Zero Hour

by Kimbra Swain

  Zero Hour

  Stories of Frost and Fire: A Prequel

  Kimbra Swain

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Kimbra Swain

  Zero Hour, Stories of Frost and Fire: A Prequel, October 2019

  Kimbra Swain / Crimson Sun Press, LLC

  kimbraswain@gmail.com

  crimsonsunpress@gmail.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Cover by: Fantasia Cover Designs, Sharon Lipman https://www.facebook.com/FantasiaCovers/

  Formatting by: Crimson Sun Graphics

  Editing by Carol Tietsworth: https://www.facebook.com/Editing-by-Carol-Tietsworth-328303247526664/

  Contents

  DEDICATION

  Prologue

  A History Of Shady Grove

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  DEDICATION

  For Peggy Kerestus and Natasha McQuary

  Prologue

  LEVI

  I thought my writing days were over. Once I’d completed The Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen, Grace and I settled into our lives as King and Queen of Winter and the Exiles. Of course, there was no such thing as peace in the land of fairies or the land outside the veil that was protecting Shady Grove.

  Our children have had their own adventures battling evil and fighting to find themselves as we did. My son, Killian, turned out to be a better Bard than me, so it shocked me when Winnie asked me to tell her story, and not him.

  I’d had a special connection to her from the moment I saw her. A tiny little human. Wide-eyed and innocent. We colored together. I ate grits that I hated for her. She gave me the title of Uncle. She meant so much more than that to me, and I know she felt the same.

  Wynonna Jones Riggs inherited an enormous power from her father, Dylan Riggs. It took her a very long time to master it. But in finding herself, she learned about the real world and how power is perceived. She also learned that an enemy can be a friend and a friend can also be your worst enemy.

  This is her story.

  It is a story of frost and fire.

  A History Of Shady Grove

  Nestled in the heart of humidity and hospitality, a haven for supernatural creatures existed unbeknownst to the human world. Shady Grove was an insignificant town in the middle of Alabama. However, when a Fairy Queen running for her life moved in, everything changed.

  Grace Ann Bryant, daughter of Oberon, was exiled to the human realm for having a relationship with a man that most of the Otherworld hated, including the Fairy King of the Winter Realm, her father. She traveled the world but ended up in Shady Grove. She signed a contract with the Sanhedrin who had hunted her, and in exchange for helping the local sheriff, she was allowed to live in her double wide without a bounty on her head.

  Across the street from Grace in the Cahaba Acres Home Park, a little girl named Wynonna Jones lived with her drug-addicted, prostitute mother. Despite her undesirable home life, she was a vibrant little girl and immediately won the heart of the icy Winter Queen.

  When Winnie’s mother died, Grace adopted her and Grace’s fiancé, Dylan Riggs, became her father. Dylan was the last living Thunderbird and the only living Phoenix.

  Grace also lived with a young man who had been given the magical musical abilities of Taliesin, the bard. Levi Rearden became Grace’s companion and support through rough times.

  One midsummer’s night, Dylan sacrificed his life to save Winnie’s, making her the first female phoenix.

  After many months of grieving, Grace opened her heart again for Levi who had matured after seeing the darker side of the Otherworld. His love proved to be a perfect match for Grace. They were married, but immediately charged into battle to save the Winter Realm from her uncle, Brockton.

  A fierce battle raged in the Otherworld and through Shady Grove. Many good exiles died, but in the end Grace and her knights retook the throne of Winter.

  Levi and Grace’s reign didn’t solve all the fairy problems in the world, of course. It just created new ones.

  The children of Shady Grove faced just as many evils as their parents had. Callum, Grace’s adopted son, was the First People’s White Wolf and the last of his clan. Aydan, the biological son of Grace and Dylan, inherited his father’s Thunderbird abilities. Killian, Levi and Grace’s biological son, proved to be a greater bard than his father. Mark Maynard, Winnie’s closest friend, became the young Alpha for the Shady Grove werepack which included wolves, bears, bobcats, possums, hogs, and armadillos. Soraya Harris, Winnie’s best girlfriend, had the ability to grant wishes and touch the Netherworld. Dominick Meyer and his new raven friends, Malphas and Echo, were tasked with fairy relations outside of Shady Grove.

  Everyone seemed to have a place in this changing fairy world except Winnie, who really wasn’t sure what a phoenix was supposed to do other than set things on fire. She knew she had a place in the world. She just needed to find it and herself.

  Stories of Frost and Fire is the continuation of Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen. This set of six stories will chronicle the life of Wynonna Jones Riggs, the Phoenix.

  Chapter 1

  Groggy and hungry, I woke up to find a small figure sitting on the end of my bed. I sat straight up to look into the deep blue eyes of my little brother, Killian.

  “Killian! You scared the crap out of me,” I said.

  He took a deep breath. “Either you are lying, or your shit don’t stink, Sis.”

  “Your jokes are as lame as Uncle Levi’s.”

  “I am my father’s son. How are you, Sis?”

