by C C Solomon
Dark Hauntings
Paranormal Times, Book One
C. C. Solomon
Contents
Acknowledgments
A note from C.C.
Prologue
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
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books by CC Solomon
CatDog Publications
Dark Hauntings is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by C.C. Solomon
All rights reserved; no part of this document shall be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form and by any means without the express permission of the author. Nor may this document be printed or circulated in any form, binding or cover, other than that which it is published.
ISBN: 978-1-7361329-1-3
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all my friends and family who supported my dreams. Thank you to my betareader, Ophelia. Thank you to my editors at Real Indie Author, you push me to be a better writer even if it’s no fun sometimes. Thank you to my proofreader Madeleine from Mad Skillz for your expert eye and formatters at Yours Truly Book Services for your awesome services at every level. And thanks to my readers for keeping me going. Your enthusiasm and feedback has made a huge difference.
A note from C.C.
To find information on prior books by C.C. Solomon go to www.ccsolomon.com
Prologue
Two Months Ago
I looked on at the madness facing us on the wide snow-covered street. This was it. This was the battle we’d all been preparing for the last several months. I just had to play my part and help kill off a hundred or so demons. No biggie.
Yeah, right.
Felix Gonzalez placed a large hand on the small of my back. “Ready wifey?” he asked, looking down at my with a soft smile.
I rolled my shoulders back, pumping myself up for the fight. “Please don’t call me that.” I took my sword out of the sheath strapped to my back. The sun’s reflection gave a bright glint off the sword as I swung it forward toward the encroaching chaos. Although my trusty sword was golden and should have been heavy, it was comfortable to hold, a combination of magic and my own supernatural strength.
Felix’s smile turned to a wide grin as he removed his magic infused machete from his waist sheath. “You know you like it. Now, let’s go kick some ass.”
“You dick,” I muttered as I teleported into the madness.
When I reappeared, I had no time for assessing the situation further. A large naked beast with long, black hair stormed towards me. She had short, thick legs and arms propelled her through the fighting bodies at a speed that did not match her sizable frame.
I stood my ground and met the creature’s beady, black eyes set in a flat face.
“You killed King Alister,” the creature roared through a mouth full of sharp, yellowed teeth.
“Heeere we go,” I muttered, my teeth gritted as I raised my sword to cut into the creature. Of course, all the demons would hate me for having previously killed one of the Kings of the underworld. Especially when said King had been my ex-fiancé. I’d known I’d have a target on my back in this fight. I’d been prepared for the extra hate I’d receive on the battlefield.
My sword chopped into the side of the demon, but it only succeeded in making a dent in the beast’s red scales. I figured it wasn’t going to do much damage, but I had to try. I could keep chopping into the demon and hope to inflict damage eventually, but I’d probably get squashed before I could.
“You betrayed us all,” shouted the demon before slamming into me and knocking me into the cold, hard ground.
I ground my teeth as I felt the painful crunch of my right arm upon contact with the demon. Well, I guessed my arm was out of commission as it healed. It looked like I had no choice but to use my faerie magic. I was a warrior faerie, after all. Fighting was my thing.
With my left hand, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my magic infused shuriken, flinging two of the throwing stars at the demon in hopes they’d penetrate. To my relief, they sliced into the demon’s thick skin, leaving deep gashes before boomeranging back towards me. I caught them and threw them again, aiming for the eyes and throat. The demon moved to the right, but its large body was too massive to miss getting stabbed in the eye by the shuriken. It screamed in pain and struggled to remove the star, but I pushed my magic outward, forcing the star deeper into the demon’s eye, through the bone and out the other side of the creature’s head.
I ignored the shrieks of pain from the creature as I ran forward and leapt in the air. Angling my sword downward, I stabbed my weapon into the remaining eye of the demon, pushing it through the head before I touched the ground. I made a come-hither motion with my hand, and the sword reversed course and flew back into my grasp. I tilted my head expectantly as I gazed at the creature.
“Come on, now,” I whispered, waiting for it to dive.
The demon stumbled to the side before falling backwards with a loud thud, dead.
I gave an approving nod, which brought a grimace of discomfort as the bones and muscles in my right arm continued to heal. It might not be brand spanking new in minutes, but it wouldn’t be too far off. As long as I had my left hand and my faerie magic, I would be fine.
I spun around and searched for my next fight. I caught sight of Felix bulldozing through several demons with his giant frame. He didn’t look like he needed my help. These demons were just bodies to tire us out and intimidate those who didn’t know any better. They weren’t great fighters. Most rank-and-file demons weren’t that tough. At least not to other magical beings.
