Death shall bow, p.1
Death Shall Bow, page 1
Death Shall Bow
Gemma Ashborne
Contents
Playlist
Warning
1. We Who Seek the Darkness
2. Death
3. The Realm Of Eternal Night
4. The Family Tree
5. Good Girl
6. The Four Courts
7. Shifters And Ballrooms And One Pain-In-The-Ass Vampire
8. Where The Wicked Play
9. Hybrids And Sacrifices
10. An Act Of Fate
11. Death’s Lullaby
12. No Such Thing As Coincidence
13. Stay
14. Deep In The Evermoor Woods
15. The Lords
16. One More Hint
17. An Unholy Union
18. Hybrid Blood
19. Mine
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Death Shall Bow Copyright © 2024 by Gemma Ashborne
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever, including photocopying, electronically or mechanically, without written permission from the author, Gemma Ashborne, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Character names, descriptions, and locals are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Developmental Editor: Maria Tureaud (authormariatureaud.com)
Copyeditor: Cassandra Friday (copyeditsbycass@gmail.com)
Cover designer: Fay Lane (faylane.com)
Formatter: Books and Moods
Playlist
“A Little Wicked” by Valerie Broussard
“Take Me Back to Eden” by Sleep Token
“Dead Lovers Lane” by HIM
“You Know Me Too Well” by Nothing But Thieves
“Words as Weapons” by Seether
“Cut Deep” by Matt Maeson
“Call Me” by Shinedown
“Le Disko” by Shiny Toy Guns
“Closer” by Kings of Leon
“Nazareth” by Sleep Token
“Big Bad Wolf” by In This Moment
“Watch the World Burn” by Falling In Reverse
“The Hourglass” by Ben Crosland
“Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” by Del Water Gap
“Lost In You” by Three Days Grace
“Rain” by Sleep Token
Warning
Death Shall Bow contains content that may be triggering or disturbing to some. This book is a work of fiction, and I in no way condone or encourage such behaviors in real life. If you wish to go in blind, know you have been warned. Your mental health matters.
Trigger warnings include, but are not limited to:
Strong language, sexually explicit content, brief suicidal ideation, gore/blood, on page death and murder, blood play, sexual assault (not the love interest), self-harm (blood pacts), and genital mutilation.
If you have any questions regarding the content of this book, please feel free to reach out: Gemma_Ashborne@att.net
Enter at your own risk.
And welcome to Anathema.
For anyone who has ever been told they’re “too much” or to “calm down,” this one is for you.
Give ‘em hell, babe.
Chapter 1
We Who Seek the Darkness
“To control one’s darkness is a gift. One bestowed upon those who seek not the dawn, but rather, those who would wield the shadows burst forth in Fate’s light. Those who fear not the company of Death, but hunger to become him.” – Chapter 11, Page 1, The Book of Shade
Death’s metallic tang slithered between my teeth, sparked across my skull, and settled in my clenched jaw. Not the taste of my imminent doom though. No, the flavor was that of a Susan Bell: thirty-eight, lawyer, no notable family to mention. A drifter set to bypass Cottage Grove on her way to a convention in Spokane, or so Susan thought anyway. What she got instead? I-5’s center divide, up close and personal. And me, well, I’d known about it for days. The same way I foresaw every other death in my podunk town. I pressed against my screaming temples. Head trauma. Poor thing.
Another day. Another death.
But this time, I wouldn’t be there. This time the call would fall on another reaper to ferry the dying woman to the afterlife, because tonight I had a date with Death himself. Whether the fucker liked it or not. Years I’d been waiting for this moment, and while part of me felt an inkling of guilt in ignoring a lost soul’s cry, I brushed it away. There were far bigger things at stake.
I headed for my bedroom window—combat boots clunking against the hardwood floor—and the moon’s thick red glow shone down on me: a blood moon. Rare, and precisely the thing I’d need to enact my revenge. Or at least the first step anyway. The best part? Death would be expecting me, banking on me to summon him so I might take my rightful place. That’s what made my plan foolproof: hiding in plain sight. I unclenched my fists, shaking the nerves out at my sides.
