by Dannika Dark
Several of them drummed their hands against the table, creating a riotous sound of applause.
Viktor took his seat, a smile softening out all the hard lines of his features.
When I moved toward my chair and pulled it back, Niko placed his hand in the seat.
“You can’t sit there.”
The right side of the table got up and moved one down so that the chair to Viktor’s left was empty.
“This is not a special seat,” he said, wagging his finger. “Otherwise I would not have Wyatt on my right. I like to keep an eye on the new ones, so you will stay close to me.”
Gem gave me a bright smile, her mouth open with excitement as she raised her glass.
“I thought you didn’t drink,” I pointed out.
“Grape juice.”
Wyatt snorted. “She likes the berries before they’ve been devirginized.”
Viktor rose from his seat and turned around, getting something at the short table behind him. Curious about Christian’s expression, I risked a glance. We’d had a brief discussion earlier, but some of the details were fuzzy. I guess I had too much going on in my head to pay attention.
Wyatt looked three sheets to the wind. He removed his hat, slid it onto Shepherd’s head, and then laced his fingers together while eyeballing Christian. “So how do you feel about your new partner, Mr. Poe?”
Christian draped his hand over the back of my chair. “She’ll change her mind before the week’s over. Not even her eyes can decide what color they want to be.”
I smiled up at him. “If I have to do your laundry this week, I might have to agree.” I leaned in and sniffed audibly.
Gem chortled. “It looks like Christian’s met his match.”
He withdrew his arm and gave me a peevish glance. When Viktor returned with a chalice in his hand, I turned to look. Christian tried to be discreet about sniffing his armpit, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye.
“This cup has been in my family for centuries,” Viktor began. “And with this empty cup, we look to each other to fill it up with justice, friendship, brotherhood, and blood.”
He handed the cup to Wyatt, who used the tip of a knife to prick his finger. Wyatt squeezed a couple of drops into the cup and then stuck his finger into his mouth.
“Really?” Shepherd said with derision. “You’re the biggest wuss I know. Give me that.”
Shepherd took the cup and knife from him, then sliced into his hand, sending a steady trickle of blood into the cup. “That’s how it’s done.”
Wyatt pulled his finger out his mouth. “I’m hurting.”
Shepherd glared at him. “Bullshit. You see this cup? You touched it, and that means I can feel what you’re feeling.”
“At least I won’t need stitches.”
Viktor snapped his fingers and pointed at Gem. Shepherd passed her the cup and knife, and they each took turns adding to the cup. When it reached Christian, his fangs punched out and he simply bit into his wrist, allowing the blood to trickle into the chalice.
When he set it in front of me, my stomach lurched. “I don’t have to drink this, do I?”
Niko sputtered with laughter.
Viktor set a clean knife in front of me. “It’s just symbolic.”
“She can use her fangs,” Christian suggested.
I picked up the knife and cut my hand, grimacing from the wound that would heal without a scar. Once I added my contribution, Viktor made a cut across his palm and squeezed his hand into a tight fist, releasing fat drops of blood to mix with our own. When he finished, he lifted the cup with his other hand.
“We are all different,” he said, “but we are all the same when it comes to our purpose in life. Keystone was just an idea, but has become a beating heart because of each one of you. We are different Breeds, genders, and personalities, but as you can see, our blood is the same. Let us drink together and celebrate our victory… and our future. Now, enough with the formalities. Pour the wine!”
A few cheers sounded, and Viktor placed the glass in the center of the table as a symbol of our union. No one touched it, and I wondered what he was going to do with it.
I bent close to Christian. “Thirsty? I bet that’s torture.”
He circled his finger around the rim of his glass, creating a bright note that hung in the air. “Not as torturous as having to partner with a scavenger. Come to think of it, I might need that drink after all.”
Hours later, I was gloriously inebriated. I quietly sat back and listened to everyone tell stories about their previous jobs, although some I had trouble following because of the uncontrollable laughter and inside jokes. Shepherd abandoning Christian with the cop was just one of many antics they played on each other. Their sense of humor delighted and frightened me all at once.
Gem skated out of the room when Wyatt turned in his chair and started talking to no one. Talking wasn’t the appropriate word so much as arguing with thin air. When we had a moment alone, I asked him why—as a Gravewalker—he hadn’t detected Christian at the cemetery. After all, that was his primary skill. Wyatt just gave me an impish grin and said he wanted to give the discovery a push in my favor. Maybe he was embarrassed to admit that he’d switched off his senses after assuming Christian was dead, but it was a nice thing to say.
