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  One Last Breath

  S.C. Stokes

  Contents

  An Introduction from the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  A Note From The Author

  A Coronation of Kings

  An Exclusive Preview Of A Coronation Of Kings

  An Introduction from the Author

  Welcome to One Last Breath, the fifth title in my new Urban Fantasy series, Conjuring a Coroner.

  Urban Fantasy has always held a special place in my heart. I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I’m enjoying writing it.

  You will find this latest installment an absolute rollercoaster. When One Foot In The Grave concluded, Kasey and Sanders were running for their lives. One Last Breath picks up exactly where it left off.

  So get ready to get lost in the world of magic with Kasey Chase; she’ll suck you into a realm of magic, murder and mayhem that you won’t want to leave.

  Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!

  Sincerely,

  S.C. Stokes

  Chapter One

  The door shattered inward, the chain providing scant resistance as the entire door was blown off its hinges.

  Kasey bolted upright, rubbing her face, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. The fatigue of running from the Arcane Council had worn her down. Their agents were everywhere, an ever-present threat scouring the city.

  For three days, and three restless nights, Kasey and Sanders had hopped from motel to motel, trying to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. They couldn’t go home; they couldn’t reach out to any known associates. The Ninth Precinct had been overrun by ADI agents masquerading as FBI agents. Kasey and Sanders had spent their first day on the run watching the station, only to see dozens of agents leave red-faced when they had come up empty handed.

  The ADI, however, had not been deterred. They had simply stepped up their efforts and expanded their search.

  Nowhere was safe. The resources of the entire Arcane Council had been deployed with the single purpose of running her down. Fortunately, with Sanders’ extensive understanding of ADI protocols, they had managed to stay one step ahead of the ADI.

  Until now.

  Agents surged into the motel room. Their portable battering ram made short work of the door. Kasey rose from the bed, her lips forming the words for a spell that would evict them unceremoniously from the building.

  That spell never made it off her lips.

  The lead agent raised his weapon and fired at Kasey. She tumbled off the bed and hit the carpet hard. A sharp cracking sound informed her that her collar bone may have broken. She found herself gasping for air as she writhed in pain on the floor.

  The lead agent raised his helmet. “Bean Bag rounds work a charm, don’t they? Good luck casting a spell when you can’t breathe, Miss Chase. Consider it payback for the Archives.”

  Kasey looked up and saw Kazinsky, smug grin in place.

  “I…hate…you,” Kasey mouthed.

  “Cuff her, boys,” Kazinsky declared.

  Agents surged around him and buried Kasey in a mound of manpower. Squirming in their grasp, she kicked one man in the shins before headbutting a second agent, but the effort was futile. She was outnumbered dozens to one.

  She winced in pain as she was rolled onto her stomach. Her arms were twisted behind her back before handcuffs were forced around her wrists with extreme prejudice.

  She was hauled to her feet, dragged to the kitchen, and dumped in a chair.

  Kazinsky pulled out a second chair in front of her and straddled it.

  “Where is Sanders?” Kazinsky shouted, slapping the table.

  “I dunno. Haven’t seen him,” Kasey lied, as a bead of sweat ran down her brow.

  “Don’t lie to me, Kasey! We know he checked into the motel. It was the front desk clerk that recognized him and phoned in the tip, so stop wasting my time and tell me where he is.”

  “Maybe he is in the bathroom. Have you checked in there?” she asked, leaning back in the chair. Sanders had left the motel hours ago, not giving up hope of rallying support against the Shinigami and his minions.

  Kazinsky shook his finger at her. “I’m warning you, Kasey. My patience is running thin. If you tell us where Sanders is, the Council may show you leniency.”

  “Leniency.” Kasey scoffed. Trapped and alone, Kasey’s heart began to pound. “The chancellor has already pronounced my sentence. I’ll not be telling you anything. So, good luck finding him on your own.”

  The furrow on Kazinsky’s brow deepened. “Keep it up. Keep pushing me, Kasey. I might just carry out the sentence here and now.”

  “Do your worst,” Kasey spat, squirming against the agent that held her down.

  “Very well,” Kazinsky replied. Standing up he drew his side arm. “I’m warning you, this one will be lethal.”

  Kasey let out an exhausted sigh. “We all die eventually. Now is as good a day as any.”

  Kazinsky lowered the weapon and pointed it at her face.

  Kasey stared down the business end of Kazinsky’s silver 9mm service weapon and hoped death would be swift.

  As Kazinsky’s finger tightened, a swirling gray mist descended, obscuring her vision. The kitchen faded from view, taking with it Kazinsky and his pistol. When the mist cleared, she found herself lying on her back on the motel bed, staring up at the ceiling.

  Phew. It was just a vision.

  Kasey sucked in a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

  Looking up at the cracked ceiling plaster and the faded paint, Kasey knew the importance of her vision. The vision had taken place here, in the very room she now lay in.

  They are coming.

