safe house instead. Her family moved away shortly after to be closer to Yvonne’s older sister.

  Yvonne had tried to rekindle their relationship but failed. So, this instant connection she had with Cat made her whole-body tremble with enthusiasm for the future. Yvonne had only had that immediate connection with one other person. Hendrick.

  “Maria, can you do anything?” Hendrick asked. When she didn’t answer, Hendrick looked around, “Marcus where is Maria?”

  ***

  “She-” he stopped when she wasn’t behind him anymore. “Maria?” Marcus shouted. “By the gods, no,” he said as he saw Maria’s petite body walking towards the corner of the room. Of all the Dragon Gods, what is she thinking?

  Both Marcus and Ethan yelled her name at once. Their bodies flew towards the room. Marcus got there first; he could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

  Smack! Another shield slammed into place covering the small office room in the corner with Maria inside. It was about ten feet away from Cat’s and Hendrick’s shield, but Marcus could tell the shimmer globe was the same.

  Marcus’s body slammed into a shield trying to grab her. Maria was kneeling on the floor. “Maria! Maria!” Marcus screamed mindlessly, pounding on the tan shield, unaware of the boiling effect on his skin as he did so.

  Marcus couldn’t lose her, she was his world and his only connection to his family. She was his little sister’s best friend and for all intents and purposes was his sister, too. He already lost the rest of his family; losing her would break him.

  He looked over at Ethan and Hendrick punching holes in the walls, blood seeping from their fists. Marcus was so dumbfounded. Twice in one-night Dragonvire’s blood had failed him.

  That’s impossible?

  He saw it then, the panic in Maria’s eyes. She wasn’t alone.

  Twenty-seven

  When the smoke slowly disappeared, absorbing into Cat’s flesh before expanding into smoky wings, Maria couldn’t wait anymore. She liked Cat, but Chris could be behind these walls.

  She could feel a heartbeat in the room. If it was Chris, the mission would be over and everyone else would be safe. If it wasn’t Chris, well she’d worry about that later. The odds of him being in there were high. She hesitated for a second, thinking about Marcus. She was being stupid right now.

  She heard Hendrick call her, but she already had the doorknob in her hand. Her blocker senses hadn’t picked up anything foreign.

  She couldn’t stop now. Pushing the door open had her using all her muscles. Why is this door so heavy? Her heart slammed into her already heaving chest. She loathed how her chest was moving fast, taunting her.

  She heard Marcus’s worried voice and she quickened her movement, opening the door all the way. A dim light was on, so she could make out blank white walls like the rest of the warehouse. The room was so quiet, she was surprised how loud her heart sounded, the muscle sounded like a jackhammer to Maria.

  She was a blocker, so her blood couldn't be used like a Dragonvires, so it was best that she went in first. That’s what she told herself anyway. If this was a trap, Maria would be screwed, but she knew it was better for her to get caught than Hendrick.

  Here's hoping for the best.

  The room was an eeri
e dark. As if the room heard her thoughts, the lights flicked on. As Maria looked around she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Black dots danced in her vision. She bit her lip hard, trying to focus.

  Ow.

  Gasp, Chris’s body shimmered in the middle of the room as if a spell tried to hide him. She was so excited nothing else mattered. She would normally siphon the power surrounding the room, but Chris was so near nothing else registered in her worried mind.

  I knew there had to be a reason for all the defenses outside of the room. Logic was not her friend at the moment. All she knew was she needed to save Chris.

  The sound of her feet thumping on the floor echoed on the walls. The sound drowned out someone calling her name again. Her pleading arms dove for him. Maria moved in slow motion. She barely registered the tears stinging her eyes, she was so distracted.

  The moment her needy hands tried to graze Chris’s skin the image disappeared. Maria went flying forward where he was supposed to be. She caught herself and stayed kneeling, trying to understand. Where is my Chris?

  With one big black swirl in front of her face, whatever vision had clouded her mind cleared in a huge gust of wind.

