OMEGA: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Mackenzie Grey Book 4)

by Karina Espinosa

  Universe, give me strength because I’m going to need a boatload to handle this girl.

  “Thirty is not old, Em. Now take a chill pill, Kid. The time will come when you have to kick ass, but that time is not now. Understood?”

  “Ugh! You people are ruining my life!” she threw her hands in the air.

  “So melodramatic…” I sighed.

  “Really?” Roman and Bash said in unison.

  “What?”

  They both stared at me like I’d grown another head until a Pack member called out for Bash. He left Roman and I by ourselves. Point one for the Alpha for not being so overbearing.

  “How you been, Ace?”

  I blew out a breath. “Peachy keen. Staying alive as people try to kill me. The usual.”

  “Giving them hell?”

  “Always,” I winked.

  Aside from Amy, Roman was like my best friend. It was easy with him—too easy. Which was why it would have never worked between us. What we had wasn’t love, it was convenience. Nevertheless, I knew he cared about me. He wouldn’t be here now if he didn’t.

  “What are you doing here, Rome?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? You’re big news, Ace. And after what they did to the vampire den in Los Angeles? I want in on this.”

  I wouldn’t have expected any less.

  “It’ll be fun to fight alongside you again,” I smirked. We’d been quite the pair.

  He grinned.

  We fell into a comfortable banter when my phone began to ring inside my leather jacket and when I pulled it out, it was a text message from Malakai with the coordinates to the Gate of Horns and Ivory.

  31

  “Are ye sure?” Alexander asked the team after I gave them the location of the Gate of Horns and Ivory.

  “Where did you get this intel?” Briggs demanded.

  I shook my head. “That’s not important. Just know it’s reliable.”

  “You’ll put your badge on that?”

  I nodded.

  Briggs grunted. “Fine. You and Cassidy head over to our local portal and don’t forget the Key of Janus.” Every major city has a local portal for easy travel, but this was a little tricky. There was a keyhole for “special locations” that couldn’t be easily accessed. I always thought it was the gate to hell—maybe it was.

  Cassidy and I were about to leave the conference room when Ranulf stopped us.

  “With all due respect, we will be escorting Mackenzie.”

  “The hell you will,” the bald headed Lieutenant barked. “This is my team, my command.”

  “The Princess is my responsibility. She is the heir to the Lycan throne and only I with her father will be taking her. End of discussion,” Ranulf stated.

  “Grey!” Briggs turned to me.

  I sighed. I wasn’t in the mood for this shit. “Briggs, don’t fight it. It doesn’t matter who escorts me. The point is that I go.”

  He turned beet red, and if he were a cartoon, I imagined the steam blowing out of his ears.

  “Don’t worry. They’ll take care of me.”

  After a bit of back and forth, the Lieutenant relented and approved my trip with Alexander and his guard.

  We were dismissed when Sebastian pulled me to the side. “Do you want me to come with you?” I never pegged him for the clingy type. That took me off guard.

  “I’ll be okay, Bash. You don’t have to go everywhere with me.”

  “Thats not what I meant, Mackenzie. If something happens to you and I’m not there to do something…” he trailed off.

  “I need you here, Bash,” I whispered. “The time is almost upon us and things are about to move fast. We need you to lead. Start reaching out to the others; call for a summit. We’re about to go to war.”

  Before we left for the Gate of Horns and Ivory, I went to Battery Park and sat on the same bench as last time, and waited. If Malakai was following me, he would be here. In the meantime, I made the phone calls I needed to make. I reached out to the Sucubi, my people in Los Angeles including Third Eye Lou, La Loba and the Desert Wolves, and many others who have helped me in this journey. The last phone call was the most important and most difficult.

  “What do you want? I’m a busy man,” Bobby Wu answered.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s time to step up, Bobby. You want to be on the winning side? Now’s your chance.”

  “I’ve told you time and again, Princess. I don’t care about your little spat with the Fae. They don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. Simple.”

  “They don’t bother you now, but that won’t always be the case. I’m not opposed to begging, Bobby. We need you on our side. They have a Druid that none of our witches or warlocks stand a chance against.”