  Kasey rolled off the bed. In the commotion of her vision, she hadn’t had the chance to notice the time. The ADI could arrive any minute.

  She raced around the room and gathered her things, tossing them in a cheap duffel she had purchased the day before. Her unexpected flight from the ADI hadn’t afforded her the luxury of being able to pack any supplies. What little they had, they had bought along the way.

  In seconds, Kasey had gathered her meager possessions. Glancing at the front door, she thought better of leaving through that entrance. The ADI might be waiting for her even now. Instead, she made her way back into the bedroom and opened the window. It led to a fire escape that ran down the back of the motel. It was three floors down to the alley floor.

  Kasey shimmied out the window and grabbed her duffel before sliding the window shut. Glancing around, she could see no sign of the ADI. Slinging the duffel over her shoulder, she raced down the ladder.

  Her feet hit the second-floor landing, and, in two steps, she was on the next ladder making her way down to the ground level. As her shoes struck the asphalt, tires screeched to a halt in front of the motel.

  Kasey raced to the edge of the alley and risked a glimpse around the corner of the building. Three black SUVs had pulled up out front. Agents piled out, already dressed in combat gear and ready for action.

  Not getting out of here that way.

  She looked down the alley in the other direction. It was a dead end. Her heart raced as the net closed in around her. Searching for a means of escape she found none,
the alley bare but for a row of dumpsters for the motel’s refuse.

  As the commotion in front of the motel intensified, Kasey knew she was out of time. She ran to the dumpsters. The first was empty. The second was almost full to the brim.

  Kasey fought back a retching sensation in the back of her throat as the dumpsters’ stench enveloped her. A weeks’ worth of room service and take away rotted in the trash.

  She screwed up her nose, but she understood the alternative. She’d already watched it transpire. Kasey lifted the lid and leapt into the dumpster, taking care not to take too deep a breath for fear she would be ill. She considered herself to have a strong stomach but the stench was getting to her.

  As quickly as she could, she rearranged the trash until she had burrowed down inside the dumpster, burying both herself and the duffel. With one hand, she pulled down the lid before easing the last few bags of trash over her. Someone could open the dumpster and stare right at her and, provided she didn’t make a sound, she would not be detected. She settled in for an uncomfortable wait. Time was difficult to judge in the dumpster, so she settled in and did her best to distract herself from the stench of the surrounding trash.

  A loud crack came from above.

  That’ll be the door.

  She’d made it out in the nick of time. Even now, the agents would be crawling all over the motel room searching for any trace of her. At the thought of Kazinsky’s inevitable frustration, Kasey couldn’t help but smile. She hunkered down into the trash and did her best to remain as still as possible.

  Not for the first time, she loathed the position she found herself stuck in. She was one of two people alive who knew that the Master of the Shinigami was masquerading as the head of the Arcane Council. In their ignorance, the ADI and council now pursued her with single-minded vigor, all the while oblivious to the traitor in their midst.

  The attack on New York City drew nearer day by day. Masquerading as Arthur Ainslie, the Shinigami was free to move about as he pleased and bring their deadly plot to fruition.

  Unfortunately, Kasey was too busy fleeing for her life to do anything about it. The ADI were not going to hear her out. In their flight from the Council Chambers, Kasey and Sanders had left more than a dozen of them in the Administorum and done untold damage to the Arcane Council’s headquarters. It had been a necessity to escape, but one that had further aligned the community against them.

  Kasey longed to turn the table on the Shinigami, but she could not see how that was possible. He hid himself behind a veritable army of ADI agents. Until they could confront him, it was the word of two wanted fugitives against the Chancellor of the Arcane Council. The last thing Kasey wanted was to give him notice that she knew his true identity. It was the ace up her sleeve and wasn’t to be played until they were in a position to not only reveal him but take him out.

  As Kasey pondered on her predicament, footsteps filled the alley. “Search it all,” a voice rang out. “The clerk insists it’s them. They have to be around here somewhere.”

  Kasey heard the first dumpster opened. Its steel lid let out a loud clang as it struck the brick wall behind it. Moments later, it slammed shut. Kasey startled at the impact.

  Steeling herself, she drew in a short breath and held it. The dumpster she was in opened. Shafts of light streaked along the edges of the dumpster, and she only hoped that she had hidden herself well enough.

  “You have to be kidding me.” The agent’s sniff turned into a dry retch before backing away from the dumpster. “They aren’t in there, that’s for sure.”

  He slammed the dumpster shut.

  Kasey let out her breath and did her best to calm her racing heart.

  Each of the dumpsters was opened and slammed in turn. Eventually, the agents completed their search and the footsteps faded to nothing.

  It was early evening and the sun would be setting soon. Sanders’ prolonged absence was making her nervous.

  If not for her vision, Kasey might have feared him captured. Her vision gave her confidence that Sanders remained at large. Sanders had taken the burner phone with him, so she had to remain near the motel to rendezvous with him and warn him of the ADI’s progress.

