Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  It felt and looked like a dungeon or a tomb, a tomb that to my mind seemed to be filling up with water.

  I started to panic yanking and tugging at my bonds. They seemed to loosen a bit but the friction I was creating stung my skin. Was obsidian thread woven into the material? It almost seemed as if they weren’t meant to keep me restrained, but more to slow down someone intent on untying and whisking me away.

  I didn’t understand it.

  I wet my lips. “Hello,” I whispered weakly.

  That’s when I heard the voices I hadn’t noticed before.

  “She’ll be ok, Mississippi,” the male one said low and soothingly. My father. His voice was pleasing when he wasn’t yelling obscenities. “You have to let her go when she wakes.”

  “I can’t, mon amour,” the lyrical feminine one replied. A voice I had nearly forgotten. “I won’t. She might be your daughter, but she is mine, as well. Since I am Poseidon’s Progeny I can’t allow you to use her like you planned to use me to tip the balance of power for Zeus.”

  “You’ve got it wrong, catin.” My doll. “If you would just listen…”

  “Hello,” I croaked louder. I swallowed. “Help,” I called again stronger this time, less tentative. “I’m awake. Help me, someone. Please.”

  Soft footsteps, the sound of bare feet slapping against wet marble.

  And then I saw her beautiful heart shaped face. The same smooth ebony skin. She hadn’t aged one bit. Her light brown eyes sparkled with unshed tears like the moonlight on the Mississippi surface, and her movements were sure and full of grace as that ancient waterway.

  I never thought I would see her again.

  “Maman?” I squinted at her in the low illumination. There weren’t any sconces. It was the walls that glowed faintly like the bioluminescence in the underground.

  She nodded and moved closer, slowly, hesitantly.

  As a little girl I had dreamed of seeing her again. Those elegant braids piled up on her head, those soft eyes. I had spent many sleepless nights wishing she’d return. I wanted to reach out a hand to touch her. Her eyes turned glossier as if she read my mind.

  I noticed additional details now that she was so close. She was more settled here than she’d ever been out of the river. Her river, I realized. But at the same time she seemed less a woman, more an eternal spirit, unconstrained by human limitations.

  “I am sorry, ma belle. Ar…Bacchus thinks I have done something wrong.” I had forgotten she used to call me her beautiful. So many memories flooded my mind. Her braiding my hair to match her own, singing, telling stories, reciting poetry to me. “I left you with Chantelle because I wanted to protect you from being used as a pawn in the power struggle between the Heirs.” She flicked a condemning glance at the man who I now knew to be my father. I got my first good look at him. Bacchus was handsome in a debonair kind of way, though not enough to stand out in a crowd. But there was an appealing gentleness to his features that resonated with me.

  He moved to stand beside my mother. His weathered face and muddy brown eyes looked as sad and unsure as her lighter ones as he shuffled closer. Both his dark brown hair that reached his shoulders and his clothing were sopping wet.

  “Then during Katrina, the ocean forced my water out of its banks. Many bodies floated through my home. More than ever before. It was a sad, sad time. Your body found its way to me.” A tear fell rolling down her dark cheek. “When I saw your wounds, when I realized what that vile monster had done to you, I healed the damage to your body and kept you here where my waters preserved you, and where you were safe from prying eyes. Even now that you are alive and your immortality has returned to you, I still think it is better that you remain here. There is too much danger up there.” Her gaze went to the ceiling.

  “No, Mississippi. It’s not better.” Bacchus tried to touch her arm, but she flinched away, her expression and demeanor changing. Spine straightening, face hardening, there was no longer any sign of the affectionate fanciful mother I remembered. She was every inch the regal monarch as she turned to face him and they began to argue in a language I didn’t understand.

  I wasn’t going to wait for them to sort it out. I had my life back. I wasn’t going to hide from the dangers of the world. I was going to live in it again.

  *****

  Billy

  A harsher reality than death was the empty shell I became without Thyme.

  “Pause in your vigil.” Morpheus moved out of the shadows, away from the tree trunk he’d been leaning against. “Come inside. The sun begins to rise again. You must rest. You can resume you watch when you are more fit.” His wings rustled his concern.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m staying here.” Why bother with anything else? I kept my eyes on the water like it was the key to my solace. I refused to give up but I was starting to lose hope. “Why do you waste time on me?” I turned my head briefly to acknowledge him as he sank down on the grass beside me. “Go back to the underground. Keep looking. Surely you haven’t searched everywhere yet.”

  “Your point is well taken.” A taloned hand tapped my knee twice. “I will leave after you are refreshed. At the moment however, you are a frightening visage. I fear someone may call the local authorities.”

  “I don’t care.” I turned bleary eyes on him.