  He chuckled. “Because I dabble in dark magic, you think I can defeat the Mad Hatter?”

  I frowned. “How do you know who he is?”

  “Jesus, Mackenzie. When are you going to figure out that I’m aware of everything. The birds love to chirp,” he said and I heard some noise in the background, like a spoon stirring inside a glass cup. “Look, even if I wanted to help, there’s not much I can do against the Mad Hatter. The most I could do would be to contain him. I might like to bend the rules here and there—”

  “Here and there?” I interrupted.

  “As I was saying,” he deadpanned. “His power is beyond dark magic—its actual evil. Add that he’s clinically insane, and that’s not someone I want to mess with.”

  “You’re a coward,” I growled.

  “Sure,” he chuckled. “Good luck, Princess. You’re going to need it.”

  He ended the call and I was left staring at the home screen of my iPhone. How could he be so damn selfish? The world was burning around us and he was sleeping like a baby at night.

  I fumed as I waited on Malakai to arrive—the last piece of the puzzle. So far everyone was on board and waiting for word on the location. Malakai and his group were going to be a tough sell, but I only hoped the others would understand.

  “Freedom Princess,” he said as he sat beside me.

  “Fae rebel,” I countered.

  He snorted. “Your reputation precedes you.”

  “I hate to disappoint.”

  “I assume we’re meeting for a reason?” He asked.

  “In a few hours, I’m leaving for the Gate of Horns and Ivory,” I said as we watched the humans ride their bikes, have picnics, and feed the pigeons. Such mundane activities. I missed it.

  “I figured as much.”

  “Afterwards, we will be attacking the Fae.”

  Malakai turned to me in shock. “You know where they are? Tell me. It’s the one piece of information I’ve been unable to get from the Glass Castle.”

  I shook my head. “Not now.”

  “Why the hell not? You owe me!”

  It was my turn to look at him. My eyes glowing silver, the wolf peeking out. “I owe you nothing.”

  “I got you the Gate—” he began to yell.

  “And I appreciate it. We are planning a coordinated attack and the location is need-to-know for now. When the time is right, I will text you.”

  He shook his head furiously. “Tell me now.”

  “Why? So you can go off half-cocked and unprepared? Probably get you and your rebels killed in the process. No. We’re in this together. Kapeesh?”

  To say the Fae wasn’t my biggest fan at the moment, was putting it mildly. I knew what he wanted—he wanted to strike while the info was hot, but it wasn’t smart. Trust me, I shocked myself too for having such a level head, but I was done playing this cat and mouse game. I have been in an endless battle with pawn after pawn and now that I have the person behind the mask, the Queen, I was going to put an end to it all. No more sending others after me and having me chase my own tail—I was done being in the dark, it was time I turned on the lights.

  When I left Battery Park, I went home, and said my goodbyes to my friends before I left with Alexander and Ranulf.

  Ale
x’s driver drove us to the Bronx where our local portal was located inside of a bar called the Red Door.

  Ranulf sat in the front, while Alexander and I sat in the back.

  “Ye ready, hen?” Alexander asked as we sped over a speed bump.

  “Yup,” I said. “I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

  “Aye. I’ve been a bit busy, lass. I see ye have been too.” His gray eyes narrowed like he knew exactly what I had been up to.

  I sighed. “Fine. Let’s talk about it, if not, things are going to get super awkward.”

  Alexander loosened his tie and released the top two buttons of his shirt, making himself comfortable.

  “Good. We need to discuss this. Go on, ye go first.”

  I took a deep breath and let the verbal diarrhea flow. “I really like Sebastian. Like a lot. I know you want someone else, like Jonah but it’s never going to happen, so you might as well get over that. I’m way too damn old to be told who I can and cannot date. I respect you, Alexander, and acknowledge that you’re my biological father, but you missed the time frame, buddy. Now suck it up, buttercup, and accept my uh…I don’t know what he is, but he’s mine.”

  I sucked in a much needed breath after that and stared at a wide eyed Alexander.

