SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits (87 page)

“So you’re letting her walk,” Custo repeated. Gillian would be running scared for the rest of her short life. Inevitably, the wraiths would catch up. “Does Talia know?”

“Yep. I can’t keep anything from her. She wanted to gift wrap Gillian for the wraiths with a shiny red satin bow. Her words.” Adam smiled slightly. “Impending motherhood has, shall we say, intensified her temper.”

“Sounds like it.” Talia had always been such a quiet, studious thing. Except when she screamed, that is.

Adam put his elbows on the desk, his expression clearing. “Luca and his Order wouldn’t stay here, so I’ve put them up in the Annex building. Unless you have any objections, I’d like to give him the go-ahead to renovate the loft on the top floor. Neither Talia nor I want to live there, and it could be a usable space again.”

Custo shrugged. If anyone could excise the memory of his death from the loft, it was The Order. “That’s fine. It’s past time for that place to get a new paint job.” And windows. And elevator doors.

“You could have gotten all this from my head,” Adam said. “So what did you come to talk to me about?”

Custo heaved a sigh. The air became thick to breathe, but he forced it in and out of his lungs. It was past time for this, too. “I’m leaving Segue.”

The silence filled the room.

“I guess I knew that was coming,” Adam said, but he looked tired. Older.

Of course Adam knew. Custo was joining The Order. With his new abilities, the scope and strength of which he’d yet to fully explore, he was needed now more than ever. Plus he had a lot to learn.

“Are you going to become as unreasonable as the rest of them?” Adam asked.

Custo smiled, playing along. “No, you cannot have access to their…
our…
arsenal. The weapons have supernatural properties, and it would be inviting trouble to permit humankind to use them.”

“You let Shadowman have the hammer,” Adam pointed out.

“And I will have to take responsibility for whatever chaos he creates with it.” But if Shadowman could use the tool to retrieve Kathleen, the exception was worth it. Custo didn’t have to read Adam’s mind to know that he would second that opinion.

Adam shook his head. “Unreasonable.”

Since Segue and The Order would be working together a lot, Custo figured he’d be hearing that same complaint from Adam often.

Adam lifted his eyes just as there was a soft rap at the door.

Custo turned to see Annabella. She had her enormous dance bag over a shoulder, her dark hair pulled severely back into a tight ponytail. Her eyes were fairy-tale big and bright.

“Rehearsal starts in an hour,” she said with a token “sorry” wince.

Custo knew the expression was fake. She wasn’t sorry. She wanted to go right now. The light was shining in her eyes; she wanted to dance.

“You coming back here tonight?” Adam asked.

Annabella darted a look to Custo. He guessed that meant,
No. We’ll find a place in the city.

A nice hotel, with all the luxuries. After the last couple of days they more than deserved it. Later he’d have to scout out some place for them to live. A comfortable, but secure apartment not too far from The Order’s new headquarters and her ballet company. When Luca had mentioned living discretely among humankind, Custo didn’t think he meant living with a human woman. But then, Custo had never lived by anyone’s rules before. He wasn’t about to start now.

Custo stood. He didn’t have the words for everything he wanted to say to Adam. For being there most of his life. Saving his ass over and over. “It’s been…”

Adam cleared his voice. “Yeah. It’s been.”

They clasped hands over the desk and held. Custo’s chest tightened uncomfortably. He would still be seeing Adam regularly, but this was good-bye.

Outside the office, Custo dropped his arm on Annabella’s shoulders while they walked down the long hallway. She squeezed him around his waist. Perfect fit. He moved away from his past and headed toward his future.

“So…” Annabella began.

Custo hit the elevator button to take them to the exit level. The drive would take an hour into the city. He’d drop her off at rehearsal, then hit the Annex building to tell Luca how the renovation should be done. Whoever dictated the construction of the tower had relied on the angels’ ability to mask the place from humankind’s perceptions. These were dangerous times; the Annex building’s security needed to go beyond illusion. And, of course, their policy against modern weapons needed to be challenged. If the wraiths were armed, The Order needed to be as well.

