Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set One: Books 1-7, Death Becomes Her, Queen Bitch, Love Lost, Bite This, Never Forsaken, Under My Heel, Kneel or Die (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets)

by Michael Anderle

  Bethany Anne spoke as Anton’s mostly decapitated body slumped over the desk. “My friend always asks, ‘what is the bait?’ Well Anton, I’m the bait.”

  George spoke into the silence, “Oh God.” He wasn’t looking in her direction.

  She hadn’t made a move to attack him, but realizing he wasn’t looking at her, she turned quickly to see the dumb stares of the two Nosferatu being replaced by cunning looks.

  Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, holy fuck.”

  24

  Stephen felt the surprise and shock and understood it to come from Bethany Anne, then he felt pain.

  Michael looked at him, “What’s wrong?”

  “Something is wrong with Bethany Anne, I can feel it”

  “How, where?”

  Stephen stood up. “How do we get to where she is? She needs help!”

  Michael rose with him. “Do you know what direction she’s in?”

  Stephen stopped, concentration etched on his face. He pointed out through the door, towards the coast. “That way.”

  Michael nodded. “Come with me.” The two of them broke into Vamp speed, racing down the corridor and up to the main deck. When Stephen arrived, Michael turned to myst and grabbed him, then started streaking towards the coast. Stephen was surprised to find himself inches above the waves, feeling more than seeing the area around him. Further, he could hear Michael’s thoughts, and his concern for Bethany Anne. Maybe feelings a father wouldn’t have for a daughter, hmmm Michael?

  They were quickly approaching the bay. “Towards the left, Michael.” His thoughts sounded in both his mind and echoed from close by. He didn’t think this was how Michael normally communicated.

  He felt another large burst of pain and an effort to speed up. Michael was connecting with him to get a direct connection to his feelings to Bethany Anne.

  Bethany Anne was tossed over the side of the second story railing. She tried to twist around in the air and was successful in getting both feet underneath her. Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough time to get a good stance and ended up falling backwards and skidding across the floor to come to a painful stop against a piano leg.

  “You cock-sucking shit bag!” she screamed. She was getting her ass kicked. But if she ran, they would turn on the other humans and that wasn’t a good thing. George had bolted as soon as he realized the Nosferatu were free. Well, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Especially when the stupid enemy had a dead man’s switch on two massive hulking pain-in-the-asses.

  It was time to get some of her own back. Beast number one jumped at her from the second floor, aiming she figured, for her head.

  She rolled out of the way and got up. “Look, you catatonic flea fucker…” She had to dodge as its partner unexpectedly came through a wall above her. In a second, she had the whole room to herself, the partiers having decided this wasn’t a cool room to be in.

  She stood up, facing the two large Nosferatu. “Ok, you want to party?” Her voice deepened, malevolence was the song. “Let’s fucking party.” Her eyes shot through with red, her fangs descended and the two Nosferatu charged as she ran towards them.

  The clash was over in less than a second. One Nosferatu lay on its side, its leg cut off, while the other screamed in rage, what was left of its arm spraying blood. Bethany Anne picked herself up off of the floor where she had landed, the wall being polite enough to stop her after she was thrown by the second beast.

  She reached down to peel off the hand attached to a forearm still gripping her leg. She stood up and popped her neck. Walking towards the beast with the missing arm, it turned, screaming in frustration and pain and charged at her. She pivoted to the side with the missing arm, making a complete circle she continued towards the second beast.

  The first one continued running, smashing into the wall, the severed head falling off to the side. The second was able to pull himself around in time to reach out with both hands. She grabbed them, putting a foot in its chest. It screamed as she slowly pulled each arm out of its socket. Finally, she yanked hard enough to pull them both off. “Dude, shut the fuck up!” She sliced its head off. Covered in blood, gore and body parts she looked around the room. She headed back towards the main entryway when she heard two sets of footsteps coming quickly.

  She sighed. Sounded like George went and got support.

