The Marked Hosts

By Auden Johnson

She should’ve let his soul get eaten.

Contessa Torain’s job was simple. Talk humans out of blowing up her world because of a few rogue Brevia, soul-eaters. A moment of pure insanity leads her to save a child, Asamee Banks. The brat follows her home. He smells like her kind, only different. His existence creates a mystery it’s her responsibility to solve.

An attack on the humans leads Contessa and her companions to return home but it's empty. Contessa's family is missing. The dragon-like guardians of the land are dying. She only wants to find her family. The guardians care only about getting another body.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Auden Johnson
• Release date: Sep 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9780996423410

Auden Johnson

As a kid, Auden created her own books by folding several construction papers in half and stapling them down the middle, adding her own illustrations. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away from writing. She holds a B.A. in English, an M.S. in Library and Information Science, an M.S. in Publishing Digital and Print and she studied Creative Writing in England. She is an Author and Social Media Consultant for Aubey LLC and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. She’s written several short stories and novellas as well as two novels in her Merging Worlds Series. Look out for Book 3 of the Merging Worlds series coming soon. She’s also written a world building guide. Find her books at aubeyllc.com

Book preview

The_Marked_Hosts_by_Auden_Johnson.jpg

She should’ve let him to die.

Contessa Torain’s job was simple. Talk humans out of blowing up her world because of a few rogue Brevia. A moment of pure insanity leads her to save a child, Asamee Banks. The brat follows her home. He smells like her kind, only different. His existence creates a mystery it’s her responsibility to solve.

She should’ve let his soul get eaten. The brat is an aggravation. All she wants is a quiet life.

More Brevia invade the human world, feeding off the residents. Contessa, Cezon- her childhood friend and husband-to-be-, Sarisha- her half-sister- and four brats escape to their homeland, Devortus, in another world.

Devortus is empty. Her family is missing. The Sencil, dragon-like guardians of the land- are dying. Contessa only wants to find her family. The Sencil care only about getting another body.

They ate souls. The invisible savages lived underground, in subway tunnels. They attacked train passengers. Those signs, Do not lean on doors, took on a new meaning six years ago. Contessa Torain wasted years of her life in this humid hovel to convince humans not to blow up her world because of some rogue Brevia. Her world had energy beings. Humans possessed bombs. She fought in enough wars. She wasn’t interested in finding out if humans or her people were better at killing.

Five years living in this world as a Brevia representative and she was beginning to wish for war. Fighting was easier than talking.

A muscular older male threw a little boy across the subway car. The small one was only fragile in size. His face, as he stared at the big lout, held impressive strength. Contessa felt a twinge in her spine.

He stood and dusted himself off as though he wasn’t handled like some worthless stuffed doll. The muscled male winced at the child’s lack of fear.

All freaks deserve to die, the older male said.

His voice tried to coax Contessa’s hand around his throat. 

He grabbed the small one by the collar and slammed his back against the car doors. The little one stared with formidable eyes. His face held no indication he knew or even cared he was about to die. The male squeezed the little one’s collar. The subway passengers knew both were going to die. This time, people watched. They wanted the monsters to devour the small boy. Their desire to see him eaten became strength that weaved into the larger male’s resolve. He was a necessary sacrifice to kill the evil they believed the child possessed. 

The child wasn’t human. Everyone in the train car somehow sensed it. They hated him for his otherworldliness. Contessa stood whenever she was on the train. Humans got mouthy when she sat too close. Devouring anyone who annoyed her defeated the purpose of her job.

When your superior speaks to you, you answer.

Contessa snorted. What an appalling noise she just released. She was gathering some disgusting habits from humans, which was supposed to be impossible.

The muscles turned to her. She held his gaze. His mouth moved like a dying fish. Hatred flowed from his eyes and soured the humid air. Everyone looked at her. People squirmed. The older male turned back to the child. He had more brains than she thought.

He lifted his fist, brought it into the little one’s side. The child’s feet left the ground. The air rushed out of him with an unbecoming sound. The big one did it again. The child didn’t fight back. He didn’t alter his expression.

Such a waste, she said.

Contessa walked to the pair. She grabbed the big male by his neck and pulled him back. With her other hand, she threw the little one behind her. She pressed the older male to the doors. The muscles struggled. His strength was no match for hers. He squeezed a few foul words through his crushing windpipe. Contessa never understood why humans reduced themselves to using such boorish words to insult someone. Far better words could set fire to a person’s self-worth.

The passengers’ aversion assaulted her back. To them, she stopped this male from obliterating evil. Their desire transformed into malice— a deadly fuel that could push the smartest person into making moronic decisions.

Intangible hands reached through the doors and into the older male. The hand pulled out his repulsive, screaming soul. Even the noise it emitted as the Brevia devoured it was nauseating. Another intangible hand reached through her arm. It grabbed for her soul. It recoiled with a scream.

Worthless Brevia, she said.

