“I have decided this place will revert to the former name of Demons End. Prince Koler and Prince Leroi will rule this place and make it thrive as it did before the well meaning ancestors of Tremble Island took control of this place. You have the backing of Tremble should the need arise.”
The demonic grins upon the faces of the Princes made Lion laugh. He might not like everything Koler had done, or even said for that matter, but the future of this place would be a bright one. The Princes of darkness would see to it.
Epilogue
Four months later:
Peter came running into the Hall yelling at the top of his lungs for everyone to come and hear something. Four adults followed the boy to the bank of the river and stood with various looks of amazement. Sitting in the middle of the water on a rock, was Aria. The beautiful sounds coming from her throat, gave even the hardened new cook at Demons End, cause to wipe the tears from his eyes. It had been years since Waller had enjoyed the song of a siren.
Her voice echoed along the small hills and attracted some of the villagers, and on the opposite bank of the river, there was a collection of shifters that paused in their pursuits to listen to the sweet clear voice coming from the young girl. When her song was finished, she noticed her audience was clapping their hands and begging for more. She shook her head, and looked for her friend, Peter. He was standing with his friend, Waller, and kept the grin on his face when she stuck her tongue out at him. The crowd laughed, but she swam to the shore where Wensel and her mates stood waiting for her.
*****
The Lords’ Lion and Nord watched as the greatest dual natured Army that had ever been assembled on the Island file into the large meeting room. This meeting would determine which Hall of Care they needed to sort out next. So far three of the Halls had been sorted out.
Of the Twelve Halls of Care on the Island of Tremble, six had fallen into the hands of evil and self-entitled overlords and their minions. The city of Tremble was still being overrun by refugees from the remaining three Halls and something must be done, and done soon. There were beings standing idle on a daily basis, and that could not be allowed to continue.
Repatriating citizens from the newly named and re-established three Halls had become absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, the refugees had become so comfortable at Tremble that they refused to give up their new and better circumstances to return to their homelands to start their lives over yet again. Lord Lion had been forced to issue an edict that there would be no more refugees allowed to establish businesses nor intermarry with the citizens of the city of Tremble, unless the citizens understood they would be forced to leave the city once their new spouse’s homelands became secure for them to return.
The remaining three Halls that needed securing must be done soon. After they were re-established, Lord Tremble had plans to send beings to every Hall of Care, Emissaries of sorts, to ensure this kind of thing would never happen again. To have virtually half of the Halls being run by despots and cruel overlords was inexcusable. Now they would be dealt with, and the refugees would be forced to go home and take what they had learned at Tremble to improve each Hall and its citizens’ needs.
Trundle, Mouse, Wolf, and Spike, along with ten others sat in on the meeting. Unfortunately, the remaining three Halls were at three separate ends of the Island, and that would be stretching the Army of Tremble too thin to separate into three groups. They would need to go directly from one to the other, in a triangular map of the Island.
They would decide which Hall to strike first today. The journey would be long no matter which Hall was chosen. On the plus side, they now had an elite segment of the Army. They were organized and loyal to the death. They were trained to fight and use their instincts and assess a particular situation before rushing headlong into battle. They were called the Amazon Army of Tremble, and they were lethal to their enemies.
The map that was presented had several new additions that had been discovered over the past few years. Each time a village or Hall was taken, a mapmaker was sent to chronicle the terrain. So far, the cartographers had been working from the middle of the Island leaving the coastlines yet to be chronicled. After the next Halls were taken, the mapping would be completed.
It was decided the Hall of Care called Frostline, located in the mountainous, most northern spot on the Island, would be the next target. The decision had been based on the number of refugees and length of the journey to get there.
Spike suggested the refugees from each Hall begin the journey back to their homelands within two weeks of Tremble’s forces leaving to retake the Halls. That way, repatriating the people would take weeks, not months to complete. The laden wagons and families could wait outside the Hall’s scope in camps until they were given the all clear. It would cut down on idle beings because all hands would be needed to take care of their people. This idea was met with a resounding acceptance. That would certainly help the city of Tremble.
The plans would need to be tightened up, but Lion knew he could count on his trusted advisors. To the north they would go.
Books by Lynn Ray Lewis
Published with JK Publishing, Inc.:
Tremble Island Lords and Ladies
Rane’s Giant
Hawk’s Nest
Demons End
Book Four Coming Soon
The Guardians
I Waited For You – Book One
Book Two – Coming Soon
Hade’s Temple
A Place for Her
Single Titles
Edna’s Heart (in the Cowboys and Candy Anthology)
Regina’s Men
Published with other publishing companies:
At the Lake Series
Dizzy’s Story
Jane’s Story
Morgan’s Story
Single Titles:
The Elusive Jillian Wilson
Not Bad for an Amateur
I would love to hear from you!
Email: [email protected]
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Website: http://lrlnovels.com
Excerpt from Regina’s Men
by Lynn Ray Lewis
Gena was feeling like shit. The company she worked for just downsized again and she was included in this wave of layoffs.
