Starlight

By Lorraine Kennedy

Sam is searching for that elusive fantasy lover who haunts her dreams, but what she finds is a Prince of the Stars, and a deadly enemy to mankind. 

The ancient Sumerian Gods are about to make their presence known. For thousands of years the Annunaki have been watching and waiting - now the time has come for the earth to be cleansed once again. 
Thian has watched Samura from afar - yearning for that which has been forbidden. Will his love for his enemy's daughter, be his downfall - damning him to become one of the Fallen?
When the children of Santa Fe begin to vanish, Officer Sam Priestly finds herself in a surreal nightmare of misty images and a strange music that pulls at her soul - filling her heart with longing. 
To uncover the cause of her bizarre nightmares, Sam's doctor puts her under hypnosis, but what she discovers lurking in the deepest recesses of her mind, is far more than she bargained for. Is it insanity, or is she really in the middle of a galactic battle between good and evil - where the fate of mankind rests with the ancient gods?
If she is to have any hope of saving all that she loves, Sam must conquer the Reptilian invasion - fighting side by side with the man who is her adversary, and her lover. 
Can she place her trust and her heart in the hands of one who has campaigned for the destruction of humans? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorraine Kennedy
• Release date: Mar 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507060698

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Pulling the blankets up around her neck, Samura stared at the mist seeping through the cracks of her closet door. The thick - swirling mist pulsated and breathed, as if it were alive. Not only did the mist seem to be breathing, but it also radiated a green - sickly light that cast the small bedroom into a surreal nightmare world.

The mist whirled and danced - forming the image of otherworldly fingers that reached from the floor to twist around her ankles and wrists.

Instinct coursed through her brain, screaming at her to run, but no matter how she tried, it was impossible to make her body cooperate. She could not so much as squeak in protest. The invasive mist robbed her of her voice - paralyzing her limbs until she was no more than an infant at the mercy of the unknown.

There was some kind of light behind the closet door.

Slowly that light grew brighter until it invaded the smallest opening with the power of a thousand suns. Its brilliance tore through her eyes, sending tendrils of excruciating pain through her head.

Samura could feel her body lift from the mattress. As if by magic, she hung suspended in midair. Long - shimmering strands of dark hair hung from her head, the ends coming to rest on the pillow below her. 

The temperature in the room dropped. A chill swept over her skin - pervading the warmth of her white cotton nightgown.

She shivered, but it was an involuntary movement. Samura willed her arms to move, but her body wasn’t complying.

Her breaths were shallow - allowing only the smallest wisps of warmth to escape her lips - sending puffs of fog into the icy air.

She slowly began floating in the direction of the closet door.

Her terror was absolute - its grasp tightening around her throat until it had burrowed into her stomach.

If it were possible to taste fear, she could easily imagine it would taste something like the bile that was making its way from her stomach to her throat. Only through sheer willpower was she able to force the feeling away.

Just a short time ago, that little white door had been a barrier between herself and whatever lurked behind it, but that small amount of protection was gone. Now there was a shimmering - cavernous hole.

What lie beyond that distorted doorway, was the unknown.

With liquid - smooth motion, her body lifted upright until she was in a standing position.

Samura screamed inwardly, as she inched closer and closer to that void of oblivion awaiting her through the doorway. Her heart knew that to go through that opening - would be to look upon the truth - a truth that she was not prepared to see - a reality that could destroy mankind.

A chorus of soft whispers drifted into her head - soothing her like an eerie lullaby.

Go beyond the door, the singsong voices urged. See all that was ... and will ever be. See the truth.

She was gliding through the doorway with no control over what was happening. A blast of air hit her as billions of molecules rushed past her.

Finally Samura gained enough control over her eyes to move them from side to side. What she saw were countless galaxies stretching into a universe with no visible beginning or end.

Walking upon the stars was the most unusual man. He appeared so large, as to dwarf the planets beneath his feet. Long flaxen hair billowed behind him - lighting the dark sky with white-hot radiance. His breathtaking features were soft perfection - framing gray eyes that lit up like moons in the night heavens.

His lips never moved but his powerful voice echoed through the core of her being.

Search not for answers. The truth will only illuminate your bondage. The nature of your reality is not part of your dream world.

He stood near her now - no longer as massive as the universe, but as a god in a man’s body. The heat he radiated reached out to cover her like a warm blanket. His eyes pulled at her essence - laying bare her entire being.

She felt naked beneath the onslaught of those luminous gray eyes. He opened his mouth, but what came from his lips were not words, but a haunting melody so ancient that it rippled through her life force like a vibrating electrical current. Like the song of the whale, it went out in all directions - to all points of the universe - lingering long after the sound was gone.

