He ran his tongue over his lips and looked down. "Ten years. That's a long time." He shook his head.I took a deep breath. "While I was there, a lot of things happened."He nodded. "Yeah. You hooked up with Alexis.""No. Not just that." He shoved his hands into his pocket. "What?""You know how I cry clear tears?"He reached out and gently swiped away a tear on my cheek. He looked at it and showed me the clear drop.I hadn't shaken my desire to breathe, and I took in a deep breath and held it. "I found answers down there."His posture changed and his expression grew serious. "Did you find out why this is happening to you? I thought it was…us."I shook my head slowly. "I think that helped but…no." I thought about what I was going to say to him and how it would change everything—even whether he would let me see my baby girl again. "While I was down there—while we were down there—we weren't like Vampires. We were about as close to human as one can get and not be mortal. And I wa
The next day was going to be a busy one, but I was distracted. My mind kept going back to my visit with BJ. "I want to go home!" she had cried. My heart was breaking. I would do anything for her…but not that. We needed each other, but it wasn't going to be easy saying goodbye after each visit.Alexis said he needed to return to his territory to take care of business and would be meeting with Monica.After he left, I went back to the front room where King had discovered one of the many Star Wars movies. "Let's go, son. While Papa's running errands, you and I are going to spend the day together."I took him out to a late lunch at a real restaurant. He ordered too much off the menu and felt bad about wasting it. I had to give him permission not to try to eat it all. Afterwards we looked at two houses that Kat's real estate agent had found for us.Kat knew what we needed, which was basically a house that I already had and one that Kat was now putting up for sale. Ugh, I didn't want t
Monica inclined her head to me. She stood across the table from Alexis dressed in a nude colored pair of slacks with a matching nude jacket."Welcome back," Frank said, who looked me up and down in appreciation."Thank you, Frank."In three months he hadn't changed—probably not even his clothes. His black leather pants were so tight that you could see his Vampire enhanced dick outlined from tip to root. He wore a half-buttoned, white frilly shirt, black boots, a diamond encrusted choker, and hair so long and greasy that it could have oiled the engine of a broken down hoopdy. "You're looking as delectable as ever," Frank said."As are you," I said.Frank laughed at the obvious lie.Tony, as usual, looked good. He wore suede black shoes, black trousers that fit too perfectly, and a midnight blue shirt with a thin black and blue tie. His hair was cut so short that it was almost shaved along the sides. His edges were razor sharp."How are you?" Tony asked, his dark brown eyes fill
"Kim and I created King," Alexis said. "When we were something other than what we are now. The Elders sent us to the Underworld, but you can be assured it was something more powerful that decreed it." His eyes flickered red."While we were there we learned some secrets," I said carefully. I didn't want my eyes to start bleeding. "Secrets that would upset the balance," Alexis said. "Secrets that we intend to share with you."Everyone gasped, but no one dared to speak. Neratomay secrets weren't widely known by even high-ranking Council members. They were only conjectures or tales and fables of a possibility that might have existed. I was pretty sure that none of them had ever bled from their eyes and ears trying to reveal a secret."When they sent us to the Underworld and kept us down there for ten years, they didn't realize the grave mistake that they were making," Alexis continued. "It was a perfect storm of power and opportunity. King could not have happened if everything hadn't
I couldn't find any fault with the house. When Alexis said that he had been re-modeling it for us, he must have had a twenty-man crew working day and night because everything was new and pristine. Chrome and white was the theme. The living room had three thrones instead of couches, each covered in white furs.I touched a chrome candleholder with my fingertip, half-expecting to be zapped. Nothing. Only then did I relax.We went upstairs where there were three bedroom suites. There were no windows in any of them, but King didn't seem to notice once he saw that his suite gave him his own television set, DVDs, books, and CD player.Alexis and I kissed him good night, and he was fast asleep a moment later. We lingered in the doorway."We're going to need to form a link with him," I said."We should do it now while he sleeps."Alexis took his delicate wrist, tracing the small veins visible just beneath the skin. He lowered his fangs, and a drop of saliva hit King's smooth brown skin a
"How would you get the Rectors to read your memories?" Tony asked."Once we're overseas," Alexis said, "we intend to announce King's existence to the Neratomay. The Rectors that sit in their throne rooms, content to have their essence move about in the world, will gather and want knowledge of how this was possible, knowledge of how this power can be shared with the Collective. One by one they will seek the information from our thoughts, and one by one they will be killed.""And then the Elders come for you," Tony said. "But your Golden army will take them out.""Yep, that's the plan," Ran said."No, not good." Tony said while shaking his head."Why?" I asked. "There are some holes, but that's why we're talking to you.""First, who is going to make this Golden army?" Tony asked. "You made Monica, and she is not Golden."Monica had been silently listening, surprising me that she had no input."A bite doesn't make you Golden," I said. "You're born that way. And we got a guy…and he
Paul frowned, his eyes taking in every inch of my child. "Hello," he said slowly. "How…how old are you?""Nine," King replied.Paul's teeth subtly began to clench. Ugh. Yeah, I'm sure he was thinking that I had been gone ten years and knocked up after one. He looked at me and raised his hands in a question. "What is this about?""It's about the Neratomay," I said.His frown deepened. I'm sure he wasn't expecting that response."King is here to tell you something that I can't tell you," I said. "Secrets that we learned while down in the Underworld."Paul looked at Ran, who nodded."Why would you tell me?" Paul asked."Because we want the same things," I said. "I want to live my life without fear. I want to raise my son without laws that might turn him into a slave for the Neratomay. I want to be free.""And you think any of that is what I want?" Paul asked coldly, his eyes narrowing."It used to be," I said softly.Paul stared at King. "He doesn't smell like Neratomay. But…he
"Bassma?" King called as he darted toward the house. "House" was a loose interpretation. Bassma's place resembled a treehouse, although there were three levels, the main one being on the ground.Bassma came running out of his place. He had transformed to a child again, just for our son. They hugged each other like true friends, and after so many years they truly were friends. Bassma seemed to enjoy reliving his childhood again with King."King!" Bassma shouted. "I thought you were gone for good!""I came back so that I could give everyone a proper goodbye," King said.Bassma smiled. "Thank you.""I want to tell you everything I saw," King said. "It's not like what you remember, Bassma. It's so much cooler."They talked and sat on the porch, swinging their legs as King told him about the things he had seen and the foods that he had eaten. Ran and Oni said they were going to find a fruit that only grew on Bassma's land. I suspected they were going off to make out.Alexis and I enj
"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