I dropped him onto the ground and he slithered toward the other men angrily. Chase walked around the vampire with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. It was both he and Cesar who had growled. Shards of spine, really? he spoke to me within my mind. I felt the touch of a smirk on my face as well. My aggressive instincts shattered when Chase looked at me in such a way. Chase obviously realized I didn’t need him to protect me.
“Be good to your sister, the lot of you!” Cesar bellowed, kicking his boot into the vampire who had threatened Dillian. Dillian was still on guard as he hugged Julia protectively.
“Their what?” I hissed. The thought of being connected to these vampires in such a way sickened me. My mother also looked around somewhat shocked.
“Oh, so you are the little sister we have heard so much about,” the blonde-haired male with the wooden cross on his chest said, standing and stretching his hand out to shake mine. “Call me Yolo.”
Yolo obviously sensed my disdain because he pointed his outstretched hand at Chase. Chase looked down at his hand, his hands still in his pockets. He raised an eyebrow at the gesture and looked at him tiredly. “Yolo. Seriously?”
“Hey man, when I turned vamp I could choose whichever name I desired. I was a new me, thanks to Cesar. So, Yolo, right. You Only Live Once.” He said it with a cheesy grin, but the smile faltered somewhat when he realized Chase wasn’t going to shake his hand. He withdrew it hastily.
I looked back at Tythian, who still stood in the doorway. His expression mirrored my contempt. I turned to Yolo and couldn’t help but glance in confusion at the cross that rested against his many tattoos.
He smiled again, as if my gaze alone was all he needed to initiate conversation. “My parents were catholic, you see. So I keep to that. I love my mom and dad, even after their passing. I never had the chance to see them again after I got turned. It took over one hundred years to be able to contain my thirst, so Cesar didn’t let me near any humans or civilization.”
“One hundred years?” I choked, thinking of my own burning desires. I was struggling to keep myself from indulging in Dillian’s and Julia’s neck right now. If it weren’t for my exhaustion and determination not to get any closer, I shuddered to think what might happen.
“Connor took the longest,” he pointed to the dark-haired male who had been balancing on his chair. He seemed timid and he looked at Tythian for reassurance. It forced me to question if he was mute. “Connor was found in 1936, during Hitler’s rein. He had the blue eyes but not the blonde hair,” Tythian said as he walked over to him. He spoke affectionately of Connor. They were both very introverted men, but you could see the respect they held for one another. “His family was murdered. Connor was almost killed as well, except Cesar turned him. But Connor never forgave any human after that. He got a little twisted and saw the vampires as a more heroic race and the humans as parasites and beasts. It took a while to dilute that hatred.”
I looked at Connor as he leaned shyly forward, assessing us. His blue eyes were piercing and held so much sadness. He continued to stare even when our eyes met.
“And that’s Balzar!” Cesar bellowed with a monstrous laugh, pointing at the vampire who had threatened Dillian. “My daughter is only eighteen years of age, and you are over one hundred and fifty, yet you still get your catoot handed to you!”
“Yeah, would someone like to explain that?” he tisked under his breath. “She doesn’t even smell like a vampire.” I looked at my mother, who seemed just as unsure of what was happening as the others. At first I thought she might have been here a few times, but with her tense body language I knew that she hadn’t.
“Well, when a daddy vampire and mummy hunter love each other very much…,” Cesar continued, rustling his hand through Balzar’s short hair. “They create a vampire-hunter baby girl who is stronger in everything because of that. The end.”
“You suck!” Yolo laughed, and pointed at Balzar. Balzar grunted under his breath at the insult before pouncing on Yolo. Both of them ran down a hall childishly.
“And you also forgot to mention that she carries the Descendant gift within her. Perhaps the biggest cause for concern,” Tythian said, now standing with his hands strapped across his chest.
“Why have you brought us here?” I asked, not wanting to waste my time with stupid introductions any longer.
“Because you are safe here, and you can build your energy back up. You will need it,” Cesar said, resting a hand on my mother’s lower back.
“In the next few months a war will begin. And this time we, our own coven, will not step aside and let the humans or Council rule,” Tythian began.
“You’re a coven?” I narrowed my eyes on them judgementally. They were at times no better than the sabers. Yolo and Balzar returned after hearing my raised voice.
“Not all covens are bad, Esmore,” Tythian brushed me off.
“We have just chosen to live more freely from the start,” Connor’s rough voice interjected, surprising me.
“Cesar turned all four of us, so we were automatically a part of his coven. But we would have stayed even if we had the choice to leave. We are family here. And there are many other covens around the world we are aligned with that think the same way. Of course, not all agree or care,” Yolo said, shrugging his shoulders.
“So why attack the Council?” I asked.
“It’s not just the Council, my beautiful daughter,” Cesar stated quickly. “The humans too have been gathering power. We cannot live in a world where there is a war, where the Council takes further control and power. They demand one ruler. If all are combined under one Council, it could be a free-for-all hunt on the covens. We hit them from the side before they gather that power. Which is why I had Tythian infiltrate Fier’s Council. They have been gathering numbers for a while now, and Arab’s displeasure with covens has been known since the day they tried to rally us all against the humans.”
