“Be my guest,” Leandro said. He was looking forward to getting Carter out of the room for a bit. Even when he wasn’t talking, he was nosy, and he chewed with his mouth open. “There are some clothes outside the bathroom for you. They may be a bit big since you’re a lot smaller than me.”
Carter raised his unibrow at Leandro. He tried for a smart-ass comeback but couldn’t find one, so he left with his tail between his legs. He spent the time in the shower thinking about what he should have said.
Massimo smiled as Leandro came back and took a seat at the table. “Time for the grownups to talk. So, Ryder, you said you need some help. What type of help do you need?”
Ryder explained to Massimo and Leandro about Afana’s bunker and the people he held captive there. She finished by telling them that she needed help to free the people.
The two men fell silent. Leandro had already known this was what Ryder wanted, but he just wasn’t sure how to answer. It sounded impossible.
“Please don’t take insult at this, but it sounds like a suicide mission,” Massimo told her gently.
Ryder stopped her body from slumping into the chair. She needed to look strong, not let them know she agreed with them. “I’m not insulted. I understand. I shouldn’t ask you to go against a vampire.”
Massimo leaned forward, looking interested. “Afana is a vampire?”
34
Massimo must have heard Ryder incorrectly. He was the only vampire around here. At least that was what he’d thought, anyway.
Then again, Massimo had known a vampire named Afana many years ago, who had been obsessed with finding a way to walk in the sunlight. When the WWDE happened the nanocytes in Afana hadn’t changed. He became bitter that he hadn’t been blessed like Massimo. The sun still burned him. It had turned Afana crazy knowing that Massimo had been freed from the curse while he was forced to remain in darkness, and Massimo had cut ties with him.
Massimo had thought Bethany Anne – or maybe one of her people –might have killed him as part of her mandate to rid the world of the Forsaken Those that preyed on the weak, those who chose to take human life – she had hunted them all down and wiped them out.
Massimo didn’t wonder how a relatively young vampire like Afana could slip her notice. Forsaken much more powerful than Afana – his father being one of them – had once roamed the Earth, spreading fear and misery until the Queen came along to end the injustice.
He prided himself on being nothing like the vampire who turned him. David had been a cold, supercilious prick who took what he wanted with no regard for the value of life. Massimo had done well to escape that eldritch castle and flee to Siberia.
“Yes, Afana is a vampire,” Ryder said like it was common knowledge.
Ryder’s words snapped Massimo away from memories of his past. “Why does he keep you all in a bunker?” Massimo started to feel guilty. If he hadn’t cut Afana off, would he have been able to stop his obsession?
“We are his cattle.” Ryder rubbed the back of her neck. Massimo had noticed the tattoo there, and now he realized it was a brand. “He feeds on some of us, and others, he uses for tests. No one knows what he does exactly because no one ever comes back.”
That fucker, I want to slap the shit out of him for that. “I’m sorry.”
“You have no reason to be sorry,” Ryder demurred.
Massimo knew that he did. “What do you want me to do to help you?”
“Could you help me convince some of the people from Pinewood to come with me? In my short time in the Old Dog, I heard how fondly everyone thinks of you.”
“They do?” Massimo blushed. It had been a long time since a girl had made him blush.
Leandro noticed his dad’s reaction and decided to chime in. “We’ll help you,” he added, which made Ryder smile.
She really is stunning, and Leandro has finally made a breakthrough with her, Massimo thought. A few more of those smiles and Massimo might get some grandchildren after all.
“Will you come to the bunker with me?” she asked.
Leandro nodded resolutely. “Yes.”
“So will I,” Massimo told her. It was the least he could do. He couldn’t bring back the years Afana had stolen, but he hoped this would help.
“You don’t have to do that,” Ryder argued, raising her eyebrows and looking a little embarrassed.
Massimo was confused. “I can’t think of anyone better to help you. One vampire fighting another?”
Ryder’s mouth dropped, and she blinked. “What?”
“Didn’t Leandro tell you I was a vampire?” Massimo was used to everyone in Pinewood knowing, and he’d just assumed Leandro had told Ryder when they were on their tour of the house.
Ryder leaped to her feet. Her knives were in her hands, ready to attack.
“I’ll take that as a no. Leandro?”
Massimo remained in his seat, but Leandro stood up. “Pops, you can’t just come out and say shit like that. You’ll scare people. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. It just slipped my mind.”
“It slipped your mind that your dad is a fucking vampire? Has anything else slipped your mind?”
“N-no,” Leandro stuttered.
“You’re a fucking liar. I’m not going to be your dinner, you pricks! Carter!”
Ryder edged toward her bow with her knives at the ready. Carter came running into the living room with a hand towel around his waist, revealing his ripped chest.
Not bad! Ryder thought. Not now.
His beard and hair were lathered up with soapy bubbles. Carter knew something had gone wrong. He just didn’t know what.
“They’re fucking vampires,” Ryder told him, fuming. More than anything, she was pissed at herself for trusting them.
Carter leaned back in amazement, then his shoulders slumped. He was disappointed, since he had been looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
“I’m not a vampire, only Massimo is,” Leandro corrected, pointing at his dad.
