Dark Prelude Read online

  Dark Prelude

  Deadly Knightshade Book One

  Leigha Wolffe

  Dark Prelude – Deadly Knightshade Book One

  Copyright © 2020 by Wolffe-Stoirm Publishing

  All rights reserved. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form, in part or in its entirety, without the express written permission of the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Any unauthorized reproduction or use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited and will be subject to prosecution.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons (living or dead), business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For permissions or inquiries contact:

  [email protected]

  *TRIGGER WARNING*

  Please be advised:

  This book contains scenes of a violent nature that some may find upsetting or triggering, as well as scenes of a sexual nature, and is not intended for readers under the age of 18 years.

  Contents

  DARK PRELUDE

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Also By

  About the Author

  DEDICATION

  To my husband, Daniel; to my girl gang, Charlotte Brice, Elizabeth Dunlap, and Jade Thorn; to Ashley D. and all my Alpha and Beta readers who lent your eyes and your time: ‘Thank you’ simply isn’t enough. You have supported me so fully, made me feel strong, smart, and capable, but it was really much more than that. You made me feel deserving. I will never be able to repay you all for your kindness, support, love, and the ways in which you continue to enrich my life.

  It is said by many writers that the secret to becoming a successful author is finding your tribe. I’ve found mine, and I think that, in itself, is the success.

  DARK PRELUDE

  Deadly Knightshade Book One

  Prologue

  Dani

  The sky over Knight City grew dark and dangerous as the sun disappeared over the horizon. As I stared out over my city, the wind whipped the flag on the neighboring rooftop about, like a dog shaking a floppy toy, and lightning crashed down between nearby rooftops. The weather often turned quickly like this when I was upset. I was getting better at controlling my emotions, but I just wasn’t there yet. Given the way the past year had gone, it wasn’t surprising that I kept assaulting the city with bad weather lately.

  I watched the tiny dots far below scurry about their nightly activities, praying they could just all be good for a few minutes. I had business to handle tonight, and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I had to run off and destroy some criminal dumbass who hadn’t quite figured out that I wasn’t standing for that shit in my city. Unfortunately, there were still plenty left that were stupid enough to try.

  I sensed his approach before I even heard his feet land softly on the concrete rooftop behind me. He appeared silently over the fire escape, but he could never sneak up on me… I could feel him when he was near.

  “You came,” I called without turning to face him.

  “You called,” he responded in kind to my lack of greeting.

  “Have you thought about our little chat?”

  “I’ve thought about it.”

  “And?”

  “And you know I can’t.”

  I felt my shoulders sag, and my heart sank in my chest. This felt like it had been a struggle every step of the way. From the very beginning, we’d been at odds, even before we knew it. We’d had to battle every moment, and now here we were, battling again. I was so tired of listening to his crap and even more tired of the constant fighting. I was just too tired to fight anymore.

  “That’s such bullshit. You can, you just won’t. If that’s how you really feel, then just say it. Tell the truth, Serpent. You can. You just don’t want to,” I hissed, finally turning to face him. “So stop being a pussy, and nut up.”

  “Well, that would be easier if I didn’t have to do it staring at your beautiful face, Knightshade,” he said, tensing.

  “It’s Deadly Knightshade to you,” I whispered as The Serpent rushed me.

  1

  Dani

  The morning sun warmed my face as it crept through my bedroom window. No. Not yet. Too early. I rolled over and squeezed my eyes more tightly closed. Too tired to get up. I’d stayed up reading way too late last night, and now I was paying for it. Luckily, I didn’t have anything to do today but work this afternoon. Although that meant seeing Charlie, which was a minefield all its own.

  Charlie was amazing, smart, kind, funny, handsome, and one of my best friends. Okay, probably my best friend, since I didn't have many. It was a minefield because he also seemed to be kind of in love with me. Every minute spent together was a brutal reminder that he wanted more and I didn’t and that, eventually, I was going to hurt him. Then I was going to lose him.

  I groaned and closed my eyes, squeezing them tight against my hopeless thoughts and the rising sun. Sleep. I just needed more sleep. Then I could face the—

  “Argh! Shadow! Gross!” I yelled as a heavy weight landed on the bed and a slobbery tongue washed my face. I laughed and shoved the massive German Shepherd off my bed. He bounced right back though and was in my face again. “Okay, okay, I’m getting up,” I chuckled, throwing back the covers.

  The chilled night air hadn’t fully given way to the warmth of the sun yet, so I slipped my feet into my fuzzy slippers. Grabbing some jeans and a tee from the dresser, I opened my door and headed straight across the hall into the bathroom, grumbling to Shadow about being awake at this hour. If I kept the run brief, maybe I’d even get to finish that book before I left for work. Silver lining, I suppose.

