ECLIPSE OF THE WARRIOR
The Interdimensional Saga, Book 1
J.L. Hendricks
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright (c) 2016 J.L. Hendricks
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
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Cover Design by Michael Anderle
Cover Font by Dawnya Goode
First Edition April, 2016
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2016 J.L. Hendricks
For Michael Anderle
Who showed me what I could do if I just tried
This book is part of a series and best read in the following order:
Book 1 – Eclipse of the Warrior
Book 2 – Eclipse of the Soul – scheduled for release late April, 2016
Book 3 – The Eclipse of Power – scheduled for release early May, 2016
Book 4 – TBD – scheduled for release late May, 2016
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Author’s Notes
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 – Book 2
Chapter 2 – Book 2
Prologue
I couldn’t believe my eyes; I blinked them twice to make sure it wasn’t the smog messing me up. The group of guys in front of me had to be going to a costume party, or coming from the Comic-Con that was in town this week.
Or maybe, they just finished filming a scene for an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster?
I tried to get a little closer to see the make-up they were wearing to go with their incredible clothes. They had to be on a movie shoot, no average joe was going to be wearing those black ops warrior clothes, even on the streets of L.A.
I strained to sneak a look around without anyone catching me. I hate the thought of someone thinking I’m a stalker.
Even if that was exactly what I was doing at the moment.
Finding no movie trucks I mumbled,” They must be going to a movie set.” Then blushed hoping no one caught me talking to myself.
My curiosity was going to do me in some day, but I just had to follow them. I thought it would be fun to watch a midnight film shoot in the streets of Los Angeles.
Oh, how so very wrong I was…
Chapter 1
Earlier That Day In Los Angeles, CA
“DeeDee, I just got out of my interview!” I called my best friend DeeDee as soon as I left the building to share my great news.
“B’Lana, that’s great! How did it go?
“It went for almost three hours! Can you believe it?” I was very excited about how well the interview went.
“I take it that means it was a really good interview. But B, I don’t want you to move to L.A. I wouldn’t see you very often, and it’s a long drive from L.A. to Riverside.” DeeDee lived in Riverside and we had been best friends for most of our lives, always living close to each other. Well, except for right after college.
“I’m sorry DeeDee, but this job is everything I want, including the salary and benefits. It has taken me almost 5 months to get an interview like this.” This job was offering me 6 figures plus all of the benefits I had at my last job. I couldn’t turn down an offer like that.
“You know you would have already had a job if you weren’t so picky about title and pay.” DeeDee sounded a bit snarky, but I laughed anyway.
“Yes, but it would have been a $30,000 pay cut and less benefits. You try taking a pay cut like that and see how well you live, even in Riverside.” I returned her snarkiness with a bit of my own and then laughed along with her while she begrudgingly agreed that a $30,000 pay cut was too much to take. Even if it meant living near her.
“I just know I am going to get this job. It’s everything I want, except for the location. They told me I was on the top of their list right now but they have two more candidates to interview, can you believe it? I really do hope I get this job!” I had graduated from college eight years earlier and felt that my last two jobs were just placeholders while waiting for this one chance to advance my career by years.
“B, that’s great! Congrats on a wonderful interview. I hope you get it too. But gone will be our late night chats if you do. Since you will have to be up so stinkin’ early every morning just to commute to L.A., ugh! You will still live in Yorba Linda, right?”
“Of course I will. I hated living in L.A. last time I worked here. The smog is horrible in the city.” I was remembering how often I woke up gagging on the smog when I lived there last. After college I couldn’t be too picky about where I worked so I accepted the first decent job, and it was of course, in L.A. DeeDee and I saw very little of each other back then. So I looked for a job in Orange County as soon as I could.
“B, looks like you are going to miss the earlier showing of the new vampire romance movie. I guess you will have to catch the 7:50 showing, but that gives you time to eat a nice dinner, right?” DeeDee was so jealous that I was seeing the latest vampire flick without her, but I knew I would see it again with her since we always watch the paranormal or supernatural shows that come out.
“Of course, I am sooo gonna have a steak dinner instead of movie theatre hot dogs. Remember that steak house we went to before I moved to the O.C?”
“Yeah, that was a great steak. I guess I could come visit you after work and we can do dinner there once a month, like before.”
“That my friend, sounds like a great plan. I’ll call you after the movie and let you know how it is.” I continued to chat about my interview while I walked to the restaurant. And then I said goodbye to my friend.
___________
Downtown Los Angeles, California
A group of five males stood inside a meeting room of a non-descript warehouse in Downtown L.A., not too far from skid row. They were discussing fighting techniques and how they each had taken down their enemies in the past week.
