Last Rites Read online

  Table of Contents

  Last Rites

  Also by Lily Luchesi

  The Paranormal Detectives Series:

  Standalones:

  Anthologies:

  Praise for the Paranormal Detectives Series

  Dedication

  Playlist

  (Turn the page for an exclusive sneak peek at Lily’s Paranormal Detectives spin-off novel, Never Again, coming to Vamptasy December 5th, 2017!)

  Last Rites

  Paranormal Detectives

  Book Five

  By Lily Luchesi

  The right of Lily Luchesi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it was published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, items, characters, places and incidents 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.

  Cover Design by:

  Rue Volley

  Edited by:

  Elizabeth A. Lance

  EAL Editing Services

  Copyright © 2017 Lily Luchesi

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by

  any means without written permission of the author.

  Also by Lily Luchesi

  The Paranormal Detectives Series:

  Stake-Out

  Miranda’s Rights

  Life Sentence

  Right To Silence

  Last Rites

  Never Again (standalone spin-off; December 5th, 2017)

  Standalones:

  A Bloody Legacy

  The Hunger Within (July 29th, 2017)

  Screams In The Dark (October 5th, 2018)

  Anthologies:

  Naughty Bedtime Stories: In Three Words

  Naughty Bedtime Stories: Four You

  Death Love Lust

  Lurking In The Shadows

  Beautiful Nightmares

  Lurking In The Mind

  Weirdbook Magazine #35

  Black Magic

  Demons, Devils, Denizens of Hell (coming summer 2017)

  Praise for the Paranormal Detectives Series

  Lily Luchesi’s Paranormal Detective series has it all; action, mystery, mayhem, heart and a compelling cast. Each book is entertaining and emotional, filled with a delicious blend of darkness, sass and salvation. - The Adventures of SacaKat

  Pure sexy action adventure. If you like your heroine's sassy, sexy, and tough and your stories packed with hard hitting, badass action, then The Paranormal Detective series is just what you’re looking for. An exciting ride that gets better with each new book. - Danetta Sutton

  Absolute HORROR. Heart wrenching ROMANCE. Gritty ACTION. The Paranormal Detective series has it all. Fall into a world with deadly creatures, complex characters, and a kickass heroine who isn’t afraid to bare her fangs! You’ll flinch, you’ll cry, and your heart will swell with unimaginable emotion with every passing installment. Luchesi sure knows how to pack a punch and ignite an addiction for a tale that explores the thin line that exists between honoring one’s humanity and resisting the urge to give into a monstrous heritage. - Knightingale Reviews

  The Paranormal Detectives Series is a gripping, real, and action-packed paranormal ride that will keep you coming back for more! - Charity Rowell at On My Kindle Book Reviews

  Forget Underworld and Twilight, this is the modern day vampire series that you're craving!

  Luchesi perfectly constructs a world where vampires and other beings exist among us, it's True Blood meets Supernatural and you won't be able to put this series down! - A. Giacomi, Authoress of The Zombie Girl Saga

  Dedication

  To the authors who inspired me as a child and still do today: Darren Shan, Zac Brewer, and Ellen Schreiber.

  And to my Vamplets. Without you, there is no Angelica or Danny.

  Playlist

  As always, my constant companion while writing this book was music. While with my other books I broadened my writing playlist, with this one I really stuck with what I know, songs that really touched me by way of my characters. These songs mean something, helped spur the plot on, and for that reason, this is my favorite playlist to date. Enjoy!

  “Fake Your Death” by My Chemical Romance

  “You’re Mine” by Disturbed

  “Bloodbath In Paradise” by Ozzy Osbourne

  “My Heart Is Broken” by Evanescence

  “Operation Mindcrime” by Queensryche

  “Master Of Puppets” by Metallica

  “Hunted” by Device

  “Never Wrong” by Disturbed

  “You Think You Know” by Device

  “Give ’Em Hell, Kid” by My Chemical Romance

  “One Step Closer” by Linkin Park

  “Killing For A Living” by Overkill

  “Imperfect” by Stone Sour

  “Close My Eyes Forever” by Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford

  “Serpentine” by Disturbed

  Prologue

  Inverness, Scotland

  May, 1892

  Holland Castle was in ruins. Smoke billowed from still smoldering turrets, priceless sculpture and magical artifacts were destroyed, and countless lives were lost. The small town adjacent to the castle grounds was all but decimated. Many apprentice witches and wizards were among the fallen, though natural born magicians, werewolves, humans, and vampires were also numerous within the long stretch of corpses.

  Inside the castle, a young witch named Harriet Galbraith mourned the loss of her longtime protector, teacher, mentor, and lover, Aulus Occio.

  Harriet had no time to mourn for long. The magical war that had occurred was now over, and with the Dark side defeated and the Light prevailing, they needed to pick a new leader. Their leader, Aulus, had sacrificed himself in the battle, and now they needed someone to help pick up the pieces. Great Britain needed a new Coven Master or Mistress.

