Against the Dawn

by amanda bonilla

  Against the Dawn

  A Shaede Assassin Novel

  Amanda Bonilla

  Copyright

  This e-book is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only.

  This e-book may not be sold, shared, or given away.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Against the Dawn

  Copyright © 2014 by Amanda Bonilla

  Ebook ISBN: 9781625174772

  Cover Art by Nathalia Suellen

  http://www.nathaliasuellen.com/

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  NYLA Publishing

  350 7th Avenue, Suite 2003, NY 10001, New York.

  http://www.nyliterary.com

  Dedication

  For the tough and tenacious ScreamQueen

  Praise for Amanda Bonilla

  VENGEANCE BORNE (Sentry of Evil #1)

  “Fans of dark urban fantasy have something new to look forward to…there is a gritty edge to this promising first installment that makes it a very compelling read.” –Romantic Times Book Reviews, 4 Stars

  “Immersive world building and bags of action, Vengeance Borne is a fantastic start to this new urban fantasy series.” –Vampire Book Club Reviews

  “Vengeance Borne hits all the right notes with great writing and promising new mythology; welcome to the Sentry of Evil series!” –Rabid Reads Reviews

  SHAEDES OF GRAY (Shaede Assassins #1)

  “It is always a pleasure to discover an excellent new author and series, and Bonilla qualifies on both counts. The debut of her Shaede Assassin series features a tough yet compelling heroine. Full of fascinating characters, high-stakes intrigue and fast-paced action, it’s a truly exhilarating adventure! Do not miss out!” –Romantic Times Book Reviews, TOP PICK 4.5 Stars

  “SHAEDES OF GRAY is edgy, full of great paranormal moments and unexpected events that add just the right amount of anticipation to keep you captivated. For urban fantasy fans, Amanda Bonilla has created an extraordinary debut novel, which is sure to keep you glued to the pages until the end, as well as leave you desperate for the next book in this exciting new series.” –Romance Junkies Reviews, Blue Ribbon Rating: 5

  “Truly transcendental as well as gritty…. an abundance of awesome action, as well as raw romance, all wrapped up in a fast-paced story that is fresh and unparalleled. Shaedes of Gray is going down as one of my favorite new series, and Darian as one of my new favorite heroines of 2011.” –Pamela Webb-Elliott, Heroes and Heartbreakers

  “In Shaedes of Gray, the main character is stoic and somewhat grouchy and I loved everything about her. Amanda Bonilla has created a brand new series that absolutely wowed me!” –The Romance Readers Connection, 4-1/2 Stars

  “Let me tell you, within two pages (and no, I am not exaggerating) …. I just KNEW I had started reading a great book by a really talented author… you will no doubt find it on my Favorites of 2011 list. Yes, people, it was that good.” – Yummy Men Kick Ass Chicks

  “You NEED this book. Shaedes of Gray is a first rate read from cover-to-cover! Amanda Bonilla breaks-out on the writing scene at full throttle. I loved the cover art, all 336 pages and the back blurb. In short for me, Shades of Gray was pure love. I will (impatiently) await Blood Before Sunrise‘s release next summer. You can’t go wrong in buying this novel for the Urban Fantasy enthusiast on your Christmas shopping list.” – Rabid Reads, 5 Paws

  Shaedes of Gray is full of compelling characters, exceptional world-building and a story that leaves you wanting more. The Shaede Assassin series is on my must buy list.” –The Qwillery, 5 Quills

  “…this noir and Machiavellian Urban Fantasy will have you clinging to the edge of your seat as you follow Darian through the shadows that is her life. A fast paced storyline that keeps you on your toes as Ms. Bonilla uses Darian’s history to unfold and set up this engaging and suspicious world…This entire book is an emotional roller coaster ride of twists and turns that will keep you riding the edge to the end. –Tori Smexy Books

  BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE (Shaede Assassins #2)

