by Lisa Emme
When I finally sucked up the nerve to take a peek, Hecate was smiling down on me like an indulgent parent. I slowly straightened myself from the bow, keeping my eyes cast down.
“My Queen,” I whispered.
“Angharad Grainne Russo, you belong to me.”
I sucked in a shocked breath and looked up at her. “But…” I snapped my mouth shut before it got me into more trouble.
“Speak, child.” Hecate raised an eyebrow impatiently. “You have never had an issue speaking your mind before today.”
“I was going to say that I’m not ready to be a vampire. I’ve barely lived my life as a mortal yet.”
Hecate laughed again and the room echoed with the sound of wings. “Is that all? I don’t care about your mortal life. Live to be one hundred, two hundred. It’s all the same to me, for you are already mine.”
“I am?” I really didn’t remember getting the memo.
“Did you not invoke me in your brush with my brother Set?”
“I…” I thought back to my battle with Seth when I thought I couldn’t blow out the flame and collapse the portal. I had pleaded to Hecate for her assistance and it had come in a rush of wings, extinguishing the flame.
“And did you not just now pray for the survival of yourself and your mate?”
“Yes, I guess I did pray.”
“And to whom, pray tell, were you praying?" She looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“To you, my Queen.”
Hecate arched her eyebrow, folding her arms over her ample cleavage. “As both witch and vampire, you are two-fold mine, mortal or otherwise.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
She turned an impish grin to Jonah. “Perhaps I’ll make you a Hunter. Two are better than one.”
Jonah bowed to her again, and I caught the strangest expression on his face – it was a look of bemusement, a look of a man who made a wish and found out it was coming true.
Panicking and having no clue what to say, I stole another glance at the goddess, but she had already moved on and was looking sadly down at Deirdre’s lifeless body.
“And what shall I do with you, my traitorous, unhappy soul?”
“My Queen, I beg you, spare her.”
My head swiveled around in shock at the voice. “Gran?”
Gran stood beside me, her translucent body shimmering. “Harry, I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you lately,” she said. “I have to leave. It’s time.”
“What? No, Gran. Why?”
“I’m tired. Tired of holding onto this life. Tired of holding onto the past. It’s time for me to let go.”
“Daughter,” Hecate said, smiling at Gran. She stretched out her hand and Gran took it. “Come, daughter, let us take care of this wayward soul.” She scooped up Deirdre’s lifeless body, effortlessly cradling it in her arm.
A bright light appeared impossibly far in the distance behind Hecate and she turned and began walking toward it, leading Gran away. Gran turned to take one last look over her shoulder. “Goodbye, Harry. Say goodbye to Tess for me.”
“Goodbye, Gran. I love you.”
I blinked back the tears and when I could see again, Hecate and Gran were gone. In their place, a raven as black as night and a dove as white as snow, winged into the light, their forms shrinking and coalescing with the radiance until at last, they disappeared out of sight.
“Omigod, Harry!” Tess collided with me, throwing her arms around me. “What just happened? Are you okay?”
I glanced across the room to where Nash was talking to his mother. He looked up, as if sensing my scrutiny and smiled at me. A warm rush of emotions – love, concern, pride – flowed over me as the connection we shared before our recent rough patch clicked solidly back into place. It was like getting wrapped in a hug. I smiled back at him and then turned to survey the rest of the room.
Isaac, as usual, was standing off to the side quietly observing, always at the ready to help me. When he noticed my attention, he nodded, his eyebrows rising in question. I shook my head and gave him a quick smile and then looked away.
Max and Tomas were arguing while standing over the body of the recently dispatched Arturo, probably debating who was responsible for cleaning up the mess. Jonah and Salvador – looking none the worse for wear after his ordeal – were nearby, quietly conversing. Salvador said something witty, based on the sly smile that spread across his face. Jonah tossed back his head and laughed. He caught my eye and threw me a rakish grin. I rolled my eyes at him as Nash’s growl of displeasure rumbled across our connection. Nash was definitely back. I couldn’t help but smile.
