Adapt Or Be Crushed (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 9)

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by Sarah Noffke




  Adapt Or Be Crushed

  Exceptional S. Beaufont™ Book 9

  Sarah Noffke

  Michael Anderle

  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. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2020 LMBPN Publishing

  Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  A Michael Anderle Production

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US Edition, October 2020

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-64971-196-0

  Print ISBN: 978-1-64971-197-7

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Chapter 86

  Chapter 87

  Chapter 88

  Chapter 89

  Chapter 90

  Chapter 91

  Chapter 92

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 94

  Chapter 95

  Chapter 96

  Chapter 97

  Chapter 98

  Chapter 99

  Chapter 100

  Chapter 101

  Chapter 102

  Chapter 103

  Chapter 104

  Chapter 105

  Chapter 106

  Chapter 107

  Chapter 108

  Chapter 109

  Chapter 110

  Chapter 111

  Chapter 112

  Chapter 113

  Chapter 114

  Chapter 115

  Chapter 116

  Chapter 117

  Chapter 118

  Chapter 119

  Chapter 120

  Chapter 121

  Chapter 122

  Chapter 123

  Chapter 124

  Chapter 125

  Chapter 126

  Chapter 127

  Chapter 128

  Chapter 129

  Chapter 130

  Chapter 131

  Chapter 132

  Chapter 133

  Chapter 134

  Chapter 135

  Chapter 136

  Chapter 137

  Chapter 138

  Chapter 139

  Chapter 140

  Chapter 141

  Chapter 142

  Chapter 143

  Chapter 144

  Chapter 145

  Chapter 146

  Chapter 147

  Chapter 148

  Chapter 149

  Chapter 150

  Chapter 151

  Chapter 152

  Chapter 153

  Chapter 154

  Chapter 155

  Chapter 156

  Chapter 157

  Chapter 158

  Chapter 159

  Chapter 160

  Chapter 161

  Chapter 162

  Chapter 163

  Chapter 164

  Chapter 165

  Chapter 166

  Chapter 167

  Chapter 168

  Chapter 169

  Chapter 170

  Chapter 171

  Chapter 172

  Chapter 173

  Chapter 174

  Chapter 175

  Chapter 176

  Chapter 177

  Chapter 178

  Sarah’s Author Notes

  Michael’s Author Notes

  Acknowledgments

  Books By Sarah Noffke

  Check out Sarah Noffke’s YA Sci-fi Fantasy Series

  Books By Michael Anderle

  Connect with The Authors

  The Adapt Or Be Crushed Team

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  Peter Manis

  Veronica Stephan-Miller

  Dorothy Lloyd

  Diane L. Smith

  Deb Mader

  Jackey Hankard-Brodie

  Jeff Goode

  Kerry Mortimer

  Paul Westman

  If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!

  Editor

  The Skyhunter Editing Team

  For Veronica, a good mother and an awesome friend.

  — Sarah

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  to Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  to Live the Life We Are

  Called.

  — Michael

  Chapter One

  The beast lunged, trying to break free of its restraints. Once the tarrasque was large enough, it would escape and the result would be complete destruction. The horned monster would easily smash through the sports dome where Nevin Gooseman was hatching his plans. Then the tarrasque would demolish the city of Dallas with nothing that could possibly stop it.

  Nevin Gooseman smiled sadistically to himself.

  He had
never wanted it to come to this. All his life as a magician, he’d worked to help mortals, building his career as a public servant in their governments. But they’d turned their backs on him—all because of the Dragon Elite.

  Now both mortals and dragonriders would pay.

  The magic-reinforced chains clanged like giant bells as the tarrasque swung its head from side to side, its anger growing as it came to terms with its confinement. The creature was hideous with a thick orange hide and long curved spikes down its back and tail. On its head and chin were rows of more horns. When it opened its wide mouth to roar, the many rows of knife-shaped teeth were prominent.

  Although the monster was considered only half-grown, taking up half the football field of the abandoned sports arena, it would mature quite fast. After securing it, Nevin Gooseman had hired a handler who specialized in rapid maturation of magical creatures.

  The ex-politician turned his attention to Clyde Jackson. The man had a rough look and too many narrow escapes from dangerous animals based on the many scars marking his face, arms, and hands. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye and a sniveling grin on his crooked mouth.

  “When will it be full grown?” Nevin Gooseman indicated the tarrasque that thrashed in the distance.

  Clyde pulled back his arm and snapped the whip in his hand forward. It assaulted the beast and made its head stretch into the air as it arched its back. Bright blue sparks radiated from the magical whip and rained down on the creature, instantly paralyzing it. It fell on its stomach, its head lying to the side as it passed out from the spell.

  Apparently the handler would mostly keep the monster asleep. It was safer that way. It was fed once every few days and put back into submission. When it was full grown and filled the entire sports dome, then it would be allowed to stay awake. The creature wouldn’t be fed and therefore, would break free of its prison and thunder through the streets of Dallas where it would undoubtedly feast on the people.

