Shadows and Stars

by Becca Fanning

  “Oh, for God’s sake. Go in there, commit suicide if you like. Just make sure you all get sucked out of the ship in one go, so I don’t have to deal with any of you ever again.” With a grandiose flick of his cape, he vanished.

  “I’ll go.” Penny stood and assessed Geraldine through the window. “You stand here. Be ready to close the door and jettison the contents of that room if you need to.”

  Vincent opened his mouth to reply, but Penny was already inside the airlock room.

  Holy God. I have vampire speed?

  Looks that way. He rolled his eyes. Although not a great time for you to discover a new ability, hunny-bunch. He folded his arms and glared at her.

  She approached Geraldine and knelt at her side. Pulse, breathing, both fine. Her face was a little pale, though. Perhaps she’d given herself a concussion as she went down. Penny shrugged. She grabbed Geraldine’s arm and dragged her across the floor to the door. I could use some help here. You’re the one with the strength.

  Vincent just raised an eyebrow in reply and waited for Penny to reach him.

  “I think she’s going to be okay.” She panted a little at the end of her sentence and sucked in a deep breath. “She’s got a pulse, anyway.”

  “But who is it?” Vincent gave one of Geraldine’s stiletto boots a kick as though checking a car tyre. “And how does Gerald walk in these things?”

  Geraldine moaned and opened one eye. “My head hurts.”

  Penny took hold of her shoulder and helped her to sit against the wall. “You fainted.” She knelt to look in Geraldine’s eyes. “How are you doing?”

  “Penny? Does that office we sorted work for you?”

  “Hazel?” Penny’s heart floated with relief. “Thank God. Where’s Geraldine?”

  “Oh…” Hazel looked at the wall. “You know, she was very tired. But she’s safe, now.”

  “And Gerald?” Vincent stepped closer.

  “I don’t know. Contained, I think. I mean, he’s still here, but I think I can work something out to keep him quiet. At least, I hope so.”

  Vincent grimaced. “Is hope all we’ve got?”

  Penny widened her eyes and offered what she hoped was a meaningful nod. “Vincent. We have to let her try. Geraldine and Hazel are innocent.”

  He nodded, too, his expression suddenly wary. “If you say so.”

  “You can protect me, if not.” She gave him a weak smile.

  “Come on, then. Hospital wing with this one, too?”

  “Oh! Oh, my God…Vincent, I should have asked. How’s Victor?” Penny bit her lip.

  He gave a casual shrug. “You were busy. He’ll be okay, but it will take a while. I think we got there just in time.”

  “And Derek?”

  “Yep. He’s fine, too. They’re both in a room in the hospital wing, so we might as well make it a party.” He tugged Hazel into a standing position.

  SEVENTEEN

  PENNY MARCHED into Hazel’s office.

  Hazel glanced up from her desk. “Aren’t assistants generally quiet?”

  “The papers you requested to make the marriage of Derek and Victor official, Commander.” Penny passed a file into Hazel’s outstretched hand.

  “How are they doing with the bar?”

  “What…oh, fine. Have you still not been down there? They have the place buzzing every night.” She narrowed her eyes slightly in reprimand.

  Hazel held her gaze. “With this face, I don’t think I’d be the most welcome person, really. Do you?”

  Penny shuffled her feet. She knew Hazel was different, but she looked enough like Gerald and Geraldine to worry some others. “Memories fade,” she offered.

  “Even for immortals?” Hazel shook her head as amusement twisted her lips. “Speaking of which, when will I be called on to draw up a marriage announcement for you and Vincent?”

  Heat raced into Penny’s cheeks. “After he’s asked, I suppose. Whenever he gets around to that tiny detail.”

  “And are you any closer to sorting out your career aspirations?”

  An uncomfortable grimace stretched Penny’s mouth. “Don’t even go there. That’s what got me…all of us…into this mess in the first place.”

  Hazel looked back at her paperwork. “I happen to think it all worked out rather well…in the end.” She reached to smooth her chignon back into style. “And, I was just thinking, the sky could be your oyster. In the future, who knows? We might have a use for that sex therapist position, or even someone to run a day care.” She glanced back up. “Hopefully, for both, or this space travel, this saving of souls, would all be for naught, right?”

  Penny allowed herself a small smile. “If you say so. I should go, though. I promised Vincent I’d meet him at the bar.” She turned back, one hand ready to open the door. “Oh, and Steve called. He said he’s managed to reschedule your appointment for this evening.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “He sounds lovely.”

  Hazel shot her an amused glare. “Right, but he’s my therapist, so he’s seen me covered in snot, with leaking eyes, and scarecrow hair.”

  “Hmm. Well, Vincent walked in on me in the bathroom the other day and that probably ruined any magic for him…”

  Her new boss raised her eyebrows and flicked a gesture of dismissal.

