Collateral Damage

by Susan Harris

  “Yes, you are. And you have people depending on you.”

  Ever’s world spun in front of her as tears streamed down her face. It was true, all true. Memories, not madness, but Ever wasn’t sure if she were happy or sad at that. Her eyes met those of her second, who had followed her through various lives and deaths but still remained by her side.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  Erika took her hand. “Ever, you have nothing to be sorry for. You put yourself on the frontline for all of us. We follow you because you are the rightful heir to the throne, not your father. This time it will be different; this time it has to be.”

  The unsaid words—it was their last chance.

  “Watching me fail, watching me die, must have been torture.”

  Again, the Valkyrie shrugged. “Sometimes, memories are the worst form of torture.”

  Whether she spoke of her own memories or of Ever’s, Ever wasn’t sure.

  “I’m not ready to say the words out loud. I need time.”

  “Time is something we don’t have much of. But you have to say them. You have to accept who you were destined to become. We need you, Ever. We cannot do this without you. When you’re ready, come find me. I need to be there.”

  Then, Erika threw her arms around Ever and embraced her in a fierce hug.

  “Welcome back, Systir,” Erika whispered. “It’s been hell to be around you and you not remember me. For some reason, this time was the worst.”

  This time was the worst. This time was the last.

  Erika didn’t utter the words, but Ever heard them in her mind.

  Welcome back, Kyria.

  Who are you?

  Soon, very soon.

  And as Ever hugged her back, she couldn’t quash the feeling that everything she wanted in life—love, a family, a place in this world—was slowly slipping through her fingers.

  It felt as if the world were crumbling down around her as she watched, and she was helpless to stop it. The ground was opening up beneath her, ready to swallow her whole. Despair sang in her bones.

  And for a brief second, her heart stopped beating.

  He shoved some clothes into a holdall, hoping to be out of the house before Cait and Melanie got home. He’d been so proud of Melanie tonight, but his joy at her achievement was marred by the tension between him and Caitlyn.

  She was so focused on trying to be strong, in fear of a man an ocean away, that she didn’t see how it hurt him. How he died a little more each day that she denied what she felt for him. And he cursed the gift death had given him, the ability to hear other’s thoughts. Because he heard the fight inside her head every time she looked at him.

  “You’re leaving.”

  A statement, not a question.

  “I have to.”

  He heard a sniffle. “Please, don’t go, Donnie.”

  He turned around and tugged his new little sister into a big hug. “I have to, Melanie. But, if you need me, you call me. I’ll be there.”

  Stepping from his embrace, she wheeled around and stormed off, slamming the door to her room. The radio blared a second later, giving them privacy.

  “You do not have to go.”

  He allowed himself to look at her, this fragile, broken woman who held his heart and had the capacity to crush it.

  “You know I have to, Cait. I know this is hard to see, but I can’t work alongside you, sleep so near you, and not be with you. I’m dying a little more each day. I need this for me. I need distance.”

  “This is your home.”

  He grabbed his bag off the bed. “Yeah, it is. My home with you. Think things through, Cait. Come get me if you change your mind. I’m not giving up easily.”

  She sighed. “You’ll get over this silly infatuation.”

  “I’m in love with you, Caitlyn.”

  “You only think you love me.”

  She stepped aside as he attempted to stride past her, but he had to leave her something to make her think, not simply dig her heels in and be stubborn.

  He pressed his lips to hers, a soft, easy feathering. It took all his self-control not to deepen the kiss, especially as Caitlyn’s mouth opened to him.

  He held her gaze when he pulled back, saying, “I’m scared as hell to want you. But here I am, wanting you regardless. Come find me when you feel the same.”

  And without looking back, Donnie left the only place he had ever called home and realized he had no other place to go. Walking outside the perimeter of Caitlyn’s compound, Donnie barely crossed the road before shadows emerged from the foliage around him.

  Dropping the holdall, he bared his teeth as a sixteen-strong gang of vampires surrounded him. One glance at them had Donnie understanding who had sent them and possibly why.

  His snarl ripped through the air. “You won’t get near her.”

  One stepped closer to him, a slight man who wore the term regal as if it were a fashion accessory. He was dressed impeccably in a tailored three-piece suit. Taking the glasses off his face, he removed a handkerchief and proceeded to clean them. He held up a hand, and the gang froze but did not back off.

  “We have not come for her. Our liege wishes to deliver a message.” His accent was definitely French, proving Donnie right in his assumption as to who had sent them.

  “Tell him to deliver it himself so I can rip his fucking head off.”

  The other vampire stepped back, and Donnie dared a glance over his shoulder. Caitlyn was safe, Melanie was safe. Nothing else mattered.

  “I’m afraid, Mr. O’Carroll, that the message we came to deliver is entirely yours. You dared to lay hands on our king’s mistress. Our king takes it as a personal insult that you would lay hands on his property. Now, you will bear witness to the extent of his reach.”

  The French vampire motioned with his hand, and the gang surged forward, teeth bared and vying for blood.

  But Donnie had never gone down easy. He bared his own teeth, adrenaline surging forth in his veins. With a vicious snarl, Donnie leapt into the fray.

  Deep inside a mountain in a remote part of the world, between reality and more, a monster opened his eye.

  The world trembled under the strain of his power.

  He was awake.

  He was weakened.

  But time was his friend.

  And soon, everyone would kneel before him.

