Continuing my newly established tradition of posting a short excerpt from one of my currently available works each Saturday (see last week’s post for a snippet from The Becoming: Origins), this week, I’m offering up a short snippet from The Unnaturals! You can pick up your copy of The Unnaturals for $2.99 for a limited time on Amazon (or read for free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription). In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from the book underneath the cut!
“The Croatans’ shaman created a weapon that was capable of killing an alpha vampire,” Ashton said. “And as far as we know, it worked. But it appears it worked too well. Either that or those who were wielding it didn’t know what they were doing with it. By all appearances, it took out most of the colonists and Croatans.”
“Jesus,” Scott breathed.
“When White returned, he went to the Croatans, and their shaman told him what had happened and entrusted the weapon he’d created to White. The weapon was stored in a black box, where it has been ever since.”
“And it somehow ended up in the Smithsonian, which is why we have to break in and steal it, right?” Riley asked. Zachariah nodded, and she added, “So what exactly is the weapon?”
Zachariah and Ashton exchanged a look. “We’re not sure,” Ashton admitted. “The weapon has never been described. Just its container, with the warning that the box should never be opened. There was reference in John White’s notes about the user’s intent, but we don’t know what he meant.”
“So what is this?” Riley asked, picking up the photo of the box again to examine it. “A Pandora’s box kind of thing?”
Ashton gave her a tight smile. “Possibly. We’re treating it as such until we’re able to examine it for ourselves.”
“Why is it so important for us to get our hands on it?” Scott asked.
“Because we think the vampires are after it,” Zachariah said. “Someone is, at any rate.”
“It’s vital that you get your hands on it before someone else does,” Ashton added. “And preferably not get killed in the process, because we still need you to continue your investigation of the vampire-related murders of the twenty-seven agents.”
The four sat silently for several minutes. The thought of the agents’ deaths and the possibility of more to come was enough to sober Riley. She stared at the photograph of the box, her mind on thoughts of Kevin. She missed him. She missed his jokes, his easy laughter, the twinkle in his eyes when he teased her. The memories pulled the pervasive loneliness she’d felt since January back to the surface.
Scott cleared his throat, and Riley startled as she was yanked back into reality. He stared at her with an expression of confusion and concern, but he didn’t comment on her reaction. “What exactly do you need us to do?” he asked the two men at the desk across from them.
“Like the file you received yesterday said, you need to retrieve the box from the Smithsonian and bring it here,” Ashton said. “It bears repeating that under no circumstances must you open the box.”
“So what happens if we don’t bring it in?” Riley challenged. She was only half-serious; mostly, she was curious what Ashton and Zachariah’s reactions would be. That would tell her a lot about the enormity of the situation.
Ashton gave her a hard look, and his jaw clenched. “If you don’t bring the box in, then the vampires will be the least of your worries.”
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