by Ann Gimpel
“How come you didn’t eat any of it?” Ketha asked, thinking wistfully that she and her sisters would have been delighted to stumble across such a rich trove of edibles.
“Viktor and I kicked it around,” Juan said. He’d moved across the bridge to a large, flat table spread with maps. “But we never could get past the spoilage aspect. Fifty-gallon drums are huge. And most of the cans are at least two gallon-sized. If we’d opened one, we’d never have come close to eating all of it before it rotted.”
“Yeah and I hated the other Vampires enough, offering to share never occurred to me,” Viktor muttered.
“Cheap ass,” Juan retorted.
“No. Just particular about whom I break bread with.” Viktor turned to Ketha. “This was a research ship,” he reminded her. “Sixty plus passengers and another twenty-five crew. That many folks eat a lot.” He sent one of his million-watt smiles her way. “Dinner, love?”
“On my way.”
Ketha let herself out into the interior corridor and across the hall to the cabin she shared with Viktor. They’d sat in this same space the first time he brought her to Arkady when the ship was in dry dock.
“We did good,” her wolf spoke up. Ever since the death of the Cataclysm, it had developed a decidedly chatty side, and Ketha welcomed its nearly constant presence. Clearly, it had missed her as much as she missed it.
“Which particular thing?” she inquired.
“All of it. Maybe later, we could shift and run around the ship.”
“As soon as I’m done with dinner.”
“I like Viktor—and his bird,” the wolf went on. “I’ve known that bird ever since...”
The wolf recited a tale it had told her half a dozen times since Viktor’s bondmate emerged from the parallel universe and claimed him. The animals were inveterate storytellers, and she loved listening to the wolf’s yarns, no matter how many times it repeated them.
She shucked her parka, hanging it on a hook, and took in the tidy cabin. The scent of lovemaking hung in the air, and she breathed it in hungrily. Viktor was endlessly inventive and an incredible lover.
Yup. And now he’s hungry for something beyond my body, she reminded herself and trotted into the corridor, pulling the door shut behind her. Living on the ship would take some getting used to. Everything she needed was here, but on a compact scale.
Midway down the stairs, she ran into Rowana, Zoe, and Aura heading up. “We saw a flock of wandering albatrosses,” Rowana announced. “My eagle was fascinated.”
“We figured if we were higher, we’d get a better look,” Aura said.
“They were amazin’,” Zoe chimed in. “Just the fact that they survived somewhere gives me hope.”
“I need a volunteer to help with dinner.” Ketha glanced from one to the other. “If you gals are busy, I can rustle up someone else.”
“I’ll help.” Aura trotted back down the risers.
Ketha scooted by the other two women and joined her. “It makes my heart glad the Cataclysm didn’t kill everything.”
“Mine too.” Aura stopped outside the swinging doors to the dining room and galley beyond and turned to face Ketha. “We have a lot to be thankful for.”
“That we do.” Ketha waited, sensing Aura had more to say.
The other woman licked her lips. Color rose to her cheeks. “I’m done feeling sorry for myself,” she said. “For that first little bit of time when everything was a struggle and my mountain lion didn’t return as quickly as Rowana’s bird or your wolf, I really sank into a funk.” She tilted her chin at a defiant angle. “I’m done with that. Getting my cat back made a world of difference. I was afraid it had deserted me.”
Ketha hugged her. “I’ve had Viktor to distract me, but you could have talked with me. I’d have been happy to listen.”
Aura waved a dismissive hand. “Aw, sweetie. Thanks. You were so happy it oozed out of your pores. Last thing I wanted to do was bother you with anything. After the hell we lived through, we deserve every single good thing that comes our way. It all worked out. Once I stopped fussing, my cat jumped in with all four paws.”
“Was it ready to explore a new life with you?”
Aura grinned. “Hell, yeah. More than ready. Eager.”
“That’s the spirit.” Ketha pushed the door open. “My wolf wants to run around the ship after dinner. Maybe your cat can join us.”