  “Just sayin’.”

  “See you in the morning, Penny.”

  “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  The End

  Fine out what started The Salvation in the first prequel story, Resistance—part of The Ruin.

  http://ginawriteswords.com/finished-two-by-two/

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  From a magical land of castles and kings (okay, it’s England,) Gina doesn’t feel as old as she looks, owns three children who can’t be tamed, and writes in spare – usually stolen – time. She sometimes bakes—not always with quite the desired results—and has found the only solution to keeping the characters in her head quiet is to placate them with lots of other lovely books and worlds.

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  http://ginawriteswords.com

  JEROME

  BLACK MOUNTAIN PACK BOOK 0.5

  MIRANDA LYNN

  Jerome Copyright © 2017 by Miranda Lynn

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. 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 permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Edited by Ansley Blackstock

  JEROME

  ]An alpha who has to think outside of the box to secure his pack’s survival.

  After watching shifters almost hunted to extinction along with his mate and daughter’s life taken, Jerome has spent the last year building a wall around his heart while also building a multi-species pack. The shifter council claims it will never work, but he’s willing to travel to London with his best friend Sterling to prove them wrong.

  With the council meeting open to all walks of Supernatural Others for the first time, they’re attempting to solve the problem of their dwindling numbers. Jerome joins forces with Draven, a vampire, and together they set out to fight the evil calling themselves The Resistance, a group attack all races of Others.

  Amid the turmoil, a frightened cub and his injured mother integrate into the pack
and quickly stake a claim on Jerome’s heart. Will this new arrival shift the direction of Jerome’s plans? Is it possible to let his guard down and perhaps find love once again whilst still protecting his pack?

  ONE

  “THE FASTEN SEATBELT light has been turned on. We are experiencing a bit of turbulence, folks. No need to worry, we will be through it soon,” the captain announced over the aircraft’s speaker system. We were jammed in like sardines in a tin can flying over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean on our way to London.

  The captain’s words summed up how volatile the shifter world was at the moment. I was on my way to attend the latest council meeting, this one in London. Another meeting where I knew my voice and ideas would go unheard. Another meeting where I would be chided for proposing that we work together within the packs and prides to survive. The fact that I have lived over one hundred and fifty years, survived a near extinction, and have helped more fellow shifters than I can count find new homes and a way to exist without fear. My opinions still weren’t taken into consideration by this stuffy old council. A group of shifter alphas who have become disengaged from the real world. Who have lived their lives behind secure walls inside their own little bubble. I wanted to skip this meeting, but my dear friend, Sterling, had encouraged me to attend, to continue proposing the idea. He even suggested I go so far as showing how we were making it work within our own small pack.

  Last year, after the council members voted down my proposal for integrated packs, I flew home and established one anyway. Sterling and I had been friends from neighboring packs for years and had many discussions on how to help our species survive. His pack had dwindled to four members, and mine was just as small after the hunts. We are nestled smack dab in the middle of redneck country, and when shifters came out of hiding, those dumb asses started hunting anything with fur and paw out of ignorance and fear.

  I watched my pack go from the second largest in the United States to near extinction because of how the council handled the announcement and following press. That was five years ago. Today Sterling and I work together helping displaced shifters, or whose packs were destroyed. We have a good system in place, and the current pack members have the same vision we do. We want to survive, and have realized the only way to do that is to learn to work and live together. Now if only the damn council would see that as well.

  The turbulence got worse. “No need to worry, folks, we are reducing altitude to try and get below this cloud bank. All is under control. We should be out of this in just a few minutes.” I looked out the window and thought, “Shit. No we won’t.” I had seen clouds like these before.

  I shouted over the noise, “Secure the women and cubs and meet back here. Regroup quickly, don’t get singled out.” I watched the clouds above build on top of each other like mountains of pitch black wool. Lightning flashed giving short glimpses of the chaos around me. I continued my search for Jackie. My mate had taken off to help with the cubs, but I had lost her in the fray. Gunfire erupted to my right and I veered left, Sterling following me. “I have to find Jackie, she’s not answering me through the bond.”

  “Jerome, I’m sure she’s with the other women. We need to help the rest. They need a leader right now, someone has to tell them what to do and where to go.” He grabbed my arm to stop me.

  I took a deep breath. He was right. I fought my wolf for control. I would have felt it through the mate bond if something had happened to her. “Okay, our only option right now is to flee. We weren’t prepared for this attack, and they cut us off from the armory. Let’s gather all we can and head for the tunnels.”

  “Lead the way, boss, I’m right behind you.”

  Sterling and I took advantage of each flash of lightning to gather the pack. We led them to the tunnels constructed for times like this. They wove through the country coming out at a safe house that was more of a lean-to than house at this point. Sterling and I had thrown it together in a few days after the hunts began. We were the last ones to enter the tunnel, having ushered the pack ahead of us, many of them running on four paws instead of two legs.

