Jessabelle's Beast (Shadows in Sanctuary Book 3)

by Susan Trombley

  Jessa nodded as she tugged the rope out of the hole and started tying it around her waist. “Deal.”

  *****

  “Poor baby.” Jessa caught the panicked calf against her chest, trying to soothe the trembling little body as she wrestled with the rope. She had to be sure to tie Little Micah securely, or he might shake himself free as he was being lifted. It was a miracle he hadn’t already broken one of his gangly legs, but fortunately the fall wasn’t that far. Still, another fall could seriously hurt him.

  “Okay, take him up,” she called out after securing the last knot on the harness she’d rigged up around him.

  Gorzo didn’t bother to respond, perhaps afraid that his voice would somehow cause the kind of collapse he was so worried about, but at least he was pulling Little Micah to safety. She felt bad about making him leave the shade of the tent during the day, because it wasn’t comfortable for him, but she would make it up to him later.

  Little Micah’s cries echoed in the hole as he approached the opening. Jessa looked away from him, glancing at her surroundings. A small beam of sunlight spilled through the opening of the hole and caught on something just a few feet in front of her, glinting.

  “By the Lords,” she whispered as she scooted forward and brushed away the encrusted dirt on the pitted metal surface. Though paint chipped off with her brushing, she was able to uncover a portion of synthglass. It was a window into some small compartment. It looked almost like the inside of a cruiser cabin, with seats and harnesses and emergency pulls. There were symbols all over the cabin, many of which she didn’t recognize, but some she did. Enough so that she was able to determine the purpose of this strange device buried in the ground.

  “Gorzo!”

  “Don’t yell, Jessa! The ground is unstable here.” His voice floated back to her from the top of the hole as he cast down the rope again, presumably having quickly freed Little Micah.

  “I think I know why it’s unstable. There’s an escape pod in here.”

  Chapter 33

  “Humans landed on Portoase. That’s the only explanation.” Jessa fiddled with the food on her plate as she faced Gorzo across the fire.

  “Balfor told me that humans came in huge metal boats from the sky—not little buckets.”

  Jessa rubbed her lip, wiping at the grease from the roasted meat she’d been nibbling on with no real appetite. “I know. The humans of DC are descended from the colonists on those ships. We don’t even know the names of those vessels anymore because that information was lost during the Time of Chaos.”

  Gorzo looked up from his contemplation of the fire. “Time of Chaos?”

  Jessa’s laugh was bitter. “A Diakonos teaching. Dome City was in chaos when the Lords lifted us up and set us on a better path. During that time, humans warred against each other. The domes were split into factions that were all trying to kill each other. People descended into cannibalism because of famine.”

  “Your people were feral?”

  Jessa nodded. “Yes, that’s as good an explanation as any. A lot of our history was destroyed during that time. What survived was secreted away for our own good, according to the Diakonos. To save us from ourselves, I guess.”

  “Knowledge has its dangers, but not as much as ignorance.”

  “I agree… now. We were led to believe differently though. I wonder who the people in the escape pod were. What happened to them?”

  Gorzo cast the bones of his meal into the fire. “Perhaps the Commemoro or a team sent by Lady Lilith can dig up answers when we return to Sanctuary. Our exile is almost up.”

  She wasn’t certain how she felt about that. Life in Portoase wasn’t easy. The grueling work of survival was almost constant. It would be nice to enjoy some luxuries provided by a city life. Yet, she’d grown to love this land, and all the one-on-one time with Gorzo had been priceless to her. He was no longer a stranger she felt a kinship with, but a friend, a lover, and a fellow survivor. He was her soulmate, and their time alone together had only cemented that bond into something that was unbreakable.

  This meant that they could return to Sanctuary. They could begin their lives among the umbrose anew—a fresh start. “We’ll come back here with any team Lilith sends, right?”

  Gorzo chuckled. “Absolutely.”

  “And Little Micah?”