Just then a very good looking middle aged male walked into the room commanding everyone’s attention. He was over six feet tall and was dressed in the same black leather gear as the other warriors in the room.
He had long blond hair that came down to his shoulders, which was covering up the secret about what he really was. His eyes were sometimes as blue as the ocean, but right now they were more of a steely blue-gray showing his impatience.
“Gentlemen, please be quiet and take a seat. We need to get started with this meeting or we will be here all night long discussing our prowess in the field.” Their Commander said as his warriors took their seats around a long, wooden table that seated ten.
“However, we have more important things to discuss. Like how the enemy keeps grabbing humans right in the middle of the street and no one sees a thing!” The Commander said as he pounded his fist on the table.
“We n
eed to up our patrols of the city every night and figure out how they are grabbing their victims and leaving no evidence, besides blood.”
Lancer, the leader of the squad, stood up and looked right at the commander as he said, “Sir, we have gathered intelligence from the local police but they are even more clueless than we are. We at least noticed that there were a few blood spots in the areas where the humans were reported to be seen last.”
“But we still aren’t able to find their lair, or how they are disappearing without anyone seeing which way they went.” Lancer said while running his hand through his black hair, which ended just below his jacket collar.
It seemed all of the males in this room wore their hair a bit longer. While the color of their hair varied from one warrior to the next, they all had hair that went just past their jacket collars. And none of them wore their hair tied back. Almost as though it was cut to regulations, but not any standard military regulations.
This meeting went on for several more hours. Once they finally finished everything on their agenda it was after 10PM. They decided they needed to get outside and start patrolling the streets to make sure no more humans disappeared.
This time they would start in a grid pattern and search alleyways for any indication of possible tunnels to underground hideouts. They decided the enemy must be hiding under ground since they have not uncovered anything above ground in the surrounding two mile radius.
Two blocks away a young woman was exiting the movie theatre on her way to what would change her life forever…
____________
2 Blocks From The Warehouse
As I walked out of the movie, I texted DeeDee that I just got out of the movie and it was not anywhere near the quality of what we usually watch. I felt she would be disappointed in the plot and the lack of other paranormal or supernatural creatures that usually play in our favorite movies. I told her that we could talk about it the next day.
While I was walking back to my car, which was parked about 6 blocks away, I noticed a group of guys walking across the street. They looked strange, but I couldn’t be sure since it was so dark outside and the light from the streetlights was not very bright.
So I did what any normal girl would do, I called my best friend to chat about it.
“DeeDee, you aren’t going to believe what I am looking at right now!”
“What? Do you see a movie star? Ooohhhh, is Chris Hemsworth there? I loved him in Thor and can’t wait for the next movie!” DeeDee sighed, while dreamily picturing Chris Hemsworth in his Thor costume.
“No, silly. I see a group of seriously hot guys, like models or actors, in costume or something. I’m not sure if they are heading to a party or a movie set.”
“Well, don’t just stand there, follow them!”
“Yeah right, like a stalker?”
“Of course you’re not a stalker. You’re just curious about their costumes and if they’re part of a movie shoot or something, right?” Of course DeeDee started laughing after she said that, which only made me feel more stalkerish.
“Ok DeeDee, I’m gonna check them out.”
“Make sure to send me photos of them too” DeeDee chuckled.
Later I would decide that it was all DeeDee’s fault that I was messed up in a crazy new world.
I crossed the street so that I was in front of them. When I came up to the corner at the next intersection, I stopped and looked into the window of the business on my right. The guys were talking in low voices about the meeting they just exited and none of it made much sense to me. I wondered why they were calling people humans. Then I got a better look at them and wondered if they were human.
One of the guys was so handsome, he reminded me of a fae warrior from a movie I had recently seen with Orlando Bloom. Yes, he looked a lot like Orlando Bloom, I thought as I almost tripped on the broken sidewalk.
“Yikes!” I said a bit too loud to no one in particular. Oh how embarrassing. I sure hoped no one saw me almost fall while I was ogling those guys. I was even wearing my favorite black Skechers with my most comfortable blue jeans and a black Star Wars shirt, so there was no excuse for tripping.
I thought he must be in costume as he had pointy ears and was prettier than any man I had ever seen, in person or on screen. In fairy tales, weren’t all fae warriors better looking than any other creature? Is he an actor, I wondered to myself.
Then I got a good look at the rest of the guys he was with, they were all dressed up in black leather, like some kind of black ops warriors. So I thought they must have been going to a costume party, or were they from a film set? I was in Los Angeles after all. Hollywood filmed all over the city on a regular basis.
