Smoke, Vampires, and Mirrors

by Dima Zales

  Nero changes into human form so as not to tip them off to the dragon attack that comes later, and we jump in.

  Exiting on Tartarus’s world, we blur toward the place where the armies are facing each other and, with a war yell, join the fray.

  Hands turning into claws, Nero shreds Tartarus’s spawn to bits, and in a fittingly grisly tribute to Lilith, I kill each enemy in disturbingly creative ways until I’m covered in blood and gore.

  Thanks to our contribution, some of Tartarus’s children surrender instead of retreating, and as a result get to live.

  The rest follow the script I saw in my vision. They retreat, only to cowardly suck energy from us from a distance, and then they get incinerated in a coordinated dragon attack.

  And just like that, the remnants of Tartarus’s forces are gone.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  In the aftermath of the battle, Nero and I make sure everyone is fine, then decide against sticking around for the next phase—the release of prisoners from the breeding pits and the destruction of gates that lead to this world.

  Our allies are more than capable of handling that themselves.

  Instead, Nero orders Eric to teleport us to the yet-intact hub. The three of us go through a few gates before Nero allows Eric to leave. Once we’re alone, Nero turns into a dragon and asks me to get on.

  We fly through the Otherland that I soon recognize as Atlantis—the world the strongmen are from.

  After circling an island for a few minutes, Nero lands on a ridiculously romantic cliff where a majestic, weather-worn mountain faces the blue ocean.

  Turning into a naked male, Nero makes the view better still.

  “Figured you could use a vacation,” he says, his blue-gray eyes gleaming. “Time passes fast here, so you can take as long as you need to recover and no one back home would even notice.”

  Ah, yes. Finally, this is our chance to talk.

  Holding Nero’s gaze, I take a breath. “Back home.” I cock my head. “Where exactly is that for you?”

  He frowns.

  “Do you plan to rule the dragon world?” I clarify. “Is that where your home is now? Because mine is on Earth, you see, where my parents—”

  He lifts his eyebrows. “Are you making things needlessly complicated?”

  At my lack of expression, he sighs and lays his big hands on my shoulders, squeezing my tense muscles lightly. “I never meant to abandon my fund, and all the rest of the life I’ve built on Earth. You and I can spend part of our time in New York, and part on my world. It was never going to be one or the other.”

  As he talks, a weight lifts off my chest. How did I not think of this idea? It’s literally the best of both worlds. It’s perfect.

  “As for your parents,” he continues. “Just tell them you got a promotion, and you now have to spend part of your time in our Japan office.”

  “About that.” I grin. “I don’t think I can work for you anymore. I’m not into sleeping with my boss and all that.”

  A smile touches his eyes. “In that case, I think I’ll finally allow you to quit.”

  “So generous, thanks.”

  His smile widens to a grin. “You’ve earned a retirement, if that’s what you want. Alternatively, now that you bullied the Council into letting you perform your illusions, I imagine you could do that—and on multiple worlds, if you wish.”

  “I do wish,” I say. “I plan to be a household name on Earth and your court magician on the dragon world. Like Merlin, only hotter.”

  “No.” He curves his palm over my jaw. “On my world, you will be known as my queen.”

  I nearly choke on my own saliva.

  Was that a roundabout proposal?

  I stare at Nero’s hard-featured face.

  He stares back, unblinking.

  Yes, it totally was.

  Crap. I’m not prepared to even think about that.

  We aren’t even technically dating yet. There are steps to these things, and saving worlds together doesn’t count.

  Then again, I don’t need my seer power to know that I’ll greatly enjoy all the steps, and if all goes well, we’ll see. For now, I better change the subject.

  “Can we get away from New York in the winter months?” I ask. “How is Godiva at that time of year?”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Otherland snow-birding? If you want to get away to good weather, this is the place.” He gestures at our picturesque surroundings.

  I inhale the salty breeze and let my gaze follow the horizon. “You’re right. Let’s spend a year here. Or two.”

  “As long as you need,” he says seriously. His thumb strokes over my lip. “With your seer power, you’ll know if anyone dares to bother us here—and I’ll kill them before they even get the idea to come.”

  “Deal,” I say and suddenly feel tired, the events of the day catching up to me all at once.

  As if sensing my shift in mood, Nero frames my face with both of his palms and gazes intently into my eyes. “How are you, Sasha? Really?”

  “I don’t know.” My voice catches. “Tired. Numb. Glad we’re alive. But Lilith and Vlad and—”

  “I know,” he says gently. “That’s why you need time.”

  “Yeah.” I feel a pressure behind my eyes, and my chin begins to quiver.

  Damn it. Am I really about to burst into tears like a wimp instead of the superpowered vampire-trickster-seer hybrid I’ve become?

  Yeah, okay. Maybe.

  Before I get the chance, though, Nero pulls me against him, enfolding me in his arms, and the worst of the stinging behind my eyes subsides. He holds me like that for what feels like a couple of days, and by the time we pull apart, I feel well enough to fly down into the ocean.

  Once there, I promptly lose my clothes, and Nero swiftly joins me in the waves. Before long, we’re creating tsunamis, celebrating life in the best possible way.