  25

  Michael was worried, getting into the house became an effort of dodging the people screaming and fleeing. Finally, he left the mass behind and he and Stephen became corporeal. They could easily pinpoint Bethany Anne from the cussing and screams of frustration and pain.

  They ran around the corner and both slowed down and stopped, looking at the sheer destruction and blood everywhere. She wouldn’t win any best-dressed contests as she looked back at them.

  “You guys are late. Usually I complain about guys coming early, but you are definitely late.” Stephen snorted at the joke, Michael didn’t get it.

  Michael looked around. “I see you redecorated the place. Anton?” She pointed above his head.

  “He’s up there, or at least his body is. I don’t think Ecaterina and Killian left enough brain matter to regenerate. I have to admit he wasn’t the only thought on my mind. Fuck-nuts had these two beasts, who went ape-shit when the prodigal wank-lover unsuccessfully tried to stop two copper jacketed lovers simultaneously with his skull.”

  Michael turned to Stephen, a confused look on his face. “Anton’s upstairs, head blown off. I’ll go make sure he is still dead.” Stephen went upstairs at Vamp speed.

  Michael turned back to Bethany Anne. “Are you ok?” He looked her over, trying to see if any of the blood was hers.

  She looked at herself. “Well, I could use a bath… Hold it. Here comes more fun.”

  She looked over his shoulder back at the entrance of the room. Four sets of footsteps came racing towards them. Sliding to a stop when they smelled the vampire on Michael.

  George, the one in the lead, held a shotgun in his hands. “Look, buddy, don’t care who you are, but you’re in the middle of a disagreement. This bitch,” he jerked his head in Bethany Anne’s direction. She looked around, was there another female in the room?

  “This bitch just killed Anton, so we’re going to finish her off and get South America settled before this becomes well known.”

  Bethany Anne was curious how Michael was going to handle this when steps could be heard from above them. The four looked up to see Stephen coming up to the rail. George started the same spiel but Stephen put up his hand. “I heard you the first time, jackhole.” George looked like he wanted to get a word in on being called a name but Stephen just talked over him. “My name is Stephen.” That got everyone’s attention. “I’m sure you know she is Bethany Anne?” George gave him a quick nod. “Good, that helps. Since she is my Queen, I’m sure you understand that I will not allow you to continue with your plan?”

  George got a look on his face like he had just eaten a sour lemon.

  Bethany Anne put her hand on her hip and stared up at Stephen. ‘He wouldn’t allow?’ What was this man-breast beating bullshit?

  “Be that as it may,” Michael pulled everyone’s attention back to him. Bethany Anne spared a glance back to Stephen one more time; he was getting his ear twisted for damn sure. Michael’s eyes went black, his voice surrounding everyone and coming from everywhere and nowhere. “My name is Michael…” He disappeared.

  Bethany Anne had to admit, that was one fucking scary-ass introduction. She tried to see him, but she couldn’t.

  His voice still filled the room. “There is no question who is in charge in South America…” All four vampires were looking around, behind them, in front of them one even stared at her as if she had a clue. She smiled at him.

  She tried to reach into the Etheric and could feel him slightly. He was in the hallway behind the vampires. Well, they were trapped because they wouldn’t get away from her. She slowly walked into the middle of the room and stared them down. Now, th
ey spent half of their time looking at her, half of their time looking around.

  A massive feeling of fear hit all of them, even she was affected.

  TOM, what the hell?

  One second…

  The fear turned off.

  Got it, he was affecting the mental areas that drive fear. Pretty fantastic. That is a level of control I hadn’t thought about.

  Look, you can conclude the Michael Adoration Society meeting later. Don’t let him affect me again like that.

  The voice they all heard screamed, “I am Michael, YOU WILL KNEEL!”

  She stabbed a hand up to Stephen, who held himself up by force of will.

  The four others however, couldn’t get to their knees fast enough.

  He reappeared in front of them. He spoke, his voice a deadly whisper, “South America is mine, I am changing the strictures here. There will be one power, one voice and one rule. Mine.”