  Having decided that the tarrasque no longer demanded his full attention, Clyde turned his focus on Nevin Gooseman. “It’s hard to say. Maybe a few weeks. Maybe a few months. There’s no exact science to this since it relies on magic.”

  Nevin nodded and slipped his hands into his jean pockets. He missed the feel of his Italian suits. He missed his old life. That was all yanked away when the Dragon Elite stole everything from him—they’d pinned the outbreak and spread of the distortion disease on him.

  He was officially on the run and hoping he could elude the House of Fourteen and mortal law enforcement, which were both looking for him. Nevin fled as soon as the world learned the truth, and went into hiding after draining his bank accounts. He left most of his possessions behind, but what he didn’t, he sold. The resulting sum meant he could buy the broken-down old sports arena in Dallas, Texas.

  There hadn’t been much money left over after such a costly investment, but there’d been enough to purchase the last tarrasque in existence. Thanks to Bermuda Laurens, the world-renowned expert on magical creatures, Nevin had known where to look for the beast. Of course, the giantess didn’t know she’d helped him find the animal that would destroy the entire city of Dallas, and hopefully go on to do a lot more than that. She thought she was answering questions for a college student researching magical creatures. People were so thick and talked if they thought it didn’t have any consequences.

  That interview with Bermuda Laurens had been more than fruitful. She not only told him where to find the creature, but that it would be too big to stop once it was full-sized. The giantess also gave Nevin information on where to find two other magical and dangerous creatures that would be almost as deadly, and ready sooner than the tarrasque.

  “The leviathan and the simurgh?” Nevin questioned Clyde while keeping his focus on the comatose dinosaur-like creature.

  “I’m working on tracking them both down based on the information you gave me. It shouldn’t take much longer.”

  Nevin nodded, enjoying the feeling of triumph once more. “And when you do, you know where to lead them?”

  “They’ll make quite the scene if seen together in the Mediterranean Sea,” Clyde stated.

  “That’s exactly the point.” Nevin’s nostrils flared. He knew that the Dragon Elite didn’t stand a chance against the tarrasque when it ventured into Dallas. But maybe, just maybe he had a way of taking them down before then—or at least diminishing their numbers.

  His time in isolation, hiding away from the world he once loved, gave him time to strategize. That’s when it occurred to him how to take down dragons. Fight teeth and claws with teeth and claws. He’d been going about it all wrong by using politics. There was always a rebuttal to that. But giant sea creatures and birds and reptiles? Well, the Dragon Elite couldn’t talk their way out of that, and they’d have to come to the rescue since they thought that was their mission—to save the world.

  Nevin Gooseman had once wanted to help this planet to be a better place, but it didn’t want to do things his way—and now it was going down. Mother Nature be damned.

  “Oh, and I got that thing you wanted.” Clyde reached into his pocket and dug like there were a lot of things in the small compartment. He withdrew a small vial of clear liquid. “This should do the trick.”

  “That?” Nevin questioned. “That’s for the entire water supply of Scotland?”

  The guy laughed. “If you can believe it.”

  “And it will only work on sheep?” Nevin asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Clyde Jackson answered. “It’s about genetics and a combination of factors. Cost me pretty heavily since it’s so specialized, which means it’s going to cost you.”

  Nevin reached out and yanked the vial to himself. “Put it on my tab.”

  The man with the eyepatch nodded, but gave him an uncertain expression.

  Nevin wasn’t leaving anything to chance this time. He had multiple ways to bring down the Dragon Elite, and one would work. Then the world could go to hell for all he cared. He was tired of trying to help those who weren’t grateful for it.

  Chapter Two

  “I think I’m going to wither away and die,” Evan complained with his head lying on the dining hall table and his voice muffled as he spoke.

  “If only your predictions were accurate and came true,” Wilder replied, a longing in his voice as he looked off dreamily toward the ceiling, like glancing at the heavens and making a wish on a star.

  Evan pulled his head up, one of his dreads falling into his face. “Some of us don’t have stores of fat to live off.”

  Wilder scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re calling me fat.”

  “I can’t believe that you all are bickering like children,” Hiker thundered from in front of the large fireplace behind his seat at the table, irritation heavy in his every movement.

  “He started it.” Evan pointed across the table at Wilder.

  His mouth fell open. He held up his hands in surprise. “How? I’ve been here, thoughtfully listening to your incessant complaints like a good friend. I haven’t interrupted once while you whined like a little baby and went on and on about your hunger pangs.”

  “You mock me,” Evan fired back.

  Hiker halted his pacing. “Enough. We’re all hungry.” He pointed at Sophia. “Go and find out what’s taking Trin so long to bring breakfast.”

  “Me?” she asked, offended. “Why me?”

  “Because you’re a girl and know where the kitchen is,” Evan replied at once.

 

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