  I relieved myself and cleaned up, and then I dressed quickly while Shadow whined outside the bathroom door, encouraging me to hurry. He was used to our early morning jogs, and since school had let out, he hadn’t been willing to give up and let me sleep in.

  Downstairs, I headed into the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the counter, and got myself some water. Opening the refrigerator, I reached into the top shelf of the door, in the same spot it always was, and grabbed the prescription bottle waiting for me. I popped the cap off and slid three horse-pill sized capsules out, then closed the bottle and returned them to their chilly home. The golden liquid within the capsules shimmered like always. It actually was quite beautiful, as meds go. I shrugged, stopped staring at my pills like a psycho, and popped the capsules into my mouth, downing the entire glass of water, just like every morning.

  I had to wait an hour after I took my medicine before I could eat, and sitting and staring at the fridge as the minutes ticked slowly away while not eating for an hour wasn’t my idea of a good time. So I ran every morning I could and tried to walk the rest of the time. I slipped my feet into my running shoes and reached down to lace them up. Shadow snatched his leash from the counter, then came and sat patiently next to me, and I rolled my eyes.

  Stupid dog could do everything but tell time. We
were definitely working on that next.

  He woofed at me in offense, like he’d heard my thoughts, but while the timing was uncanny, he was likely just trying to get me to move faster. I was just so tired. I was always tired. That was a result of my disorder. There was something wrong with my blood. It couldn’t hang onto the stuff it was intended to transport, so the doc put me on something that functioned as a binding agent in my system. The meds helped my blood do its job, which kept me alive, so… bonus. But it didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel awful.

  I had good days and bad days. On good days, I was basically a normal-ish young adult, but on bad days… On bad days, I functioned more like your average ninety-year-old. The cold seeped into my bones even if it was warm outside, and I could barely find the energy to stand up and go to the bathroom or feed myself. Unfortunately, a good day could turn into a bad one pretty quickly, so I had to be careful.

  Shadow was incredibly sensitive to my physical state. He had been from the first day we met. He’d found me on my way home from school. I was in a bad way, and he’d come from nowhere, run right up next to me, and walked calmly by my side from that point on as I stumbled home.

  My mom had seen us coming up the street with me leaning against his massive body and panicked, trying to chase the damn dog off. Shadow hadn’t reacted, hadn’t barked, hadn’t run. He’d simply stood his ground quietly until she calmed down.

  He’d earned the name Shadow over the next week or so, following me to school every morning, then waiting for me when school let out in the afternoon to escort me home again. After more than a week of sleeping on our doorstep and following me everywhere, Mom was satisfied he’d be well worth the trouble, so against her better judgement, she’d let him stay. He’d moved to sleeping in my room, though he had occasionally still managed to get out and show up at school. I’d been fourteen when he found me, and almost six years later, I still had no idea how he managed to get out.

  Shoes tied, I took the leash from Shadow’s mouth and snapped the clip onto his collar ring, then I turned the deadbolt on the back door. Our house backed up to a wooded park with a jogging trail, and that was where we jogged most mornings. A bit of nature for Shadow, nice and close to home for me, just in case. It was perfect. But this morning as I twisted the lock on the doorknob itself, a low growl rose from Shadow’s throat.

  He shoved himself between me and the door and leaned against the door, still growling. It was so out of character for him, it took me a moment to react, but when I did, that fact alone was enough to spur me to move quickly and decisively. I twisted the doorknob lock back into the locked position and flipped the deadbolt back into place. Shadow jumped on the door, nosing beneath the curtain covering the window at the top, and I pulled it aside just enough to peer out the edge of the window.

  “I don’t see anything,” I said, sighing with relief. “Paranoid furball.”

  Shadow woofed in response, then growled again. I’d started to pull the curtain closed when I caught movement in my periphery. Just as I looked up, a man—at least I thought it was a man—dressed all in black slipped out from behind a tree.

  Shadow went nuts as soon as he saw the man in the hoodie, barking and pawing at the door, and the creeper turned back as soon as he heard the dog. It was definitely a man, and he took off through the forest with a level of grace and agility I would only attribute to someone who was experienced at moving through the woods. The dog was still going crazy and determined to dig his way out if I wouldn’t release him. The paint was already tearing away where his claws were ripping at the wood, but no way in hell was I about to open that door.

  “Sorry, boy,” I said after several minutes of watching. “I think we’re running in the street for today.” When Shadow had calmed down and there were no more signs of people in the woods, I decided it was probably safe to jog in the street. There would be no jogging trail for the foreseeable future, and I needed to let Mom know too because she ran at odd hours. I grabbed my running band and slipped my phone, wallet, and keys into the pockets of the stretchy fabric and headed to the front door.