  “If you are a fan of Urban Fantasy and you have not tried the Shaede Assassin books, you are really missing out!” –Jen, Red Hot Books, 5 stars

  “BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE is a tightly written, edge-of-your-seat read! You do not want to miss out on this series.” –Under The Covers Book Blog, 4.5 stars

  “Well-written, perfectly paced so not to overwhelm, outstanding character development, Shaede Assassin is definitely a new addition to my favorite UF series list.” –Smitten With Bad Boy Heroes, 5 stars

  “Amanda Bonilla has done it again. Blood before Sunrise is a brilliant follow-up to the great Shaede Assassin series… Blood before sunrise is fast-paced read with a fantastic story line, full force action without losing the 'love' story-line that I like! Definitely a 5 star +!” –Paranormal Cravings, 5 stars

  “All in all Blood Before Sunrise is a Great addition to a Great series and a book I recommend to all Urban Fantasy lovers. If you love this genre this book and this series are a Must Read for you.” –The Bookaholic Cat, 5 stars

  CRAVE THE DARKNESS (Shaede Assassins #3)

  “This third chapter in Bonilla’s thrilling, pull-no-punches series has old relationships and prior obligations colliding with a deadly force. The characters in her well-crafted world are complicated, dynamic and nuanced.” – Romantic Times, 4 Stars

  “Well-wrought action sequences and high-stakes suspense.” Publishers Weekly

  “I think Amanda Bonilla has written with this new Urban Fantasy installment the best one of the series. The tension was heavy. I felt it like a brick in my stomach. Such a strong emotions to strong for me to stop reading! I think this is becoming one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Can't wait what Amanda will bring us next!” –Paranormal Cravings, 5 Stars

  “CRAVE THE DARKNESS is riveting and unexpected. The surprises just keep coming which makes this series absorbing and often times bone-chilling. Just when you think you have figured out what's happened in the past, another mind-bender is tossed into the mix! The unusual paranormal beings keep this series unpredictable. The twists and turns are relentless, keeping the reader wondering what could possibly happen next…I don't know about craving the darkness after walking it with Darian, but I sure do crave the next book!”—4.5 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies

  Chapter One

  “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.”

  That made two of us. I gave Brakae a sad smile that I doubt she noticed as she directed her attention back to the issue of Vogue that she thumbed through for the hundredth time since I’d brought it to O Anel. I came here in the first place to take a break from reality and get my head on straight. Problem was, it was time for me to return to the mortal realm, and I didn’t feel much better than I had when I’d arrived.

  “I still can’t believe the fashions women wear in your world,” Brakae mused, her voice sounding younger than the centuries she could claim. “When you come back will you bring me more Honey Nut Cheerios? They’re delicious.”

  “Food of the gods,” I agreed solemnly.

  I’d learned a lot about the Faerie Realm in the brief time I’d been here. There was so much more to this place than I thought I knew. Chaos ruled here. Even time flowed at a different pace depend
ing on where in the Faerie Realm you happened to be. If you ventured too close to Kotja A’ma, the fount from which time sprang, minutes passed in the blink of an eye as if time itself were being sucked into a swirling vortex. The further away you moved, the more time slowed. I looked around Brakae’s spacious cottage, which was situated in a small village miles away from Kotja A’ma. I was still amazed by this strange land that had seemed so barren to me the first time I’d been here.

  When Faolán dragged me along on his quest to merge the human world with the Faerie Realm, I’d thought that O Anel was nothing more than fields of endless tall grass and densely treed forests. But beyond the land that was closest to Kotja A’ma—the true faerie ring—were outcroppings of civilization. Villages and towns populated with all sorts of preternatural beings. This far from the ring, the chaos was less noticeable. The seasons had a rhythm all their own and the sun rose and set to mark the passage of another day. But the land was encased in an aura that felt a little…off to me. It could have been the magic that the Fae used regularly. Or it simply could have been that even though it was my job to guard the doorway to O Anel, it was not my home. No, I belonged in the mortal realm.