  “Maybe not, but you must rally. Your strength will be needed for the struggle ahead. Bacchus’ proposal to Zeus and Hades was met with skepticism. The current balance suits the Heirs. They have little desire to see the death of the Code. Moreover, they seek to intensify its enforcement in light of recent events. You will certainly do yourself or us no favors if you are apprehended by NOPD.” He rose to his feet, wings semi-unfurled for balance, before reaching back a hand to me. “Take it, Blade. Come, brother. Let us go.” The first rays of the dawn glinted off of his ebony feathers blinding me for a moment. When I could see again, his hand was gone.

  Letting out a long world weary sigh, I got up on my own damn feet, getting ready to bust into him for riding me when I noticed how still he was, only his feathers rustling in the breeze. Worried about all those threats he mentioned, I quickly shifted to follow the direction of his gaze.

  It wasn’t a threat.

  It was a miracle.

  Her.

  My Thyme.

  Coming up out of the water, bare feet on the bank, clad in a white dress soaking wet and clinging to her body. Her real body. Not a shade frame. And no mask concealing any part of my beloved’s face.

  Her father, Arla, was holding one of her hands helping her negotiate the wildflower and tall grasses of the steep incline ahead of her. Behind them, a woman floated half in, half out of the water, cinnamon shoulder length braids the same color as Thyme’s hair, with features so similar I knew it had to be her mother.

  I ran across the clipped lawn and over the pavers of the moonwalk, moving toward Thyme in a daze. She hadn’t noticed me yet. Her head was tilted, the sun she’d been without for so long bathing her cheek. She was speaking, saying goodbye to her mother perhaps. I was fixing to head down the slope directly above her when she turned back around. Her violet eyes started to glow matching the aura that surrounded the rest of her body. A more real and gorgeous woman I had never ever seen.

  “Thyme,” I breathed, my first easy breath since she had disappeared.

  “Billy!” She let go of her father’s hand and tripped on the hem of the dress as she stumbled toward me.

  “You’re here!” I slid down the slope. “You’re alive!” I caught her in my arms, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around in a circle, chanting her name over and over again. My heart was practically drumming its way out of my chest where her hands rested. “What happened? Where have you been?”

  “My mother’s the Mississippi!” Water dripped down her face as she smiled. “My body fell in the flood waters, her water, all those years ago during Katrina. She found it and she’s kept it preserved. That’s why I could do so many things as a shade. The wat
er nurtures and sustains us. Bacchus saw me and found out what she was doing when he visited recently. He tried to convince her to give my body up, but she wouldn’t. She doesn’t trust him. They’ve had a rocky past. When my immortality found me, when I opened my eyes, they were arguing. She wanted to keep me in her river realm where she can keep me safe and hidden from Apollyon. I didn’t like that plan so I escaped.” I noticed the red marks on her hands that looked like they were already starting to heal. “I didn’t wait for them to figure it out. I started swimming. She followed and helped me. It’s a longer way to the surface than I thought. I understand the reasons for what she did, but I think she also understands what my priority is now, too.”

  Thyme turned and blew a kiss to her mother over her shoulder. The woman gave her a bittersweet smile in return before disappearing beneath the surface. It seemed more a reluctant farewell than a permanent parting.

  Thyme captured my face in her soft hands and turned me to face her. She stared deeply into my eyes as if she wanted to dive inside them.

  “Don’t you dare leave me ever again.” I squeezed her waist tighter. “You are more than my courage. You are my reason for being. You are everything to me. I am incomplete without you.”

  “I won’t. I promise. You are my loyal champion, Billy Blade.” She smiled blindingly. “My defender. The man I love. The part I was missing. The task that kept me lingering among the shadows in the In Between was you. It was you I was waiting for. You are where I belong. It was you I needed all along. Just you.”

  Glossary:

  The Creator-the Original Immortal

  Heir-the three sons of the Creator. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon.

  Progeny- a product of the union of an Heir and another Immortal.

  Offspring-a product of the union of a male Progeny and another Immortal.

  The Favored-the seven male Progeny jointly appointed by Zeus and Hades to rule on matters concerning The Code.

  The Code-a binding set of rules governing Progeny and Offspring.

  Enforcers-those given the authority to apprehend violators of The Code and to carry out the judgments of the Council.

  Parental Identifier-a tattoo like mark that appears on the wrist of an offspring when he or she becomes fully immortal at the age of twenty-one. It mimics the talisman of their father.

  Fated Ones-Immortal couples bound by the power of the Creator’s magic spoken over them at birth.

  Obsidian-stone infused with the Creator’s magic. Potentially lethal to Immortals.

  The Magic series continues with

  Dream Magic

  October 2015

  And

  Twisted Magic

  Coming soon

  About Author

  Michelle Mankin is the Amazon bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels.

  Romance with subtext.

  Reimagining classic stories with sexy rock stars and thought provoking issues.

  For many years she worked in the insurance industry as an underwriter. Somehow, the boredom didn't kill her but the hours and hours of looking at facts and figures provided ample time for her mind to wander.

  Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a Brutal Strength centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock 'n roll industry.

  Things take a bit of an edgier, once upon a time turn with the Tempest series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.

  Rock stars, myths, and legends collide with paranormal romance in a totally mesmerizing way in the Magic series.

