Blue Ruin (The Phoenix Series Book 1) Read online

  The Phoenix Series:

  Blue Ruin

  By Sophia Madison

  All rights reserved © Sophia Madison

  All cover art rights reserved © Indigo Forest Designs

  ISBN-13: 978-1511585927

  ISBN-10: 151158592

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue: The Exorcism

  Chapter One: Chasing Shadows

  Chapter Two: A Traitor

  Chapter Three: The GateKeeper

  Chapter Four: Aegis

  Chapter Five: Vera Hart

  Chapter Six: Death Sentence

  Chapter Seven: The Lay of the Land

  Chapter Eight: Kyle Hawthorne

  Chapter Nine: Crossing Paths

  Chapter Ten: Raincheck

  Chapter Eleven: Blue Ruin

  Chapter Twelve: The Call

  Chapter Thirteen: Drinks and Death

  Chapter Fourteen: The Mirror

  Chapter Fifteen: The Dealer

  Chapter Sixteen: The Wilhelm Brothers

  Chapter Seventeen: Breaking and Entering

  Chapter Eighteen: Dead Man's Tale

  Chapter Nineteen: Framed

  Chapter Twenty: The Safe House

  Chapter Twenty-One: Viper

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Siren's Song

  Chapter Twenty-Three: Worlds Collide

  Chapter Twenty-Four: Nightmares

  Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mistake

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Under the Radar

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: Heads Will Roll

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: Fired

  Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Keep

  Chapter Thirty: Being Human

  Chapter Thirty-One: Fractures

  Chapter Thirty-Two: Juliet's Pill

  Chapter Thirty-Three: The Last Night

  Chapter Thirty-Four: The Dungeon

  Chapter Thirty-Five: Followed

  Chapter Thirty-Six: Bribes and Promises

  Chapter Thirty-Seven: Invitations

  Chapter Thirty-Eight: Dancing with the Dead

  Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Dividing Line

  Chapter Forty: The Devil’s Lair

  Chapter Forty-One: Jesse

  Chapter Forty-Two: The Void

  Chapter Forty-Three: The Aftermath

  Chapter Forty-Four: Hired

  Chapter Forty-Five: Burying the Hatchet

  Epilogue: The Beginning of the End

  The Phoenix: New Dawn

  Prologue: The Infection

  Contact the Author

  Acknowledgements

  I'd like to thank everyone who made this book possible, especially my beta-readers and fellow authors:

  Meredith Bailey

  Susan Boesger

  Nathan Boyce

  Cassandra Brown

  H.L. Burke

  Katharina Danielski

  Bonnie Donigan

  Lori Elizabeth

  Bryan Garrison

  K.C. Gray

  Mary Hallberg

  Alexander Key

  R.J. Matheny

  L.J. McDowall

  Deborah Osborne

  Paylor Paylor

  Annie Pierce

  Jeffery Smith

  Tim Stillwagon

  Serum Tran

  Aderyn Wood

  The Phoenix:

  Blue Ruin

  Prologue: The Exorcism

  “Help me. Help me. Help me,” Maura Leroux prayed to her deceased father for strength. She sat in the first pew of the church – hands folded, head bowed, fear paralyzing her.

  You can't be saved, the voice whispered, its echo reverberating through her bones. She clasped her hands harder together to keep them from shaking.

  What was I thinking to agree to this? Maura thought.

  A brush of wind blew across her left side. She raised her head; a figure was beside her. Jesse blessed himself and muttered a prayer. His clerical robe provided a sense of security. She let out a long breath, exhausted from the thought of what was to come.

  “No one can know I’m here.”

  “No one will, Maura.”

  They looked over the old, empty church that had been constructed in the Mundane after the collapse of Abysm. Sirens, Vessels, and Vampires had fled the genocide and civil wars to live among the humans in secret. Jesse, a priest originally from Abysm, had created a sanctuary on a dead end street in the middle of Connecticut.

