Of Ash and Spirit: Piper Lancaster Series

by D. G. Swank

  He crushed his lips to mine in a greedy, demanding kiss. His tongue plundered mine, taking and claiming as one hand held my head in place and the other cupped my butt.

  I clung to him, needing more, needing so much more. But his words swam in my head.

  You promised to kill me, Kewasa.

  I pulled back, but I fisted his shirt in my hand to keep him close. “I can’t kill you, Kieran.”

  “And there’s the rub, Waboose. You must. When a crescent moon appears on the mark on your hand, you will be compelled to do so whether you want to or not. Such is the blood oath.”

  Then he released me and walked away, leaving me standing in the middle of the road. Cold and alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Piper!” Jack shouted my name, sounding terrified.

  “Here!” I called out, fighting the urge to cry. Crying wouldn’t solve anything.

  I rounded the curve in the road and saw Jack and Rhys running toward me.

  “Oh my God, Piper!” Rhys said.

  I was relieved to see her safe and sound.

  Suddenly, I realized I was wearing nothing beyond jeans and my black bra. Abel must have ripped my shirt the rest of the way off at some point. But the thing that had elicited her reaction was the blood covering my body and jeans. “I’m okay. I was hurt, but then . . .” I wasn’t ready to share what had happened with Abel yet. I needed time to process it all. “Then I was okay.”

  I looked her over, noticing the bruise on her forehead. “You’re hurt.”

  She absently lifted her fingertips to her temple. “I’m fine. Thanks to Jack.”

  “We tried to get to you, but it was like there was something keeping us out,” Jack said. Then he lowered his voice. “We found the bodies.”

  “And the piles of ash,” Rhys said.

  “The demons killed the guys. I killed the demons. With Helen’s help.” Then I gasped. “The daggers. I left the daggers on the road when I was hurt.” I ran back to the bridge and found them where I’d left them, Helen standing guard.

  “Thank you, Helen.”

  She nodded, but she looked sad. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for him.”

  While it wasn’t surprising, it still stung a bit. “I know.”

  Her gaze turned dark, and for the first time, she looked menacing. “I can’t let you kill him.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “But you will try.”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  She watched me for several more seconds, then disappeared.

  Rhys hugged herself as she glanced around. “Was Helen here?”

  “Yeah,” I said as I bent over and picked up the daggers. “Like I said, she helped me.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said. “This place is giving me the creeps.”

  I found what was left of my clothes on the ground. I lifted the jacket and cringed as I showed it to Jack. “I owe your sister a new coat.”

  “Holy shit!” Rhys said as she snatched it from me and stuck her hand through a hole.

  Jack shifted his gaze from me to the jacket and back. “Where are your wounds, Piper?”

  I stared at him, thinking of Abel, thinking of the taste of his blood on my lips.

  “Piper?” Rhys asked. “Why aren’t you wearing your shirt?” Then she snatched that from me too, cursing again when she saw it was in ribbons and drenched in blood. “Piper!”

  “I’m fine,” I said sharply as I snatched it back.

  She moved closer to look me over more carefully. “But how are you fine?”

  “Abel,” Jack said in a dull voice. “Abel showed up.”

  “Did he?” Rhys asked.

  Jack held my gaze.

  “Yes.”

  “Did he help you fight them?” Rhys asked.

  “No. He said he couldn’t help.”

  “He watched those things attack you,” Jack said in disgust, “while he stood to the side and did nothing.”

  I knew there was nothing I could say to make Jack change his judgment, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to try. Maybe Abel deserved it. My feelings regarding Kieran Abel were conflicting and confusing. But one thing was certain. I could still feel him . . . fleeing me.

  We started down the hill, walking in silence.

  “How’d you get Rhys?” I asked.

  “The woman by the car was distracted by the noises from the bridge,” Jack said. “It was easy to sneak up and tase her. Rhys was tied up in the backseat, and by the time I got her free, the woman was gone.”

  “She got away?”

  “Yeah.” Jack didn’t sound happy about it.

  Neither was I, but it wasn’t like we could have done anything with her anyway.

  “We should call the police,” Rhys said when we stopped to pick up Jack’s drone.

  “I’m already under enough suspicion without adding any more,” I said.

  “Jack?” Rhys asked.

  He gave her a long look. “Piper’s right. Those guys are dead. Someone will drive by soon.” Then he added, “Unless you want us to report your kidnapping.” He shook his head. “How in the hell did none of us even consider calling the police?”

  “I don’t want to call them,” Rhys said with a shudder. “I just want to forget it ever happened.”

  It didn’t seem likely that would happen, but if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t notify them either.

  Twenty minutes later, Jack pulled into the parking lot of the church and parked next to my car. Rhys got out first. As I opened my car door, clutching the box of daggers under my left arm, Jack said, “Piper. Wait.”

