A Gray Area

by Amy Sumida

  Through some subtle trickery, I had led everyone to believe that my blood was useless. Only Malik, Landry, and my closest friends knew the truth; that a being who used blood to heal or empower themselves could also use my blood to become immortal; races like the Bleiten and the Ungaru (vampires). And that was only what I'd proven. It was entirely possible that the Elixir could be replicated with a sample of my blood. But I wasn't about to test that theory.

  Both the Triari and Bleiten hunts for me had been terminated by my deception, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be others who tried their luck with my blood despite the rumors. Immortality was too alluring to give up on. It was what had sent Prince Traegur of the Triari after my father in the first place. And it was what had sent him after me. I wish I could have killed that bastard myself, but that honor had gone to the Ghoul. I'd just have to be satisfied that he was dead.

  My uncle, King Jovan of the Triari, swears ignorance and innocence of my parents' murders and my own abduction. I believe him. I overheard a conversation in which he not only expressed horror over it but demanded that Traegur be brought back for a trial and that I be protected by the Arc he'd sent to find me. Arc Kyrian.

  I sighed as I thought of the somber soldier. Kyrian had been a typical arc when I'd met him; complete with his halo of bright white. An arc is one of the highest-ranking Triari soldiers; the few members of the Host who get to wear the Trinity Wings. All members of the Triari Host (their army) get to wear the automaton wings that had made humans believe they were angels. But Arcs get to wear the Trinity Wings; a version that boasts three sets of feathered wings which are very impressive on the battlefield. Then there are the halos; auras so strong that even humans could sense them, if not see them outright. They're strong because the Host is taught to put such tight control over their emotions that they become completely detached. This control reveals itself as a blinding white aura; white being the compression of all colors. As the strongest of their soldiers, Arcs never allow their halos to falter; not during missions, at least. But I had cracked Kyrian's.

  Kyrian had shown me his colors and they are beautiful. He loves me. Part of me wishes I could love him back. He's an amazing man; honorable, strong, dedicated, and hot enough to make a woman melt on the most frigid winter day. But I had chosen Malik, and I didn't regret it. What I did regret was the way Kyrian had retreated back into the white. His halo was firmly in place again, and I'd have to deal with the cool Kyrian the entire journey to Eden.

  Was my whole family going to be like him? Would all of my relatives have that compression of color instead of a normal aura? I hoped not. As a woman whose power manifests through colors, a lack of them is unsettling. But then, that's not all I am anymore.

  I'd wound up in Danu recently; the magical realm of the Danutians, AKA fairies. That realm had responded to me, and I was told that there was magic in my blood; perhaps the elixir itself was magic or maybe my mother had some sidhe blood in her. Then I'd been captured by a Danutian prince and fused a bond with a Faulin (AKA an Incubus) to free ourselves from the Prince. I used our fusion to kill Prince Terial and take back tremendous amounts of life energy that he'd stolen from Earth and the humans who lived there. I had also taken his life force and his magic.

  That's right; I have fairy magic now. A fact that the Danutian Queen of the East—Prince Terial's mother—finds intriguing. She wants me in her court, possibly as her heir. As if I don't already have enough royals after me. Then there is Cyprian; the Faulin man who fused with me but not completely. We left the Fusion unfinished in the hopes that we'd be able to remove it once we were free of Terial. We haven't been able to. Possibly because Malik had previously marked me with his venom. I was now Malik's Mvarra—the Bleiten equivalent of a wife—and through the crown-shaped scar on the back of my neck, I could feel Malik's emotions, sometimes I could even feel him touching me, and he could also track me with the mark.

  That mark interfered with the Faulin Fusion somehow. The three of us—Malik, Cyprian, and I—have been trying to figure out what exactly it's done to us and how we can undo it. So far, all we've discovered is that it has made us stronger and linked us in intimate ways. I can feel Cyprian's emotions as well as I can feel Malik's, and we even had a menage a trois in our minds once. It was both disturbing and deeply erotic. But I'd spoken to Cyprian and Malik both about it, and I didn't think Cyprian would be making any more appearances in my head while I made love to Malik.

  I was trying hard not to be disappointed by that.

