From the Grave

by Karina Espinosa

  “Where are you going?” he asked as I started to get ready. It was already late in the afternoon and there was sign of any of the bitten humans or Enzo. Natasha was also surprisingly quiet.

  “I’m going home to change. I made dinner plans with Amy tonight.” It wasn’t a lie.

  “And you want to leave with the way things are right now?” He tilted his head to the side.

  “They haven’t made a move, and the warehouse is as safe as it can be.” I shrugged.

  “Are you sure?” he countered.

  I raised a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head. “Tell Amy I said hello.”

  I had to bite my tongue. I wanted to argue, but right now, I was on a mission. He was baiting me, that much I was sure, and he knew which buttons to push, but I had to get home and catch the scent before it was gone.

  Whoever this Enzo guy was, he was a professional. My door wasn’t busted in or anything. It was as if he had a spare key. It was perfectly picked. If I hadn’t been informed, I would have never known someone had broken in. Everything was in place, and the scent was minimal. I wanted to facepalm myself for killing so much time, but I knew exactly where the smell would be the strongest. My refrigerator was where I stuck all my pictures with magnets. One of the pictures of Amy and me at Coney Island was missing. I half-shifted and placed my muzzle near the front of the freezer and sniffed.

  There.

  Gotcha, bitch.

  “You got it?” Jonah asked as his apparition hovered behind me.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Too damn easy.”

  “Did you tell Bash?”

  I snorted. “What do you think?”

  “Kenzie …”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you, Jonah. Once I get more information, I’ll share. For now, this is all preliminary. It could be nothing.”

  I hated lying to Bash. It was becoming easier and harder every day. But the protective side of me, the wolf in me, urged me to hold back and keep Bash safe. Hell, even the cop in me wanted to keep Bash out of it for his own safety. I had to lie and keep information to myself until I had no choice but to involve him. The deception was starting to make me sweat profusely.

  “What are you going to do now?” Jonah asked.

  “Warn Amy. He has her picture too. We can’t be too careful,” I said.

  “Exactly.” Jonah followed me to my bedroom, where I started to grab clean clothes. “He can be following your every move. Have you thought about that?”

  I smirked. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

  Jonah scoffed. “Don’t be reckless, Kenz!”

  “You know I’ll be careful. Especially with Amy’s life.”

  I took my clean clothes into the bathroom and slammed the door in Jonah’s face. Finally, some peace and quiet. He was right to worry, but he also needed to give me some credit. I was a cop, for God’s sake. I could handle myself.

  The fastest way to St. Paul’s Cathedral was taking a taxi, so I shelled out the cash and told the cabbie to step on it. I also knew if I was being followed, this was the easiest way to lose him and give myself a head start before he found me again.

  A lot had changed. St. Paul’s had all the fixtures of a gothic Roman Catholic Church, but during the war against the Fae queen, it’d been burned down. Many vampires had been killed and injured during the fire—Amy would have, too, had I not gone in to get her. They’ve spent months rebuilding this old church, but it still had its old, run-down appearance. The gray paint was faded and chipping, and the little bit of lawn area around the cathedral had either patches of dirt with dead plants or overgrown grass and weeds. The surrounding area was littered with garbage that passersby had left. I would have to talk to Lucian about this.

  I walked up the steps and into the darkened church. The inside was an even bigger mess. The pews were crooked, and it smelled of incense and burned-out candles. Dust clouded the place. They seriously needed a maid service. If I inhaled deeply, I could still smell the odor of smoke.

  “Hellooooo?” My voice echoed in the cathedral. The sound made the birds in the ceiling fly out the broken window.

  Jesus, this place is even more run-down than I remember.

  “My dear, dear pet,” Lucian called out, his British accent clear as day. “What a wonderful surprise.”

  I spun around toward the front of the church where the altar was, and there stood the Head Vampire of New York City—Lucian Young.

  “I didn’t expect to see you today,” I said as we approached each other.