  Bethany Anne waved to Stephen to come down. He was there in a second, beside her. “Yes, my Queen?”

  She smiled at him. “Michael seems busy, doing something he should have taken care of a long time ago and I need a bath, are you staying?”

  Stephen looked over at Michael and his face broke into a mischievous smile, he offered his elbow and she proceeded to lock her arm in his and they disappeared.

  One of the four vampires stared past Michael, who turned around. He noticed the two of them were gone and realized what she had probably done to get the one vampire’s attention. He turned back to the four to continue telling them what they would do to help clean up this mess, or they could choose a slow death.

  He would find her and speak with her again, oh yes he would. She wasn’t going to get rid of him this easily. He had time on his side.

  Gabrielle heard the shower in Bethany Anne’s suite, so she went inside and stopped short. Her father was sitting on the couch, leafing through a fashion magazine. He looked up at her.

  Gabrielle pointed at the shower. “Michael?”

  Stephen smiled. “No, Bethany Anne.”

  Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed. “Where is Michael and how are you in this suite while she is taking a shower, father mine?”

  “Michael is, or was when we left him five minutes ago, where Anton had been holding his party. I’m here because she didn’t tell me to leave and there were no security agents up front.”

  She pointed at him, then at the suite door. “Consider the security here. Now get out. She normally comes walking out of there naked and I don’t need your old geezer heart exploding with lust.”

  He closed the magazine. “But that was what I was counting on. I hear the stories and never get to…” The pillow hit him square in the face.

  “Go!” He got up and walked out. He actually hadn’t known she would walk out naked, he just liked giving Gabrielle a hard time.

  He found Darryl and Scott jogging towards her suite. “She’s taking a shower, Gabrielle is in the suite.” Darryl nodded and moved on. Scott smiled at him as if there was a shared joke and walked on past.

  26

  Germany

  David was standing outside of his castle, looking down on it from a quarter of a mile away, bathed in moonlight. It had been his fortress for hundreds of years, the one place he could depend on to protect him.

  It had failed.

  It had taken him three days to realize he was not in a good position at this location. Michael knew where he was, and he wouldn’t be able to trick him and capture him again.

  He had considered booby-trapping the whole castle, but couldn’t. Maybe he would be able to survive this and if he did, he didn’t want to come back to this beloved place, full of memories, destroyed.

  He heard the car coming down the lane a full minute before it arrived. His legs caught in the headlights, he looked at his home and then turned around and walked to the opened and waiting back door and slid inside. The driver closed the door. The car turned around and traveled down the road.

  Las Vegas, NV, USA

  Jeffrey was sleeping on a cot. His head had hit the pillow thirty minutes before. He tried to go to sleep earlier, but he had a short argument with his wife. She was not happy that he was here for a second night in a row. If he hadn’t brought his kids here, and they hadn’t told her about everything including the kitchen and the cots, his wife might not have believed him.

  A buzz woke him up. He looked around groggily as his phone buzzed and blinked. He grabbed it to see Tom’s ugly mug. He hit the accept button and closed his eyes, phone on his ear. “What the hell, Tom. You’re two buildings away. Couldn’t you just walk over?”

  “Jeffrey, it’s asking for more input.”

  “Then feed it and let me go back to sleep.” Jeffrey rolled over.

  “JEFFREY! Wake the FUCK UP.”

  Jeffrey tried to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. “Tom, damn, no need to yell. Who wants food, and why are we feeding them?”

  “Jeffrey, you awake yet?”

  Jeffrey sat up with a grump. “I am now, so answer my question.”

  “ADAM is awake, he’s requesting data.”

  “ADAM is awake and he…” Jeffrey’s eyes opened wide, “He wants more… Oh shit. Be right there!”

  Jeffrey scrambled to get his clothes on, buttoning his shirt as he jogged over to building 1 and practically ran into the security door. He stopped and plugged in the code, taking two tries to get it right.