  The church stood three stories high with spires at each corner, the walls made of thick gray stones. Jesse had used the ruins of the old church as the foundation and salvaged a ten-foot stained-glass window from the single wall that had survived the desolation. It sat above the large double door entrance like an eye, watching over those who sought solace.

  Maura lost herself in the beauty of that window and the comfort it provided. A small reminder of home. When sunlight poured in, dozens of colors burned brightly into the church and made the air look like colorful pixie dust. At night, the faint glow of blues, purples, and greens expanded across the vast church, like waves, soothing in their calm hues.

  She turned to Jesse, his demeanor quiet and calm. He had a soft smile and gentle features that eased her fears. His black hair was combed to the side. Eyes like charcoal were brightened with a small smile. A single dimple on his left cheek reminded her of when her father laughed. Her lip twitched upward at the familiar and comforting sight.

  Jesse squeezed her hand in reassurance. “It’s time.”

  Her courage almost fled.

  She rose and followed him down the moonlit center aisle. Statues, illuminated in the soft glow of candles at their feet, stared down. Cracks in their shoulders and missing fingers were reminders of the destruction they had all survived. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck.

  “We will need you to change,” Jesse said.

  They turned down a hallway into a small room lined with wooden lockers. Jesse opened one and handed over a white cotton dress. Maura grabbed onto his arms with shaky hands. He tensed and then relaxed.

  “I can't do this,” she whispered, tears filling her voice. The possession rippled beneath her skin, like a growl. She stilled in hopes it would leave.

  “Maura,” Jesse eased.

  “She'll take me,” she whimpered.

  You can't be saved, the haunting voice sang.

  “She says I can’t be saved.” Maura looked at him, pleading for the salvation just out of reach. Her eyes bore into his, more desperate this time. “She says I can’t be saved!”

  Jesse held her hands and said a soft prayer. His words filled the room like the aroma of warm honey. Maura's shoulders loosened and the ripples beneath her skin dissipated with a fading growl.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Jesse soothed.

  She forced a smile and nodded, swallowing remnant nerves.

  With one last squeeze of her hand, Jesse left her to dress. She slipped off her shoes and fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. The cold air produced painful goosebumps. She shivered and shimmied into the dress that pooled on the floor. Her hands trembled when tying the gold rope around her waist and straightening the long sleeves that flared at the wrists. She shoved her clothes into an empty locker and left.

  Jesse waited in the hall and motioned to a dark, open doorway. They walked through the archway and down a flight of stairs where an orange glow flickered at the bottom.

  “Watch your step,” Jesse warned, as the stairs groaned. “We’ve meant to fix them.” They proceeded to a small sitting room. A bed surrounded by a circle of unlit candles sat in the shadows, a dollop of blood on the floor. It gleamed in the faint light. Fresh. Her heart thumped hard against her ri
b cage.

  Jesse waited at the door. Intricate carvings were blurred by shadows from the lack of light. Maura ran her fingers over them, tracing the profile of a face and the limbs of a tree. The engravings shifted, and she jerked away.

  “It’s all right,” Jesse whispered. “Elise, the Protector of Souls, guards this room.”

  She gulped as Jesse opened the door into a harsh white light. Maura shaded her eyes until they adjusted, and walked into the room. Seven men encircled a body of water within white marble deep enough to drown evil. They wore long, black hoods that left them faceless. Gold tassels around their waists reflected red in the candlelight. Their arms, swallowed by thick sleeves, were folded at their fronts with silver prayer beads clutched in their hands. Hidden eyes pierced Maura’s skin like daggers. They muttered in a lost language from Abysm and blessed the pool in unison.

  Jesse led her to a white plush pillow beneath an enormous chandelier of burning candles. They knelt, and he took her hands in his again.

  “I’ll explain what’s going to happen, okay?”

  She nodded, her teeth chattering. For the last hour, she’d thought of different methods of exorcisms. Each idea fueled the next. Her insides had twisted themselves into a hard knot.