  “Obviously he’ll have to go with us wherever we go.”

  Jessa grinned. “Now I remember why I love you so much.”

  Epilogue

  Excavation of the escape pod proceeded without incident, but the results were less than ideal. Much of the pod had been destroyed by time and the elements. It was centuries old. The markings were translated, but most of them were simply instructions and survival information. The ancient computer within the pod was completely non-functional. The only real information they gained from the device was the name of the ship it came from. ACSS Zodiac. They didn’t know what the letters stood for, and were only speculating that the Zodiac had been one of the ships that had been broken down to create Dome City, given that the Hub dome was named the Zodiac Dome.

  It was a frustrating lack of information from a promising lead, but Jessa and Gorzo didn’t care. They’d enjoyed returning to Portoase so much that they considered staying behind when the research team left. The human colonists that would be arriving soon would need someone to help guide them on surviving in the grasslands.

  Only one thing had them returning home to Sanctuary, where they’d both been accepted after Jessa’s dramatic attempt to sacrifice herself to save Gorzo’s life had made them celebrities. Lilith called it clever spin on Stacia and Balfor’s part, but whatever it was, it made their lives much easier among the umbrose, although Jessa was still taken aback when people would approach her for her autograph.

  Despite their new status, Jessa wouldn’t have wanted to go back to Sanctuary if she wasn’t hoping to be implanted with a baby created from her and Gorzo’s genetic material. So far, both Stacia and Lilith’s pregnancies were proceeding as planned, though Dr. Chrysander urged caution when it came to celebrating. There had been many failures in the past with the creation of hybrids.

  The geneticist wasn’t thrilled about her position in Sanctuary, even though she appreciated having her lab back. Still, everyone knew that she was on the Diakonos’s hit list now, just as Jessa was. There was no going back for Dr. Chrysander. Now she had to move forward. It wasn’t the life she would have chosen—being protected by and beholden to the umbrose—but she’d never been one to dwell on something she couldn’t change. She was allowed to work doing what she loved. That would have to be enough.

  Uriale had disappeared not long after he’d been dropped in the basalt traps. Balfor’s healer had been certain the former adurian prince wouldn’t survive the catastrophic loss of his glow. No adurian ever had, to the knowledge of any umbrose. Yet somehow, Uriale was gone, not only surviving, but managing to make his way out of the traps, leaving behind nothing but a small trail of silver blood and a few tracks in the black dirt.

  “You tough son of a bitch,” Balfor had said when he’d found the tracks leading out into the jungle. He almost hated Uriale a little less just for being so damned difficult to kill. That was something an umbrose could respect. And respect had once been everything to him. Then he’d allowed humans into Sanctuary and now nothing would ever be the same again.

  “You haven’t done all your homework yet.” Reese shook her head at her son, holding out the datapad which showed the percentage of his assignment completed.

  “It’s boring!” The boy’s shoulders slumped as he threw his head back against the couch dramatically.

  Reese couldn’t help laughing, though she knew she shouldn’t encourage him. “C’mon, you’ve only got,” she glanced at the datapad, “thirty-seven percent of the assignment left.”

  The boy took the datapad reluctantly, sighing as if the world had ended. “Fine!” He stomped off to the table, glancing over his shoulder to see if this was having any
effect on her.

  Reese crossed her arms and tried for a fierce look, which failed when her grin broke the surface as he flopped himself onto the dining chair like a sack of rice.

  “Why can’t I go to school like Johnathan and the other kids in the neighborhood?”

  Her smile faded. “It’s just not possible. Please don’t ask again!”

  He glanced over at her with a mutinous expression, scratching at the brown skin of his arm. Reese frowned at that. His skin was itching and gold streaks were left behind in the wake of his fingernails. He’d need more pigment pills. They were difficult to get, but the underground dealer would have them. He had everything. For the right price. “Please, Micah. Just pay attention to Mommy. You’re safer here at home.”

