by D. D. Miers
“My friend here has a problem.” Reina grabs my arm and pulls me forward to stand beside her.
The young girl assesses me from my worn converse sneakers to the messy blond bun atop my head. “She only sees clients at her shop on Royal Street. Visit her there on Tuesday.”
As the girl moves to close the door, Reina uses her booted foot to wedge it open. “This isn’t the sort of situation where we can just ‘come back another time.’ Please, we need to see her tonight. Now.”
“Reina, let’s just forget—”
“No. You promised we would try, and right now, you’re not even trying.”
She’s right. I gave up long before we even arrived.
Reina and I have been friends since we met eight years ago. When she moved from Cali to Louisiana, I thought I died inside.
Now, that statement feels far less authentic.
We remained close over the years, and as soon as I finished my two years at JC, I packed up my things and moved here.
We’ve never faced a problem without each other. When her neglectful mother died and left her their house, we’d moved in and made it our own. Now, I’m apparently a bloodsucker, and we’re here together, facing that as well.
I take a deep breath and look straight into the young girl’s big, brown eyes. “Look, just tell her something for me—and if she still doesn’t want to see us—then we’ll go.”
“And what do you want me to tell her?”
God, I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud. “I think I was bitten by a vampire. I crave something I can’t discern, and I tried to attack her this morning.” I gesture to Reina.
Surprisingly, the girl doesn’t laugh or even smile. She leans her head to the side, keeping her gaze on mine. The throb of her jugular captures my attention, and I can’t look away.
“Wait here.” She snaps the door shut. A minute later, she returns holding the door open, ushering us inside. As we slip into the entryway, she stops. “You’ll need to take off your shoes. Mama doesn’t like the soils from outside brought in.”
I lean one hand on the wall and kick off my converse shoes. Reina does the same with her boots. It feels strange to enter her home without knowing her name. I introduce myself. “I’m Aurora by the way, and she’s Reina”
“Breanne.” The girl nods. “You brought money?”
Reina pulls a wad of cash out of her purse and pulls two hundred-dollar bills. She places them in Breanne’s palm.
Breanne doesn’t say anything. She takes the money and turns. I can’t tell whether she’s always like this or she doesn’t like me. Her bare feet pad down the hall ahead of us. I assume we’re supposed to follow, so we do. We pass several bedrooms and an arched doorframe which gives us a peek into a soft yellow-and-white kitchen. I can’t see the stove, but the aromas floating around are revving my appetite again.
At the end of the hall, the space opens up to a large living room with high tray ceilings. A small TV hums in the corner, the barely audible sounds of a reality show competing with the low music playing from another room. This apartment appears aged and worn but not unappealing. A sea-green recliner faces the television, and the back of a woman’s curly red-haired head perches over the top cushion.
Breanne walks up to her and whispers something into the woman’s ear. She picks up a remote from the end table, clicks the TV off, and spins around.
I’m shocked to see that Mama Lisette is barely older than us, maybe late twenties at the most. Her strawberry blond hair falls in curls around her tan, heart-shaped face. She looks so different from the flyers. I imagine she must wear lots of makeup and a wig when she’s playing the Madame of Black Magic.
“So, which one of you needs my help?”
I raise my hand slightly and smile. I’ve never felt more ridiculous in my life, but since no one else is laughing, I won’t either.
She keeps her eyes fixed on me. “You were bitten?”
“I’m pretty sure.”
“You either were—or you weren’t—so which is it?”
This chick isn’t fucking around.
I know it happened, but the longer I doubt it, the longer I have before everything in my life changes. “I was.”
The cushion creeks as she stands and takes three steps toward me. “Where?”
This is the awkward part. He’d bitten me just over my left breast. I have to tug down the neck of my blouse to show her. “Here,” I say, revealing the torn flesh.
The wound has yet to heal. If anything, it looks worse today than when it happened. Two red, angry bite marks surrounded by blue-green bruises and several other teeth indents.
She doesn’t ask my permission as she traces her hand over my wound and then pauses. “I need you to sit down.” She drops down to her knees before me as I land on the couch cushion. She returns her hand to my skin and closes her eyes. Her lips move, but no sound comes out.
No, this isn’t awkward at all. There’s just a voodoo queen holding my breast in her palm while she chants to herself.
I glance over to Reina. She smiles, encouraging me to stick with this even though I’m clearly not feeling it. Just when I’m starting to think this is a load of bullshit, everything in the room fades, and I’m thrust into a storm.
The world moves at an impossible pace of both slow motion and fast forward. Time lurches, and I’m back at work last week. My coworker, Ashley, drops her pen into the mocha she just bought. It splashes up and whipped cream hits her glasses. We both start laughing.
Time zooms again, and now I’m standing at the door of my car. It’s evening, and low fog has rolled in. I pluck my keys from my purse. Seconds later, a hand grabs me from behind. I drop my keys and scream, and time moves again.
I’m being slammed against a grime-covered wall between two buildings. Another flash and the stench of rotten garbage and something I can’t discern, something . . . metallic? My chest burns, and I open my eyes. I’m slumped against the wall as a man is biting into the top of my breast. I want to fight, but I can’t. I feel the strength leaving me.
White light flashes, and now I am standing in a blood-covered room. No, not a room, a chamber. Bodies litter the floor as a sea of ruby flows from the ground. A woman sits on a stone throne. She raises a finger toward me, and as something flies from her hands, time zooms once more.
