Para Bellum

By Taylor Bambico

      Adored by people all across the globe, teen model and Internet celebrity Riley Kane is one of America's sweethearts. However, her life changes forever upon learning she is the daughter of the Supreme Being who created the fantastic creatures who walk amongst us all!

      From vampires and werewolves, to hunters and a species known as the Rai Plebis, Riley takes reign over what is now hers.

      When one of them initiates attacks towards the human population, will she succeed in tackling the issue? Will the quests her new responsibility entails prove too great? Tough decisions with greater consequences added to life as a model, Riley must dig down to prove she is capable of the power now in her possession.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taylor Bambico
• Release date: Apr 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386872252

Book preview

Part One

Chapter One

8:04 am July 16th, 2018 Miami, FL

Riley Kane always enjoyed early rides on her beloved 1991 Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy along Washington Avenue. Purchased from a junkyard, she had it restored back to its original appearance with a few minor improvements—different style handlebars and new seat, to name a couple.

Of course, that was one of many endless benefits when you were a teenaged supermodel and internet celebrity who appeared on dozens of magazine covers from Teen Vogue to Allure, talk shows on both coasts, and had over thirty million online followers, twenty-five million on Instagram alone.

Besides the Harley, her array of vehicles consisted of foreign sports cars and American muscle cars as well, Ferrari and Ford two she enjoyed the most.

After the restoration, she had it painted raven black to match her hair and swapped out the old solid chrome rims with a new pair of Harley-Davidson’s bullethole style in silver cast aluminum.

Her lips formed a smirk as she tapped her fingers against the handlebar’s grip. Still miss my first one, though.

The first bike she owned, a black 2007 Suzuki GSXR 600, was totaled when someone smashed right into it where she had parked while on a lunch date with some photographers and her agent. The attention that brought lasted for a month and was always reminded of the event whenever she saw a Suzuki.

Unharmed, Riley had gained more recognition since the media had reported someone had hit her while on an afternoon ride. Though it happened back in 2016 while she had been underage, motorcycle laws allowed minors of at least the age of sixteen to ride with a license. Now at eighteen she had a new world opened to her.

Unless granted via a special license, it was illegal to ride without a helmet until the rider was twenty-one and was covered by a specific insurance policy. But the day after her birthday she received a special gift. Accompanied by a state government letter, which she had to show at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles with each renewal, her special motorcycle license application was approved. However, if Riley put others at risk, the privilege could be revoked, as the letter’s very bottom had stated in fine print.

When she posted that to her online accounts, the comments brought out so many jealous people, mixed with strong supporters as well.

It’s a shame my godfather’s no longer around. Would have been awesome to share that with him. Where did two years go? Never did it cross my mind I’d inherit his wealth.

In mid-August of 2016, a man in his military dress uniform knocked on her door to deliver a letter and the news. Her godfather, Cain West, had been killed while on a military training exercise in Greenland. Enclosed with the letter was his Will, which stated she was the sole heir to his fortune and to use it wisely.

While already in possession of vast wealth from modeling, Riley did count the days until April 29th, for then she was old enough to inherit the assets. Her birthday party occurred on a yacht off Miami’s coast, with guests that consisted of numerous models she worked alongside, social media stars, and other celebrities she had the opportunity to meet in person.

It was a great night that I will always cherish. She smiled as the light turned green and she took off yet again.

Chapter Two

Forty-five million years ago

The others behavior, though subtle, drew the attention of Darius, Eric, and Maggie, who determined their fellow species were on the verge of something drastic.

Created by the Demarional with pits of molten slime encased by nutrient rich soil, and lightning, he was one of forty-eight creatures known as the Rai Plebis, whose job had been to protect human life as long as possible.

Though each was supposed to work alone, recent times drew them all together for a more uniformed approach against any potential threat. When one did arise, Darius studied the other forty-five’s mannerisms throughout the ordeal, and intervened when any of them reacted with unjust actions.

One situation involved a wildfire on the west coast and when two of the Rais apprehended those responsible for its ignition, they instead were taken to the area and thrown in the flames. While Darius made a rescue attempt, the victims perished in moments and the Rais response was Inferior creatures, as they kept a straight face.

What caused him, Eric and Maggie to resort with force against the others however, was when all of them initiated an annihilation of not only humans, but those created by the Demarional: Hunters, werewolves and vampires. The others’ goal set on a global scale, the trio was successful in the apprehension, but only after thousands were killed.

After he and the other two subdued and brought them back to their realm, Darius shook his head. Determination to achieve their goal the sole reason for success, what they had to do now made him wish an alternative option was available. For them, to end one’s life required sufficient will power as it meant they submerge themselves in one of those slime pits with their chest severed open.

Knife yanked from the sheath on his belt, he slammed the blade into Rai Number Nineteen’s chest and dragged the blade until it reached his waist. The wound now in the process of closing, he slid the body into the green slime pit where it disappeared below the surface. Had any been conscious, their ability to heal would have been four times faster as they could focus directly on the damaged area.

While immune to bullet and stab wounds under normal circumstances, prolonged exposure to the organic matter that played a significant role in their design was lethal. Once inside a wound, the slime would destroy their ability to heal as it ate them away in a corrosive fashion.

Darius shook his head. There were fifty of us at one time. When all of them were learning their powers, a couple other Rai Plebis had fallen into a pit. Both covered in lacerations from prolonged use of rods constructed from a mineral they mined, once submerged in the slime, it took only moments for their remains to erode away.

Between the three of them, the process was completed in less than six minutes without hassle.

The laborious task a success, he regrouped with Maggie. Where’s Eric? Darius’s head went from left to right in tow of his eyes as a crack pierced the air. About to rain.

He was right— Maggie pointed behind herself as she turned around. There...?

