All Chapters of The Cure (Book 2 Tugurlan Chronicles): Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Bruce stretched his leg muscles, hoping to relieve some of the pain that seemed to radiate clear to the marrow of his bones.  When he’d agreed to allow me to give him a crash course in martial arts self-defense, he had no idea how physically challenging it would be.He always prided himself in his well preserved and athletic body.  He’d been a valued player on his college football team and continued to play with a local group of Owego residents on weekends just for fun. He was also an adept and avid hunter.  Even so, his body was screaming in shocked surprise at the number of muscles he possessed that hadn’t seen action; possibly ever.The floorboards of his cabin’s porch creaked under his weight as he paced back and forth; partially out of impatience while he waited for me to return with the newlyweds, and partially to keep his muscles from tightening up any more than they already were.Our good friends and my fellow escap

Shen’s head throbbed as he merged with the crowd on Las Vegas Blvd while making his back to his hotel.  He’d stepped out for a quick bite to eat at a nearby restaurant and was regretting his decision. The blazing sun was so hot that it scorched his bare head, intensifying the pulsing of the lump he’d received a few days earlier.He’d awoken, in the middle of the night, stretched out on his bed with no idea of how he’d gotten there. His pillow was spotted with blood that leaked through the make-shift bandage someone -he could only assume was Tatyana or Maggie- applied. He called room service for some aspirin and a strong drink and pulled himself to the bathroom to investigate his wounds.  He suspected he had a concussion.His disappointment in his meeting with Tatyana was overshadowed by his desire to put as much space between himself and Las Vegas as he could. He booked a flight to New York and telephoned me to fill me in. 

Elsa Prescott came from a long line of mystical priestesses. Her great, great, grandmother who was captured into slavery when she was a young woman held the secrets of their traditions close to her chest.  She passed them down with careful accuracy to her children and grandchildren. Her daughters and granddaughters -respectful of the honor bestowed upon them- took great pains to maintain purity in everything they did. If the old woman could have worked next to her great, great, grandmother while preparing a tonic or potion, her great, great, grandmother would have been pleased to see that the contents, measurements, words, and movements remained original and precise. Elsa’s family name was Sekibo.  When her great, great grandmother was forced to lay with her owner, the six children she bore him were given his surname and English first names. The following generations, both female and male, either by choice or by force, continued to mix with whites. By th

Phoenix Arizona was three hours behind the east coast, so we’d only lost a few hours of daylight from our flight and the transfer time in Atlanta.  Both Bruce and I were edgy about wandering around in places we weren’t familiar with after the sun had set. We weren’t afraid of being mugged or robbed, but had a real concern about running into a creature of the night; something we wouldn’t have dreamed of worrying about a few months ago. We were well equipped and prepared to handle vampires, but now we had to face werewolves.  We didn’t have enough knowledge to deal with them. There were questions that needed to be answered, and answered quickly. Bruce’s arm was looking angry near the werewolf gash he’d received. Was it a typical wound infection, or was it something that would lead to a far greater problem? We just didn’t know. These were answers we needed, and needed now.The sizable tip that I

Vampires! What in the name of L’wah was Maggie thinking?  How could she jeopardize her family in this way? Elsa’s bare feet padded across the ornate flagstone of her garden patio as she tried to think of a way out of the mess her niece had managed to get her into. She’d listened to enough stories from her mama that were handed down to her from her mama, and to her from her mama, and so on, to believe in the existence of vampires. They were vile, blood sucking creatures to be sure. Rumor had it that her great, great, great uncle had lost his bride-to-be to a vampire, but that was just rumor.  It hadn’t ever been proven. She could have just as easily been scooped up by some slave trader she’d had the misfortune of stumbling into. Even so, vampires existed.  She was certain of that.Now, after years of dealing with various aspects of the underworld, and managing to avoid any type of interaction or confrontation with vampi