  I peeked out through the window, just in case. Three neighbors were out front mowing their lawns or gardening, and I could see our postal worker, Kim, making her way from house to house and waving at the neighbor as she disappeared around the corner. The lady that lived on the corner waved back to Kim as she pushed her stroller along the sidewalk across the street. A perfectly normal day.

  Except for the creep out back, of course.

  2

  Dani

  I sighed and pulled my keys from my running band, then I headed out the front door, locking it behind me. Shadow went for the bushes right off, the relief visible in his furry, canine face. Then he took to the yard. I pulled a baggie out of the dispenser on the porch and cleaned up after him, disposing of the bag in the dumpster before I took off at a brisk walk. I pushed into a slow jog as I neared the end of the block and gradually increased my pace. The activity helped my state of mind immensely, but Shadow’s calm demeanor put me more at ease than anything else, especially after the strange events at the house.

  “Good morning, Dani!” called Mrs. Scott. She paused to wave, and I answered with a wave and a smile of my own. Then she went back to busily pulling weeds from her flowerbeds. Shadow pulled a bit at the leash, urging me to increase my pace, so I accommodated him. He never pushed me if I was struggling, usually not even if I was going to be struggling later, so when he did, I trusted the animal’s senses over my own.

  “Hey, Kim!” I called as I passed our mail carrier along her route.

  She looked up from her bag and waved. “Hey there, Dani! Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s your Momma, hun?”

  “She’s good. Working nights but liking the new days off and the pay,” I said, jogging in place so I could answer her.

  “I can imagine. She’s always worked so hard. Must be nice to have a bit of free time these days. You guys doing anything for the summer?”

  “Not this summer, just working and working, you know?”

  Kim laughed and nodded, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, baby. I know. You take care, okay?”

  “Always,” I said, smiling. “You too.” I turned and headed back down the sidewalk but paused when Kim called out again.

  “Oh, hey, Dani? I keep meaning to ask, but I haven’t seen you much lately. Is Shadow doing okay?”

  “Yeah, he’s fine. Why?”

  “I know the schedule changes can mess with them, but he’s not a barker, and he’s been going nuts lately. I was just worried he was sick or something.”

  I stopped jogging and stared at her for a moment, then looked down at the dog beside me, tongue lolling and looking as happy as a dog ever was. Eyeing him suspiciously, I said, “No, I don’t think so. I’m hoping he just needs to get used to the new schedule, but… I don’t know. Something weird happened this morning,” I said, shrugging. When I looked up, Kim was watching me strangely. But then our eyes met, and she smiled so kindly I thought I must have imagined it. It had been a weird morning. “Would you mind letting me know if you hear him again?”

  “Of course, sweetie. Glad to see you two out in the world this morning. I’ll see you later.”

  She waved me off and headed on her way, and I looked down at Shadow. The feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn’t a pleasant one, and I had no doubt the incident this morning and the barking the rest of the time were related. But what was going on?

  I decided to contemplate it while I ran, so I headed off down the street at a jog. Several blocks later, my mind started to calm, and my breathing and heartbeat slowed and found a lovely balance. The rhythm of my own movements lulled me into a false sense of peace and security, so I was caught off guard when a shadow fell across my path and a body stepped out in front of me.

  I slammed into a hard chest, and strong arms wrapped around me, absorbing my momentum as they lifted me. I was spun around by the tower of muscle I now realized was
Charlie, then placed gently on my feet on the opposite side of him. Shadow went the other way, so our legs were now wrapped in the dog leash. There was nowhere to go.

  I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, then I drew back and slapped the crap out of Charlie’s arm.

  “Ow!” he cried, the laughter in his eyes betraying the hurt in his voice.

  “Asshole!” I mumbled, trying to get my legs unwound from the leash… and from Charlie. “Shadow,” I crooned sweetly. “Come here, boy.” I grabbed the dog and unhooked the leash, holding his collar as I unwound the leash from our legs.

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. What profanities were you spewing at me?”

  “I do not spew profanities. I enunciate them clearly like a fucking lady, asshole.”

  Charlie’s eyes widened as a chuckle rumbled from his chest and out through his perfect mouth. He stood tall, towering above me as always. “What?” he asked with an innocent grin, but the laughter in his eyes was anything but innocent.

  “You know what. Jerk. You scared the crap out of me.”

  His eyes held mine, and he stepped closer. “Pay more attention to what’s right in front of you.” He said it so casually, but I got the distinct impression we weren’t talking about running anymore. He stepped closer again, crowding me so that I was looking up at him, but I stood my ground. I would not be flustered by his constant flirtations.