So here she was once again telling Ollie her troubles.
“It’s just like old times when I had a problem I unloaded on you and it all seemed so much better after we talked. Only difference is that you cannot help me deal with a bully or a bitchy girl. I have enough money saved for the next three months, and it’s the soup line for me.”
Ollie looked at her sweet cousin. She never regretted taking the girl in and helping her through those awkward teenage years and college. Gena had finally blossomed into a beautiful young woman and Ollie was proud of her. Her stringy dark blonde hair was now beautiful and highlighted naturally with streaks of light blonde and those awful thick glasses were replaced with Lasik surgery so her large green eyes were clearly visible and the braces were long gone too. Gena now had a white toothed smile with no overbite.
Her body had not gotten slender, but it had gotten taller and reapportioned itself into a generous hourglass figure. She was almost twenty-four years old and simply beautiful. Ollie loved her no matter what.
“Well I have some news, it is better than yours but I know you will be tickled to death about it anyway.” Ollie grinned at her.
Gena finally left her self-hostessed pity party and really looked at Ollie. The pretty redhead actually glowed with happiness and Gena took a wild guess. “Who finally got you to fall in love with him? I can see it in your eyes. Oh boy, this is wonderful.” Gena practically squealed the last few words when Ollie started nodding her head. “Tell me, tell me everything.”
Over boxes of Chinese takeout and two bottles of wine, the girls discussed Ollie’s new man. “He is six foot three around two hundred pounds and has the most unbelievable muscles. I love to lo
ok into his brown eyes and he accepts the no vaginal sex till we are married rule. I still can’t believe it. After all these years hoping to find a guy that I can respect and love.”
Ollie was lost in her thoughts again so Gena laughed at her dear cousin.
“Oh, Ollie, I am so happy for you. So when are you getting married? And when do I get to meet him?”
Ollie told her, “His name is Wesley Bradshaw. He is thirty years old and I love him so much it frightens me. I met him at that club downtown, you know the one I told you about that you have to sign a confidentiality contract before they ever let you in the door?”
Gena couldn’t believe her lovely cousin had finally found the man she loved, let alone found him in a private kink club. Ollie had offered to take Gena to the club sometime but Gena was still afraid she might embarrass Ollie by staring at women and men in various states of undress doing some of the things she had already witnessed Ollie doing in her bedroom with men over the years.
Ollie didn’t wait for Gena to say yes or no, she was still in the throes of thinking about her handsome husband-to-be. “Wesley owns a company that manufactures some kind of patented doodad or thingamagiggy for cars. I actually have no idea what it is, all I know is that he makes a lot of money and that he can hold a conversation that doesn’t include two references to a sex act in each sentence.
Excerpt from A Place for Her
Hades Temple Book One
by Lynn Ray Lewis
As Ventura walked into the building that her father helped build, she tried to feel a sense of pride. Not an ounce would come to her call. She didn’t remember the place at all. She told herself it was just as well she had no emotional ties to the company. Obviously, the building had been redecorated and refitted several times over the last twenty years. Everything was sleekly modern and shiny. Even the reception desk was new, and the receptionist was a man who tried to stop her from entering the elevator to get to the fourth floor.
While he was busy with her attorney, she looked around the main floor and reception area. If she planned to keep the business, which she was not, she would tighten up the wasted spaces. There would be a wall dividing the cavernous reception room, and workers on the other side of that wall. From what she had read about the company, Kenneth wanted to expand the building to accommodate another twenty computer operators and various vague job descriptions for expansion. She could see a great deal of improvement would remove the need for expansion.
Finally, her lawyer gave up attempting to explain their presence to the young man and began walking to the elevator. Her personal bodyguard for today was highly recommended by Thom Crandall. When she was introduced to him, she had to stop from fanning herself. The man was hot with a giant H. She guessed him to be well over six feet tall, with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She had never actually met a man with eyes that color before. His were almost a dark golden color framed by thick dark brown lashes. She wanted to see him smile, but he wasn’t cooperating. He was all business. One thing was for certain, he filled out his expensive suit really well. Yes indeed, Thornton Trebor was the kind of man to make a woman dream about cool sheets and hot sex.
Thorn followed her closely. She felt his presence and probably should have felt intimidated, but all she felt was security. Fred Barbarino was talking on his cell phone telling the person on the other end to send four security people to Burnside to take over and help make the transition run smoothly. “I want two on the main floor, and the first thing you tell them to do is remove the receptionist. The man is too ignorant to believe. Tell Jonathon to take over the network now. Tell Ralph to make certain no documents leave the building, I don’t care if it is Kenneth Burns himself. No documents are to be taken off the premises. Search anyone leaving, purses, briefcases, anything.” He listened for a moment and made a disgusted noise, “What about the words “no one” is so hard to understand? I have given the two men in front of the building instructions already. We need two more men to cover the back exit of the building.”
When Fred noticed there were no up and down buttons, only a key-card slot, he lost his temper. He yelled into the phone, “You tell Jonathon to get this fucking elevator to open right now or he will be working in a deep basement the next time anyone hears from him.”
