King leaned forward and kissed my cheek and then his father's. His hair was loose in a wild lion's mane of an Afro. It was just as dark as ever with barely any red or blonde highlights despite the amount of time he spent in the sun. He was tan but not because the sun had darkened him. It seemed that only the un-living were impacted by the sun, growing darker as each year passed. The spirits and King never tanned.Instead of squeezing in between us to chill with us, he stood in front of us so I knew he had something on his mind. "Mama, Papa…it's time that I spoke to the Mother."My mind flashed back to images of the dark path and the demons that had chased us…chased me. I vividly remembered the nightmare of BJ crying for me among the stalagmite trees.King put his hand on my arm. "It's okay, Mama. I've seen Wraiths. They think I'm one of them." King could read me as easily as Alexis could.I took a slow breath. "Have you talked to Oni about doing this?"King gave me a guilty look b
King placed a hand on Dave's shoulder. "Your spirit is strong, Dave, even stronger than the dark Incubus." King bit into the chicken. "You protect Papa all the time in the other world. The Mother said that everyone has a purpose. Even me."A swift exchange happened between King and Alexis, and I stared at Alexis.Alexis leaned toward me. "We'll talk about it soon."King stood and reached for an apple and a hunk of cheese. He sat and hungrily bit into them both. Yeah, they were starving. Eat first, talk later.Alexis drank most of a pitcher of milk. He was too famished and exhausted to reveal anything he had seen or heard while in the Mother's realm. Did he know that the Elders and he were being controlled by Underlings? Would he even care?A while later Oni stood. "Everyone. Your attention please."We turned to her."We are all so happy to see Alexis and King return to us safely, but I'm sure that they have a lot to talk about," Oni said. "We'll finish our meal and excuse oursel
We had finished breakfast and were on our way to the farm, the sun peeking over the horizon as King, Alexis, and I walked along the beach.King was eating an apple and speculating about bringing seeds from the farm in the Mother's old realm to this one. He was describing some fruit that he had eaten while there.Suddenly Alexis looked up.A moment later, I felt something in my center, pulling at me.I knew.We both knew.I tried to reach for King, but in that split second I was no longer on my beach. The sunrise, the ever-present sound of the waves, and the feel of the warm sand as it covered my toes were gone.I arrived in a cold, dim room. I had been here before. This was the castle in Scotland—St. Kilda. We were back in our own world! Shock and disorientation filled me. Once upon a time, there had been a throne in this room and I had sat here being interviewed by Alexis' Elder council and then violated by the Rectors.Alexis was on one side of me and Ran was on the other. Ne
"That is all." Isla shrugged her pretty shoulders. "Of course, we warn you not to attempt to battle any member of The Wolfpack. Our agreement has been renegotiated to forbid violence between Werewolves and Neratomay…although there are no such agreements between the other Supernaturals. The Neratomay have located very interesting Supernaturals. Some consider them delicacies, but I have yet to indulge.""What other Supernaturals?" I asked.Isla's black eyes seemed to twinkle. "Fairies, pixies, a dark elf, and of course, your run-of-the-mill witches and wizards.""Are you joking?" I asked."We may have had a leprechaun, but someone ate it before it could be confirmed." Ferris smiled. "And no. I do not joke of these matters.""We won't insult you by giving you rules to follow," Isla said while turning back to join the Council. "But should you do something that is ill-advised, then the ten years you've just spent in Limbo will be like one drop of water in the ocean." I refused to loo
Alexis shook his head. "I told her enough. Once we initiate others, then we will reveal our plans. But understand that you are now a weapon, Monica. The secret that you carry in your head will destroy a Neratomay that invades your thoughts. As your Elder, I forbid you to act on this secret until given permission by me or Kim."Monica lowered the blood-soaked pillowcase and glared at Alexis. Her lips pursed together, and I wondered if she was about to spit. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the floor. "Yes, Alexis," she said politely.I rolled my eyes. She was so fake! She was probably fantasizing eight different ways to chop up Alexis and snack on his innards.Alexis had to know what was in her mind. "We need to exchange blood but…we'll wait since you've spilled some of yours."Monica nodded. "Yes."Alexis hovered slightly off the floor so he wouldn't soil his robes with her blood. "Now fill us in on all that we have missed.""Those bastards that imprisoned you took Mr. Wolf," Mon
Instead of returning to my old house, we got a suite of rooms at an all-Vampire hotel. My home with Paul would hold too many memories, and this wasn't the time to sort through them.I had contacted my Ladies in waiting, who were excited to see me, so we were going to have an "all-nighter" to get caught up.It wasn't uncommon for humans to be present at a Vampire hotel since they were our food. The hotel took special care with our blood donors, requiring all un-living guests to sign a contract upon final death that we wouldn't harm anyone else's property. It still happened occasionally, but most Master level Vampires avoided the blade and final death with one little loophole—not recognizing that the "food" had belonged to someone.There was so much to tell my Ladies, but I mainly wanted to share King with them. We were going to bring him to our realm for the first time. I was so excited to share him with my family.When we arrived, the Ladies had already been sent up to our suite. T
