by J. R. Rain
“Yes, I imagine so.”
“Why am I connected to the medallions?”
“I don’t know, Sam, but I suspect it’s a combination of many things.”
“What things?”
“The vampire who first created you, for one. He was one of the oldest...and perhaps even one of the most powerful.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Knowledge and power is always transferred through blood, Samantha. It is the carrier of all information, all knowledge. Have you not noticed that those around you, and those blood-related to you, are growing in power?”
“Yes.”
“He infused you with his own knowledge, his own power. Sam, you have abilities you’ve not yet tapped into.”
“I don’t want them. I just want to be normal.”
“That might still be possible.”
I looked at him sharply. “What do you mean?”
He picked up the medallions. “I created these medallions, Samantha, to help someone like you find normalcy again.”
“But they also do unspeakable harm,” I said.
He nodded sadly. “There was an unforeseen consequence of the medallions, I’ll admit.”
“As long as they are in existence, my son will always be in danger.”
“I cannot deny that, Sam. At least, if all four are in existence. However, they can also give back the normalcy you seek.”
“So, my two choices are either normalcy for me or danger to my son.”
He nodded once.
“That’s not an acceptable option to me,” I said.
“Then destroy one, Samantha Moon, and the medallions can never again be used for evil.”
I nodded. I had been thinking the same thing. I touched the opal medallion. “What will this one do?” I asked.
“That one will remove your need to feast on blood.”
“And the fourth medallion, the one that hangs from Fang’s neck?”
Archibald Maximus, the young-looking guy with the old man’s name, nodded. “Yes...the diamond medallion.”
“What will it do?”
“A very interesting medallion, indeed.”
I waited. Seagulls circled high above. Something small and undoubtedly furry scurried in the brush at the edge of the dome.
“If you’ll recall, the ruby medallion reversed vampirism within your son.”
I nodded. “Mostly.”
He smiled. “The amethyst medallion gave you the ability to exist in the sun.”
“Mostly.”
“The opal medallion would remove your need for blood.”
“We’ll see.”
“The diamond medallion grants the user, in effect, all three.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once the diamond medallion is invoked, Samantha, one would have all the powers of the vampire, without the shortcomings. One would, in effect, have it all.”
“Immortality, too?” I asked.
He nodded. “And great power, great strength, everything you currently enjoy. Without that which you don’t. It is, in effect, the answer to your prayers.”
“Why make only one?” I asked.
He smiled sadly at me. “I only brought forth the medallions into the world, Samantha. Think of me as the potter. I did not create the clay, only the shape within. The energy was always here, waiting. I only gave it shape and form.”
“Can you create more?”
“So far, no. But with intent, all things are possible.”
“Meaning?”
“When something is wanted bad enough, the Universe answers the call.”
“So, for now, all that exists are the four medallions?”
“Yes, one of which is now infused within your son.”
“That sounds so weird,” I said.
“Life is a little weird, Sam. Beautiful but weird.”
“I cannot risk that another will come for me and my son,” I said.
“I understand.” He looked at me for a long moment. “You do understand that you can wear only one medallion.”
I hadn’t known that, but I did now. I nodded.
“You must choose one medallion, Sam.”
I thought of my options, and I thought of Fang. “I want these medallions destroyed,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Both of them?”
“Yes.”
“You are giving up the ability to go into the sun? To bypass the need for blood?”
“Yes,” I said. “For now. Besides, the sun is overrated. I’m really more of a night person. And, honestly, who really needs Chicken McNuggets, right?”
“You’re going to go after the fourth medallion,” said Archibald.
“You bet your ass,” I said.
He nodded.
“So, what do we do with these?” I asked, indicating the two medallions.
“It saddens the heart, but I shall destroy them. Admittedly, the harm they could cause was unforeseen.”
“How will you destroy them?”
“How strong are you, Sam?”
“Stronger than I look.”
He chuckled. “Of that I have no doubt. Yes, they are composed of gold and other alchemical materials. And like all alchemical artifacts, the spells within can be severed.”
“You want me to break the spell.”
“It has to be you, Sam.”
Still sitting on the smooth rock, as the sky slowly began lightening, I reached over and picked up the amethyst medallion.
“You’re sure about this, Sam? As soon as that medallion is broken, you will have only minutes to get back indoors. Your body will return to the day and night circadian rhythms of the vampire.”
“I understand,” I said. “For my son, I understand. And it’s far too late to use such big words.”
He chuckled lightly as I gripped the medallion in both hands.
And applied pressure. A lot of pressure.
