Cross Keys: Revelation
Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Acclaim for Ally Shields
Look for these titles from Ally Shields
Title Page
Copyright Warning
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
About the Author
Coming Soon
Also by Ally Shields
More Fantasy from Etopia Press
~ Acclaim for Ally Shields ~
Praise for Cross Keys
“If you like action, romance, elves, and magic you will like this story.”
Paranormal Romance Guild.
Praise for Awakening the Fire (Guardian Witch #1)
“I can't wait for the rest of the series from this exciting new author because I will definitely be reading them all.”
5 Stars from The Romance Studio
“If you love paranormal and a good mystery, then I can't recommend this book enough.”
5 Stars from Paranormal Romance Guild
“Vampires, werewolves, and witches oh my! In a journey through a magical world...a witch named Arianna will have you lost under her spell.”
5 Stars from I Heart Books
For Burning Both Ends (Guardian Witch #3)
“[F]ull of action, romance, betrayals and lies. [A] wonderful series.”
5 Stars from Paranormal Romance Guild
For Fire Storm (Guardian Witch #5)
“...[A]n amazing addition to the Guardian Witch series. Ally had me hooked from the very beginning and, just when I thought things couldn’t get any more intense, she kicked it up a notch! It was one hell of a journey and I loved every moment of it.”
—5 Stars from Mean Who You Are Blog
For Wild Fire (Guardian Witch #6)
“I said it before and I will say it again, I love this series... As with all the other books in the series, this book has romance, lies, deceit, secrets and some very interesting surprises. If you love a good paranormal series, one that leaves you satisfied after each book then don't miss this one.”
—5 Stars from Paranormal Romance Guild
Look for these titles from Ally Shields
Now Available
The Guardian Witch Series
Awakening the Fire (Book 1)
Fire Within (Book 2)
Burning Both Ends (Book 3)
Blood and Fire (Book 4)
Fire Storm (Book 5)
Wild Fire (Book 6)
Eternal Fires (Book 7)
“Heart’s Pride” Valentines Heat I
Elvenrude Novels
Cross Keys (Book One)
Cross Keys: Revelations (Book Two)
Cross Keys: Unity (Book Three Coming Soon)
In Print
Awakening the Fire (Book 1)
Fire Within (Book 2)
Burning Both Ends (Book 3)
Blood and Fire (Book 4)
Fire Storm (Book 5)
Wild Fire (Book 6)
Eternal Fires (Book 7)
Cross Keys
Cross Keys: Revelation
Elvenrude Book II
Ally Shields
Etopia Press
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Etopia Press
136 S. Illinois Ave. Suite 212
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
http://www.etopiapress.com
Cross Keys: Revelation
Copyright © 2015 by Ally Shields
ISBN: 978-1-941692-94-3
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Etopia Press electronic publication: August 2015
CHAPTER ONE
Swamp water lapped against the small watercraft, rocking it gently. Kam shifted on the hard seat of the airboat’s cramped quarters, pushed a strand of dark hair away from her face, and studied the forty-something man across from her.
Noah Crain, senior agent, CIA. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the unrelenting humidity of the late July night. He wiped it away and squinted at the bundle of American one-hundred-dollar bills in his hand. The single dim lantern barely lit the enclosed cockpit—a rarity on swamp boats—but Crain was a covert operative. He didn’t like doing business in the open.
He flipped through the bills and looked up at her. “Counterfeit. As I expected. They flood our country with drugs to support their terrorist activities and then add to the insult by paying their pipeline with funny money.” With a soft plunk, he dropped the currency next to two identical packets on the extra seat beside him. “Thanks for bringing this. We’ll take it from here. Another great job, Kam. There’ll be the usual deposit to your account.”
She shrugged. The money was immaterial. Born into the wealthy Ryndel family in Elvenrude, she’d never lacked for anything. The CIA missions were merely small challenges for an Elite dark elf, amusing adventures. “I need to go. I’m late.”
“About that…” Crain frowned at her. “Rescuing the girl wasn’t part of your assignment. You could have been caught.”
“But I wasn’t. I either do these missions my way or not at all.” How could he expect her to leave a fourteen-year-old girl in the hands of the Mexican drug lords? Yes, she’d had to deactivate the invisibility magic and reveal her presence in order to lead the girl out of that stinking hole. But it had been worth it. Kam relaxed her shoulders and took the edge off her tone. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”
He sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could believe that.”