  "No!" Maria yelled, putting her hands on the floor and using her blocker magic. She slammed her fist on the floor hearing what sounded like a handful of dice getting thrown on a glass table as her bones shattered. Her efforts weren’t working.

  Ultimately, the force of her punch squeezed some sense back to her brain. Get up and get to the door, idiot. The voice in her head taunted.

  She looked at the door already knowing that path would be blocked. Someone was using a powerful blocker spell to prevent her magic from working. Those types of mystical spells were the only thing that could keep her from sucking the magic in this room dry.

  She could see Hendrick, Jake, Ethan, and Marcus banging on the shield trying to force their way in. The tan shimmery liquid floating in between them mocked both of them.

  Instead of running to the door, she went on the defensive and took out her knife. It was better to be ready for an attack, than not.

  The only way she was making it out alive was in a fight. Great, I'm screwed.

  “Haha, haha,” an ugly high-pitched voice behind her laughed. It was the worst witch laugh Maria had ever heard. She swung around but didn’t see anything.

  "What the hell?" Maria's voice sounded like it was on a microphone. The sound waves echoed around the room.

  Maria blinked, and in an unexpected flash, a woman was at her side, laughing again. She moved away from the hyena, but the stupid woman was too fast. Small, dark white hands gripped Maria’s arm.

  On the woman’s other hand was a metal stick. "Silly girl, I didn’t think you were this stupid. It looks like I lost the bet," the woman made a small circle in the air with her wand. A bright green light launched at Maria. The brilliant accuracy of the blast knocked her backward.

  Maria got up quickly on shaky legs and darted for the door, making her muscles work harder than normal. She tried to slam her way through, but just as efficiently knocked herself unconscious.

  As she laid there going in and out of consciousness, she heard a deep, soothing voice whisper in her mind. My lovely blocker, you have made me so proud. Don't worry, you are coming home to the beauty of Aria. His sensuous voice seemed to hold her in a caring embrace. Now, get up and say goodbye, my child.

  Maria knew deep inside what had just happened. As a child, her mom told her stories about the God of blocker beings coming to speak to them when they were destined to die. But Maria refused to admit that to herself. Her mom could have been wrong, and the God was here for guidance.

  So, she opened her eyes, mentally shaking her head to clear her mind. She stood up trying to move quickly, but her body was too weak. The damn spell is probably an energy sucker.

  She limped to the door. The boys were now trying to cut into the walls to get to her, but the holes were covered in the tan gunk as well.

  The woman had her green light ready. She was like a cat playing with her mouse. She waited until Maria got up to start launching green energy balls at her legs and arms.

  Maria had enough of her nonsense. She reached the door and pulled with all her might, using her magic. Her heart lifted when she saw the shield weakening. That wouldn’t take down the shield, but her efforts might be enough for one of the Dragonvires to break through.

  "You whore!" The woman's high pitch voice yelled. Maria could tell her voice held a little fear in its depth.

  Before Maria could make a good dent in the shield, the woman’s green light grabbed her, lifting her in the air. Its death grip pulled at her being. She could hear herself making gurgling noises.

  The realization came to her. By the gods, this is it for me. She took one last sharp breath staring into Marcus’s blue eyes. They were full of tears and she hated that she had done that to him.

  Her body was completely still until the woman's power ripped at her. The strong pulling sensation ripped something out of Maria. Stooopppp!

  The horrible sensations of knives digging into her flesh and pulling away her life force was unbearable. She heard a scream, but she didn’t know if the noise came from her or someone else. Nothing else existed to Maria except the pain.

  With the last tug, icy immobilizing water washed that blinding pain away. For a long moment, everything was still fuzzy. Once her vision cleared, it looked different like she was looking at an outside view of everything. She didn’t fight the feeling because the agonizing pain had stopped.

  The peace didn’t last long as she watched her body crumbled to the floor fear settled back in. Anguish squeezed her core. She was getting sucked into the woman's wand. Maria knew she would stay there until the woman was dead.

