Firestone
Denver Cereal, Volume Ten
Claudia Hall Christian
Cook Street Publishing
Denver, CO
by
Claudia Hall Christian
StoriesbyClaudia.com
The Denver Cereal
The Denver Cereal
Celia’s Puppies
Cascade
Cimarron
Black Forest
Fairplay
Gold Hill
Silt
Larkspur
Firestone
Alex the Fey Thrillers
The Fey
Learning to Stand
Who I am
Lean on Me
In the Grey
Finding North
The Queen of Cool
The Queen of Cool
Seth and Ava Mysteries
Tax Assassin
Carving Knife
Suffer a Witch
Originally published at DenverCereal.com
September 2013 — June, 2014
copyright © Claudia Hall Christian
Licensed under the Creative Commons License:
Attribution–NonCommercial–Share Alike 3.0
SMASHWORDS EDITION
ISBN (13 digits): 978-1-938057-24-3 (print)
978-1-938057-25-0 (digital)
Library of Congress: 2014913613
PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First edition © July, 2014
Cook Street Publishing
PO Box 18217
Denver, CO 80218
For Gabriel
with gratitude.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What’s happened so far
Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-eight
Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-nine
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-one
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-two
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-three
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-four
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-five
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-six
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-seven
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-eight
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-nine
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-one
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-two
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-three
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-four
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-five
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-six
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-seven
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-eight
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-nine
Chapter Three Hundred
Chapter Three Hundred and One
Chapter Three Hundred and Two
Chapter Three Hundred and Three
Glossary of Characters
What’s happened so Far
Denver Cereal is an addicting, sweet and crunchy serial fiction filled with the tension, drama, and love of urban life.
The Denver Cereal
In the Denver Cereal, we meet Jillian Roper when she pulls on her thigh high leather boots and crashes her abusive ex-husband Trevor’s engagement party. At the party, she meets her dream man, Jacob Marlowe. Jill and Jacob begin a crash course through grave injury and illness, to find love. Along the way, we meet Jacob’s movie star sister, Valerie, and learn of her struggles to have her own dreams and share her life with her husband Mike. Jill’s best friends — Sandy, Heather, and Tanesha — begin new courses in their life that take them to confront their greatest fears and deepest longings.
Celia’s Puppies
Jacob and Valerie’s mother, Celia, helped lost people, who she called Celia’s Puppies. In this second volume of the Denver Cereal, Celia’s puppies come to the forefront. We meet Jacob’s noble stepsister, Honey, and get to know Jacob’s ‘cousin’ Blane. While on Oprah, Valerie learns of Mike’s terrifying time away. Trevor and his fiancé attempt to kidnap Jill’s daughter Katy and her best friend Paddie at a holiday party. The fiancé all but kills Honey. She is saved by her childhood sweetheart, MJ, and they reorient their lives toward love. Jill and Jacob marry in the Castle Chapel in the end.
Cascade
Peace comes to Denver Cereal, but demons from the past refuse to stay in the past. We learn of Sandy’s horrific childhood and her boyfriend Aden responds with violence. His violent act ends with Sandy getting shot by her pedophile father and Aden lands in jail. Jill, her mother, and father tell the story that was never to be told and her family begins to heal. With the help of Heather, now his wife, Blane confronts his past loves and battles Hepatitis C. Beloved Delphie must confront a demon from her past. When he arrives to kill her and everyone else, he meets what he could never expect. Delphie’s family battles for her. In the end, Delphie survives a life
Cimarron
In Cimarron, everyone grapples with the consequences of their actions to restart their lives. Aden continues his jail sentence. Delphie comes to terms with almost dying. Valerie launches herself as a movie actress while Mike’s painting career flourishes. Jill and Jacob face their first relationship challenge. Sandy becomes gravely ill and her child, Rachel, is born two months early. They fight their way through the problems to come together as a family. And just in time! Six pairs of human remains are found and a murder mystery begins.
Black Forest
The story takes off into the wild, action packed pursuit of the child killer, Saint Jude. Danger lurks and evil’s host threatens to destroy the lives of those we live. Friends are murdered and even with Jacob and Delphie’s abilities, Saint Jude continues to rampage against the children of the city and even tries to steal Rachel. When all hope is lost, the women and children triumph over the serial killer and the evil that drives him.
Fairplay
Why is life so unfair? Charlie’s question permeates the story as his mother rejects her children to embrace her greed; Seth’s greatest love falls to her death; Jill fights to protect Katy; Blane’s health deteriorates; and a true love, broken by betrayal, reignites for Tanesha. Through their individual losses, the friends and family embrace the wealth and power available within their circle. In the end, Charlie’s pursuit of life’s fairness carries the Denver Cereal back into the grace and bounty of present life
Gold Hill
Tanesha’s plans are shaken when true love returns with a truck load of baggage in the form of Jeraine Wilson. The sparks from their struggle ignites a firestorm that illuminates their private pain. Tanesha’s beautiful mother, Yvonne, breaks free from her life as a sex slave and return to Tanesha’s father, Rodney. A powerful love story unfolds and an unbroken vow is reforged. In the end, the past is swept away to reveal the truth that love is more precious than gold.
