by Gaja J. Kos
My fingers halted on the metal edge.
Mast and Sims? I’d come across the name, even stole some files from their offices once. What was he—
“I have a letter from your father, Vuyasin.”
Well that was unexpected.
“My father…” I nearly choked on a disbelieving snort. “Vuyasin left a letter for me?”
He’d hardly spoken more than five sentences in a row whenever I tried to carry on a conversation. It was kind of difficult to imagine him sitting down and taking the time to write a letter.
“Are you sure?” I crossed my arms and arched an eyebrow.
Donovan Mast laughed. “Positive. He came to me about a month ago.”
Right around the time I got his ass out of jail.
“And what did he want?” I didn’t bother to mask my skepticism. “Sorry, but this is kind of hard for me to take in. If you met my father, I suppose you understand.”
Another laugh. “I do. But the letter is real nonetheless.”
He set his sleek briefcase on the counter, snapped it open, and drew out an envelope. With two quick clicks, he snapped the case shut again.
“Your father wanted you to have it in the event of his death.”
“All right.” I took the sealed letter from his hand. “Thank you for delivering this, Mr. Mast.”
“You’re welcome.” He turned around, then, after a brief hesitation, faced me once more. “I would have come sooner, but you’re a hard woman to track down.”
Between searching high and low for Reiner, spending time at Breccan’s court, and running several jobs on the side, he’d be right.
“Thank you,” I said again.
That seemed to do the trick, because Donovan Mast walked away, a soft chuckle spilling from him when he passed the two knives lodged directly, one above the other, in the frame.
This time, I made sure the door wasn’t only shut, but locked, too.
My father’s letter in hand, I strode into the back and poured myself some straight gin from the little supply cabinet I kept tucked in a corner. I had a feeling I would need the extra support.
My ass hit the cushioned chair, but I couldn’t bring myself to tackle the envelope just yet.
I tapped my fingers against the age-worn table.
Vuyasin must have known he was in deep shit if he went to a lawyer. And he’d gone to great lengths to conceal his visit if Yelena hadn’t known about it. Or anybody else for that matter.
If it were otherwise, I was fairly certain Mr. Mast would be a corpse rotting away in Ljubljana’s morgue by now.
The morgue…
An echo of Simon’s words fluttered through my mind, his fear when I’d dropped off the radar, and all he’d found was a mention of my father’s decapitated body.
Of course. Vuyasin’s corpse was in the system since I’d just left it there at Hieraven’s house.
Gods, I never thought I’d say this, but thank fuck I hadn’t burned him as demonic custom dictated. Donovan Mast would have probably never learned of his client’s passing otherwise.
A big fucking risk on Vuyasin’s part. Not that I was particularly surprised.
Taking a few deep swallows of the gin, I tore open the envelope and pulled out the damned letter. My father’s handwriting stared back at me from the white sheet. It tilted in every possible direction, the lines curving downwards as they reached their end. As if written in a rush, and with no small amount of anger, judging by the deep grooves his pen had left in the paper.
The only reason you’re reading this is because I’m dead.
Gods, he obviously had the time to write that cliché. I blew out a breath, swallowed some more gin, and continued reading.
Betrayed or hunted down for what I uncovered. I wanted this for myself, was willing to risk everything for it. Because it’s worth everything. But if I failed in my plan, then no one else can succeed. I won’t give them the pleasure of laughing over my corpse and taking what’s mine. Hieraven or anyone else.
So it falls to you.
Figured. Even in death, the bastard was still issuing orders.
When they started syphoning power from the realm, Hieraven discovered a thread of energy that was barely there, but packed a punch unlike anything he’d experienced. I heard he wanted to draw more of it out from the Shadow World, store it somehow to use it for his own needs. With the amulet, he could pinpoint the power, then syphon and contain it, too. I overheard him during one of our games, wanted in.
Of course he did. And when the time was right, he would reap all the benefits himself.
