by Eva Brandt
The side-effects of this would be devastating. The moon was more than just a base for The Grand Judiciary. It affected the tides and the weather on Terra.
But even the most difficult paths had to start somewhere. And in that moment, I believed. Like the Great Mother—Gerema—had said, we had a future. We just had to fight for it.
* * *
August
It was hard to explain the panic I felt in the aftermath of the battle. It reminded me of the time when Charybdis had gone dormant in space, leaving me at the mercy of the void. Everyone was in shock, reeling from grief, fear, and loss. Our forces had taken a significant blow and countless had died in Hades Base.
But there was no time to focus on that. The explosion had also damaged the array of satellites nearby, which meant Tartarus Base was in trouble. And so, less than a day after Brendan had taken the throne of the Chimera dynasty, we were landing the Venom next to New Washington.
The larger, transport ships that hadn’t been in battle had survived without issue. Countless people were waiting in orbit, needing shelter now that it had become too dangerous to stay in their homes in space.
But our unit had another reason to come here—and that was the identity of the chimera that had destroyed so much.
“I told you to relax, hatchling,” Charybdis tried to reassure me. “Selene will be fine.”
“I’d be more inclined to believe that had I not sensed her in the giant monster we just killed.”
“Bodies are just shells, August. They can be rebuilt. You have bigger problems.”
“If you’re trying to be reassuring, it’s not really working.”
“I don’t need to reassure you. The only one who can do that is Selene, and that will happen soon.”
Charybdis was right. The moment we arrived at Gaia’s Temple, Selene rushed out of the building. “Brendan!” she cried. “What happened up there?”
She looked pale, but otherwise unharmed. If I hadn’t known any better, I could’ve sworn I’d imagined what I’d felt when we’d been on the moon.
But I did know better, so I pretended along with everyone else. “A gigantic chimera attacked us,” Brendan explained. “We don’t know where it came from, but because of the damage, we have to relocate here.”
“Of course,” she replied. “We’ve been expecting that. My mother is unfortunately not present. We’ve had some structural damage too. But I’m helping coordinate things in her absence. Please, follow me.”
We did. The temple was filled to the brim with staff, both men and women running around, trying to figure out what was going on.
It was kind of refreshing. This was supposed to be the female section of the city, but that no longer mattered.
Selene made a beeline for her mother’s office. As soon as we were behind closed doors and in private, she plopped down on the couch with a groan.
“Well, that was very unpleasant. Let’s not do it again. Ever.”
“That was you up there, then,” Knox offered tightly.
It wasn’t a question, but Selene answered anyway. “You know that it was. I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on things happening this way. The opportunity just… came up and I had to take it.”
Things like this didn’t just come up. They happened for very good reasons. But now was not the time to have that argument.
I knelt in front of her and took her hand, threading our fingers together. “Don’t apologize for doing what you had to do. Are you okay?”
“I… I think so. I just need a moment to think.
“It was so strange. Gaia just picked up my soul and stuck it in that vessel. But I could feel that other part of the chimera, the soul of the serpent. I can still remember it. I don’t know… I’m afraid the wrong soul returned to this body.”
“It didn’t,” Brendan said. “If it had, we would know it.”
The certainty in his voice distracted her. She looked at him, and for a few seconds, we all just stared at one another. Those moments passed, and Selene burst into tears.
She buried her fingers in her now short hair and trembled like a leaf, fat tears trailing down her cheeks. “What have I done? How could I do all that? How could I destroy so much?”
“You did what you had to do, Selene,” Knox said. “And I know things seem terrible now, but you weren’t wrong. In the big picture, it’ll turn out for the best.”
“I want to believe that. I want to see it’s a new beginning. But still…”
I could see her point of view. No one would have ever thought that we’d have to go so far to rebuild our broken society.
But the fact of the matter was that we’d been too segregated for too long, and too trapped in our ways. The only method we could use to fix that was to destroy the basis of the superiority of the Chimera aristocracy and force everyone back together. This course of action had been destructive, more so than I’d ever expected, but Terra would heal and adapt to it too.
“I know this will be difficult, Selene, but we’ll fix it. We’ll rebuild everything, better than it ever was.”
I didn’t think she would have believed me, but that was the moment a knock sounded at the door. Selene wiped her eyes and called out, “Come in.”
The new arrival turned out to be Jared. He’d been present in the battle on the moon, but had made himself scarce after bringing the chimeras to us. If the rest of our people had seen him, it would have been bad, especially in that context. At one point, he must have returned to the Apsid Quasar and had come back to New Washington after that. He was carrying a tiny bundle in his arms. “Hey, Selene. Someone misses you. Want to say hi?”
