Excerpt of 3 Minutes to Midnight (Midnight Trilogy, Book 1)
Chapter 1
Phoenix pushed her way through the never-ending sea of bodies and zeroed in on the grey stone building dead ahead. Yet another kamikaze pigeon dive-bombed for her head and she ducked, cursing. She was soaked through with the rain showing no signs of letting up, and she was already so late. Abi was going to kill her.
The bitter wind stabbed at her, and she longed for the comforts of home – the cosy pub that was her sanctuary as she worked, the easy banter with customers. Being dry.
She sighed.
What the hell had she been thinking coming into Dublin, on New Year’s Eve of all days? Sure, Abi’s incessant party planning was getting on her already frazzled nerves, but was this really any better?
As she neared Connolly Train Station, the crowds grew even thicker. Rowdy cheers and enthusiastic conversations came from the revellers ready to see in the New Year, and it was clear they weren’t the slightest bit deterred by the trusty Irish weather.
She pushed through the large wooden doors of the station and braced herself for the stench of sweat and stale smoke. Times like this made her grateful that her sense of smell wasn’t quite as heightened as some of the other species of the Lore. It was still enough to make her want to gag, however.
The telltale signature of the occasional Supe tingled across her skin as she made her way into the building. Some she recognised – vampire or the occasional fae – others were less familiar. None seemed to pay attention to her, but still her senses remained on high alert, waiting for a strange look or a finger pointed in her direction.
The green digital clock glared accusingly at her from the notice board, as if she needed a reminder of just how late she was. This would be a great time to be able to teleport, she thought, jumping in line for the ticket turnstile.
Not that she’d use the power if she could.
Her phone buzzed insistently in the pocket of her leather trousers, and her stomach flipped. Was it Abi calling to see where the hell she was?
She pulled the phone out as the queue inched painfully along, apology already on the tip of her tongue. But it wasn’t Abi’s name that flashed up at her from the screen. It was Darius’s.
Her relief was followed by a twinge of guilt, but she pointedly ignored it as she answered the call. “Uncle D.”
She covered her free ear in an attempt to block out the surrounding noise and shuffled another inch forward in the line.
“Did I catch you at a bad time? I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
Phoenix smiled as a warmth filled her chest. Darius wasn’t really her uncle. He wasn’t even related to her by blood. But he never failed to remember all her important milestones – even the ones she was trying to forget.
“No, you’re fine. I’m just trying to get home before Abi hands me my arse on a plate for being late to my own party.”
“It’s nice that she wants to celebrate your birthday.”
She gave a non-committal grunt. “Are we still good for dinner on Thursday?”
“Of course. I’ve gotten us a reservation at that new Italian restaurant. The table’s booked for nine.”
Phoenix whistled low to herself. From what she’d heard, it was almost impossible to get a reservation at Bella’s. Even with Darius’s vast connections, it was impressive he’d managed.
“Nine is good for me.”
“Perfect, I’ll send a car for you at –”
“No, no, there’s no need. I’ll meet you there,” she said, quick to cut him off before he could latch onto that idea too firmly.
“Now, Phoenix, don’t be silly.”
“Honestly, Uncle D. It’ll be easier if I meet you there. Look, I gotta go –”
“Phoenix.” The concern in his voice stopped her in her tracks. “How are you feeling?”
She chewed her lip and debated lying. But she didn’t want to lie to Darius. And besides, he knew her too well. “I don’t know …” she admitted finally. “I’m not even sure what I expect to feel. Maybe nothing will happen.”
“I know this is hard for you, but you can’t bury your head in the sand.”
Funny because that’s exactly what she planned on doing.
As if reading her mind, Darius’s voice turned firm, a now far too familiar impatience evident in his tone. “Your mother settled into her immortality at twenty-five. It stands to reason you will too.”
“We don’t know that.”
“No, we don’t. With your unique nature we don’t know anything for sure, but ignoring it won’t make it go away either.”
Her hand clenched around the phone and she closed her eyes. A pounding headache was forming behind her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to go home and get into bed, pretend none of this was happening.
A burst of static sounded from the intercom, followed by a tinny voice announcing the arrival of her train. She sucked in a breath and pushed all the worry back down deep inside to be dealt with later.