“You met Arab?” Chase asked.
“I did,” Cesar agreed hesitantly. “And your mother as well. Who was far nicer than you, might I add, pipsqueak.”
Chase growled under his breath, enraging Cesar. When Cesar’s demeanor changed, both Yolo and Connor growled in support.
“Stop with the macho dance,” my mother interjected. “Cesar, tell her about the humans.”
“I…” He dissolved his attitude quickly at the request of my mother. “The humans have been hiding. You hunters lost contact with them, but the government of the humans has been functioning. They are trying to create a new form of hunters. Stronger ones to overcome the humans.”
“I don’t know why they don’t let it go. I mean the world has already turned to shit. It won’t be like the good old days of the early 2000s,” Yolo said, stretching back on his chair.
“How do you know this; do you have proof?” I asked.
“Yes,” Tythian interjected angrily. His jaw was quivering and his hands were still across his chest. “Whitney was one of their victims. When I found her, she was left for dead.”
I shivered at his words and I felt Chase straighten beside me.
“But Whitney died of cancer. You saved her from a pack of sabers when her father was killed,” I said, repeating what they had told me. Chase’s fingers brushed past mine, but I couldn’t accept his hand. Somehow I sensed betrayal.
Tythian exchanged a look with him before continuing. “It’s what we made her believe,” he said under his breath.
“I don’t understand,” I said. Slowly it clicked together. I stared at Chase accusingly. “You tricked her mind?” I demanded.
“Only because Tythian asked me to. Esmore, with enough suggestive thoughts people can forget their darkest nightmares. I spared her that pain. It was Tythian’s familiar, and his call,” Chase gushed. He was trying to smile and I could sense that his mind was thinking of something funny to say, like he always did to dispel serious situations. I felt the rumble of darkness within me tap lightly in my stomach, like butterflies were t
rying to escape. But I was too weak for rage to sweep through. I hated how close I stood to him. I was able to feel the betrayal, lies, and pain he had caused.
“I asked Chase to do so,” Tythian confirmed. “I found my love — my sweet, beautiful Whitney — abandoned beside her dead father at dusk. It is true sabers did attack her, which I didn’t lie about, and that her father died at their hands. But where they had come from was a secure place for humans… where technology remains highly advanced. They are trying to create stronger beings. The injection, according to our research, killed most; and in Whitney’s case the disease spread through her for many years. I was feeding her my blood every night without her knowing. I could have never turned her into a vampire because of the parasite disease, even if I tried. However, after so many years of my blood rejuvenating her, my blood no longer worked.”
“It was her brother who injected them both,” Yolo spoke up now, allowing Tythian to slip into a subdued silence. Now I knew if he had the choice he wouldn’t have respected Whitney’s wishes. He would have turned her anyway. But if that were to happen to Chase, I would have done the same. I could not judge, yet I felt sick by the lie.
“How do you know all this?” I said angrily.
“Yolo here is a part of that human group,” Cesar interrupted. “He was the only one who could infiltrate them.”
“How?” I demanded. How did the Guild have none of this information?
Yolo stood up tall. I could see a lightly quivering mist surrounding him. Within seconds a human woman with long blonde hair in a tight skirt, shirt, and high heels approached me with a velvet voice. “Because I am Jenn Cadolwadt: engineer and specialist at the Human Activist and Regaining Existence Movement,” she said, holding out a hand for me to shake. Yolo even smelled like a human woman.
“He can bypass all the scans. He comes up as human,” Connor spoke from the corner of the room.
“Why a woman?” Dillian asked from behind me.
The woman gave a sheepish smile in response. One that made my whole body cringe. “Well, mostly because of these,” Yolo said, grabbing hold of his bountiful chest. “It is a pretty nice rack, if I do say so myself.”
My stomach turned. “I think I am going to be sick.”
“She needs blood,” Chase growled, ending the conversation. “She has lost too much. She has to feed.”
“Of course, sorry for having not noticed sooner,” Cesar roared. “Connor, if you would be so kind as to show those two to their room, and Tythian, can you show the two other hunters their room?”
“No!” I said savagely, looking at Balzar. “They stay in the same room as us.” I would protect them no matter what.
After much hesitation Cesar agreed. “Very well, but you only have a day’s rest until you are to come out and meet the rest of my Coven.” He dispelled us within moments, and the others went their separate ways as Tythian escorted us silently through the rocky walls.
About The Author
Kia Carrington-Russell is a young author writing from her Australian home. Kia is supported by her helpful friends, family and readers. Most of all she is assisted by her Ying and Yang kitties, Isa and Forest, as well as her Cavoodle, Sia, who are always by her side as she busily types away in her office.
Kia completed her first manuscript, Possession Of My Soul: The Three Immortal Blades, when she was fifteen. After graduating from high school, Kia pursued freelance journalism. After working for half a year within the sales section of the local paper, Kia realised journalism was not what she wanted to focus on.