“It’s yowling. I’m taking that as a yes.” Aura rolled her expressive green eyes.
“Excellent. Meanwhile, let’s see if we can figure out where things are.”
Aura winked. “I peeked in here a little bit ago. Come on. I’ll show you.”
Ketha followed her friend into the stainless-steel galley. Hope for the future ran strong in her. She had the best man in the world and was ready for adventure—however it unfolded. If they had to take on the Cataclysm again, so be it. They’d beat it once. They could do it again.
Somehow.
Last time they’d leveraged Vampire energy. This time they wouldn’t have that to work with. They wouldn’t have Raziel, either.
If it comes down to it, we’ll figure something out. We have to.
Whistling a cheery folk tune to bolster her spirits, Ketha stood close as Aura opened cupboards, drawers, and food storage bins. “I never knew you had the soul of a chef,” she told Aura.
“Oh, I’m full of surprises. And this is the best kitchen I’ve seen since we left Wyoming.”
Ketha laughed. “How about the only kitchen.”
Aura chuckled. “That too.” She rubbed her hands together. “How does fettucine alfredo with canned green beans and canned peaches sound?”
“Divine. I can open cans with the best of them.” Ketha laughed along with her friend.
“Excellent. I found a greenhouse room with planter boxes full of dirt and grow lights beyond the galley.” Aura extended an arm to point.
“Are there seeds?” Enthusiasm filled Ketha. If they could grow simple things like lettuce and spinach, it would make their shipboard meals far more interesting.
“Didn’t find any, but we could ask Viktor or Juan.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Ketha pulled a large can opener off a board studded with hooks and utensils, and the two women began assembling what they’d need to make dinner.
You’ve reached the end of Deceived, Bitter Harvest, Book One. There will be at least three more books in this series. Look for Twisted around November 2017. Abandoned and Redeemed will be along early in 2018.
If you’re still in a reading mood, a sample from Twisted is tacked onto the end of this book.
About the Author:
Ann Gimpel is a USA Today bestselling author. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in several webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Once upon a time, she nurtured clients. Now she nurtures dark, gritty fantasy stories that push hard against reality. When she’s not writing, she’s in the backcountry getting down and dirty with her camera. She’s published over fifty books to date, with several more planned for 2018 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren, and wolf hybrids round out her family.
Keep up with her at www.anngimpel.com or http://anngimpel.blogspot.com
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Twisted: Book Description
A small group of Shifters sails south from Ushuaia, determined to assess what’s left of the world. A Vampire attack, a possessed priest, and a gateway to Hell mean fallout from the spell gone bad that pinned them in Ushuaia for years is far from gone.
Back on a ship again, Juan reconstructs what’s always been a comfort zone. The sea is the only life he’s ever known—if you don’t count the ten years he spent as a Vampire. His new magic, fueled by a bond with a mountain cat, brings its own set of challenges, but they
pale in comparison with the white-hot need that knifes through him whenever Aura is anywhere close.
A historian by trade, Aura deals in prophecies for her Shifter pack. Attraction for Juan ignited when they fought the Cataclysm, but she figures he left a string of broken hearts during his years as chief navigator on cruise ships. They have to work together. A self-indulgent affair could ruin everything. She does her damnedest to keep distance between them, but the ship’s not big enough to escape yearning for a future together.
Twisted
Chapter One: That’s Impossible
Aura Mackenzie rolled her shoulders to get the kinks out of her back. She hadn’t had much space to roam in Ushuaia, but Arkady, a sturdy Russian research vessel that had once ferried tourists back and forth to the Antarctic Peninsula, was smaller by far than any other place she’d spent much time.
She’d retreated to her cabin to shower now that the vessel wasn’t pitching and rolling quite so much. The journey south from Ushuaia had grown rough once they left the Beagle Channel and turned southeast. If it hadn’t been for a healthy dose of magic, she’d have been horribly seasick right along with several of the dozen female Shifters aboard. As it was, she’d been queasy the entire time.