Her vision was blurred, but the sensations of the waking world had wiggled into her dream. The rough asphalt beneath her bare feet slowly began to strip away the fog clinging to her brain.

Samura stood beneath the sickly yellowish glow of the streetlight, blinking rapidly. Turning slowly, she recognized the deserted road in front of her house. The world slept - oblivious to the woman who stood in the middle of the street - wearing nothing but a nightgown.

The distant hoot of an owl spurred her to action and she willed her legs to move. The cool grass was soothing to her feet after walking across the sharp surface of the road.

Samura tried the front door to her house, but to her surprise found that it was still locked.

How had she walked out of the house while she slept, if the door was still locked?

Reaching beneath the bush next to her porch, she grabbed the tin box that held her spare key.

Once she was safely inside, Samura shut the door and rested her back against it. Not until then did she let herself sigh with relief. She’d always been plagued with bizarre dreams, but nothing like what she’d just experienced. As crazy as her dreams had been, as far as she knew, she’d never walked in her sleep before.

Sleepwalking?

Something was definitely wrong.

Maybe too much stress.

Looking down at the shiny metal key, she decided that she must have locked the door behind her when she’d left the house for sleepwalking expedition. There was no other way to explain the locked door.

Without turning on any lights, she walked down the hall to her bedroom. Curiously, that door was still closed as well. Turning the handle slowly, she threw the door open. Everything was as it had been when she’d gone to sleep, except that her blankets lay in a piled heap next to her bed. The red digital display on her bedside clock read 3:30 AM.

* * *

A hot evening breeze stirred the empty swing ever so slightly; a painful reminder of the child who had occupied that swing, just a short time ago. The fading light lent an eerie overtone to the already ominous atmosphere.

Though was empty now, less than an hour ago, four year old Tilley Andrews had been the swing’s last occupant.

Looking back at her quickly scrawled notes, Sam tried to make sense of Mrs. Andrews’s statement.

If the child’s mother were actually telling the truth, how could the incident have played out like she described?

Realistically, it would have been nearly impossible for the incident to unfold in the way Mrs. Andrews said it had.

The child’s mother claimed that she’d been sitting on a blanket with her younger child - only fifteen feet from the swing. Mrs. Andrews insisted that she’d only looked away for a few seconds, just long enough to give her fussing younger child a cookie, and when she looked back, Tilley was gone. The time span could have been no more than ten seconds. Ten seconds that would now stretch into eternity, at least for the Andrews family.

Mrs. Andrews heard nothing - no scream or sound of a struggle - nothing.

How could that be?

She had been sitting so close to where the child was playing, she should have heard someone approach, but she claimed she’d heard nothing.

St. Augustine Park was a fairly open area. There was almost no chance that someone could have gotten away, at least not without being seen by someone, especially the child’s mother.

Mrs. Andrews’s statement didn’t add up.

When a child disappeared, the parent’s statement had better make sense. If a witness’s statement seemed a little too off, it usually meant the police were not getting an accurate account of what happened.

Tilley’s mother’s statement seemed off; consequently, this put her under a cloud of suspicion, despite the fact the woman had been so distraught, she had had to be taken to the hospital and sedated.

Her story just did not add up. 

Samura’s thoughts were interrupted when her partner gently placed his hand on her arm.

Sam ... there’s been a similar occurrence about three blocks from here. It apparently happened within moments of this one. John and Mack are on that one.

Sam arched one perfectly shaped brow. How is the case similar?

A four year old boy named Charlie is gone. According to the mother, he disappeared while taking a bath. Mike Gibson’s voice made it obvious that he was still trying to piece it all together.

Sam had always been good at masking her emotions. None of the hurt and fear she felt for these missing children could be detected in her blue eyes. At times, her eyes were like pools of florescent color, but at other times, they could have been likened to ice. At this moment, she stared back at her partner with eyes so unreadable, someone who didn’t know her might believe she possessed no soul.

Is there more to it? she asked, flipping her notebook shut.

Mike ran his meaty fingers through his graying brown hair.

The child was in the tub. His mother left the bathroom and walked down the hall to get a towel from the linen closet. When she returned ... the boy was gone. There wasn’t even a drop of water on the bathroom floor to suggest he’d gotten out of the tub. When the responding officers arrived, the was still water in the tub, along with the child’s toys

What do you think? she asked.

We’ve come across parents who are part of some kind of strange cult, and for some reason ... they need their children to disappear in the eyes of the world.

Sam’s smile was tolerant. That’s something to think about, but my instincts tell me these people have nothing to do with the disappearance of their children.

Oh come on Sam! These cases reek of inside jobs. There’s no fingerprints ... nothing, Mike shook his head, a little disappointed in his pretty partner.