So much had happened in the last few months. My new-found powers and Holly’s death, and now Gran was truly gone. But Tess was still with me, and I had Nash and Isaac and even Salvador in my life now.
With a smile, I turned back to Tess. “Yeah, everything’s going to be just fine.”
***
Thank you for reading Dead to Me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. As an independent author, I rely on word of mouth to help sell books. If you are so inclined, please consider leaving a review online at your favourite bookseller’s website.
Cheers! Lisa
About the Author
Lisa Emme is a Canadian who proudly ends her ABC’s with 'zed'. A self-professed book-a-holic, she has spent the last few years trying to stem her book hoarding tendencies by writing her own stories and by avoiding the bargain table at the bookstore like the plague.
A bit of a thrill seeker, Lisa has tried such death defying activities as bungy jumping off a bridge in New Zealand and rappelling down the side of a 17 storey building. She's also single-handedly raising a teenager.
Lisa has worked as a veterinary assistant, playground instructor, bank teller, store clerk, waitress, telephone solicitor, research writer for an environmental think tank, computer programmer, and systems analyst. Her passion however is writing. What else is she going to do during the long, cold prairie winter?
Lisa would love to hear from you. Drop her a line at [email protected] or you can find her online:
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The Harry Russo Diaries
Join Harry in her earlier adventures and find out how it all began. Available at your favourite authorized retailer.
Dead and Kicking - The Harry Russo Diaries, volume 1
What’s a girl to do when her date is D.O.A?
Angharad ‘Harry’ Russo is just your ordinary twenty-something, with one exception - she’s a witch with an out of the ordinary gift. When her blind date goes sideways and she ends up face to face with a dead body, her life starts to go sideways too.
It’s a case of werewolves and vampires and zombies - oh my! with Harry right in the middle of the mayhem having to deal with Cian Nash, a homicide detective that is as aggravating as he is sexy; the biggest, baddest vampire in town; and a parcel of pesky zombies that keep popping up everywhere. It’s all connected to her date’s unfortunate demise or is there more to it?
Tooth and Claw - The Harry Russo Diaries, volume 2
Q: When is a witch, not a witch?
A: When she`s a necromancer.
Harry Russo has had to adjust to some major changes in her life. Her computer is haunted, she accidentally acquired a vampire servant and she’s attracted to the most aggravating alpha male on the planet. Her friend betrayed her, a lunatic tried to sacrifice her to raise a god and she accidentally ‘outed’ herself to the Magister, the most powerful vampire in town. What else could go wrong? Oh yeah, she’s just discovered that her father was a vampire and her dhamphiric powers are emerging prematurely. Poor Harry doesn’t know what weird ability could pop up next.
When werewolves start to go missing and two young ‘norms’ die suspiciously, not to mention horrifically, Harry believes it’s all conn
ected. It could be just a hunch, or it could be the big grey wolf that stepped out of her dreams to haunt her waking moments, but Harry knows that she needs to help get to the bottom of things. Now if she could just convince the sexy police detective, Cian Nash, to take her seriously.
Deadlocked - The Harry Russo Diaries, volume 3
When life gives you brownies, make coffee.
Angharad ‘Harry’ Russo has had a busy week. She’s fended off a swarm of pixies, battled blood-thirsty redcaps and put an end to a maniacal Fae prince hell-bent on eradicating the entire werewolf population. She’s also decided to open a coffee shop. Is it too much to ask for things to settle down so her life can go back to normal?
Apparently it is. As if being metaphysically bound to Cian Nash, the most aggravating yet desirable man she’s ever met, isn’t enough, Harry’s just found out that the Magister, the scariest, most powerful vampire around, is her father. Talk about your daddy issues!
Harry just wants to concentrate on getting the coffee shop open, but between the freaky ghosts that keep haunting her and rogue vampires terrorizing the city, it looks like normal is a thing of the past.
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When Mike first sets eyes on Allie, sparks fly. He knows there’s something there, but the reluctant, single mom is going to take some convincing. Good thing Mike is a persistent man. When strange things start to happen around town, his protective instinct is sent into high gear. It’s just as well, because when Allie starts playing detective, she may find herself in over her head.