Four men traveled with them. Men who’d once been Vampires but were now Shifters, courtesy of a powerful spell that had nearly killed them all. Viktor and Juan had worked together for years, and this was their ship. Pre-Vampire, Recco and Daide had been veterinarians in Ushuaia, and both men had a hell of a time with the transition from animal healer to animal killer. For whatever reason—maybe some leftover Vampire juju—the seasickness gene had bypassed the men, and she was jealous.
Until about two months ago, they’d all been trapped in Ushuaia, and she still couldn’t quite believe their gambit to escape had paid off. The wicked enchantment holding them prisoner lasted ten years, and she’d been certain they’d all die in the remote location at the tip of South America. Between increasingly toxic water and a lack of food, their fate didn’t require her skill with prophecies to predict.
Yet they’d broken free. Whether it was permanent, or a momentary respite remained to be seen.
Back home in Wyoming, she’d been a historian, one who’d enjoyed her comfy academic position at a university where the hardest thing she had to do was deal with unruly graduate students. A cat Shifter, she was bonded to a mountain lion, and it missed Wyoming’s mountains and the forests where they’d roamed. She did too. Ushuaia had mountains, but they were nothing like the Rockies that towered above her erstwhile home.
She rolled her eyes. It would be a long time before she saw Wyoming again. And a strong possibility existed she never would. The plan was to explore the Southern Ocean in gradually widening arcs to see if the Cataclysm—the wickedness that had held them prisoner—was wreaking havoc elsewhere.
Or if their counter spell had wiped it out for good.
One thing was certain. If the Cataclysm lived anywhere, it would be out for blood. The evil was sentient, and it knew good and well who was responsible for its destruction around Ushuaia. A shiver tracked down Aura’s spine.
“Yeah,” she muttered half aloud. “Not much point pining for home. Maybe I’d do well to assign that label to wherever I am.” The thought pleased her, and she chuckled. It was an improvement over the fear that gripped her whenever she thought about the Cataclysm. She’d survived those years in Ushuaia by leveraging denial and cunning, useful traits she’d do well to keep front and center.
“Get moving,” her cat urged. “Don’t you want off this boat?”
“You bet,” she told her bond animal.
Aura tucked her blonde hair under a thick, wool cap and grabbed a pair of gloves. That done, she slipped into a waterproof jacket and popped out of her quarters. Bundled to the gills in warm clothing, she was already sweating, but they’d pulled into a sheltered bay, and Viktor had announced over the boat’s PA system that anyone who wanted to could go ashore.
Ketha, a wolf Shifter and Aura’s closest friend, rattled down a nearby staircase buried in her own pile of winter gear. Her long, dark hair with its red and gold streaks was covered by her parka hood, and her golden eyes shone with excitement.
“Great!” Ketha beamed at Aura. “Anyone else want to go?” She cupped a hand around her mouth and addressed the empty corridor.
“Me!” Rowana shuffled into the passage. Strands of silver hair had resisted her efforts to cover everything with her hood, and her brown eyes sported dark circles beneath them. “Sheesh. I’ve never had to wear so many clothes. My eagle wanted to fly, but I didn’t figure it would be any warmer than me outside this ship. They’re not usually cold weather birds.”
Ketha shot an indulgent smile Rowana’s way. “You’re overprotecting your bondmate. Eagles live in Alaska.”
Rowana puffed out her chest. “Next to the Chilkoot River because it runs warm all year, which means a ready supply of salmon. I wouldn’t presume to tell you how to take care of your wolf—”
“Fine.” Ketha waved the other woman to silence. “I apologize.”
“Where exactly are we?” Aura cut in. All of them were edgy from the rough transit of the Scotia Sea. It had taken six days, and according to Viktor and Juan that was three days longer than what they considered normal.
“A deserted whaling station on South Georgia Island called Grytviken,” Ketha replied.
Aura sent a speculative glance at her friend and sister Shifter. “I’m going to bet you read up on it.”
