by Janet Jones
They moved closer to the shoreline.
Talisen?
Hmm?
Physical pain will be considerably more intense than what you've been used to. I don't want it to surprise you.
She let her gaze fall for a moment, taking in the fragile blades of sea grass at her feet. She could see each little vein without squinting and hear a bird ruffling its wings in the tree twenty feet behind her. Exquisite. If all her senses were this acute, then naturally, she'd feel pain more intensely. She met Ellory's baleful gaze. I won't fail you.
I know.
She opened her senses and tested the wind. Phew! Can't smell anything but someone's garbage can.
Wrong kind of garbage. Remember what I told you about Dylan's signature scent?
Oh, right. Aloisia took him from a rubbish heap. He's close, then. Yes, I feel him.
And then suddenly he was there, less than ten feet away from her. Gross. He smelled like death, which was totally out of sync with the solid white jeans and white silk shirt he wore. His power filled the night. So much. So strong. How could they defeat him?
He laughed and hooked his thumbs in his pockets. “You've brought your newborn revenant along for the fun? How droll."
Ellory's voice was cool and even. “Dylan, this night is your last. Your life is forfeit on behalf of Freya, our queen, and Aloisia, our creator."
Dylan's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look any less smug. “Aloisia pined for her eternal rest. I helped her to it."
"You helped yourself to her blood."
He dismissed the charge with a wave of his hand. “What do you say we all call it a night before I have to hurt you? It's much too close to dawn for this sort of thing. Run along back to Neshi and tell him we'll play tomorrow night. Maybe he'll face me himself."
Talisen felt a zing of satisfaction. Dylan was afraid. He felt the dawn coming. An itchy sting flew up her spine. That was Ellory gathering his power, just like a lion preparing to spring at an intruder.
She moved closer to Dylan to keep his attention off of Ellory. This close, she could smell what Dylan had done to his most recent prey before drinking her dry. Bile rose in her stomach, and she swallowed against it. “You're scared."
Dylan's voice dropped to a lull. “You've turned out rather well. I didn't know Ellory had it in him. Not that I couldn't improve you.” He held out his hand. Lust flickered in his eyes, the kind that would hurt. “I can be gentle. You needn't fear me. Come. You can be mine."
Ellory struck his first blow, swift and clean. He was a blur of movement. That was probably the only chance at surprise they were going to get.
Dylan's mouth gaped like the hole in his gut. He cursed and bent double, clutching his stomach. When he straightened, he roared and stretched out his bloody fist, not at Ellory, but at Talisen.
Her left knee exploded under the leg of her jeans. She felt the ice-hot pain everywhere. For seconds, she waited to pass out. But revenants couldn't faint. She struggled to get control of herself. Ellory needed her. She had to fight the pain.
She lay flat on her back. High above her, Ellory was rocketing into the sky on Dylan's heels. She could rest for a moment, gather her strength. She closed her eyes tight and tried to isolate the pain, but that only drained her.
Talisen, move!
Her muscles jerked of their own accord in response to Ellory's command, and her body rolled aside before she realized what was happening. She cried out in agony over the sudden movement. Dylan fell out of the dark with bared teeth and slavering jaws. The force of his dive drove him into the earth and out of sight, right where she'd been laying seconds before.
Tears streamed down her face, and she reached down tentatively with her hand to feel for the damage. Her fingers came away wet and warm. She searched the skies overhead for Ellory. No sign of him. The beach was quiet, but for the rumble under the earth that told her Dylan was making his way to the surface again. She could feel the ground vibrate under her as Ellory tunneled along in Dylan's wake.
Dragging herself in the direction of the woods, she fought the excruciating throb in her knee. How much time did she have? Was it her imagination, or was the horizon a little lighter in the east?
Dylan broke from the ground in a whirlwind of dirt, heat and hatred. She propped herself against a tree and bent her concentration on latching onto him.
He dropped to his feet and stalked toward her. “I think I have just enough time to break every bone in your body before I kill you."
Talisen focused on him. She wouldn't have the strength to hold him for long.
He put out his hand as he approached her, and a bolt of blue fire leaped from his fingers and struck her other knee. The leg of her jeans tore along with her flesh and sinew. If she screamed, she didn't hear it over the roar in her ears.
Talisen, hang on. Hang on. Don't think of the pain.
Ellory? Warmth flooded her soul. Where are you?
About four feet below you.
She dug her fingers into the cold grass and dirt, opened her eyes, and settled her gaze on Dylan again. He was looking eastward. Yes, he felt time eluding him. This was the moment.
Yes! Ellory shouted inside her mind. Do it now.
Feeling the rush of Ellory's energy encompass her, Talisen reached for the compulsion the Alchemist had buried deep within her and unleashed it. She felt it leave her like the last of her breath going out of her and could hardly say the nonsense words the Alchemist had taught her.
If the words meant nothing to her, their meaning wasn't lost on Dylan. He spun around and glared at her with his eyes wide. “N-no...."