  Despite all that I was dealing with on Earth, I now had to go to Eden to visit my relatives. I had been putting this visit off, but then my uncle had deviously manipulated me through President Matthew Colton. The President had discovered my supernatural abilities awhile back and had invited me to join the first supernatural special operations team. The First Extraordinary Abilities Regiment; FEAR for short. It was comprised of Malik, Kyrian, my stony friend Davorin, Lily who has power over the weather, Leo who can control sound, and Jason who is a walking lie detector. I rarely did my beloved translating anymore. Now, I was Spectra the superhero. And because of my uncle's manipulations, I was about to become a diplomat as well.

  I wasn't going to let him completely control my visit. I had Kyrian contact my uncle and work out the particulars before I agreed to go. That conversation had begun with a strident chiding over the way my uncle had manipulated me and a vow from him that he would never do so again. I was going through with the trip only because President Colton really wanted the Triari to build an embassy in America, and my uncle was dangling that as the bait to get me to visit Eden. I had then informed my uncle that this trip would not merely be about me connecting with my family and working out the details of the embassy, but also about discussing the possibility of a truce between the Triari and the Bleiten.

  Uncle Jovan hadn't been completely shocked by my demands. He knew that I was dating a bleiten. But what he didn't know was that I was now married to one; their prince, no less. It was the perfect situation for truce talks, and Malik would be working on it from the Bleiten side. While I went to Eden, he'd be traveling to Hell (the Bleiten home planet, not the horrible place of torture). Malik would speak to his father, King Lucifer, about the truce and, hopefully, the two of us could end a millennia-old feud.

  I didn't have the highest hopes.

  My uncle had initially expressed horror over my recent venom-nuptials. But he had to accept it; there was no going back. It was either accept my husband or reject us both. King Jovan had decided to accept Malik. But I wasn't sure if he would go as far as a truce. In all likelihood, neither king would go for it. Truces took time if there wasn't a compelling reason to rush them. Currently, neither side was in desperate straits. The only reason they had to bury their differences was my bond with Malik.

  Something pulsed against my throat, and I flinched. My hand went to the pendant there; the one given to me by a Danutian knight. Sir Varian and I had met when humans started turning into monsters in Washington D.C. He had been sent to put the beasts out of their misery but ended up forging a friendship with me as well. After the horrible business with his prince had been handled, he'd given me his lodestone; a pendant that I could use to call him to me if I needed his help. His queen had previously used it to summon him to her but now, that honor was mine.

  Danutians could travel via a means called twisting. They twisted the fabric of the Universe; sorting through the weave of magic and using it to move from one place to another. I had that ability now as well, thanks to Terial's magic. But you could only twist somewhere you've already been to. The first journey had to be made physically. I wished it were otherwise because then I could simply twist myself to Eden and back again without having to travel there via spaceship.

  The lodestone pulsed again, and I wrapped my fingers around it. Suddenly, the world turned around me. I blinked as Malik disappeared and my bed turned into a fragrant field of grass. I stared up at a starry sky; glittering brightly without the compe
tition of electric lights to mute it. Sir Varian's exotic and ruggedly masculine face appeared over that sparkling backdrop.

  “Your Highness,” Varian murmured respectfully as he helped me up.

  Did I mention that I'm technically a princess now? Due to both my relationship to the Triari King and to the fact that I possessed a Danutian prince's magic, I was considered a princess. To the Danutians, magic determines royalty.

  “Sir Varian, did you fail to mention all the powers of this lodestone?” I crossed my arms over my thin nightdress.

  He gave me a sheepish smile. “I didn't think you'd take the stone if you knew I could call you with it as well.”

  “Well, I certainly wouldn't be wearing it to bed.” I frowned. “In fact, I'm not sure why I did.”

  “Part of its magic is to be unassuming,” he explained. “You probably forgot you had it on.”

  “All right, you can summon me through the lodestone.” I held up my hands. “I'm glad we've cleared that up. But why did you summon me here, Sir Varian?”

  “We need your help, Your Highness,” he said. “King Everan of the South has always coveted my queen's lands. He doesn't believe that Danu needs to be quartered to be ruled properly. He wants to rule as much of it as he can.”

  “What has that got to do with me?”

  “Our spies have told us that King Everan will use Prince Terial's betrayal as an excuse to attack the East in our most vulnerable time.”

  “How are you vulnerable?”

  Varian frowned at me. “I forget that you don't know our ways.”

  “Varian!” I said sharply.

  “My apologies, Your Highness.” He bowed his head. “We are vulnerable because one of our most powerful sidhe has died, and his magic has left the realm.”

