Darkest Misery (27 page)

Raj, to my knowledge, hadn't returned to Boston. Everyone was on the lookout for him, but a general disaster fatigue had also set in. We were tired, and a daunting task lay ahead.

The Gryphons hadn't taken the news public yet, although they'd been letting more of their own in on it. As well, they'd allegedly broached the topic with certain powerful government officials. Obviously, word of the sky had spread, and rumors abounded. Fierce debates over the public's right to know versus the possibility of mass panic raged within the Gryphons, and within
Le Confrérie
itself. I wasn't sure which side I fell on, so I kept my mouth shut whenever asked for an opinion. These last seventy-two hours had felt like weeks. Maybe when I finally got a good night's sleep again, I'd figure it out.

When the funeral ended, I crept off alone. Well, not entirely alone. I ran a thumb over Lucen's pendant, irked by it yet grateful too. I had so many things to say to Lucen that I hadn't managed to start anywhere.

While you were busy keeping tabs on me, I was trying to find a way to unmake you.

I knew I should confess it, but at the moment, Lucen's need for addicts was so low on my list of concerns that I never thought of it when we were together. Maybe now? I was supposed to see him after the funeral.

Dezzi had called a council meeting, and since I'd been dubbed the official Gryphon-satyr liaison by both groups, I was expected to go. I only hoped Claudius wouldn't show up. Supposedly, he was still hanging around being unhelpful. Just what we all needed.

As I stepped onto the sidewalk, thunder cracked so loudly overhead I jumped. Pausing by the cemetery gate, I checked up but the sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight. The thunder boomed again, and was it my imagination, or did the sky seem to ripple? My skin tingled, and my heartbeat quickened. Magic in the air.

While I gaped, Tom caught up to me. He was putting his phone away, and he pulled me aside to let mourners pass. Like the other Gryphons in attendance, he was wearing his full dress uniform. “We have a problem.”

“Another one?” I lifted my head skyward, thinking those weird ripples were not the sign I'd been hoping for earlier.

“No, same one. That was the Brotherhood calling. The magic detectors they set up around the castle were just so overloaded, they broke.”

“That doesn't sound good.”

“No.” Tom took a deep breath and waited for me to meet his gaze. “It's worse. The red sky has started spreading.”

About the Author

Tracey Martin grew up outside of Philadelphia, the lucky recipient of a drama-free childhood, which is why she spent so much time reading about other people's lives. It was while she was working on her doctorate in psychology that she had an epiphany—imaginary people are way more fun than real ones. And so she began writing. Never able to choose just one of anything, she currently writes both urban fantasy and sci-fi for adults and contemporary stories for teens.

She likes her coffee simple, her music epic and her movies to contain explosions. A city girl at heart, she doesn't understand how she and her husband ended up living in New Hampshire, but writing keeps her off the mean, small-town streets. To learn more, you can visit her website at
www.tracey-martin.com
, or say hi on twitter to
@TA_Martin
.

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What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.

RedZone, Book 1

Alone in a train station bathroom, Sophia Hernandez has no memory of who she is or how she got there. All she's certain of are three things: her college ID is a lie, bad people are coming for her, and no one can be trusted.

The only clue to her past is the fellow student who finds her. Although Sophia's gut tells her Kyle is lying when he claims he can't help her, his touch makes her heart race. Is it because of a red-hot natural attraction, or a missing memory of something far more dangerous?

As two mysterious, menacing men chase them from the station, Sophia's memories return in frustrating fragments. So do deadly skills she didn't know she had. In the next forty-eight hours, a loved one's life will be on the line as she sifts through a mounting tangle of secrets and lies.

Including the most heart-wrenching secret of all. Not only isn't she a normal college student, she isn't even a normal human.

Warning:
Contains one girl who is more than she seems, one boy who knows more than he's telling, and enough twists to give you whiplash. Expect explosions of all kinds.

It's all quasi-legal fun until somebody gets framed for murder.

Miss Misery, Book 1

Jessica Moore thrives on misery. Literally. Thanks to a goblin's curse, she gets a magical high from humanity's suffering. A shameful talent like that could bury a girl in guilt, so to atone, she uses her dark power to hunt murderers, rapists and other scumbags—until one of them frames her for his crimes.

In desperation, Jessica seeks refuge with the one person she trusts to not turn her in—a satyr named Lucen. Like every member of his race, Lucen uses his lusty magic to control Boston's human population, and Jessica isn't immune to his power. But the murder victims belonged to a rival race, and when they discover Lucen is harboring Jessica, dodging the cops becomes the least of her problems.

With only five days to find the real killer, Jessica faces a danger far more serious than the brewing magical war. The danger of succumbing to Lucen's molten seduction.

Warning: Contains a heroine with a lust for misery, creepy murders, and creepier goblins, satyrs so hot you'd sell your soul for one, and scaly sewer rats masquerading as dragons. Who said magic was all sparkles and tiaras?

Lust can be downright lethal.

Miss Misery, Book 2

Thanks to her freakish, satyr-like power, Jessica Moore was denied her dream to join the Gryphons, the magical law-enforcement officers protecting humanity from the pred races. But after the Gryphons tried to arrest her for murders she didn't commit, Jess is no longer interested. Too bad—they are.

Now that they know what she can do, they want Jess on their side. If she doesn't agree to help them solve a new case, they'll charge her with every magical crime she's ever committed.

Nine people are dead. The cause? Exhaustion. The activity? Never-ending sex. Someone sold them tainted F, an illegal aphrodisiac made by satyrs. No surprise, Jess's satyr allies aren't pleased with her investigation. Worse, it strains her tenuous relationship with Lucen, the one satyr she counts as a friend.

As Jess delves into the shady satyr business world, she unravels a scheme more sinister than dirty drugs—and her relationship with Lucen unravels right along with it. Only the truth will save their friendship. But not before it turns Jess into an ambitious killer's next target.

Warning: Contains blackmail, betrayal, and sex that's literally to die for. Plus plenty of bad stiff jokes to go with it. Remember, just say no to magical drugs.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B

Cincinnati OH 45249

Darkest Misery

Copyright © 2015 by Tracey Martin

ISBN: 978-1-61922-888-7

Edited by Sasha Knight

Cover by Kanaxa

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: August 2015

www.samhainpublishing.com