  Author’s Note:

  I hope you enjoyed reading Gorzo and Jessa’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I really appreciate the fact that you took the time out of your day to give my book a try, and I hope you don’t mind if I ask for one more favor. I know it’s a hassle to write a review, but writers like myself rely on reviews to help other readers find our books. It even helps us reach the minimum number of reviews for some advertising opportunities. So if you have the time and would like to post a review about Jessabelle’s Beast that would be fantastic! However, whether you leave a review or not, just know that I thank you for giving Jessabelle’s Beast a try, and I hope you’ll be back for more from the denizens of Sanctuary, or perhaps you’ll want to try out some of my other titles listed below.

  I love to hear from my readers, so please drop me a line at susantrombley06@gmail.com and be sure to follow my blog for updates on upcoming books, including the sequels in the Shadows in Sanctuary Series, as well as an inside-look at some of the things that inspire me to dream up the worlds I create. www.susantrombleyblog.wordpress.com

  Also on my blog, for a limited time, I am posting my latest fantasy romance, Morbidon’s Bride, in a series of chapters released every two weeks. Once the book is complete, I will be taking it down to publish on Amazon, so please go check it out if you’d like to read one of my fantasy novels for free as it develops.

  Shadows in Sanctuary Series:

  Lilith’s Fall: Book 1

  Her people call him a demon, but he’s the only one who can save her.

  When gifted computer engineer, Lilith Galeron, is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit by the brutal regime that controls Dome City, she has no idea what will become of her. People arrested by the Peace Keepers have a habit of disappearing.

  Her captors throw her into a cell with a demon; a creature she never really believed existed. Terrified by his fearsome aspect, she expects him to kill her, but Ranove is not the monster she believes him to be. Despite their differences, an attraction sparks between them, and Lilith learns that the world beyond her “bubble city” is far larger and more fascinating than she could’ve imagined.

  Will they live long enough for the passion that ignites between them to grow into something deeper?

  Warning: Explicit content, 18+ Contains scenes that are not suitable for younger readers.

  Balfor’s Salvation: Book 2

  Dangerously unstable and exceptionally violent are definitely not qualities Stacia Dornan looks for in a man, especially after the harrowing experience of having half of her jaw torn off by an adurian warrior. Yet, when she meets Prince Balfor to discuss a trade alliance between her father’s company and the umbrose, sparks immediately fly between them.

  Prince Balfor knows he’s fighting for his own sanity, and with so much responsibility weighing him down, he can’t afford to lose the battle. Yet when the fragile, scarred human female accidentally summons him to her bed, he cannot resist her call, despite the complications that will arise when he declares her his concubine.

  Balfor and Stacia meet to secure the future of both their species, but their unexpected desire for each other could pose a threat to everything they hold dear.

  Even as the obstacles that stand in their way seem insurmountable, the greatest threat to their growing love lies beyond the shadows of Sanctuary, where their common enemy lies in wait.

  Can Stacia and Balfor overcome their own pasts and prejudices to find love with each other, or will they fall to the enemy first?

  Warning: Explicit content, 18+ Contains scenes that are not suitable for younger readers.

  Jessabelle’s Beast: Book 3

  Gorzo has journeyed across a vast ocean to join the Umbrose in Sanctuary, but finds himself alone among them because of differences between his tribal upbringing and their city culture. When Lady Lilith convinces him to try a new matchmaking service to find a human mate, he’s at first reluctant. Then he sees Jessabelle Ellis from across the room, and in that moment, he knows with every fiber of his being that she was made for him. Having to hold his dangerous primal nature strictly in check where Jessa is concerned, Gorzo is anxious to offer her a claim as soon as possible, before his primal grows impatient and decides to dispense with the formalities and simply abduct her.

