Smoke and Ritual (Beautiful Dark Beasts Book 1) Read online

  Smoke and Ritual

  Melissa Sercia

  SMOKE AND RITUAL

  By

  Melissa Sercia

  Copyright © 2020 Melissa Sercia

  Edited by Tee Tate.

  Cover Design by Mibl Art.

  All stock photos licensed appropriately.

  Published in the United States by City Owl Press.

  www.cityowlpress.com

  For information on subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher at [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent and permission of the publisher.

  For my sister, Jen.

  May we always have plenty of wine, snacks, laughter, and each other.

  Praise for Melissa Sercia

  “Thrilling suspense and strong characters ensnare the reader right from the start in this exciting urban fantasy. Blood and Magic provides readers with an exhilarating sense of adventure as Gray and her allies travel around the world in order to stop her enemies.” – InD’tale

  “A fast-paced magical thrill ride that begins with the first chapter and scarcely lets up until the final page. This first book in a fun new series travels at breakneck speed from the foggy streets and dangerous sewers of London to the eerie swamps of Louisiana and the madness-inducing nightmares of the Underworld.” – Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Edmonds

  “Gray is a very unique character who is full of revenge and wants to get back at the people responsible for her Dhampir status and her three-year sleep. What follows is a wild ride full of action, intrigue, and downright good writing... A little bit of a darker urban fantasy with a great gothic feel. Highly recommend!” – Librarian, Penny Noble

  “This edgy, action-packed urban fantasy, Flesh and Bone, keeps readers hanging on to the edge of their seats with plenty of fast paced excitement, magic, emotional angst and ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ thrills. Readers will find they can’t put the story down once they have begun.” – InD’tale

  “Melissa Sercia packs a punch with her debut novel with its rich world building and unique interpretation of gothic literature. It’s a must read if you’re looking for a fresh take on gothic fantasy.” – Science Fiction Author, Samantha Huewagen

  “Melissa Sercia weaves a tale involving Dhampirs and Witches that keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you root for the characters. The story is action packed and full of emotional depth that draws the reader in and makes them want more.” – Urban Fantasy Author, Sydney Ashcroft

  “Twists and turns of the plot kept me reading.” – Midwest Book Review

  “With action, emotion, intrigue and mystery practically leaping off every page, Gods and Demons is a paranormal romance worthy of the genre. A vast array of characters who are portrayed well through their dialogue and description make this book a great read.” – InD’tale

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Sneak Peek of Blood and Darkness

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  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  Additional Titles

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  Want even more from Melissa Sercia? Try the Blood and Darkness series!

  With supernatural powers and an insatiable need for blood, her existence is cursed.

  When Gray awakens from a three-year spell induced coma, she not only discovers her lover as the one responsible, but that he has joined with a dangerous organization, the Consilium, to help them create a new breed of hybrid demons.

  Humans and Witches are being taken against their will, and fear is growing throughout the covens.

  Gray never had a choice—forced to become a monster, the Dhampir. Yet after four hundred years, she still yearns for her humanity, like a long-lost echo from another life.

  She cannot allow the Consilium to do this to anyone else.

  With a renewed lust for vengeance, and a target on her back, Gray must use the one thing she swore never to in order to stop them—blood magic.

  Armed with a magical pirate ship, an immortal monk, and a flower plucked from the Underworld, Gray will stop at nothing to start a war.

  Yet in her quest to track down her enemies, she uncovers a dark family secret that threatens to destroy the last shred of humanity she has left.

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  One

  Something was wrong. The liquid burned, hot like fire as it trickled down my throat, swirling around my stomach. Why couldn’t I get this right? I mixed it just the way Jane had told me to—two sage leaves, a vial of honey water, three oyster pearls, and a pinch of mountain ash. Now she was staring at me, arms crossed, looking like I just killed her favorite pet.

  She furrowed her brow. “Arya, you forgot the willow bark. Again.”

  Of course I did. I’d been training at Sanctum for ten years and I was the only witch who couldn’t master this. I could read spells in three different languages, fight off shadow demons in simulation without even breaking a sweat, and conjure all of the Four Winds, but I couldn’t remember a simple potion recipe.

  I rubbed at my eyes, my vision blurring from the potion fumes. “Sorry, Miss Jane. I’ll remember next time.”