Two minutes later, Kam leaped off the boat and sped across the swamplands of southern Louisiana, headed for New Orleans. She was glad to be going home and drew in a deep breath of the moist, earthy air. Her feet skimmed the ground as she watched for alligators or vipers or unstable ground. Even at her magically enhanced speed, a misstep into a watery hole or on the wrong head or tail could lead to disaster.
Kam swung her head toward a dim flash of light, a blurry movement on her left. Alligator hunters? She wound her fingers around the invisibility amulet dangling from her neck and invoked the magic, then paused on a patch of solid ground. Now that she couldn’t be seen, sh
e took her time peering around. Alert for any furtive movements out of sync with normal swamp activity, she had almost given up when something whipped past a few feet away, leaving only the faintest ripple in the marshy grasses.
A chill crept across her neck. A whiff of magical energy. A ghost? A vampire? She’d heard stories of all kinds of strange sightings in and around New Orleans but never seen anything supernatural except her own people. She waited. A minute crawled by. And another. When nothing else occurred, she continued toward the city.
Every sense was on edge, but she reached the outskirts without a repetition of the puzzling magical trace. As the density of buildings increased, Kam used the ancient magic in her silver wristband to leap onto the rooftops and run across the cityscape.
* * *
Seth Lormarc stood on the riverbank above Jackson Square and looked out over the shadowed waters. He checked his phone screen and gave an impatient sigh. Late again. Where was she this time? The night breeze coming off the river cooled his skin from the sweltering heat of New Orleans. It did nothing for his growing restlessness.
She had promised. Ten o’clock. Actually, Crain relayed the time when he’d called yesterday to say she’d been delayed another twenty-four hours.
He glanced at his phone again. Ten twenty-five. This wasn’t the first broken promise or the first time he’d worried about her safe return. During the past two or three months, she’d spent increasing hours on risky CIA assignments, less time with him, her family’s guild business, and the Antiquities Office. Agent Crain always had another mission only Kameo Ryndel and her magic could handle. The man was taking advantage of their secret.
By accident Crain had stumbled on their identity when he’d seen them appear out of an elven portal six months ago. Until that time the darkkin had remained hidden for thousands of years despite increasingly frequent visits to the human world. When the dark-elf race opened the trade guild portals in the early 1800s, the chances of discovery had increased. Still, no one would have learned the truth if a band of rebel elves hadn’t gotten involved in criminal activities that brought in the CIA and local law enforcement.
Crain had kept their secret but for a price.
Were Kam’s efforts worth it? Well, sure. How could he dispute that? Except for Crain, humanity still didn’t believe in elves…or magic…or the supernatural, unless you counted the ghosts and spirits that haunted New Orleans.
But had her CIA work gone beyond a desire to protect Elvenrude? And become a way to distance herself?
He heard soft steps behind him and turned with a sharp sense of relief. Kam walked toward him, a dark, graceful shadow in her black clothes and long, black hair. She hadn’t taken the time to change. She tipped her head, the moonlight illuminated her face, and the look in her vivid blue eyes made his breath catch.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft. She reached up and brushed her lips against his. “It took longer than I anticipated.”
Resisting the temptation to sweep her into his arms and forget everything else, he asked, “Where were you this time?”
“Mexico. Drug cartel was moving drugs and guns into the wrong hands.”
“Let me guess. You ran into a problem.”
“Just a small one.”
She looked so tired he finally put an arm around her waist and kissed her. “You take too many chances. I worry that one day you won’t come back.”
“I’ll always come back.” Her voice was light, dismissive of the risks involved in her CIA activities.
“Will you?”
“I was never in real danger. It was someone else who needed rescuing.” She stepped back, as if finally sensing his mood, and looked at him. “Are you angry with me?”
His arm dropped, and Seth swallowed a sharp retort. “I’m worried about you. More jobs, bigger risks. Greater reliance on the magic. You’re throwing yourself into these missions and ignoring everything else. Including your guild responsibilities and the people who used to matter to you.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you jealous of my work with the CIA?”
“Get serious,” he retorted. “It’s your obsession with it I don’t like. Crain calls on you for everything. The commitment was for an occasional mission. Not a full-time career.”
She frowned at him. “It was also supposed to be both of us. If you’d come with me, we’d have more time together.”
“Don’t try to put this on me. I have an import/export business to run. And so do you.”
“You think I’m neglecting mine?” she demanded. “You agreed to keep an eye on the guild while I was away. If that’s too much trouble…”
“It’s not that.” He cocked his head. “What would your father say if he knew you’d delegated everything to me? He still sees me as an outsider…or at least the competition.”