  “Lass…” he mumbled. “I was just going to ask ye about Ophelia’s vision.”

  “Oh,” I gulped and started to fan myself. “Yeah, I knew that…is it getting hot in here?” I rolled down the window.

  Alexander covered his mouth to hold in his laughter and it only made me more embarrassed.

  “This isn’t funny,” I gritted between my teeth.

  “It’s priceless, darling,” he chuckled. “I know about ye and the boy. I think everybody knows.” He diverted his eyes. It was his turn to go red in the face. “Would he be my first choice for ye? No. I’ve learned enough about ye, Mackenzie, that nothing I say will change ye mind. I won’t fight ye on him, but if he breaks yer heart, I’ll kill ‘em.” He turned into the stone cold King of the Lycan in that moment and even I froze up.

  I gave him a dry laugh and looked away. Yeah, I won’t be relaying that part to Sebastian anytime soon.

  “So,” I changed the subject, “what about Ophelia’s vision?”

  He watched me for a while, rubbing his chin as if trying to figure out what to say, or how to say it. “I have a theory,” he started. “It’s impossible, I know, but I must ask.”

  “Yes, Alex. I’m an Oracle.”

  You always hear people say “they look like they just saw a ghost,” but I’d never seen it until now. In a split second, Alexander turned white as a sheet and he wasn’t breathing.

  “It’s no big deal,” I shrugged. “I mean, I go blind sometimes but hey, who doesn’t?” I joked, but he wasn’t laughing with me.

  “Mackenzie,” he breathed.

  “Alexander,” I mimicked.

  “This is nae funny. Is this why Drusilla has been after ye?”

  I nodded. “Not initially, of course. That was all Ivana’s doing, but the more Dru dug into my past, the more she learned. I think she put the pieces together before even Ophelia.”

  “Bloody hell.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Ranulf took that moment to look at me through the rearview mirror and I stuck my tongue out at him.

  “Thanks for the assist.” I mouthed to him.

  “Why did ye nae tell me, lass? I could have helped ye.”

  I waved him off. “You had a lot on your plate. You didn’t need another burden.”

  He scoffed. “Yer the only burden I should be worried about, darling.”

  “No point in crying over spilled milk. Now you know.”

  “Aye. Do ye know how to use it?”

  “Eh…a little. I’m working on it, but don’t worry,” I said when I saw his eyes widen. “I’m a fast learner. It’ll be cake.”

  The lies I tell, and the truths he hears. I sighed as I looked at the schmuck. If I told him the visions came in emotional spurts and I still couldn’t fight with Oracle eyes, I think I’d give him a heart attack.

  “Yer strong, Mackenzie. I don’ think ye know just how much,” he started. “Yer a natural born Alpha—a leader—and it will scare many people. The power ye possess is more than I could ever have, darling. Ye have been blessed and I want ye to know that I will step down from the throne when yer ready.”

  “Alexander…” I reached for his hand. “I’m not an Alpha. I can barely dress myself some mornings—”

  “Yer young, hen, just a pup. But yer an Alpha, I’ve seen it in yer eyes. One day ye will lead our people better than I ever could, and I’m so bloody proud of ye and the woman ye’ll become.”

  My throat tightened and I kept quiet. I didn’t know what to say after that. Had he told me I’d be Queen three years ago, I would have laughed and fought like hell to never have a crown placed on my head. Things were different now. I wasn’t hungry for power, I was hungry for change. To protect Lunas and others who needed help. To bring the Lycan out of the stone-age and show them a world they could be proud of. Now, I could do that as a lowly detective of the SIU, or I could make waves as the Queen of the Lycan. You do the math.

  Alexander cleared his throat. “So yer an Oracle and a wolf—anything else I should know, lass?”

  I bit my lip. “Just one teeny, tiny thing…”

  He arched a brow for me to continue.

  “I found out where the Fae are in New York. When I’m unlinked, we’ll be attacking. That’s it,” I smiled. I could see his head exploding at my revelation. Ranulf swiveled around in his seat.

  “Oh now you want in on the conversation?” I raised a brow at him.