Massimo spoke at the same time as Leandro. “Leandro’s not a vampire. He’s a Were.”
“Pops!”
“What the fuck?” Ryder and Carter said in unison.
“Jinx,” Carter added.
This jerk thinks it’s time to joke. “Carter, zip it,” Ryder told him, waving her knife at him. She turned to face Massimo and Leandro. “You two had better start explaining yourselves!”
Leandro pushed his hands through his hair. He hadn’t wanted to explain his situation to Ryder this way.
He’d barely had a chance to think about how he was going to start when Ryder interjected. “Screw this. Carter, get some clothes on. We’re leaving.”
Carter turned away and revealed his buttocks.
“Carter, that’s a hand towel,” Leandro groaned. “You’re meant to use the bigger towel for your body.”
Carter looked over his shoulder. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Leandro scowled. Carter’s eyes widened with recognition. “Fluffy, is that you?”
Leandro dropped his head into his hands.
If looks could kill, Leandro would have been dead from the one Ryder gave him. “Fluffy?”
Leandro slowly waved his hands. “Surprise.”
Ryder backed away, overwhelmed. “Surprise? I rubbed your fucking stomach! This is all too much. Werewolves aren’t even real. Carter, I’ll be outside.”
Ryder headed for the door, still not giving Leandro or Massimo her back. Leandro stepped closer to Ryder.
“Don’t,” she told him, holding her hand up to stop Leandro from coming any closer.
She felt behind herself for the door handle and pushed down, stumbling slightly as it opened.
What the fuck had she gotten herself into now?
Ryder sat on the swinging chair on the front porch outside the house, swaying back and forth. The movement calmed her a little, and part of her began to enjoy it. But she was pissed–royally pissed.
How could Leandro lie to me? He’s Fluffy?
How was that even possible? She knew damn well that werewolves weren’t real. They were just the stories they told the kids in the bunker.
Weres couldn’t be real. But if he wasn’t a Were, then he had to be a vampire. And she fucking hated vampires. Then again, Massimo was a vampire, and he didn’t look like Afana or act like him. He was just an old man with an odd son. Ryder preferred that explanation.
She sighed. It looks like I will be sleeping under the stars after all. I hope none of the Mad come out tonight.
Ryder’s plan to get help was going to shit. If she tried taking the bunker with only Carter, then they might as well chop their own heads off and save themselves the trip.
She wished Carter would hurry up. The front door opened.
“About fucking time,” Ryder snapped at Carter, but it wasn’t him. It was Leandro. “Oh. I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit.”
Ryder dug her knife blade into the wooden armrest.
“Please don’t do that.”
“What, this?” Ryder pushed the knife deeper into the wood, carving a deep groove all the way along it.
Leandro looked as if it were actually hurting him. His shoulders slumped when Ryder was finished. It had taken Leandro a good few weeks to get the chair just how he wanted it, and the first time a girl sat in it, she messed it all up.
Ryder moved her knife to the other armrest. “Please don’t,” Leandro pleaded and placed his hand under the knife.
Boy, he really cared about the chair.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” Leandro told her. “I just couldn’t.”
Ryder left the knife over Leandro’s hand. “Why couldn’t you?”
“Because I was a wolf! I didn’t want to freak you out,” Leandro confessed as if it were obvious.
Ryder lowered her knife to touch the back of Leandro’s hand. “Show me. I want to see you turn into a wolf. Prove to me this isn’t bullshit.”
Leandro made a face and shook his head. “I can’t.”
“I knew you were lying.” Ryder pressed the knife into Leandro’s hand but didn’t break his skin.
“If I change, I may not be able to turn back again.”
This wasn’t like the Were stories Ryder had heard when she was a kid in the bunker. Weres could turn back and forth at will.
“You really are full of shit, aren’t you?” she mocked.
Leandro looked down at the knife, wondering if this was the point when Ryder broke his skin.
He spoke quickly. “No, it’s all true. Before, I could turn quickly, but as I’ve gotten older, it’s becoming harder. Today, when I got back to town, it took forever. I didn’t think I’d be able to turn back again. That’s why I was rushing past you when you entered Pinewood. I had to see my Pops. I thought I wouldn’t be able to speak to him again. Sorry again for bumping into you. Totally accidental.”
“No worries.” Shit, why did I say that? I need to keep my mouth zipped shut with this jerk. “So, one day, you could turn, and Leandro would be gone, and Fluffy would be here forever?”
Leandro winced when Ryder said Fluffy. Was it really him?
“I wouldn’t mind you being Fluffy full-time,” she teased. “I like him much more than you.” Ouch, that sounded way better in my head. Now, I just feel like a jerk.
“Can we call me something else? I hate Fluffy, especially since Carter named me. Snowy was fine. It fits me better, don’t you think?”
That was the moment Ryder knew he was Fluffy. She stared at Leandro, seeing the same care and concern in his eyes that she had in Fluffy’s.
“I think Fluffy suits you perfectly, and I’m going to call you that from this point on to punish you for bringing me to a vampire’s house. Really, of all places! Fluffy knows how much I hate vampires.”
Leandro smiled a little at that. “Massimo isn’t like any other vampire. He’s a vegetarian.”