  He pulled me into a hug. Lucian and I had a very interesting relationship, but I considered him a friend and extremely trustworthy. I’d trust this man with my life, which I’d done so many times in the past. When I was a hunted lone-wolf, he helped me escape to Los Angeles, where I’d had a modicum of freedom for a full year. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. He would have helped me keep running, but I was done. I didn’t want to run my whole life, and that’s when I decided to finally stand up for myself and fight for my freedom. But I couldn’t have done any of it without Lucian’s support.

  “Are you disappointed to see me, pet?”

  I laughed. “Never. I just expected to see Amy.”

  He grinned, his fangs peeking out. “She’s in the back getting ready. What’s been going on?”

  “Nothing. Same ol’ stuff.” I smiled widely. Telling Lucian anything was like telling Alexander. They were practically best friends, and I was almost positive Lucian was giving Alexander reports on my well-being, so I had to be very, very careful of what I said.

  “Good. Have you spoken to your father?”

  I nodded. “Every week. I think he’s planning another trip here soon. He probably misses that New York pizza—”

  “You’re hiding something, pet,” Lucian interrupted.

  “Moi?” I placed a palm on my chest in mock horror.

  “Yes, you.” He pointed a finger at me. “If you wish not to tell me, that’s fine, but you can trust me. I have resources.”

  “Thanks, Lucian, but I promise I’m fine.”

  He shrugged. “Very well. Here comes Ms. Fitzgerald now.”

  Amy came from around the altar and toward the pews where we stood. “Ready?”

  “Yup!” I was ready to get the hell out from under Lucian’s prying eyes. Those black pits were drilling holes into me just waiting to get the goods, and I had many secrets to spill. “Nice seeing you again.” I waved at Lucian as I grabbed Amy’s hand and practically dragged her out of the cathedral.

  “Whoa, slow down there, wolfey.” Amy skidded to a stop about two blocks away from the church. “You’re like Speedy Gonzalez right now. What gives?”

  “We’re not safe out in the open.” I hailed a cab, threw some money in the front seat, and told the driver to keep driving. Trust me, taxis in New York City are not cheap.

  “What’s going on?” Amy asked, and I filled her in on what was happening with Bash and the Brooklyn Pack. It was supposed to stay a secret, but I told Amy everything. I couldn’t keep this from her, especially if Enzo had a picture of her. She had to be aware.

  “And Jonah interrupted during nookie time?” she said with a gleam in her eye. Of course, this was the part of the story she caught on to the most. “What did Bash say?”

  I threw my head back and groaned. “What do you think? He thinks I’m nuts. I was practically talking to myself in front of him. He knows I’ve lost my marbles.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” she reassured me.

  “Yes, he does. He’s questioning everything I say. He knows something’s not right upstairs.” I pointed to my head.

  “What about this Natasha chick? She definitely knows more about Enzo. Who’s interrogating her?”

  “Bash and Duke, but they’re going easy on her because she’s just as much a victim as they are. She’s completely brainwashed,” I explained. “Enzo really has her believing this story.”

  “But why, Kenz?
Why does she believe this so much?” Amy pondered. “Do you think she’s in love with him?”

  “What?” I scoffed. “No way … You think?”

  “It’s the only thing I can think of as to why she shut down when you started asking questions about him. To protect him.”

  When I really thought about it, I never asked Natasha how she’d met the other humans. Or if she knew Enzo before she was bitten. These were all crucial questions I should have asked, but I was so consumed by anger and fear of losing Bash I couldn’t think straight. Amy was right. I needed to figure out what Natasha’s relationship was to Enzo first.

  Dinner was moot after that car ride. We got a quick bite to eat at Gray’s Papaya, and I dropped Amy off at the cathedral. She’d be safe with the vampires. Enzo wouldn’t be stupid enough to touch her under the protection of Lucian, so I walked home with ease.

  Halfway home, I felt his presence. At that point, it was almost as if he wasn’t trying to hide it anymore. He probably was hoping I’d acknowledge him, but I didn’t. I wanted to play stupid and let two different scenarios play out. One, he’d try to encounter me now, or two, I would confront him by surprise when I got home, leading him to my territory. Either way, I was prepared. Not only was I a wolf, I was packing a gun filled with silver bullets. Not the most humane way to kill someone, but I wasn’t known to play nice.

