Awakened: Darkness Cursed, #1

By Cheri Winters

Death becomes her…literally

 

Keira Gully has always felt different. But when her family dies in a tragic accident, she discovers the terrifying truth.

 

To put her life together, she holds a memorial for her family, except distant relatives send her cryptic warnings not to touch the dead. She ignores their insanity and helps a dying man. But when she senses his spirit return to his body, she remembers the warning. This has never happened before, yet miraculously, he's healed from the brink of death from her touch.

 

Apparently, she's a necromancer!

 

Something her whole family failed to mention. Wonderful.

 

Why did her folks order their bodies to be cremated if they knew she could've brought them back? On her journey to uncover the secrets of her past, Keira finds out there's a cost to pay for playing with death.

 

Even for a necromancer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rowan Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Jun 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386856184

Cheri Winters

USA Today Bestselling Author, Cheri Winters got hooked on Urban Fantasy through Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, and Laurel K. Hamilton. Now Cheri writes her stories with kick-ass heroines battling their way through adventure and mayhem. When not writing, Cheri practices Muay Thai and Karate or catches up reading her favorite authors.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Islammed on the brakes as a tiny poodle dashed underneath another car racing down the other side of the street, my purse flying into the floorboard. Shit! Had they hit the dog? The animal had zipped right passed me and underneath their tires. I scrambled out of my car, my heart throbbing painfully in my throat. I waved my hands to get the other driver’s attention. Hey!

But the other vehicle zoomed down the road while the dog slinked off to hide under some bushes. Please, please be okay. I'd never harmed anything before outside of mosquitoes, ants and wasps. Seriously, I even dodged suicide squirrels that zipped back and forth across the road to my home. Why did people drive crazy in a neighborhood?

On my hands and knees, I checked under the bushes, my stomach queasy and my hands shaking. A fluffy white body lay unmoving underneath the bushes. My heart squeezed. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. My legs felt like Jell-O as I inched forward. How could someone do this and just leave? Tears cascaded down my cheeks, and I hiccupped a sob. Tentatively, I touched the small fur. A jolt of electricity zapped up my arm. Shit! I rubbed my hand down my jeans.

Sammy! a little boy called. Come here, girl.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! This must be the boy's dog. I stood, marching on wooden legs toward him. How was I going to tell him that his pet was dead?

Ah, hi. Are you looking for your dog? I tugged on my ponytail with one hand, wishing not to be the one to have to tell him the horrible news.

The young boy looked at me with big brown eyes. Yes. She got out of the backyard and I've been looking for her. He rubbed his nose. Have you seen her? He held out his hands. She's about this big and white. I call her Sammy ‘cause I thought she was a boy. Mom said she was a girl, but I didn't want to call her Samantha, that's too long. So, her name's Sammy.

My throat hurt like I'd inhaled glass shards. I-I need to talk to your mom or dad. Are either of them available? How in the world was I going to tell this kid the truth about his — a dog yipped, and a white blur dashed forward into the boy's leg.

Sammy! he cried, gathering the puppy into his arms. I thought you'd run away.

He laughed as the dog licked his face. Then the sound of tires screeching made me turn. An extended cab pickup barreled right for the boy. I dove forward and shoved the boy out of the way just as the truck raced past us, slamming into a light pole.

In horror, I watched the metal pole crack, headed straight at him.

No! I shot to my feet and rushed forward. My fingers barely grasped his sleeve, but I yanked as hard as I could. The pole scraped my thigh as it fell, but the boy was safe. He looked at me with huge tears in his eyes.

His forehead coated in blood, the driver of the truck kicked open his door. What the fuck happened? Then he grabbed his chest and collapsed in the middle of the street.

Go tell your mom to call 911! I shouted over my shoulder. I knelt beside the man and started chest compressions. Behind me, footsteps sounded.

What's going on? a woman asked.

Don't know. Call an ambulance. I puffed air into the man's mouth, then resumed compressions.

After my arms ached so much, I didn't think I could lift a feather, the paramedics arrived.

We'll take it from here, one said.

I stood on wobbly legs. The boy with his small poodle in his arms stared at me from the front porch, standing next to his mom.

When I waved, she tucked him closer to her side and jerked them all inside the house, banging the door shut.

Weird but whatever. I was just glad the boy and dog were okay. The speeding car must have only grazed the dog and knocked him out. I'd leave a note that the poodle might need to be checked by a vet. While the paramedics worked on the truck driver, I dashed to my car, scribbled a note saying what happened to the dog and left my number if she wanted to talk to me, I knocked. When the woman opened her door, her eyes narrowed.

Don't want no trouble, she said.

Sorry, but someone hit your dog. Might wanna get her checked out. I handed her the note. I'll pay for the vet visit. I'm so sorry, I—

She snatched the note out of my hand and shut the door so fast the breeze ruffled my hair.

For a moment, I stared at the closed door. What was up with everything today?