  She shook, missing the first half of his explanation. “…the last three prayers are to the Goddesses here.” He tapped the center of her chest where the weight of evil lurked. “The Goddesses of death, of the sea, and of black magic.”

  Jesse stroked his thumbs against her hands in soothing circles. “I will take you to the water where you will be submerged during the prayers. When the prayers are complete, you will come to the surface where you will be blessed again. There will come a time where the Goddesses will detach themselves from your soul. Within the blessed and charmed water, they cannot escape. They will sink, and you will rise.”

  “Will I die?” Her heart raced against her blackened soul, her curse of immortality providing little comfort.

  “Victims have been pulled to the bottom.” Jesse held tight. “I will not let that happen to you.”

  She swallowed hard. “Okay. Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

  If she waited any longer to exorcise the Goddesses, she’d flee. For months, Maura had prayed for strength. She struggled against the malevolent spirits cursed upon her soul by a vengeful Goddess. The uncontrollable power that surged within her fed the fear that one day she’d fall to it. After so long, it had given itself a name: The Void.

  Maura shuffled to the baptismal pool. She slipped her feet onto the marble stairs, surprised at how warm the water was. She descended further, the water rising to her neck. It reacted to her Siren magic and created waves that lapped at the pool’s edges. As her shoulders and nerves eased, the water snatched her under. She tumbled into its violent hold. Every drop wanted a piece, like claws latched into her pores.

  Jesse reached down and grabbed the back of her collar. She threw her hands out for the ledge and choked on the water.

  “Are you okay?” Jesse’s words were filled with concern, his face red with panic.

  She panted, her red hair matting to her lips. “Is that it?”

  “We haven’t started praying yet.”

  Her voice shook. “What?”

  The water ripped her under again. The sound of muffled prayers set fire to her blood. She screamed, thrashed under the pain, and cried for mercy.

  The water boiled, black bubbles rising to the surface. Maura reached for the skewed faces that disappeared in a black haze above the waves. The darkness expanded across the surface and leaked like ink into the pool. Her lungs, aching for air, built a scream.

  Hands emerged from the darkness and stretched around the pool. Three faces followed the limbs and floated between the strands of her hair. They dissolved into black dust, only to reappear above her. She sank further, creating space between them.

  The more the figures moved, the more they developed, and soon dresses formed around their translucent legs. Their eyes burned brightly in the dim light from above. They floated around her, their gaping mouths moving but never speaking.

  Her heart pounded, a scream strangling her lungs. She opened her mouth and gulped a breath of water. She choked, fighting the burn.

  With a powerful quake, she slammed into the side of the pool and sank further. The black fog disappeared along with the Goddesses. The prayers stopped and everything had gone silent.

  She lunged for the surface. A sharp bite tore into her calf. She screamed, the Goddesses taking hold. Their hands slithered to her thighs. Smirks, lost in the black fog, seared her skin. Frantic, she kicked to the top.

  “You can't be saved,” they screamed.

  A quick jerk on both legs threw her into the black depths below.

  Forty Years Later…

  Chapter One: Chasing Shadows

  Perspiration glossed Vincent’s chest. His black hair collected beads of sweat under the harsh fluorescent lights of the interrogation room.

  Maura had never made a Vampire sweat before. A swell of pride rose within her. She’d give herself a pat on the back later. For now, she needed to remain focused. The loud clock above Vincent's head was a reminder of every precious second. Tick tock, tick tock.

  She leaned forward in the hard metal chair.

  Vincent did the same.

  “Tell me where Adrian will be tonight, and I'll let you go,” she said.

  He scoffed.

  This wasn't the first time Maura had spent hours in an interrogation room. She had already used telepathy to read Vincent’s mind and knew Adrian had a hit planned for tonight. Arresting officials had used the Clarity Stone, a stone that briefly granted the power of telepathy to those that hadn’t been born with the ability, to no avail. The stone projected the same thoughts Maura had seen previously before a steel block shielded Vincent’s deeper thoughts.

