From the Grave
Page 19
“What about Enzo?” Bash cut into my thoughts. “What’s his status?”
“Well, I’m happy to report he’s made it safely to Ironwood and will be there until his bitter end, with no wolf in sight.”
Ironwood Penitentiary was the only supernatural prison in the world, and it was in California. The SIU shipped Enzo out first class yesterday after Belinda gave him his final dosage of the suppressant that should permanently keep him from shifting. We couldn’t wait to get him out of our jurisdiction and behind some serious bars.
We entered Cadwell Estate, welcomed by the tall, wrought iron gate with concrete pillars on either side. It was a hundred and fifty-seven acres of land that housed the werewolves of the Northeast once a month. The three-mile drive through the estate was just as beautiful as I remembered it the first time I came to visit. Full of lush greenery and trees that covered the land, it was absolutely stunning. My mouth hung open every single time I visited.
“You’re drooling, Kenzie,” Jonah said.
“Oh, shut up,” I mumbled.
When we pulled up to the driveway of the three-story home Sebastian, Jonah, and Jackson grew up in, Charles was there waiting to greet us.
It’d been six months and Charles was still in mourning, dressed in all black.
“Well, if it isn’t Mackenzie Grey.” He grimaced, and his shoulders stiffened.
I got out of the car, making sure I grabbed my messenger bag. Did I forget to mention I’m his least favorite person in the world? Yeah.
“Charles.” I nodded.
Bash came to my side. “We’ve only come to visit him.”
Charles scoffed. “He would still be alive if it weren’t for her!”
“Dammit, Father,” Jonah muttered as he approached him. “He was never the type to let go of grudges.”
“I’m not here to start any trouble, Charles,” I said. “I loved your son very deeply. Like you, I haven’t been able to let him go, but today, I am.” I looked over at Jonah and into his milk-chocolate eyes. “Please, let me say goodbye.”
For the first time since I’d met Charles Cadwell, I saw his similar brown eyes start to glisten. He scrunched his face, holding back tears, and looked away. “He’s out back.”
I grabbed Sebastian’s hand and hurried toward the back of the estate. Deeper into the backyard was the graveyard of all the Cadwells, and one of the gravestones held Jonah’s ashes. I knew exactly which one—the second row, all the way to the end. I had it memorized.
“Slow down, Mackenzie,” Bash said. “Charles isn’t following or watching us.”
“He’s right, Kenz. My dad is giving you privacy,” Jonah said.
“I’m just nervous. This is nerve-wracking.” I gripped the handle of my messenger bag.
“It is,” Bash said and loosened my grip. “But I’m here with you … and I’m sure Jo is here too.”
“Yup.” Jonah chuckled.
We found Jonah’s black granite headstone. I’d promised I wouldn’t cry, but when I licked my lips, I tasted the saltiness of my tears. There he was. I stood directly in front of it with Sebastian by my side.
“We both knew this day would come,” Jonah said as he stood on my other side.
“I’m not ready,” I cried. “You’re not ready.”
There was a pregnant pause before Jonah spoke again. “I’m ready, Kenz.”
My head swiveled in his direction. “You haven’t even finished The Handmaid’s Tale.”
He shrugged. “I had Finn look up the spoilers.”
I sighed. “That’s cheating.”
“What we’ve been doing is cheating.” He attempted to reach for my hand but pulled back. “We were blessed with extra time, and I don’t regret it for anything in the world, Kenz. Thank you for building a relationship with Jackson. He needed it, and he definitely needs someone like you in his life.” Jonah laughed. “As for Amy, when she takes the cure, I don’t need to tell you what to do. Just let her know she shouldn’t feel any pressure from me. And him …” He nodded over to Bash. “You take care of him now. For both of us.”
Tears began to stream down my face as I listened to him, and I reached inside my bag and pulled out the tiny urn that held the small amount of Jonah’s ashes I’d taken. I knelt before his headstone, and Bash followed me.
“I remember when we first met three years ago.” My tears continued to flow. “I was moon-bound and running home to my cage. I bumped into you out of pure happenstance. You wanted to help me, but I ignored you. I thought I could kill you.” I laughed.
