Of Humans and Monsters Read online

  Of Humans and Monsters

  Only Human Book Three

  Candace Blevins

  Contents

  Connect with Candace

  Blurb

  Dear Reader,

  Cast of Characters

  Vampire Types

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Also by Candace Blevins

  Excerpt ~ Bash

  About the Author

  More From Excessica!

  eXcessica publishing

  Of Humans and Monsters © April 2017 by Candace Blevins

  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. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

  This book is for sale to ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

  Excessica LLC

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  Alpena, MI 49707

  To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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  Cover design © 2016 Syneca Featherstone

  First Edition April 2017

  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.

  Connect with Candace

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  Blurb

  Book three of the Only Human urban fantasy series...

  When Aaron finally locates the human who wields light-weapons similar to Kirsten’s, her quiet family life is once again disrupted as she’s dragged into another fearsome clash of vampires, shapeshifters, and not-so-mythological gods.

  Aaron leaves for his honeymoon and she finds herself working side-by-side with the Amakhosi, so it’s a good thing the two have figured out how to get along — though controlling her libido around him was easier when he was an asshole cat.

  Several new species show up — some friendly and others most certainly a fierce enemy — along with a human assassin who scares the bejeebers out of her despite the fact he’s supposed to be on her side.

  Kirsten’s old enemy Aquila’s back, as well as Xaephan and Mordecai. Add in another skirmish with Randall, more gods-of-old, and a fantastic night with a sexy biker, and you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of popcorn and batteries for the third installment of the Only Human series!

  NOTE: Of Humans and Monsters is book three of the Only Human urban fantasy series and is not a stand-alone. The first book is Only Human, the second is An Unhuman Journey.

  Dear Reader,

  If you’ve read my RTMC and Chattanooga Supernaturals series, you’ll recognize many of the secondary characters in the Only Human series. I’m including a Cast of Characters for those who may not have recently read the first two urban fantasy books, and for those who aren’t following the two sister paranormal romance series.

  Cast of Characters

  Lauren:Kirsten’s high-school aged daughter. She senses supernaturals when she touches them.

  Xiaolan:(pronounced shao-lan, which rhymes with pow man. She anglicizes it to Sharon at college.) Kirsten’s houseguest from China, currently attending UTC on a student visa.

  Cora:Kirsten’s friend and Drake Security employee. Cora’s a werewolf and is third in line (Gamma) in the Pack. Kirsten accidentally bound them together when Surtr tried to take over the Pack.

  Randall:Alpha werewolf of the Chattanooga Pack, and the Alpha of Alphas for several states. Twin brother to Duke.

  Duke:President of a werewolf motorcycle club. He gets his HEA in Duke.

  Surtr:(pronounced SIR-truh or sometimes SIR-ter) Ancient god who came for Kirsten in Only Human. He’s no longer a problem, at least for now.

  Aquila:(pronounced ah-KEE-luh) Celrau vampire who kidnapped Kirsten and took her to the Hell realm in An Unhuman Journey.

  Xaephan:(pronounced shay-FAN) A second level demon in the Hell realm, a Demon Lord, and Mordecai’s brother.

  Mordecai:(pronounced MOR-duh-kie, where kie rhymes with pie) Used to be worshiped as a god. He’s still quite powerful and has been teaching Kirsten.

  Nathan:Amakhosi (pronounced ah-muh-KOE-zee), King of the Lions and part-owner of Drake Security. He’s featured in the dark novella, Pride, but he’s yet to get his HEA.

  Aaron:The Dragon King. Also, owner of Drake Security. Aaron and Sophia get their HEA in The Dragon King.

  Sophia:Married to Aaron. She’s the Swan Queen, and is also queen of the Dragons. She can teleport in Faerie, and they often use her skills to travel to faraway places quickly.

  Ranger:Drake Security employee. Werewolf. We first meet him in Riding the Storm, and he gets his HEA in Acceptable Risk.

  Patrick:Drake Security employee. Werewolf. Often bodyguards Kirsten, especially when she’s with Master James since Patrick’s a Dom and understands what’s happening. Patrick gets his HEA in Careful What You Ask For.

  Tyler:Human. Ex-CIA agent, and now a Drake Security employee. He and Kirsten are good friends. Tyler’s a Dom and is married to Viv, though she doesn’t show up in this book.

  Bran:Lugat vampire. Filthy Rich and quite powerful.

  Abbott:Master Vampire over several states, also known as The Abbott. He’s a Strigorii vampire.

  Gavin:Second in command to Abbott. Featured in the dark novella Indentured Freedom, but he’s yet to get his HEA.

