She Lights Up the Dark Read online

  Praise for She Dies at the End (November Snow Book 1)

  An impressive debut, I would definitely recommend She Dies at the End to anyone who has been hesitant to venture into the paranormal genre, as well as existing paranormal enthusiasts. It was one of those reads where I would dive in planning to read for only a short bit and then end up surprised at how much time had passed when I finally came up for air. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment in the series (currently in the works) as I can’t wait to see what A.M. has planned next for November and her supernatural friends. — Ashley Millard, Book Blogger (The Unofficial Book Club)

  "A.M. Manay's words just flow. Definitely an exceptional writer. Hard to create a fantasy world believable to adults. The dialogue is natural and her writing, tight. I'm very particular about tight manuscripts as self published authors tend to ramble, and forego editors. There are so many points to rave about in this book. If you love supernatural stories, this is a book that you MUST include in your collection." — Eeva Lancaster, Author and Publishing Professional

  On page one, I thought, "Wow. This is slick writing." Very tight. No extra words. No unnecessary adverbs or weasel words. Just good, clean writing. By the end of the first chapter, I was in love with November, the main character. By the middle of the second chapter, I couldn't put the book down. I finished the book two days ago, and I still think of the characters as if they will show up in front of me, just to give me an update. To me, that is the mark of an excellent book. I crave book two. — Patient Lee, Author

  Praise for She Sees in Her Sleep (Three November Snow Shorts)

  "I can't overstate my love for Ms. Manay's writing. I'm a giddy fangirl when it comes to her first novel, She Dies At The End, and trying desperately to be patient for the second book in the series to come out. This collection helped. Actually, this collection reminded me just how in love with the first book I am, and has convinced me to re-read it (something I never do) while I continue to wait for book 2." — Stephanie Collins, Author

  Manay’s writing has an elegance to it that drags you kicking and screaming to the outcome cursing fate the entire way, much like her characters at times. — Jolie Mason, Author

  She Lights Up the Dark

  (November Snow Book 2)

  by

  A.M. Manay

  Copyright © 2016

  All Rights Reserved

  Pythoness Press

  Livermore, California

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  For my mother, Anne

  and for my grandmothers, Anne and Emily,

  who showed me how to be a tough cookie.

  Table of Contents

  Praise for She Dies at the End (November Snow Book 1)

  Praise for She Sees in Her Sleep (Three November Snow Shorts)

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  November's Vampire Bloodline

  List of Principal Characters

  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

  About the Author

  A note from the Author

  Book Group Discussion Questions

  Acknowledgments

  Completing this work would not have been possible without the love and support of my husband, my son, and all my friends and family. I am so grateful to my readers who enjoyed the first book in this series, She Dies at the End. I was quite nervous about how my first novel would be received, and I was thrilled with all your kind reviews and notes. My thanks goes as well to my subscribers and beta readers who help me make my work as perfect as possible. I am also thankful for my fellow independent writers in the Alliance of Self-Published Authors for their help, encouragement, and advice. Finally, I give thanks for my excellent proofreader and fellow author Pandora Spocks, whose naughty books you should all be reading.

  November's Vampire Bloodline

  List of Principal Characters

  Birch

  Fairy, William's right hand, son of Hazel. Can control fire.

  Carlos

  Werewolf child who survived captivity by Luka, informally adopted by Zinnia.

  Emil

  Vampire, son of Ilyn, estranged from the family.

  Gregory

  Vampire, son of Savita, formerly employed by William.

  Gul

  3000 year old fairy, known as "The Desert King," has hiding power.

  Hazel

  1200 year old fairy. Ilyn's right hand. Mother of Birch, grandmother of Pine. Powerful healer.

  Hector

  Werewolf who survived captivity by Luka.

  Helena

  Vampire leader in Eden.

  Holly

  Fairy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Secretary of State. Secretly works for Luka.

  Ilyn

  Recently deposed vampire king. Marisha's progeny and husband. Turner of Emil, Savita, William, and November. Known as "The Scourge."

  Jaime Alvarez

  A human FBI agent.

  Luka

  Vampire, son of Marisha. Recently took the throne of the vampire/fairy kingdom.

  Marisol

  William's vampire progeny and wife of several centuries. Severely injured in a bombing.

  Nigel

  Vampire and demon, son of Marisha. Has finding ability, works for Luka. Also called Philip.

  Noemi

  Vampire, Savita's wife of 100 years.

  November

  Psychic demon whose most recent human incarnation was just turned into a vampire by Ilyn.

  Pine

  Fairy warrior, previously in William's employ, son of Birch and Rose, has power of illusion.

  Raina

  Vampire, daughter of Marisha, wife of Gul. Former queen of Persia.

  Rose

  Fairy, previously employed by William, wife of Birch, mother of Pine.