Nothing happened at first—but then, suddenly, the medallion snapped in half, followed by what I was certain was a supernatural popping sound. Maximus winced slightly.
I did the same with the opal medallion, and soon four halves lay on the rock before me.
“It is done, Samantha Moon,” said Maximus. “Would you mind if I took these with me,” he said, indicating the four broken halves. “The metal is of use for other alchemical potions.”
“Knock yourself out,” I said. “But I do have one question.”
“Just one?” he asked.
“Okay, many. Why did you hide the medallion so deep in the cave?”
“It was meant to be a test.”
“A test?”
“Yes. The shipwreck was fortuitous in the sense that it gave me an opportunity to hide the medallion somewhere I’d previously not foreseen. Well, not entirely foreseen.”
“And to the world it appeared that a treasure had gone down with the ship?”
“Right,” he said.
“How would Conner Thurman know about the opal medallion?”
“Conner Thurman didn’t. The entity within him did.”
“Is that why they built this home on this island? To search for the medallion?”
“Part of the reason, I’m sure. Undoubtedly, they saw the seclusion here as a good thing, too.”
“How was I able to find the medallion and he didn’t?”
He smiled. “Because it was meant for you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Or, rather, it was meant for someone like you. Someone worthy. Someone strong. Someone who would bring some light into all of this craziness. Soon, Sam, dawn will break, and you no longer have protection from sunlight.”
“Are you coming with me?” I asked.
“No, Sam. I prefer to sit here and watch the sunrise.”
“Don’t rub it in,” I said, slapping his knee.
He smiled sadly. “Go, Sam. You don’t have much time.”
Indeed, I could already feel my body shutting down with the coming
of dawn. I got up and started moving across the domed rock. I looked back once and saw the Librarian now sitting cross-legged, his face lifted to the heavens.
Awaiting dawn.
For some reason, I found tears on my cheeks.
Not too long ago, I had seen my first dawn as a vampire. But now that ability was gone. It didn’t have to be, of course. I could have chosen it. Or chosen the opal medallion—and never again have been forced to consume filthy blood.
Now, as I turned back to the trail that would lead down to the bungalows, to where Kingsley and Allison slept, I thought of Fang.
How he had found the fourth medallion, I didn’t know.
Where he was, I didn’t know.
But I was going to find him.
One way or another.
The End
To be continued in:
Moon River
(Vampire for Hire #8)
Coming soon!
~~~~~
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Beginning in January, 2013
Walking Plague Trilogy
Book One: Zombie Patrol
Book Two: Zombie Rage
Book Three: Zombie Mountain
~~~~~
Available now!
A brand-new Samantha Moon short story:
Vampire Dreams
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
~~~~~
Samantha Moon is back for the holidays in:
Christmas Moon
Available now!
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
~~~~~
Read Fang’s backstory in:
Teeth: A Vampire for Hire Story
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
~~~~~
Also, Samantha Moon
stars in three other short story collections:
Vampire Nights
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
Vampire Blues
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
Halloween Moon
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
~~~~~
In paperback everywhere!
Samantha Moon
Check out the links to this beautiful trade paperback containing Moon Dance, Vampire Moon, American Vampire, Moon Child, Christmas Moon and “Vampire Dreams.” Available now!
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell’s Books
Books-A-Million
Wal-Mart
BenBella Books
And coming to bookstores soon:
Samantha Moon Rising
Containing: Vampire Dawn, Vampires Games, Moon Island and the short story “Teeth.”
~~~~~
Available now!
Temple of the Jaguar
with Aiden James
A lost city.
A beautiful archaeologist.
And one antiquities thief who is in way over his head.
Kindle * Kobo * Nook
~~~~~
Destiny of Coins
The Judas Chronicles
by Aiden James
William Barrow (AKA Judas Iscariot) is faced with recovering the silver coin he dreads above all others. Known as the “Singing Coin” among the ancients, this shekel was originally lost long ago…on the very night of Jesus Christ’s arrest in Jerusalem. Hoping to save it for last, until after the other twenty-nine coins are recovered, Viktor Kaslow’s recent designs for the coin thwart William’s plan.
A new murder spree has begun for the ruthless Kaslow, who races against William and the immortal Roderick Cooley to obtain the coin from a reclusive Essene sect residing in the Bolivian Andes. But unlike William and Kaslow’s previous confrontations, this one involves many more outside interests, since this coin contains unusual properties. If it falls into the wrong hands, the entire world will be brought to its trembling knees....
The stakes have never been higher for William, his family, and the welfare of mankind. To stop Kaslow, William must rely on the help of Roderick, Alistair, and a host of others—both mortal and immortal—to have any hope of reclaiming blood coin number twenty-four before time runs out.
