This World Bites (Cera Chronicles Book 1)

by Loni Townsend

  Danielle pulled the tab on her canister and threw it into the crowd. White sticky fibers shot out in every direction, latching onto any available object and holding tight. Zombies struggled against what looked like a gigantic spider web. She backed away from the mass until she stood next to me. “If you know a way to escape, I would suggest we use it now.”

  “I don’t think so,” said a voice. I recognized it and groaned. The air temperature dropped, sending a shiver rippling across my skin. An image of the transparent woman I’d encountered the day before flickered in front of me. “You destroyed my body. You’re going to pay for that.”

  This time, I did wave a hand through her, trying to push her out of my way. The unpleasant sensation of frostbite chilled my hand and I pulled it back. She wasn’t human. I looked to Michael for further information.

  Michael unwound himself from Stella’s arms to gain a closer look. “She is classified as a B4N-5H33, a spectral representation of the disembodied…” Michael’s voice drifted off as he turned his attention back to Stella, who chanted in an unrecognizable language, her voice mesmerizing. Half-lidded green eyes glowed and she lifted outstretched fingers in the transparent woman’s direction.

  The woman flickered. The temperature dropped again as she let out a piercing screech. Danielle covered her ears with a flinch. Wicked strands of glowing green thread snaked around the disembodied being’s limbs and torso. Stella clenched her fingers into a fist, and the thread sliced through the image. The transparent woman vanished with an anguished cry. A languid smile spread across Stella’s lips and she cocked her head. Darkness radiated from her body. “Tasty.”

  Michael inched away.

  “Grab her.” I dropped to the kneeling position used for all seals and prepared my focus. “We’ll sort out what happened later.”

  Chapter 7

  MICHAEL LAY CURLED IN A BALL at the foot of my bed. The hotel room buzzed with voices, muffled to my sleep-fogged hearing. I’d passed out as soon as we’d arrived.

  Michael lifted his head when I stirred and his face split into a wide grin, tongue lolling out between sharp teeth. He sat up, hands still on the bed, and scratched his ear with his bare foot. His hair had grown the length of several fingers since last I saw him—which couldn’t have been more than a few hours.

  Seth moved to my bedside, carrying a tray of sandwiches and a pitcher of water. His gaze flicked to Michael and he sighed. “He is getting worse.”

  The room’s attention moved to me when Seth spoke. Rin stood up from the research desk and set a hand on Michael’s head. Not a good sign. Rin almost never deviated from his research.

  “His disease is rapidly mutating,” Rin said. “At its current rate, his bones will be forced to undergo the structure reconfiguration by tomorrow. It is a process his body is incapable of surviving.”

  My stomach sank. Terror gripped me as I stared at my child-faced guardian. “You can find a cure before then, right?”

  “I will try. But it is unlikely.”

  Tears stung my eyes. I closed them and drew in a deep breath that wasn’t nearly calming enough. Burning pain seared across my neck where my necklace hung. Michael let out a yelp and licked the guardian mark located on his right bicep. I grappled with the chain to my pendant and threw it onto the bed. My power slipped from my grasp.

  Every elemental descendant possessed a unique pendant. It granted the owner the ability to manipulate their clan’s element—or elements, in my case. It was also the key to casting seals. Tied directly to my life force, to control it was to control me. Not once in my life had it ever left my body, until now. Seth immediately took it in hand to prevent anyone else from touching it.

  “What wrong?” Fues demanded.

  Rin looked from Seth’s death grip to me and Michael. “It would seem his reaction to silver is extending to you through the guardian bond. That is an unexpected consequence.”

  “Beasts.” I rubbed my face. “That means we’re frigging stuck here until we find a cure.”

  “It may alleviate if he dies,” Rin said. “If it does not, then yes, we will be unable to use your seal manipulation to leave this world.”

  Stella set a hand on my shoulder. “You are always welcome to stay with us, sweetie.”

  I glared at her. Apparently, someone had informed her and Danielle of our situation while I slept. They seemed to be taking it well. I suppose surviving a zombie horde made little things like being from a different world acceptable, if it meant they survived. “What are you two still doing here anyways?”