  William

  Vampire. Former Lord of California. Son of Ilyn. Maker of Marisol and Agnes (deceased). Husband of Marisol.

  Savita

  Telepathic demon and vampire. Daughter of Ilyn, maker of Gregory, wife of Noemi. Has the ability to enthrall supernatural creatures.

  Zinnia

  Young fairy, November's best friend, empath, adoptive mother to Carlos.

  Chapter 1

  Her gift stalked her, even in the ground.

  Far below, the ocean churns, a vast darkness that mirrors the sky, partly obscured by scraps of clouds dimly lit by moonlight. Far away, lights flash atop ships passing in the night. The air is cold and thin, so high above it all, dark and still.

  The sky combusts. A sun appears mid-air, unheralded by the pinking of dawn. It simply arrives, setting the atmosphere aflame. A flock of lost birds disintegrates, gone in an instant as though they'd never been. The hot air rises swiftly: a mushroom of p
ainful brightness, a speeding cloud of death in the midst of night, lighting up the dark.

  ***

  “I don’t understand!” Zinnia cried. “I stared at that grave all day, I swear to you. Hazel worked the perimeter." She looked around in disbelief.

  Greg squatted on the ground near the empty hole, looking for anything unusual. He rocked back on his heels and looked up at the sky for answers. There were none to be found there, either.

  Ilyn was frantic, searching in every direction, looking like nothing so much as a lost child. He turned on Zinnia. In an instant, he had her pinned by the neck against the hard ground. "If you have betrayed us, I will tear you to pieces with my bare hands."

  Zinnia stared up at him, all shock and terror, pale blue tears springing to her eyes. "Never, I swear," she mouthed desperately, unable to draw enough breath to speak aloud.

  Savita appeared at her father's side and knelt on the packed dirt. She glared at him wordlessly until he let go of the girl's throat, still sitting astride the young fairy to keep her from rising. Savita touched Zinnia's face gently and closed her eyes to look within Zinnia's mind.

  "She is no traitor," came Savita's verdict.

  At that, Ilyn rose and resumed his fruitless search, no apology forthcoming. Zinnia sat up and placed a hand to her neck. She stared at Ilyn's back, her face a mixture of fear and disgust with just a tinge of pity. Even if he'd still possessed his throne, anyone who cared to look at her face would have seen that Ilyn was no longer her king.

  “She’s still here,” Hazel proclaimed. "We simply cannot see or hear her. The animals are dead." They all turned to look and found that the king's lieutenant was correct. The three beasts Greg had gathered for November's first meal lay drained, their blood soaking the ground.

  “Luka warned me not to change her. Said he’d taken precautions,” Ilyn murmured, remembering the words of the family’s black sheep.

  "Fairy magic," Greg declared. "Illusion or hiding magic or both?"

  "Willow," came all five voices at once, resigned and angry and amazed.

  "She doesn't have to hide Luka's fort anymore, so she'd have plenty of magical power to hide one girl quite thoroughly. Assuming November was correct about Willow still being alive," Hazel added.

  "The girl does tend to be correct," William pointed out.

  "November, if you can hear us, don't panic. Stay here with us. We will figure out what is happening," Ilyn instructed, not very convincingly.

  "Would she be able to hear us, Hazel?" Greg asked. Outwardly, he was calm. His seething rage was visible only in the clench of his jaw.

  Hazel replied, "If it's a typical hiding spell, then yes, she should see and hear us but we cannot perceive her."

  Ever practical, William asked, "So, how do we break the spell?"

  "We get Willow to remove it," Hazel said. "I can't undo magic when I can't touch the patient."

  "Yeah, I'm sure she'll be completely amenable to that," William replied with his usual sarcasm.

  "I don't know all that much about hiding magic. Maybe she cast it so that those exempt from the hex can make her visible. Perhaps Luka, maybe Betrand? If not, then it can only be undone by another hider, and I do not know of another since Gul, and he hasn't been seen in centuries, as far as I know," Hazel explained, patient and resigned.

  "Or we kill Willow," Zinnia said, her voice hoarse with swallowed tears and mistreatment, viscous with anger. She still sat on the ground, shaking too hard to stand up.

  "Or we kill Willow," Hazel confirmed. "Which will be easier said than done. She's surely hiding herself as well."

  "So Em's imperceptible to all of us," Zinnia thought aloud, "but who else can't see her?"

  "If I were him," William said slowly, "She would be hidden from all supernatural creatures. So she couldn't turn for help to any of our kind. Or the werewolves, either. Maybe the humans, too, if I wanted her to starve. To make her desperate enough to come to me for help."

  "Oh, no," Zinnia moaned quietly, hiding her face against her knees.

  Ilyn crumpled. It was as though he were a puppet and someone had cut the strings. His body was still standing, but the rest of him . . . suddenly, he looked old and frail. "This is what she feared most," he managed to say. "Having to face this all alone."