  I tensed, prepared for some kind of lecture or accusation, but instead he said, “I was absolutely no help to you tonight. If you decide you’re better off without me, I’ll understand.”

  I turned to him in shock. “How can you say that? I needed you this afternoon with the ghost.”

  “But you’d done just fine without me up until then.”

  “Jack . . .”

  “I’m not saying this because I’m looking for you to beg me to stay. I’m honestly saying I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep me around out of obligation or worry that you’re going to hurt my feelings.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

  “Good, because you’re stuck with me. I need your help. I’m not ready to ditch you yet.”

  “Then maybe soon you’ll tell me what really happened tonight.”

  I gave him a sad look. “Yeah. Maybe.”

  I needed to sort it all out myself.

  The next morning, the first thing that hit me was the feeling of Abel’s presence miles away. He’d spent the night somewhere downtown, and every time I’d woken up, I’d known he couldn’t sleep either. I was going to have to figure a way to put a damper on this connection.

  I took a shower and put on a black dress and heels before I went to my father’s office with a letter addressed to Dad’s partners. I’d spent my sleepless night thinking about everything that had happened at the bridge, but a good portion of those early morning hours were spent fretting about the codicil. I’d met the requirements, yet I was hesitant to hand the family tree over to my father’s business partners. I knew they’d never believe it was accurate, which meant I’d have to waste precious time trying to prove it. Besides, after my brush with the Guardians, I wasn’t willing to declare myself out in the open.

  I’d decided to relinquish my claim.

  But that didn’t mean I was relinquishing my family. There was one branch on the Lancaster family tree I was very interested in: Elinor Lancaster of Manteo, North Carolina. As soon as things died down, I was taking a road trip to the Outer Banks.

  As nice as it would have been to have the monthly income, I needed to let the law firm go. I didn’t linger—as soon as I walked through the front door, I handed the envelope with the letter to Linda, then walked out.

  Besides, that wasn’t my main mission of the day. I had a funeral to atte
nd.

  I wasn’t surprised the church was packed with so many people. Austin Whitehead had seemed like a nice guy, so it stood to reason a lot of people would attend his funeral. It didn’t take long to figure out who his girlfriend was. Brianna Krill sat in the front during the service, looking every bit as devastated as Austin’s ghost had looked when he’d realized he would never propose to her.

  I still couldn’t help thinking that he’d died to warn me about the demons, and I still didn’t understand why he and the others had left behind piles of ash . . . or who had sent them to me. I only hoped I didn’t encounter any more souls with messages. My conscience couldn’t take it.

  I sat through most of the service trying to figure out how to give Brianna the message I’d promised to deliver. Rhys had insisted that I should hand her an anonymous letter, but that seemed like a cop-out. If Austin had really died to deliver a half-finished message, I could deal with a few minutes of discomfort. My biggest concern was what would be most comforting to Brianna.

  The public service ended at the church, so the family lined up at the back of the building so the mourners could offer their condolences. I got in line, but I hadn’t settled on a plan. It came to me, thank God, as she turned to me with red-rimmed eyes.

  “Brianna, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Were you a friend of Austin’s?” she asked.

  “I hadn’t known him long, but I know that he truly loved you.”

  Tears filled her eyes.

  “I know that he pulled that double to get the next night off. He planned to spend it with you.”

  Tears streamed down her face. “I wanted to go to that Keith Urban concert, and he didn’t want to go. If I hadn’t coerced him . . .” She released a tiny sob.

  “No,” I said, reaching out and covering her hand. “Austin wanted to go. He had a plan . . .” Was I helping her by telling her this? Or was I making her pain worse? If I loved a man, would I want to know what could have been even if I couldn’t have it? An image of Abel popped into my head, and I brushed it aside. This wasn’t about me.

  “What?” she asked in confusion.

  “Brianna, Austin planned to propose to you that night.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “He hid the ring in the hall closet. Underneath a loose floorboard. He loved you.” My voice broke. “He loved you so much, and he was devastated that he couldn’t have a life with you. He would have done anything to stay.”

  Her chin trembled. “How do you know this? Did you talk to him at the scene?”

  “It’s not important how I know,” I said. “But it was important to Austin that I tell you. I hope it gives you peace.” Then I turned around and left before someone kicked me out.

  But as I exited the church, I heard someone whisper, “That’s her. That’s Piper Lancaster.”

  “The ghost whisperer?” her companion asked.

  And demon slayer. But I’d deal with the ghosts for now.

