Shadow Revealed (The Enlightened Species Book Two) (37 page)

Her lashes fluttered, her eyes widened, and slowly she nodded. “A little,” she confessed. “Not in a creepy way, I mean, bad way, just that you’re …” She sighed, the apricot color deepening in her cheeks, and looked over to Talia for help.

Talia was doing a piss-poor job of trying to keep a straight face. “Oh, great Fates, you two are hopeless.” Talia shook her head. Using a high, fake voice, she took over. “Hi, I’m Mattie. I like long walks on the beach, margaritas, and your ass in a pair of tight jeans.” Her voice deepened. “My name’s Mick Tenor. I’m the hot Hulven you been dreaming about. I’m the shy, quiet type of stud, and you turn me on so much I can’t control my sanguindentes.” Talia stood, ignoring his and Mattie’s gaping mouths, and took a bow. Then she turned and strolled off into the trees toward campus. Awkward moment was an understatement.

Mattie slowly turned her head from where her friend had walked away, meeting his gaze with a shy grin, “I can’t even get mad at her, since her version of me was right on the money.”

Ten … err, Mick. Time to be your new self, instead of pretending to be
, he told himself. Mattie liked his ass in tight jeans? That was a place to start, right? “Ditto.” He grinned back at her like a schoolboy.

Thank you for reading Shadow Revealed

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www.wendyshales.com

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Read on for an excerpt from

The Enlightened Species Novella

Shadowed Magic

By

Wendy S. Hales

Available April 2012

Excerpt from Shadowed Magic

The Enlightened Species Novella

Aymee nodded even though he still refused to look at her. “I’ve been attacked. There were four of them. I … I knocked out three but one of them … got away.” She gave the 911 dispatcher her location and snapped the phone closed on the nasal voice asking her more questions. Eros peered at her from the corner of his eye, a streak of silver between long, nearly black lashes. “They’re on their way.” She lifted her hand to cover her breast again.

Eros stood back from the wall. Finally. If her heels were intact, she might reach his chin, but without them, her eyes met the middle of his chest. Aymee looked down.

Eros easily stood six five. Bulky thighs filled the slack of his jeans, deep ripples defined his stomach and guided her eyes to his heavy pecs. He handed her the shirt. “Put this on.” Aymee noticed he looked aside while she shrugged into it and did up a few snaps in the middle. Then he met her gaze. His dentes had yet to retract. “I cannot appear human right now, Aymee. I will shadow when the police arrive but know that I am with you.” He started to shimmer.

Aymee touched his arm before he vanished. “Wait. Why were you hurting? If you need blood, please … take mine.” She’d never offered blood to anyone before. Knew the Volaticus organized the Red Cross to acquire their blood needs and give back to humanity at the same time.

Eros solidified, looked from her hand on his arm to the upturned wrist of her other arm. He sighed. “I don’t need blood, Aymee. And, I wasn’t hurt." He gently brushed the back of his knuckles over the bruise on her cheek. "I couldn’t look on your pain and maintain my control at the same time. If I had seen this,” his thumb followed the trail his knuckles had just taken, “I would have torn these men apart limb by limb, fed on their entrails and pissed on their bones.”

Aymee felt his light touch all the way to her soul. Heat blossomed at the point of contact and radiated through her bloodstream. “That would have been okay with me.” She leaned into his touch only to pull back with a yelp as pain registered.

Approaching sirens had her looking over her shoulder to see the flash of blue and red getting brighter against the wall. She turned back to Eros, but he was gone. Then she felt the light brush of his knuckles on her cheek again.

About the Author

During my hectic life of working and raising children the call of a story in my mind was not always welcome. The niggling character or plot that refused to leave my thoughts until I would sit down a write
something …
a synopsis, character profile,
anything
to relieve the creative pressure. With my children grown, and my husbands loving support I dove head first into the depths of my passion and lifelong dream … writing. It was like a floodgate opened in my soul.

I look out at the Rocky Mountains from my window in Utah. I have been blessed with an amazing family and wonderful friends. My husband and I own a small local coffee shop. I enjoy boating golfing, reading and spending time with my family.

Glossary of Terms

Aquaties:
An enlightened species whose primary habitat is in the water. They have the ability to use sonar and high-frequency sounds. They have extremely sensitive hearing but average eyesight, and their skin is opalescent and capable of absorbing solar energy from the sun for conversion to thermodynamic energy. They manipulate current and tides, generating gravity and stability to the chortals. They have retractable fins, and their hair and eyes are usually pastel shades of coral, blue, green, and pink. They can manipulate melanin to appear flesh-colored and with typical hair and eye color when they want to blend in with humanity. Extremely tall, both males and females are usually between five foot ten and seven feet, with legs that are long in comparison to their torsos. Prone to multiple births called paired siblings.

Bonds:
Established by birth or blood, bonds enable communication and locating/tracking/finding/aiding the bond-mates. Physical bonds can be established by touch.

Types include:

A)
Bloodmates:
A chemical/biological compatibility within Volaticus couples that determines forever mating. Once mated, the pair has private and full access to each other’s emotions and minds.

