by G. Bailey
31
"What is that alarm?" I ask. My hands slide down from Killian’s and Storm's chests because the blaring alarm has distracted them for a second. I look up to Storm for answers, and he holds a hand out for me as the rain stops and the cloud disappears. If this is how powerful Storm is with his powers weakened in this place, god only knows what he would be like on the outside. Feckin’ hell it would be crazy to witness.
"The alarm means the doors have been opened," Storm answers, still sounding furious.
"Finally," Seth states, before running off towards the door with Killian fast behind him. I instantly try to follow them, only to have Storm grab my hand, stopping me.
"Let them go and stay here with me. They will only get you killed, and we won't ever be able to see each other again," he pleads with me, and it just about breaks me to hear him ask me this. His hair is soaking wet just like mine, but it suits him. His thick eyelashes drip droplets of water down his cheeks and to his lips. Everything about Storm is made to perfection, and he is right, I could stay here with him. I would be happy for a long time, and I have no doubt Storm would love me even when I got old. But that isn’t the future I feel is fated for me. I know deep down that I have to follow the twins. I have to escape here.
"They are our friends...and I have a life outside. A family," I tell him. This is my only chance to see my family and Mads again.
"So do I...but my family will kill you for even knowing about me," he warns, his voice is desperate and pleading. "I can't let you go and die."
"I've run from everything, from everyone. If I have to run from you so I can see my family and get the justice I deserve, then so be it," I tell him, even though I know it’s hurting him to hear it. I never wanted to hurt him.
"What did you do? You never told me, and if it's bad enough that they locked you in here and threw the justice gods in here with you, it must have been bad," he asks, and I so wish he hadn’t decided now was the perfect time to ask this question.
"I killed one of your adoptive brothers," I whisper, the words blurting out from my lips as tears stream down my cheeks. Storm stumbles back, letting my hand go as shock and disbelief shine in his eyes. "It was an accident...and I don't understand why it happened. I'm sorry." Storm stands so still, and it breaks my heart when I take one step back. Then another. My heart and body fight me as I turn around and run across the bridge. Tears roll down my cheeks as I leave him, as running from him is likely the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Leaving the bridge, I run down the steps, tripping on a few and managing to keep myself running until I get to the ledge at the bottom. I run across it, seeing gold light flashing from inside the room, knowing something is wrong. I skid to a stop as I get into the circular room with the tunnel on the other side. Seth and Killian are standing side by side, slamming gold waves of power into a man in a cloak who is stood still. The power isn’t touching him, and he doesn’t even seem to be noticing it. The cloaked man turns to me, like he can sense I’m here.
“Karma. Just who I came to get,” the man says, his voice and accent unfamiliar to me.
“Who are you?” I ask, gaining the attention of the twins now as they spot me.
“Leave! Now, Karma!” Seth desperately demands, sounding like he actually cares for me. Killian looks at me for a second, his eyes pleading with me to leave.
“No,” the cloaked man states, and with the wave of his hand, green energy swooshes out of his hand, destroying the twins’ magic like nothing. I scream, running towards the twins as the wave of green energy heads towards them, but I’m too late as I know the power is going to hit them first. It’s going to kill them, I feel it. In the blink of an eye, Jade recklessly runs past me and jumps in front of the twins, taking the full force of the green energy blow. All three of them fly in the air, smacking against the ground as they slide to a stop. I run over to Jade who is face down on the dirt when I get to her. I turn her over, a cry catching in my throat when I see all the blood on her chest and the burns.
“M-my friend. T-tell her it was the higher g-god. P-promise me,” Jade asks, gasping for each word. My hands feel the hot blood pouring onto them as I try to cover her chest up with her coat. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but I can’t let her die.
“I promise. You rest now, it’s going to be okay,” I tell her, sounding more calm and less panicked than I feel. I know deep down I won’t be able to save her, but I am going to try. I’m going to desperately try.
“The ch-charm boosts y-your own powers. I rememb…er.” Her last words echo in my ears as her dead eyes just stare at nothing, and her hand falls ever so slowly out of mine. Jade is gone, and nothing but pain controls everything now. It floods me, the grief and shock feeling like they will break me. I glance up as the twins’ bodies shake from the buzzing green energy flickering around them…and I know they must be dead too. He killed them all. A scream unlike anything I’ve ever done leaves my lips as I rise up. The world seems to start going green, but I just barely notice through the pain and anger. My hands lift on their own, and it’s then that I see green lightning flickering and swirling around my arms. I don’t question the power, I don’t think of anything but revenge.
“Oh, aren’t you powerful? So beautifully powerful. It’s a shame we have to leave now.”