  Also by Susan Harris

  The Ever Chase Chronicles

  Skin & Bones

  Collateral Damage

  Smoke & Mirrors

  Night of the Hunter

  Never Back Down

  Defy The Stars

  A Tale of Two Houses

  Until Death Do Us Part

  Shattered Memories

  As Collateral Damage progressed, it became clear that the supposed ‘minor’ characters wanted to have their story told. Throughout the series, characters will have their own chapters. So for all that had chapters in Collateral Damage, here are their playlists. Enjoy!

  (As always full playlist is available on Spotify)

  Derek:

  You Want a Battle? (Here’s a war)—Bullet for My Valentine

  Every Other Freckle (Daytrip Remix)—Alt-J

  How We Operate—Gomez

  Hater—Korn

  The Tide and Its Takers—36 Crazyfists

  Pretence—Knuckle Punch

  Overdrive—Fightstar

  Bundy—Alpha Animal

  Way Down We Go—Kaleo

  Howl—Florence and the Machine

  Dream on—Aerosmith

  Mansion—NF ft. Fleurie

  Killing Strangers—Marilyn Manson

  St Ides—Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

  Legendary—Welshy Arms

  Dodged a Bullet—Greg Laswell

  Ever:

  Castle—Halsey

  Gold—Andreya Triana

  Try—Tyler Ward (Pink cover)

  Immortals—Fall Out Boy

  Behind Blue Eyes—Limp Bizkit

&nb
sp; Alive—Tigress

  Can’t help (falling in love)—Ingrid Michaelson

  Half the World Away—Aurora

  I’ll Just Wait—Emarosa

  Our Own House—MisterWives

  Pays to Know—MyPet

  Valkyrie—Battle Tapes

  Love on the Brain—Rihanna

  River of Tears—Alessia Cara

  The Right Song—Tiesto

  What Am I Becoming—POP ETC

  Sometimes—The Academic

  Caitlyn:

  Wrecking Ball—Scars on 45 (Miley Cyrus cover)

  New Way to Bleed—EVANESCENCE

  Wicked Games—Gemma Hayes

  Silence is Your Saviour—Bressie

  Arsonists Lullaby—Hozier

  Two Weeks—FKA Twigs

  Holding on to Hell—Gin Wigmore

  This World—Selah Sue

  Gimmer Shelter (ft Lizzy Hale)—Stone Sour

  It Works Itself Out—Half Moon Run

  Waves—Dotan

  Monsters—Ruelle

  Elias—Cloud

  For You—Serena Ryder

  Slow Dance with the Devil—Parson James

  Villain—Lucie Silvas

  Talking Body—Tove lo

  Confessions—Lila Rose

  Gun in my Hand—Dorothy

  Dancing in the Grey—Michael Malarkey

  Donnie:

  What Went Down—Foals

  No Diggity—Tyler Ward (Blackstreet cover)

  I Want You—Saint Raymond

  Wicked Games—The Hot Damns

  Burning our Morals Away—Slaves

  Go with the Flow—Queens of the Stone Age

  Wicked Game—Stone Sour

  Mountain at my Gates—Foals

  Bloodfeather—Highly Suspect

  The Long Way—The Coronas

  Thousand Eyes—Of Monsters and Men

  Don’t Forget About Me—Cloves

  I’m in Love—Kygo ft. James Vincent McMorrow

  Raging—Kygo ft. Kodaline

  Bulls in the Bronx—Pierce the Veil

  Melanie:

  I Knew You Were Trouble—We Came as Romans (Taylor Swift cover)

  Alive—Sia

  If I get High—Nothing but Thieves

  Don’t You Wait—Cloves

  Nerve Endings—Too Close to Touch

  Bang Bang Bang—Dorothy

  Demons—Sleigh Bells

  Street Clothes (ft Voli)—Marz Ferrer

  Sour Cherry—The Kills

  You and I—Pvris

  Just Breathe—Don Browning

  Every Day is Exactly the Same—Nine Inch Nails

  Bloodstream—Transviolet

  Dancing on My Own—Calum Scott (Robin cover)

  Horns—Bryce Fox

  Just Getting Used to Being on My Own—Tom Odell

  The amazing girls of CTP: Rebecca, Courtney and Marya. Thanks for all that you do behind the scenes. You guys don’t get enough recognition for all that you do. You seriously need superhero capes… for reals

  BTW thanks for loaning me your names for my characters! I hope you don’t hate them!

  Melanie Newton- For being an amazing friend and champion of my books.

  Massive thanks to Chelsea for all her hard work getting Collateral Damage ready.

  Special thanks go to Kelly, Cynthia and Pam.

  My Parents – For being so supportive of all that I do. Love you guys.

  LJ and Taylor-Love you to infinity and beyond.

  To my family and friends- The ongoing support you give me, whether its sharing on social media, buying my books or even asking how my writings going, I’m extremely grateful to be surrounded by such supportive people. I have no need to name names; y’all know who you are.

  And to the readers, old and new, thank you for all of your support and letting me do what I love.

  Susan Harris is a writer from Cork in Ireland. An avid reader, she quickly grew to love books in the supernatural/fantasy genre. When she is not writing or reading, she loves music, oriental cultures, tattoos, anything Disney and psychology. If she wasn't a writer she would love to be a FBI profiler or a PA for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto.

  Susan LOVES connecting with her fans!

  www.susanharrisauthor.com

  Thank you for reading Collateral Damage; I hope you enjoyed my book!

  The sequel, Smoke & Mirrors, is available now on all platforms. Click here to grab your copy!

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  If you loved Collateral Damage, please tell your friends about my book and consider leaving a review. Reviews are like potato chips; you can't ever have enough of them; thanks for reading my book!" ~Susan Harris