by Nesa Miller
Contents
Acknowledgments
1. Jackie P
2. Laugharne
3. Enlightenment
4. Time Alone
5. Dirty Deeds
6. Silent Warrior
7. New Alliance
8. No Rest for the Wicked
9. New Beginnings
10. After effects
11. Nightmares
12. Evil Incarnate
13. Intrigues
14. Awakenings
15. Conveyance of Swords
16. To the North
17. Deudraeth
18. Roadies
19. The Blade Gathering
20. Going solar
21. Flashes of light
22. Golden Doors
23. Long Live LOKI
24. Evil Threatens
25. Etain’s Nunnehi
26. Unholy Hearts
27. Betrayal
28. To Be a Black Blade
29. Blood of Kaos
30. Taken
31. Odd Turns
Also by Nesa Miller
Note from the Author
Flesh and Bone
Excerpt from Flesh and Bone
About the Author
Copyright © 2018 Nesa Miller
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Visit the author’s website at www.ladyofkaos.com.
Cover Design: Amy Queau – Q Designs
Formatting by Serendipity Formatting:
https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityFormatting/
First Edition
ISBN-13: 978-1981939183
To my Daniel, your love and support continue
to lift me up
Acknowledgments
A special thank you to –
Meredith – your guiding light and encouragement keep me on the right path.
Kim Young – your editing expertise gives my work that professional edge
https://www.facebook.com/KimsFictionEditingServices
Anna Johnstone – my final eyes before releasing my genius into the world
http://www.annaproofing.co.uk/
Amy Queau of Q Design – you wrap it all up with your beautiful work
http://qcoverdesign.com/
Erica Alexander of Serendipity Formatting – you make the inside as beautiful as the outside
https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityFormatting/
Daniel Palfrey - your beautiful chapter rose design is an exquisite addition to the interior of DreamReaper. You are a talented artist! I’m thankful for your friendship and for allowing me the privilege of displaying your work within my work.
Thank you to my beta readers and friends who have advised and provided their invaluable assistance. Special thanks to Derek Barton (https://rivyen.wordpress.com/) and Ingrid Hall for your invaluable help along the way!
1
Jackie P
Flashes of light sparkled in the dark, like cameras shooting at a concert. Problem was…this was a bar and the lights weren’t from cameras. The stage did have lights that were used when local bands played, but they were nothing like what Jackie P. was seeing now. These were too random and sparkled in places where they shouldn’t. She was dead sure she heard footsteps…and breathing that wasn’t her own.
She’d inherited the bar from a favorite uncle upon his passing. Living in Texas, she’d never worked in a bar, nor had she ever wanted to, and had no idea what it entailed. However, thinking it was time for a change, she decided to keep the bar rather than sell, packed up her things, and moved to L.A. Life had been a crash course ever since.
Jackie ducked behind the bar and inched her way to the end, doing her best to be as quiet as possible. She sucked in her breath, smoothed back a few stray auburn curls that had come loose from her ponytail, and focused on what she’d learned in defense class the day before.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
She bit down on her lower lip.
Idiot, that’s Mohammed Ali, not Master Kaosu.
Still, the words helped lower her rattled nerves to a low hum.
Approaching footsteps scattered her thoughts. Her lips moved in silent prayer as she dared to peek around the corner of the bar…one whisky-colored eye then the other. She snapped back out of sight, whispering, “I will not scream. I will not faint.” She felt her heart banging in her chest, certain it could be heard three blocks down the street.
The bar was closed. She’d personally locked the doors after her staff had gone home. Was there an open window she hadn’t noticed? No, she had explored every corner of the place in the past few months since becoming the new owner, knew it better than her own home. Hell, she spent more time here than at home.
Why the break-in? The night had been a slow one, so there wasn’t much cash on site. What do they want? She looked above her head at the glass shelves of bottles prettily displayed along the back of the bar. Surely, they aren’t that desperate.
Jackie reached for her handgun tucked under the bar, carefully flipped the safety, and held it close to her chest. After the count of three, she pushed up from her crouched position, turning with the gun in the lead. The handsome face on the other side of the bar surprised her. Although her heart beat like a Neil Peart drum solo, her expression revealed nothing. She guessed him to be around six-foot-two, well over her own five-foot-ten, and admired the broad shoulders beneath a black pullover. Her gaze continued to his well-muscled arms encased in long sleeves, and down to the Smith and Wesson M&P9 in his left hand which was presently pointed at her head. A set of bright whites gleamed in the faint light.
Tall, dark, and lethal.
Jackie held her stance, a flush of anger making her scalp tingle. She knew that grin, had seen it many times at the shooting range, even admired it a time or two. The man ogled the pistol in her hand.