  Of Fire and Storm

  Piper Lancaster #2

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  Also by D.G. Swank

  CURSE KEEPERS WORLD

  (Urban fantasy)

  Curse Keepers Trilogy

  The Curse Keepers

  The Curse Breakers

  The Curse Defiers

  Curse Keepers Collection (box set)

  * * *

  Of Ash and Spirit Trilogy

  Of Ash and Spirit

  Of Fire and Storm

  Of Blood and Monsters

  The Chosen Series

  (Adult urban fantasy)

  CHOSEN

  HUNTED

  SACRIFICE

  REDEMPTION

  On the Otherside Series

  (Young adult sci fi romance)

  HERE

  THERE

  Also by Denise Grover Swank

  Rose And Neely Kate reading order:

  Family Jewels

  Trailer Trash

  For the Birds

  Hell in a Handbasket

  In High Cotton

  Up Shute Creek

  * * *

  Rose Gardner Investigations

  Family Jewels

  For the Birds

  Hell in a Handbasket

  Up Shute Creek (November 6, 2018)

  * * *

  Neely Kate Mystery

  Trailer Trash

  In High Cotton

  * * *

  Magnolia Steele Mystery

  Center Stage

  Act Two

  Call Back

  Curtain Call

  * * *

  Darling Investigations

  (Humorous mystery romance)

  Deadly Summer

  Blazing Summer

  * * *

  Rose Gardner Mysteries

  Novellas are bonus material

  TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES

  TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS

  THIRTY AND A HALF EXCUSES

  FALLING TO PIECES (novella)

  THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF REGRETS

  THIRTY-TWO AND A HALF COMPLICATIONS

  PICKING UP THE PIECES (novella)

  THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF SHENANIGANS

  ROSE AND HELENA SAVE CHRISTMAS (novella)

  RIPPLE OF SECRETS (novella)

  THIRTY-FOUR AND A HALF PREDICAMENTS

  THIRTY-FIVE AND A HALF CONSPIRACIES

  THIRTY-SIX AND A HALF MOTIVES

  SINS OF THE FATHER (novella)

  The Wedding Pact

  (Humorous contemporary romance)

  THE SUBSTITUTE

  THE PLAYER

  THE GAMBLER

  THE VALENTINE (short story)

  * * *

  Bachelor Brotherhood

  Spinoff of The Wedding Pact series

  ONLY YOU

  UNTIL YOU

  ALWAYS YOU

  * * *

  Young adult contemporary romance

  ONE PARIS SUMMER

  Off the Subject Series

  (New adult contemporary romance)

  AFTER MATH

  REDESIGNED

  BUSINESS AS USUAL

  Acknowledgments

  Who says you can’t go home again?

  Okay, so I’m not exactly home with Ellie, Collin, and David yet. But we’re getting there. Trust me, I have a plan. ;)

  Many readers know I’d always planned to write more Curse Keepers books, but my publisher, 47North, decided to make the series a trilogy after the second book. I can’t blame them for their decision. The sales weren’t that great, and this is a business. But I’d still planned to continue the series.

  And then The Wedding Pact happened. And then The Bachelor Brotherhood, and my plan to write more books got pushed farther and farther out, and soon I realized I needed a way to find my readers again. And get new ones. So Piper Lancaster was born.

  I love Piper. LOVE HER. I can’t wait for her to meet Ellie in the next book. If Piper is your first introduction to the Curse Keepers world, then I can’t wait for you to meet feisty Ellie Lancaster and her fellow curse keeper, Collin Dailey. Oh, and her super-hot boyfriend, David Preston, a professor of Native American studies. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own trilogy after Piper’s.

  One reason I have a fondness for the Curse Keepers world is because it’s what introduced me to my developmental editor, Angela Polidoro. After my first editor left, Angela edited the short, This Place Is Death, and she’s been with me ever since. We’ve been discussing Piper Lancaster (who remained nameless in my head for years) practically since the first series ended.** She believed in the potential for this story almost as much as I did. Her opinion and suggestions have been invaluable. I couldn’t imagine doing this without her.

  **Fun fact: Piper was finally given a name when she made an appearance in Deadly Summer (Darling Investigations #1).

  Many thanks to Shannon Page, my faithful copy editor. She’s also been wi
th me for years and has a great eye for continuity issues. The fact that she loves my books helps too. I love her willingness to work with my craziness.

  And completing my holy trinity of editors is Carolina Valdez-Schneider, my proofreader. She’s amazing at her job, and she’s an even more amazing person. She hasn’t been with me as long as the others, but she’s just as invaluable.

  I always thank and apologize to my children, and this is no exception. They give up time with me so I can write books, sometimes more than they should, but they are so gracious about it. Even more so now that I’m homeschooling my youngest and often running off to Starbucks after dinner to work uninterrupted. They support what I do, and hopefully they see that with a lot of hard work, they too can live their dreams.

  And thank you, dear reader. You chose to read my book, and that is never lost on me.

  About the Author

  Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.