  I kicked off the covers and made my way to the closet. Digging around, I drug out my suitcase. Mom bought it last year when she and Levi promised to take us to Vegas. They had been there Christmas before last, but something came up in Winter. We never got to go. I completely understood. I knew what we were facing every day.

  When I turned back around, Killian looked at me with big sad blue puppy dog eyes. “Don’t get upset, Hart.”

  “You really are leaving,” he said. His pink lips trembled.

  “I have to leave.”

  “No, you could just stay here where you are safe.”

  “You are safe here, but I’m going to lose control if I stay here any longer,” I said, stuffing clothes into the suitcase.

  “Perhaps you need a vacation,” he suggested.

  “I wish it were that simple. One day you will understand when you learn to use your gifts,” I said.

  A grin spread across his face, and for a split second, I saw the devious side of Levi Rearden in his son.

  “I already know how to use my gifts, and I could make you stay,” he said.

  “No, you couldn’t,” I replied. He was cute and would no doubt one day be powerful, but not like that.

  He whistled a tune, then said, “Come sit with me, Sis.”

  My feet turned unwittingly, and I marched to the bed, plopping down next to him. “Killian Hart Rearden. I’m going to tell Mom.”

  “And if you do, I’ll tell her
you are packing to leave,” he said.

  “She knows I’m leaving.”

  “Not like this she doesn’t.”

  I huffed. Blackmailed by a ten-year-old. Technically, he was only one, but he apparently already knew how to manipulate a woman.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “Stay. One more day,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ll tell Mom if you don’t.”

  “Fine. I’ll stay, but I’m still leaving,” I said.

  “I know,” he replied and skipped out of the room. Like literal skipping, not teleporting.

  “Little bastard.”

  Then, and only then, did I realize he had some sort of ward around the room, because suddenly the smell of bacon wafted into my room from the kitchen below me. I brushed my hair and picked a color for the day. I went with dirty blonde instead of the platinum blonde of yesterday. Mainly, because I felt dirty for trying to leave.

  When I walked into the kitchen, Callum and Aydan were singing and making pancakes. Killian sat on a stool pounding out a rhythm with two wooden spoons. I couldn’t even tell what they were singing, because it was so bad.

  “Join us, Winnie!” Callum exclaimed.

  “Um, no thanks. What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Breakfast with my siblings? Does there have to be a reason?” He grinned, but I knew behind it there was something wrong.

  “Where is Mom?” I asked.

  His brow furrowed, and he cut his eyes to Killian, who was pounding away with the spoons. That confirmed it. Something was wrong.

  “She’s in Winter with Levi,” he said.

  “Oh, cool,” I replied, playing it off. I sat down next to Killian who offered me his spoons. I declined, and he continued to drum. Between the three of them, at least he could carry a beat. We hadn’t found an instrument that he couldn’t play. Mom had purchased a piano and placed it on the far end of the dining room. It was one of those stand-up pieces. Instead of buying a new one, she bought an old one that used to be in a church. Killian tuned it instinctively without being taught how to do it.

  Levi taught him how to play guitar. Aydan had already learned, and the three of them would often sit in the living room, playing old Irish and Celtic songs that Astor had given them.

  Aydan dropped a plate of pancakes in front of me. “So, the wolf was here last night?”

  I shot a look at Killian. “I didn’t tell!” he exclaimed.

  “I could smell him,” Aydan said.

  “Ew,” I commented. “Yes, he was here.”

  Aydan was talking about my off-again, on-again boyfriend, Mark Maynard. As the Alpha of Shady Grove’s werepack, he had claimed me when we were children as his mate. The word made me gag. He never used it, and he was an awesome guy, but I didn’t like the idea that my fate was sealed before I ever had a chance to sample the goods. His or anyone else’s. Therefore, Mark and I danced around each other. Sometimes we had fun. Sometimes we fought. Lately it seemed, we argued more than anything. I hated it.

  My mother was Grace Ann Bryant. Also known as Gloriana, Queen of the Winter Otherworld and the Exiles. She’d adopted me when my bio-mom overdosed on Christmas Eve. I loved her with all my heart. She rescued me from a life of being in the system. But living with the heir to the throne of Winter put me in harm’s way more often than not. She made every precaution to keep me safe.

  Then one mid-summer’s night, the whole town had gathered for a bonfire. For us kids, it was just a fun thing to do and to get to roast marshmallows. The traveling fairies provided lively music, but it quickly turned dark. I was taken to one of the gypsy’s RVs to hide from the danger. However, I snuck out when Nestor, my Mom’s grandfather, turned his back. The bonfire exploded, and the last thing I remember was people screaming.

  According to those who had witnessed it, my adopted father, Dylan Riggs gave his Phoenix powers to me so that my body would turn to ash and rise again. It worked. It was also the last time I had died. The prospect of it happening in a battle scared me.

  Then, my Winter powers emerged causing issues with controlling the fire. I had to learn to work around it. I had, but sometimes it was more difficult than I cared to admit to anyone. Even to Mark.

  Callum leaned on the counter, eating his breakfast. “Did he give you a good scolding?”