I grabbed a bottle of wine with a few good swigs left in it and journeyed upstairs to my room.
My room.
I finally had a nest—a place to call home. A retreat where I could have privacy, feel safe, and not have to worry about where I was going to sleep on a rainy or wintry evening. But tonight wasn’t for sleeping, so I crawled out my window and onto the roof, balancing along the peak and nearly tripping when I spotted Gem in the courtyard pool, floating in the water. Not in her skates, of course, but she’d changed into a white gown. She looked like Ophelia down there—not swimming, just floating peacefully with the soft glow of green lights below her.
I crossed to the other side of the roof where it wasn’t so steep and sat down next to a window facing east. The stars burned through the night like pinholes in the curtain of darkness. Somehow the air felt cleaner, cooler, and the world opened up to a vast universe. Had it always been so beautiful?
My heart quickened when the window suddenly opened and Niko poked his head out.
He squinted at me and then smiled. “Mind if I join you? I thought I heard someone walking up here.”
“Sure. Just be careful. It’s slippery, and the roof is slanted,” I said, my words slurring.
Niko stepped behind me and sat to my left, a pleasant breeze blowing his hair behind his shoulders.
I took another swig of wine and handed it to him. Niko held the bottle and drank a mouthful before handing it back to me.
“I bet you’re not as drunk as I am,” I said, setting the bottle on the window ledge.
He lay back and stared at the sky. “I feel drunk beneath all these stars.”
I eased back next to him. “How is it you can see stars? Are you sure you’re blind?” I said with a snort.
“I’m quite certain. I’ve been thinking how strange it is that people have ridiculed you for your eyes. Why is color so important to those who see?”
“Because aside from gender, color is the easiest way to divide people.”
“I’ve experienced quite a lot of prejudice in my lifetime because of my heritage, but I’m trying to imagine how eye color can be important. Eyes are so small. It’s not as if your head is purple.”
I laughed. “Maybe you are drunker than I am.”
He made a soft sound, still staring upward. A shooting star quietly skated across the sky.
“So what do they look like?” I asked. “The stars, I mean.”
His voice was loose and relaxed. “I can’t compare it to what you see. Light is energy, and all that energy is flickering and shining above us. Maybe shining isn’t the right word, but it’s everywhere. Did you know most of those stars died long ago? Their light still shines. I never
knew such things when I was young; not until I became a Mage did the universe open up to me.”
“How do you fight people who have weapons?”
His brows drew down. “Good question. Some of it’s instinct, but weapons are an extension of their master. They absorb energy and intention, making them visible. Not always, but especially with a Mage or someone who’s lost control over his emotions. I’ve had centuries to refine my skills, but I’m not perfect. I still trip over curbs and run into poles.”
I shivered and took in the incredible view. I’d been on a million rooftops, but the only scenic views they gave were concrete streets and urban life. Moonlight glazed the tops of the trees like icing, and the sky was impossibly clear.
“So… you’re okay partnering with Christian?”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. You can’t trust Vampires.”
“Including you?”
I leaned over, my voice a loud whisper. “I’m part Mage.”
“Ah. So I can trust you partway.”
“Bingo.” My eyes hooded when the breeze skated across my skin. “Viktor didn’t leave me with a choice, but it doesn’t matter. I can deal with Christian.”
“You’ll be the first then. He keeps to himself most of the time. It hasn’t been an easy adjustment for the group, but maybe you’ll bring him out of his shell.”
“What am I, the turtle whisperer?”
Christian being the hermit of the house struck me as comical given his personality, but Vampires weren’t exactly notorious for forming close relationships with people.
“Niko, can you keep this a secret? Me coming up here, that is. It’s where I like to be alone.”
He snickered. “The roof?”
“When I was a kid, I used to climb on top of our trailer and just lie there, looking up at the stars. I still remember the sound of the train in the distance, the horn blowing in long intervals. I used to dream about running away and jumping onto one of those trains. It seems silly to think about it because they probably just went through small towns, but I craved adventure. I wanted to discover the world and be someone.”
“That is what all children dream.” He scooted his feet up, his legs bent at the knee.
I focused on a distant star and yawned. “Then we grow up and see the real world for what it is, and it’s not as magical as we first imagined. It’s dark and full of pain.”
He turned to face me. “So why do you still look up?”
Niko’s question spiked me through the heart, and I pushed myself to a sitting position.