  Josef:Abbott’s head of security.

  Kendra:Third in command to Abbott. She gets her HEA in Riding the Storm.

  The Siabhra:(pronounced see-AH-bruh) The boogeymen of the Fae, responsible for relentlessly punishing those who deserve it. Introduced in Horse as the scariest being in Faerie. The woman who helped Gabby’s father torture and kill humans was given to the Siabhra when no one else — including Mab — wanted to deal with her extreme sociopathy.

  Mab and Titania: The Winter Queen and Summer Queen in Faerie. Also, Sophia’s Faerie Godmothers.

  Vampire Types

  Strigorii:(pronounced struh-GORE-ee-eye) Abbott, Gavin, Kendra. Magical species, die at dawn, most rise at sunset but the st
ronger rise earlier, though they must stay out of the sunlight. Don’t have to kill to live.

  Lugat:(pronounced Lue-GOT) Bran, Alex. No magic. They’ve evolved biologically. Strong Lugat can be out during the day for short periods on a cloudy day. Don’t have to kill to live.

  Celrau:(pronounced sell-raw) Aquila. Magical and evil. They must kill once a month on the new moon or they’ll die. They drink the blood and consume the life force of their victim.

  Chapter 1

  “We have a line on where the Celrau are keeping the human,” Aaron told me as I stepped into his office.

  “Good intel or a trap?”

  He leaned back in his desk chair, and I sat on the sofa facing him. Today, I could easily see the dragon in human form.

  “We won’t know for sure until we get there, but Nathan and I both feel it’s good.”

  “Any word from Mordecai?”

  “No.”

  The former god had been gone six weeks. He’d told me he needed to go away to handle some things, but hadn’t given any indication of whether he’d be back in days or years.

  “Are you including me in the plans to try to capture the man?” The supernaturals had taken to calling the man who could wield a light-weapon ‘the human,’ but considering I’m also a human who can wield weapons of light, it bugged me. I hadn’t brought it up because I knew as soon as they knew his name, they’d start using it instead.

  “If you want to go, we’d appreciate the help. You’ve been bowing out of an awful lot lately.”

  “It’s been nice, just being a mom and therapist for a while. Nights and weekends with Lauren, days with my patients, and a session a week with James.”

  “Your martial arts teacher’s back in town, and I know you and Lauren have been working with him, too.”

  “Yes, but it’s still time with Lauren.” I sighed. “I haven’t stopped practicing with on my metaphysical weapons, including some long-term projects Mordecai left me to work on without him. I’ve also been sparring with Cora.” And the two of us had been experimenting around with combining our energy, but I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about that just yet. I suppressed a sigh and told him, “I can’t let ya’ll do this without me. Where’d you find him?”

  “China, because I assume they’re trying to replicate your training.” He glanced at his phone when it buzzed, and then looked back to me. “We’ll be going through Faerie to get there, and I’m betting the Celrau took a path through the underworld.”

  “Aquila has him?” He’d kidnapped me once, but he’d intended to turn me into one of them. He’d had this man a while and he wasn’t a vampire yet. Why were they leaving him human? And how had they found him, when — as far as we knew — I was the only human who could form and use light-weapons. Were there others like me?

  “Aquila’s people have him. We’re unclear as to how much time Aquila spends in this realm.”

  “I don’t look forward to being in Faerie again, but at least it won’t be Hell. What are the chances we can plan this for a weekend, so I can make arrangements for Lauren to spend the night with someone?”

  “You know how this works — my people will watch them and figure out the best time for us to move in.”

  “You’ve been doing surveillance. Do you have a good picture of him?”

  Aaron nodded, fiddled on his phone a few seconds, and walked around his desk to hand it to me.

  I could only stare in silence at the sandy-blond, square-jawed, blue-eyed man. He was the spitting image of my Uncle Glen.

  I took a few moments to process it, and I finally looked up and met Aaron’s gaze. “My mom’s brother was a manwhore when he was younger. I have an untold number of cousins he fathered and was never responsible for. I’ve met a few of them — the ones who’ve been curious about their family and came looking for us once they grew up, but there’d be no way for us to find them all because we don’t know everyone he got pregnant.”

  I didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and Aaron asked, “You think this is one of your cousins?”

  “He looks just like my Uncle Glen at that age.”

  “If your family doesn’t know who they are, how would the Celrau?”