Patience, Kim, patience.
The familiar call of a raven tickled my ears, and I pulled my black velvet curtains aside, dragging the window open with a squeal to allow him in.
“Poe, there you are.” I tickled the playful raven's head, placing a few sunflower seeds down for him to pick at. I’m not sure when my feathered friend first showed up, years ago I’d guess, but after that first snack there was no shaking him. Not that I wanted to. He was one of the only beings in this damned world I actually trusted. Plus, he was a great listener. Never judged. I slid a finger under his wing, scratching the place he loved most. A smile crept across my face as he purred into my palm. “Tonight’s the night, buddy. Can you believe it? I’m finally going home.”
Head cocked to the side, he squinted up at me as I slid my handy dagger into the holster around my thigh. If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn Poe actually understood English. I mean, the dude basically carried conversation with me, just with his beady eyes and croaky caws instead of words. With a rub against my hand, he disappeared out into the night, a low fog enveloping him. I soaked in what could very well be the last glimpse I ever got of him and released a heavy sigh. “Bye, bud.”
The front door crashed open. Cooper’s maniacal laugh echoed down the hall, redirecting the crossed wires in my subconscious, and brought me back to attention. Game on.
His tall stature leaned against the door frame, eyes wide and restless. “You ready for this?”
“You bet your ass I am.”
“Got everything we need?” he asked, motioning to my leather backpack.
I raised an eyebrow. While my supernatural genes raged in the night and the chaos, Coop was human. And while he’d accepted me for who I was without question, I knew the risk in bringing a mortal along on this mission. No way I’d chance screwing it up. Though I’d checked it about twelve times, I unzipped the bag to show him the fruits of our labor. Three vials of blood—soon to be four—vampire, reaper, and shapeshifter. The latter was damn near impossible to find. Three nights in the Nevada desert and about a thousand bug bites later, we had barely managed to steal a few drops before the shifter took off. I mean, I get it. I’d run too if I were being held at knifepoint by two randos, one with flaming eyes like something straight out of a horror movie. Not going to lie, his fear was thrilling. Delicious. Reaper genes: got to love them. Always an internal tug of war between dark and light, though mine always skewed towards the shadows.
Next, I pulled out the herbs: wolfsbane, vervain, palo santo, and frankincense. Mixing these with the holy water we’d hunted down in a small church just outside Portland—turns out holy water doesn’t hold its potency when the pastor who blessed it has a sick fondness for little boys—was the only way to break the skin of our next target while in the mortal world: a demon. Once we had the demon’s blood, all it would take was a centuries' old spell read aloud under the blood moon and a drop of royal blood (mine), and Death would show. He had to. And then I’d take what was mine.
“What, no booze?” Coop asked with a wink.
Rolling my eyes, I rummaged through my backpack and came back with a half-empty bottle of vodka. “Right, like I’d forget the most important part.”
Mirroring each other’s mischievous smiles as my heavy, Victorian front door clicked shut behind us, we trotted down the stairs and stepped out into the night. The stars flickered bright in the unpolluted sky. More than temptation, nightfall was a catalyst to the ever-present thirst within us both. We lived for the solace the night brought, me especially. Cloaked in dusk, prophesying deaths became almost bearable. The discomfort lessened; the pain proved more tolerable. At night I was just…me.
My mom waved from her cozy rocking chair on the porch, tapping her watch. “Don’t be too late,” she mimed. A joke, seeing as I was far too old for my mommy to be giving me any real orders. But she was still my landlord, and after Coop's and my drunken escapades having woken her up on more than one occasion, I couldn’t blame her. Especially considering she had no idea I wasn’t planning on coming back. Not anytime soon, anyway. Seeing her upset…I couldn’t do it. But I wasn’t a complete asshole; I left a note. One she’d find the following morning when I was far away, and she had no chances of following me. She’d be safe, like she deserved after all she’d been through.