  When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend as she takes the children to school and back.

  Connect with Michelle Mankin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Michelle-Mankin/233503403414065

  On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleMankin

  On tsu: https://www.tsu.co/AuthorMichelleMankin

  On her website: http://www.michellemankin.com/

  Receive the Black Cat Records newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Lvgzf

  YOU LUCKY WITCH

  MARIE MASON

  Copyright © 2015

  The book contains Mature Content.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “KAYLEY, BE A dear and go to the store and pick up some milk and bread, please.”

  Her mother’s voice called to her from the kitchen. She knew it wasn’t the daughterly thing to do, but she rolled her eyes at her mother’s demand.

  “Can’t Hayley conjure some for you?” Her sister was visiting and could conjure things out of thin air, a skill Kayley had yet to master.

  “Kayley.”

  Witches should never use their power for personal gain. Magic was a gift not to be squandered, yada, yada, yada. She mouthed the words silently. She and her sisters had heard the lecture many, many times before.

  Knowing it would be useless to make any more excuses, she went to her room and got her purse then grabbed a sweater from the front hall closet.

  “Anything else?” She yelled down the hallway as she opened the front door. She never doubted her mother would hear her last minute question. Her mother heard, and saw, everything.

  “No, darling, that should be enough.”

  As Kayley walked down the front steps, she breathed in the cool, crisp air. The weather was perfect for a fall evening. This was her favorite season and All Hollow’s Eve was her favorite holiday. And not because wild and wondrous things were supposed to happen for witches this time of year. Her mother and two sisters had met their husbands in October. So far, no man had popped up on Kayley’s radar. She didn’t hold out any hope she would find the man of her dreams this year either. The holiday was a week away, and she had no special plans. She hadn’t been on a date in months.

  She wasn’t like her sisters. Marley and Hayley had everything going for them. They were tall, blond, and slim — just like their mother. They could be Stepford witches they were so perfect. Kayley had taken after her grandmother on her father’s side who had been part succubus, voluptuous and seductive. Somehow, that gene had gone a little wonky when forming Kayley’s DNA because she was curvy and cute.

  Cute. Oh, how she hated that word. Most of her life she’d hated the other word just as much. Curvy. Just another word for fat in her opinion. In the last few years, she’d come to accept she was what she was — a big girl. Wide hips, thick thighs, and breasts that threatened to put out an eye if she ran.

  Not that she ran very often. Okay, try never. Kayley was not an exercise type of girl.

  She rolled down the windows of her beat-up old sedan, letting the cool air inside as she cranked the engine. Yes, fall was her favorite time of year, she thought as she made her way to the grocery store. She put her arm out the window, letting the updraft push against it, moving it at will. On days like today, she wished she could afford a convertible. She’d drive to the mountains, letting the wind blow through her hair and watch the colors of the trees go by as she drove higher and higher up the twisting and winding roads.

  The trees in her neighborhood had already turned and the blue sky was the perfect foil for the autumn leaves. The cool weather was also perfect. Yep, fall was definitely her favorite time of year.

  She made it to the grocery store in no time at all. The store was only a few minutes down the road from the two-story brick house where she lived with her parents. She could have walked to the store, but hadn’t relished the idea of carrying home a gallon of milk in one hand and two loaves of bread in the other. Her good mood disappeared when she thought of her present situation. Twenty-five, no boyfriend, and living with her parents. Her life had certainly not turned out as she’d planned
.

  Parking near the front of the store, she noticed the lot was almost empty. Not really surprising on a Friday evening, but something made Kayley shiver as she walked inside. She pulled the sweater closer to her body.

  “Hello, Wanda.” She waved to the woman at the register. Stacks of boxes stood at the end of each aisle and she caught a glimpse of a lanky teenager restocking the shelves near the middle of the store. Over the years, Kayley and her sisters had each worked at the store, earning extra money for clothes or building up their savings during the summer before heading back to college.

  All three sisters held advanced degrees. Kayley had graduated in May with a Master’s in public health. Luckily, she’d found a job as an administrator for a long term care facility. The job allowed her to stay at home, paying down her student loan debt and working with an age group she adored. The fact that most of the residents were supernaturals was an added bonus. Despite what humans might think, witches and shifters, even demons and angels were mortal. They aged slowly, but they did die.

  The produce and bread were on the right side of the store, and naturally, the milk was to the left. Grabbing a cart, she decided to get the bread first. She got an extra loaf, knowing Marley’s children would be coming to the house this weekend. The twins ate like animals. This of course, wasn’t so unusual seeing how they were shifters. She smiled to herself. The boys were only six years old, but were already shifting thanks to their father’s alpha genes.

  It was strange how DNA could work for you or against you. The pups exhibited extraordinary power. Kayley’s DNA, which had already proven itself wonky by not shaping her into a Barbie doll-like witch as it had her two sisters, had decided to display even more abnormalities when it came to Kayley’s spell casting ability.