Silt
Charlie lands right in the middle of a ring of high school rapists brutalizing his school and into an interrogation room at the Denver Police. Charlie uses his past as a street kid to take on the rape ring. The pressure heats up when Jacob discovers deep fissures under the site of their first big project, and Lipson Construction transitions to employee ownership. In the dramatic conclusion, Jacob steps up to take on the rapists with the help of a few friends, including a dragon. His experience gives him the resolve to head Lipson Construction through their most troubling times.
Larkspur
A massive earthquake upends their old construction site, and Jacob and the Lipson Construction crews take the lead in the rescue operation. When
Jill begins the early stages of labor, mysterious creatures appear around the Castle, and Jacob and Sam are whisked to the Isle of Man to break the curse on the Marlowe males which dooms Jill’s twins. While Jacob struggles to come to terms with a demanding Fairy Queen, conspirators attack Jill and her friends in order to steal her sons. One by one, the family is called to fight the curse until they are all assembled on a battlefield facing down an ancient enemy. Through their efforts, the Fairy Queen is reunited with her King, a battle that’s been waged for a millennium ends, and a child’s betrayal is set right. In the nick of time, the vicarious warriors are returned to the Castle where Jill gives birth to two baby boys with unknown abilities.
Confused? Download the Denver Cereal, Volume 1 from everywhere you purchase books. You’ll find all Denver Cereal books in every electronic format and paperback.
Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-eight
New Family
Jeraine looked up when two strangers entered the room. The man had dark skin and long dread locks. Even in an expensive tailored suit, the man looked powerful and strong. In his heart of hearts, Jeraine had always hoped to be like that man – powerful, virile, and attractive. Except, of course, he didn’t want to be so dark. Embarrassed at his own prejudice, he glanced at the guitar he was playing.
The woman brushed past him and he looked up. She was gorgeous, beyond beautiful. Her skin was light, not quite white, but not quite black. She glowed with a kind of inner radiance. The only other woman Jeraine had seen do this was Tanesha’s mother, Yvonne. When Jeraine looked up, the woman smiled at him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jeraine,” the woman said. Jeraine’s brain felt fuzzy and warm. He smiled at her. “I’m Fand. Your music is very popular in our land.”
She smiled at Jeraine again and he felt as if he was in the presence of royalty. Instinctively, he reached for her hand and kissed it.
“Ma’am,” he said.
She gave him a sweet smile. In his fuzzy state, he beamed, but his logical mind, the one who went to AA meetings, told him that something was not quite right. He needed to stay on his game.
“Manannán?” Jill’s father walked toward the strangers. “No, it can’t be.”
“Perses!” Manannán said. “My old friend.”
“I can’t believe my eyes!” Perses said. “It’s been an age! How . . .?”
The men hugged each other.
“Where have you been?” Perses asked.
“Where have you been?” Manannán laughed. “You remember Fand.”
“Ma’am,” Perses dropped to one knee. She held a hand out to him which he kissed. She nodded to him and he stood. “You are as lovely as always. Please come meet my princess, Anjelika. She’s here with her father. We are waiting for our youngest to have her children.”
“Jill is your child?” Fand asked. “Actually . . . she has your strength and clarity of sight. Of course, she is your child, of course.”
“She looks like her mother,” Perses said. “Anjelika is of the healers, East Slav, from Rus.”
“Our son is her mate,” Manannán said.
“Husband,” Perses corrected. Manannán nodded. “Now that you say it, he does carry your look.”
Manannán smiled at Jill’s father as if they were old friends.
“It’s wonderful to see someone from the old days,” Manannán said.
The men hugged again.
“Come, let’s get caught up,” Perses said. “Queen Fand? Will you honor me by meeting my wife?”
“Of course,” Fand said. “But you need not call me Queen. This is a free land.”
Perses smiled at her, and she beamed.
“I like being Fand,” she said. “It’s refreshing.”
Perses glanced at the two lovely young attendants following the queen. He smiled at her pretense and they all went into the alcove where Jill’s mother and grandfather were sitting.
“Ok, that was weird,” Mike said as he sat down next to Jeraine.
“Did you look these guys up?” Jeraine asked in a low tone.
“After Val told me about them,” Mike said. He nodded to where Valerie was nursing Jackie and chatting with Tink. “Queen Fand is the queen of the fairies.”
“And Manannán?” Jeraine asked in a low tone.
“He’s a God,” Mike said. “He’s supposed to be the first ruler of the Isle of Man, but most Irish and Scottish stories say he’s a God.”