  Hours later, as I lie on the beach in his arms in a state of post-coital bliss, I lazily check if my seer abilities came back—and find that they have.

  Good. I’m curious about the future. Specifically, our future.

  Jumping into Headspace, I expertly summon the needed shapes and dive in.

  I see myself performing in New York’s Madison Square Garden, with Nero, Mom, Dad, and Rasputin looking at me proudly from the front row.

  It’s a show I’ve polished over hundreds of performances, and it’s the best one yet.

  It better be, since it’s being recorded for a special on Netflix.

  In an echo of the previous vision, I see a giant theater on the dragon world—a theater built specifically for this purpose, with trap doors and other sneaky business I personally designed.

  On a world without TV, I’m the best entertainment these humans have ever seen, and even dragons are impressed when they come.

  In the third vision, Dad and Rasputin—whom I’ve been calling Papa more often—are leading me down the aisle.

  The venue is The Palace, my dad’s favorite New York hotel.

  All the Cognizant who helped us during the battle with Tartarus are here—at least those who look human enough to be allowed on Earth. The others attended my first wedding on the dragon world.

  And speaking of the first wedding, the dragons liked it so much they’re attending this one too.

  I look at where my family is sitting, and something really odd catches my attention. The person next to Mom is supposed to be the mystery guy she’s been dating. Because they “finally got serious,” today’s the day she’s introducing him to us.

  Except I already know him. Know him too well.

  It’s Nostradamus.

  I blink at the blind seer as all the pieces fall into place.

  Mom met her guy during her visit to Paris, where Nostradamus usually resides. He needed her back in New York as part of the scheme that ended in me becoming a vampire, so he must’ve contrived a meeting with her, and I guess things escalated from there.

  It’s tempting to go b
ridezilla on their asses, but I don’t. Still, who pulls a stunt like this on someone’s wedding day? It’s all about me—and Nero, I guess—but mostly me.

  The royal wedding on the dragon world was about His Imperial Majesty.

  After the festivities are over, Nostradamus and I are going to have words. Maybe Nero will also contribute—depending on what Mom tells me about their relationship.

  “I didn’t know how to tell you about that,” Rasputin whispers when he follows my gaze. “For what it’s worth, she’s happy in every future I’ve checked.”

  “She better be,” I hiss back. “If he hurts her, I’ll kill him.”

  Nostradamus waves at me. He must’ve foreseen this. Sometimes I can’t help the feeling that every single moment in my life was scripted by the guy long before I was born.

  Then again, if that’s true, maybe I should thank him? It did lead to this.

  As we get closer to the altar, I look at the groom himself. Dressed in a million-dollar Stuart Hughes Diamond Edition suit, Nero looks as much a king here on Earth as he does in his traditional royal accoutrements on his home world.

  His limbal rings expand as he drinks me in. Ah, yes. He likes my dress, which figures. It’s basically my superhero outfit done in white, so there’s a lot—and I mean, a lot—of skin exposed.

  I pick up the pace until I’m walking as fast as my two fathers can keep up with, and then I’m finally there, joining Nero in front of Chester—who somehow persuaded us to let him be the officiant in this ceremony. He looks mischievous, even though Nero told him not to pull any tricks on penalty of death.

  Ariel, Kit, Claudia, Lucretia, Maya, Roxy, and Thalia are wearing bridesmaids’ dresses and standing to our right. Ariel is also my maid of honor—an honor she more or less demanded, proving to me that my vampire nature no longer bothers her as much.

  Felix, who looks like a pirate with Fluffster sitting on his shoulder, is standing with the rest of the groomsmen to the left. That group also includes Pozoj—who’s now officially Claudia’s beau—a couple of heads of state, several religious leaders, some famous billionaires, and a few more people that Nero strategically honored.

  “I was asked to make this short,” Chester says with an evil grin. “So here goes. If anyone has a reason for these two not to wed, speak now and prepare to die.”

  No one is suicidal enough to make so much as a peep.

  Chester’s grin widens. “I didn’t think so. Now, do you, Nero, take Sasha to be your lawfully wedded wife and queen?”

  “I do,” Nero growls.

  “And do you, Sasha, take Nero to be your lawfully wedded husband and king?” Chester asks with a wink.

  I pause for drama, then wait another second, like a good performer should. When I have everyone’s absolute and undivided attention, I look Nero over, as if I really need to think this through. And then, when the tension in the room is unbearable, I say ceremoniously, “I do”—and the room bursts into applause.

  “You may kiss,” Chester says, making a smooching face, and we do.

  I come back to the present moment on the beach with a smile on my face.

  Looks like Nero will get me to marry him at some point in the future. And not even once, but twice.

  Well, like with any vision, now that I know what the future could hold, it’s up to me to allow it to happen… or not.

  All will depend on someone’s good behavior.

  I inhale Nero’s warm, ocean-salty scent, stroke his muscular bicep, and sigh contentedly.

  Who am I kidding?

  The future I just saw is as inevitable as Nostradamus’s prophecy was. Like poor Tartarus, Nero has no choice when it comes to his fate.

  He’s mine.

  And we’re going to be kicking ass together forever and ever more.

