Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Colleen Gleason

  Keller enters the room and signals for us to follow. I squeeze the handle of my blade and wait for Cassy and Melissa to make it through the small opening. A low, hungry moan, one I’d hoped never to hear again, sounds directly behind me. I whirl. Red eyes flash in the dark hallway. It’s Cross’s zombie vamp. Freakin’ fantastic.

  Cross believes having half of his crew on the brink of starvation gives him an advantage. From personal experience, I know these particular vamps are slow, but no less lethal. Their saliva is toxic, and I want nothing to do with his bite. I don’t wait for his slow ass to get to me. I take off at a jog, leap, and slam the heel of my boot into his neck. He groans and falls back. I leap and kick again, this time in the gut. He teeters. I wait until I hear him fall to the ground, then I straddle his waist and jam my blade into his heart. I jump off a split second before he sizzles and turns to ash.

  There are more where he came from. No doubt about that. I should have given Cassy and Melissa blades, too. I run into the entryway to find the witches are backed into a corner and Keller is kicking major ass.

  Melissa stands in front of Cassy with her hands extended out in front of her. Lyrical words tumble from her lips. Her eyes are growing heavy, and I know she’s sapping her energy in her effort to keep the vamps away. That won’t do.

  Any chance I’d thought we’d had at coming in stealth has left the building. From here on in, it’s balls to the wall. With a yell to draw their attention, I take out two sluggish vamps with one blade. I’m ruthless in my attack, ripping through the small horde with all the violence I have inside me. Cassy’s eyes go wide, and for a brief moment, I wonder what she thinks of me. Her eyes are like mirrors, and I see death creeping toward me. Before I can turn, thick claws scrape my neck, tearing my flesh. Fuck. Blood trickles down my shoulder. Might as well paint a target on my back.

  Now I’m pissed.

  So is Keller.

  Between the two of us, these vamps don’t stand a chance. Keller roars and rips the head off the vamp he’s been battling. The body falls to the ground, but not before Keller slices into his heart with a short blade. Ash flutters like confetti. Had I known we were going to throw a party, I would have brought champagne.

  The celebration will have to wait. I take down two more and Keller ashes three. The room finally grows quiet again and Melissa slumps against the wall.

  “Please tell me you’re not completely tapped.” My tone is harsh. I can’t help it. This is too important.

  “Not quite,” Melissa says, her breath short and heavy. “Thanks to Cassy. She fed me some of hers. We can still do this.”

  “Let me see your neck.” Keller tugs me to him, his fingers dancing over my skin carefully. “It’s shallow. You got lucky.”

  “Yep. That’s why I don’t play the lottery. No one else would ever win.” I don’t mention my neck is stinging like a bitch. Whatever. I’ll deal. “Let’s move.”

  I take off at a run and stop only when I reach the door I’ve been looking for. Keller had knocked it off its hinges the other day. The pixies—or someone—has tried to repair it and done a really crummy job. A bit of super glue and duct tape would have worked better. The door hangs cock-eyed. I could probably blow it over with one breath. I prefer more of a show. I shove it open and send several pixies scattering. The rest stare at us, pausing in their work. They’re naked except for the latex gloves and surgical masks. I blink to erase the image, yet every time I open my eyes I see a bunch of nude-ass pixies. Where’s the bleach when I need it?

  The pixies start giggling one by one, each seemingly feeding off the next. I look at Keller. He shakes his head as if he’s perplexed by the ridiculousness of the situation. The pixies return to their work. They’re making Pixie Dust right in front of us. And laughing in our faces as they do it.

  I kick one of the tables over, silencing their laughter. “If you want to live, you’ll leave. Now.”

  Some do. Some don’t. I refuse to feel responsible for their stupidity. I turn to Melissa. “I need you to get me in there,” I say, pointing to the interior door as Keller upends the remaining tables. A few more pixies flee. Apparently some of them have come equipped with brains. Go figure.

  “Cross won’t like you being in there.” A naked pixie buzzes close to my ear.

  I swat her away. “Good.” I rip off the bottom of my shirt and tie it around my neck to staunch the flow of blood.