Selene shot him a reprimanding look, but I got the feeling she was grateful. “Oh, Jared. You shouldn’t have brought him here. I’m a mess.”
She extended her arms anyway and Jared silently handed the baby to her. Nestor gurgled, as if sensing his mother’s anguish.
When she looked down at Nestor, Selene smiled again. Her stance relaxed slightly, the burden weighing her down vanishing. And that was when I truly understood.
The Great Mother hadn’t insisted on Selene having a child just because it had been practical and convenient. She’d always known Selene would need an anchor, something we just couldn’t provide, a true hope for the future.
It was that hope that I saw in Nestor’s gummy smile. It was that hope that I heard in Selene’s light chuckle. We’d been through hell today, but when I watched my lover with my son, I could, for the first time, say that we were finally headed in the right direction.
Epilogue
Selene
Fifteen years later
“I told you, Mother. I’m perfectly prepared for the classes.”
“Yes, Nestor, I know. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”
I fussed with the collar of my son’s uniform, wondering how time had flown by so quickly. It seemed like yesterday that I’d given birth to him in the Apsid Quasar. Sometimes, I still remembered those moments, when I’d had so many doubts about my future, about being his mother, about everything. I still did. But now, I could safely say that having him had been one of the best decisions in my life. And today, he’d be starting school at New Chimera Academy. It was amazing.
“I’m so proud of you,” I added, tears filling my eyes. “Ah, my baby, all grown up and ready to fly out of the nest!”
“Mom! I’m not a baby!”
I laughed at him, and only stopped when we left his quarters together. Knox was waiting for us in the main room of our apartment. “Hey, Selene. Hey, pup. Ready for the big day?”
Nestor nodded bravely. “I look forward to it. Besides, what’s Sphinx going to do? Eat us alive?”
I didn’t bother suppressing my flinch. “Nestor, that was terrible. Where do you get your sense of humor? You’ve been spending too much time with Archibald again.”
“He’s not that bad,” Nestor said cheekily. “Most of the time.”
As if summoned by our words, the Chimera royal chose t
his exact moment to arrive. He and Brendan walked into our apartment together, and they both smiled when they saw Nestor dressed in his uniform.
“Looking good, little prince,” Brendan said.
“Thank you, Father,” Nestor replied. “I’m going to make you proud.”
Nestor was well aware that Brendan wasn’t his biological parent, but that had never mattered to us. Every single one of my lovers had shown him a great deal of love and support. It had come in handy, especially since Jared hadn’t always been able to be there for him in the first years of his childhood.
“You’ve already made me proud,” Brendan shot back, ruffling Nestor’s hair.
Archibald let out an irritated huff. “Don’t put so much pressure on the child, Brendan. He’ll be fine, no matter what he decides.”
At this rate, they were going to start bickering again. I would’ve probably joined in, but I had no desire to listen to Archibald. He and I no longer had debates over the true parentage of my son, but that didn’t mean we always got along.
Today was an important day and I didn’t want our conflicts to ruin it. And so, I hooked my arm through my son’s and dragged him out of our apartment.
Outside, it was a clear day. If I squinted, I could catch glimpses of the ravaged moon, high above us. The sight still weighed on me, but not as much as it had in the past.
Guards were already waiting for us in front of a hover car. Nestor guided me inside first, and then joined me. Knox, Brendan, and Archibald showed up as well, entering the car with us.
It was a little awkward to be like this with them in such a cramped space, but we no longer had the luxury of large transport vehicles. We still used hover technology, but we had to be more careful with parts. Our focus was now on the terra-forming machines Brendan had created to assist the priestesses of Gaia in their work. Luxury was unimportant compared to that.
We arrived at New Chimera Academy in no time. The building stood right next to Gaia’s Temple, and it wasn’t very far from our home. It was no longer a simply metallic building. Instead, it was a mixed creation of metal and wood, accommodating the needs of everyone inside.
The school had been built two years after the remnants of the Chimera aristocracy had relocated to Earth. The staff from the garrisons in deep space had returned here, since we’d needed every able bodied person to help us deal with our new situation. Once things had stabilized, we’d needed another element to give everyone some degree of familiarity, and the academy had been chosen.
It wasn’t the same as it had been in the past, of course. We no longer used metallic creations at all. But our friends had stayed, and instead of acting as our tools, they were now teachers for the next generations.
Pollux, August, and Jared were already at the academy, waiting for us. “Your Majesty, it’s an honor,” Jared greeted Brendan as we got out of the car. “Queen Selene, as lovely as always. And who do we have here? Your delightful son.”
