Marked For Death: A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel Becca Blake (fiction novels to read .txt) 📖

“No,” Orion said, his voice barely above a whisper as he wrapped his arm around me. His hand was a heavy weight on my shoulder.

My hold on the ceramic plate tightened. Council members rarely made house calls. Had he heard about the way I used dark magic at the warehouse? Did he know Orion was covering for me? My heart pounded as all of those fears raced through my mind.

“What is it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

His gaze flicked to Orion, then settled on me once more. “We learned today that Owen Collins has fallen in the line of duty. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

The plate in my hand crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces I could never hope to repair.

Chapter Nine

There were no bodies to burn. Instead, poster-sized photos of Owen Collins and the three members of his team were framed, and on display outside for their joint funeral service at the cemetery.

I stared at the photo—at the familiar laugh lines around my father’s eyes, his easygoing smile, and the striking green eyes I inherited from him. It was surreal looking at the printed image and knowing it was supposed to represent my dad’s corpse.

Marcus hadn’t been very clear on the details. All he told me was that Dad’s team died while on a mission, and their bodies weren’t able to be recovered. Whatever happened, it was above my clearance level. Not knowing how my father died made his loss hurt even more. I hoped Orion would at least talk to me later if he learned more details.

Part of me wondered if they held the truth back from me so I wouldn’t rush off to seek vengeance. And, in all fairness, they wouldn’t be wrong. Whoever—or whatever—killed my father, I wanted them dead, and there was no doubt in my mind that I’d run off without the Council’s permission if I had to.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, smoothing out the creases in a black dress I’d never worn before and hoped never to wear again.

Leader Grayson stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. “Thank you all for gathering with us here today to pay respects to four of our own who have fallen. We are here to honor and celebrate the lives of Isaac Dennington, Aubrey Willow, Olivia Brighton, and Owen Collins. Their service to the Arbiters of Shadow and the sacrifice they have made must not be forgotten.” He stopped for a short coughing fit before continuing to list off details about their lives and the things they’d accomplished over the years.

Under better circumstances, a list of my dad’s accomplishments might have made me smile. Today, I was just doing my best to tune it out.

Somehow, he had seemed immortal to me. Even after Mom died, I was sure he would always be there for me. His death left an aching hole in my chest, and it made me feel more weak and vulnerable than I cared to admit. It reminded me of my own mortality, of the fact that I nearly died back at that warehouse in Omaha.

If I had, there would have been fewer people gathered for my funeral.

“—words from his daughter, Riley.”

I stood up, smoothing out the stiff material once more, and made my way up to the podium. I laid out the lined paper with the eulogy I wrote and stared down at it.

Someone coughed. The old chairs creaked as people shifted their bodies, and Leader Grayson’s gentle hand on my arm reminded me they were all waiting on me.

I folded the notebook paper back up and crushed it in my fist.

“My dad was a great man. He’ll be missed,” I mumbled into the microphone. I pulled away from Leader Grayson and returned to my seat, avoiding the pitying gazes of everyone who watched me.

The speech I’d written told stories. Some funny, some sad, some cute. But they were all my stories. I didn’t want to share them with all these people.

Orion wrapped an arm around me as the service continued, and I leaned into him for comfort.

The other hunters’ loved ones honored them with eulogies that were far longer than the one I gave. When they finished, the podium was moved out of the way to make space for the funeral pyre. The ritual was meant to bring their departed souls peace and protection in the afterlife. Since there were no bodies, Leader Grayson used a torch to light a symbolic fire.

I couldn’t even take the small comfort that my father’s soul would be safe, since the ritual was useless without the bodies. I didn’t know how the afterlife worked, or if there even was one. But if there was, I hoped it would be peaceful. Dad deserved that much after a hard life hunting demons to keep humanity safe.

As the ritual ended and the flame was extinguished, I buried my emotions behind the same walls I built when using magic. I wouldn’t cry. Not here in front of everyone.

The others returned to the town hall for the memorial banquet. I stayed where I was, staring at the fire pit until all that remained were fading embers. I had no interest in mingling with other mourners, to listen to them tell me how sorry they were for me. I didn’t want the obligation of showing sympathy to others who had also lost loved ones when I was drowning in grief.

“You holding up okay?” Orion asked.

I’d forgotten he was still by my side.

“I don’t want to be here.”

“No,” he agreed. “Neither do I. But it’s expected of us. They’ll want to tell us how much he’ll be missed… as if we didn’t already know.”

As long as I’d known him, Orion had always kept a cool head. Calm and collected, with a firm grip over his emotions that allowed him a dominating command over his magical energy. And over all those years, I couldn’t think of a single time I’d seen him cry.

Until now.

Orion was the