“Nighthawk Lady Hawk…” The laughing dark eyes slid up to meet hers. “Impressive. How does she handle?”
“Glad you asked.” She squeezed the trigger.
The arrogant smile wiped from his lips, he staggered back, raising his right hand to his chest, and aimed with his left. Jackie spun and ducked down just as the mirrored wall behind the bar exploded, destroying glass shelves, bottles, and hours of hard work. She covered her head with her arms as shards of tinkling glass rained down.
Another male voice yelled. “Kane! Stand down!”
Hearing a light scuffle, she scurried to the other end of the bar, hoping to make it to the nearby hallway for a quick exit out the concealed door in her office. As fate would have it, she found her way blocked by the muzzle of a Glock 19.
“I’m not as curious as my brother. Holster the gun.”
Jackie P. looked up into a pair of light-colored eyes, made even more remarkable by the dark skin of his face. While his resemblance to the other man was apparent, she knew he was the older of the two, more from his presence than his appearance, as both men were young. Older brothers tended to carry themselves differently. She raised her hands in supplication, standing up, slowly, and placed her Lady Hawk on the bar. Curious as to the resulting damage of her shot, she turned her head, finding the younger brother on his feet, a hole through his shirt, and a gla
re in his eyes.
Kevlar.
“I am Krz,” the light-eyed man said, turning her attention to him. He nodded toward the other man. “That’s my brother, Kane.” Suddenly, several other figures stepped into the light, all clad in black. “This is our clan. We are Haluci.”
Jackie didn’t try to hide her surprise this time or hold her tongue. “Clan?” She laughed, using her best rendition of a Scots accent. “Have we somehow been transported to bonny Scotland? Yer the darkest Highlanders I’ve ever laid me eyes on.”
Krz cracked a smile. “We’re not Highlanders, but my great-grandmother used to tell a story about an ancestor who came from the Highlands. She blamed him for the stubborn streak.” He actually laughed. “We should be in L.A. in a bar called The Bone.”
She eyed him from head to toe. “Right place. Wrong time. It was a slow night.”
He returned the scrutiny as he tucked away his weapon. “Do we look like thieves?”
Jackie shrugged. “Depends on what you’re looking to take.” Her gaze roamed over the clan again. “The Bone is a great bar and does a fair amount of business, but if you want to rob me, it doesn’t require all this artillery. That little pea-shooter your brother carries would probably do the job.”
Ignoring the snort from his brother, Krz continued to smile. “If we were here to rob you, Jackie…” He laughed at the look on her face, “we wouldn’t be talking.” He picked up her handgun, engaged the safety, and handed it back to her. “You’d be scratching your head, wondering what the hell just happened.”
She replaced the Lady Hawk in its holster under the bar. “Or you’d be scratching your ass with a stump.” Krz laughed again, not in the least intimidated by her tough talk. She glanced at Kane then back at Krz. “I’ve seen your brother at the shooting range, but we’ve not been introduced. Care to tell me how you know my name?”
Rubbing his chest, Kane stepped forward. “You’ve been highly recommended by Mr. Ian.”
“Mister…” Jackie had to think. She was sure she didn’t know a Mr. Ian, then it came to her… “Are you talking about the Aussie who owns the shooting range?” The gleam in Krz’s eye told her she was right. “Hmph. We’ll have to have a little chat next time I go for target practice.”
“Don’t be too harsh on the man. He’s just doing his job,” Krz said.
“Selling information?”
“Keeping an eye out for talent…and opportunities.”
Jackie’s gaze roamed around the room. “He can’t be one of yours. He doesn’t exactly blend in with your crew.”
“Clan,” he corrected. “He’s not of the Haluci clan, but he is our kind and quite the entrepreneur.” Krz pulled up a barstool and took a seat. “We’d like to make you a proposition, a business deal if you prefer. Something that should prove lucrative for you, as well as us.”
“I don’t know you,” Jackie said, reaching for her gun again. “I don’t know how you got in here, and I certainly don’t have any intentions of getting involved in gang business.” She shoved the gun in Krz’s face. “Get out.”
Ten loaded barrels glinted in the dim light, aimed at Jackie, Kane’s being the closest. She didn’t flinch or lower her weapon. Krz raised his hands, his eyes on Jackie. “We are not a gang. We are a clan.”
“I don’t give a shit if you’re the Jackson Five. Get out.”
“Not until we talk.”
Jackie released the safety. “Get…out.”
“Krz, this lady’s crazier than you,” Kane said. “We’ll find another portal, one that’s not as hostile.”
“No. It has to be here. The coordinates are perfect, and people coming and going at all hours won’t raise a lot of questions. We need this place.”