  THE END

  Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to Sasha’s story. Her adventures with Nero are over for now, but you can see Felix, Ariel, and many other characters from the Cognizant world in my upcoming series about Bailey Spade, the dream walker, now available for pre-order HERE.

  * * *

  To be notified when my next story is out, please visit www.dimazales.com and sign up for my mailing list.

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  Love audiobooks? This series, and all of my other books, are available in audio.

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  Want more exciting action and adventure? Check out:

  Mind Dimensions - the action-packed urban fantasy adventures of Darren, who can stop time and read minds

  Upgrade - the thrilling sci-fi tale of Mike Cohen, whose new technology will transform our brains and the world

  The Last Humans - the futuristic sci-fi/dystopian story of Theo, who lives in a world where nothing is as it seems

  The Sorcery Code - the epic fantasy adventures of sorcerer Blaise and his creation, the beautiful and powerful Gala

  I also collaborate with my wife on sci-fi romance, so if you don’t mind erotic material, you can check out Close Liaisons. Visit www.annazaires.com for more information and to get your copy.

  * * *

  And now, please turn the page to read the first chapter of Dream Walker, the upcoming story of Bailey Spade.

  Excerpt from Dream Walker

  Dream Walker, the story of Bailey Spade, is coming soon! Pre-order it HERE, and sign up to my newsletter at www.dimazales.com to be notified when it becomes available.

  I swallow a droplet of diluted vampire blood.

  “Alarm and surveillance disabled,” Felix whispers in my earpiece. “Your breaking and entering may commence.”

  Before I can reply, the blood kicks in, lifting the weight off my eyelids as my sleep deprivation retreats.

  Except the droplet must’ve been too big, or I drank it too soon after the last dose. I feel an unwelcome side effect—orgasmic pleasure—coming on.

  Tightening my grip on the lockpick until it hurts my fingers, I stab myself in the forearm.

  “What the hell?” Felix exclaims. “What did you do that for?”

  The camera on my lapel didn’t catch me drinking the drug, so I can see why this would look odd on his end.

  “Never mind that.” Euphoria quickly annuls my pain, and I thank my lucky stars I took the time to sterilize all my equipment—or else this would end with me getting gangrene.

  When I pull the lockpick out of my arm, the wound heals instantly, and best of all, no sign of pleasure remains.

  There we go. I didn’t enjoy that one bit—other than the boost of alertness that was my goal, and my libido skyrocketing to the levels of a teenage boy in a strip club.

  “I thought your weirdness was limited to cleaning rituals,” Felix says, his voice sounding bizarrely sexy in the vamp blood afterglow.

  I don’t reply. Instead, I take a quick internal scan to make sure no part of me is feeling the pull of the highly addictive substance.

  With all my current problems, becoming a vampire-blood addict would be like jumping off a cliff after drowning myself in cyanide.

  “I’m going in,” I whisper and grasp the doorknob.

  “What you’re about to do is illegal on this world,” Felix reminds me, as if I didn’t already know that.

  “What about hacking all those banks?” I hiss back. “You wouldn’t like it if I lectured you about that.”

  Felix calls himself a technomancer. He can make silicone-based technology do his bidding, a power he wastes on feats that a regular—albeit very talented—human could pull off.

  “Dream walking will not help you escape human prison,” he replies. “Or survive it, for that matter.”

  “That’s arguable.” I decide against telling him about the time I gleaned one of his wet dreams, specifically the one where he fancied himself a guard getting attacked by suspiciously attractive female convicts. “If you’ve done your job properly, I shouldn’t end up in prison.”

  “I can only take care of the smart alarm,” he whispers. “If this Bernard guy is paranoi
d enough, he might have the older, dumb alarm set up as well, and it will blare as soon as you get inside. Or he might have a dog. Or he might even be awake.”

  I sneak a guilty peek at my wrist, where most people would see a furry bracelet. But it’s actually a creature called a looft. Pom, as my looft likes to call himself, is sleeping as usual, but his pitch-black fur shows my inner turmoil. If I die, Pomsie dies with me—that’s how our relationship works.

  So I’ll just have to not die.

  Simple.

  Turning my attention back to the heavy wooden door, I stroke Pom to calm myself down. When my hands have steadied and his fur has turned a more neutral shade of blue, I go ahead and pick the lock.

  “Seriously, Bailey,” Felix says right as I touch the doorknob. “There’s got to be better ways to make money. With your—”

  I mute the earpiece. Obviously, there are more legit ways to earn the money I need—except those ways don’t pay nearly as well as what my current employer is offering. I’m already a month behind on Mom’s medical bills, and if I don’t come up with two million cc—Gomorrahn crypto cash—in the next two weeks, they’ll turn off her life support. There are no honest jobs that would let me make that kind of cash in the little time I have left. As is, I’ve had to forgo sleep in order to make ends meet. In fact, I haven’t slept at all since Mom’s accident four months ago—staying up naturally at first, then using pharmacological stimulants, then eventually resorting to vampire blood.

  Reaching into my pocket, I grab one of my last two sleep grenades and twist the knob.

  No alarm blares.

  No dog barks.