That Brevia lived in the human world far too long. It couldn’t tell what she was.

Contessa released the shell of the older male. The sound, as it hit the ground, pleased her. 

The train stopped. The doors opened. People crawled over each other for the exit. Contessa, the dead body and the small boy were the only ones in the car.

The little one looked ahead. He wasn’t afraid. His injuries were already healing. Contessa was fine as long as he didn’t speak to her.

The boy followed her out the train and the station. Didn’t he have a home? He matched her pace but kept his distance. This child possessed some tracking skills. She couldn’t see him. She never heard him. Contessa could only smell him.

It was two blocks to her apartment. All types of vermin crawled out of their holes at night.

At least her world had bigger monsters to dispose of the night vermin.

Three men stepped out of the darkness. They stalked the child with intentions that made the air taste of rotten milk. The child ate their souls. He didn’t break his stride.

Contessa arrived at her apartment building. She waited for the child to catch up. He had enough sense to quicken his pace. She opened the front door. The child walked past her without a word or a glance in her direction. Contessa’s pride demanded she grab his collar and throw him to the darkness. The child’s scent pushed down her growing indignation. She kept her distance as they waited for the elevator.

They entered her apartment as Cezon Draior stepped out of the bedroom. He lifted an eyebrow. Contessa ignored him as she fell on the couch. The days in the human world went on forever.

Smells like you bought home dinner, Cezon said as he leaned on the couch.  

He’s not human.

Cezon tipped his head. So he isn’t.

The child stood in the middle of the living room looking more curious than afraid.

I have no idea what he is. Cezon inhaled so deeply his nose whistled.  

Neither do I. He smells like a Brevia but there’s another potent, dominate, creature a part of him.

It is potent isn’t it? Cezon wrinkled his nose. How curious.

What is your name, child? Cezon demanded.

The brat put on a blank mask and shook his head. Contessa felt Cezon’s ire rise with hers. Lesser beings not answering out of fear was a tolerable irritation. Defying a Draior and a Torain because of some imagined sense of self-worth got you killed, slowly.

Asamee, he said.   

Cezon smirked and glanced at her. This child’s voice could get stronger, more ill-bred creatures to submit to him. Only a few Classes of Brevia held a demeanor that demanded others to listen and obey.

Curious. Well brazen Asamee, my name is Cezon Draior and she’s Contessa Torain.

Asamee looked from one to the other with more confidence and poise than he deserved. Contessa was close to breaking him in half. Cezon dragged his fingers through her hair. The contact quieted the enraged voice of her pride.

You two aren’t related? 

No, we are not, Cezon said. 

You’re appearance changed when you walked in here, the child said to Contessa. 

The child’s lack of focus was maddening. Contessa and Cezon’s true forms were thick red and black hair and almost glowing green eyes. Cezon’s hair reached the middle of his back while hers stayed closer to her head. Her skin color, at a wood brown, was darker than Cezon’s. They didn’t wish to draw unneeded attention. Their families created a barrier around the apartment. It turned their hair and eyes black when they left. It lightened Contessa’s skin to match Cezon’s golden color. The barrier returned their features to normal once they entered the apartment.

You can see those creatures that kill people on the train, but you aren’t like them, the child continued.

We are of a higher Class. We don’t need to take the soul from the body to feed on it, Cezon responded. Brevia don’t need to kill humans, but what other use are they?

So child, Contessa said. Either you have no home or yours is unpleasant. You can stay the night and we’ll figure out what to do with you tomorrow.

The child nodded. He settled on the couch, thankfully, away from Contessa. They owned a television, but never watched it. He uprooted the remote and turned on the noise box. She didn’t enjoy the grating shriek as human voices invaded her home.

Cezon leaned over the couch, wrapped his arms around Contessa and pressed his cheek to hers. Brevia communicated mind-to-mind through skin contact. Most only held hands.

You knew he wasn’t human when you saved him.

Cezon could smell death on the child’s soul and knew how close he was to it and why.

I did. He has a brilliant soul. It would’ve been a waste.

The dirty ones taste better anyway.

Contessa’s lips twitched upward. Her aggravation drained. Cezon rubbed his cheek against hers and pulled away.

Did you eat? he asked.

Yes and so did he. She tipped her head to the child.

Cezon retired to the second bedroom. Contessa thought to put the child in the spare room. Cezon settled that.

You’ll have the couch, she said to the child.

Contessa grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet and tossed it at him. He glared at her through the linen’s opening. If he wasn’t so small, she might’ve been afraid.

Stay awake as long as you want, just keep quiet.

A tilt of his head was his answer. Contessa retired to her own room and closed the door. This day was finally over. She didn’t have any meetings tomorrow. She could spend the day ridding herself and Cezon of their current aggravation.

Good Morning, Conta!

Contessa shelved the desire to kill the child for entering her domain and waking her before she was ready. She thought he belonged to a family from the Noble Class given his behavior yesterday. Her