  A couple of weeks spent in Brakae’s village equaled months at home. By my estimation, I’d been here for about six months. Two weeks here, one half of a year passed in Seattle. Some vacation. The details of what had happened to me back at my apartment would have become nothing but a hazy memory to everyone who’d been present to witness my shame.

  Precisely the reason I’d come here in the first place.

  I knew that I needed time, and a couple of weeks away from home weren’t going to erase the memories of what happened to me. My job had been simple: protect Anya, one of Xander’s favored subjects. The branded property of a Cambion, he was after more than revenge for his imprisonment and the death of his mate and unborn son. He’d killed, Dimitri, Anya’s husband, and demanded she turn over a demonic codex she’d stolen from Kade’s father. If she didn’t, her life—as well as her unborn child’s—was forfeit. I was so confident I could take the half-Incubus-half human out myself. But I’d been dead wrong. Kade saw through my not-so-clever plan and used the addictive toxin that leeched from his pores and saliva to enslave me.

  Addict.

  That’s what Kade had made me. I wanted him, craved his touch like a drug and there hadn’t been a damn thing I could do about it. Now, mere weeks later, I couldn’t close my eyes without seeing Kade’s face looming above mine, or feel the rush of revulsion mixed with need that his touch evoked in me. In my dreams, his black, serpentine tale slithered up my body, caressing me before it wrapped around my neck to choke the air from my lungs. I woke up most nights gasping for air as I tried in vain to fight an invisible foe. A shudder passed along my skin as the memories bombarded me. Even now, I craved him.

  “Darian, are you okay?” Brakae and I were tied to each other through our connection to the Faerie Realm and she could sense my unease.

  “I’m fine,” I replied, not willing to expend the effort for even a wan smile of assurance. I wasn’t fine. Why in the hell did I always feel the urge to tell people I was?

  “What would you like to do your last night here?” She sounded sullen and it broke my heart to think of leaving her. She couldn’t visit the mortal realm as long as she was the Keeper of Time in O Anel. I hated that she had to stay here, separated from everyone she’d known and loved. And it burned my ass even more that I was able to come and go as I pleased. Sometimes the rules of the natural—and supernatural—world just sucked.

  Brakae looked expectant as she waited for my answer. Raif’s daughter was as far from pushy as you could get. She was like a lake on a windless morning: calm, serene, and lovely. She simply sat in silence until I was ready to speak and I let her calm wash over me. “Let’s visit Moira,” I said at last. The Guardian of the key and doorway that led from the Faerie Realm into the mundane world lived here with Brakae. Moira was Sidhe, one of the oldest creatures in the Fae lineage. Fierce, beautiful, and a force to be reckoned with in battle. Not to mention a little on the snarky side. I couldn’t help but like her.

  “All right,” Brakae said, closing the copy of Vogue. She smoothed the cover lovingly before placing it on the stack of other magazines I’d brought her. The supply of pop culture fodder would hopefully tide her over until my next visit. “She’s going to hear an earful from me, though. Moira never brings me magazines or Honey Nut Cheerios.”

  My return trip home from O Anel took more effort than I was used to. As if my will fought against my mind, the desire to come home took actual effort to manifest. The roar of traffic, the hum of pedestrians and other city sounds were deafening in comparison to the quiet of O Anel. The sensory overload was almost too much and it took everything I had not to return to that quiet place and continue to hide. Instead, as though my feet had rooted themselves to the sidewalk, I stood outside of my apartment building, my stomach coiled into a tight, anxious knot.

  I wasn’t ready.