  When we made it to my block, I decided it was time. Searching the area, I found nothing out of place.

  “I’m surprised you followed me all the way home without saying a word,” I said as I continued walking. “Although, maybe I’m not surprised. You’re more of the recon type, not so much the attacker. You let others do your dirty work.”

  He cleared his throat. “So you did figure me out. I was wondering if you had or if you were just plain stupid.”

  I snorted. “How sweet of you to be worried about my I.Q.” I stopped walking and turned around.

  Before me was a man in a hoodie that covered most of his face. All I got was a glimpse of his mouth as he continued to speak.

  “Mackenzie Grey. I’ve heard about you. Everyone has,” he said. “The Freedom Princess. The lone-wolf Luna who set us all free.”

  Us. Interesting.

  “Nice to meet you too … Enzo,” I replied, taking a gamble.

  He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and I worried I might have gotten it wrong.

  “I guess you’re not so stupid.”

  I released a breath and nodded upstairs to my apartment. “Want to come up for some coffee and chat? You’ve already been inside.” Keeping him in an isolated area would be the best option.

  He tilted his head, and I wondered who was under that hood.

  “Sure,” he said.

  Giving him my back, not so smartly, I led the way up to my third-floor flat. I made sure to keep my heartbeat at a steady pace as I pulled out my keyring, inserted the key, steadily twisted it. Turning the doorknob, I pushed open the door and walked in first to avoid any suspicion of a trap.

  “Come in,” I waved a hand once I turned the lights on. Enzo stood underneath the doorway, hesitant. “No one else is here.” On that note, Jonah popped his head out of my bedroom.

  “That’s him!” Jonah shouted. I didn’t acknowledge him.

  Enzo finally walked inside, and I closed the door behind him, leaving it unlocked. He needed to see an act of kindness, so I’d give him one. Just one.

  “You must be hot under that hoodie in this summer heat,” I started. “Why the hood, Enzo?”

  “You ask a lot of questions,” he countered. “When is it my turn?”

  I shrugged. “I’m just filling the awkward silences. I’m an open book, so ask away.”

  Something wasn’t right. Enzo stood in my apartment as if he were waiting for something, stalling. He didn’t need to search for anything because he’d already been in here, but what was he waiting for now?

  “What is your relationship with Sebastian Steel?” he asked, straight to the point.

  “Why does that matter to you?”

  “Kenzie, be careful,” Jonah warned beside me. “He seems unhinged.”

  “You said you were an open book. I’m asking the questions.” Enzo took a step toward me.

  “Sebastian is a very close friend of mine, which is why I’m taking your attack on him very personally.” I placed my hand on my hip, close to my gun.

  He grunted. “I think you’re more than friends, and that’s a problem for me.”

  “How so, Enzo?” I twisted my body to hide the fact I was now gripping my gun.

  “Because I cannot kill the Freedom Princess … or her mate.” He took another step toward me, and I held my breath. “Is Sebastian Steel your mate, Mackenzie?”

  I froze. He was so close to me I could smell the cigarettes he’d smoked earlier in the day. How I hadn’t caught that sooner was beyond me, but now that he was only two feet away, I was smelling everything about Enzo, and it freaked me out.

  “Kenz!” Jonah yelled. “Tell him Bash is your mate. Tell him!”

  “Y-Yes,” I stuttered. “Sebastian Steel is more than my mate. He’s my Anam Aonachd. If you kill him, I will hunt you until my last dying breath. Choose your following words very, very carefully, Enzo.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted to a grin, and I wanted to smack it away. He disgusted me. “Interesting. I like games. Don’t tempt me, Mackenzie. After I’m finished with Duke, I might get bored.”

  “Mackenzie, don’t!” Jonah shouted, but it was too late.

  I whipped out my gun and aimed it straight for Enzo’s temple. “Don’t threaten me,” I growled. “I protect what’s mine.”