  Jessabelle Ellis goes to the Outland Connections matchmaking company for her own complicated reasons, but after spending her childhood in an orphanage, she can’t help thinking it would be nice to have someone to call her own. When she sees Gorzo for the first time at a mixer set up by the company, she’s intrigued by him and feels a sense of kinship with him, noting that he seems as out of place among his people as she is among hers. When he returns her interest, Jessabelle is at first flustered, but as champagne flows through her, she relaxes enough to be more candid about her attraction… at least to herself. This leads to her accepting his invitation to call on her again.

  When Gorzo offers his claim and Jessabelle accepts, agreeing to move with him to Sanctuary, they’re set on a dangerous path. Their passion blooms quickly, but the timer is ticking until Jessabelle’s past threatens to destroy their future or even get them killed.

  Will their love be strong enough to survive whatever fate decrees for them? Or will they create their own destiny? No matter what happens, the people of Sanctuary will be changed forever.

  Warning: Explicit content, 18+ Contains scenes that are not suitable for younger readers.

  Tentative next book in the series: Uriale’s Redemption, coming summer of 2018!

  He’s survived this long with the burning desire for vengeance replacing the glow that the Diakonos have stolen from him. When he discovers what the Diakonos have really been up to, will Uriale sacrifice his need for revenge, as well as his one chance at a new happiness, to save the world?

  Fantasy Romance set in the Altraya Universe:

  The Princess’s Dragon — Scheduled for re-release in December 2017

  The kingdom of Ariva has lived in the shadow of Thunder Mountain for generations, the citizens forbidden to trespass there for fear of an ancient black dragon sealed within. Princess Casiondra is convinced that magic and all things related to it—including dragons—are nothing but superstition and aims to prove it.

  When she’s cursed by a wizard and transformed into a dragon herself, there’s nowhere else she can run to but Thunder Mountain, where she soon discovers that the black dragon is all too real. Convincing Tolmac that she’s an orphaned dragon who never learned how to “dragon” properly is the easy part. Protecting herself from falling for the noble beast who takes her under his wing to teach her the ways of dragonkind might be a task beyond her abilities. As her subterfuge with Tolmac guarantees her safety with him, a nagging worry hangs over her head. Just how long will the wizard’s curse last?

  When the southern kingdoms unite to conquer Ariva, Sondra must choose between the devoted knight she’d left behind and the enigmatic dragon who doesn’t know she’s really just a human princess in disguise.

  The Child of the Dragon Gods

  Derek is a battle-scarred hero driven to one last adventure before retiring into obscurity. Luan is an outcast among her own people, treated as an abomination by her kin. Together they can save the world…
or destroy it.

  When Lord Derek of Arivale encounters an old enemy during a routine escort mission, he has no idea he is about to be plunged into a journey filled with gods, demons, and a dark cult searching for the key to the return of an ancient evil.

  A calculating queen promises him a dragon’s egg as a reward for what seems like a straightforward quest. He travels from a wealthy kingdom to a land plagued by wild, transformative magic and bizarre magical creatures, and quickly discovers that returning to claim his reward might not be as simple as he thought.

  Along the way, he’s joined by a former nemesis and an unusual young woman named Luan, who touches his heart in a way he feared he would never feel again.

  Derek must fight against his enemies as well as his own nature, as nightmares haunt him, and his control over his dangerous battle fury slips further away from him.

  Will he stop the cult in time? Or will he be the one to inadvertently usher in the destruction of all that he holds dear?

  Light of the Dragon (Breath of the Divine, Book 1)

  The dark power of a god awakens....

  Four years ago, the Cult of Solendar nearly ended the world, misusing the magic of twelve-year-old Marielena. Now a teenager, Marielena lives forever on the run, her only companion a fledgling dragon named Sinnie, whom she has sworn to protect and hide from those who would use and abuse her power. When Sinnie experiments with shape-shifting so that she can travel openly as a cat, Marielena realizes that Sinnie's magic is beyond her understanding or ability to control. They seek answers at the Academy of Magic, a dangerous place for a dragon in hiding.