Kia started her Precious Living website, which is a self-help blog publishing weekly affirmations. It was a way to express her enjoyment of photography as well as reaching out to readers who might not be feeling positive in their current lifestyles. She often published motivational stories, hoping to fill many with gratitude for what they had, instead of focusing on what they didn’t.
In the year of 2014, Kia took her first manuscript seriously, and on May 15, Kia’s first book was published. Since then Kia has continued writing and publishing many works from the Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, and Action genres. Kia has many more books planned for the future.
In 2015, Kia’s self-publishing services and promotional services became live. She is now CEO of both Crystal Publishing and Crystal Book Promoters, which have been designed to help other authors at an affordable price. The mission is to guide writers through the perilous journey of self-publication.
Kia enjoys dancing, cooking, painting, manga, anime, eating (loves eating), reading, and is very competitive in all games, no matter what game.
From Kia:
Thank you to all my friends, family, and readers who have supported me. You have no idea how much it truly means to me; the support inspires me to keep writing. I am very grateful for the kind words you offer me and for telling others of my books.
Thank you everyone so much,
Kia
Also Available
Awarded ‘The Best Fantasy Series of 2014’ and ‘Best Book Bad Guy of 2014’ by The Paranormal Bookshelf.
Possession Of My Soul: The Three Immortal Blades
Karla Gray is an ordinary young woman that is taken from her mundane life into a world of blood lust as she begins to struggle with a unique ability. Karla is a Shielder; an exceptional fighter born with the rare ability to project a Shield for protection. However, Shielders are not the only kind that possesses such a talent. The Shielders battle a war that has been raging for centuries against Starkorfs, who harvest humans and Shielders alike to obtain a near immortality.
Alongside the charming Lucas and selfless Paul, Karla must unravel the purpose of her curse and battle an unknown presence manipulating her thoughts; a mysterious woman who may be dormant for now, but has every intention of possessing Karla- mind, body, and soul.
Within this new reality that Karla faces the search for the Three Immortal Blades begins.
Possession Of My Heart: The Three Immortal Blades
After the great fight between Tyran and Misfeata, Karla’s body is recovering. Misfeata has manipulated and possessed her body — now, she lies dormant. But for how long?
Paul and Karla continue to venture into the unknown. Karla is in pursuit of her parents, as well as a cure for her body in which Shielder blood now resides. She must find a cure for herself both physically and mentally as she struggles with the morals of this very different world.
As Karla tries to avoid the war, she inevitably drags Paul into dangerous circumstances. A rare Elemental Breather is after Karla and out for war, but why? Now, not only combating the Starkorfs, Karla must contend with the Elemental Breathers and her own fighting spirit.
In this time of hardship, Lucas comes back into her life. He is also targeted by the strange Elemental Breather, Taskatae, who calls herself ‘Mother.’ After his betrayal, Karla must learn to trust him again as he reminds her who she truly is now.
Can she survive the constant battles from not only the physical world but from within? For a while Misfeata is dormant; Karla must try to keep hidden her true feelings. Karla is in turmoil as she faces who may truly possess her heart.
Phantom Wolf
Sia is a Phantom Wolf. Neither dead nor alive—and rotting from the inside—she is on the edge of her curse. Once a Phantom Wolf has been created, they hunt their blood pack and slaughter all their loved ones. Except for Sia, who woke years after her death to find herself rampaging through the land on a lonely path. She continues to run from the rival pack that hunts her because she is a Phantom Wolf.
Attracted to a scent, Sia finds her old best friend, who is now a grown woman. Having once saved Keeley, Sia takes the role of protector yet again, despite Keeley’s involvement with the mysterious Alpha, Kiba, and his kin brother, Saith. An ambush separates the pack and the four of them blindly fight the new warriors that attack them: desperately needing to find out where the attacks are coming from, as Sia has vowed to protect Keeley. But at what cost?
Sia
Eighteen years have now passed since the Phantom Wolf, Sia, faced her greatest challenge when she was forced to kill her lover, Kiba—the rightful heir to the throne. Sia murdered the dishonorable King Taleb for his transgressions before resting in peace among her Spirit Pack.
Saith and Keeley now rule over the Kingdom, endeavoring to restore peace and allegiance throughout the land. Their actions are clouded in secrecy so that their daughter—whom they named Sia—should remain protected and unaware. But what are they preparing for?
Sia, now almost eighteen years of age, must face her own journey to discover the mysteries her world has to offer. In order to uncover her true potential, Sia must confront her feelings for Trim. When her name is called, she sees him cringe as he remembers the love he once held for the Great Phantom Wolf before her.
Mistrust and lies decay the Kingdom’s solidarity. Sia’s curiosity is piqued by the fear that shadows all wolves: the threat of the humans. So what happens when she comes across one?
My Escort
Clover is personal assistant to Debra Coorman, the merciless boss of Candice fashion magazine. The bright lights of New York are dim for Clover, who is tormented by a work schedule like no other. Debra is relentless in her determination to demean Clover.
For once, Clover dares to play Debra’s games, and intends to prove her wrong at the next glittering event. With mixed emotions, Clover contacts a male escort, Damon. If his velvet voice over the phone is anything to go by, Clover knows her money will be well spent.
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