Available now:
Amazon Kindle
~~~~~
After: The Shock
Book #1 in the AFTER Series
by Scott Nicholson
The first book in the AFTER post-apocalyptic thriller series from an international bestselling author.
A massive solar storm erases the world’s technological infrastructure and kills billions. While the remaining humans are struggling to adapt and survive, they notice that some among them have...changed.
Rachel Wheeler finds herself alone in the city, where violent survivors known as “Zapheads” roam the streets, killing and destroying. Her only hope is to reach the mountains, where her grandfather, a legendary survivalist, established a compound in preparation for Doomsday.
Other survivors are fleeing the city, but Zapheads aren’t the only danger. Rogue bands of military soldiers want to impose their own order in the crumbling ruins of civilization. When Rachel discovers a 10-year-old boy, she vows to care for him even at the risk of her own life.
And the Zapheads are evolving, developing communal skills even as they lay waste to the society they will eventually replace.
Available now:
Amazon or Nook
~~~~~
Loving Maya
Entwined Series
by H.T. Night
(read on for a sample)
As the days moved forward, there was no sign of Dave. I had to come to terms with the fact that Marcos had probably killed him, but in my heart, I held on. Dave was a phenomenal person and didn’t deserve to go out like that. I would always hold onto a glimmer of hope that he was still alive.
The other thing that was on my mind was Maya. She never seemed the same after that terrible night. I could only imagine the blood and gore she’d witnessed. It broke my heart that she was a part of all that. I never wanted her to become a part of my Carni world. We were too close. I told the guys we would never return to Marcos’s kennels. It was too risky and Marcos must have friends—when they realized that he and his pack were missing, they would probably seek revenge.
On this particular day, it had been exactly two months since that infamous night at Marcos’s kennel. I had to ask Maya what really happened. I was sure she’d told us most of the truth. I decided to ask the guys what they thought.
The guys were my pack: Eli, Evan, Steve, and Albert. We were at the ranch up north and the full moon was just a couple of hours away. We usually sat around the den, but tonight was going to be interesting. Why? Because it was raining. We would have no choice but to go out in the rain. I hoped we didn’t get sick. Twelve hours in the rain was rough on any human. We would be in our werewolf forms, so I hoped we’d be smart enough to seek shelter. Did werewolves even think about getting out of the rain? Tonight, we’d find out.
“You guys ever think about what happened at Marcos’s kennel?” I asked the group.
“What’s there to think about?” Eli said. “We were put to the test as a pack and we came out the victors.”
“Does it bother any of you that we killed a lot of men that night?”
“Sometimes you need to kill to save yourself,” Evan said. “If we didn’t get to them, they sure as hell would have killed us. Especially after they murdered Dave.”
“Did they murder Dave?”
“If they didn’t,” Evan said. “Then where the hell is he? He wouldn’t keep us in the dark this long.”
“You can’t let it bother you, Kyro,” Albert said. “It’s our way of life. If it’s not other werewolves that want to attack you, it will be the Mani.”
“Vampires kill us when we are in our human forms. This is the life you now lead.” Eli
was adamant about this.
“What do you guys think about Maya?” I asked.
“She’s hot,” Steve said.
“Too good for your ass,” Albert laughed.
“I’m not asking about her looks,” I said. “I’m referring to that night. Did any of you get the feeling she was leaving something out?”
Steve spoke up. “To be honest, I did.”
“Why don’t you just ask her what really happened?” Eli said as he stared at the rain outside. “This rain is going to suck. Hopefully, we’ll find shelter out there.”
“Do our werewolf instincts know to do that?” I asked.
“I forget you’re still a rookie when it comes to turning.” Albert laughed.
“Well, answer the question,” I said in a tone that sent the message that I was by no means messing around.
“The answer is yes,” Steve chimed in.
“Going back to what you were saying earlier,” Evan said. “You should sit your girlfriend down and just ask her plainly what happened. It couldn’t have been that easy. She painted a pretty rosy picture to us.”
“Didn’t she?” I agreed. “I haven’t confronted her because I was afraid of what I might hear, that it might be too much to bear.”
“Then that’s on you, if you fear the truth,” Albert said.
“I guess it is.” I decided to rest on the den’s couch and maybe get a nap in.
Available now:
Kindle or Nook
About the Author:
J.R. Rain is an ex-private investigator who now writes full-time in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in a small house on a small island with his small dog, Sadie, who has more energy than Robin Williams. Please visit him at www.jrrain.com.
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