“No,” I respond, not really hearing what he says as I step forward, the ground crackling from the lightning that surrounds my body with each step. I feel powerful, broken and lost…but more determined than ever. I’ve run from everything my entire life…but I will not run from this. He killed my friends. He killed my gods. My justice twins are lost, and he will pay. I pull my hands back before rapidly pushing them forward. Lightning flies out of my hands, straight towards the cloaked man. He only laughs, catching the lightning like a toy, and with a cold laugh, he throws my power right back at me. I cry out as it slams into my chest, and I feel the world falling away. Just as my eyes close, I hear Storm shouting my name…but it’s too late, and I can’t fight the darkness any more. Not even for him.
Epilogue
Storm
“Where is Karma?” Seth groggily demands, storming into her room where I’m sitting on the end of her bed, a bottle of whiskey in my hand as I replay those last moments over and over like I have done for two days while they have been passed out. I don’t know who took Karma, but I have a good guess. The way she used lightning…she isn’t just a karma goddess after all, and I never fucking noticed it. Of course, they wouldn’t keep her alive. Now she is out there, and I’m fucking locked up in here because I was too late to go after her. I will never forgive myself for this. She is mine, and I let her run away.
“Gone,” I growl out, looking up at Seth and Killian who have finally woken up, thanks to a healer. They look like shit, and it’s typical that the twins would wake up at the same time. “Jade is dead, and Coxen is mourning her while blaming us. Anything else you need to know before you get the fuck out of my sight?”
“Jade saved us, fuck,” Killian says, sounding like a ghost until he seems to snap out of it. “Where is Karma? What the hell do you mean gone?”
“As in gone outside. They took her,” I inform them. I take a deep drink before standing up off her bed and blink as I see a goblin sitting on her dressing table.
“Didn’t you know she had a goblin in here? She called it Kit,” Killian says, though there is no humour in his voice like you would usually hear. Seth is in a trance as I walk over to the goblin. I haven’t seen these creatures for a long, long time, though they used to be a lot bigger. This one looks like only a child. I bet it can’t even talk yet…but I hope it’s old enough to have done something else.
“Is Karma your goddess?” I ask him, and Kit tilts his head to the side, thinking about it before nodding once. Hope swells in my chest as I grin, knowing this goblin is going to give us a chance. I throw the bottle of whiskey away and straighten up. Everything just changed.
“Why would you ask it that?” Seth
asks, coming to stand next to me.
“By any chance, has Kit been eating a lot recently?” I ask Seth, who shrugs.
“Karma told me he has been eating three meals instead of his usual two meals a day,” Killian tells us, coming over to stand next to Seth, all three of us looking at Kit.
“Kit, open a portal to your goddess. Karma is in danger, and only we can help her,” I demand, and Kit yawns before picking himself up. He turns his back to us as the twins look at me like I’ve lost my mind. Black light bursts from Kit, spreading across the wall behind the dresser and eventually pulling the entire dresser into it as Kit floats in the air and the portal gets bigger. “Goblins are loyal and imprint themselves on gods and goddesses. Karma is an extremely powerful goddess, and Kit would have been drawn to her. Goblins are protectors, and there is nothing in the magical world that can stop a goblin from opening a portal to their goddess. Get ready, twins, it’s time we rescued our Karma.”
The End for now…Find Book Two by clicking here.
Note From The Author.
Hello my lovely readers. I hope you love Karma’s story and don’t worry, book two and three are out super soon.
A big thank you to my family who have always been there for me and everyone that supported me with this book. Even if it was simply liking my teasers/covers or popping me a message to say how much you loved the books so far. Every message, post, and review gives me so much happiness.
A special thank you my editor, Helayna, and Mads, my personal assistant! They are my life savers and I couldn’t do this without them.
A big thank you to Bailey’s Pack and all its wonderful members. Your love for my books gives me life.
If you have the time, a small review would be very much appreciated. I read every one, and always have done.
Happy Future Reading!! Love G. xoxo
Thief. Runaway. Assassin. What happens when your rumoured name destroys your life? When the very runes engraved on your skin since birth, are a death sentence?
Evie doesn't remember a life before she was on the streets, a life before thieving to live and killing to stay alive.
When a royal family she didn't know anything about goes missing, Evie finds herself thrown into the royal court of the protectors, and they demand her help.
Help in exchange for a chance at freedom and the name that's haunted her, forgotten. A name she can’t even read, a name she doesn’t understand.
But when three Royal protectors are tasked with helping her get into hell, her demon ex who is literally from hell, stalking her . . . will Evie ever be free?
This collection includes-
Runes of Truth
Runes of Morality
Runes of Black Magic
Runes of Royalty
Exclusive bonus novella- Death Marked Witch.
32
Bonus Read
Evie
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, trying not to yawn from boredom as I hold my sword at my side, resting on it while I stare at the Protector. He isn’t the typical type that comes after me, that’s for sure. Usually Protectors are all posh assholes in shiny suits, but this guy looks like a fake-leather store threw up on him.