  "We have to get out of here," William reminded everyone, once again the practical one. "The sniper had a phone. We don't know for certain if he called in a location before he shot her. The enemy could be upon us any second. We have to get to the plane before Luka's people do. That is our only chance. If she can see or hear us, she'll come with us. If she can't, there's not much we can do for her, anyway."

  "We could leave her something useful," Zinnia proposed. "She was able to feed on the animals we had ready for her, right? We could at least give her money and clean clothes."

  "Worth a try," Greg agreed.

  Zinnia ran into the house, a blue-tinged blur, emerging seconds later with a pile of clothing. They were folded just so, their neatness in stark contrast to the mess of their situation. Greg clipped an ATM card to the cash he'd gathered from everyone and jotted the PIN on the topmost dollar bill.

  "Everyone into the van," William ordered. "Now."

  All but Ilyn and Hazel complied. The ancient vampire simply stood and stared, immobile as a weathered statue.

  "Father, we have to go," William insisted, his patience exhausted. "You have one minute. Then I start driving."

  "Ilyn," Hazel said urgently, taking her king's arm. "You do her no good by standing here waiting for death to show up and take you. We leave now, maybe we live to fight another day. Maybe we find a way to help her. Dead, you can do nothing."

  She pulled at him, and he allowed himself to be led swiftly to the front of the house, looking back over his shoulder all the while.

  ***

  She knew only one thing after she clawed her way out of the ground: she had to eat. Two sheep and a billy goat gave their lives for November's first meal of her new one. She required no persuasion or instruction, falling upon them instinctively when she'd emerged from the earth, filthy and ravenous. She tore into them, a gleeful savage.

  When she was full and they were empty, she knelt next to them, stunned, reaching up a tentative finger to touch the fangs protruding from her bloodstained mouth. The animals had tasted of grass and sunshine and milk. For a few moments, she had lived their bucolic lives, now over. She felt warm, fuzzy with pleasure. Her head spun.

  November wasn't quite sure where she was, or even who she was, but then it all came back in a rush.

  As she walks among her friends, a sniper's bullet finds her belly. She falls to the dirt as she takes the death meant for another. Ilyn carries her inside, eyes burning. She lies in front of a fireplace, her life bleeding away, but there is no pain on her face. Her friends surround her. She agrees to live to fight another day. He takes her blood and gives her his own. Now there is fear and struggle and rejection, but it is too late, far too late. They watch her die They watch her die because of them.

  November returned to the present, the ground solid beneath her knees once again.

  I died. I'm a vampire.

  For a moment, she wasn't certain if she would laugh or weep. The amazed cackle that escaped between her fingers settled that question. It was only after the glow of feeding had faded that she noticed the pandemonium that had erupted around her.

  They were looking for something. Zinnia was on the ground. She looked completely undone. And Ilyn . . . Ilyn looked terrible. It took November a long, confused moment to realize that what they were looking for . . . was her. She stood up, covered in blood, and looked at her companions uncomprehendingly.

  “I’m right here,” she proclaimed, waving her hands in front of Hazel’s face. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

  She looked down at her own body, and it was perfectly visible and solid to her.

  "Zinnia? Ilyn?"

  She tried to touch her maker, reaching out a hand to toward h
is arm. Her blood-stained fingers passed right through him.

  "It’s no use, kitten. They cannot hear you.”

  November closed her eyes, willing that familiar voice to disappear, praying she’d imagined it. When she got up the nerve to turn around, rage filled her, and she tackled Luka to the ground, fangs bared, screaming like a madwoman, “What have you done?”

  He looked up at her, unconcerned, and laughed delightedly.

  “Oh, my, vampirism certainly does become you, November. More beautiful than ever. So savage," he winked. "But as much as I enjoy having you on top of me, it is a bit distracting. Another time.”

  He threw her off of himself with ease, as the newborn was no match for the strength of his eight centuries as a vampire.

  She landed lightly on her feet and demanded again, in a voice quieter but no less hostile, “What have you done?”

  “Do allow me to apologize for the sniper, by the way. He's lucky he's already dead. It pains me to think how you might have suffered in your final human moments. As for your current invisibility . . . Ilyn managed to steal you from me: the final victory of a dying man. I have simply employed Willow to steal you back by hiding you quite thoroughly. Thank you for saving her life, by the way. That was most helpful. Perhaps after a few decades you’ll learn to be less merciful."

  "But you lost," she argued with a childlike stubbornness. She shook her head in disbelief. "They defeated you. We defeated you."

  His smile was a strange mix of pity and gloating. "Do I really strike you as the type to put all my eggs in one basket, kitten? For centuries, I've been amassing personnel and real estate to support my plans. My base in the desert was merely an outpost. An outpost I no longer require.