A few hours later Alexis announced that King was awake. I had explained to the Ladies that calling King would need to be done privately because we had never done it before and didn't want him to feel afraid. Even though King was used to moving from realm to realm, he wasn't used to being met by screaming women.Everyone returned to their rooms except Ran."Do you feel him?" I asked."No," Ran replied. "But you two do, right?""Yes," Alexis and I answered."He's ready," Alexis said. "I'm the strongest so I'll call him."I nodded anxiously. "Bring me my son."I expected it to be quick, like flashing, but it was nothing like that. I could see the concentration on Alexis' face as he pulled our son from the Underworld. I gripped Ran's hand anxiously.I wanted to join our powers to pull our son to this world, but I didn't understand how Alexis was doing it and how I could merge my powers with Alexis.Then I felt King's arrival, and it was like knowing that a Vampire was going to app
The Ladies liked the new Alexis. He showed King that he could change himself to appear more human but immediately changed back. I think Alexis wanted King to get used to the way he looked in our realm, but King thought his father's new look was interesting and didn't seem to have a problem with it.After breakfast, the Ladies didn't linger too much longer. Kat wanted to get in touch with her real estate agent to find houses for us to tour. Karen offered to go out and buy King a few changes of clothes until he could decide on a wardrobe.Mara needed to get the paperwork together concerning King's birth certificate and passport. "What is King's last name?"I turned to Alexis. "What is King's last name?" Alexis had never mentioned having a human last name."I don't claim a family name, and you know how I feel about sharing a name with someone who means nothing to me," Alexis said. "King has a name and a title. He is King of the Underworld.""King…of the Underworld?" Mara repeated slo
"Are you ready, my love?" Alexis asked."I'm not sure," I said. "She's still so little."Alexis kissed the dark curls at the top of our daughter's head. "Tiye is strong enough to travel back to our realm. We've been here a year. Don't you miss home?""Yeah, but a year here is only like five minutes in the Above," I said."More like a few weeks," Alexis said. "The Ladies are anxious to meet their new niece."He gently lifted his sleeping daughter, tucking her blanket carefully around her body. She had just turned three months old and was as round and plump as a melon. Her thick, curly hair was sure to be as wild as mine was when I wasn't wearing the plaits that Oni put them in. She looked like us—my brown skin with Alexis' nose and Mona Lisa smile.Alexis had named her after an ancient Egyptian Queen who was the deity of light. Leave it to him to name his daughter after an angel and a queen.He carried her outside and stood on the porch staring out at a vast sea made by his own h
Paul smiled and relaxed. I led him to the study where Alexis was waiting. Alexis nodded in greeting."Alexis, thanks for agreeing to this meeting," Paul said.Alexis gestured to a throne. "Please, have a seat."Paul looked at the throne and sat. "Mmm, comfy."Alexis moved the other two thrones to form a triangle, and we sat."We saw the gathering video," Paul said. "We didn't know we were being filmed," I said."I figured as much," Paul said. "But you made a good point when you said that one supernatural group cannot rule over another. My Werewolf Council has been meeting for the last few days. We don't want a war with the Neratomay.""And we do not want a war with the Werewolves," Alexis said.Paul nodded. "We have been in discussions with the Alliance of the Supernaturals, and I expressed King's beliefs that if we do not work together then we will all fall together.""That's right," I said."After a lot of negotiation, the Alliance would like to extend an offer for you to
Ran continued. "We asked the Wolves to coordinate their attacks with ours, and that is all they agreed to do.""But what about the carnage that occurred in Epic Cu?" The Councilmember asked."Are you for real?" I asked in irritation. "There were hundreds of Rectors at that gathering! All it would have taken was for one of those Rectors to snap Alexis' neck before he could summon King to close the portal to the Underworld. We had to take out the Rectors and luckily the Alpha aided us or—well we wouldn't be here and you'd still be kissing the ass of your demon master!"Alexis put his hand on mine but Ignacio smiled in amusement. Will you be quiet! Cyrene snapped silently in my head.When has that ever happened? I snapped back.Ladies, Alexis interrupted. Now is not the time. My love, try to be more…diplomatic.Fine, I replied."We won that war by any means necessary," Alexis said, his voice annoyed. "We don't appreciate your line of questioning. Do you want to go back to the way