  Harriet exited the castle after closing her love’s eyes and kissing him one last time, heading out into the battlefield once again, where the rest of the Dark side had been either executed or rounded up. The living adversaries would be interrogated and then executed.

  Despite her immense loss, Harriet could not help but smile as she watched Angelica Cross shove a serrated blade through the heart of a defiant shifter, bringing the still pulsing muscle back out as the werewolf fell to the ground.

  “Anyone else care to defy?” she called. “No one? Well, then. That’s something, isn’t it? Wondrous what a little negative reinforcement will do.” She turned and saw Harriet, a relieved sigh escaping her. “Thank God. You’d been so long, I thought perhaps you were injured.”

  Harriet shook her head. “No. My...Aulus passed away.” With that her composure broke and she covered her face as tears fell down her face. She knew she needed to be strong, but at this moment she could not face reality.

  “Come with me,” Angelica whispered. Louder, she called, “All of you, I expect you to keep all of the Dark ones in line for my sentencing! If anyone tries to escape, kill them.” With that, she led Harriet away from the battle to somewhere a bit quieter. They sat on fallen rocks, looking out at the beautiful countryside, and Harriet explained how she watched her lover die at the hands of the Dark leader.

  “I wish you could have met him, Angelica,” Harriet sniffled. “He was
so brilliant.”

  Angelica smirked. “Really? Because I recall many traveling witches and wizards calling him a ‘nasty git’ a few years ago.” She took her friend’s hand, and Harriet felt how warm her skin was. The vamplet had fed well during this war. Unlike Harriet, she looked as though she thrived on the battle, while Harriet wanted nothing more than to crawl into the nearest foxhole and die.

  “No death in war is ever in vain,” Angelica said. “Your Aulus was a good man to do what he did for his people.”

  Harriet nodded. The war had been brewing for a decade, from a faction of natural born witches and wizards wanting the pure to stop teaching their ways to apprentices, saying they were diluting the bloodlines and the species as a whole. When Harriet informed Angelica, who had been independently running the Paranormal Investigative Division for eleven years already, the vamplet came back to the United Kingdom to assist in whatever way she could.

  Harriet and Aulus had fought together until they had been separated by a well-timed blast, and it was then she was forced to watch as the Dark wizard who had started the war cursed her lover to a slow, painful death.

  “I know you must mourn,” Angelica said quietly. “But I must inform you that the Grand Coven here in Britain needs a new leader. And the one who killed the leader of the Dark is the natural choice.”

  Harriet’s head shot up. “Are you mad? I am no leader, Angelica!”

  Angelica shook her head. “You are not. I agree. However, you will be. The best leaders are not those who seek out leadership, but who take up the position when all hope is gone. You have my full confidence, and the support of America’s largest Grand Coven in Chicago.” Angelica stood up and held her hand out to assist Harriet. “Now, shall we go back? I’ve got quite a few executions to perform, and I intend to enjoy them.”

  Chapter One

  Chicago, Illinois

  March, 2017

  “Do you, Daniel Michael Mancini, take Angelica Veronique Cross to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

  Danny smirked at Angelica and she returned the smile, in on the joke. As long as she lived would be quite a long time indeed: Angelica was immortal, the Empress of all vampires. However, eternally loving her was something that Danny, a mortal, was just fine with.

  “I do,” he said, gazing into her dark eyes.

  “And do you, Angelica, take Daniel to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” the priest asked.

  “I do.” She squeezed his hands, not too hard, or else she’d crush him.

  “Then by the power invested in my by the Lord Jesus Christ and the state of Illinois, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Danny leaned down and kissed Angelica, but certainly not for the first time and because a priest allowed it. Between his first incarnation in the early twentieth century and his current one, he’d kissed her far too many times to count. Their love had spanned a century and two lifetimes for him. This was their second marriage, but Angelica had already Claimed him vampirically nearly two years ago.

  Angelica was crying, leaking blood-tinged tears onto her black lace wedding gown, turning it even darker. Danny hadn’t thought that was possible. He never thought he’d live to see the day where she cried out of happiness and not out of frustration or mourning. It was that reaction that truly made him the happiest man alive.

  The small congregation cheered for them, many of them having traveled from London, and still others having been Angelica’s employees when she ran the Paranormal Investigative Division of the FBI.

  Angelica had retired in February, after more than ninety percent of the company had been victims or either demonic possession or murdered. Those who remained alive Danny worked the occasional case with, and none of them were too happy that Angelica quit. They had hired new agents, but it wasn’t the same. A sense of loss hung over the PID like a storm cloud.

