Sarah's Inheritance
Page 17
The ache settled deeper into his back, dull and chilly. Usually thinking about how happy Sebastian was now that he was actually dating Sarah kept the chill away, but tonight it crept in, dragging him down with its heavy cold. He’d failed his friends when he let the wights get so close to them in the first place, and then he’d failed Sarah and Sebastian immediately after when they’d been caught. It was on his shoulders that they’d suffered, and he— Kai shook his head so violently that his whole body shifted. No, he wouldn’t go down that particular rabbit hole again.
That was the risk with wight wounds, unfortunately. They didn’t just shred your flesh, they went for your soul and tried to turn you as dark as they were themselves. Their misery craved company. So now Kai had to come up with some way to stave off the infection for the evening, and hope that Doc had a solution in the morning.
He stood and went to leave his beer bottle in the kitchen sink. Maybe a patrol around the apartment complex grounds would be a good idea. Something that warlock had said to Sarah had put them all on edge. It seemed that the man was after Kai specifically for some reason. Well, no, not the warlock himself, naturally. Those greasy jackasses hardly ever did anything without a hefty fee being offered first. Still, the idea that there was someone out there willing to pay someone and risk innocent people— the children and families that lived in the apartments here, their friends living nearby like Sarah, the humans living in the surrounding neighborhood in blissful ignorance— just to get at him pissed him off, and he wanted to make sure that nobody else was being put at risk. It was his responsibility to protect those around him, and like hell he was going to let something slip by again.
Kai may not be perfect, but Obaasan had made damn sure that he knew his responsibilities before she handed them over in her will. At least he didn’t have to shoulder them alone— Sebastian was more than willing to pitch in and do whatever it took to keep the apartment complex safe and running smoothly, but Kai was the elder and more powerful of the pair and he felt that most of the heavy lifting fell to him.
So be it, he would go out and do a few circuits of the property and the nearby neighborhood. He shrugged on a jacket since the spring nights were still plenty cool enough to need one and pulled the door open to reveal a man standing there, his fist raised to knock.
“Er,” said the stranger. “Good evening.”
“I’m sorry, no soliciting is allowed here. I can walk you out,” Kai said, trying to plaster a distantly polite smile on his face.
“Oh, um. No,” the stranger said, shifting his weight slightly. “No, that’s not why I’m here. I know it’s late to show up like this, but I was hoping to talk to someone from the leasing office.”
Kai looked the man over, trying to sense his strength. The man was about tall but not especially large, though Kai had to look up slightly to meet his eyes. He wore his light brown hair short enough to not worry about a comb— which he obviously didn’t. He was dressed in what seemed to be a vague attempt at hipster style, with a plaid cotton shirt buttoned up under a cardigan, and thick black frames on his glasses. Kai wondered if he was another techie on a Silicon Valley pilgrimage.
“I heard that this was a sanctuary of sorts,” the stranger said after a moment. “My name is Marcus Wells. Please, is there someone I can talk to?”
“A sanctuary?” Kai said. He was only slightly surprised, it had been some time since he’d heard the word used to describe his community, but it was fairly accurate. The Village at Rancho San Calafia was certainly a sort of sanctuary, or it had been before the wights started attacking. How did this man know, though? It was not the sort of information Kai wanted to float around for public consumption.
“Was that just a rumor?” Marcus asked. His face started to look ashen, and Kai noticed that exhaustion was written in every line of the man’s posture.
“I guess that depends on what you need sanctuary from. If the answer is high rent, we’re not much better than anywhere else, I’m afraid.” Kai waved towards the offices across the hall. Better to play this carefully.
“Hunters,” Marcus said, his voice raspy with grief. “And I have to protect my daughter.”
Available Spring 2018
Author's Note
Sarah’s Inheritance came from an idea I had about how to break a spell and a desire to write about a place I miss. It’s been a few years since we moved out of California, but San Jose still feels like home! Granted, I never got to meet any of these spirits, but hey. Nowhere is perfect…
This was technically the second novel I ever finished. The bones were laid out for NaNoWriMo, and I spent a rather long time dithering about whether it was good enough to share. My dad finally talked me into it, fortunately, and I have to thank him. I hope you enjoyed it!
I must also thank my lovely Beta readers, who always have such great advice and wonderful comments that only make my stories stronger. I would also like to thank Venkatesh at Killerbookcovers.com for the amazing cover!
About the Author
Katherine Kim is a lifelong lover of fantasy. She started early, being read Tolkien as bedtime stories, which honestly explains a lot. More recently she’s been drawn to more urban fantasy stories through both books and television, and reading continues to be a passion. She lives and writes in Maryland for the moment, with her young family and her possibly demonic cat.
If you liked this book, I hope that you’ll leave me a review! I read every review and it makes a huge difference to me and to my work. And if you like sneak previews, giveaways, random news about myself, my kid, or my cat, or want a free book or two, sign up for my newsletter!
Other Books by Katherine Kim
Books by Katherine Kim
The Demon Guardian
A Demon’s Duty
A Demon’s Sanction
A Demon Saved
The Riverton Demons
Personal Demons
Spirits of Los Gatos
Sarah’s Inheritance
A Spirit’s Kindred