  The witches stand in front of the door, holding hands and whispering in unison. Keller and I move closer. The air around the door shimmers like sun-streaked water. Keller kicks it down just like the last time. Difference is, I’m not going in until I know the ward has been broken. The witches chant louder, and I study the interior through the wavering wards. Inside is one major greenhouse. All the plants and flowers commingling, and just the toxins the pixies need to make the drug. Unreal. One room full of a million nightmares.

  I walk behind Melissa and whisper in her ear. “Once we’re in, move as fast as you can to protect the museum.” I know she can’t answer. But I also know she heard me. I move past her and wait for the chanting to stop.

  As soon as it does, Keller and I leap through the doorway. The room is stifling hot, like a rainforest in the thick of the summer season. Moisture drips from the ceiling and beads on the leaves.

  I turn. The witches are gone. I’m about to breathe a sigh of relief when I’m hit from behind. I fall to my knees. Rolling quickly to my back, I throw a blade and hit the shifter in his flank. He whimpers and limps to the corner to lick his wounds.

  Two more have Keller pinned against the wall. Snarling, drool drips from their maws. I whistle to get their attention and reward each of them for their ignorance with a blade in the eye. Keller kicks them from behind, then uses his power of persuasion to back all three out of the room.

  “They’ll be back,” I say, winded.

  “Assuredly. Thanks for the backup, but I could have taken them.”

  I smile. “Assuredly,” I say, teasing. I pull a lighter out of my pocket and flick the flint wheel. The flame rises about an inch. “We need to destroy this room.”

  “Josie?”

  I glance at Keller and flip the lid on the flame. “Please tell me I didn’t just hear Cassy call my name.” She’s supposed to be upstairs. This won’t work any other way.

  “Ah, feck.” Keller looks at me, his face grim.

  I turn and see my plan fizzle away like dried up leaves.

  It isn’t just Cassy. It’s Alex. And Lucian. And Matthew. All bruised and bleeding. And they’re not alone.

  Cross, dressed in a jet-black suit and shiny shoes, has Cassy’s dark hair wrapped around his fingers. He yanks and pulls her close. His crew of nasties are packed into the room. We’re so outnumbered I don’t even want to attempt a head count.

  “Let her go,” Keller orders.

  Cross doesn’t spare him a glance, his focus solely on me. His eyes are a brilliant shade of blue, almost crystal white, hypnotic.

  “Did you miss me, Ms. Hawk?”

  “Yeah, not really,” I say. Except I did. But not in the way he’d like me to. Still, I feel his enigmatic pull. I plant my feet. I’m stronger this time. “Is it prom night?” He really is overdressed for the occasion.

  “You could have come to visit,” Cross says. “We had such a nice time before. Remember?”

  Oh, I remember all right. And I’m not buying the sincerity in his voice. “I remember destroying more than half of your in-house security. Did you need me to clean house again? I’m all about taking out the trash.”

  Cross tilts his head. His face flickers and I gasp. One moment he is the Cross I’ve always known, sexy and dangerous, light in skin and hair. The next second his face morphs into that of Quin, dark, sensual, menacing. Quin smiles broadly. Then Cross flashes his fangs. I shake my head, but the flashing continues. The more mixed up the two of them become, the clearer things are to me.

  I step closer, leaving the greenhouse behind and moving back in
to the drug factory. Keller grips my wrist, but I pull away. I realize all of my hallucinations weren’t exactly illusions, but perhaps visions of what was to come. “You are one in the same. There is no Quin, only different shades of Cross.”

  “Aha. Now you see, Ms. Hawk. I wondered how long it would take you. I was starting to question your intelligence.”

  “Never do that,” I tell him as my mind whips through all the possibilities. “Eventually, I always see you for who you truly are. I knew there was something familiar about you.” I look at Keller. He’s confused, and I know it’s because he doesn’t see what I see. I’m changing. Before I had strength and determination. Now I can add powers I don’t understand into the equation. Something is happening to me, and I have a feeling this is only the tippy-top of the iceberg. I wish my father were here to explain this to me.

