Blood & Thunder

Readers love
C
HARLIE
C
OCHET

The Impetuous Afflictions of Jonathan Wolfe

“The drama that occurs when you really love someone, not as a lover but as a friend, and they keep making stupid decisions that you have to confront…it’s powerful in this story.”

—
MM Good Book Reviews

“I loved this book in a squishy-hearted, grinny-faced kind of way. Sometimes when you read something that touches you in an otherwise inexplicable way, ya just gotta make up words when it comes to saying how you feel….”

—
The Novel Approach

“I really am just enthralled with this series. Cochet really is the master of historicals in this time period and she captures the details and setting just so well and so naturally.”

—
Joyfully Jay

The Heart of Frost

“It is a story about the power of hate and, more importantly, the power of love.”

—
Prism Book Alliance

“I think I can recommend this series based on this book alone as there is a certain feel I get with seasonal romance such as this, and it is enchanting as much as it is humor filled.”

—
Rainbow Book Reviews

“This is a must buy. It’s not necessary to read the first book in the series to enjoy this one. Get it now and use it to warm your heart on a cold winter’s day.”

—
Hearts on Fire

By
C
HARLIE
C
OCHET

A
USPICIOUS
T
ROUBLES
OF
L
OVE

The Auspicious Troubles of Chance

The Impetuous Afflictions of Jonathan Wolfe

N
ORTH
P
OLE
C
ITY
T
ALES

Mending Noel

The Heart of Frost

THIRDS

Hell & High Water

Blood & Thunder

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886  USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

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

Blood & Thunder

© 2014 Charlie Cochet.

Cover Art

© 2014 L.C. Chase.

www.lcchase.com

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. 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 the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

ISBN: 978-1-63216-177-2

Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-178-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014943214

First Edition August 2014

Printed in the United States of America

This paper meets the requirements of

ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

To Barb, Melanie, Nikyta, and Valerie, thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. For your guidance, thoughts, and love for these fellas. Thank you to Dreamspinner Press for helping bring this series to life. To my amazing author friends who keep me sane and remind me to come up for air. A big thank you to my wonderful readers who continue to read my stories and ask for more. Your heartfelt messages and comments are always an inspiration. To my family for joining me on this crazy adventure. Thank you.

“Y
OU
SURE
this is the place?”

Dex shifted his entry weapon to one side and stepped up behind his brother at the surveillance console while the rest of the team double-checked their equipment at the other end of the BearCat. Cael tapped away at the keyboard, bringing up a grid of the area, satellite mapping, and a host of surveillance feeds from local businesses he’d undoubtedly “borrowed.”

“College Point, Queens, near the Canada Dry bottling plant. That’s what our source tells us.”

“Reliable?” Dex asked, receiving a curt nod.

“Hasn’t let us down yet.”

Hopefully this wouldn’t be the first. The last thing they needed was to waste more time with another dead end. Four months of reconnaissance and intel gathering from Unit Alpha’s Intel and Recon agents, and Defense agents finally had something useful to go on regarding the whereabouts of The Order of Adrasteia, though they still didn’t know how big the group was or how spread out they were.

Despite being Human perpetrators, which should have fallen to the jurisdiction of the Human Police Force, the threat was against Therian citizens, not to mention the Order had declared war against the THIRDS by executing a THIRDS agent. The online video of Agent Morelli’s death had gone viral and ended up being broadcast on television two days before Christmas. Dex could still hear the bastard’s voice in his head as if he’d watched the whole thing yesterday, the spiteful words dripping with venom.

In order to cure our city of its disease, we must dispose of its carriers, starting with the organization that promotes the sickness. We will unleash Hell upon these sinners, starting with the THIRDS.

Seconds later, the THIRDS organization went to Threat Level Red. They had to stop the Order before they had any more loss of life and before any more zealots jumped on the crazy train. Since then, the already tremulous relationship between Human and Therian citizens was growing more unstable by the day, which was exactly what the Order wanted.

The THIRDS had recruited volunteers to patrol the city, removing the Order’s hateful propaganda, but it was a futile endeavor. With every poster spouting “Humans 4 Dominance” or sporting the Adrasteia goddess symbol the THIRDS took down, three or four took its place. So many flyers littered the streets, they resembled the aftermath of a ticker tape parade. Everywhere Dex looked, the Order was leaving its bloodred mark, promising hellfire and chaos, refusing to give in unless they got their way, or the city burned, whichever came first. The media wasn’t helping any either. Turning on the TV, one would think a presidential election was going on, what with all the ludicrous accusations and childish attempts to discredit the opposing side.

In the middle of it all were the THIRDS. Since the Order had surfaced, the organization had been accused of everything from sitting on the fence (too cowardly to pick a side), to being traitors to their species (depending on the agent being accused), to being the source of evil itself, to being the only thing keeping this city from crumbling. No matter what they did, someone accused them of something—not working hard enough or fast enough or not giving enough of a shit. It would have driven Dex out of his mind ages ago if he let it get to him, which was why he didn’t. Most importantly, he wouldn’t allow it to get to his team.