B)
Bloodbonds:
A bond created between parties that allows for private telepathic communications, port sigs, and aid when necessary. They can be either temporary, with the exchange of less than an ounce of blood between parties, or permanent with the exchange of an ounce or more between parties. Permanent bonds once established can only be diluted in strength by a series of full blood transfusions, and completely removed by death.

C)
Close relation bonds/birth bonds:
Same as a bloodbond, only acquired at birth to members of immediate family, ie: mothers, fathers, and siblings born of the same mother.

D)
Physical/family bonds:
When physically linked, members of the same bloodline or highly developed ancients (usually over seven thousand years old) can boost, share, or transfer their psychic abilities, memories and powers temporarily.

Chortal:
A permanently fixed port between two locations that requires less psychic energy; a safe exit point.

Elven:
One of the two separate races within the Volaticus species, Elven are born with all the Volaticus physical and psychic abilities. The young mentally and physically develop at a far slower rate than humans or their Hulven counterparts. Their abilities continue to grow throughout their lifetimes, with focused targeting of potential. Elven female reproduction is limited to an estrus period that occurs once every twenty-five to fifty years and lasts two weeks. All Elven are anemic and require iron from a blood host.

Energy weavers:
Elven with an ability that allows the bearer to create energy weaves.

Energy weaves:
Large blankets of energy that can sense, alert, block, protect and camouflage anything they cover. Weaves are primarily used to hide communities of enlightened species from human vision by making it appear to be harsh or inhospitable terrain, i.e. cliffs or canyons. Though immovable, it can flex to continue the illusion if a human encounters it.

Fates
: Heavenly manifestations that communicate with the Oracles on behalf the source of all energy known as the universe.

High Ones:
Volaticus usually over ten thousand years old

High Ones Panel:
A Volaticus governing body with an elected speaker and separate advisers chosen for having reached the highest potential of ability. There is an advisor for every demographic within the species.

Hulven:
Human/Elven hybrid race within the Volaticus species, they are born appearing fully human and develop mentally and psychically at the same rate as human children. Hulven go through a painful transformation around the age of twenty-five, suffering through the rapid body changes to obtain wings, sanguindentes, and directional hearing. Hulven young can be either anemic or iron rich after Becoming. Females retain the capacity for both human ovulation and Elven estrus, making them highly fertile. Males are born sterile.

Morsdente:
Volaticus killers of enlightened species who use their dentes to kill at the vein of another, temporarily trapping the victim’s psychic energy and consciousness. This psychic energy is addictive and creates a “high” in the Morsdente.

Oracles:
Individuals of enlightened species who are able to communicate with the Fates/universe. They receive visions and precognition of events to come.

Port:
The process of using electromagnetic energy to fold space and travel between locations.

Readers:
An ability that allows the bearer to read and project into minds and create private or public transfer of another’s personal thoughts/memories without requiring any type of bond. Historically persecuted and exploited or killed, they tend to hide their gift and are usually members of the Oracles.

Rogue:
Those among the three enlightened species who undermine the systems. Rogues kill and/or exploit humans. They create blood/breeding compounds, birthing an army raised with a cult mentality in an effort to achieve world domination or other diabolical plans. Some are into slave trading or illegal research that treats people of any species as specimens.

Sanguindente (aka dentes):
Retractable fangs. A characteristic of the Volaticus species developed to feed on the blood of humans to maintain their iron levels

Shadower/Ghosts:
An ability genetically specific to a particular bloodline that allows bearers to become invisible and shield their psychic energy signatures to all but the very powerful and ancient. Vulnerable to the pressure sensitivity of the Tellus and the sonar echoes of the Aquaties.

Siphon:
an ability genetically specific to a particular bloodline that allows the bearer to see and draw off the energy of others.

Symbiosis:
The close and mutually beneficial interaction between two or more different biological species.

Symbiosis of Species Council (SOSC):
A relatively new movement globally resembling the United Nations, the council represents the interests of Humanity (the pre-enlighten species), Aquatie, Tellus, and Volaticus. The council’s goal is to utilize the strengths and abilities of the three species for the betterment of all species and the planet.

Tellus:
An enlightened species whose primary habitat in below the earth’s surface. The Tellus have the ability to liquefy solid rock using ultrasound, enabling them to travel deep into the earth. Specialized oxygen storing cells allow them to survive in low-oxygen environments. They have the ability to shift into other forms and generate electromagnetic fields for the creation of chortals, and their bodies are able to withstand extreme temperatures and pressures.Tellus rarely exceed six foot in height, and their skin color ranges from light tan to pitch dark. They have millions of highly sensitive pressure sensors. Tellus have average eyesight with usually darker shades of eye colors, though their eyesight is better than a human’s. They lack the overdeveloped hearing of the other two enlightened species.

Universe:
The source of all energy.

Volaticus:
An enlightened species thousands of years old, they have the ability to fly, speak telepathically, and bridge to other species telepathically. Volaticus use kinetic energy and manipulate electromagnetic fields for teleportation (porting and chortals). Physical attributes include thin, membranous wings that tuck into the heavily developed musculature of the back, dentes (fangs) for feeding to maintain iron levels, movable ears for directional long-distance hearing, and exceptional eyesight. Volaticus are potentially immortal. Races of Volaticus include Elven and Hulven.