He usually didn’t doubt his partner’s gut feelings, but this time it was too obvious. Although she’d been right on the money since joining the force, . . . that had changed about a week ago. That’s when the city of Santa Fe was hit with a series of bizarre child disappearances – disappearances that were completely unexplainable, unless you looked to the most obvious culprits.

For Mike, the obvious villains in these cases were the parents, but Sam kept insisting they needed to look beyond the obvious.

There was no denying that Sam was smart, and she was a looker. With her raven black hair, and artic blue eyes, she was enough to stop a man’s heart. Every guy on the force had wanted to be partnered with her.

Honestly, he couldn’t remember seeing a more beautiful woman. Her face was sculptured to near perfection.

Samura. What an odd name.

He’d never gotten used to it, so he had taken to calling her Sam like most everyone else did.

There’s nothing more we can do right now, so why don’t we let forensics do their job and get out of here. Maybe go get a bite to eat? he suggested.

Sam was tall for a woman and barely had to lift her head to look the six-foot Mike in the eyes. That’s okay Gibson. You go ahead. I’d just as soon stick around here for a while.

Mike shrugged his shoulders. Suit yourself. I’ll see you in the morning.

Sam watched Mike Gibson drive away. Outwardly, she was calm and collected, but on the inside, she was simmering. Gibson was an okay person, but his arrogance and laziness had a tendency of interfering with his job.

Dismissing Gibson from her mind, Sam once again focused on the task at hand. The search teams had fanned out from the playground. They were looking for anything out of the ordinary that might give them a clue as to what happened to the child. The last of the forensic team was now packing up to leave. Sam knew they likely wouldn’t find any viable evidence, just like they hadn’t in the last five cases.

One by one, vehicles drove away park was deserted. All was quiet, but the rush of the wind.

Reluctantly, Sam forced herself to remove her black leather glove and grasp the chain at approximately the same place the child would have held it. At first there was the familiar tingling sensation, but then she experienced flashes of emotion. She felt abrupt and sheer terror, and then nothing. It was as if the child’s soul simply ceased to exist.

Officer Priestly!

Sam swung around with a startled cry. Though the stranger stood only a few feet away, the details of his appearance were hidden in deep shadows. 

She was usually so in tune with her surroundings, rarely could anyone sneak up on her, and never had it happened while she was on duty.

With slow – cautious movement, her hand slid to the holster at her hip so she would have quick access to her gun. Though she didn’t draw her weapon, her hand rested on the pistol. Fear gnawed at her throat until it was so dry and parched, her words came out sounding like little croaks.

What can I do for you?

I know where the children are, he told her.

Stunned, she tried to respond, but her words seemed to stick in her throat. As she always did in times of crisis, Sam reached into the inner depths of her being and drew on the shinning white energy that lived within her. Her shields slammed down and instantly, her professionalism returned.

Go on, she told the stranger in a low - even voice.

I can tell you no more at this time.

Are you involved in this? she asked.

No, he answered without hesitation.

If you know something that you are refusing to disclose ... then you will be an accessory to a very serious crime, Sam warned.

You will be leaving me no choice but to place you under arrest. Her voice never swayed or altered from a level - professional tone.

Samura ... you cannot arrest me, he told her, his voice ringing with laughter.

Sam paused.

Who was this guy?

How do you know my name? The hard edge to her voice was the only hint of her anger.

We know a great deal about you Samura. We know the date and time you were born, right down to the very second. We know your favorite color, what your favorite toy was as a child ... we even who gave you your first kiss.

Stop lying, Samura hissed.

How very disappointing. You are showing the very human trait of losing control. It would seem you have much work ahead of you yet. 

She’d had enough of the stranger’s games.

With gracefully swift movement, she drew her pistol. You are under arrest! Put your hands where I can see them.

Keeping the gun leveled at the darkened image in the shadows, Sam used her other hand to free her flashlight. Switching it on, she pointed it in the direction of the dark figure.

His black - hooded cloak effectively hid his face. Lifting his head, he leveled icy blue eyes on her. Making no attempt to comply with Sam’s order, he stood his ground and continued to stare at her.

A smile played on his lips. I’ve already told you Samura ... you have no authority to arrest me.

Sir! I will tell you one more time ... put your hands where I can see them. Sam’s sharp voice cut him off.

Please put down your weapon Samura, and I will let you in on a couple things before I depart.

Sam made no move to lower her weapon.

Your time is near Samura. This has always been your destiny.

Sam shook her head, confused by the man’s words. Sir, are you on any kind of medication ... legal or otherwise?

Without bothering to acknowledge her question, he took a few steps closer.

"I am