Nestor rolled his eyes at him. He opened his mouth, probably intending to say something rebellious. “There’s no need to be so formal, Jared,” Brendan replied before Nestor could speak. “Not anymore. We’re all friends here.”
Jared grinned sharply. “Yes, I suppose we are.”
It had taken over five years for us to be able to pursue a real treaty with the Heliads. It was only then that Jared had officially returned to Earth. He was now an ambassador between our two worlds and although many people still didn’t understand how it was possible, he was very good at his job.
Naturally, no one was aware Nestor was his son. He’d taken after me in looks, and those who doubted his parentage remained of the belief that he was August’s. But Nestor and Jared were still close. Now that he was old enough, Nestor often traveled to the Apsid Quasar, and he always stayed longer than he claimed. It had helped him understand a lot about who he was—his powers, his past, his legacy.
But there were still some things about the Heliads that made me restless, and unfortunately, Nestor’s first day at the academy wasn’t excused of disruptive elements. There was someone new with Jared today, a girl I didn’t recognize. She was obviously a Heliad, but she didn’t look humanoid, not completely. When she smiled, something about her expression bugged me. I suppressed a frown, trying to remember where I’d seen that look before. “Why don’t you introduce us to your friend?” I asked Jared.
“Ah, yes. My apologies. This is Gerema. She’s a friend of Commander Trevor’s.”
A friend of Wesley’s? That was odd. I knew all the friends he’d made in the Apsid Quasar, and I didn’t remember this girl.
“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by like this, Queen Selene,” Gerema replied. “I’m behind on some tasks, you see.”
Gerema smiled and at that moment, I remembered her. A weight settled heavily on my heart. “No,” I answered quickly. “I don’t mind.”
She turned on her heel and entered the academy. I thought about a different time, when I’d faced a woman who spoke in a million voices, who had a thousand faces and controlled powers that affected reality itself.
“You’re late,” I called out to her. “Next time you’re busy, don’t try to hoist your responsibilities onto me. If you love someone, pursue it.”
She laughed and the sound didn’t scare me. I was no longer scared of gods and monsters. As far as I was concerned, we’d built our own destiny anew, out of bloodshed and diamond. We could believe in ourselves now. No matter what the future held, we could handle it—together.
THE END
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In a fairytale world where there are no damsels in distress or dragons to slay, a somewhat crazy king decides to trap his son in a tower and wait for something heroic to happen. Easy enough? Not when said prince is allergic to dairy, surrounded by milk, cheeses and cattle, and not happy about it.
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A vampire princess with a secret and a terrifying power. A werewolf Alpha out for revenge. Imprisoned by a past of spilled blood, trapped in a vicious circle of hatred, can they find freedom in the chains that bind them?
I was born cursed—a woman both living and dead, torn between two worlds and part of neither. My life’s goal has been to serve the Eventide Blood Clan, fighting the shifters who dared to stand in our way.
Everything changed when I became a warden at Eventide Shifter Prison—and when werewolf Wade Hewitt landed in my path. He was supposed to be my tool, my ticket to defeating my enemies. He became so much more than that.
He’s my captive and my plaything. And yet, he makes me feel things I never thought I could feel. He makes me thirst for more than his blood. My body aches for him.
I might be his mistress, but he is my Alpha. He might be my enemy, but I am his Omega. We might hate one another, but we are soul mates. What am I supposed to do now?
The Warden’s Wolf is an enemy-to-lovers Alpha/Omega dark romance. It contains dark themes of dubious consent, imprisonment, and steamy, dirty sex between a hot as hell werewolf and a kinky vampire princess. Proceed with caution.
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In a fairytale world where there are no damsels in distress or dragons to slay, a somewhat crazy king decides to trap his son in a tower and wait for something heroic to happen. Easy enough? Not when said prince is allergic to dairy, surrounded by milk, cheeses and cattle, and not happy about it.
It’s up to Arachne, evil witch extraordinaire and temporary overworked head of The Evil Wizard Conglomerate, to save the day. Eh. It’s better than having to deal with the minions on strike.
Start the story here: Chapter One. Cheesy Predicaments
About the Author
Eva Brandt is a romance aficionado who likes to spice up her stories with an extra bit of something special. Dragons? Perfect. Vampires? You got it. Any other type of mythological creature you might not have heard of? Absolutely. Sexy, snarky heroines and heroes with a penchant for falling head over heels in love with them? Yes and double yes.
She also believes in a very simple motto. Be passionate about passion. Embrace temptation. Life is too short to deny yourselves the most beautiful things about it.
When she’s not weaving her latest sexy tale, she enjoys relaxing in bed with a nice mug of tea and her ebook reader. Because nothing is better than writing a book, except reading one.
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