  Danielle shrugged. “My place is overrun with zombies thanks to you.”

  Stella flicked a hand. A sandwich from Seth’s tray flew across the room, and she caught it. She batted her eyelashes at Seth. “I enjoy the company.” Danielle let out a growl that Stella either didn’t hear or ignored. I wrinkled my nose. Pheromones battled for dominance in the air.

  A thought that had occurred earlier came up again, and I eyed Stella suspiciously. “If you had power, why didn’t you use it on the zombies?”

  “Taste.” Stella stuck out her tongue. “Mold is not high on my list of preferences.”

  “You could have stopped them, you witch,” Danielle accused.

  Stella shrugged. “At least I am not the b version of that word.”

  “Hey, I was born this way.”

  A knock drew my attention to the door. Not feeling anyone approach made my mood sink further. My Miasho abilities granted me awareness of all nearby life forces. On a normal day, I could sense any living being long before it came within knocking distance.

  Michael lifted his head, drew back his lips, and growled. Both Danielle and Stella looked at the door in mild surprise. Seth reached it before I could. He cracked the door open and peered out before pulling it to full width. I saw past him and my heart jumped into my throat.

  “Duke!” I ran to my date and flung my arms around his torso. “I thought I’d killed you.” As I held him and nuzzled his chest, I noticed for the first time how cool his skin felt to the touch. Beneath my cheek, I heard no heartbeat, sensed no life force. No wonder I’d failed to feel him coming. I pulled my face away and met his gaze. “Why aren’t you alive?”

  His lips curved and a fang peeked out. “I’ve been undead for many, many years.”

  “Oh.” Good. I hadn’t been the one to kill him.

  Duke rubbed the side of his head. “You left me with a splitting headache.”

  I eyed him warily. “I helped you stay true to your diet. Speaking of which, you look…”

  “Dashingly handsome?” he suggested.

  “Sick.” I grabbed his hand. “We should examine you.”

  “Cera, wait—” Duke, pulled along by my hold on him, slammed into an unseen barrier. “Ow!” He put his hand to his forehead and winced. “I am seriously beginning to think you will be the permanent death of me.”

  “Blood drinkers were designed not to be able to enter a dwelling without invitation.” Danielle gave a sly smile. “The government had too many issues with the zombies breaking into homes and killing people. They tried to fix that.”

  “Mr. Ross?” Stella’s voice brimmed with hope.

  Duke’s gaze shot to the woman. “St-Stella?” He ripped his hand out of my grip and backpedalled until he hit the far wall. He started inching down the hallway.

  “Duke?” I frowned at his behavior.

  He looked from Stella to me and back again before blanching. “Cera, may I have a word with you? Out here?”

  I shrugged and stepped out into the hall. He pulled me away from the doorway, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Do you know what she is?”

  “A harnesser?” I didn’t see what the issue was or why Duke should be freaked out about it.

  “Insane,” he corrected. “I have an active restraining order against her. She’s had twenty-eight known kills in the past ten years, and who knows how many haven’t been found. You don’t want to get mixed up with her.”

  I t
hought about the transparent woman on the roof and how easily Stella had dispatched her. The memory of Stella’s smile sent a shiver down my spine. The woman was creepy in her own cheerful, sweet way. “If she’s dangerous, why don’t the authorities do something about her?”

  “The authorities are counted among her victims.”

  I glanced back into the room. Stella sat having a peaceful conversation with Fues while petting Michael’s head. “I don’t think she intends to hurt us.”

  “Perhaps not now.” Duke shook his head. “But there is no telling when she will turn on you.”

  “Mistress Cera saved my life,” Stella said, making Duke jump. Fast and silent, she had started moving the moment I’d looked in the room. She smiled up at Duke with pure innocence. “I would never dream of hurting her or any of her friends.”

  Duke grimaced at Stella. “Yes, well, you remember that.” He lifted a hand to caress my cheek. “I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

  Safe? No, I was far from safe. This situation with Michael shouldn’t have been happening. We were better than this! We should’ve already found a damn cure.