  Her antique spectacles slid down her nose as she walked. “That’s what you said the last time. And the time before that. I’m concerned you aren’t taking any of this serious, Arya. Your mother was a great potion master. I find it hard to believe that you didn’t inherit any of her abilities.”

  Ouch. I barely knew my mother, or my father for that matter. They had both died, fighting in the Blood War, a war that Jane’s own daughter, Gray, had started, and won. But so many, like my parents, didn’t survive it. I was only eleven years old when I was brought here to Sanctum—a safe haven for creatures like me. Nestled on a jagged cliff in the North Sea of Scotland, Sanctum was a place where all creatures were welcome—witches, dhampirs, werewolves—even harpies, though not one single harpy had ever come. The harpies didn’t mingle with anyone but themselves. The
rest of us were happy to be here. We could live and train under a blanket of safety and protection.

  But it wasn’t my home. My family wasn’t here.

  With each passing year, it got harder and harder to remember what my parents even looked like. All I had left was a faint memory of my mother, the harsh tone of her voice as she warned me to stay away from our birth coven, the Sylphs. As a branch of the four Elemental covens, we could control the winds, and I had mastered them. But just days after my twenty-first birthday, I still had no answers for why she had kept me from them. Every witch had a coven. Except for me. I was alone.

  My palms itched from the faulty potion. “May I be excused, Miss Jane?”

  Without looking up from her spell book, a thick dusty text with torn edges and burnt corners, she waved me off. “Don’t forget next time,” she murmured.

  Without hesitating, I sprinted out of the room. I wanted to get as far away from those potions as possible. Traces of the spoiled liquid still lingered, leaving the back of my throat raw and scratchy like wet sandpaper.

  Slowing my sprint to a brisk speed-walk through the corridors of Sanctum, I did my best to ignore the snickers and whispers from the other students, who most likely heard my latest scolding. It was something I had gotten good at—shutting out the world that I never felt like I belonged in. It seemed no matter what I did, there was always someone there to remind me that I wasn’t good enough. Today was no different as I did my best to deflect their icy glares.

  Passing the meditation room, the familiar scents of jasmine, myrrh, and sandalwood teased my senses. It was comforting. I should have spent more time in there but having it all to myself proved to be a challenge. One night, a few years ago, I remembered to set an alarm to wake me up right before dusk. The halls were dark and empty as I crept down there, barefoot and drowsy from sleep. And just as I’d hoped, the whole room was mine alone. But I was too relaxed. At some point, I must have dozed off, the sound of cackling jolted me awake. A group of Crescent witches laughed and pointed while I ran out, wiping the drool from my face.

  I hadn’t been back to the meditation room since.

  Picking up my pace, I whipped past a row of ornate wood-carved doors just as colorful puffs of smoke seeped out from underneath—a sobering reminder that there were witches in there who had no trouble brewing a simple potion.

  The clanking of swords echoed out from one of the combat training rooms as I turned down another corridor. Filled mostly with dhampirs and Lupi wolves, they couldn’t have cared less about my status, but the stone walls of Sanctum were thin if you were a witch. There were very few secrets here. It was irritating. At least I still had one secret that was mine alone.

  I pulled up the hood of my cloak and focused on the path ahead, wishing I were invisible. It would have been nice to get to the Three Blind Mice without confrontation for once. Sanctum’s in-house pub was an exact replica of the one in New Orleans—built here as a tribute to the man who owned it. Apparently he was Gray’s lover and died protecting her from Cerberus. I was just grateful that I could get a drink without veering too far from my room.

  Eyeing the entrance, I could already feel the warm presence of my friends on the other side. My muscles relaxed as I pushed open the thick cherrywood door and sauntered over to their table. Letting out a sigh, I sank into the deep leather booth and signaled to the server at the bar.

  Sapphire leaned forward, expectant, while Diego stifled a giggle by pretending to cough. He loved to tease me and often told me I had an unhealthy flair for the dramatic. Sapphire, on the other hand, was good at deflecting. She could always tell when I was in one of my moods but often refused to acknowledge it.

  I pushed a strand of dark black hair behind my ear, catching a quick glimpse of the newly dyed blue streak that ran through it. “I need a drink, stat. Preferably one that doesn’t burn my throat.”

  Diego chuckled, his brown eyes lighting up. “Failed your test again?”

  I sank farther back into the booth, folding my arms to my chest. “Cute. This coming from the wolf who couldn’t shape-shift without crying himself to sleep at night.”