  “Josie?”

  “There is no Quin,” I say to Keller while keeping my eyes on Cross.

  “I’m not sure I’m following here. If Quin isn’t real, then who is the new head of the Assembly?”

  Cross steps forward, shoving a very silent Cassy from behind. “I am.”

  “Impossible,” Keller hisses.

  “Nothing is impossible. That word shouldn’t even exist in your vocabulary.” Cross licks his lower lip. “What a waste it was to make you a vampire.” He twists Cassy’s hair tighter in his fist.

  Cassy doesn’t move. I latch on to Keller’s arm to stop him from reacting. We need to know more.

  “But you, Ms. Hawk,” Cross says, and tsks. He lowers his gaze to my toes, and takes his time studying my body before he makes eye contact again. “You’ve changed. I like what I see.”

  I ignore him. “What did you do to the Elders?”

  “Do? What makes you think I did anything to them?”

  “It’s more than a fair assumption. No one would put you in charge, Cross,” Keller says.

  Cross shrugs. “Perhaps you’re right. Fear and money is a very persuasive combination. Those that couldn’t be bought were disposed of. Funny how witnessing a little torture can quickly change minds. I’m not a fan of the weak.”

  I hope Cross keeps talking. The longer he stands there blowing up his own ego, the more time I have to develop a new plan. Not to mention, the Team is looking haggard and could use a few more minutes to get their strength back.

  “But you’re not weak, are you, Ms. Hawk?”

  The gleam in his eyes has turned seductive. As if one smoldering look from Cross is going to ever make my heart race. “I’ve never been weak. I—”

  “She’s not available,” Keller says, interrupting.

  “Everyone is available. It’s simply a matter of discovering exactly what they want. I know what the huntress wants. Power.” Cross extends his hand. “Come with me, Josephine. Be my first lady and I will give you all the power you could ever desire.”

  Keller charges. “Like hell.”

  Cross releases Cassy, sending her sailing across the room. Alex sprints and catches her before she slams into the wall. Keller nails Cross in the jaw. Cross retaliates with a kick to Keller’s chest.

  Keller hits the ground, hard. Something cracks, and I hope to God it isn’t his spine. He would heal, but it would take time. I move faster than I’ve ever moved before. I’m at Keller’s side before anyone else can even think of helping him. I peer into his eyes. You okay?

  Keller answers by jumping to his feet.

  To say all hell breaks loose would be the understatement of the century, but that’s exactly what happens. My Team even had me fooled. They aren’t weak at all.

  The shifters attack with a chorus of growls. Lucian, Alex and Matthew tear into them with preternatural speed. The Alpha is huge, his coat of fur silver and dense. He sinks his teeth into Matthew’s thigh. Matthew bellows in pain, grabs the wolf’s jaws, and pries his teeth off his leg before throwing him through the door. The wolf yelps and limps back into the room, bearing his teeth.

  Melissa grabs Cassy’s hand, and they start to cast their power to drive back the wolves. The pixies do whatever annoying thing they can manage.

  As if I’m in a bubble, I watch it all unfold. I want to do something, but I seem to be rooted in place. Anger encompasses me with its poisonous needles, pricking and stabbing at my skin.

  I see Cross and Keller battling, both powerful in their own right. Keller shouldn’t be a match for the ancient. Yet he is. Why is that? What hasn’t he told me?

  Cross believes I want power more than anything else. He’s wrong. I want so many things more than power. Keller, and the well-being of my friends are at the top of that list—right next to the safety of all the good people in Nashville.

  Cross bends Keller’s arm into an unnatural position. Keller doesn’t flinch, but I feel his pain. And that is enough to break my bubble. I feel everything Keller feels—pain, doubt, anger—and I don’t like it one bit.

  I pull my gaze away from the man I love and the one I loathe, to study the veins running up and down my right arm. They’ve turned a fierce shade of blue mixed with threads of orange. Hoping Melissa is strong enough to protect the museum relics, I concentrate on one word.

  Fire.