  Sidhe are the ruling class of Danutians; the ones who most resemble humans.

  “Because of me,” I said softly.

  “Yes,” he agreed. “Normally, that magic would return to the realm; in particular, to our kingdom. It would serve to strengthen our defenses. But you have Prince Terial's magic.”

  “And I'm not in Danu.”

  He nodded.

  “What do you want me to do, Varian?” I was too irritated to use his title.

  “Spend some time with us,” he said softly; persuasively. “That's all. Come to Court and let the land reconnect with the magic. Let it fortify us and show King Everan that we are not weakened.”

  “I can't right now. I'm heading to Eden today to visit my uncle. It's not just for pleasure; it's a diplomatic mission as well.”

  “When will you return?”

  “A few weeks.”

  Varian cursed in his language; one of the few languages I didn't know.

  “You could twist here during your visit,” he suggested. “Just for a few hours each day.”

  I thought about it. That wasn't a lot to ask, and my uncle couldn't possibly have something planned for every waking minute of my visit. It sounded as if it might work.

  “All right; I'll come by as soon as I can,” I promised.

  “Thank you, Your Highness.” He kissed my hand gallantly. “Twist into the solarium; in front of the bench where you spoke with Queen Elisande. I will make sure that the area is constantly kept clear for you. Then you will be able to twist directly into the castle.”

  When twisting, it was best to avoid crowded places. You could end up twisting right into someone.

  “Better than having to walk up to the castle every day,” I agreed. “Thank you, Sir Varian.”

  “I promise not to summon you again unless it's an emergency,” he said. “But please, keep the lodestone on, Princess Amara.”

  “Because there might be an emergency?”

  “Precisely, Your Highness,” he said grimly.

  Grammar Giggles

  And just for a little giggle, here are some grammar mistakes found during the editing of this book.

  Correct Line: Cyprian flicked the switch and the flames whooshed to life behind the glass panel.

  Giggle: Cyprian flicked the witch and the flames whooshed to life behind the glass panel.

  Correct Line: Whoosh; it went down to pool around my feet.

  Giggle: Whoosh; it went down to pull around my feet.

  Correct Line: Mimi nodded to the men; her eyes lingering on their biceps, chests, and—shockingly bold of her—their crotches.

  Giggle: Mimi nodded to the men; her eyes lingering on their biceps, chests, and—shockingly bold of here—their crotches. (Yes, it was awfully bold there.)

  Correct Line: Wherever he was, I'm sure he'll return.

  Giggle: Where ever he was, I'm sure he'll return. (This isn't exactly a giggle, but I wanted to put this in to show you how my hands can run ahead of my brain sometimes. I'm just trying to get the story down as it plays out in my head and that means my hands type words robotically; exactly as I hear them. Thus, wherever turns into where ever.)

  About the Author

  Amy Sumida is the Internationally Acclaimed author of the Award-Winning Godhunter Series, the fantasy paranormal Twilight Court Series, the Beyond the Godhunter Series, the music-oriented paranormal Spellsinger Series, and several short stories. Her books have been translated into several languages, have made it to the top seller's list on Amazon numerous times, and the first book in her Spellsinger Series won a publishing contract with Kindle Press.

  She was born and raised in Hawaii and brings her unique island perspective to all of her books. She doesn't believe in using pen names, saving the fiction for her stories. She's known for her kick-ass heroines who always have a witty comeback ready, and her strong, supporting male characters who manage to be sensitive and alpha all at once.

  All she's ever wanted to do since she was a little girl, was to write novels. To be able to do so for a living is a blessing which she wakes up thankful for every day. Beyond her books, she enjoys collecting toys, to keep herself young, and cats, to keep herself loved.

  If you enjoyed this book, please let the author know by leaving a review. Unless you want to leave less than 5 stars, in which case, she begs you not to let her know. Our little Indie Author hearts are so easily crushed.

  For information on new releases, detailed character descriptions, and an in-depth look into the worlds of Godhunter and the Twilight Court, check out Amy's website;

  http://www.amysumida.com/

  You can also find her on facebook at:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Godhunter-Series/323778160998617?ref=hl

  On Twitter under @Ashstarte

  On Goodreads:

  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7200339.Amy_Sumida

  On Instagram as; ashstarte

  And you can find her entire collection of books, along with some personal recommendations, at her Amazon author page:

  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00BVUWW9K