  “She does have a point there,” Sapphire quipped. Her dark eyes mirrored her mother’s when she smiled. As the daughter of Zari—coven leader of the Rain Makers, Sapphire didn’t smile in public often. The pressure to live up to her mother’s expectations was a heavy burden. It also drove her to excel at everything.

  “Hey, I was only a fledgling.” Diego’s deep melodic voice grew two octaves higher, sending all three of us into a fit of laughter.

  As the server brought over my usual snifter of absinthe, or green fire as Diego liked to call it, Sapphire’s smile vanished, her gaze fixated on her own drink.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” I asked.

  After a quick glance around the room, she lowered her voice. “There’s talk that the Imperator hasn’t checked in for a while. No one’s heard from her partner either.”

  “Gray and Dragos? That’s a little strange…but not shocking. Those two are always on the move. They’re probably just taking a well-deserved vacation.” I had met Gray once when I was first brought here, after the war. She was fierce and beautiful, and I wanted to be just like her. Though I’d never admit that to anyone. My skills were nowhere close to being as good as hers.

  Sapphire shrugged as she sipped her martini, dangling the glass between her slender fingers with the poise of a socialite—unconcerned that up close, her palms were covered in callouses and knife scars. “No one has had any contact with her in the last six months. At least that’s what my cousin told me.”

  Diego ran a hand through his wavy brown hair. He always had to make sure every strand of hair was in its perfect place. “If the imperator was missing, I think we’d know about it, mi amica.” His Italian accent had faded from centuries of being away from his homeland, but came out when he used his native tongue.

  There weren’t many secrets at Sanctum, but those that existed were held close and locked away from those of us who weren’t in the inner circle. There was a time when great atrocities had been committed here. Back before the war, when this sacred place had been a battleground between Gray and her enemies. The blood had been washed away, but sometimes I thought I could hear the hushed breathings of ancient ghosts between the cracks of its stone walls.

  I hoped Diego was right, but Sapphire didn’t look convinced. Knowing she wasn’t one to partake in petty gossip, a tiny shiver ran up my spine. What if it were true? If Gray was in danger, then all of us would be too.

  I had to force those thoughts away. Between the failed potion test and the questions I had about my own history, I had enough weighing on my mind.

  “Well, I’m turning in, guys and girls. Try not to worry about Gray. She’s survived this long. I’m sure she’s fine.” With that, I gave them each a hug and made my way back to my room.

  The halls of Sanctum were like a maze. It had taken me years to get my bearings. Plus with all the witches crafting spells around every corner, some of the corridors would dead end without warning. Those were supposed to be childish pranks, but they made me feel even more foolish and alone back then. I could still hear their hysterical laughter like it was yesterday, patting each other on the back for succeeding in freaking me out.

  Still, that was then. Now the others left me mostly alone. I did my best to blend into the shadows and not draw attention to myself. It was easier to manage the older we grew. The female witches became more interested in how they looked and the male witches became more interested in them. They forgot about me and I liked it that way.

  The heavy steel door creaked as I opened it, but gave way easily, and I moved inside my room, flopping onto the bed. Using magic was exhausting, especially when you screwed it up. At least I had a firm grasp on my spellcasting. Satisfied that my locking spell was secure, I stretched out my arms and allowed my wings to unfold. The black feathers felt soft and comforting against my pale white skin. I flapped them agai
nst my shoulders, wrapping them around me like a soft blanket.

  I’d been hiding this part of myself for so long it had become second nature. I was an Elemental Sylph witch with black wings—a rarity even within my own coven. At least that’s what Jane told me. It was one of the few things I knew about my family’s coven.

  If the others found out what I was, I wouldn’t be welcome here. They already thought I was weird enough. Jane and the council kept my secret in hopes that I would fit in better, but the Elementals didn’t help Gray during the Blood War, and according to everyone at Sanctum, they couldn’t be trusted. I couldn’t risk them thinking that of me too. Not even Sapphire and Diego knew that I was an Elemental. The guilt that came along with it sometimes kept me up at night, but it was my cross to bear, and I didn’t want to burden them with it.

  Flipping through my copy of the Sang Magi spell book, I turned to the potion section again, desperate to understand what I was doing wrong…but all the ingredient names seemed to blur together. Not even the most sacred book of magic could help me. It was useless. I tossed it on the floor and buried my head in my hands.