  Danny knew Angelica’s replacement, the witch Harriet Galbraith, was a good woman and leader, but no one could do what Angelica did. But not only did she want to rest and enjoy life for a while, she also felt it was a conflict of interest to be leading the PID when she was also the Empress of the vampire species. And she could not just give up that title. She had inherited it, and she had to wear it whether she wanted to or not. However, Danny was of the opinion that Angelica enjoyed her newfound leadership and power.

  “I love you,” Danny whispered into her ear.

  Despite the wedding being very fancy dress, their reception was being held in Crowley’s Pub, a bar downtown that catered to all paranormal creatures and some brave humans. It was one place they could safely serve raw meat to werewolves and fresh blood to vampires without having the police or health department called. Of course, Angelica owned it.

  Angelica’s cousin, Mahon Quinn, was the leader of England’s MI-5 and the London branch of the PID. He was the only blood family she had left alive, though he was not a vampire. He was a psychic vampire, which meant he was essentially human except he fed on emotion and energy, making him immortal. He made a beautiful toast, something Danny had not thought he could do. Mahon was usually what cops called a cold fish.

  He looked around him. Many employees had gone back to work, but the small group that was there with them he genuinely loved: Mahon, his husband Inspector George Linwood, and Harriet. He didn’t know them as well as he had known those whom they had lost in their battle with the demon Leander Price, but he still loved them all. This was his family, and he could not remember a time he had been happier.

  “Put that drink down,” Angelica complained to George. “You’re making me jealous...and if you keep it up, Mahon’s gonna have to carry you back to the Ritz.” Vampires can’t eat or drink anything aside from blood and Angelica was still getting used to that, it seemed.

  The pub was playing heavy metal love songs, things Danny had no idea existed, but Angelica apparently loved, and suddenly she pulled him to his feet. “Traditional first dance. Come on!”

  He could not ever remember seeing her so bright and cheerful as she tossed her gloves aside and hiked up her skirt a little, grabbing his hands and dancing to “You’re Mine” by Disturbed. With the exception of her deathly cold and pale skin, she looked so human. So beautiful. So perfect.

  Harriet filmed them on her smartphone, because vampires can show up on certain types of digital video, and Danny pulled Angelica close when the song sped up toward the end, her lips on his neck and he felt the faintest prick of her fangs. Barely there, but he felt heat in his chest from what her bites did to him.

  “Is it just me that wants to go home?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “Not just you.” She moved away from him and went to go and tell the manager of Crowley’s that they were leaving.

  “Hey, we’re going to take off,” Danny said to the others.

  George smirked. “I figured as much. So, is there a honeymoon? Some romantic adventure?”

  Danny shook his head. “We’ve had enough adventure. Our honeymoon is going to be us sequestered in the house for a week. Even I took time off from working cases.”

  Harriet grimaced. “You mean you won’t be around to even advise some of those complete idiots how to do their job?”

  Danny laughed. Some of the agents they had to hire after the majority of their staff was murdered were still a little wet behind the ears. “Angelica is the advisor. I’m the guy you call in when you’re afraid these new guys might get their hearts ripped out.” He saw Angelica coming back from behind the bar and said, “Thanks for being here, you three.”

  Angelica came and took his arm. “You guys have an unlimited tab for the rest of the night.”

  “Great. That means I get a hung over partner on the flight back home in the morning,” Mahon said, rolling his eyes. He stood up and gave Angelica air kisses on her che
eks. “Congratulations, my dear.”

  Danny and Angelica waved goodbye as they exited the bar and into the cool spring air, his arm tightly around her waist.

  “Let me guess: we have to take your car,” Angelica said, gesturing to Danny’s classic Cadillac Coupe DeVille.

  “Would you leave Dracula here overnight? At a bar in the middle of downtown Chicago?” Danny asked, meaning her sleek black Lamborghini that she had christened ‘Dracula’ as a joke.

  “Touché.” She smiled and slid into the driver’s seat. Danny didn’t complain, always a cop first. He hadn’t drank much, but he still didn’t trust himself behind the wheel.

  It was about twenty minutes to their Wrigleyville home, but Angelica made it there in ten. Danny was torn between amusement and feeling ill. He never rode as a passenger with Angelica if he could help it. Despite having run a government organization for over a century, she treated the rules of the road as unnecessary guidelines for mortals.

  As he unlocked their door and Angelica remade the protective wards they had on it, he said, “One of these days you’re going to wreck a car or kill someone.”

  “Please. I’ve been driving since they invented cars, Danny. I think I know what I’m doing.”

  “Yeah...giving me a premature heart attack!” he said, cutting his laughter off when she suddenly had him against the wall, her fangs nipping his throat again. When she pulled away, her lips were stained red and her eyes were blazing. She was beautiful.

  “I love you. I don't think I ever say it enough, but I do,” she said.

  Danny held her, amazed that any human could ever feel this happy. “And I love you. This life, my last life, and the next: I’ll still love you.”