  Maura huffed, rising. “I'm going to grab a cup of coffee and take a leak.” The chair scraped against the linoleum floor. “When I come back, you'll talk.” She left and slammed the heavy door closed.

  A squad of Collectors, the human version of detectives, leaned on cubicle walls with their coffees in hand, waiting for an update. Tessa, Maura’s trainee, handed over a cup. “Anything, Beth?”

  She almost didn't answer. Twenty years with the name Beth Hollings and she still waited for people to say, Maura Leroux. She shook her head and took a sip.

  Adrian trained Vincent not to crack under pressure. There were other ways, of course, inhumane ways. Her partner, Heidi, would put a stop to it before she’d have any fun.

  “Heidi is going in next. I hate this good cop, bad cop charade.” She took another sip and moved toward a cluttered desk. “I never get to be the bad cop.”

  Heidi laughed from behind. “That's because you'd kill the poor bastards.”

  Maura shrugged as Tessa peered over her shoulder at the papers on the desk.

  Maura hated training the new Collectors. They hovered too close for comfort – slowing her down. On the first day, they’d ask to interrogate the criminals. She’d laugh and throw them the stacks of paperwork that made up ninety percent of their time. Most joined the Collector’s because of their strong defensive spells, thinking their natural-born ability to create Shields was enough to survive the job. Those Mystics didn’t make it past their one year probation period.

  “Is he one of Adrian's top men?” Tessa asked.

  Maura handed her the folder. “You tell me.”

  Tessa’s blue eyes bulged. She took a seat, her brunette ponytail bobbing. Her skin flushed red and hands trembled. She flipped the folder open and examined each page like it was an artifact.

  Maura threw her empty cup into a nearby garbage can. In need of a stretch, she headed for the bathroom outside of the Collector’s Department. It was down a black marble hall, past the Department of Human Affairs. Mystics walked through the black ornate doors with a nod as she marched by. Surprised by the small acknowledgment, she threw on a
tight smile and rounded the corner.

  Human Affairs officials, nicknamed Ghosts, didn't make eye contact with anyone. She couldn't blame them. Their job was to kill the humans that had discovered the world of Mystics. The Keep – the government for all magical beings – always took drastic measures to ensure their safety. As for Collectors, they ensured the safety of the Mystics. They hunted criminals, put a stop to drug rings, and aimed to lower the crime rate amongst Abysmals in the Mundane. At the end of the day, they were known more for their role in cleaning up after Adrian Wilhelm.

  Maura pushed open the bathroom door with the tip of her shoe, and the overpowering scent of air fresheners wafted out. White tiled walls, white floors, and white stalls created a splitting headache when paired with the obnoxious bright lights overhead.

  She splashed cold water onto her face and gazed into the ceiling-high mirror.

  Makeup did its job of concealing the dark circles around her eyes, but her hairspray did little to control the blonde flyaways. Not having seen her apartment in nearly twenty-four hours was taking its toll. She needed a shower, a real cup of coffee, and sleep that didn't involve putting her feet up on her desk with a phone in her lap.

  Not until I find the next hit.

  Maura leaned on the sink, hanging her head. “I can't fail.” She tapped the tip of her foot against the sink. “I can't fail.”

  Nights of identifying bodies and clearing crime scenes flooded her mind. Left and right, the dead circled her thoughts.

  “I can't fail.” She kicked the sink harder. “I can't fail.” Her shin ached from another powerful kick, the sink trembling. She couldn't think of spending one more night lying awake with thoughts of the dead. “I can't fail!”

  She dragged her hand down her face, and after a heavy sigh, walked back into the department.

  Tessa, only on the third page of dozens, looked up from her seat. She bit her tongue between her teeth and turned away, as Maura kicked a chair out from a neighboring cubicle and sat. Tessa underlined random facts and played with her engagement ring during long pauses.