by Tina Moss
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT
REVIEWS
DEDICATION
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
AFTER THE END
EXCERPT: A TOUCH OF DARKNESS
EXCERPT: A KISS OF SHADOWS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ADDITIONAL TITLES
EMBRACING DARKNESS
The Key Series: Short Story 1.5
By
Yelena Casale and Tina Moss
***
Copyright 2014 Yelena Casale & Tina Moss
Cover Design by Tina Moss. All stock photos licensed appropriately.
Published in the United States by City Owl Press.
www.cityowlpress.com
For information on subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher at [email protected]
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent and permission of the publisher.
Praise for the
Works of Yelena Casale & Tina Moss
“A keeper with a great and unexpected ending you don't see coming. A Touch of Darkness is an enjoyable reading and good start for the series.”
- Top 500 Amazon Reviewer, Douglas C. Meeks, Book Reviews
“A Touch of Darkness rockets you along a pulse-pounding story and sucks you into the characters. You'll want to cheer for Cassie's feisty spirit and loyalty and you'll come to love Gabe and all his wonderful flaws.”
- Award Winning Fantasy Author, Heather McCorkle
“This new paranormal urban fantasy series is a mesmerizing and intriguing read. The Key Series is a fascinating world of angels, fallen angels and demons with some unique elements and surprising twists.”
- Amazon Reviewer, Evampire
“A Touch of Darkness is an imaginative twist on the concept of angels and demons, complete with the requisite conflicts between duty and love, as well as the issues of loyalty and betrayal.”
- Night Owl Reviews
For our readers,
You make it all possible.
Thank you!
- Tina & Yelena
ONE
Rafe counted the tiled floor for the twelfth time. His utter and complete boredom never bode well for anyone. Since the epic battle for the fate of the key, things had been quiet, too quiet, and not to his liking at all. Val sat around, licking his wounds, no doubt, but Rafe knew it wouldn’t be for long. The demon boss always managed to be one step ahead of the game. Rafe flexed his fist, itching for a fight. Physical or otherwise – it didn’t really matter.
He put his hands behind his head, plopped his Feragamos on the massive glass desktop and closed his eyes. Soft jazz drifted from the speakers.
Snarky burst into the office a moment later, at the precise moment Rafe finally began to relax. “Hey boss, you’re never gonna believe this.” His muddy brown irises danced with excited sparks, and his usually greasy hair seemed caked in oil. Bouncing on his heels, the fallen tripped on words in a rush to get them out. “The demons are all a twitter about some chick in New York. You gotta see the crazy shit they’re posting on the Pit.”
“Ask and ye shall receive.” Rafe looked skyward with a smirk. Not that the occupants of his former home listened to him. “The demons are talking about a girl?”
“Yeah, it’s that hot blonde, Cassie’s friend.”
“Zoey?” Rafe remembered the girl. All legs and curves, she had looked at him with those soft brown doe eyes the last time he’d seen her. Filled with a depth of vulnerability—little wonder, since she’d been tortured by the bastard Val and left for dead—that stare of hers had touched something long dormant inside him. He tried not to think about it, but hell if he could forget. “Yeah, I remember her. She’s the one Cassie bonded with, the human. Why are they talking about her?”
“Word is she’s got some freaky ass power and draws demons in like a magnet!”
“Power?” Rafe’s ears perked up. “What power, exactly?”
“Dunno. But, the demons are all a buzz. Can’t stop chirping about it.” Snarky’s high-pitched voice swung an octave above normal. “Word is the man himself wants a piece of her.”
“Val’s after her?” With dazzling speed, he calculated the potential outcomes. He’d been playing these war games with the demon boss for too long. A chance to gain real power over his enemy, to snuff him out once and for all…
The girl could change everything.
“That’s the story.” Snarky thumbed his nose.
His smile widened. “Then, I’d say it’s time for a trip to New York.”
***
“Another, Marc!” The smooth Grey Goose, straight up, appeared as if by magic in front of Zoey a second later. Knew there was a reason I liked this place. Crimson hadn’t been the only club she’d been frequenting, but it was a definite favorite. She poured the crystal liquid down her throat and closed her eyes, waiting for the pleasant burn to spread in her chest. After four shots, she’d have bet her inheritance her thoughts would turn fuzzy. But no, only wishful thinking—again.
“And keep them coming.” She held up her empty glass to the bartender.
The loud rhythmic sound of techno invaded her space. The beat spread into her every molecule, until her body vibrated with the pulse of it. Maybe tonight would be the night. Maybe the oblivion she’d been searching for would be hers. Before she knew about angels, demons, fallen, and all that paranormal crap, she’d been fairly happy, just your average run-of-the-mill human being. Sure, she had her share of family issues. Who didn’t? She’d learned to live with it. Yet, everything changed when her best friend, Cassie—a half fallen, half demon creature called a Key—saved her life. Zoey had been searching for a break from the paranormal craziness ever since. One night of peace. Just one.