  I sighed and ignored him.

  “That’s a yes,” Aydan said.

  “I hate you both. Not you, Killian,” I said.

  The pancakes tasted fantastic. I focused on them instead of the relentless teasing of two big brothers. (Technically, I was older than Aydan, but he was bigger than me.) Aydan had learned to cook from Luther Harris, the owner of The Grove Diner. My brother had many talents.

  When I thought about it, each of them had a mass of power.

  Callum, the white wolf from First People stories, had killer instincts. Mom put him at the bar, because people enjoyed talking to him, and he knew how to get information without seeming assuming. Most of his conversations were confidential, like a shrink. Occasionally, something would come up with the immigrants that would help Mom and Levi, and he would convey the information to them. His bravery and stubbornness were well-known. He stood with Mom and Levi against a triad of fairy witches known as the red cloaks.

  Aydan had inherited the other half of my father’s power. He was the Thunderbird from the tales of the First People. The Thunderbird serves as a judge for all First People disputes which didn’t happen much anymore, but Mom had him training with Remington Blake, the judge here in Shady Grove. In the last year, he’s proven that he can see through any lie, any ruse, and any glamour.

  Killian, the biological son of Mom and Levi, had inherited his father’s bard proclivities, and one day Levi will give him the blessing of Taliesin, which he received from Mom’s father, Oberon. Because of his blood ties to Mom and Levi, the monarchy of the Winter throne, he was also the heir apparent to the throne. We had yet to see if he would gain Levi’s Love Talker abilities. A Gancanagh had the ability to seduce whatever woman he wanted, but once he did, his heart stayed loyal to her forever. Levi latched himself onto my Mom even while she was still with Dylan, but it was almost like Dad knew that Levi would end up with Mom.

  And finally, me. Wynonna Jones Riggs. The human girl turned fairy who had received the powers of the Phoenix. My ability to go from annoyed to pissed off superseded my ability to throw fireballs and usually acted in conjunction. My siblings sometimes tip-toed around me. My mother loved to butt heads with me. I knew she loved me, but sometimes our personalities clashed. Levi said it was because we were so alike. I just didn’t see it.

  “You know that Mark is just looking out for your best interests,” Callum offered.

  “Like what? Forcing me to marry him and be the good little wife of the Alpha. That’s hardly me,” I said.

  “No one is forcing you, Winnie,” Aydan offered. Ever the peacemaker.

  “No, but that is what he wants. I see it every time I look at him. We can’t have a conversation without it coming back to what he wants!” I huffed.

  “What do you want?” Aydan asked.

  I refused to cry, therefore, I pushed back the tears. “I don’t know.”

  “Then, that’s more important than anything else right now. You have to decide that before you can decide anything else,” Aydan said.

  He was right. I needed to find my desires. Not Mother’s. Not Mark’s. Mine.

  Chapter 2

  The bright stars twinkled above us as we lay on a warm blanket. Winter was here, but it never got that cold in Alabama. Except when my mother was mad. I laid my head on Mark’s chest as we stared up into the sky. He brushed his fingertips lightly up and down my arm. My fairy side could feel the rumble of the animal inside of him.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

  “The future,” I replied.

  “What about it?” he asked timidly.

  I rolled over and propped myself up on
his chest. He pushed my hair behind my ears. Mark Maynard had grown up almost overnight. He commanded a pack full of wolves, bears, and other werecreatures. I’d seen him fight. He was tougher than he looked, but his advantage was in how he fought. Fierce, but smart. He never let his frustrations take over the fight. I admired him for that control.

  “Why did you move into this house?” I asked.

  “I wanted to have my own place. Mom and Dad live up the road, but a leader needs to show independence,” he explained. His parents were Troy and Amanda Maynard, who were pretty much the law enforcement here in Shady Grove.

  “I’ll never have independence here,” I muttered.

  “Winnie, I know you aren’t ready to move forward with me, so I won’t even propose it. Callum moved out, and he’s doing great. He and Michael have been together for over a year. Get your own place. I’m sure we can find you something,” he said.

  “I own all the land my dad owned. One day I want to build a house there,” I said. My father died before the war. Dylan Riggs adopted me along with my mother after my biological mother managed to overdose on Christmas Eve. I wore a key around my neck to remind me of her. A child’s love that knew no boundaries. I wasn’t a child anymore. I wore the key to remind me of what I had now that my biological mother hadn’t given me. Love. Stability. Home. The key now symbolized my father, Dylan, who had died to save my life.

  Mark’s forehead wrinkled when I mentioned my father’s homestead. I knew he wouldn’t say anything, but he hated the idea of me settling anywhere other than his house. It was a perfect little two-story farmhouse. The fields around it were teeming with late harvest veggies. Tabitha and Stephanie had taken over most of the land plots around town. It was amazing to have so much fresh produce all the time. They were fairies who had been granted a second life by the Tree of Life which grew near my house. It was strange because originally, they both had betrayed all of us. When they returned, they didn’t remember any of those prejudices and had instead become valuable members of our society.