“Custo! You’re not listening to me.”

He kissed Annabella’s head. “Sorry. You were saying…”

She made a face, then said, “You know in the Shadowlands…”

“Yes, I’m familiar.” And growing more so.

Annabella shot him a cool, narrow-lidded glance.

Okay, she wasn’t kidding.

She bit her lip, taking a deep breath. “Do you remember when you said, ‘Make an honest man of me’?”

Custo groaned inwardly. She was quoting him again. “Yeah?”

“Well…did you mean it?”

He frowned. What was she getting at? She had a cute worry line forming between her eyebrows, which he smoothed away with his thumb. She had nothing to worry about but her performance. He’d take care of everything else.

“Of course I did,” he answered. Annabella was the best thing that had ever happened to him. The truest. Recent events proved that.

“What I mean is…”

Custo sighed. This would be so much easier if she’d let him read her mind.

“Well…” She blinked rapidly, but he caught the shine of tears.

Oh. She wanted the happily-ever-after. Marriage, a home, and little babies like Adam and Talia were going to have. In his head, he was already married. She was it for him, and no piece of paper would make that more or less true. And the home? Would have to be centrally located. But, yes, every night he was remotely able would be spent in bed with her. Could he even have children? He had no idea. Good thing he believed in miracles.

Annabella was wringing her hands, still hedging around what she wanted to say. “The phrase is usually associated with
’til death do us part
kind of scenarios.”

Scenarios? Custo almost laughed aloud. He gathered her in his arms, fitting her into the Annabella-shaped spot against his body. She was soft and smelled fresh from her shower. He’d fight for the rest of her…scenario, but of one thing he was absolutely certain.

“Death can’t part us.”

THE END

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading SHADOW FALL. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

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About the Author

Erin Kellison

Erin Kellison is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of the Reveler series, as well as the Shadow series and Shadow Kissed series, which share the same world, where dark fantasy meets modern fairy tale. RT calls
Soul Kissed
, “a dark fairy tale with a twist, perfect for readers who love passion with their fantasy.”

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Additional Books by
Erin Kellison

SHADOW BOUND

FIRE KISSED

DARKNESS FALLS

Excerpt from
SHADOWMAN, book three in the Shadow series

Prologue

Shadow throbbed, twisting and irregular, in the corners of the hospital room. Seething with welcome, the ribbons of darkness crept past the cluster of too-cheerful sunflowers on the far table, through the quietly humming machines, toward the bed where Kathleen lay.

Not long now. Shadow had always been close, but soon the dark stuff would claim her.

Beyond the filmy layers, on the Other side, the knotted and craggy boughs of Twilight trees swayed. Fae whispers rose in an inarticulate
hiss
and
tick
as they drew near to the thin veil between the Shadowlands and the mortal world, looking on. Waiting in heightening anticipation.

Not long at all.

Kathleen squeezed her sister’s hand, urgency giving her the strength to make the squeeze hard. She drew deep on the oxygen at her nose, and said, “Don’t let them kick you out of the room.”

Maggie’s lips went tight. Her O’Brien red had gone frizzy and she had more make-up under her eyes than on top. Her sister reached above the hospital bed with her free hand and switched the light off.

Shadow coursed into the void, but Maggie, as ever, was oblivious to the churn around her. “We’ve been over this,” she said. “You need to get some sleep now.”

In fact, Kathleen could barely keep her eyes open. With Shadow so close, so intent, she needed to be rested and ready for when the time came, but getting Maggie’s cooperation was too important; it was part of being ready, like the intensive care neonatal room, prepared for delivery, the on-call doctors, and the machines to warn the nurses if she declined rapidly. All the rest meant nothing without Maggie’s agreement. “You need to be there to make sure that the baby comes first.”