“Sweet of mommy dearest giving you a curfew like that,” Cooper called as we swept beneath the ivy arbor separating the main house from my private studio, the full moon reflecting off the evergreen yard’s central fountain.
“Yes, Sir Sarcasm. Believe it or not, she does care about me. She cares about you too.”
“I know, I know.” He huffed and flipped his wrist. “I’ve just never understood why she gets so worked up about what time you’re home. I mean, nothing happens in this town…like, ever. What, is she afraid old Mrs. Cringle is going to lose her mind and sic her rat-dog on us?”
True, Cottage Grove certainly held no place among Oregon’s elite destination spots. Unless you considered countless bike trails and small-time museums “the good stuff,” then sure, five stars. For the souls born and raised in its historic streets though? Not so much. But none of that mattered now. Not when my real home was so close, I could almost taste it.
Anathema: the realm of eternal night. And my birthright.
Lungs laced in piney air, I chucked the car keys to Coop and climbed into the passenger seat of my ever-faithful ‘82 pickup. “She worries about us being out too late, because of all the axe murderers lurking in the woods ready to hack-em-slash-em.”
“Right, right. Forgot about them.”
“Uh huh.” I grinned as Coop turned over the ignition and aimed down the wooded driveway. “And we mustn’t forget the dreaded candy store robbery of ‘22.”
Coop clutched his chest dramatically. “Oh, dear me. Taffy strewn across the streets, kites wreaking havoc on the suburban residents, balloons polluting the atmosphere. It was a horror show, I tell you!”
“A bloodbath!” I snickered and adjusted my leather glove. “But really, I think she knows. Deep down, she has to.”
My whole life she’d tried to protect me from my father. From Death, and his wicked and hateful heart. That’s why she’d brought me to the mortal realm to begin with, in hopes I’d never have to see him again. But she knew this day would come. She’d mentioned it once; the vengeance refracted in my eyes. I’d never seen her look so sad and proud all in one moment.
As Coop swerved about the pothole ridden lane, my heartbeat quickened. What we were about to do would be the hardest thing we’d ever attempted; the chill in my bones assured me. But I needed it: that all-encompassing fear. Of all the sensations my fatal predictions forced upon me throughout the years, fear was never one. Pain, sadness, frustration, confusion...hell, even relief washed over me on occasion, but not a single twinge of terror. But attacking a demon on a full, blood moon? When their guardians stalked the woods while they hunted? I’d need that fear now. It’d keep me sharp. Alert.
Alive, hopefully.
Coop tapped the wheel before looking my way. “Did you tell June yet?”
“Not yet.” I took a swig of vodka, its harsh warmth stabbing my tongue. “I didn’t want to worry her.”
“Seriously? You know she’s going to freak. I mean, come on, Kim.” He laughed. “You’re about to go after a demon, not to mention summoning Death himself. That’s the sort of thing your girlfriend should worry about.”
Oh, my sweet, kind, safe June. When my dark gifts first began to crop up around my eighteenth birthday, I had no idea how to control my astral projection. I’d found myself in hell on more than one occasion—for the record, brimstone smells like literal shit—before I crashed through Juniper’s realm, Elysium, the realm of eternal light, before inevitably colliding with her in neutral territory. A sarcastic little vixen with a brat complex, she became my first thought every morning and the one I dreamt about every night. Over the years, she’d helped me hone my skills. Now, I didn’t need to sleep to reach her. All I had to do was picture that beautiful face of hers, and I’d be there.
“Fine, I’ll reach out to her,” I said, shifting in my seat. “You know where we’re going, yeah?”
“Of course. We only studied the evidence, what, thirty times?”
