Black Magic - An Urban Fantasy Colleciton Page 5

  She took aim and fired her raygun, hitting James’ heart, the concentrated steam breaking skin and bone to hit the pumpingmuscle dead centre.

  James dropped to the floor, but not before muscle reflex made him still shoot the arrow. Daniela watched in horror as he fell to the floor, blood puddling beneath him, and the arrow headed straight for her.

  She heard Lucien scream her name, and then she heard no more.

  ***

  Daniela smelled pipe tobacco, antiseptic, and blood. The tobacco was familiar: she had always smelled it on Lucien. She felt so weak, and there was a point of pain in her left shoulder that was throbbing, making it hard for her to think or focus.

  She wearily opened her eyes, the events in Oakcrest coming back to her in bits and pieces. I killed a man, she thought, oddly feeling no remorse. James had been insane and needed to be stopped. What happened after I fainted? Where is Lucien?

  All she saw was a ceiling, and when she turned her head, she managed a smile. Lucien was sitting in a chair, watching her. His face was healed, and it looked as if his knee was as well. Barnabas was next to him, sleeping.

  “You are awake,” he said quietly, coming to her side. She was in her room, on her bed, she realised. “Thank you, Daniela, for saving me.” He took her hand in his, gently rubbing her fingers.

  She cleared her throat, finding speaking difficult. “James?”

  “Dead,” he replied. “And, if it makes you feel any better, he will be posthumously convicted of not just his father’s murder, but of many other murders and assaults here in London.”

  She closed her eyes again, weary. “Good. ...How did we escape from Oakcrest?”

  “Barnabas came for us,” Lucien smirked. “Before I employed him as my caretaker, he was a physician. He was able to fix your wound with a minimum of trouble. It was quite deep, and he did have to use a bit of my blood to heal you. Vampire blood has amazing healing factors: it can cauterise almost any wound.”

  “Thank you.” She still could not open her eyes. She felt so weak. She managed to move her hand and he held it tighter, winding their fingers together. “I wish you could have healed it altogether. At this rate, it will be ages before I can resume work on your ship.”

  Lucien chuckled. His deep voice always sent a warm feeling through her body. “Daniela, I love you. I love you too much to ever let you slip away from me. The longer you must remain here, the better for me.”

  Daniela was quiet, letting him pet at her a bit. The feeling was unusual but nice. “What about forever?”

  “Hm?”

  “I said, what if I were to stay forever?” She watched as his expression turned bewildered. She imagined that that was not a frequent feeling for him, and couldn’t help her triumphant smile.

  His grip on her got tighter. “You want...to be turned? Daniela, while I am quite ready to turn you right here, in this very moment, is that wise? Do you understand what you are getting into?”

  She nodded. “I understand that I have fallen hopelessly in love with you. That I want to be by your side, and not have mortality take me away in just a few years. I know that we will always be hunted, persecuted for being different. I accept that. I will accept any danger if it means I get to stay by your side for eternity.”

  Lucien’s face was still bewildered, but his smile said everything his voice failed. She wondered if anyone had managed to render Lucien Crosthwaite speechless before. It was doubtful. His fangs slowly extended, long and smooth like ivory. His eyes darkened into a fiery red, all traces of blue vanished.

  “This is your final chance to say no, Daniela,” he warned. His arm went behind her back, so she was reclining in his arms. “If you chose not to, we can still be together for quite some time.”

  She shook her head. “Turn me, Lucien. Please. And we can leave here, as soon as I finish the ship. You and I...and him, if he ever wakes up.” She gestured towards the still slumbering Barnabas.

  Lucien laughed, pressing his face to her neck. She felt the pressure of the fangs behind his teeth and her nerves were set on edge. This was her last moment of humanity, and she found that she was not mourning the loss: instead, she was excited for the next century by Lucien’s side.

  “You are a peculiar case, Daniela Gable,” he said. “I will enjoy having eternity to try and figure you out.”

  He gently arched her neck, and his fangs pierced her skin, bonding them till the end of time.

  THE CHOSEN

  ELAINE WHITE

  PROLOGUE

  2021

  Laughter bubbled out of him before he could hold it back. He couldn’t help it, though. Brendan was so funny and, at the moment, River couldn’t take his eyes off him.

  For their third date, everything was going so well. It was the first time in forever that he’d really connected with a date, since his God awful break up a year ago.

  “I’m serious!” Brendan protested, with a grin. “It really happened. The guy was all prepped and ready to go, but the minute he started talking about how much trouble he’d get in if his mother found out–” He stopped and laughed a little. “That was the night over.”

  River smiled and linked his arm through Brendan’s as they walked away from the restaurant, wondering if now was the best time to suggest they go back to his place or whether he should wait to see if Brendan would ask him first. It was always this part that made him feel so awkward.

  He turned to stare into that handsome face that had captivated him all night, only getting so far as to open his mouth before a bolt of lightning, out of nowhere, made them pause.

  Brendan smiled in that disappointed way that said he didn’t want it to rain either. “Should we make a run for the car or duck into a doorway?” he asked, peeking up through his eyelashes in a tempting, seductive look.