Wouldn’t expect anything less from him.
After all, my father was a team player only up to a point.
I went to one of the syphonings and knew, then and there, that having that kind of power could change everything. When Hieraven mentioned the amulet, I sent him to Viktor. Fucking good foresight since I had to lie low after the bitch had it out for me.
Ah, that would be Yelena, thwarting his plans. Which confirmed the bounty had been a diversion. If only because Vuyasin, it seemed, wanted to wait for a little while before he would fuck Hieraven over.
The bastard—Viktor, I presumed—got his hands on the amulet. But he was stalling. He had the fucking thing and he was stalling. We found out why soon enough. The greedy ass wanted more. We all pulled our resources together and outbid the fucks trying to steal it from under our noses. I’m meeting Viktor on a plane tomorrow to finish the deal.
So I was right. Vuyasin had manifested on Sacred Skies’s flight to Berlin. I suspected he’d left only with the amulet, not Viktor, since the pendant was in his possession and Viktor’s body nowhere to be found at the house.
I’m not your father, Crina. My—
Wait, what?
I snatched the glass from the table and drank everything in a single breath. I did not expect the change of subject. Or the message.
Vuyasin wasn’t…
It didn’t make sense.
He raised me. If I weren’t his blood, surely he wouldn’t have bothered.
I poured myself more gin and straightened the letter I all but crumpled in my hand.
I’m not your father, Crina. My companion and I didn’t have a bond, but we were close. We always came to one another, even if we didn’t see each other in years. Once, she came back pregnant. I didn’t know who she fucked, and I didn’t ask.
She left me again just before she gave birth to you. She secured you in your lair, but I didn’t find her… I didn’t find her in time. She died a day after you were born. Bled out. She channeled what little energy she had left into you, into the lair that nursed you. There was nothing left in her to save herself.
I wanted to kill you when I found her corpse.
The gin was gone when I set the glass back on the table.
Wanted to rip you apart like you did her. But I sensed your energy, knew you could be useful once you were old enough. And you were. Your service kept the head bitch off my back, made her overlook things she would have thrown me in the gutter for otherwise.
And when I felt that power Hieraven wanted to harness—I knew it was yours.
Every demon fuels the Shadow World. You were away for long enough that your imprint faded, so I had to make sure. I tasted your blood that day.
My fingers touched the healed flesh where his nails had sliced across my skin.
There were no more doubts left. It was you. I had the fucking power all along. And with the amulet, I could draw it out of you, wield it.
If it all goes to shit and I fail, you have to get that amulet, Crina. Hide it, destroy it, I don’t give a fuck, just don’t let anybody take what’s inside you. It’ll leave you an empty shell, and give the Shadow World an overlord.
Don’t fuck this up.
The gin wanted to rise up my throat. I forced it back down and filled the glass.
Me.
All of this shit was because of me.
I had no idea what power my father was
referring to. Yelena had tested me in every possible way, and I’d never shown any abilities beyond what I possessed. I was no overlord. But maybe that was because the power was still inside me. Maybe in its pure form, it transformed into something else.
Fuck.
My whole life I was a tool for others.
Apparently, that could turn out to be true even in a literal way.
I downed what was left of the gin straight from the bottle, then sent it flying into the wall.
Fuck Vuyasin and his greediness. Fuck the lot of them. The best I could hope for was that he hadn’t hinted who I was to anyone during one of his drunken bouts. But with the extensive files Sacred Skies had on him, on Hieraven and his crew…
I blew out a breath.
No, Reiner had the amulet, but he wasn’t a demon. He couldn’t sense my energy, nor could he tap into the blend that fueled the Shadow World.
He didn’t know. I just had to keep it that way.
Blue embers flickered at my fingertips and crawled up my father’s letter, burning away his treacherous words. When nothing but ash remained, I scattered that, too, then rose from the chair.