I stand before a man. Everything about him is in shadow except the piercing blue of his eyes. He turns away, and a door slams shut in my face, an enormous K engraved on it.
“Aura! Aura!”
I open my eyes and see Reina and Breanne leaning over me. I’m flat on my back, covered in layers of sweat. “What the fuck?” I say as I sit up. My head spins from moving too quickly.
“What the fuck is right.” Reina turns from me to Mama Lisette who’s crouched on her hands and knees several feet away. “What the hell did you do to her?”
“What happened?” I ask.
“You had a seizure or something. It’s been almost ten-freakin’-minutes, and nobody here would let me call for help.”
Reina’s pissed. Breanne watches us both, and Mama Lisette stares at me like I’m a two-headed unicorn. At that moment, I realize she’s also covered in sweat and shaking. Did she see all of that? Did she feel it?
“I can’t help you,” Mama Lisette says as she climbs to her feet. “You need to go.”
With Reina’s help, I stand. “What just happened to me? Why do you look so scared?”
She shakes her head and moves toward the kitchen, but I follow. I grab her arm. She tries to tug herself free, but my grip is too strong.
It’s never been this strong.
We both look down at my hand, and after a second, I release her. “You said you could help.”
“I never said that I could. I only asked who needed help and what happened.”
“Then why did you let us in?”
She shakes her head again, and I hear Reina and Breanne come in behind me.
“I can’t help unless—�
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“Unless what?” Reina snaps. “Unless we give you another five hundred dollars? Is that what this is? A shakedown?”
Mama Lisette slams her fits onto the counter. “Unless the vampire is still alive!” Her hand points to me as if in accusation. “But your sire is dead. Of that much, I am certain. There’s no way to stop the change now.”
“Holy fuck.” Reina practically falls into a chair beside her. “This is real?”
A million questions rush my mind, but I can’t formulate words. The sight of all that blood is doing something to me. My skin itches and aches at the same time, and a ravenous hunger, one I’ve tried to bury deep, has surged to the forefront of my thoughts.
“You’re at the end of this, Aurora. I’m surprised you haven’t already succumbed.”
Reina looks from me to Mama Lisette before she speaks. “How long does she have?”
Mama shrugs. “Hours. Minutes? I’ve never seen someone go as long as she has without turning.” She nudges her head toward me. “You’re running on empty, Aurora. It will only take one moment.” She snaps her fingers. “Then your control will disappear.”
“Can’t you give her something, to help?” Reina asks. “Cast a protection spell on her mind? Or something? Anything!”
Reina’s desperation shocks me out of my thoughts.
Mama Lisette shakes her head, “This is different.”
“Why?” I ask.
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You saw it too, Aurora. You felt it.”
Reina grabs my bicep. “Saw what, Aura?”
“This kind of magic, this kind of power, it’s connected to something dark. Something ancient.” Mama steps toward me and places her hands on my shoulders. “The darkness is coming for you, Aurora. You can’t outrun it. You can’t hide from it. And you can’t defeat it.”
“What are you saying?” Reina asks.
Mama doesn’t move her eyes from mine. “I’m saying Aurora is marked by death—and her time has run out.”
Continue Reading Aurora’s Story in Aurora: The Kresova Vampire Harems Volume One! It includes the first three books of the series and is free on Kindle Unlimited!
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read Grave Mistake. We hope you enjoyed reading about Vexa!
This is a slow burn reverse harem series with five books total, so make sure you’re ready for each book as they come out every month!
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Stay Wicked,
Graceley & Dee
Also By Graceley Knox & D.D. Miers
The Girl, Vampire Series
1. Girl, Bitten
2. Girl, Forsaken
3. Girl, Immortal
How to Be A Necromancer
1. Grave Promise
2. Grave Debt
3. Grave Promise
4. Grave Magic (Coming September 2oth!)
The Half-Blood Huntress Chronicles
1. Curse of Iron (Coming September 4th!)
The Kresova Vampire Harems: Aurora
1.Thirst
2.Tempt
3.Turn
All in One: Aurora
The Kresova Vampire Harems: Lyra
1. Favor
2. Fury
Alana Creed: Timejumper
1. Fae Kissed
By Graceley Knox
The Wicked Kingdoms Series:
1. Mark of Truth
2. Crown of Betrayal
3. Throne of Secrets
4. Castle of Illusions (Coming August 31st!)
The Dragon Stone Saga:
1.Kiss of Frost
2.Up in Smoke (Coming Soon)
3.Shake the Ground (Coming Soon)
By D.D. Miers
The Relic Keeper Series
1.Dark Summoner
2.Dark Illusions
3.Dark Secrets (Coming Soon!)
4.Dark Destiny (Coming Soon!)
Standalones:
City of Shadows: The Dark Fae Hollows
Wicked: The Isa Fae
About the Authors
USA Today bestselling authors, Graceley Knox and D.D. Miers may be long-lost sisters, but their moms continue to deny it. They are most definitely the co-writers of the Kresova Vampire Harem series, as well as a multitude of other upcoming projects they can't wait to share with readers.
Together they tend to share the same brain, finish each other's thoughts, laugh way too hard at inappropriate comments, drink enough coffee to qualify for an intervention, and talk about their fur babies. When they're not chatting, which is always, they can be found all over social media hanging out with their author friends and readers!
Visit them at www.knoxandmiers.com
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