About a week ago, we’d gotten wind of demonic activity in the next town over. Random bodies found with their livers ripped out, singe marks on the soles of their feet, and silver coins placed over their eyes: aka a demon calling card. Usually, the mark would be something simpler, like a sigil drawn in the dirt next to the body, or a colored piece of fabric tucked into the corpse’s pocket. Demons were prideful fuckers, always wanting recognition for their kills. It’s why so few remained in the mortal world. They got cocky, and humans got brave. But this coin thing? Concerning. That was the mark of an old demon, one who’d hunted in the mortal world long before the realms had been closed off. It was basically a big “fuck you” to reapers, as the old human stories told of paying a toll to have their souls taken to the other side. They hated us, mostly. But hell if I’d let that stop me.
“Tell her I said hi,” Coop said with a wink. “That is, if your lips aren’t too occupied with…other things.”
“Fuck off,” I said with a laugh, and closed my eyes.
The world around me stilled, a gentle buzz settling in my ears. I built June’s image in my mind’s eye. Her intoxicating, mahogany eyes. The soft, tight ringlets that framed her face. The way the light danced on her rich brown cheeks. Next, I focused on feel. How soft her velvet lips felt against mine. My hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her close. The magnetic draw we’d had from day one. We joked that we had a rope tying us together, a knot anchored in both of our chests.
And just like that, I was there.
“Kim.” Her voice tangled in my ears, like sweet music. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
I stepped towards her, the scene around us filling in. The Shroud: where we always met. Better known as purgatory to the human realm. Given our conflicting gifts—hers born in the light of a realm opposite my own—it was neutral ground. You see, reapers and ascended spirits weren’t exactly supposed to fraternize. Not like we did. But somehow, whatever divine being had connected us in the first place had also gifted us a place to meet, and I was grateful. Though I wasn’t a huge fan of how many times our visits had been cut short thanks to the realm’s rogue monsters wanting to eat our faces off. Nightmares: hungry little shits.
I wrapped my arms around her, placing a quick kiss on her lips. “So promise not to be mad?”
Her brow creased. “Well, aren’t we off to a lovely start this evening? What did you do?”
“It’s not what I did,” I said, pinching her butt playfully. “It’s what I’m about to do.”
She must have known, because fear crept into her eyes. “The blood moon…it’s finally here, isn’t it?”
I nodded and tucked a curl behind her ear. “We have everything we need to do the ritual. It’s now or never.”
Her face fell, and I lifted it gently.
“You have to understand,” I pled more than stated. “I have to do this, June. This is my birthright. My people need me.”
“I know; I just wish you didn’t have to be the one to summon him.”
Death. I offered a gentle smile. “I’ve got this, love. I’m not afraid of him.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you should be. Attempting this alone, it’s risky.”
My hold on her tightened as I coaxed her head to my chest, and she rested it there with a sigh. “I’m not alone; I have Cooper. Anybody else would just get in my way. I don’t need to be worried about anybody else’s life hanging in the balance. But you know Coop, stubborn as shit. Wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Her face bobbed against me, a cynical laugh rattling through her. “One of these days, you’re going to have to learn to let people in, Kim. Or you’ll end up finding yourself in a scrape with nobody left to turn to.”
“What, that your way of saying you’re breaking up with me?” I teased.
She slapped my chest before grabbing my face and pulling me within an inch from her lips. “Just promise me you’ll use that brain of yours, yeah? No rash decisions. And if push comes to shove, you—”
“I know, I know, I run.”
“Like your life depends on it, woman. Because it does.”
Her lips met mine, and my toes curled. This woman... I lost myself in her, her inner light dancing against the tendrils of dark magic at my fingertips. There was no way to describe it, the magnetic draw. Loving her: it’d never been a choice. Preordained by fate or magic, I’m not sure, but I couldn’t get enough. Juniper was my air, my life force. And this insatiable need to be near her—especially in times such as these—consumed me. Here I was about to hunt down Death, and all I could think about was all the ways I wanted to please her. My hands, of their own volition, began to wander about her. She repaid my efforts with a satisfied moan, and I smiled against her kiss.
