Dance of Ashes and Smoke (Age of Monsters Book 1) Read Online Free

been no infection. I was suspicious at the quick and almost miraculous overnight recovery, but refused to question or stress over it. I needed to be back to fighting shape.
    The entire quadrant gathered where the Christmas Village would be this time of year.
    Now we huddled together, gray and terrified, as we waited to find out what fresh new horror was in store for us. We found Marie and a few others from our cell in the crush, pretending to ourselves we were meeting up to enjoy the day as cheeks were kissed and hands were shaken.
    It was the little things we held onto to remind us we were still there, still human, still fighting.
    And we had to pretend we hadn’t just seen each other for an Uprising meeting.
    The vampire head of the Nightmare Council monster, Angus, stepped up to a human he’d forced into the shape of a podium and projected his voice for us to hear. “Welcome, friends. I am saddened at the business we have before us, but I see no other choice. We wish to live side by side in peace with you, but there are those in your midst who refuse that friendship. And because of those people, we can’t have true peace and harmony until they are rooted out like the cancerous cells they are and destroyed.” He waited with a creepy, pleasant smile for the muttering to die down before he continued. “We have been patient, hoping the sickness here would pass, but it became clear last night that waiting is no longer possible. Several of our treasured friends were despicably murdered for no reason we can see other than some disturbing psychopathy.”
    “Now, I’d like you to give a warm welcome to Tashia Inareen, a powerful and impressive sorceress who is here to help root out the resistance. Once she has, we can finally have peace.”
    Most of the crowd clapped with terrified enthusiasm, refusing to ignore or rebel against his wishes and desires.
    It was all my fault.
    The sorceress was achingly gorgeous, like Snow White and Cinderella had a baby. Golden tumbling curls, bright blue eyes, porcelain skin, rosy cheeks, red lips.
    The bitch.
    It was her. It was the woman who killed my parents. Olivia’s parents. And her damn familiar who helped her. A female monster of some sort who was as gorgeous as Tashia.
    The roar in my ears drowned out the next part of the vampire’s ridiculous speech. The hate inside of me twisted and snarled like a master demanding I bow to its will and kill them all right now.
    Liv and Al jerked and squeezed my arms, keeping me still, our other friends surrounded us, hiding me from sight. Vivid, green eyes swam into view and sounds returned with an audible snap. Jackson turned around and stationed himself in front of me while Liv and Alcott kept hold of my arms.
    Tashia walked to the podium, smirking at the trembling human podium. “Thank you for such a gracious welcome. I don’t want to get in the way of the important work you do here, so my investigations will be quick and mostly painless.” She cackled like witch from a B-rated movie. “So, please. Go about your lives as usual and if you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.”
    Her unspoken threat hung in the chilled air.
    The vampire clapped his hands. “Excellent. You are dismissed.”
    Olivia and Alcott led me away, and I mouthed thanks to Jackson over my shoulder.
    We made the long trek home to change for work, worry and silence choking us. As soon as the door closed behind us, we sprang into action, and gathered up every single piece of forbidden paraphernalia and piled it on the dining room table. Each weapon and book we were prohibited from having covered every inch of the table.
    “We have to hide everything. Let’s put them with the motorcycles and our go-bags.” Alcott and Olivia nodded at my words, but I didn’t give up my knife necklace. I refused to go out there without a way to protect myself or the rest of the town.
    I also hid a couple weapons under a loose floorboard in my room.
    My mind whirled with fantasies.