These guys were extremely good looking. Man I could not stop thinking about how good looking they were, DeeDee would be making fun of me right about now if she were here with me. She would probably say something along the lines of, “You know B, McHotty’s have hearts too. You shouldn’t just be concerned with their bodies, what about their minds?” Then we would bust up laughing and continue talking about their physical assets.
Aaaahhh, if only DeeDee had come to meet me for dinner and a movie after my interview. This would be so much more fun if she were here. I silently mused.
Maybe it was a photo shoot with hunky male models? What about that Comic-Con that was going on at the convention center? I let them enter the crosswalk before I slowly followed them. I hoped I might get to watch either a movie being filmed, or some crazy photo shoot.
Wouldn’t DeeDee just love a bunch of photos from some crazy new male cologne photo shoot or, something. I thought to myself as I continued to follow them down the street.
There were 5 guys in total, the first one I noticed had caramel colored skin with long, dark brown hair that fell in waves to the man’s shoulders. Oh, how I wanted to run my fingers through that gorgeous mane of hair! While I couldn’t get a good enough look at his face, he appeared to be about 23? He was a little young for me. “Momma didn’t raise no cougar!” I quipped.
Well, maybe for him I would consider it…
His friends all looked young as well, ranging from maybe 18 to 24. When they walked under a bright street light I noticed they all had pointy ears and were carrying weapons.
One had what looked to be a katana sword. The McHotty I noticed earlier had two swords strapped to his back that were curved. And the other three had long knives attached to their belts. Two looked to also have guns under their black jackets, but I couldn’t be sure that was what those bulge’s were.
“Hmm, this seems a little strange, even for a photo or movie shoot. Where are the wardrobe people, other actors, or even a director?” As I whispered that I realized I really needed to stop talking to myself. Even if I am in L.A. people are going to wonder about my sanity.
All the guys wore black combat boots, not strange since this was L.A., but they all were wearing tight, black leather pants and each had a different type of black leather jacket. What kind of photo shoot were these models heading to? Or was it a movie shoot? I really needed to figure this out.
I kept following them, even after they passed where I parked my car. I decided that I really wanted to see what they were up to. And I still needed to get a photo to send to DeeDee.
All 5 guys turned down an alley, so I peeked around the corner hoping to see what they were up to. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first. If this was a film set, where was the director or the crew members? That is when I realized I made a huge mistake following these guys…
In the alley waiting for the 5 “fae warriors” as I called them, were 7 beings that could only be described as vampires! A cold feeling started to creep up my back as I realized that I needed to get out of there, and quick.
I made the mistake of letting out a yelp before putting a hand over my mouth to keep quiet. But it was too late; one of the vampires noticed me and grabbed me before I had a chance to get away from the alley.
As he was grabbing my left arm I wondered how h
e made it over to me so quickly, he had to have been at least one hundred yards away when he first saw me.
I swear DeeDee is gonna pay for talking me into following these guys! I thought as the vampire dragged me further into the alley.
“Let me go, I swear I don’t know anything about what you guys are doing and I didn’t see any faces. I promise I won’t say a thing to the police!” I said while trying to keep from looking straight into the face of my captor.
“I don’t care if you saw anything, I saw you. Don’t you want to play? Aren’t I prettier than those white hats you followed in here?” The vampire whispered into my ear.
I took that to mean he was not going to let me go. So I did what any Southern California girl was taught to do, I smashed my knee into his family jewels so hard he actually bent over gasping. “I don’t care what you want; I don’t want to be a part of this fight so leave me ALONE!!!” I yelled as I pushed away from him.
As I pulled my arm out of his grip, his grotesquely long fingernails scratched my biceps and drew a little blood.
I tried to run away but he seemed to recover more quickly than any normal human male should have after a hit between his legs.
“Ah, ah, ah, you my dear are going to be my midnight snack.” He said while he slowly licked my blood off his fingers.
“What are you? A vampire?” I couldn’t think what this guy could be, other than a bloodsucking demon of the night. I really wished that all of those vampire books and movies would have prepared me for this.
“Ha, ha, ha, you really think I am some vampire like your romance fantasy novels? Do I look like I shimmer? Do I feel cold to you? NO, I am not what you humans call a ‘vampire’! I am something much more, I am….umph.”
While he was going on about today’s vampire novels and savoring my blood, I took that opportunity to find a weapon. I hit him right in the face with an old 2” x 4” piece of wood that had several long, rusty nails sticking out of it.
Eclipse of the Warrior: The Interdimensional Saga (Book 1) Page 1