Something, many somethings, watched her from the shadows. Whether they were real or part of her paranoia, she couldn’t tell anymore. All she knew was that they watched her, they always watched her, and she had nowhere to hide.
Zoey scanned the dark corners, her gaze catching on liquid black eyes. She despised that bottomless black with every fiber of her being. It marked the defining trait of the demons that came through to this plane. Yet, something about the monster caught her attention. Of average height, a grey t-shirt hugged him in all the right places, outlining taught muscles. Tousled dirty blond hair, as if he just rolled out of bed, made him look almost sexy. Almost. Yet, it wasn’t his looks that captivated her. A pull, an unmistakable pull, like a two-ton magnet, drew her in, cajoling her will to slip away.
Fear spread hard and fast through her veins, drenching her insides with ice. Her body rose from the chair to move toward the demon against her wishes. Her feet took a step, and then another, of their own volition. Her mind swam in a hazy red of unexplainable need. She stood only yards away when a sweaty woman, swaying on her feet, bumped into her. The magnetic pull wavered as the woman clutched Zoey’s arm to keep steady.
“So sorry,” the woman squeaked and let go.
“It’s ok.” Zoey shook her head as if she had just woken from a dream…or a nightmare. She could h
ave kissed the drunken woman, but patted her arm and whispered instead, “Thank you.”
“Ah sure?” The woman stumbled away and Zoey resisted the urge to look back at the demon.
The bastard’s pull possessed more strength than any others of his kind she’d encountered. She did not glance towards him again as she hurried out the door and into the alley behind the club. She desperately needed air, to get away.
“Leaving so soon, sweetheart?” Another voice in the darkness and more black eyes surrounded her. The details of the human forms didn’t matter anymore. The bodies weren’t important. Only the inside mattered, the inhuman monsters inside.
“Mace,” she whispered, hanging on to a moment of clarity like a life raft. Her hand felt around her tiny red purse.
“You’re a party girl.” A large tattooed and muscle bound demon seized her around the waist. “And we’re the best ones to party with, aren’t we boys?”
Zoey withdrew her hand from her purse, mace at the ready. The demon laughed. She sprayed and the irritant found its target. An eerie howl filled the alley, not fully human, and unmistakably other. She fought the need to cover her ears as she pointed the mace at the others. They closed in, faces eager and distorted with the unhidden desire to possess her.
Her breaths came in a staccato rhythm. There were too many of them. They had taunted her for days, always lurking in the shadows. But now the menace seemed immediate, as if someone let them off their leash. The panic threatened to swallow her. She closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable.
A boom snapped her lids open, followed by a flash of light. The alley changed into a horror show as howls filled the tight space. Bodies flew into walls and over dumpsters so fast Zoey couldn’t process all of it. When the madness ceased and the area in front of her cleared, full lips smirked at her from a gorgeous tanned face. High cheekbones, sleek aristocratic nose, and tawny irises made him unforgettable. Flowing jet-black hair threw off deep brown highlights in the light of the only working lamp in the alley and completed the picture of the man that was all danger and sensuality.
“Hey. Remember me?”
TWO
Rafe’s eyebrows rose as he spotted the mace. He had to give it to the girl. Surrounded by a bunch of crazed demons, she still possessed the presence of mind to try and fight. Mace wouldn’t do much damage to the bunch, but then that wasn’t the point.
The flash bomb—one of his most ingenious inventions—started to dissipate. Before it cleared altogether, he took advantage of the distraction and grasped Zoey’s hand. “Come on, doll. Move! I know I’m damn impressive to look at, but this isn’t a Kodak moment.”
“Watch out!” Zoey screamed.
A fist flew an inch shy of his face. He threw his elbow sideways and heard a satisfying grunt of pain as it connected with a demon’s solar plexus. When he reached for Zoey again, she found his hand and latched on. Nodding at him, they ran down the alley. If not for her, Rafe would have stayed and had some fun taking the bastards out for good. But, she was more important. He frowned. Well, her power, anyway.
He pulled her around the corner where a silver F-type Jaguar rested in the shadows.
“Get in!” he yelled, flipping open the door.
As soon as she jumped in, he slammed it, slid over the hood, and peeled off with a screech of tires. He glanced in the rearview mirror. The demons didn’t pursue them, but that wouldn’t last. They would find her again and next time it might be Val’s men.
He inclined his head toward Zoey and grinned. “That was fun. I needed some exercise.”
She stared at him, her big chocolate eyes glistening.
“Please tell me you’re not going into shock,” Rafe drawled. “I don’t know the first thing about women,” he zipped the car around a tricky curve, “in shock. No idea about that cure. Now, women in other positions; for example, a state of arous—”
“I know you,” Zoey cut in. “How do I know you?”
Rafe ground his teeth. The sexy banter page from his playbook wouldn’t do the trick. He’d have to tread lightly. That had never been his strong suit. But the first and last time they’d met, she’d gone through an ordeal and a half, teetering near death, and saved by her best friend. The bond with Cassie, a Key, must have led to Zoey’s messed up demon magnetism in the process, and a power he had to acquire. Yet, for all he knew, she would want nothing to do with him...or anyone.