The room spun as the gin hit my head all at once. I scorched the alcohol from my veins, though a gentle warmth remained in my chest.
Breccan’s sigil.
He was calling me to his side just as he had numerous times before. Only instead of reaching for the rope with my ethereal hands, I hesitated.
Everything he’d done for me…
Was it because I was an asset? The closest thing to a mate he could have?
Or had he come to the same revelation as Vuyasin?
After all, it was demon lords who sifted through the energy that made the Shadow World what it was. They, who tended to the spots where power coalesced. I’d laid myself bare before him when we offered each other a piece of our souls.
Breccan knew me better than anyone. Probably better than I did myself.
I blew out a breath and answered the tug inside me.
Vuyasin’s letter was gone. As for Breccan…
Only time would tell.
Thank you so much for reading Darkening Moon! If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review.
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Crina’s story will continue in Shadow Lies (out July 2019).
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In the meantime, let me offer a couple of suggestions.
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If you want to read more about Lena, I kindly invite you to check out the Nightwraith series; you’ll not only be able to hang out with the Bounty Hunting Queen herself, but meet her sisters, too! Start reading today:
Windstorm
Blackstorm
Nightstorm
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Or, if you’re looking for some more urban fantasy taking place at roughly the same time as Shadow World, try Shadow Moon, the first in the Lotte Freundenberger series; there’s a bit of a crossover between series happening later on that I think you might enjoy :)
Acknowledgments
Another book, another shout-out to the usual suspects. Every new story I work on is nothing less than living the dream, but it’s you who bring the magic to the table.
The fabulous Lindsey R. Loucks. I couldn’t imagine having a better person in my corner. Thank you, time and time again.
Michelle Rascon for her sharp eyes and perfect polish. I’m so honored I got to work with you again.
Boris for the endless, unconditional support. And the soul-link. We might not have performed a ritual, but it’s definitely there.
Leeroy and Merkaba. You’re the best possible writing buddies who know how to keep my butt from ending up stuck to my chair when revisions and edits threaten to consume me.
And last but not least, to every reader who took a chance on my books. Whether you followed me from the start or just jumped on the wagon, I’ll be forever grateful you did.
About the Author
Gaja J. Kos is a USA Today bestselling author with a mission to breathe fragments of Slavic lore onto many, many pages of fiction.
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She resides in Celje, Slovenia, with her husband and two Chinese Crested dogs.
For more information visit:
gajajkos.com
Also by Gaja J. Kos
FANTASY WORKS CO-WRITTEN WITH USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR BORIS KOS
* * *
SHADOWFIRE TRILOGY
Upper YA fantasy
* * *
Evenfall
Emergence
* * *
THE IRON HEAD TRILOGY
YA epic fantasy;
* * *
The Fox
The Heart
The Bird
* * *
FORGED IN FLAMES
New adult anti-hero epic fantasy
* * *
SOLO WORKS
* * *
ROMANCE
* * *
SILVER FOX CLUB
Steamy May December standalone novellas
* * *
Cotton Candy
* * *
KOLOVRAT UNIVERSE
PRESENT
* * *
BLACK WEREWOLVES SERIES
Urban fantasy
* * *
Novels:
The Dark Ones
The 24hourlies
The Shift
The Ascension
* * *
Novellas:
Never Forgotten
Chased
* * *
Black Werewolves: Books 1–4
* * *
NIGHTWRAITH SERIES
Paranormal romance
* * *
Windstorm
Blackstorm
Nightstorm
* * *
Nightwraith: The Complete Series
* * *
FUTURE
* * *
PARADISE OF SHADOWS AND DEVOTION
Standalone paranormal romance
* * *
LOTTE FREUNDENBERGER SERIES
Urban fantasy
* * *
Shadow Moon
Darkening Moon
Transient Moon
* * *
SHADE ASSASSIN
Urban fantasy
* * *
Shadow World
* * *
DESTINY RECLAIMED
Urban fantasy standalone novella