I crossed over to the two EMS drivers working on the man. Anything I can do? Is he going to be all right?

One of the men glanced up. His young face took me by surprise, a college junior maybe. He looked to be about my age.

He's stable. Should be fine.

Oh, good. I wrapped my arms around me from a sudden chill.

Yeah, the guy was lucky you were here. Looks like it was a heart attack.

I'm glad he'll be okay. I shivered. If you don't need anything from me, I've gotta go. Mom, Dad, and my annoying brother, Jeremy, were due at the airport half an hour ago.

Just a name and number if you like. He winked. Sometimes people like to thank a Good Samaritan.

I snorted. My dark hair, pale skin and bright eyes were already intense, add to that my love of Goth, and no one would care to thank me for anything. No problem.

He handed me a phone. Just put your name and contact number in there while I help load this guy in the back and get him checked out. His insurance will probably need a statement from you if that’s okay.

The truck driver was awake and answered questions from the other paramedic so that was a good sign.

Sure. Quickly, I entered my name and number.

After a glance at the phone, he pocketed it, then shook my hand. Nice to meet you, Keira.

A sizzle sparked across my palm at his touch. Likewise, Mr.?

Scott. Scott Barker.

I nodded, blushing as his co-worker yelled at him to stop flirting and get in the ambulance.

Gotta go. Mind if I call you later? He smiled. My shift is over at midnight unless that's too late?

No, it's fine. I smiled back.

The trucker in the back of the ambulance gave a thumb's up to something the EMT guy said, then the back doors slid closed, and Scott leaped into the driver's seat.

In seconds, I was alone on the empty street, and the silence pressed down on me. Suddenly, I was the only one in the world. A flash of lightning cracked nearby as dark clouds rolled across the sun. Damn, the weather looked like the autumn sprinkle was going to spin into a massive storm. My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. What was wrong with me today? 

Where are you?

Shit, I was late. I typed, OMW and hit enter as I darted to my car and jumped inside. As soon as I shut the door, thunder clapped overhead. The sky opened up, dumping heavy rain on my windshield. This was going to delay my trip. I flipped on my wipers and headed up the street to the airport. What I couldn't get out of my head was the jolt I felt when I'd touched the dog, then the boy. The dog had been dead. I was certain of it. Not that I was familiar with touching deceased things. Even as a kid when one of my dogs or cats died, my folks whisked their bodies into a quick grave, allowing me to have the funeral for the animals after they'd buried them. I wasn't even allowed to be in the hospital room when my Aunt Bea had passed away. As soon as her life support was taken off and her heart started to slow, my dad grabbed my hand and took me out of the room. When I'd questioned him, he said she'd have wanted me to remember her alive.

Except when I touched the boy, a similar jolt hit my fingertips. Then the freak accident with the truck and the light pole.

I shook my head. No. I was reading into things. It was just a crappy evening. Things would get better once I picked up my folks and little brother. But the entire trip, I kept glancing in the rearview mirror with a feeling like someone was in the backseat. Twice, I even flicked on the interior lights and checked the floorboards and seats, but I found nothing. But the unease pressing between my shoulder blades increased with each mile I drove.

The rain beat against the windshield, and I kept my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. My brother and folks were going to have to wait a bit longer at the airport before I picked them up. I stayed in the slow lane of traffic and hit my windshield wipers again for the second time, in case I didn't have them at full speed.

I squinted, trying to peer past the downpour to find the edge of the road and stay in my lane.

My phone buzzed. Was it that cute paramedic? I hoped the guy who crashed his car into the streetlight was okay. And the boy's dog. The speeding car had hit the small poodle, I was certain of it. When I touched the animal, coldness had seeped into my fingers. Then the dog sprang back to life.

I shook my head. That was impossible. Must have been stunned or knocked out.

Part of me wanted to park somewhere and ask my family to get a taxi. But Jeremy would call me chicken, accuse me of being afraid of a little rain, and never let me live it down. Besides, the storm would let up soon. Right?

In answer, lightning flashed in a zigzagged spider web across the sky.

My phone buzzed again, this time from the floorboard. No way was I gonna grab it now, not until I was safely parked.

Chapter 2

The rain let up slightly, and I said a prayer of gratitude. Parked in the only available spot I could find, I grabbed my umbrella that had one broken side. Damn. I’d forgotten to replace it. Of course, the only time I think about buying a new umbrella is when I’m using it. I dashed across the wet parking lot with thunder booming so close I jumped.

Inside the airport terminal, I wasn't sure of my folks’ flight number. I checked my phone for the number when my name vibrated through the airport in a baritone male voice. Just then, my brother hauled me into a football player hug and I grunted.

Have you grown since last week? I asked as he laughed.

Dad hugged me next, followed by Mom who kissed me on the cheek. At least we don’t have to wait for our luggage.

"Yeah, sorry about that. The rain was coming down