BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
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Copyright © 2019
Nightlight Press
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Prologue: Derek
Our lives had changed upon learning about the day-walking protein’s origins. Two months had passed since Amal and Amane had pulled Sofia and me aside to tell us about their discovery. They’d managed to use the protein from my blood in a fused tracking and interplanetary spell, which, in turn, had led them to a solar system in the Earthly Dimension, not that far from our home. We’d called it Trexus, with three planets known to be inhabited.
We’d spent the last few fortnights studying Trexus-2 in particular, which had been identified as the protein’s origin. The modified telescopes had not been enough to give us a detailed image of the planet. A peculiar haze surrounding the planets made it difficult for our lenses to zoom in, but we’d gathered enough data to get a general idea. The images we’d collected had revealed cities on Trexus-1, the closest to the giant sun of that galaxy, as well as Trexus-2 and 3. We’d recognized the structures of advanced civilizations, wondering whether they were in contact with one another, and whether they were aware of other worlds just on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy.
How ironic, I’d thought, that the answer to my day-walking wishes was hidden so close to Earth. We didn’t have sufficient magic and technology available to see past that haze and get more information about Trexus-2, so our only other choice had been to organize an exploratory mission.
The Faulty twins had both assured me that they needed the original protein, from the original carriers, in order to replicate and synthesize it into a cure that would make all vampires into day-walkers. That was the epitome of a dream come true for Sofia and me, not to mention the rest of The Shade. They’d all yearned to be in the sun again without burning to a crisp.
We had no idea what sort of creatures lived on Trexus-2, but we knew we couldn’t let that get in our way. We’d been to hell and back more than once over the past few decades. Visiting a previously unknown civilization was an interesting challenge, at best. I’d been out of the game for months now, focusing mostly on local work—much like most of the senior officers in GASP. The Hermessi ritual had drained us all of both physical and mental energy.
The end of the world had been averted, once more, but it had cost us. The pain it had caused would take time to heal. Sofia and I were still reeling from having lost a good chunk of our family during the ritual. We’d gotten Ben, Grace, Caia, Vita, Lucas, and Kailyn back, but still… their simultaneous deaths, no matter how short, had taken their toll.
The Supernatural Dimension and the In-Between were still recovering, as well. The Hermessi’s existence had thrown billions of people across the two dimensions for one heck of a loop. Fortunately for all of us, time had a way of healing us, even when we didn’t think it was possible.
Death and the Reapers had gone back to their affairs, away from the eyes of the living. The Spirit Bender was dead, and the natural order had been restored across the universe. With Brendel gone and the ritual forever stopped, the Hermessi had slipped back into their roles as elementals, dedicated solely to growth and life. They were not guardians, they were not gods, and they certainly weren’t fit to decide whether entire species deserved to live or die. Everything had begun to make sense again, now that peace and prosperity had returned to the lands.
GASP had grown stronger, with agents and bases set up on Yahwen, Aledras, and Cerix, among other newly discovered worlds. Families had been reunited. Friends had been brought back together. Life had been able to continue, no longer fearing an early demise at the hands of indoctrinated Hermessi or psychotic Reapers. We’d had enough of those.
The ghouls had vanished, too, after showing us a side of their nature we’d never seen before. I had to admit, I was intrigued. Regardless of my age and experience, I could still find myself surprised and learning new things. I’d thought I knew enough about the ghouls, but Herbert and his horde had proven me wrong.
Sherus and Nuriya had rebuilt their lives, with Taeral by their side, and I was thankful that my fae friend had made it back among the living. It would’ve broken my heart to see him lost to the underworld, his fate snapped by the whims of Brendel. Taeral still had Thieron in his possession at all times. He’d had no contact with Death and the Reapers since he’d last seen them on Aledras, but he’d been respectful of Thieron’s purpose. He never lost sight of it, but he didn’t use it. Personally, I was still grappling with the concept that he would become a Reaper upon his death, but Taeral seemed pretty comfortable with the idea.
Maybe Eira had played a part in that, as well. Still going strong together, the two had become quite the power couple among the fae. A Hermessi child and a Hermessi grandchild of water and fire, respectively, had captured the attention and fascination of most of the Supernatural Dimension’s fae. No one loathed the Hermessi after what happened. There was still reverence and awe toward the elementals. But they all knew to keep a certain distance. To not disturb the balance that Taeral and his crew had fought so hard to restore.
I lay back on our treehouse terrace, where I’d set up a lounger for my late-night pondering sessions. There had been a lot of those going on recently, as the departure day for our exploratory mission drew closer. Sofia joined me, wearing a white silk bathrobe. Her legs stretched out of it, the skin pale and milky under the moonlight.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, smiling softly.
“Where would I start? There are so many,” I replied, putting my arm around her.
She nodded. “I know. A lot has happened since the Hermessi were defeated.”
“Any word from Harper and Caspian?” I asked, remembering that I hadn’t seen them at our last GASP meeting in The Shade’s grand hall.
“They moved back to Calliope, to White City,” Sofia said. “They’re taking a break from the federation for a couple of months. I get it. They’re exhausted. They need some time off, for themselves.”
I sighed. “Fiona and Zane are in a similar situation. They’re holed up in their Infernis palace, with baby Sophia and Zane’s mother.”
“Well, that’s understandable, honey. Their world was nearly wiped out. They had to part with their own child, hoping Sophia might live for a little while longer, in case the Hermessi completed the ritual,” Sofia said. She had a point. Taken on an individual level, the ritual had devastated a lot of people. Fiona and Zane were still recovering.
“You know, I’ve noticed how different our people are at coping with this kind of stuff,” I replied, remembering Taeral’s crew, in particular. “I mean, look at Riza and Herakles. How relentless they are, even after everything they went through.”
The two had moved together to The Shade, building their own treehouse not far from ours. They were happy, thankful to have survived the nightmare and always willing to take on new missions. Amelia and Raphael, on the other hand, were more into relaxing and spending as much time together as they could—not that anyone could blame them. Their bravery and resilience had helped save us all.
“They’re strong and young,” Sofia said. She laughed lightly. “Side note, you know Raphael has been making inquiries about proposal options, right?”
I stifled a chuckle of my own, remembering how he’d pulled me aside after a briefing to ask whether a romantic dinner was enough, or if he’d need something more elaborate to propose to Amelia. “Well, he’s studied our culture. He’s seen the extremes that some of us are willing to go to in order to get a yes out of our significant other.”
“I find it adorable. He thinks he’s being discreet about it, but obviously Amelia already knows he’s planning to pop the question,” Sofia added, leaning back into the lounger next to mine. “He’s so determined to make it right, when all she really wants is for him to ask her already, so she can just say yes.”
“Varga was quite simple in his proposal to Eva, if you remember,” I said. “Shortly after breakfast, less than two months after the ritual, he was already asking her to be his wife.”
Eva had moved to Nevertide to be with him, and Tamara visited often. The Lady of the Lamias had also gotten more involved in our GASP operations, and I, for one, welcomed her input. She’d shed much of her reserve since Eva had come back in one piece from Aledras. I remembered their engagement party as if it had been yesterday, for it was then that we’d learned about Trexus-2.
