The Black Masquerade Read online

  Not hesitating, I grabbed more lamps, chucking them at anyone who looked like they wanted to stop me. I only needed to create fire once more because soon, pretty much everyone was covered in the oil and they all knew exactly what I’d do if they tried to hurt me or one of my friends.

  Chief grabbed my arm. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “Not before I try to get rid of the hounds first.”

  He looked undecided, then nodded, probably recognizing that if we didn’t do it now, we’d just have to deal with them later.

  I dropped to my knees next to the first woman I’d set on fire while Chief pulled out his gun and kept it ready. The woman was still alive, her skin and clothes burned so badly, they practically melted together in some places. The fear, pain, and hatred in her eyes made me hesitate briefly before I clutched the amulet and got as close to her as I dared. I didn’t risk it—I made sure the amulet was nearly touching her.

  Kill?

  “Yes.”

  I reached out for her fire and extinguished it. The woman’s eyes rolled back in her head, her body relaxing against the marble floor.

  Several people gasped, stepping away from me.

  Seeing the angry emotions disappear from her face actually made me feel better. It horrified me what I’d done tonight—what I was capable of doing—but at least I had helped with a little suffering. I’d just pretend it had been for someone I cared about instead of a woman who’d been trying to murder me only moments earlier.

  “It worked?”

  “It works for her!”

  “Conor said it didn’t work!”

  I couldn’t tell where the voices were coming from. I got to my feet, holding the amulet and gesturing to the people around me. “Yes, it works. Don’t forget what you’ve seen tonight. If anyone comes after me again, if anyone tries to hurt someone I care for, I will destroy you.”

  Chief tried to pull me away, but I made sure to make eye contact with as many people as possible first.

  They would take me seriously. They had no choice.

  Chapter 33

  Abel came to on the way to the hospital. He insisted we skip getting him checked out—apparently, passing out really was common for him lately. Instead, we all decided to head to my house. Alice, Chief’s wife, drove Abel’s car. I’d been surprised at how well she’d handled everything. Actually, I’d totally forgotten she was there, but I didn’t have the energy to feel bad. Instead, gratitude rushed over me that we’d all made it out alive.

  “How long do you think they’ll avoid me?” I asked Alexander, who was the only one who hadn’t driven to the event. He’d opted to hitch a ride with me.

  “Not long—maybe a day or so.” He glanced at me. “Remember, though, that they’re starting to recognize something. They know now that attacking you directly is foolish. You’re going to have to hunt them.”

  I nodded. I’d seen that coming.

  Half an hour later, we pulled up at my house. I’d been surprised when both Cole and Chief decided to leave the mansion before on-duty authorities showed up.

  “The less they know about this, the better,” Chief had said. “I’d rather not have to lie to protect anyone.”

  He was right—knowledge increased the chance of the hounds finding and devouring someone. The people who’d seen dogs tonight wouldn’t report them as shifters. It would be just like at the hospital—wild dogs running loose. It really was in everyone’s best interest if they didn’t find out exactly what happened. Chief promised he’d take care of things—make sure I didn’t end up wanted for murder.

  Once back at my house, I ordered pizza, and we discussed the things we’d learned that evening and recently. I made sure to send a text to Nicole to let her know I was safe—I was positive she’d hear about the attack on the mansion. Abel called Eleanora to tell her. Then the rest of us sat in my living room and talked things through.

  “We need to hunt,” Abel said, true to character.

  I was surprised when Cole nodded. “Agreed. And use subterfuge and cunning to draw them out. They shouldn’t be the only ones playing dirty.”

  “What do we do about the governor?” Alice asked. “He’s really on their side, isn’t he?”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Chief said. “Not until we know just how deep the corruption goes.” He glanced at Alexander. “You weren’t even aware the governor of the state was a hound. If they were able to hide it from you, who knows how difficult it’ll be for us to convince the general populace.”

  I shook my head. “We don’t need to convince anyone. I’ll just take him out the first chance I get.”

  Cole snorted. “No offense, Lizzie, but after tonight, there’s no way you’ll be getting near him anytime soon.”

  Abel folded his arms. “I’ll concentrate on him. It’s safe to assume he’s the ringleader, correct?”

  We all nodded.

  “You shouldn’t do anything where he’s concerned,” Cole said. “He’d recognize you immediately—everyone would, after you ended up on the news a couple of weeks ago.” He rested an arm across a shelf. “I’m a detective. I was at the event. I can start gathering preliminary information on everyone who attended, and no one will bat an eye. We need to find out how those attendees are connected to the governor, who he has in his back pocket, and just how many of them are really hounds.”

  “And you, Lizzie, need to focus on getting the amulet fixed,” Alexander said.

  I agreed with that. How could I do my job when my most powerful weapon wasn’t fully functional?

  “If Cole will be working the governor angle,” Abel said, “I’ll go with Lizzie. Until the amulet is working for her, she shouldn’t be left unprotected.”

  “We’ll set up guards around the clock,” Chief said.

  Alice chimed in. “And invite her over more often.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’ll have you over here again. The safest place for me is still my house. Alexander’s protections are here. They keep the hounds from reaching me.”

  “She’s right,” Alexander said. “I haven’t turned them off, though I may need to recharge them.”

  I set my pizza slice down. “And if you’ve got extras, we’re going to put them around the Russells’ property. They know about the hounds, and it’s up to us to keep them safe.”

  Alexander agreed. “I’ll see what I can find.”

  We continued discussing plans until well past midnight. Finally, once we’d talked ourselves hoarse and felt like we knew what needed to happen, everyone said goodbye. Abel insisted on sleeping on my couch, and Cole made sure to tell me over and over again to call if anything came up.

  My group of defenders was small, but it wasn’t possible to find a more loyal set of people. I fell asleep content, knowing that whatever happened in the coming days, months, and even years, we’d be okay—I would be okay.

  ###

  http://andreapearsonbooks.com/

  Note from the author:

  Hi, everyone! :-) It’s the end of another book. I hope you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun with this one—the story practically flew off the pages, and writing it went much faster than I thought it would.

  I’m from Lehi, and being able to write about the city I grew up in (which isn’t so small as it was when I was a child—it was 4,000 strong back then and now has well over 60,000 citizens) has been a lot of fun. Come join my group for readers on Facebook. I plan to go back to my hometown to do a live video soon to show everyone Lizzie and Abel’s stomping grounds. :-) :-)

  If you haven’t already, become a member of my readers group. That’s the one where I keep people updated via email.

  Have a great day!

  Much love,

  Andrea

  P.S. Every time a reader leaves a review, Lizzie punches the Shade Amulet for not working properly. I’d love you forever if you posted one on The Black Masquerade. Thank you so much!

  About the Author
/>   Andrea Pearson, author of several series including the Kilenya Chronicles and Mosaic Chronicles, lives with her husband and children in a small valley framed with hills. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor of science degree in Communications Disorders.

  Andrea spends as much time with her husband and daughter as possible. Favorite activities include painting, watching movies, collecting and listening to music, and discussing books and authors. She and her husband are expecting their second child in the fall of 2015.

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