  He laughed, taunting me. Enzo walked forward until the muzzle was touching his forehead through his hoodie. “Go ahead. Shoot me. It won’t stop them. They’ll get what they deserve.”

  I unclipped the safety on the gun. “What do they deserve?”

  “They killed innocents! They broke the law.”

  “And what? That makes you judge, jury, and executioner?”

  “Kenzie …” Jonah muttered as he walked around us eyeing Enzo. “He’s …”

  “It does! When you’re all—”

  “He’s not Enzo,” Jonah said.

  “You’re a liar,” I snapped. I snatched his hood off his head and was face to face with … a human. “You’re not Enzo.”

  The human laughed. “Nope, but he sends his regards.”

  I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him on the ground, strangling him. He smiled while I choked him.

  “Kenzie, stop!” Jonah cried, but I was blinded by rage. “Check his ears! He’s being fed information. Check his ears!”

  I slammed the human on the ground once more until his head bounced and I knocked him out. It wasn’t hard enough to kill him, but I wanted to. I dug my finger in his ear for the comms and found what I was looking for. Jonah was right. Enzo was listening in to the conversation and feeding him the answers. He was smart to use the humans as his soldiers. I put the earpiece in my ear and cleared my throat.

  “Listen up, you piece of shit. If you think hiding behind your humans keeps you safe, you’re wrong. I have Natasha, and I’m coming for you. This is your only warning.”

  I heard his breathing on the other end before he disconnected the line and was gone.

  My nostrils flared. I wanted to throw the comms against the wall and smash it into tiny pieces.

  You wanna play, Enzo? Game on, motherfucker.

  8

  I spent the next day dodging Bash’s phone calls like the plague. But if he knew what I was up to, he would kill me. Literally. I had a lot of cleanup to do—mainly taking care of the human body in my apartment, which meant contacting Bobby Wu again. I swear, having him on retainer was going to bite me in the ass one day. But Bobby came through and wiped the human’s memory of Enzo and me and was going to take him to the Queens Pack for initiation because, of course, the poor human was bitten as well. I was going to owe the w
arlock a whole lot of favors after this.

  Now, I waited on Amy; she was the only one I could count on. She was also the only one I’d confided in, so there was that. I buzzed her in when she arrived. It was weird having others in my apartment since Jonah was here as well, especially since she knew of his existence.

  “Is he here? Can he hear me?” She tiptoed inside, looking around my living room as if she could see Jonah’s apparition.

  “Yeah,” I chuckled. “He’s sitting on the sofa.”

  “Oh shit.” She swerved and almost fell while attempting to sit on the sofa. “I guess I’m not sitting there.”

  “It’s okay. You can’t sit on him.”

  “I know, but it’s weird, you know?”

  I nodded.

  Jonah stood, and his dimple poked out when he smiled. “Tell her I say hey and I miss her.”

  “Jonah misses you,” I said as we made ourselves comfortable in the living room.

  “I miss you too,” she replied. “I’m sorry I haven’t taken the cure yet. I don’t want you to think you died for nothing. It haunts me every day …”

  “Oh, Amy,” Jonah murmured, “I don’t want you to ever feel pressured. If you never take it, that’s perfectly fine, just know you have the option.”

  I told Amy what he said, but it didn’t do much. I could see the guilt in her eyes. We’d had this conversation on many occasions.

  “I want to take the cure,” Amy said. “I just don’t know when. I’m scared. Going back to being a fragile human is …”

  “Is scary.” Jonah laughed. “It’s completely understandable. I didn’t die solely for the cure, Amy. Please know that. Rest easy knowing it was my time to go.”

  I think after a while of going back and forth with Jonah and Amy, she got some of the closure she needed after Jonah’s death. Out of all of us, Amy had the most pressure with the cure and not having taken it really added to it.

  To give us a semblance of privacy, Jonah went to the Brooklyn Pack to look after Bash while Amy and I came up with a plan.

  “Have you spoken to Jackson?” I inquired. She rarely spoke about him as of late. They dated for a long time, until Amy became a vampire. It messed up everything. During the war, it seemed like they’d started to patch things up again.