A burst of laughter came from the alcove where Jill’s parents were sitting.
“Your dad greeted him as a . . .” Jeraine nodded to finish the sentence.
“Friend,” Mike said. “I know.”
“What’s that make your dad?” Jeraine asked.
Mike shook his head. They both looked over at the alcove for a moment.
“Ah shit,” Jeraine said, under his breath. “What’s that guy doing here?”
Mike looked around to see what Jeraine was talking about. Jeraine gestured to his right. A tall, medium dark skinned man came into the room. The man looked like a male model. He had a small waist and broad muscular shoulders. He moved with the ease of a dancer. He wore his hair clipped tight to his head. Looking around the room, he smiled at Yvonne’s friend Abi and Tanesha’s father Rodney. Abi gestured him over to talk to them.
“Who is that?” Mike said under his breath.
“Tanesha’s lab partner,” Jeraine said.
“Shit,” Mike said. “I want to fuck him.”
“I know,” Jeraine said. “She says there’s nothing going on but . . .”
They turned to look at him. Sam came over to shake his hand. As if they were old friends, the lab partner put his arm around Sam. The lab partner looked at Jeraine and smiled. He glanced at Yvonne and nodded. Holding his hand out, he walked over to Jeraine.
“You’re Tanesha’s man,” the lab partner said.
“Husband,” Jeraine said. “She’s my wife.”
The handsome man’s amber-colored eyes seemed to laugh at Jeraine’s claim. Jeraine stopped playing long enough to shake the intruder’s hand and went back to his guitar strings.
“I’m Finegal,” the lab partner said. “Most people call me Fin.”
Jeraine nodded.
“Tanesha wanted to study today,” Fin said. “But I see there’s more going on.”
“You know Yvonne?” Jeraine asked.
“Abi and I have been friends for . . .,” Fin smiled, “ . . . a long time.”
Jeraine scowled at him, and Fin smiled.
“Fin?” Jacob asked, when he came out of the room. Jacob hugged the lab partner. “I barely recognize you. You’re so… tall and… gorgeous.”
“It’s the altitude,” Fin said.
Jacob laughed.
“Glad you could make it,” Jacob said. “Jill asked me to get her some ice chips, so I …”
“How do you know Tanesha’s lab partner?” Jeraine asked.
“You’re Tanesha’s lab partner?” Jacob laughed. Fin nodded. “Jeraine, this is my brother. We met him on our recent travels.”
“How is Jill?” Fin asked.
“Ice chips,” Jacob jumped into action and Fin laughed. Jacob got some ice chips and went back into the room where Jill was in labor.
“So you’re Jake’s brother?” Mike’s voice betrayed his suspicion. “On his mother’s side? Or . . .?”
“You are a Titan’s son, Michael Roper,” Fin said. “Surely you understand what’s going on here.”
Mike squinted at the man. He smiled. Mike felt compelled to nod. He gave the man a deep scowl.
“Tanesha?” Fin turned back to Jeraine.
“She’s in with her girl, Jill,” Jeraine said. “She is not going to do a damned thing until her girl doesn’t need her, so you may as well leave. It’s going to be a while. I can have her call you.”
Fin sat down next to Jeraine.
“This gives us a chance to get to know each other,” Fin said.
“So you can take Tanesha from
me?” The words popped out of Jeraine’s mouth before he thought of them. Even Mike looked surprised at his honesty.
“If you’re so worried, maybe you should be a better partner,” Fin’s voice was mild.
“I’m trying!” Jeraine said through his teeth.
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Fin said. “Anyway, I’m no threat to your union.”
“Why’s that?” Jeraine asked.
“It’s hard to explain,” Fin said. “Now tell me this. How can you speak and play at the same time?”
Even though Jeraine knew he was being manipulated, the man’s attention was soothing to Jeraine’s jangled nerves. His usual headache eased and he answered Fin’s question. In a few moments, they were talking and laughing like old friends.
From across the room, Abi smiled.
“Is that your man?” Yvonne whispered.
Abi turned to look at her. Abi’s eyes seemed to assess Yvonne, as if she was wondering what Yvonne could understand or hear.
“I think Yvie deserves to hear the truth,” Rodney said.
Abi looked at Rodney for a moment, before turning to Yvonne.
“Prince Fin belongs to no woman,” Abi said. “But yes, he is, as you say, the love of my life. We have a child together.”
“You have a child?” Yvonne asked. “Why, you can’t be more than eighteen years old!”
“Looks are deceiving, Yvie,” Rodney said. “She’s a fairy.”
Yvonne looked like she was going to laugh, but looking into Rodney’s face, she saw that he was dead serious.
“Um,” Yvonne said. She looked at Abi again. “I guess, you can’t be eighteen since we’ve been such good friends for such a long time. Um. When do I get to meet your child?”
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