  The building loomed above me, the windows, empty eyes that looked down on me with disdain. I swallowed down the fear rising up my throat. I could do this. Kade was dead and he couldn’t hurt me or anyone else ever again. Come on, Darian, you’ve got this. Put one foot in front of the other…

  To whom do you belong…? Kade’s words echoed in my mind, accompanied by the memory of writhing beneath his hands, begging for his touch. I doubled over, and gulped in drafts of breath as I hung my head between my knees. I don’t know how long I remained that way, focusing on sound of breath contracting and releasing in my lungs until my heart rate slowed to an acceptable pace and I was satisfied that I wasn’t going to pass out. Or empty the contents of my stomach onto the street. “Bullshit,” I said, loud enough startle a pigeon who’d wandered toward me on the sidewalk. I belonged to myself. I would not let that Cambion bastard have power over me, especially in death.

  On shaky legs, I made my way up the stairs to the building’s entrance. Magic swirled at my feet, sniffing like wary hounds. Reaver, the Time Keeper of the human realm had cast powerful protection wards on my building. I didn’t know the specifics, but I assumed they protected my place from unwanted entry of those who would do me harm, while allowing my allies to pass through safely. At least, I hoped that was the case. The heady Sidhe magic crept up my calves like a vining plant before slinking away once it recognized me. I reached out, my hand coming to rest on the door handle while I took a cleansing breath and pulled open the door.

  Nothing jumped out at me. But then again, Reaver’s magic was ancient and I knew the wards would hold. Coupled with the high-tech security system Raif had installed, the place probably had better protection than Fort Knox. I stepped inside the metal cage of my service elevator, surprised to find that it had been repaired. Kade had bent and damaged the cage door and car when he’d tried to kick his way inside. It obviously hadn’t taken too much to fix it. At least one thing I could be glad for.

  I spent the short trip to the second floor with my eyes closed. I could have traveled as my ethereal self, merging with the daylight, but my nerves were jittery and my skin crawled. The added sensation of leaving my body behind would have been a little more than I could handle. God, I hadn’t felt so vulnerable in over a century. The elevator came to a halt, and as I stepped into my studio apartment, I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked. Took in my surroundings. Blinked again.

  Jesus.

  The space no longer resembled the apartment I’d left days—or rather, months—ago. My studio had been completely transformed, and from the looks of it, the individual who’d taken it upon himself to remodel had dug deep into his pockets to get it done.

  “Xander,” I muttered under my breath.

  No doubt the High King of Highhandedness was behind my extreme home makeover. He was the only man I knew ballsy enough to invade my space—and totally redecorate it—without asking permission first. My dark hardwood floors had been replaced with lighter bamb
oo. The white leather furniture exchanged for plush sofas and chairs in earth tones and covered in some cozy, velvety fabric. My head spun at the number of throw pillows on each piece. Was there even room for anyone to sit?

  My bed, that awful, godforsaken bed that Kade had tortured me in, was long gone. My stomach unknotted as relief flooded me. A large, mahogany four-poster sat in the far left corner of my studio, covered in a lovely dark blue duvet with yet another pile of frivolous decorative pillows. Even the kitchen counters had been redone: no longer polished concrete but shining black granite running with veins of blue. Jesus, he’d even ripped out all of my appliances, each and every piece now professional grade stainless steel and shining in the morning sunlight without even a fingerprint to mar their surfaces. A gourmet kitchen for the woman who never cooked. Typical Xander.

  Heavy drapes accented my windows; gorgeous Impressionist art graced the walls. Vases of fresh dahlias, daisies, and mums adorned the kitchen table, the kitchen island, and the coffee table in the living room. No one knew I was coming home. Did he have someone on fresh flower patrol or some shit? My jaw hung slack as I took in my studio, once so cold and uninviting and now so…homey.

  “’Bout time you came home.”

  My heart jumped up into my fucking throat, and I spun around to find my favorite pain-in-the-ass planted in the entryway. One shoulder supported his body as he leaned against the elevator gate, filling the space with his large, muscular build. I’d forgotten how tall he was. And how eerily quiet he could be. An amused expression lit his face, one corner of his mouth curved into a lopsided grin. He was every bit laid back California surfer guy with his too long wavy blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. According to Xander, he’d assigned Asher to watch over me, and apparently, his duties hadn’t ended with Kade’s demise.