  Time to move again. There would be no sleeping in the motel, though she was sorely tempted to try and sneak back into the room for a shower.

  She thought better of the foolish notion; stinking was infinitely better than imminent death, which is what awaited her should the ADI catch up with her. Clearly one of the staff was a member of the magical community. Otherwise, they would have had no idea who Sanders was.

  Word was spreading of the Director of the ADI who had gone rogue. The Shinigami was doing his best to deter the magical community from aiding the fugitives. Branding them as murderers and traitors had kept them isolated, and unfortunately, it had resulted in a phone call tipping off the ADI as to their whereabouts.

  For a moment, Kasey daydreamed about what she would do if she ever caught up with the Master of the Shinigami. Her track record against their death cult was impressive, but she’d seen the Master in action against Sanders. He was a formidable wizard of indeterminate age. Who knew what he would do if cornered. He was willing to watch a city burn and a country devastated to carry out his purposes.

  No, dealing with the Master of the Shinigami would require greater care and far more planning than Kasey was used to operating with. She just needed to survive long enough to figure it out.

  She thanked her lucky stars that her vision had manifested when it had. Minutes later, and she would now be staring down the barrel of Kazinsky’s pistol instead of wallowing in a dumpster full of trash.

  As unpleasant as her current circumstances were, she knew only too well that it could be infinitely worse.

  The peal of tires screeching out of the parking lot announced the departure of the ADI, but Kasey gave it time just to be sure. The seconds crawled by, turning slowly into minutes.

  Confident that Kazinsky and his agents had cleared out, Kasey began to dig her way free of the garbage. Her muscles were cramping at having been confined for so long. She pushed the lid open and stood up. Stretching to her full height, she cracked her back.

  “That’s better.” Reaching into the dumpster, she drew out the duffel. “Now to find Sanders and do something about this stench.”

  Kasey made her way to the mouth of the alley and paused in the shadows there. Night was falling quickly, but it wasn’t yet dark. Resigning herself to the wait, she pulled up an overturned milk crate and sat in the shadow of the motel, waiting for Sanders to return.

  Within minutes, the faded emerald green pickup pulled into the parking lot. Kasey snatched up her duffel bag and raced across the lot. Before Sanders could even kill the engine, Kasey had slipped into the passenger seat.

  “What’s going on?” Sanders asked, furrowing his brow. The scent of Kasey’s current situation wafted through the vehicle. “And what on earth happened to you, you…”

  “Stink to high heaven, I know. I just spent the better part of an hour hiding in the dumpster.”

  “The room wasn’t to your liking?”

  “It was, until the ADI showed up. Apparently, the clerk tipped them off. He must be one of ours.”

  Sanders let out a slow breath. “Glad you got out. How did you know they were coming?”

  “I saw it in a vision,” Kasey replied, relaxing into the seat. “I managed to clear out right as they were pulling into the building. The dumpster wouldn’t have been my first choice but unfortunately it was my only option.”

  “Well when you put it that way, the smell isn’t that bad. Thanks for sticking around to wait for me.”

  Kasey ran her fingers through her hair. “After all we’ve been through, I wasn’t going to leave you to them. It was Kazinsky, after all, and I really hate that guy.”

  Sanders cracked a grin. “Yep, he’s the worst. Don’t worry, he’ll get what’s coming to him, but we do need to get out of here quick.”

  “
Yep, we’ll need to ditch the car tonight too, just in case, but first, I need a shower,” Kasey replied.

  “I’m sure it can be arranged. What’s more, I think I’ve solved our money problem.”

  “Do tell,” Kasey said, cocking her head.

  Sanders backed up the vehicle and then tore out of the parking lot. “Soon. Let’s get you cleaned up first.”

  Chapter Two

  Traveling across New York City's outer suburbs, Kasey dozed in and out of sleep.

  The car jostled as it eased over a speed bump. Startling awake for the umpteenth time, Kasey rubbed her weary eyes.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “Just at a local superstore. We need to get you a change of clothes. We can ditch the car here and use the gym across the road to freshen up. It should have some showers we can use.”

  Kasey looked at Sanders. "I may be getting pretty desperate but buying my clothes at a superstore, I'm not sure that I'm quite at that point yet."

  Sanders laughed. The rich hearty chuckle was a refreshing sound after all they had been through over the past few days. They had had precious little to laugh about with the ADI breathing down their necks.

  "It’s just for the time being, I promise. We’ll get cleaned up, get some resources, and find something a little more your style, but for the love of all that is good, we can’t live on the run with you smelling like that. Either I will pass out, or you will draw the attention of everyone in Brooklyn that still has a sense of smell.”

  "Is it really that bad?” Kasey asked.

  Sanders nodded. “Obviously you've gotten used to it. I don't know if I ever can. Let’s get a change of clothes and a few snacks to tide us over. While we are at it, grab a new bag. That one is in the same boat."