Something resembling a slug the size of a large dog slithered towards me. I ran up to it and sliced the creature in half, jumping back as acidic slime squirted into the air.
“Ugh. Okay, now they’re just putting on a show with this one,” I muttered, shaking off my sword. “Where are the real fighters?”
Several other nightmarish demons, clearly thinking they were up for the job, rushed at me, and I cut them down, my sword and magic making it almost too easy.
“You seem bored,” came a deep voice from behind me.
I turned sideways, scowling, disturbed that someone had caught me off guard. A man appearing to be in his fifties, with cropped wavy, black hair and coal-black eyes against mahogany skin stood behind me. He was dressed in black full-body armor. On top of his head rested a red crown. It was high, with dangerously pointed ends and did not move when he walked despite not being clamped onto his head.
I took a step back, a feeling of gloom falling over me like a heavy blanket. The last time I’d felt that dread was when I’d first met Alister, my now dead ex-fiancé and one of the Kings of hell. After that first meeting
, the feeling had disappeared, which I was sure was through Alister’s magic. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be in the presence of a demonic ruler.
The fighting was further off and no new foes moved or even looked our way. For now, it was just me and this stranger.
The man tilted his head slightly, the crown still not moving from his head. “Francesca, it’s nice to meet you. Do you know who I am?”
I shook my head slowly. Although I had an idea, I’d rather he told me.
The man straightened and clasped his hands behind his back. “I am King Herrod. Have you heard of me?”
Had I heard of him? Of course, I had. He was one of the strongest leaders in the underworld. He made Alister and his regular flayings seem tame. I was thankful I had never met him before. I’d known the risks of this battle. The original soulmates were an ancient and powerful force that had to be eradicated. Yet, I had hoped to last longer than this. There was still so much more I wanted to do and learn.
Herrod threw a hand up in front of him, an easy smile on his lips. “Relax. I have no plans to hurt you. You look so much like her.”
“Like who?”
Herrod didn’t respond for a long moment as he stared intently at me.
I grew uncomfortable under his gaze and shifted in my stance. “If you don’t want to fight me, then what do you want?”
The demon king blinked several times and then let out a throaty chuckle. “Fight? Do you think there would be much of one between me and you?”
I’d heard he could snap his fingers and make someone explode. So, no, I didn’t actually think it would be much of a fight with him. “Then, what is it that you want?”
He threw his hands out to his sides. “To see you in action.”
Why was he being so cryptic? Why did he care anything at all about me? “Why?”
He looked around.
It was interesting that no one had dared approached us in all this time. It was as if they didn’t even see us. I was smart enough to know that the demon king had made that happen. He didn’t want to be disturbed. But why?
“You children are in over your heads,” he replied with a sneer.
I rolled my eyes, trying to maintain my appearance of calm. No point in letting him know how terrified I was. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. The first soulmates are big and bad. We should just roll over and let them win. Well, I’m not a coward. That’s not how I work.” I let my sword down, no longer even considering fighting him. “I’m surprised you’re even fighting on their side. You’re a King of the underworld. They have no power over you. Especially if you go back to where you came from.”
He raised a brow in disdain. “Do you believe I am here because I fear them?”
I shrugged. “Well, then why?”
He sighed, seemingly bored with the conversation. “The first soulmates eat souls. But they can also collect and transfer them to others who might have use of them.”
I snorted, even though what he’d said was anything but funny. “So, this is a business deal? You want the souls they collect? That makes sense, I guess. I mean, it’s a bad deal since we’re going to win this fight, but, you know, do what makes you happy, even if it’ll just end up wasting time and resources.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood to attention.
I spun around, my sword out and already swinging.
A gremlin was mid-leap in the air when its head exploded, coating me in a shower of green blood and gore.
Yuck.
“You’re welcome,” Herrod said.
I wiped the gremlin blood out of my eyes and turned around, wishing I could stab him without getting my own head blown off.
Herrod raised his brows. “What? No thank you? Come now. Surely your mother raised you better than that?”
“Thank you,” I said through gritted teeth. “Although, I could have handled it on my own.”
“I’m sure you could have, my dear.”
Why was this guy helping me? “Look, I don’t know you and don’t want to. And I definitely don’t want to owe you a favor.”
He gave me a slight smile and his eyes flashed a disquieting gold light.
Was he happy or had I pissed him off? I was good at pushing buttons.