  An explosion rocked the tunnels when Sterling and I were halfway through. Dirt and debris fell forcing us to turn back the way we had come, and separating us from the rest of the pack. We emerged covered in dirt, coughing it out of our lungs, and found ourselves surrounded by armed men and robed women. The men raised their guns and the women raised their arms, the sleeves of their robes falling back and symbols on their skin began to glow as they chanted.

  “Witches,” Sterling growled beneath his breath.

  The clouds lowered and lightning struck the ground around us raising the hairs on my arm with the electricity. I searched for a way out as four of the circle moved to form a gap, their arms still raised to the sky. Two tall and thick muscular forms lumbered slowly through. I couldn’t make out their faces as the shadows hid them from view. The clouds swirled around their feet as series of lightning strikes illuminated the space that opened between them. The last strike of light was timed perfectly as they tossed a limp female form next to use in the circle.

  “No!” I screamed when I recognized Jackie through our bond before I saw her face. She had been badly beaten. They tossed her on the ground like a rag doll, and before I could reach her the lightning struck again, this time within the circle of witches. Once, twice, and finally a third time. I fell to my knees, howling in pain as the mating bond was ripped away, and a part of my soul with it. I crawled to her as gunfire erupted around me. I didn’t care what happened at that moment, I prayed for death to take me. For a bullet to find my heart and end this pain, but the bullets weren’t aimed at Sterling or I. The circle of people around us fell one at a time. With the witches dead, the clouds dissipated, and the sun returned to illuminate the death and destruction left behind.

  A black SUV stopped a few feet from us. The passenger side door opened revealing a shifter I had never before met. He stepped over the bodies and looked down at me. “We need to have a chat, Alpha. Let me help you with your mate when you are ready. Let me provide a proper send off and burial. The threat of hunters is gone, take your time.” He looked at Sterling. “Signal me when you are ready.”

  “What about those that made it through the tunnel?” Sterling asked.

  “I’m sorry, there are no survivors. Just you two, and those you hid elsewhere.”

  I ignored the rest of their conversation as I lay down next to Jackie and wept.

  The stuttering of the plane brought me back to our current situation. I gazed out the small window again and watched as the clouds around us grew and finger-like tendrils developed and attached to the plane. Someone didn’t want us to make it to this council meeting. I had a very strong idea who it was, I reached out through the pack bond and called on the one person I knew I could trust to counteract things.

  “Leo, I need your help.” I waited for his response. Leo was the man behind the pack. An integral part of the development, but one who stayed behind the scenes. He had agreed to help us grow financially with one caveat. He wanted to stay hidden—in his world being known as a shifter could ruin his career.

  “Hey Jerome, it’s not a good time.”

  “I wouldn’t call on you if it weren’t an emergency. Sterling and I are on a transcontinental flight heading to the council meeting but someone has enlisted a coven to take down the plane. I need your help,” I replied, staying as calm as I could.

  “What do you need?” Leo was always straightforward, no beating around the bush.

  “I need Talia and her coven on this as soon as possible. I’m too far away to reach her.” I waited as the minutes ticked by, the plane plummeting through the air.

  “I’ve contacted her, she is with the coven leader now, and they will do what they can. Are you okay?”

  “For now we are, the plane is descending fast though. I’ll contact you if things get worse.”

  “I hope you don’t have to.” Leo didn’t say anymore.

  �
�Talia and her coven are on top of things,” I whispered, knowing Sterling would hear me over the cries of the other passengers. I stared out the window awaiting a change. Crashing into the ocean was not on my agenda today and missing the council meeting was out of the question. I had faith that Talia and her coven could counteract the witchcraft that was creating this chaos. I gave the pilots credit, they were handling the situation well, and kept the plane in the air. Seconds ticked into minutes as I waited. Slowly clouds detached from the plane and the turbulence eased. Just as I began to relax a bolt of lightning hit one of the engines on the left of the plane, right outside my window. A plume of smoke rose and the engine stopped. Screams erupted in the cabin.

  The pilot came over the speaker again. “Everyone please stay calm. We have sustained damage to one of our left engines and will be descending to fifteen thousand feet. Do not worry, we still have full function, but we will be making an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport. We are past the storms and the radar looks clear from here on out, please stay calm and remain in your seats.” The overhead speaker crackled and went silent. The passengers around me were not comforted by his announcement. Their fear permeated the air, weighing it down, making it hard to contain my wolf inside.

  “Can we make it that far?” Sterling asked.

  “I don’t know, on that we will have to trust our pilots. At least the storm has receded. For that we have Talia to thank when we return.” I sat back and tried to relax for the rest of the flight. Sending up a prayer to the gods to keep us in the air until then.