“Not so. Father has been quite accepting of our relationship. Better than we expected.”
True enough. After centuries of feuding, the Ryndel and Lormarc clans had made tentative inroads toward cooperation—at least in his home world of Elvenrude. On this side of the magic portal, the competition for human buyers was still tough.
“That doesn’t mean he wants my nose in his business. When did you last visit your guild?”
“I checked the portal transfers last night.”
“That’s not the same. Have you spoken with the guild master or the guards? Are you aware someone has been lurking around both guilds at night?”
“What? Has there been trouble?” She squared off and stared at him. “Why didn’t someone mention this before now?”
“No one knew how to reach you.” He sighed. “Nothing’s actually happened except setting off alarms. The point is you didn’t know about it.”
“I’ll check on it tomorrow,” she said stiffly. “I’m tired, and I’m going home.”
She turned away, but Seth caught her arm. “I’m glad you’re home. I missed you.”
“And I missed you too. I don’t like being separated so much. But can we talk about this tomorrow? I really am exhausted.”
Seth hesitated, tempted to finished it now. He lifted his hand. “Sure. Tomorrow. See you then.” He walked briskly away.
Well, that was awkward. Kam stared after him, torn between wanting to make things right and anger at his accusations. What was happening to them? Had Seth changed? Had she? Six months ago, she’d been so sure she couldn’t live without him. Now…
Now what? She was making too much of a simple fight. Every couple had them.
Impatient with herself, with him, she walked toward her apartment, turning onto the narrow streets of the French Quarter. She had been gone a lot. Were they all necessary missions? Her inborn elven gifts of speed, agility, and rapid healing, plus her weapons and combat training at the King’s Guard Academy, had intrigued the CIA agent.
But it was the ancient magic—the silver wristband that increased her abilities a hundredfold and the amulet of invisibility—that made her the perfect spy. Was she—or Crain—depending on the magic when another course of action or another agent would work just as well? Wasn’t that what Seth had implied?
And why was she agreeing to do it? That was the real question, wasn’t it? She flexed her tense shoulders. The first mission or two had been an adrenaline rush—after that not so much but still intriguing. Maybe they appealed because no one made her do them.
Was she still fighting to establish her independence…avoiding commitment? And losing sight of what she really wanted? She sighed. Maybe. But why did her father—and now Seth—keep pushing her toward responsibilities she didn’t want? No one understood this churning inside her that demanded…more.
Kam passed an open doorway. Jazz music, laughing voices, and the odor of bourbon drifted into the street and mingled with the sweet scent of night-blooming jasmine from nearby balconies. She nodded at a couple with their arms entwined around each other. She wasn’t sure they’d noticed her. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave them one last rueful look. That
had been Seth and her a couple of months ago.
A truck rumbled down the uneven street, and she paused at the corner to let it pass. First thing tomorrow she’d check on this guild business; then she and Seth would have a long talk. Perhaps they could go away for the weekend. A long romantic weekend.
She jerked her head toward a pinpoint of light at the end of the street then relaxed as a kid pedaled toward her on a lighted tourist bike. What had she expected? More mysterious flashes of light? Kam gave a half laugh and crossed the street. She definitely needed to take time off. Next she’d be jumping at shadows.
CHAPTER TWO
Early the following morning, Kam checked in at the black-iron gates guarding access to the New Orleans wharfs. Once she was cleared, she headed for a row of small warehouses and shipping stations. The two-story warehouse in the middle was the Ryndel family trade guild where Elvenrude’s exports and imports were exchanged via a secret portal. She climbed the open staircase to the guild master’s office on the second-level balcony, but Thom Barrott wasn’t at his desk. Stepping back on the walkway, she leaned on the railing and surveyed the length of the first floor.
Barrott and two King’s Guards stood near the far right wall, their dark heads standing out in the sea of blond warehouse workers. They were inspecting a shipment of woolens just pulled from the portal. She waited until they finished then waved her hand to attract Barrott’s attention. He returned the gesture and hurried up the stairs.
“I didn’t expect you,” he said, arriving out of breath.
“Sorry it’s been so long. I was out of town. Seth tells me there’s been trouble.”
Barrott motioned toward his office, inviting her to precede him. “Not really trouble. But something set off the outside motion sensors.” He waited until they were both seated before going on. “I called the security firm. They and the guards checked the immediate area and didn’t find anything. And there’s nothing on the cameras. I wouldn’t have thought much about it…just a glitch in the alarm system…” He frowned. “But it’s happened twice. And not just here. Lormarc had a similar incident.”