“You owe me no favors, child.” He looked around the battlefield again. Trouble had still kept its distance from us. “I think you are right about me wasting my time here. Perhaps this fight is not worth my troubles. I’ll be taking my horde and leaving.” He gave me a curt nod. “I’ll be seeing you again.”
I shook my head, confused. I hadn’t thought I’d made much of any argument to him and now he was just running home with his tail between his legs? “Why?” I called, but he was already disappearing before my eyes into a mass of smoke.
I definitely did not want to see him again, but something told me this was far from the end. Just great. What was it with demons?
Chapter 1
Present
I collapsed on the gym mat panting like a dog as exhaustion hit me. “I’m not on my A game today.”
My friend, Nadia Andrews, sat beside my outstretched body and made a tsk-tsk noise. “Everyone has their bad days, Fran.”
I grumbled as I sat up and attempted to touch my toes. I managed to do it, but my screaming hamstrings were not happy. I was a paranormal being. I had many, many more years ahead of me compared to an average human. Plus, I’d just fought in a battle against supernatural evil a couple months ago and our side had won. How had my body betrayed me in such a short time? “I used to be able to kick your butt in a practice fight with ease.”
Nadia scrunched her dark brown eyes and frowned. “Looks like you lost more than your memories. You lost your mind, too.”
I huffed in pretend anger. “Rude.” I mean, she wasn’t far off. I did have my memories stolen by angels who thought I would be a big baddie just because I was half Unseelie fae and half demon. While I wasn’t exactly a saint, I’d never harmed an innocent person, and never intended to, despite my lineage. Angels could be real jerks.
And of course, ‘something had gone wrong’ and now the angels couldn’t return my memories. So, I was left all alone to piece together my past. I still wasn’t sure I should believe the angels. They had never been truthful to me yet.
“Look, woman,” Nadia began as she brushed loose strands of her brown hair off of her face towards her long ponytail. “You’re still in great fighting shape. You just have to keep at it. Never let your skills rest. But, you know, being the fiancée to a demon king kind of slowed you down. But it didn’t slow you down on the battlefield which is the important thing.”
I struggled to my feet and bent backwards as far as I could, stretching my back. I used to be a warrior, until I was whisked away to play housewife to Alister. I had to admit, I missed the fight. “I really think Misandre sent me there to get rid of me.”
Nadia nodded slowly. “Probably. Good thing she’s dead, huh?”
I did a little shoulder shimmy. Yes, celebrating the death of the queen of my court seemed a little treasonous, but I really hated Misandre. Having an Unseelie queen dead, especially a sadistic, self-absorbed, destructive fae like her, was a good thing for me. It made me one step closer to my ultimate goal, being the queen of a fae court. “On that note, I got an invite to a banquet in her old court in about a week. It’s for anyone vying for her throne. I’m going,” I declared. “I’ve got to go make a play for it.”
Nadia squinted her dark brown eyes and tilted her head from side to side in consideration. “Do you really want all that hassle? Just stay here with me!” She jumped to her feet. “Rule by my side. You were already going to be queen here anyway.”
“Uh-huh, and then I killed the king. Not so sure I’d be welcomed to run anything here after that.” I waved my hand around the gym, although ruling consisted of much more than our current location.
Alister had run the older part of Las Vegas that also crossed over into the underworld. I know, it was clic
hé that Vegas would be a gateway to Hell, but in all fairness, there were several gateways, some of which were in highly religious areas. This location was just a funny coincidence. You could still gamble and party in Vegas, but you had to be prepared to do it alongside demons, succubae, and vampires.
As for Alister, the demon lord and unofficial mayor of Las Vegas, I had kind of sort of killed him with the help of another man whom I may or may not have been seeing romantically before my memories were taken by the angels.
The fact that I wasn’t being rotated over a fire at that moment was all because of Nadia. Honestly, being any kind of ruler of the underworld was a kill or be killed type of lifestyle. No one gave complete loyalty, and many rulers came into their positions by killing the prior ruler.
However, my leadership goals remained only with the fae. Demons gave me heartburn. Most were untrustworthy, and even more were just plain dumb. No, the fae were a wise bunch and if I was going to be a queen, I would rule over intelligent, loyal individuals. Therefore, I stepped back from my role as soon-to-be queen of a part of the underworld and gave the title to Nadia who gladly accepted.
She patted my shoulder, focusing my attention. “Think of it. Two Queens in one court. We don’t have to be romantically linked to rule together. Kind of like a President and Vice President.”