“My train’s here, Uncle D. I’ll see you on Thursday.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she hung up.
Feeling more than a little guilty, she headed for the waiting train. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hardly noticed the solid brick of a man barrelling towards her until he ploughed straight into her. The force sent her stumbling onto her arse on the cold ground, and she watched in shock as the man’s back faded into the distance.
A rough hand appeared before her face, and she looked up to find herself staring into the rich, brown eyes of another man. Every muscle in his body appeared poised for pursuit, but his gaze was fixed on her. Supernatural energy thrummed from him, and it was enough to send sparks of electricity skittering across her skin.
Phoenix backed away from the offered assistance and stumbled, not so gracefully, to her feet. The man regarded her with an odd expression and ran a hand through his dark, tousled hair.
A sudden yell came from the direction the first man had fled. It shattered the tension between them, and with what she could have sworn was reluctance, the man before her disappeared into the crowd.
Phoenix stared at the empty space where he’d been, heart racing. The pounding in her head grew stronger and, for a moment, her vision blurred. She clenched her fists and willed her stupid heart to calm, but her hands started to tremble and heat built in her right palm.
Fear washed over her at that familiar heat, and she scrunched her eyes closed.
Please don’t let me lose control. Not here.
Her fae powers had become increasingly unpredictable of late; any form of stress acted as a potential trigger. With no control over her power and no one to ask, she clung to the only thing she knew how to do. With slow, controlled breaths, she pushed the energy to that place at the centre of her core and locked it firmly away.
Eventually, the heat receded, and her heart slowed its frantic pace. The pounding headache, however, grew worse as she turned to see the train pull away from the platform, and a large crow with strange red eyes watching her from the electricity mast.
Chapter 2
The party was in full swing by the time Phoenix arrived at the pub, drenched to the bone and far past fashionably late. Music was blasting out of the old-style jukebox, thumping in time to her headache, while the band set up in the corner. The lights were low and the drinks were flowing freely. A comforting sense of home welcomed her as the door closed with a thud, shutting out the miserable night.
A scan of the pub found Abi at her usual spot behind the bar. Phoenix made a beeline in her direction, more than prepared to grovel if necessary.
“Abi, I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to be so late. I missed the train and …”
Abi glared at her, hands on her hips, lips pursed.
Phoenix’s heart dropped, and she said the only thing she could, “I’m sorry for being an ungrateful bitch.”
Her friend glared for a moment longer before her face finally softened. Abi’s blue eyes sparkled with a hint of laughter as she took in Phoenix’s dishevelled appearance. “I’ll get you a drink.”
Just like that, she was forgiven, and for the first time all day, she felt a bit lighter. She gave Abi a grateful smile and slipped behind the bar to make her way upstairs to the apartment they shared.
Turning twenty-five wasn’t a big deal, she told herself firmly as she headed to her room to get cleaned up. Given her hybrid nature, there was every chance she’d keep ageing as normal and nothing would have to change. Darius was overreacting.
Anyway, even if she did follow in her mother’s footsteps, it didn’t mean she’d have to leave any time soon … Did it?
***
“… Five, four, three, two, one!”
Just as the clock struck midnight and the crowd around her cheered at the top of their lungs, the room began to swim and Phoenix’s vision blurred. A violent shudder ran down her spine and her hands gripped the edge of the bar, knuckles turning white.
A mere second and the moment passed. Everything came back into sharp focus and Abi’s voice reverberated loudly in her ear.
“Happy birthday!”
Phoenix shook her head, trying to get her bearings. She returned Abi’s embrace and let her friend’s ever-contagious enthusiasm wash over her as she pushed back the sense of unease. It was just the drink, that’s all.
One arm still locked around her waist, Abi swayed along with the crowd of people, singing a very out of tune “Auld Lang Syne”. Phoenix dutifully followed suit, but the sense of unease refused to leave her.
The crowd broke into a rowdy rendition of “The Fields of Athenry”, and Phoenix extricated herself from her friend’s grip to slip away in search of a strong drink. She grabbed an empty glass and made her way to the bar to fetch a fresh bottle.
You can’t have a celebration without rum. And that’s what this is, isn’t it? A celebration.