  She was grateful, there was no more pain. The cold groping at her was a horrible feeling. Like she had the flu, she was cold and hot in the wrong places.

  From the corner of her eyes, she could see Marcus fighting the shield with all his might, bloodying the jello surface.

  He looked different to her. A bright white light shone around him as well as Ethan and Jake who were making huge holes all over the room.

  She stopped struggling to focus on him. Marcus wasn't her real brother, but she saved his life as a kid, and they had been inseparable ever since. "I love you Bubba. Please be safe and live happily. I’m sorry," her voice wasn't the smooth Latin texture that it always was. The sound was a cold soothing whisper that reminded her of ghost calls.

  Boom!

  Yvonne smiled as she saw Hendrick break through the shield and bust through the wall. The small hole she’d made must have been enough for him to break through.

  “Nooo!” voices yelled from everywhere. With a savage twist of a wrist, Maria had a massive pull in her core. The gaping hole in her stomach grew until there was nothing left, she got pulled into the woman's wand.

  Everything went black for Maria, but a sweet, beautiful warm glow held her in a soothing hug deep inside. She smiled, saying a little prayer that her stupidity wouldn't cause her Dragonvires to pay the ultimate price.

  An anaconda of darkness wrapped its mouth around Maria, squeezing her tight until there was nothing left.

  Twenty-eight

  Cat awoke to a gut-wrenching cry out from a man. The sound was filled with so much sorrow and heartbreak. The scream made a drop fall down her face and she didn’t even know what was happening yet. Nonetheless, Cat’s soul hurt from his scream of agony.

  If she wasn't so dizzy herself, laying there with her hand on her chest gulping for air, she would have helped. A loud crash shook the floor underneath Cat and a blaze of heat covered her like a heating blanket. Why did it just get so hot?

  The scorching heat opened her lungs.

  Not a second later, Yvonne was at her side trying to help her stand up. Cat’s legs were too wobbly, so she held out a hand for Yvonne to stop. That made her grip on Cat, she held her in her arms and sobbed like she needed to w
ater the ground with her tears. Cat looked up at her when a few splashed over her skin, the tears rolling down her face were as yellow as the sun. And at that moment Cat wished she was a relaxer to help Yvonne.

  Cat focused to clear her headed enough to understand words, “Are you okay?” Yvonne brushed a hand over Cat’s hair.

  “Ras,” Cat tried to say ‘yes’ but her throat hurt too bad to say the words correctly. She cleared her throat a few times and tried again, “What’s wrong?” her voice sounded a bit clearer, but it was hoarse as if she smoked five packs of cigarettes a day.

  ***

  Yvonne kept crying and didn’t answer. Everything inside of Yvonne was breaking. Even her chest didn’t feel right. The sadness twisted her torso into a massive knot. Maria wasn’t the best of people, but she was family.

  ***

  The only response for Cat was chaos and a horrible scream that sounded like Maria’s singsong voice. Cat’s instincts kicked in, she leaped up as if she was connected to a rope.

  The fluid movement startled Cat, making her balance waver and soaring her forward. She smacked into the floor and her cheek broke the fall. "That hurt,” she brushed the dirt off her cheek, “I must have pushed too hard off the ground." She got up slower this time, trying not to let her dizziness make her fall again. Her weak body had been through a lot today; there was no need to add on unnecessary blows.

  Why do I feel like I’m in water? She moved her arms around. Her body was weightless.

  Cat shook her head to clear the fuzziness. Her eyes drifted to the man yelling again, it was Marcus. He was yelling Maria’s name this time, like it was the last thing he would ever do, “Maria!”

  Another scream erupted. This one by a woman and it was even angrier. It wasn’t Maria. The shouts were too cold and bitter to be hers. It couldn't be.

  She turned away from Yvonne's wide eyes. Her mouth fell open and she sucked in a breath. Out of all the faces she expected to see, the one she was looking at wasn’t one of them.