  His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

  I tried to fight my emotions like I always do. But the off-switch wasn’t working.

  Centuries ago, the Sovereign had killed one of my guardians. Something unfixable snapped in me then. Agony had ripped the beating heart from my chest with icy fingers and crushed it within its grasp. It left me with nothing but a frozen void that refused to thaw, even now. His death still haunted me. That wretched gnashing ate at my insides and gnawed at my brain.

  I didn’t know if I’d survive losing another one.

  Duke gathered me into his arms. “It’s the boy, isn’t it?”

  I choked and nodded.

  Stella folded her hands over her breasts. “Michael only has the night.”

  Duke wiped away the tear rolling down my cheek as I fought to regain control of myself. “I’ll take you to my contact. He’s an employee of mine, assuming he didn’t get killed in last night’s scuffle.”

  “Employee?” I wiped my face.

  He laughed—a hearty masculine rumble from deep in his throat. “You didn’t make the association? Ross’s bar? I’m Duke Ross.”

  I hadn’t known the name of the bar, but I kept that to myself.

  “Mr. Ross owns a third of the city,” Stella cooed helpfully.

  Rich and powerful? I’d landed myself a winner. Not to mention his charitable streak. He’d helped his cook, and now me. How many other people had he helped?

  “It’s been a while since I’ve met someone who doesn’t know who I am, let alone hit me over the head with a frying pan.” He cupped my face in one large palm. “The minute you asked my name, I was intrigued.”

  Stella laughed. “Oh, Mistress Cera and her friends aren’t from this world.”

  Damn woman. I hadn’t planned on telling Duke yet.

  “You.” I pointed a finger at her face. “In the room. Now.” She smiled, shrugged, and left us alone in the hall. I met Duke’s unreadable gaze. “Will you take me to see your employee?”

  “Will you tell me who you are?” he asked.

  I hooked my arm around his elbow. “That’s a fair trade, I suppose.”

  Chapter 8

  MY PARENTS WERE THE MOST POWERFUL beings my world had ever known. Unfortunately, they were imprisoned when I was a baby. Instead of the life of luxury I should’ve had, I spent my childhood hiding from a tyrannical sovereign.

  The hiding had been working well, until the Sovereign took my mentor captive. I’d attempted to rescue him and inadvertently released someone else. I didn’t find out until later that the prisoner I’d set free was my father.

  I shivered and rubbed my arms, glancing at Duke. How much more should I tell? Probably best to spare the gory details about my dad’s mental condition and focus on his awesome power instead. My dad was a hero. Best he was remembered as such.

  “My dad survived the final battle with the Sovereign, but he’s been comatose since. Too much power fried his brain, but his heart is still beating. We’re trying to find a cure. Nothing’s worked so far.”

  A rat skittered across the cobblestones of the covered alleyway. After all the memories, I would’ve liked some sunlight, but the buildings and thick canopy barely let any through.

  Duke wrapped his arm around my shoulders. It didn’t provide much warmth, but I guessed it wasn’t meant to. “You must get lonely, never setting down roots.”

  I shrugged. “I always have Seth and Michael with me.”

  “I meant romantically.” He frowned. “Unless I misunderstood the relationship you have with them.”

  “Oh, no. No romance. Seth’s like a big brother. Michael, well, he’s actually older than me, but we don’t talk about it.”

  Me and my guardians? That’d be frigging awkward. But when did I have a love life? Once every couple dozen worlds? My last fling was Hali, and she was some thirty worlds ago. Gee. Thanks for reminding me of my lackluster love life.

  “What about you, Mr. Ross? I am certain a man of your stature would have no issues finding a woman.”

  “It has nothing to do with the money, but everything having to do with what I am.” He waved a flippant hand to his fangs. “People like me still eat people. That’s not an attractive trait in a significant other.”

  “Pfft! I’ve seen worse. The population of one world we visited was this green slime substance. Their idea of mating was to fling themselves at each other, making children from the bits that broke off from the splatters. One threw itself against my leg. Talk about unattractive.” We didn’t spend long on that world.