Pouring a generous measure, she took a breath and knocked it back straight. She waited a moment, expecting the room to spin, or some sign the drink was going to her head.
Nothing happened.
Her vision didn’t blur, and the room didn’t spin. She tried another large gulp straight from the bottle.
Nothing.
With a sigh, she poured more rum into her glass and topped it with a wedge of lime. Who was she kidding? Her metabolism was far too accelerated for the alcohol to affect her. Maybe she was coming down with the flu. Sure, human diseases didn’t normally affect her, but it was possible. All these crazy super bugs going around, who knew?
Clutching the glass, her free hand played with the platinum medallion hanging from her neck. The hard, embossed edges of the sun pressed into the palm of her hand. Her mother’s emblem. One of the only things she had left of her.
She’d never thought of asking her mother what it would feel like when her immortality kicked in. She’d always assumed her parents would be with her when the time came.
Her father had been in his thirties when he was turned into a vampire and became immortal. Sure, he had to die for it to happen, but who says her fae side would be more dominant anyway? Just because the fae reached their immortality at twenty-five, didn’t mean she would. Maybe she’d need to die before it happened, like her father. Hell, maybe a hybrid wouldn’t even become immortal at all …
Looking around, her chest swelled with an over-whelming sense of gratitude for the life she’d built. Abi had saved her by giving her this job, a place to stay, and a way to escape the Lore. She couldn’t ever imagine leaving it behind. But how many years would she have before people noticed she wasn’t aging? How long would it take before Abi asked questions she couldn’t answer? How long before she would have to say goodbye?
No sooner had the thought formed in her head than a shudder ran through her and her vision turned black. The glass slipped from her grasp and smashed to pieces on the tiled floor.
Chapter 3
“You don’t scream for me anymore.”
Il Maestro pondered this, tilting his head as he looked at the frail figures curled up on the hard, stone floor. A chain made with thick iron links swung lazily in his left hand as he licked the blood from the fingers of his right.
The smaller of the two forms tensed, no doubt waiting on the inevitable blow. The larger form remained still, unmoving, as it had for a long time now.
“It’s started already, you know,” Il Maestro continued, pacing slowly around the small, dank cell, in no hurry to make use of the heavy chain. “I felt it as soon as the clock struck midnight. The shift.
“All those years waiting patiently. It will be worth it when the prophecy is fulfilled and I take my rightful place at their side. We will hide in the shadows no more.”
He stopped pacing and stared at the torches that lined the wall, their flames flickering hungrily in the dark.
“At least she’ll know her life meant something in the end. That must make you proud.”
Lifting his arm high, he let the chain fly and felt the satisfying crunch of bone beneath the iron.
Again, his arm raised.
“Let’s see if we can make you scream, shall we?”
***
The tightness in his shoulders had eased significantly by the time he left the chamber. Blood splatter covered the front of his black Armani suit and he made a mental note to get it dry cleaned as he settled behind the large mahogany desk in his office and wiped his hands with the embroidered handkerchief.
“You called for me, Il Maestro?”
Il Maestro looked up at the vampire before him. Even compared to his own impressive height, Raphael was tall. The broad expanse of muscle only served to heighten his intimidating aura; a useful quality to have as head of security.
“I want a full debriefing on the status of all outstanding projects at midnight tonight.”
“Yes, Il Maestro.” Raphael stood straight with his hands clasped behind his back, a not-so-subtle military air to his posture.
“How are the new recruits coming along?”
“The wolves are reacting well to the new formula. Their aggression has increased significantly but with fewer obedience issues.”
Il Maestro nodded, pleased with this development. The mangy dogs had been the most difficult to control. As much as he enjoyed their viciousness – it took very little for them to tear each other’s throats out – discipline was paramount.
“Good, it’s time we start escalating our preparations. We need to be ready.”
He reached for the crystal decanter on his desk and poured a generous measure of the rich, golden liquid into a glass. “Arrange a meeting with the witches and get the newest batch of wolves ready for a field test.”
With a swift nod, Raphael turned on his heel and left the office.
The tingling anticipation was starting to build now that preparations were fully underway, but it was important he didn’t lose focus.
The clock had finally begun its countdown.