“We have mutual friends,” he opted for the most direct path.
“You were there.” Zoey looked out the car window. “You were there that night.”
He glanced at her. Her eyes closed, hands clenched on her lap. Not a good start. “Listen to me, darling. I was there and I know what happened to you. I can help you. Protect you.”
Zoey snapped her head in his direction, surprise written all over her face. “You? How?”
He flipped his attention back to the road. The protect bit came out unexpectedly even for him. He said it to calm her down and open her up, but the recognition that it wasn’t entirely a lie stunned him. His jaw clenched and he struggled to find the right words.
“I have certain…influence,” he said. “But I need to know more about your powers. Do you know what they do?”
“No freaking clue.” Zoey’s voice grew hard as granite. “Except that I can’t get away from your kind.”
“Whoa, whoa. Don’t confuse me with their kind, doll.”
Zoey turned back to the window. “I know you’re not a demon. Cassie told me about you. Another fallen.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she kept going, “Look, I don’t give a donkey’s ass what the differences are. I don’t want to be part of your world. I didn’t ask for it. All I want now is to be left alone.” Her stare fixed him on the spot, a fire radiating from its depth. “Can you help me with that?”
Rafe smiled. A flash of the girl she used to be emerged. He’d stake his reputation on it. A spunky, no-nonsense woman, he could appreciate. Despite the warning bells ringing in his head, he wondered what it would be like to bring her back to that place, to that person she was before, and have some real fun.
“I might know a way.”
***
The gleam in his eyes told Zoey all she needed to know. The fallen might be supreme trouble, but he’d find a way to help her because he wanted something from her. She didn’t care the reason. If it kept Cassie from knowing about her secret power and out of the fight, then she’d take a chance. She refused to involve her in this madness. She’d watched Cassie endure paralyzing headaches, glowing purple hands, and doctors who thought she was insane for years. Her friend had dealt with enough paranormal bullshit to last a lifetime. From now on, Zoey would bear the burden, somehow.
Rafe’s image caught in her peripheral vision. And if she were being honest, it didn’t hurt that her new fallen partner-in-crime could be Johnny Depp’s younger, hotter doppelganger.
She stared out at the night-sky as the lights of Manhattan flickered in the distance. They’d crossed over the 59th Street Bridge and started trekking east almost an hour ago. Now, the car cruised along the LIE deep into the heart of Long Island. Zoey knew every square inch of her city, but take her over the river and things turned hazy.
“Where are we going?” she asked for at least the tenth time.
“Patience, darling.”
Her huff didn’t get her any further than questions, pouting, or cajoling. Every trick she knew to get her way apparently failed on supernatural males. His hand tightened on the steering wheel, causing the muscles to flex inside his perfectly tailored suit. Zoey licked her lips and opted to let the silence linger while she enjoyed the view.
As the time wore on, the houses dotting the highway faded from sight. After almost another hour, a loud and purposefully unladylike snort accompanied her sarcasm. “So, your plan is to drop me off the end of the island then, huh? Think we’ll hit the Atlantic anytime soon?”
“Likely.” His sinful smile centered her focus on his lips. Those delicio
us lips.
She crossed her legs. “In this century?”
“Most definitely.” He pulled off the highway and wound the car up a side road that looked like something straight out of a horror movie.
“I was kidding about the ocean death, you know?”
His hand circled her thigh just above her knee and squeezed. “I know.”
Zoey covered his fingers, but didn’t push him away. “Can you please tell me where the hell we’re going?”
“Not hell.” He glanced at their joined hands for a spell, then let go and gripped the wheel again. “The Hamptons.” The car swung a turn that would have made a Nascar driver jealous and roared up to the biggest Victorian beach house—mansion really—Zoey had ever seen.
“You’re kidding?”
“I never kid. Tease perhaps, and typically, in a more conducive setting.” He winked at her, killed the engine, and stepped out. Before she could follow, he appeared at her side, opening the door. “Allow me.”
Her brows nearly hit her hairline. “How did you…” Seeing the paranormal in action still startled her, but she quietly berated her stupidity. If she were going to survive this mess, she’d have to get used to it. “Never mind.” Ignoring his offered hand, she rose by her own power and headed toward the door.
“Hold on there.” He crooked a finger at her. “Come with me.”
She hesitated. The way he beckoned her, the allure of such a simple summons, made her heart beat faster. But, she was not the type to submit so easily. “We’re not going inside?”
“Later.” He spun on his heel and headed into the darkness.
“Wait!” Her breathing shifted double time at the thought of being left alone.
“Trust me.” Appearing again in the moonlight, his high cheekbones cast a shadow over his jaw. He looked like an avenging angel in grey Armani.
She’d never seen his equal. “I don’t know.”
“I want to show you something.” He held out his hand once more. The playfulness drifted aside as raw desire with a slice of vulnerability appeared on his face. The emotion mirrored in the souls of his eyes.