Novels by Caya Pena

Brad Davis fell to the ground clutching his foot."Son of a bitch! I think I broke it!"His cries immediately set the Davis family off."Nick Pugh, you coward!" one man shouted at the closed door. "Hide in there all you want! The second you come crawling out, I'll..."Before he could finish, the shrine door swung open without a sound.The shouting died away.Nick sat comfortably in a chair, one arm resting on the wooden armrest. Something black was wrapped around his wrist, looking at first glance like a bracelet.He regarded the crowd with a quiet, unreadable expression. His gaze didn't seem fixed on anyone in particular, yet everyone felt as though he were looking straight into their hearts.Dean Stokes quietly edged behind the people standing in front of him, hoping Nick wouldn't notice.Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.Kyle Pugh stared at the young man, trying to reconcile him with the Nick he remembered. How could someone change so completely in such a short time? Was it possible the

Nick was silent for a moment."What's happened, Mr. Carter?"The old man sighed heavily. "You've landed yourself in serious trouble. Michael Davis is in the hospital, and they're saying he's in some kind of vegetative state. His family went straight to Mayor Pugh and filled his head with stories. Now they're claiming you're possessed by an evil spirit."Nick gave a contemptuous snort."Kyle Pugh has no business being mayor. If he hadn't pulled every dirty trick he could think of, you would still have the job."Mr. Carter had served Cedar Hollow faithfully for more than twenty years. Unlike Kyle, he'd always cared about the ordinary people who lived there.During the last mayoral election, Kyle had secretly handed out gifts, bought votes, and made promises he never intended to keep. Once he'd forced Mr. Carter out of office, he'd shown his true colors. He catered to wealthy families, ignored everyone else, and punished anyone who dared challenge him.Mr. Carter only shook his head. The

Vicky Pitt kept telling herself there was nothing unusual about bringing Nick a meal. He'd left far too much money at her diner, and he'd probably done it because he wanted food delivered. She would drop off his dinner and leave. Even if someone saw her, what could they possibly say?Still, she couldn't quite shake her nerves.The Pugh Family Burial Plot stood near the edge of Cedar Hollow, and few people ventured out there on a winter evening. Vicky checked that no one was around before approaching the shrine.She started to knock, then worried that standing outside for too long might attract attention. Instead, she pushed open the door and slipped inside.Nick was sitting on the bed, his eyes closed.Vicky froze for a moment. She hadn't expected to find him like this, looking so strong and striking. It had been a long time since she'd been this close to a handsome man, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.She quickly set the basket beside the bed."Nick, I know it's hard to cook out h

Michael's stomach dropped when he saw Nick's expression.The men outside had stacked the wood, but Michael had personally smashed the memorial urns inside. He'd always despised Nick and never worried about offending him. Now, for the first time, he was frightened.He grabbed a young relative standing nearby, a hotheaded man in his twenties named Brad Davis."He did it!" Michael declared.Then he tightened his grip on Brad's arm and whispered through clenched teeth, "Take the blame and I'll give you seventy-five hundred dollars."Brad's eyes lit up at the offer. He stepped forward and raised a hand."That's right. I did it!"Nick spared him a glance. "No, you didn't."Brad puffed out his chest. "I said I did! What are you gonna do about it?"Nick struggled to contain the fury still burning inside him."Move.""Listen here, Nick Pugh. I already told you it was me, so you can just..."Nick seized him by the throat.Brad's words died in his mouth. Up close, he could see an eerie green shi

Vicky hurried around the counter when she saw Nick turn deathly pale."Nick! What's wrong?"She pulled out her phone to call an ambulance, but he caught her wrist."Don't. Not yet."An extraordinarily vivid image had appeared in his mind. It was as though he were looking down from above the Pugh Family Burial Plot, seeing everything around the shrine at once.Behind the building, Michael Davis was directing several men as they piled firewood against the walls.The bastard was going to burn down the last place Nick had left.Nick steadied his breathing. When he raised his head, his eyes were cold. He took a handful of bills from his pocket and left them on the table."Keep the change, Vicky. I've got something I need to deal with."He hurried outside and took a shortcut toward the burial plot, passing the house that had been his only yesterday. Joseph stood outside the front door smoking, with a deeply troubled expression.As soon as he saw Nick, he rushed over and grabbed his arm."Ni

Nick tensed, ready to defend himself.But Granny Whitmore only reached inside her coat and pulled out a small hand drum. She passed it to Tom, who accepted it with exaggerated respect, smirked at Nick, and began beating a steady rhythm.The old woman launched into a bizarre dance. Her arms jerked, her shoulders twitched, and she hopped around Tom on one foot, eyes squeezed shut as she chanted in a shrill, wavering voice.Nick watched for a while, growing increasingly unimpressed. Was this really how people summoned an Elder Spirit?At last, Granny Whitmore stopped. She shuddered from head to foot, curled her fingers like claws, and bared her teeth."Granny Gray has arrived!" she screeched. "Who dares cause trouble in my presence?"With her pinched features and twitching nose, she looked more like an oversized rat than ever.Once, Nick might have been frightened by the performance. But after what he'd inherited from the true Guardian Spirits, he could tell at a glance that she was bluf