“I hate it when you talk like that.” Maggie looked away.

Lately Maggie couldn’t meet her gaze, which was why Kathleen needed this last assurance. Just in case. “You know it’s what I want.”

The baby’s heartbeat
shush-shush-shushed
rapidly over the monitor. Kathleen focused on the sound and used its promise to draw another difficult breath.

She could see Maggie’s profile: her sister’s jaw clenched, her throat working silently.

When Maggs finally spoke, her voice was rough. “And what about you, huh? You can’t think that… that… I’ll just let you… You’re my
sister.
” Maggie braced her free hand on her knee and worked for breath as well, lowering herself into the chair.

“I’ll be okay.”
He’ll be waiting for me.

Maggie turned back, words tumbling in a sob-clogged accusation. “You could
fight.
You could
try
to get through this. At least you could try.”

Kathleen inhaled through the tightness in her chest to speak. “I
am
fighting. I
am
trying.” She was giving everything she had to see her daughter safely into the world. She had no illusions about what would come after. How could she with the room darkening, the Shadows reaching farther with each passing moment? But she had no fears. Not with
him
near. Her gaze flicked to Shadow, searching for him in the glossy layers. When she didn’t find him, she returned her attention to her sister.

Maggie frowned hard, shaking her head. Eyes blazing. “Not for yourself you’re not.”

Kathleen heaved for air again. “Maggs, you know this is for me, too. This is better than I could have ever hoped. I’m happy. Please let me be happy.”

How could she possibly make her sister understand when it was so hard to speak? When the dark stuff filled her lungs and choked her breath? Her own heart monitor started jumping, its beeps closer together. Likewise, the baby’s
shush-shush
increased, the digital number climbing.

Instantly, Maggie was on her feet. “Kathy, I’m so sorry. Honey, just breathe. In and out. In and out.” She exaggerated the action on her behalf.

Likewise, Kathleen concentrated on the flow at her nostrils, willing the good air to feed her blood, move her heart, and keep her baby growing for just a little while longer. Twenty-five weeks was the golden number, but every day gave her baby girl a better chance to survive. Every day was another three percent, that’s what the doctor said.

Maggie visibly swallowed, her face reddening as she nodded and blinked back tears. “Okay. Don’t worry about it. The baby first, like we agreed.” She swiped at her cheek. “I swear I’ll be here. I won’t let them budge me from your side.”

“The baby’s side,” Kathleen corrected and managed a smile, her eyes fluttering closed. With Maggie’s promise, her hold on wakefulness weakened and sleep sucked her down.

“But I’m going to hope for you, too,” Maggs said, her voice following Kathleen into slumber, the firm grip on her hand never loosening.

* * *

Flying. Her favorite kind of dream.

Kathleen skimmed the top-most branches of the trees—
higher!
—then burst out over the eastward cliff of Sugarloaf Mountain to careen into a turn above a storybook patchwork landscape. The air smelled sharp and summer sweet as she rushed, headlong into the dazzling blue. She filled her eyes with the color until her heart could hardly bear more.

Dizzy, she cast her gaze downward, to the rocks she’d picnicked at with her family when she was little. The scene was recalled in wondrous detail from the murk of her memory. Lush trees, dark green. Screaming bugs. Grassy patches, with large, white boulders. Rocky, rooty trails leading off in a couple directions.

Mom was laying out their lunches, waving away interested bees, while Dad dumped excess water from their cooler. Her sister Maggie inched closer and closer to the steep drop, yelling toward the woods, “Kathleen! I can see our house!”

The dream suddenly morphed, and Kathleen was seven years old, headed on foot into the tall red and white oaks on the mountain. Old, dusty leaves crumbled underfoot. The fragrant, humid air cooled as she moved deeper into the forest. Her heart skittered in her chest and stars pricked into her vision, but she didn’t care. The trees were sparkling and sighing and swaying. Like magic.