  He walked into the main room, dark, with green and blue lights flickering all over. Tom was at the desk; it had two monitors on top. One had a command prompt window, green text blinking on black background.

  He stared at the message. It reminded him of a grocery list.

  “Please provide the following >>”

  There were forty-three lines of requests. He sat down next to Tom.

  ADAM had just woken up.

  FINIS

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Written Jan 11, 2016

  Thank you, I cannot express my appreciation enough that not only did you pick up the fifth book, but you read it all the way to the end and NOW, you’re reading this as well. Since this book is part of a series, I am presuming you have blessed me by reading them all and what a fantastic feeling that is for any author!

  So, in my notes in BITE THIS, I mentioned the fourth book took eleven days to write and four days of slamming the editing together. This book was a completely different beast. First because I created a storyline too convoluted to keep in my head anymore and I wanted to have action points happening all over this book. The second is that I had a fan really dig deep and help pull together some great review notes through a huge chunk of the book, so I have to give a shout-out to Stephen Russell for helping through his weekend to make this book more than it was! In fact, as I write this he sent a note about a subsonic round (the gunshots that took out Anton). I’ve apparently written something completely false and not remotely possible. Cr@p. I’ve got a request to him to please help provide guidance with the correct way to blow Anton’s head off. Because, believe me, that guy is a dead man. This isn’t a soap opera, Anton isn’t coming back. Hopefully I get that advice before I hit ‘submit’ in just a couple of hours and send this book out to the fans looking to get in on the pre-release $0.99 sale for 24 hours.

  The editing is coming together, #4 just got back and I will be updating that book shortly. #5 (this one) is in the queue next week and then we are back @ #1 or #2 right after. I’ll nail down those pesky editing issues, by God. (Note to Tutt - shutting up now.)

  Purchased vs. Kindle Unlimited update. As we go into book five, the Kindle Unlimited side is ahead in gross sales vs. the Kindle purchased group. I don’t have a reason for the change in income percentages from the last book, maybe a big swing in new Kindle Unlimited readers over Christmas? Income is about 55% Unlimited vs. 45% purchased (after Amazon’s cut). I’m in month three for Kindle Select (you join for 90 days), so I have about 2.5 weeks to go. I expect to re-up at least one more time
before possibly going wide (wide means pulling from Kindle Select (Unlimited) and being able to sell on Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble etc). I’m not in a rush to go wide as I think the extra effort is going to be substantial.

  But, here comes the stuff I DO want to do. I want to get the books tightened up for a possible Audible release if anyone is interested? I would probably have the biggest smile on my face to hear a professional reader say some of Bethany Anne’s lines. Or maybe Stephen when he is talking with Reginald? Can you imagine the interview process when speaking to the voice actor?

  Me: Do you have any issues with saying curse words?

  Voice Actor: What, like ‘f#ck’?

  Me: No, more like… (insert one of Bethany Anne’s long-ass line of expletives).

  I’m not sure I could say that out loud. I can type it, no problem. Well, no problem inside the book. Apparently, my face is blushing just writing that word above in a semi-personal Author’s note. Seriously, how lame is that?

  This is probably my favorite book so far from an action and emotional level. Lots of action scenes that were funny and a couple that brought a tear to my face (yes, I’m the kind of author that can make myself tear up when reading my own scene). The scene when Bethany Anne arrives and Stephen says, while coughing up blood, “Let me introduce you to my Queen, Bethany Anne.” I pointed to the laptop screen and I’m like, “Take THAT you fu#king bastard! Eat S#it and die you…” Well, you get the picture.

  Another scene that chokes me up is when Pete becomes Peter Silvers. That part makes me proud of him. It really is odd to admit that sometimes I don’t have a choice where the story goes. I have the idea, but occasionally stuff just happens (looking right at you, Ashur).

  I like that Jean got a scene in this book. She is like the little pistol that can. I’m personally wondering why John (engineering) hasn’t tried to get any closer to her. Damn dude, you quit the Navy because of her story, grow a pair and ask her out already or Todd might beat you to it.