Ketha shook her head. “Nope. My secret weapon is Viktor. He adores this part of the world and regales me with stories.”
Rowana snorted, her eyes sparking with mirth and her usual good humor apparently restored. “And here I thought all you did was paw at each other.”
“Oh we do plenty of that too.” Ketha grinned.
“Don’t leave without me,” Karin called, slamming her door behind her. She was their doctor. Once plump, her face showed the ravages of the hell they’d lived through, but her shrewd copper eyes didn’t miss much. Today, her snow-white hair was covered by a wool cap and a hood. “Good news! I found a stock of Phenergan in the infirmary.”
“What’s that?” Aura asked.
“Seasickness medication. Means I won’t have to use as much magic once we get underway again.”
“Don’t those things have expiration dates?” Rowana asked.
Karin made a noise between a grunt and a snort. “Yes, but they mean nothing. The pharmaceutical industry wants to make sure you keep spending money, so they slap ‘use by’ dates on everything.”
“Good to know,” Rowana murmured.
Aura tossed her shoulders back and tried to forget how miserable she’d been. “Maybe I won’t need anything next time.”
Karin shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“Come on, women. Let’s go.” Ketha headed down the corridor toward a door that led to one of the outside decks and a gangway. “Viktor told me two of the rafts are still seaworthy.”
“What happened to the other ones?” Rowana asked.
“They’re rubber. They rotted.”
Aura’s cat made a low, hissing noise inside her and said, “We can swim to shore. Let’s do that.”
“Maybe you could,” Aura countered. “I’d drown wearing all these clothes. They’d drag me right to the bottom.”
“What was that all about?” Ketha asked and latched the door open.
Cold air blasted through. It felt bracing after the warmth of the ship. “Just my cat weighing in. Not sure it liked the idea of a partially rotten raft.”
Ketha trotted the length of the ship to where a long, metal staircase led down to water level. “This one isn’t rotten, silly.” She ran lightly down the swaying stairs.
Aura followed, but she held onto the handrails. When she reached the bottom, she gazed across an expanse of water at falling down buildings and the hulls of wrecked ships partially submerged near shore. Ketha had identified it as a des
erted whaling station, and it certainly looked the part.
Viktor stood in a large, black raft with pontoons curving around every side. He helped Ketha aboard and then Aura. She sat on one of the pontoons while the two other women got in.
A large-bore rifle was propped next to Viktor. “What’s that for?” Aura tipped her chin at it.
“Never know what we might run up against,” he replied. “It’s what I used to guard against polar bear attacks in the Arctic.”
“What are you expecting?” Rowana asked. “There aren’t any polar bears here.”
“I’m not expecting anything, but I like to be prepared.”
“Thanks for taking care of us.” Ketha glanced fondly at her husband.
“Welcome. No one else wanted to go?” Victor furled his tawny brows. Tall and broad-shouldered, he still held the ungodly beauty common to Vampires. Aura guessed he’d always looked like that with brown-gold hair and eyes the shade of uncut emeralds. Unlike them, his hood was tossed back and his hair blew every which way in a stout breeze.
Ketha shrugged. “Guess not. I put out the call in the corridor.”
“Seasickness can be a real bitch,” Karin spoke up. “Between all the magic I ran through some of you and not having the stomach to eat anything for a few days, my bet is everyone else is sleeping.”
“I wanted to make sure we weren’t waiting for anyone.” Viktor pulled a starter cord, and the raft’s engine roared to life. They hit the wake dead center as they motored toward shore.
“Do you suppose we’ll find anyone here?” Ketha eyed Viktor. “I meant to ask you before I got all duded up to spend time outside.”
“I have no idea. The far end of this cove”—he pointed—“has barrack buildings that were built by the Brits after the Falklands War. They’re substantial, like everything British. Big enough to house maybe five hundred men. As I recall, they were reasonably self-sufficient with solar powered desalination machinery and solar electricity generators.”
“What about in the winter?” Rowana asked. “When there isn’t any sun?”