  Heat floods my body and I know I can do this. I was born to do this. I move toward the greenhouse, putting all my focus on the plants that have killed so many. Inside, I’m burning up. But I’m not afraid. No. Never that. I’m determined. And powerful. I don’t need Cross or anything he has to offer.

  I lift my arm and extend my palm. Flames fly from my hand, igniting the room instantly. I watch it burn, oddly detached, and yet inside, I am there. I am all of it. I am fire.

  The mayhem quiets behind me and I know I’m the reason. I turn to see a slack-jawed Cross. He recovers quickly, literally flying across the room and grabbing me in a chokehold. The Alpha wolf slams Keller to the ground. I kick Cross with both legs. He doesn’t budge. This is exactly what he did to me last time. He could have killed me then, but he chose not to. I can see things are different now. The seductive gleam in his eye has been replaced by pure hatred. I might not make it through this. His strength is staggering. My vision grows shadowed and speckled.

  But I have a lot to live for. Contrary to what Esmeralda said, I am needed. “Everything you’ve…worked for is going…up in smoke, Cross,” I manage to wheeze out even though he’s crushing my windpipe. “Tell me, was it worth it?”

  Cross tightens his grip. “Fuck you.”

  Keller sails across the room and nails the side of Cross’s head full force with his boot. Cross bellows with rage, and I use the momentum of his fall to duck out of his grasp. Cross hits the ground and slides backward.

  The fire roars behind me. I don’t turn to look, only embrace the heat as it caresses my backside. My job here is almost done. The end of one chapter means the beginning of another. The Assembly? That entire book needs to be rewritten. Those who are easily corrupted and don’t stand firm when their brethren is attacked don’t deserve to run the occult.

  With a nod to Keller, I address every being in the room. “Either you’re with me or against me.” Even I know things aren’t as black and white as that. At the moment, I can’t bring myself to care. The old ways don’t work anymore. It’s time for change.

  The nasties in the room look from Cross to me, as if they are unsure which side they should take. Funny. Their decision was clear before I started tossing around fire like baseballs.

  Cross stands and moves closer. “No one is with you. I am the new Assembly. I am the law.” His voice shakes with barely restrained fury.

  I swivel and send a bolt of fire toward Cross. With a hiss, he leaps out of the way and right into Keller’s awaiting fist. Keller strikes hard and Cross stumbles into the inferno. The ancient screams as the fire burns through his expensive suit and eats away at his flesh. He tries to stand but the flames pull him down. I consider saving him. A few more seconds and there will be no coming back from this. Cross’s reign will be over. I think about all
the innocent people he has killed over the years, and I make the decision to do the right thing.

  I lace my fingers through Keller’s and walk away. My team, Cassy and Melissa included, follow.

  I wasn’t kidding about the others having to pick sides. All members of the occult will need to make a decision soon, because whether they like it or not…

  The revolt begins now.

  A note from Elle

  Welcome to my crazy world. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to warn you that things tend to get a little weird around here. Don’t worry. I have lots of extra flashlights lying around for anyone who’s afraid of the dark. Confession: Not all of them have batteries. Good luck! ~ Elle

  Also by Elle J Rossi

  The Josie Hawk Chronicles

  Alabaster Nights

  Indigo Dawn

  Midnight Masque

  * * *

  The Brennan Coven

  The Luminary

  The Soother

  * * *

  Collections

  Shatter

  Never Fear

  Never Fear – Phobias

  Never Fear – Christmas Terrors

  Jaded – A Starstruck Novella

  Rehab Is For Witches

  For an extensive booklist, visit Elle’s website

  www.ellejrossi.com

  WITCH HUNT

  by Rachel Rawlings

  * * *

  Chapter 1

  My head was killing me. The migraine moved through my head like a freight train and started almost immediately after I’d walked into Captain Matthison’s office. I’d worked for him up until a couple of months ago, when all hell broke loose in Salem.

  I’m psychometric. The police once used my talents to interrogate suspects they brought in, and I was pretty skilled at it. Then Seamus walked into my interrogation room. That’s when my nice, little life started to fall apart.