The Neratomay flashed themselves away once they were outside of Epic Cut. The Supernaturals carried away their dead and injured, and what was left inside of Epic Cu was blood, gore, and ash. Paul left with his pack, and Ran, King, Alexis, and I flashed back to our villa where King fell in an exhausted asleep.Alexis and I watched him with pride. "It could have gone so much different," I whispered."No." Alexis continued to gaze at King's small sleeping form. "Not if we understand King's true potential—this is the way it was meant to be."It was time discover the fallout so we turned on the radio and television. Many countries were in a state of emergency based on what had happened over the last several hours. News outlets and radio stations made announcements that people should stay indoors because there were reports of wild, strange beast attacks. Videos of humans turning into Vampires and using impossible speed to attack the beasts clogged the Internet. Supposed experts in the s
I moved from zombie to Wraith, pushing them through the portal and trying not to think about those they had possessed.The Wraiths will take you…Oni had said.I saw Alexis keeping King in the light flowing from the portal, but the portal had grown smaller.It was working!King was closing the portal to the Collective!As I zapped zombies and Wraiths, I noticed with surprise that the Supernaturals were fighting with the Neratomay to kill the zombies! When they ganged up and killed a zombie and the wraith left the zombie's body, I was able to zap the Wraith and send it back where it belonged."Aleawdat 'iilaa alealam alsuflii!" I chanted loudly along with King. Although I didn't understand the words, I could repeat them exactly.Then Ran, who still stood sentry beside me, began repeating the words. Alexis joined our chant, and that portal began shrinking even more.The larger Wraiths became bottlenecked trying to squeeze up and out of the shrinking portal. They were so freaking g
I stared at the center of the pentagram where so much power was streaming through to seek out vessels, as if that power was a thinking, conniving being. It infused its targets with power so they could fight for it. And Alexis thought that my son should face that? My little boy?"Alexis, he's just a baby!""He is a demon!" he said sternly. "He only pretends to be a baby because that's what you need, Kim. You have to know that it has been many years since our son was a baby."The way King talked to the Wolf Council, the way he seemed to understood so much and so easily, the way he commanded attention whenever he spoke. I didn't want my child to fight this battle, but Alexis and King both knew this was what King was meant to do.Alexis released me and turned toward the pentagram. He raised his hand and began pulling power from the portal in the center, pulling so much that he glowed with the unnatural light that the energy emanated.Paul squinted and stepped in front of me, preventin
Alexis raised his hand. "We learned the truth, secrets that have enslaved us all!" Alexis' nose began to bleed. He stumbled and swiped at the blood angrily and then raised it to show everyone. "Secrets that prevent me from speaking these truths. But you see! You see!"Ran glared out at the group. "We know, even if we can't speak it. But if you can read it in our heads, you will know this secret, too!"The pain was so sudden that I could not have taken a step. I couldn't even see! Buzzing filled my brain as instead of a dozen bees, hundreds of them seemed to fill my head. I had expected it and thought I was prepared, but there is no way to be prepared when someone is inside of you filling your brain to bursting!"Kim!" Paul shook me.I tried to open my eyes then realized they were open. I couldn't see!"Build your wall!" Paul shouted. "Build it now!"I tried to imagine the bricks—white bricks. White…but I could only see black vapors!Then Alexis was inside my head cutting through
I smelled Alexis and Ran, but so had Paul. He was already heading toward them. When we finally met up, I dropped Paul's clothes on the ground before him. He changed quickly back to a man while I stared up at the castle where more Neratomay than ever attempted to enter Epic Cu."Once we're inside we cannot flash ourselves out," I said.Paul narrowed his eyes. "You'll be trapped inside?"Alexis frowned, but Ran and I nodded.Paul slipped his shirt over his head and peered at the castle. "We can blow this bitch up.""Blowing up Neratomay won't kill us," Alexis said. "Not unless our heads are severed or our hearts pierced.""Why does this castle remind me of Hogwarts?" Paul asked.I smiled. "That's what I thought!""How do we enter?" Paul asked. "That entrance is a hopeless bottleneck." "You could enter through the front door once we're inside," Alexis said, pointing at the opening four stories up. "That's how we exited."Paul licked his lips. "I can make that jump.""Not as a
"You're behind this, aren't you? Somehow—"His head exploded. I flinched at the spray of gore. When it turned to ash, I brushed it off me."Which one of you did that?" I asked."He searched my head," Alexis replied."Well, warn a sister next time," I said.Then I felt a loud buzz in my head, and across the room another Elder's head exploded.This created more bedlam and screaming from Council members who flashed themselves away or who sought the aid of another Elder."Do you feel that?" Ran asked."I don't feel anything because these people are screaming and hollering so loudly," I said.They were the most cowardly individuals I had ever seen. These powerful Vampires sat here crying like wusses! The very Council members and Elders who had tortured and murdered other lower level Neratomay could only hide and cry when they met a foe they couldn't overpower. They were the very definition of bullies!Ran turned to me. "It's Paul.""Paul? How…?""I can still hear him from my tim