“You must die, and I will be the one that finally–” his boring, predictable speech is interrupted when my phone starts ringing. I sigh in relief, not wanting to hear that same old speech again. I pull out my phone and see Hali’s name flashing. I answer and place it on loudspeaker, resting it on the dumpster near me.
“Yeah?” I answer, looking back at the Protector as he runs towards me, his sword raised.
“Evie, when are you coming home? I’m starving, and you promised me Chinese tonight. The good stuff from Chingwa, not from the crappy one you like,” she says as I hit my sword against the Protector’s, and swipe my leg under his, knocking him over. I kick his sword away from him, wondering why they even bothered sending this man after me. He is a worthless fighter.
“Yep, I won’t be long, and I’ll get that damn Chinese for you. Anything else?” I ask as the Protector grabs my leg and calls on his fire rune, trying to burn me. I laugh, lean down, and remove his hand from my leg. I jump on him and place my sword under his neck.
“Evie . . . what are you doing right now?” Hali asks, suspiciously.
“Err, nothing,” I reply, kneeing the Protector between his legs when he tries to knock me off him. He whines before coughing out in pain.
“I don’t believe that, but I want my Chinese, so I’m going to stay quiet. Later,” Hali laughs, and then the sound of beeping lets me know she put the phone down. Good, no fifteen-year-old should have to hear this.
“I might let you go, but only if you tell me who sent you,” I say, already knowing his answer before he opens his mouth. They always say the same thing.
“Never. I would never betray my people. Protectors never betray their blood, and we always protect,” he spits out.
“I’m your people, you idiot,” I try to reason with him, giving him one more chance.
“You are not,” arrogantly declares, his voice rife with condescension.
“I’m a Protector. I really don’t want to do this, but you won’t give up, will you?” I sigh deeply and then lift my sword, shoving it through his heart before he can reply. His mouth widens in shock as I pull my sword out and stand up.
“Death will find you. We will never stop hunting you,” he breathes out, just before his soul light leaves his body, floating up into the sky. I remember the first time I had to kill a Protector, and I saw the light of his soul leave his body. It scared me, but then I saw it for what it truly is: beautiful. Beautiful that even an evil Protector has light in his soul. That no matter how many of my own people I am forced to kill to survive, there might be a little bit of light remaining in my own soul. At least I can hope there is.
“If only things could be different,” I say, disappointed in yet another one of my kind. Pulling the pen and little notebook from my pocket that I carry everywhere with me now, I flip it open and rip out a page. I quickly jot down the same thing I do every time I am forced to kill those that come after me . . . my rune name. It is the very reason I am hunted, the thing that many people now fear, and yet, I have no idea what it actually says. I leave the note on his stomach and pick my phone up before walking out of the alleyway, down the empty street.
“Crappy Chinese, here I come,” I mutter, wishing Hali didn’t love that place. They don’t do the bacon fried rice that I love, or anything with bacon in it. The place sucks. I keep my eyes down as I walk down the empty streets of the small Scottish town where I live. The people here don’t come out after dark, too scared of the possibility that demons are around. Little do they know that demons wouldn’t be interested in a small town like this. It’s why I chose to live here. The flashing lights of the Chinese place come into view, and I walk across the road, pulling the door open and hearing the ringing of the little bell. The middle-aged Chinese woman looks up, rolls her eyes at me, and looks back down.
“Hello to you, too,” I mutter, but the woman doesn’t reply to me. I grab a Chinese menu off the side, flipping through it before looking back at the woman.
“I’m ready to order,” I say, trying to get her attention.
“Your child called and placed your order already, Evie.”
“She isn’t my child, more like a pain in my ass. I’ll just wait then,” I grumble, putting the menu back in its place.
“A young girl like you shouldn’t be out on the streets at night,” the woman says, stopping me from walking away.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m not afraid of demons.”
“No, your kind is never afraid of what they hunt,” she chuckles, as the bell rings behind her. She walks over to get my bag of food before I can reply to her. Not many beings can sense what I am, and I’m quite surprised a human has the ability. She hands the bag over the counter to me.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“M
y family have always been able to sense things. You should be careful at night, Miss Evie. Demons are not what you should fear.” With those cryptic words, she walks away, leaving me standing in the shop alone and wondering if she is mad, or possibly, telling me the truth.
Read more by clicking here.
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G. Bailey is a USA Today and international bestselling author of books that are filled with everything from dragons to pirates. Plus, fantasy worlds and breath-taking adventures.
G. Bailey is from the very rainy U.K. where she lives with her husband, two children, three cheeky dogs and one cat who rules them all.
A few random facts about her...
She loves tea. (She may be a little obsessed but what Brit isn't?)
Chocolate and Harry Potter marathons are her jam.
She owns way too many notebooks and random pens.
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