  “Shite, Mackenzie! Ah'm pure scunnurt! Ye—”

  “Whoa there!” I stopped Alexander. “I don’t speak Scottish slang or whatever…break it down for me.”

  He fumed. “I’m fed up with ye lying, Mackenzie. I let ye get away with a lot, but this? Ye should have told me! When did ye find out?”

  “Recently,” I muttered. “Try to understand, Alexander. I had to keep it under wraps.” I spent the next few minutes explaining our plan and there was nothing he could say. It was pretty solid.

  The driver pulled up in front of the Red Door and we exited the car. The three of us stared at the bar, in an abandoned neighborhood of the Bronx.

  There was no turning back now.

  Goodbye New York, hello pearly white gates to freedom.

  32

  Only a woman stood behind the bar cleaning a glass with a towel as we walked in.

  “We don’t open ‘till five,” she called out.

  “We’re here for the portal,” I said and flashed my badge. My boots echoed off the linoleum floor. I’d never gone through the local portal before, we had witches and warlocks back at the SIU for that. The Red Door was known to be a bit skeevy, and you only went if it was an emergency or you needed additional assistance that could only be found here.

  She grunted. “Never thought I’d see the SIU in my bar. The Fae must be making waves.”

  I pulled out the Key of Janus and showed it to her.

  “I’ll be damned,” she whistled and came out from around the bar. “I’ve never seen anyone open the Red Door before.”

  “Well today you will,” I said. “We need to go. Now.”

  The bartender locked the front door of the bar and waved us over to the back hallway. She opened the door to a walk-in freezer and we followed her in. The temperature dropped drastically, but up ahead was a wooden painted, red door, with a gold knob.

  “Seriously?” I quirked a brow.

  “If ya got the key to open it, then this is it. When ya get back, just make sure the humans don’t see you.”

  “You ready?” I asked Alexander and Ranulf. They gave me a nod and I stuck the Key of Janus into the port. With a twist of my wrist, it unlocked and the door gave way. “Alright,” I mumbled. “Let’s go to the Gate of Horns and Ivory.”

  This wa
s not what I expected. I pictured an exaggerated version of the gates to heaven—pearly ivory pillars with flowing silk in the breeze, and ‘the light’, you know the one I’m talking about, calling you like a beacon. Hell, I at least expected an actual gate, but a smoke shop in Portland, Oregon was the last place I would have thought to find the Gate of Horns and Ivory.

  With Alexander and Ranulf in tow, we stared at a big green leaf on a storefront window.

  “There must be a mistake,” Alex murmured as we peered up at the storefront. “Did we get the wrong key?”

  I shook my head. “This has to be it.” Leaving my hesitation on the sidewalk, I pushed the door to the distillery and met the strong scent of marijuana. “For the love of God…” I muttered and waved a hand in front of my face.

  A counter wrapped around the store, showcasing the available items for sale. It wasn’t just pot, but vapes, hookahs, and so on. I knew nothing about this stuff, and a pressure headache started to pulse.

  “Welcome to the Smoke Screen,” a guy behind the counter said. He was young, late twenties, with floppy surfer hair that fell above his eyelashes—he grinned as he watched us tentatively walk further into the shop.

  “You look like a newbie,” he smiled, his eyes dimmed to slits. “How about I show you the different flavors we carry and you can test them out.”

  “No thanks,” I said as I reached the counter. “I’m here for something else—the Gate of Horns and Ivory.”

  His smile froze and his gaze shifted between me and my two companions. “Righteous,” he nodded and lifted the countertop that led to the back of the store. “Come on,” he waved us in.

  We stepped behind the counter while he went to the front and flipped the Open sign to Closed. “Follow me,” he led us through the back and up a set of stairs. A beaded curtain replaced the door into the room upstairs. He parted the makeshift curtain, the beads clinking against one another, and we entered a dark room with dim lighting. I adjusted my eyes to the wolf’s night vision and inhaled the incense that floated through the windowless room.

  Anyone with some sense would have asked questions before following some hippie to a stoner den. Bean bags littered the room and I plopped myself down on one.