  “As far as I know, only one male has my uncle listed as father on the birth certificate. Apparently, the mother was anxious to get Uncle Glen out of her life, and she signed something saying if he’d leave and have zero contact with them then she’d never go after him for child support. I remember my grandmother trying to see him — I would’ve been about six years old and I think he’d have been two or three at the time. She drove by the house trying to get a glimpse of him playing in the yard, and I remember seeing the little boy on the swing set. I also remember my uncle getting really angry with my grandmother over it, and I’m told there was eventually a restraining order keeping my grandmother away. She was of the opinion she hadn’t signed her rights away, but she finally had to give up.”

  “Do you know his name?”

  “Joshua. My mom probably knows his last name, but I’d have to come up with a reason to ask her.”

  Aaron asked for lots of details about my Uncle Glen, and sent them to Drake Security’s head research person to see if they could find out Joshua’s identity.

  I had some time to think while he sent the information, and when he finished, I said, “If he’s been abducted by them and is being forced to learn all this, it’s my fault. He doesn’t even know me, but he’s been dragged into this because he’s related to me.”

  “I should’ve shown you the picture earlier. It makes sense they’d find someone related to you to attempt to train.”

  “I could be wrong, but I don’t think it’d be possible to learn to wield light-weapons if you were afraid. You have to really want to do it, and you have to believe. Could he be there of his own free will?”

  “Things can be taught through terror, too. We won’t know whether we’ll be rescuing him or abducting him until we have him, but we’ll do our best to treat him gently, no matter the situation.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t see how you can, with the weapons he can wield.”

  “Tranquilizer. We’ll knock him out to transport him, and I’ll take him to a small island in the middle of the ocean. If necessary, I can hover in the air over him to talk to him, to stay out of reach.”

  “And if he can levitate?”

  “We only saw evidence of his light-sword, but if he can levitate then I should still be able to fly faster than him.”

  “And if he can shoot a laser like mine?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “You’re leaving soon for your honeymoon.”

  “We have a few days before I leave.”

  Nathan and Aaron had decided I was safe at home, so Cora now met me at the house in the morning, rode into work with me, and stayed with me until I returned home each evening. Having a constant bodyguard was a pain in the ass, but I didn’t mind having Cora around.

  I was pretty sure Aaron had someone in the woods around my house watching over me at night, but I figured if they wanted to give me the illusion of privacy for a short part of each day, I’d take it. I didn’t want to be kidnapped and taken back to Hell again — or anywhere else — so I didn’t argue about the extra security, but I was happy life had returned to almost normal for the past month.

  Saturday morning dawned a beautiful day, and Lauren, Xiaolan, and I created a breakfast feast fit for royalty. Towards the end of our meal the girls began strategizing for how they’d build things in a video game, so when we finished eating I told them to go play their game and I’d clean the kitchen. We used to play against friends in video games, but in this world the players worked together as a team. This seemed a good thing to me, and I enjoyed listening to them cooperatively navigate everything the game threw at them.

  I was invited to a party at Aaron and Sophia’s at one o’clock, and Cora arrived at my house a little after twelve so we’d have time to get across
town and up the mountain.

  Part of me misses having Cora stay with us, but I’m also happy we’re back to our little nuclear family. The truth is, I have a metaphysical attachment to Cora I can’t quite explain, and I feel better when I’m around her. Our connection has grown stronger as we’ve joined our energy and experimented around with what we can do as a unit. I haven’t talked to anyone about it — not even Aaron. I probably should, but it feels personal.

  The menu at Aaron’s was supposed to be barbecue and beer, but I figured I wouldn’t be hungry after my huge breakfast. Cora, on the other hand, was looking forward to barbecue from a freshly killed pig.

  Most everyone thought Aaron and Sophia would be leaving for their delayed honeymoon tomorrow, and was here to give them a big send-off. I was one of the few who knew they were leaving so they could spend time as dragons and make little dragon babies. I was going to miss Aaron terribly, but I was also incredibly happy for him. He’d lived millennia thinking he was one of the last dragons, with no hope he’d ever have a family.

  You never know who you’ll meet when you show up at a social function at Aaron’s, and today his house and yard were full of rough-looking bikers. Sophia stood between two of them with her arms around their waists, and introduced them as Duke and Brain. Aaron introduced me to Gonzo, Dawg, Tiny, Dozer, and Bash. Gonzo and Bash gave me the heeby-jeebies.

  Dawg was a huge flirt, and possibly one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever seen. He was muscled without being ridiculous, with the clearest, most intense blue eyes imaginable — it was like he’d been kissed by an angel at birth. And when I say beautiful, I say it in the most male sense of the word you can imagine. Little girls might be made of sugar and spice, but Dawg was made of testosterone.