Destroying Sorrow (Penny Montague, Book 3)

By Christie Silvers

Penny’s world has been turned upside down by the arrival of little Abby Newman. The little girl is more powerful than any witch her age could ever imagine. Even Penny isn’t nearly as powerful, though appears to be the perfect conduit for Abby’s powers so they don’t burn the child from the inside out every time she uses them.

Now that the entire world knows about the existence of immortals and witches, Penny has to find a way to protect her family from not only the backlash from humankind but also stay one step ahead of the growing fog the maniacal doctors have released on the world. The fog has the potential to create new immortals, or destroy anyone in its path without the genetic markers to sustain the change.

Devastation across the globe is being broadcast live to anyone who can receive it, and that’s when Penny sees someone far more dangerous than the doctors. Her goddess!

Something is wrong with the goddess. She’s changed... evil even.

With death and destruction around every corner, how can they come out of this alive? Is it even possible? With Abby in hand, and her men standing behind her, Penny must bring humans and immortals back from the brink of extinction. Can she succeed, or will they will lose it all to the wrath of the goddess and the doctors’ scientific experiment?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christie Silvers
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215129876

Christie Silvers

Award-winning internationally published indie author of urban fantasy with a touch of naughtiness. Vampires, werewolves, and witches...oh my!

Book preview

Christie Silvers

Destroying Sorrow

Penny Montague: Book 3

Copyright © 2023 by Christie Silvers

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Christie Silvers asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Christie Silvers has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

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First edition

ISBN: 979-8-21-512987-6

Cover art by Twilight Covenstead Designs

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

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Contents

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

Epilogue

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About the Author

Also by Christie Silvers

ONE

Destruction burned throughout the world around us. People fell left and right as the immortality gas moved, spreading, seeping its way into every office building, home, and car for as far as you could see. Which wasn’t very far, considering how dense it was. It moved like a fog, yet with determination and a seemingly sentient agenda built into its process of claiming victims.

Galen forced the SUV through the crowd, dodging people as they darted out into the road without a second glance in a futile attempt to escape the madness. Fists banged on the glass and punched at the hood of the vehicle as we passed. Faces twisted in terror screamed for us to let them inside. Madness took hold as the fog made its way closer to us. Some bled from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths before falling lifeless to the ground.

Get us out of here! I screamed over the devastation outside the vehicle. Abby buried her face in my chest as sobs shook her small body. I had to keep her safe. She was more important than any of the rest of us. She would survive this one way or another.

I’m trying! Galen roared back, glaring at me through the rear view mirror. They won’t move! There’s too many cars in the way!

Ram them, Ryker demanded. He wrapped his arms around me, holding tightly like our lives depended on it. Our little family cowering in the backseat of that massive SUV just to make sure our child survived.

Hang on to me, I whispered to Abby, pressing my cheek to the top of her head. She whimpered in reply and squeezed her arms tighter around my ribs.

The vehicle jerked to a stop. Move! Galen shouted to the people standing in front of us. I will run your ass over! he roared and waved his arm at them. They still didn’t budge. Well, not until he pulled his sidearm from the holster and pointed it at the windshield. Through gritted teeth he spat, Get. Out. Of. My. Way!

The people ducked and scurried off to the side of the road. The next blockades were all the vehicles sitting abandoned as people thought they’d get away faster on foot. It looked like a war zone in the making in downtown Atlanta.

How could they do this? Gerald asked quietly, almost absently, from the front passenger’s seat. He scanned the area outside the vehicle, looking for any sign of Beatrix. She’d taken off in an attempt to disarm the machine on top of the building, but it exploded before she even made it through the crowd. After that, we lost her in the throng of frantic people.

She knows to make her way back to base, I reminded him. You’re all trained to do exactly that.

He nodded, but I could see the tears in his eyes when he turned to look over his shoulder at me. Is she okay? he asked with a nod toward Abby.

Right now she is, I said. But we have to get out of here. Galen?

Our tentative relationship might be ruined if he couldn’t get us to safety, and I felt like he understood that when he grumbled something under his breath about me being bossy before he punched the gas and rammed us into the back corner of a compact sedan. The car spun sideways, popping its backend onto the sidewalk with a screech.

We slammed to the left and Abby screamed when someone else had the same idea and struck us in the passenger side. Dean and Marissa shouted out the SUV behind us, aiming their weapons at the assailants until they backed up and we could pull forward. Dean maneuvered the vehicle while Marissa kept her weapon trained on the people in the other vehicle until both of our parties made it past them.

Galen didn’t take it easy after that. He shoved us through that packed street like he was driving a tank. I watched the fog rolling in behind us. It seemed to move faster as it grew wider and taller with each passing minute.