Within seconds the elevator doors slid silently open. Fred and Thorn waited for Ventura to get inside before they joined her. Within seconds they were at the top floor. The doors swished open and they stepped into the executive floor of Burnside Corporation. The reception area was decorated in soothing, tan colored wallpaper. The executive secretary was attempting to make a phone call, but the phones weren’t working. Her long red fingernails kept punching the buttons as if they would suddenly begin to work from sheer force of will. Her beautifully made up face couldn’t hide the petulant expression she made no effort to change. When she spied Thorn, the sudden interest in her eyes caused her to smile widely and address him.
“Can I help you?” She actually stood to greet him with her hand held out in front of her body.
Ventura wanted to smack the brazen bitch. How dare she try to fascinate Thorn. He was hers, well, he was when he was with her. She walked up to the woman and took her hand. “I am Ventura Sidewell, and you are?”
Miss redhead was one Lana Banes, executive secretary to Mr. Kenneth Burns. “He is not here today, and is not taking any calls. I can give him a message if you like. Or we can make an appointment for you to meet with him next week. Mr. Burns is a very busy man you know.”
Excerpt from A Dragon’s Heart
Templar Guard Book One
by Jana Leigh and Willow Brooke
The men gathered in the room where they knew they could speak freely. Up until now, they had let the humans think they could watch them whenever they chose to. It amused them, a game if you will.
Drakk, as only his friends called him, stood at the front, his men either leaning against the wall, or sitting in the chairs. Being their leader meant everything to him. They were family, and that meant everything to a dragon, there were so few of them to begin with.
“So last night, Trevor Langston IV decided he was going to inform us the testing of our powers would begin next week. We have never been asked to show them what we can do, and frankly they don’t need to know,” Drakk said.
The second oldest, his right hand man, and the arrogant playboy of the group, Daganth, or Dag for short said, “Why do you think they are wondering about our powers now?”
“‘Cause we are perfect and strange beings?” the youngest dragon, Jexual asked. He was the comedian, keeping their moods from clashing with each other.
“Because we are obviously more intelligent,” Brakton said.
“Oh I know, because we’re vicious scary beasts who they are trying to control in order to take over the world, and make cool little minions in our name. Making us omnipotent,” Xavier said.
Drakk rolled his eyes. “Guys, think. Seriously, I don’t care why they are taking interest now, but they are. That was our rule when we started this, we would not be used. So, when are we leaving? I think we should find caves by the ocean. Lazing our days away with a view. I am a little sick of all the interaction they insist on anyway. I have my cave still in the mountains, I could go there, but the cold seems a bit much these days.”
“Hell yeah,” Dag laughed and rubbed his hands. “I have always wanted to see the babes on the beaches do the topless thing. I have seen pictures.” His eyebrows wagged suggestively, showing his ornery playboy nature.
They talked around the room and he shook his head as he listened to them argue about where they were going. Not one of them worried about how the hell they were going to get out of there. Because basically, there was never a question of whether they could hold them there. The fact of the matter was—they couldn’t. Drakk was one of the oldest dragons on earth, and because of that, he had matured into his powers. His gold scales revealed in their kind that he was one of the elite and the wisest drag
on.
Drakk kinda hated the title; it seemed like a lot of work if you asked him. Taking these men under his wings had been more than enough. At the time, Drakk had been alone, and now he had a family. If someone tried to hurt them, there would be hell to pay.
He looked around, disgusted at the unacceptable conditions the humans had given. The room was old and tattered, with plumbing overhead and industrial pipes and beams lining along the walls. The miniscule humans looked at them as an inferior species, when in fact they were an inferior race. With little information given, and the plans to keep it that way, their new dilemma was to find an escape route without drawing attention. Whatever the government was up to, they could not get their hands on the power of the dragons.
“You all are losing sight of the problem at hand. We need to come up with a way to get out of here before you go making vacation plans. Most of the security here we can override without them having a clue. The motion alarms are our only real obstacle. Without using magic, even if we go invisible, we can’t avoid setting them off.”
“Why do you insist we refrain from using magic? It is ours. They could never stand a chance against us even if they tried. One dragon could wipe out the whole country if desired,” Peyon exclaimed annoyed.
“Do you not realize the scientific technology they have created? Things have changed tremendously in the past three centuries. Without us knowing exactly how advanced they are, it is a risk we can’t take,” Drakk shot back.
“Drakk is right. It is best to avoid any confrontation with them for now. We know they have discovered the celestial cave, and are close to figuring out how to enter past the wards. If they do, they will know our one and only weakness. That is a major problem.” Brakton shifted his weight, still uncomfortable and hating being in human form. The others didn’t seem to mind being reduced to a puny little helpless shell, but he did. He was a dragon for shit’s sake. Magic in human form or not, it didn’t compare to that of his dragon. Brakton hadn’t been himself since being made to stay in this hideous form.
Demons End (Tremble Island) Page 13