Talisen repeated it twice more before he struck her again. And again. While she listened to her bones crack and felt her blood spill, she chanted the words breathlessly. When the pain overtook her, she clung to the words. She could feel Dylan twisting in the grip of the invisible chain that bound him. She poured the last of her strength into it, all that the Alchemist had bestowed on her, and all that she could get from Ellory.
Blow after blow fell, while Dylan screamed, and she screamed, and the sun seemed trapped in the ocean. She clung to Dylan like a dead thing. It would be so easy to let go. She could hardly feel her hold on him. Had she let go of him already? She was so numb.
Voices rose around her. Whispers at first, they swelled into a sound like wind and rain. They took up the chant. Who were they?
Talisen, don't let go. We have help, but you have to hold him. Hold on.
Talisen opened her eyes and faced her enemy. He was down, finally. He writhed about six feet away from her, while the sky lightened from black to dark blue. The voices chanted on, harshly beautiful, like a choir of angels full of righteous wrath. Where were they coming from?
It didn't matter. She would let them take over.
Focus, Talisen. I know you hurt, but you must hold him.
She felt Ellory open his innermost being to her. He became a river of power that joined her own, and the two together were so strong, her body seemed too small to contain them. Light and energy swept through her body. She screamed as their combined power peaked and burst out of her.
It struck Dylan hard, spearing him to the ground. But still he struggled. He lifted his arm, even as his body began to smoke and swell at the first glimmer of the pink above the ocean horizon.
Ellory gasped inside her mind. Talisen, come to me. Now!
But her body wouldn't move. Too much damage. No strength left. She watched Dylan's death blow leave his putrid, crumbling body, could see every glistening spark of it as though it moved in slow motion. She whispered her love to Ellory. They'd be together again. Look for me.
No, Talisen! You will come to me!
She sensed him straining, churning the earth to get to her. But the sun.... “ELLORY! NOOOOO!"
The explosion stole her voice away. She was impaled on a torch. Someone cried out in agony, but it wasn't her. She didn't have any screams left. Her body seemed to fragment, even while a vice clamped over her ankle
and jerked her downward.
But it was too late. She could feel herself disintegrate. The earth devoured her.
* * * *
When the fist in her throat dissolved, Talisen sucked in a deep breath of air and groaned in the cool, damp darkness. For a moment she lay still and just breathed. No more pain? It was gone. She felt divine. Energy tingled through her body like quicksilver. Ellory....
His chest rose and fell under her cheek, and his muscled arm tightened around her. They lay skin to skin. But he felt so cold.
Then she remembered. “Oh, Ellory."
She felt for his charred arm, felt her way down to his blistered wrist and found—nothing. She nearly gagged. “Ellory ... your hand...."
His voice came in a shuddering gasp. “It'll grow back."
Tears stung her eyes. “You spent your strength healing me first, didn't you? Let me feed you."
He shook his head, then shook all over again and gritted his teeth. “A few hours from now, I'll be better, and you'll be stronger. You can replenish me then. And we'll go home when night falls again. Everyone is going to be all right."
She closed her eyes. “Except for Meical."
"He's tough. I taught him everything he knows."
Talisen drew a deep breath of soil-fragrant air and laid her head on Ellory's chest again. “I thought Dylan killed me. I felt my body explode."
"It did. But that was my doing, not his. I caught your ankle and pulled you down to me, while commanding your body to dematerialize. I've always heard it's possible for a vampire to do that with his revenant, but I wasn't sure it would work. And when it did, it was like holding your soul in one hand and a handful of sand in the other."
"You must have known what you were doing. Your Humpty Dumpty feels fine."
He gave her a gentle squeeze. “And I got everything in the right place."
"The people on the beach, Ellory, who were they? They knew the chant Neshi taught me and helped us bind Dylan."
"Ah. Blazek and the rest of our good-for-nothing Enclave apparently heard that Freya's revival was imminent and decided mending their ways was better than facing her with a charge of treason on their heads."
She listened to the rush and whoosh of his heart pumping the blood through his body. That was the lullaby she wanted to hear forever. There was only one thing she wanted more right now than to simply be in his arms. She needed to see to his sustenance. She felt the thrum of power from the Alchemist and from Ellory's recent healing surge through her.
"Ellory, I don't want to wait.” She moved against him. He groaned. But it wasn't a groan of pain. “I feel quite capable."
"Yes ... you do feel ... quite capable."
"I can make you forget your pain. I can heal you."
Ellory's kiss was answer enough. Talisen gave herself to him on this, their first night of eternity together.
THE END
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About the Author
Janet Elizabeth Jones writes paranormal, contemporary and fantasy romance for adults and teens.
As a reader, writer and librarian, she is dedicated to the eco-friendly future of Epublishing and the concept of Print-on-Demand. Her professional goals include the empowerment of young writers, whom she regards as the future of industry, encouraging reluctant teen readers through the enjoyment of graphic novels, and on a more personal note, the fostering of a greater understanding of empaths and other psychically-gifted people.