He sat up and put his hand on my shoulder. “What did I say? Your light changed.”
After another gulp of wine, I lowered my voice, as if someone might actually hear me. “Do you think I’m evil?”
“Why would you ask me that?”
I pulled up my knees and hugged them. “All those men I’ve killed. Not as many as I first thought, now that I know how Vampires die, but still. I don’t feel any remorse for what I’ve done. They didn’t provoke the attack; I sought them out to punish them for their crimes.”
“They weren’t innocent,” he pointed out.
“No, but what makes me any different from them? I’ve been thinking a lot about it—good and evil. Is it based on our actions, reasons, or how we feel afterward? Is killing only wrong when the victim is innocent?”
The question hung in the air for what seemed like a stretch of eternity.
Niko glanced upward, the moonlight illuminating his face. “I don’t know, Raven. Maybe there is no good and evil.”
“So what makes us different?”
He gazed pensively into the darkness ahead. “We’re all sinners. Maybe what makes us different is that we’re willing to change.”
“I barely change clothes.”
“You’re here,” he said, tapping on the roof. “Same sky, different way of looking at it. Right?”
I’d felt disconnected for a long time. So much so that I didn’t even recognize my face in the mirror anymore. Keystone offered me a glimmer of hope that I might be a part of something greater, but I wondered if that was just a lie I was telling myself.
“Just be careful, Raven. This isn’t the end of your journey; it’s the beginning. You would be a fool to believe you’ve figured out your destiny. You are so young, and life will test you in more ways than you can imagine. Someday you’ll look back on this time and wonder who this person was. Just when you think you’ve figured out who you are, the fates have a way of testing you.” Niko stood up and carefully walked by me. “I’m full of spirits this evening.” He gripped the top edge of the window and turned his head. “Are you coming?”
“Nah. I think I’m going to watch the sunrise. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched one, and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
“As you wish.”
When he stepped inside, I glimpsed a dark shadow moving swiftly over the roof to my right. I could have sworn it was Christian, but the wine was probably playing tricks on my eyes.
I leaned back and gazed up at my future.
“Starlight, star bright…”
Acknowledgments
This book was a labor of love. Thank you to Kelly R., Teresa, Amber, Mikaela, Erin, Kelly K., and Bretaigne for your valuable contributions. Thank you, Anne, for cleaning up my messes and making my books shine. Thanks to my family for your unwavering support.
Keystone was written in 2010 as a follow-up to the Mageri series to explain where Christian Poe went. Destiny had more in store for him. Seven years later, he’s ready to share his story. It was also the chance for me to fall in love with a new leading lady, Raven Black, who is every bit as complicated, loyal, and tough as I could have hoped for in a character.
I dedicate this book to all my loyal readers who are always eager for the next adventure and new characters to fall in love with. This series will contain twists.
Enjoy the ride.
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Curious about Christian Poe?
See what his life was like prior to Keystone. The Mageri books are a complete series. Bingeable!
Sterling
Twist
Impulse
Gravity
Shine
The Gift
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THE MAGERI SERIES is an exciting urban fantasy romance about a young woman's claim to immortality. Passionate, humorous, dark, and full of unpredictable twists, the Mageri series will take you on an unforgettable journey of love, friendship, and the hidden power within us all. Cliffhanger-free.
THE SEVEN SERIES is a paranormal romance that portrays Shifters living in secret in the modern world. A blend of humor, heartwarming romance, drama, and real-life issues. This series is for those who believe in family, second chances, and finding that person who completes you. Cliffhanger-free.
THE CROSSBREED SERIES is a new Urban Fantasy Romance following a rogue who is half-Vampire, half-Mage. Caught between two worlds, she joins forces with a secret organization that takes down criminals. Will desire become her biggest distraction when she is paired up with a Vampire?
Note: All my fantasy stories are written in the same universe. Same Breeds, same rules, and may contain character crossovers/appearances.
Sometimes ordinary people are destined for extraordinary lives.
Dannika Dark Newsletter
Books by Dannika Dark:
THE MAGERI SERIES
Sterling
Twist
Impulse
Gravity
Shine
The Gift
MAGERI WORLD
Risk
NOVELLAS
Closer
THE SEVEN SERIES
Se
ven Years
Six Months
Five Weeks
Four Days
Three Hours
Two Minutes
One Second
Winter Moon
SEVEN WORLD
Charming
THE CROSSBREED SERIES
Keystone
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