  For a split second, he wondered if that request suggested what he thought it did. Namely that they should duck into a doorway to make out, until the rain stopped. It was an appealing thought, but he wasn’t sure whether to just run for the car, like he suggested, to get home quicker or to make the most of the weather.

  Before he could reply, the ground trembled and River was thrown into Brendan’s chest with such force that they both fell against the wall. A moan escaped him and he was about to vocalise his complaint when screams began somewhere nearby.

  “What the fuck is that?” Brendan asked, pushing him away so that he could walk into the centre of the road and look around.

  River wasn’t so quick to follow. A shiver raced down his spine, making him hunch in on himself in concern. He had a feeling something awful was coming and, when he sniffed, a horrible mixture of sulphur and burning flesh overwhelmed his senses. Pushing himself from the wall, he reached for Brendan and opened his mouth to warn him.

  Then another rumbled split the road and one crack turned into a road-length chasm that burned bright red. The stench intensified, until River had to drag the bottom of his t-shirt up to his nose, to block the smell.

  “Brendan!” He shouted to be heard over the screams resonating all around. Something seriously dangerous was coming, but he didn’t understand what. “Shit!” He got halfway towards his date, only to find the chasm blocked his way. Brendan was just out of his reach and heading into the thick of the darkness that spread over the street.

  Everything about this was unnatural, but River couldn’t do anything from where he stood. His head was starting to spin with the smell of the sulphur and his heart was racing. Two distinct signs that he was about to suffer.

  A whoosh made him turn, his eyes popping open at the sight of thick leathery wings that descended to the ground two feet from where Brendan stood.

  “No! Don’t touch him!” River shouted, backing away a few steps and taking a deep breath. Once he was ready, he slowly released the breath and took a run at the chasm. Just before he reached the break, he jumped
and realised, halfway across the six foot break, that he wasn’t going to make it.

  Closing his eyes, River did the one thing he didn’t want to do; he let his natural instincts take hold. Extending his arm, it transformed from human flesh into thick hair and long claws; his entire arm became twice the length to grasp at the jagged edge of the chasm.

  The pain was unbearable; bones broke and twisted inside of him, but River clenched his teeth against the agony and kept his eyes closed. His organs reshaped and readjusted to the transformation, moving into something foreign and inhuman.

  With a tentative hold, his claws dug in and he was able to climb up onto the broken pavement. He crawled towards Brendan, who lay on the ground with a blank expression on his face and a hideous demon standing over him. Wings spread out for six feet, encasing Brendan’s lifeless body in darkness.

  “Get off him!” River screamed, but his words came out as a deep growl.

  The transformation had taken most of his strength, but as long as he could crawl, he’d keep going. Within a few more desperate minutes, his claws digging into the asphalt until it cracked around each point of contact, River finally reached Brendan’s body and dragged himself to his feet.

  He grabbed the beast’s right wing and pulled until it cracked and the being howled in pain. A distorted human face turned to snarl at him, but River was far from caring. His own face finished the transformation until he was nothing more than the werewolf of his ancestry, baring his long teeth at the demon.

  “Mine!” he growled, pulling the wing one more time until it cracked in a second spot, indicating a break somewhere. Swiping at the demonic face, he left three long scratches across the human cheek which finally convinced the being to retreat.

  Backing away in a disorientated stumble, the winged beast took flight and flew away, leaving River alone with his date. The transformation back to human happened in an instant, without the pain and breaking bones of the reverse method. Leaving him kneeling over Brendan, who lay staring at the darkening sky with unseeing eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, brushing his dark hair back from his now dull blue eyes. “You were...the first guy in...forever,” he confessed, as he began to cry. The first guy he’d ever dated in a whole year, that hadn’t frightened him or turned him off within the first hour.

  The first guy who had made him happy.

  CHAPTER 1

  Six Weeks Later

  River tugged the collar of his jacket around his neck, to keep out the chill wind of the night. It was unusual for a werewolf to feel the cold, but a lot of strange things had happened lately, most of which remained unexplained.

  Brendan was long gone, buried in a family plot. River hadn’t been allowed to go to his funeral, after some stupid eyewitness had filmed his transformation on that fateful night. It was unbelievable that in the midst of an Apocalyptic situation, people were still glued to their phones, filming everything in sight. As though their views on YouTube still mattered. As though YouTube would still exist after the world ended.

  It had been somewhat of a surprise to River that the world hadn’t ended. He huddled closer to his jacket and glanced warily around the street. The world had become so much more dangerous since that night, but it didn’t take the sting off knowing that his entire life was ruined because of some moron with a camera.

  “Fucking idiots,” he grumbled, glaring at the newspapers that had been plastered to the broken windows of his garage.

  Hell on Earth

  The headline made him roll his eyes, because it was an over exaggeration. Sure, a heck of a lot of bad guys had come through whatever rift had been created between worlds, but that didn’t mean Hell had erupted on them. It just meant that the things – and beings – that had exposed themselves to the world had grown fed up of hiding in shadows.