Her research interests include history, women's studies, vampires and rubber duckies, all of which either steered her through graduate school or have provided vital escape from stress.
Janet lives with her extended family of rubber duckies, parents, brother, and daughter Carina Celeste Jones, who is also a writer.
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Available now from Eternal Press
Witch's Moon
by Tabitha Shay
Ru-Noc: A magical world teetering on the edge of destruction
Excited about her first Beltane, the feisty and strong-willed Princess of Ru-Noc makes plans to find her ideal mate. But Princess Kali's world is turned upside down when finds herself whisked away and trapped in the mortal realm of vampires.
Captain Koran T knows he's in serious trouble when the King of Ru-Noc orders him to kidnap Princess Kali. He's no different than any other male of his species at mating time, so the urge to breed Kali is strong. But Koran T has a dark secret of his own, one that could have him banished from the coven.
Fall under the spell of a Witch's Moon—when dark forces gather to threaten the very existence of Ru-Noc—and Princess Kali and Captain Koran cross swords in a fierce battle only a witch can win!
Kali caught her breath as Koran suddenly leaned close to her and snapped, “Stop looking at me like that."
She blinked, jarred back to her surroundings by his sharp tone. “How am I looking at you, Captain?"
Kali caught herself on the verge of clutching her run-away heart. Gods, his scent assailed her senses. Heat curled in her stomach in a tangled knot. She clenched her thighs and tried desperately to ignore the dampness that pooled there.
"Like you want my mouth all over you.” He skimmed his gaze over her breasts, lingering on the stabbing buds of her nipples. His eyes flickered. He shifted his gaze to her mouth. “Is that your desire, Princess? You want my mouth on you? Everywhere?"
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Available now from Eternal Press
Sword of Anubis
by Brittany Kingston
Morgan de Ventana has got a chance to avenge the murder of his father. His archenemy, the vampire Nicolai Kesslanski, is at last in his grasp.
India has protected a secret all her life. The same secret her parents were murdered by Nicolai Kesslanski for keeping. Connected by their knowledge of a common enemy and the mystery surrounding him, can the two find a way to defeat Kesslanski and keep their own lives?
"Please, India, tell me what you know."
She raised her chin and looked into his eyes. “I know nothing."
Morgan shook his head. She was lying. Frustration welled up inside him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake the information out of her. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Most of it pulled free from the tie at the back to fall across his face.
Violence would not get him what he wanted. He made a placating gesture with his hands and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice was ragged with the strain of the long, hard road he'd taken to find the vampire.
"Nicolai was once my father's friend. He murdered him the same way he killed your grandfather. For months I have tracked him and tried to get close enough to kill him. I almost had him in London. He must not escape again.” He stared at her, willing her to see the pain and the need in his eyes. “Tell me what you know, please. I will avenge your family as well as my own."
India shook her head. “I don't know that I can trust you, Morgan. It could mean the end of my life. Or worse. Nicolai Kesslanski might get his hands on the one thing that has the power to make him invincible. That same power is the only thing capable o destroying him. If he gets his hands on it...” She shuddered. “No. I have to protect it."
"Please, India.” Morgan's eyes beseeched her.
India hesitated. “I am sorry. I cannot tell you what you want to know."
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Dracula Doesn't Live Here Anymore
by Brian L. Porter
Alan Dexter is an investigative reporter sent to far off Romania hoping to discover the truth behind the so called “vampire murders". After meeting his contact, Christina, a mysterious journalist with much knowledge of Romanian vampire lore, he's led deep into the Carpathian Mountains. The truth Dexter was sent to find could be closer then he realizes. But then so is the danger
Her lips tightened, and she looked away. “There are things you should
know before we go any further. Forget about the vampires described by such men as your Bram Stoker. He was very clever in his mix of truth and fiction, but the people here take vampirism quite seriously, and Stoker was inaccurate in much of his data."
"In what way?” Dexter frowned.
"Well, for a start, vampires, contrary to Stoker, can actually move about in daylight, though their powers are greatly reduced. Secondly, they do not feed exclusively on human blood. They can take cattle or fowl, or indeed any living thing, though of course human blood is the ultimate feast for the undead. Most of the time they eat whatever they can get. Often the same food as ordinary humans. It keeps them alive, but in a weakened state. It is said that all vampires must feast on human blood every so often in order to maintain their human form, so a vampire may go months, maybe years, without tasting human and then go on a feeding frenzy when the need becomes imperative. If they are unable to fulfil their hunger, they become shriveled, and eventually nothing more than amorphous entities, condemned to inhabit a sort of half-world between the light and the darkness, losing forever the ability to hold onto their corporeal bodies. It must be a tragic sight to see a vampire losing its hold on bodily substance, Dexter, or at least, so the story goes."
* * *
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