You’ve gotta get us out of here. It’s gaining on Dean and Marissa!

I’m going as fast as I can! he shouted.

Abby looked up at me and gave my shirt a little tug. I can help, Mommy Penny.

I shook my head. I don’t think that’s a good idea right now, honey. We can’t stop. Your powers are too unpredictable.

But I can do it, she whined. Her face glowed with red splotches and tear-streaked cheeks.

I stroked her hair. I’m sure you can, but right now Galen is doing his best to get us out of here. Right, Galen? She had a tight connection to the soldier, so anything he said was gold to Abby’s ears.

You just hang on back there, little one, he grumbled and jerked the wheel to the left to miss a woman darting from between two crashed cars. I’ll have us out of here in no time.

My heart thundered in my chest and I felt like my lungs might explode from holding my breath so much as he finally managed to break us free from downtown. The interstate would be the next worst option, so he took us down a few more twists and turns until we breached the insanity and roared down the back roads of the county. The SUV bounced toward Midnight Manor at a speed I didn’t care to know.

He pulled us into the underground parking garage and we jumped from the vehicle straight into the panicked frenzy of soldiers running around like chickens being chased by a fox. I handed Abby over to Ryker, and he held her tightly against his chest. She whispered something to her Daddy Ryker before I ran toward the vehicle Dean was driving. He slammed on the brakes just as I reached for the back door.

The door opened before I could yank the handle. Byron came bursting from the vehicle and threw his arms around me. Oh, Penny, I didn’t know if we’d make it out of there! What was that stuff?

I pushed back from his choke hold. I’ll give you two guesses.

His eyes grew wide. Are you sure? I thought that madman was just making shit up back in that cabin.

Why would you think that? Ryker asked. He might be insanely dangerous, but he’s not much of a liar. Abby turned and reached for Byron. He took her into his arms without a second thought.

Galen was shouting at a small group of soldiers huddled together in one corner of the garage. What do you think you’re doing here? Get to the barracks now! he roared. His voice echoed throughout the concrete underground and pulled all eyes in his direction. What is everyone standing around for? We’re at a Level Six! Get to your stations! The soldiers went scurrying away as fast as their feet could carry them.

What’s Level Six mean again? Byron asked in a lowered tone.

Dean stepped from the SUV, and Marissa made her way around it to stand beside him. Gerald stepped up beside me and said, It means we’re fucked.

Dean shrugged and added, Pretty much.

Has anyone heard from or seen Bea yet? Marissa asked. Gerald inhaled a sharp breath and shook his head. His jaw clenched just before he turned away from us.

Give him a minute, I whispered. He’s just worried.

Aren’t we all? Marissa asked. The tight bun she’d previously had her curly red hair pulled back into had loosened enough that long coiling tendrils hung around her face. Sweat moistened the strands and rolled down her neck.

"He’s a little more concerned than the rest of us, Dean said with a wink. If you know what I mean."

Enough of this gossiping bullshit, Galen snapped as he stomped toward us. The Elders are waiting. We have to find out what’s next.

Well, with how the fog was moving, I don’t think we’ll last long down here. I looked around at my team. That stuff will eventually seep in through the cracks and ventilation systems. I shook my head and bit my bottom lip before adding, There’s nowhere safe from what they’ve released.

Galen growled, and we turned toward the doors leading inside the building. I feared what was to come, but not more than I feared the role Abby would have to play in this dangerous game of control. Her powers were so strong. It couldn’t be an accident she’d come into them right before a worldwide disaster. I was quickly growing to understand that accidents weren’t truly accidents. Especially with a vengeful goddess looking to wipe out mankind.

We tromped down the hallway toward the barracks. I deposited Abby and Byron in the rooms we were supposed to be staying in until they caught my abductors, but that never happened. Then Galen led the rest of us straight to the grand meeting room of The Elders.

It wasn’t their court this time, but stood almost as grand with stained glass images hanging on the concrete walls to mimic the look of the actual windows in the court. Grand draperies framed the glass scenes while golden sconces hung around the room. Dark mahogany tables spread around the space with enough seating for dozens of people, should the need arise. Deep below ground, this was the only room at Midnight Manor touted as being the safest place on Earth.

They could say that all they wanted, but I highly doubted the sentiment held any truth when it came to a seemingly sentient dust cloud bent on world destruction… or maybe domination. The outcome was yet to be seen.

We walked through the doors to the sounds of terror pounding the space with theater quality surround sound. Cries and screams pounding against my heart as much as my eardrums, making me choke back unwanted emotion.