  And, considering how he’d been treated by friends, family and his own employees, he couldn’t blame them. River was only this way because of a stupid teenage prank that went wrong, when he was sixteen. He’d never told anyone, since it only took six months to figure out that if he accepted his fate and learned how to control it he wouldn’t be a victim to the full moon anymore. So he’d gone on a six month tour of Europe, so everyone thought, but had really gone back to the place he’d met this fate and learned how to get himself under control.

  Now all of that was for nothing.

  He stopped outside the double doors of his garage, a business that had been closed the minute the vandals and protesters came along, insisting that no werewolf should own a business. Well, they’d gotten their way, because no one had stopped by the garage since that first day after the world fell apart.

  “Another day in paradise.” He sighed and unlocked the doors, then slipped inside. There was no reason to leave it open anymore, so he locked it behind him and headed for the office in the back. He’d been living here since that night, since his house was far too easy to find, for the idiots who had a problem with a werewolf trying to stay on the down low.

  He was nearly at the door of the office when a clank came from the corner and made him pause. River looked to his left and right, without moving his head. He spotted a long, thick wrench nearby and discreetly grabbed it to hold by his side. He weighed it in his hand, ready to fight back if it was some moron come to take on a ‘beast’. He wouldn’t transform to tackle a human, but if it got ugly he wouldn’t hold back either.

  “River.”

  He spun on hearing his name. Despite being pitch black in the garage, he could see well enough to know that he was alone. His sensitive hearing caught no human heartbeat or breathing, but there was a faint and brief moment of movement that almost sounded like paper being crushed.

  “Whoever you are, I’m really not in the mood.” He felt the warning was fair, since he’d had a shitty day hiding in the shadows, trying to buy food and supplies without being recognised. “If you’re here to attack me, get it over with. If you’re here to steal something, take whatever you want. It’s not as if it matters anymore,” he called out wearily.

  River took one step, testing his unwanted guest, and it worked like a charm. At the sign of movement, a flutter of heavy wings finally made their presence known. So it was a creature then, not a human attacker. Still, he wasn’t willing to let go of the wrench.

  “I am here for you, River.” The voice stated the obvious, making him sigh and wonder if this would be one of those quests for a like-minded soul that he’d encountered before.

  Twice already he’d been forced to turn away other werewolves or creatures who wanted help hiding in the world or to take over the world. He had no interest in companionship anymore, but he stalled long enough to hear them out.

  “I really don’t have time for this,” River called out. “I have shit to do, so get on with it.”

  Another rush of wings brought the creature to stand in front of him. At nearly seven feet tall, the demon was instantly recognisable. It was the cold ice in those black eyes that brought the recognition, but the three scars on his cheek solidified it. His trim beard didn’t disguise any part of those distinct features. “You know me now?” he asked, smirking and tilting his head to the side, with an appraising look.

  River folded his arms over his chest, never letting go of the wrench. “Sure. We’ve met before. You killed my date!” he recalled, with a bite of anger. He still missed Brendan and often wondered if they would have been something serious if the world hadn’t gone to shit before they had that chance.

  “Yes.” The demon nodded and reached up with a human hand, to trail a long, sharp talon down River’s cheek. “His hormones raged for you. He planned to ravage you,” he pointed out, as though he hadn’t been aware of that already. “I couldn’t allow him to do that.”

  A scoff escaped him before he could hold himself in check. “You idiot. If you were paying attention, you’d have realised that I knew that! I’
m a werewolf. I picked up on his hormones before you even entered our world,” he admitted, warning him that he’d been a stupid, egotistical moron.

  The being shrugged and leaned against the door behind him, his gaze trailing over River’s body in the most unwelcome way. “His intentions or yours are no matter. I had to protect you from him.” His explanation was ridiculous and territorial, but River had already reached his limit.

  “And you don’t care about my say in all this?” he challenged. “I’m a werewolf, so I have a mate somewhere out there in the world. That is not you!” he argued, tapping into his natural instincts anyway, just to prove that point to himself. He’d never found his mate and had given up waiting like a celibate monk for him to show up years ago. But, if his mate did show up, even if they were another creature, he wouldn’t fight it.

  This guy, whatever he was, did not give off the right pheromones for a mate.

  The demon grinned and folded his arms to mimic his posture. “You are very attractive. Feisty, too.” He laughed and pulled his wings out as he pushed away from the door. “We should leave now, before others come for you.”

  That made no sense. And River had no interest in going anywhere with a psycho demon who had killed the only decent date he’d had in a whole year. “Well, that’s not going to happen, so you can push off. I have things to get back to.” He turned and made his way towards the main door, deciding that he’d rather suffer living in his own house for one night than stay around here.

  “No. We are leaving,” the demon argued, reaching for his arm. When the talons clipped together and his hand encircled River’s forearm, they both stopped and glared at each other. “It’s for your own safety.”

  “I’m perfectly safe.” River yanked his arm out from this nut job’s grasp and stepped back. “I can take care of myself. But you...you need to get lost. For good. I don’t want to see you anywhere near me again,” he warned, moving towards the door.