Jonah smiled, and his dimple appeared.
“No matter what we’ve been through, Jo, you saved my life. You know that, right?”
He cocked his head.
“If it weren’t for that moment, none of this,” I waved my hands in the air, “would have happened. No one would have ever found me, I never would have learned who I truly was, and I probably would have been lost. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. You saved me. I will forever be grateful.”
Jonah’s smile was so warm, like the brightest day in June. “No, Kenz, you saved us.”
He reached for me, and although I couldn’t feel it, I imagined it, and it only made me cry harder.
“I love you, Jonah Cadwell.”
“And I love you, Mackenzie Grey.”
Sebastian dug a hole where Jonah’s ashes would have been buried, and I poured the remaining ashes inside.
“And tell Bash he’ll always be my brother, no matter what.” Jonah smiled as he watched over his Alpha.
I relayed the message, and Sebastian placed a fist over his heart. “Brothers until the end.” His blue eyes glistened, and his brows furrowed.
We recovered the hole, and within seconds, his apparition begin to flicker.
“Jonah?” I called out, but he was gone.
My claws slipped out, and I dug them into the soil as I cried and hollered for Jonah to come back, but there was only silence.
“Shh,” Bash stroked my hair. “He’s in a better place.
I knew that, I really did. I’d been holding him back by keeping him in limbo. It was selfish of me.
I looked up at him. “How will we go on?”
He gave me one of his rare smiles. “Together.”
Mackenzie Grey: Trials #2
One Vampire. One cure.
Regret has a way of getting people into trouble, and no one knows it better than Mackenzie Grey. Once again, Amy's life is in jeopardy because Kenz searched throughout the supernatural world and found the impossible—a cure to vampirism.
Out of the shadows, the vampire community unites, determined to halt Amy from becoming human again. Kenz, the future Queen of the Lycans, is tangled in the impending uprising; where not even Lucian Young—the Head Vampire of New York City, can save them.
Amy made her decision, and Kenz will stop at nothing to make it happen but will the vampires stop her?
Find out in the next installment of Mackenzie Grey: Trials.
Coming soon 2019.
Also by Karina Espinosa
Mackenzie Grey: Origins Series
SHIFT
CAGED
ALPHA
OMEGA
The Last Valkyrie Series
The Last Valkyrie
Sins of the Fallen Series
Sins of the Fallen
Greed
Lust
About the Author
Join my Facebook group, Karina’s Kick-Ass Reads to learn more about future projects, as well as stay up to date with the next book in the Mackenzie Grey: Trials series.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the usual suspects, Daniella Brooks, Anthony Vecchi, Becca Vincenza, Laura Hidalgo, Amber Garcia. My writing tribe which I couldn’t survive without our daily group chat, H.D. Gordon and Janelle Stalder. Each one of you guided me in some way, shape, or form, and this book couldn’t have been written much less completed without you.
To my readers in my Facebook group,
Karina’s Kick-Ass Reads, you all keep me motivated whether you know it or not. Thank you doesn’t even seem like enough. I do what I do because of you.
And most importantly, I want to give a major shout out to my friends and family that have stuck around throughout this writing journey. It’s been hard and unpredictable. I’ve sequestered myself, disappeared, broken plans and you’ve still stuck around. Writing is a very solitary activity and it’s easy to get lost in, and I appreciate those who’ve stood by me even when I probably don’t deserve it. I love you all more than I can express in words—ironically.
Thank you.
About the Author
Karina Espinosa is the Urban Fantasy author of the Mackenzie Grey novels, and The Last Valkyrie series. Infatuated with travel, pop culture, and the need to write everything down, she spends much of her days in front of a computer working on her next book, shopping online, and listening to music. With nomadic tendencies, she is currently resting her head in South Florida until the itch to move strikes again. You can usually catch her on Facebook, Instagram, and live-tweeting during episodes of Game of Thrones. Follow her on social media!
For more information:
www.karinaespinosa.com