“Not if everyone has to worry about getting shot!”
Having watched the back and forth between the brothers, Jackie huffed. “What the hell are you talking about? Are more lights gonna flash out of nowhere?”
“There! See?” Kane nearly lost his shit, pointing his muzzle more enthusiastically at the woman. “How do you explain the lights to someone who has no clue who we are?”
His hands still in the air, Krz shrugged. “I’ll explain.”
“Explain what?” Jackie asked.
“That we are Alamir and your bar sits in a spot something akin to a black hole.”
“Honey, I’m forty-five, not four or five. Black holes only exist in space and, last I heard, they don’t have revolving doors where you come and go at will.”
“Akin to a black hole. It’s the simplest way to describe it without going all scientific on you.”
Jackie shook her head. “Scientific. Then let’s start with the Alamir part.”
“Now Jackie…” Krz gave her another toothy smile. “Why ask me to explain something you already know?”
She raised a brow. “Which is?”
“James Rhys.” Krz grinned, seeing the look on her face. “You two were involved…” He purposely paused for effect and almost giggled when her other brow lifted, “in business a few years ago.”
Her doubtful expression turned haughty. “Business that doesn’t concern you, or any of your kind.”
“My kind.” He gave her a cool eye, looking past the gun barrel in his face. “James did business with the Alamir.”
“What the hell do you want?” she asked.
“First, I’ll tell you what I don’t want, so maybe you’ll put away that piece. We’re not here to rob you or hurt you or your business.”
“You do realize there’s a live one in the chamber, right?”
Krz sighed, then looked at his brother. “Why don’t you get the job done while me and Jackie have a chat?”
“You sure, bro?”
“Yeah,” he turned back to her. “We’re going to come to an understanding.”
She watched the interaction between the brothers and eyed the rest of the clan tucking away their weapons, some already headed toward the exit.
“Like hell you are!” she yelled, dashing out from behind the bar, past Krz, running to cut them off. “You’re not leaving here to bring more back with you. I’m not having it!”
The clan stopped. Kane approached the crazy woman, empty hands held in front of him. “Lady, you really think we need backup to deal with you?” He laughed and snatched her gun while kicking her legs out from under her. In seconds, she was on her back, staring up at a circle of amused faces. Kane cleared the chamber, set the safety and handed the Lady Hawk to Krz. “You have a half-hour, bro. Don’t get shot.” Kane and the rest of the Haluci clan stepped around her and out the front door.
“Shall we have a civilized conversation now?” Krz offered her a hand up.
“If I thought saying ‘no’ would make you go away, I would.” Although she felt like a complete idiot, losing her gun and being manhandled on top of that, she accepted his hand but seeing the fool smile again grated on her nerves. Whether it was due to his irritating confidence or the fact she was starting to admire the man, she wasn’t sure, but if he thought she was going to go easy on him, he had another thing coming. She followed him to the bar and slid onto a stool as he stepped behind the counter. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Jackie shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”
“Surely not.” Krz laughed. Along the back, he found a couple glasses intact, wiped them down with a towel, placed them in front of Jackie, then groped beneath the bar, frowning. Jackie sat back and waited. Krz leaned back, squinted into the darkness at his feet, and reached in again. The smile returned.
“Aha! Never fails.” Krz came up with a bottle of thirty-year-old scotch. “Barmen always keep the best hidden for personal consumption.”
Jackie couldn’t help but grin. “Know your way around a bar, huh?”
He rocked the cork back and forth. “My grandda’s. He’d take me and Kane on Saturday mornings, give my folks a rest, and we’d clean that place from top to bottom.”
She raised a brow. “Kids cleaning a
bar? Wouldn’t you’d rather been outside, playing?”
Did the man ever stop grinning?
“Hell no! We couldn’t wait for Saturdays. It was the best fun we ever had…crawling on the floor, jumping up onto the bar, arranging all his pretty bottles, dancing and singing to music from the jukebox.” He poured three fingers worth into each glass. “By the way, sorry for the mess. My brother gets a little trigger happy when people shoot at him. We’ll make it right.” He lifted his glass, waiting for her. “To a future of stranger things.”
Although not one word had been discussed about this proposed business opportunity, Jackie’s gut instincts told her it was something worth considering. “You’re damn right you will.” She lifted her glass. “Skål.”
2
Laugharne
Home.
Looking out the lounge’s new bay windows, Etain smiled. After Midir’s impromptu visit, which had been the cause of the damage, it was good to see the place restored. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. That visit almost ended with Faux and herself dead. Thankfully, Dar had proven the better warrior, despite his brother’s underhanded attempts. Midir was no longer a concern.