  Duke shook his head. “I’m dangerous, Cera. I can’t have romantic relationships.”

  I nudged him with an elbow. “Sure you can. My dad is dangerous. That didn’t stop him and my mother from having me. You and I can hook up and—”

  Duke grabbed my upper arms and shoved me into a dark corner. Sharp fangs flashed into view and his hiss filled the now-silent alleyway. His eyes glowed. “I’m different. I want to suck every last drop of blood from your body and not be gentle when I do it. There is no joking about relationships in my life. If I lose control, even for a moment, I will hurt you.”

  His fingers dug into my skin, cold and hard. I could tell he was trying to prove a point, so I refrained from immediately tearing the arms from his body and beating him with them. Granted, my strength had diminished due to not having my pendant, but his threat of harm did little to scare me.

  I’d grown up during the Sovereign’s reign. I’d trained to fight with the best.

  I thrust my arms up through his grip. His hands slipped and his eyes widened. My fingers intertwined with his chocolate-brown hair, giving me a wonderful grip to work with. I slammed my knee into his side, twisted, and threw him into the wall he’d tried to pin me against. He bounced when he hit and tumbled to the ground.

  Flirting rule number four: threats aren’t good foreplay.

  I rolled my eyes. “Your concern is touching. However, I was trying to pay you a compliment. The polite thing to say is ‘thank you’.”

  “Permanent death of me,” he muttered. I reached down and offered him a hand. He took it and stood. “Very well. Thank you.” He brushed the dirt from his shirt as he looked up at the building. “This is where Eddie lives.”

  The sound of shattering glass preceded the rapid descent of a torso and detached limbs. They struck the pavement with a sickeningly wet sound and splattered us with human matter.

  Duke stood perfectly still. “Eddie…” He watched the dark puddle growing around the chunks of flesh, his tongue darting out to lick his lip in a subconscious, hungry motion.

  My stomach tightened with a suppressed scream, and I clenched my teeth. It wasn’t from terror. No, I’d seen worse than the dismembered body cooling in front of me. I wanted to scream in rage—pure-blooded, hateful rage.

  Someone had killed the man I needed to hel
p Michael.

  I studied Duke for a reaction. The blood held his complete attention. I cleared my throat. “I doubt Eddie will have much use for his blood, if you wished to drink it.” And then hopefully he would suggest an alternate solution to Michael’s plight. Not that I wanted to be an enabler, but I was in a bit of a hurry.

  Duke tried to look at me in horror but his gaze kept returning to the oozing mass. He reached, almost involuntarily, for the closest body part—which happened to be Eddie’s arm.

  A figure leapt from the window out into open air and hovered with beating white, feathered wings. Golden silk clad his lower half. He held a gleaming sword in each hand and he pointed the tip of one directly at us. “Duke Ross.” The flying being’s voice resounded with power, reverberating off the narrow alley walls with a slight boom. “We need to have a word.”

  Duke stared up at the half-naked man, dumbfounded. Seeing as my date wasn’t in a conversational mood—what with his employee lying in chunks—I decided to break the stretching silence. I tried to keep a level tone. “Did you kill Eddie?”

  “Yes.” The man lowered himself to the ground and stepped around the puddle of blood while sheathing his swords. He stood a few inches taller than Duke, with short, dark waves of glossy black hair dressed his head and powerful, sculpted muscles beneath flawless tan skin.

  He looked at me. “My name is Alexander Holt, Agency Negotiations with Governmental Experimentation Laboratories. Edward Gram was a demonic spy. I have been tracking him for three decades.” He reached for a lock of my hair. “Hair of fire. Eyes of water. You must be the one who killed the demons.”

  Duke grabbed Alexander’s wrist and bared his fangs with a hiss. “You. Don’t. Touch. Her.”

  Alexander shot Duke a glare and pulled his hand free. “We need to speak about the incident that happened at your club, Mr. Ross. I have it on good authority this woman was there with you last night and displayed an exceptional amount of power. I am under obligation to question her as well.”