“Massimo is a vegetarian vampire?” Ryder tried her hardest not to laugh, but it didn’t work. All the tension inside of her exploded into a fit of giggles. “A fucking vegetarian vampire?”
Leandro’s face softened as he felt the relief in Ryder’s laughter. “Yes, a vegetarian vampire who likes Abba. I try to get him to eat at least a rabbit each day, but he will not touch meat.”
“Why?” Ryder asked between chuckles.
“Because he doesn’t want to turn into a monster, and because he’s an annoying old fool.”
“What’s Abba?” she asked.
“It’s a band. That’s them playing in the house. I guess Massimo is sharing his music with Carter.” Leandro smiled. Carter’s ears could bleed now instead of his.
“I like them.”
Leandro pulled a weird face at Ryder. He had been hoping she’d hate them like he did.
“Now I see where you get the ‘fool’ part from,” she said.
Leandro smiled. “Unfortunately.” Then he tilted his head. “Can we drop the name Fluffy?”
“Nope, and as even more punishment, I’m going to tell Carter to call you that as well.”
Leandro sighed in resignation and changed the subject. “Massimo and I will help you get your friends to safety if you still want us to.”
She tried not to say anything smart-ass. She didn’t have anyone else to help. Maybe a werewolf and a vampire would come in handy. “Is Massimo really up for a fight? He looks…well, old.”
Leandro nodded in agreement. “He does appear old, but he’s stronger than he looks.”
“One wrong move from either of you, and you’ll get an arrow through the heart.”
“Deal.” Leandro smiled nervously.
She nodded. “Come on then, Fluffy. Let’s go join the party.”
She headed for the house with Leandro on her heels. Ryder had done the impossible. She’d assembled a team willing to go toe to toe with Afana. It was a strange team—a hick from the woods, a Were who had trouble changing, and a vegetarian vampire—but it was better than nothing, and it was her team.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
FINIS
Author’s Notes - Hayley Lawson
Written May 25, 2018
Hey, Hayley here,
Where do I start with my Authors Notes? Well, at the beginning! I hope you’re in a comfortable seat, because this note may be as long as the story. I want to thank everyone involved in making Madness Unleashed become real.
My husband once said to me that I should take a year to create the best book ever, and this is that book. Funny thing was that every week he’d ask me if the book had launched yet!
My journey started with a call with Yoda (otherwise known as Michael Anderle). He told me about the spin-off series for Age of Madness, and that I'd be a good fit for it. The reason he thought I'd be good was because most of my past books were thrillers and I kill a lot of people. His nickname for me was “Killer!”
Michael put me in touch with Chris Raymond and Lee Barbant and we chatted about the Age of Madness world. Before I could start writing in Michael’s world I needed to understand it, so I got to work reading The Kurtherian Gambit series, a short (!) series a few of you may be familiar with. I read up to Book Four and was like, I’m good to get started! (up to Book Seven now).
Now I was ready for the fun part, so the four of us chatted about the world and the storyline. This part was very different for me, and very enjoyable. In the past, I had worked on my own.
I got to work with a very talented cover designer, Mihaela. We selected the clothes for the model and choose the image from the photo shoot for the covers. Again, this was all very new, and super cool!
Fast forward a month or two (or maybe three) and book one was done! Well, at least I thought it was, but then LMBPN publishing swung into action. Chris and Lee gave me loads of great feedback, and I tweaked and tweaked some more. These guys we very patient with me through the process.
I had many chats with Michael. A few times he was checking that I was okay, since there
was a lot of back and forth. I was like, “this is great!” I wanted to learn, and I was getting a free education from them. One thing which I love about Michael is that he’s always there for you if you need him—which is quite shocking, given the number of people he works with.
Michael has an awesome team of editors, and he thought Lynne Stiegler would be the right person for me since she likes challenges. (I have dyslexia, and a past editor said, I write in my very own unique English style).
Once Lynne had worked her magic, Unleashing Madness was released to the beta team. (Another awesome team of people). Their feedback was really helpful, and the book was tweaked. This happened three times.
Then another editing team took a looked at the manuscript and sprinkled their magic over it.
A sweet lady many of you may know Natale Roberts add her very own magic dust to it as well. (With all this magic, part of me is thinking I should be writing in the Age of Magic instead of Age of Madness).
Then back over to Lynne and final with JIT (Just in Time) team. I think at this is their second read.
Steve Campbell works on the behind-the-scenes magic of launching the book.
And finally you lovely people get to read it!
I’d like to thank my family, first my supportive husband Gavin, (who will never read this book. He’s waiting for the movie to come out). He’s always been by my side with whatever I wanted to do. And if it weren’t for him I’d only eat cereal, toast, instant noodles, and soup. (I never stopped eating like a student). He’s a great husband and dad.
I saved the best for last, my beautiful daughter Callie. Every day she pushes me to be a better version of myself. Just like her dad, she supports me to help my dreams come true. She reminds me to take a break sometimes, and to be in the present. One day she hopes you’ll be reading her stories.
It takes a village to raise a child, and an awesome team to launch a book! From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank everyone that’s been involved in the project.
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