No time. Darius brought his knife forward. "Ready?

Maggie shook her head, her own knife in hand as well. No.

Alright. Remember: Center of the chest, yank down, jump in. On three. He lifted the knife in conjunction with her. One!

They eyed each other.

Two!

She nodded when he did.

"Three!"

In tandem, Darius and Maggie slammed their knife into each other and drew downward as they clenched their jaw.

Almost no time to hesitate, he dove headfirst towards a pit moments after she had.

Darius saw Maggie submerge below the surface, however he fell short because the pit was smaller than he realized and hit his forehead on a rock. Wound healing, he pulled himself along and dropped feet first inside the orange slime.

After his hands rose from below the surface, he discovered the humanoid flesh had burned off to reveal his true form.

Males had grimy black skin supported by a skeleton made from an element similar to titanium. It was dense in their skull, torso, knees, and feet, thus making other parts of the body more vulnerable to attacks. Sunglasses were required because their red pupils glowed, and black or neon green irides were undisguisable.

Females had a shinier, silver-toned skin that was grimier than a male’s. Though made from the same material, their smaller skeleton would not take the abuse a male could withstand, as no one portion of it was denser than another. Their irides were either metallic orange or bright purple with green glowing pupils.

In the next few seconds, Darius was submerged and his surroundings went quiet.

***

Engulfed by darkness as he came to, Darius went to breathe and a fiery substance filled his mouth. In attempt to escape where he was, he flung both arms through whatever media enclosed him. When his hands made contact with a solid surface, he gripped it and pulled until the ability to breathe was possible once more.

Surrounded by a brownish substance that became powder if he grabbed a loose spot, what he had been submerged in was a bubbling pit of bright shaded slime.

Once he climbed out, Darius first checked his arms as he turned them over, followed by his torso and legs. Slime having dripped off, his dark skin had a grime of some sort that reappeared even after he swiped it away. In the moments to follow, a layer with a much lighter hue grew over his skin, as a form of camouflage is what he thought.

As his eyes went side to side, they fell upon other pits like the one he emerged from. Some contained the same bright slime while others were darker hued and even in-between those two shades. A sudden crack filled the air; attention now on the overcast sky, a cold drip hit his forehead.

Rain.

When it hit him, the name for what was happening entered his mind.

Another crack filled the air.

Thunder. He moved towards the sound but his foot caught on something and the next thing Darius knew, he was on his chest. After he pushed himself over and was propped by his hands, a gray oblong object was the source for his fall. Rock. Focused on it, he shook his head and the rock shifted left and right. Interesting. Hand held out, he continued to focus on the rock; with an upward jerk, the rock flew skyward several feet until it thumped against the ground a few seconds later.

With eyes shut he began to think, however a sudden sensation occurred, followed by yellowish-tan haze, known as smoke he learned, surrounding him before a bright light and then darkness.

Chapter Three

June 29th, 2005

Almost never inaccurate when it attempted a task, the Demarional tapped her chin. What had begun as a single-cell organism, and over four billion years of evolution into the multi-cellular being, she should have seen this on the horizon. After closer observation towards those who walked on hind legs and would later dominate Earth for thousands of years, each one responded to a specific phrase, which she deciphered was a name.

Fond of the concept, the Demarional called herself Kacey Entorian.

However, as this sleek female creature, life was far from simple in the beginning. Over the span of two billion years, countless times she mutated to adapt amongst whatever her current environment was, until she could evolve, dominate it and advance to the next one. Her previous stage, the Demarion, lacked sufficient power to withstand continuous abuse from hostiles, which was zero fault due to the female form. She hadn’t chosen that because of some belief the woman was better. No. The Demarion emulated the woman’s form because her body was seventy-five percent similar to their anatomy.

It took the Demarion an additional one billion years before she had revolutionized herself into a powerful being capable of deciding the fate of her future creations. She became the Demarional, the sole creature who possessed the ability to reverse defamation over an infinite span of time against all odds.

Her body was thin and toned, but possessed the same strength as any of her Rai Plebis. She was sixty-four inches tall, with black hair to the middle of her back and had light green eyes that glistened like sunlight through stained glass.

Positive she would need a replacement one day, Kacey and the first Rai, Eric, created a Demarion from her hair and four pints of blood, whom they named her Riley.

However, they feared Riley might be at great risk by their side, since Kacey had been busier than all her creations back then. They both wanted to watch her grow and mature, but it was too dangerous for any of the others to know about their daughter.

Both Kacey and Eric were aware no one ordinary could be their daughter’s sworn protector. He would have loved to, but Eric was unable, as he and the other Rai Plebis were on the constant move to help Earth remain safe using their abilities against continuous attacks. Active threats across the globe from Demons their main priority, the Rais possessed just enough time to manage themselves. Some vampire might have been able to handle the job; though there were none of the right species around who could defend Riley in a serious situation. Werewolves, they both knew, would be jealous towards who received protection duty of the most powerful creatures’ daughter. Regardless, the wolves in existence were too wild, and one might harm Riley by mistake.

Kacey and Eric had to wait, certain it would take time to locate the right Hunter for the job.

In late 1400s England, the long wait had paid off. A Hunter from royalty gave birth to what would later be one of the Demarional’s personal favorite Hunter’s: Cain West. They both knew he would be perfect.

In the years to come, he built a relationship with another one of the Demarional’s ideal Hunters: Natalie Silk. They in time became some of the best to ever walk the Earth, and Eric and Kacey were flattered when they accepted the responsibility of being Riley’s godparents.

However, when society took a turn for the worse after September 11th, they had instead placed Riley with Rob and Melissa Kane, a kind human couple unable to conceive a child of their own. They would visit her on occasion without her knowledge, which was hard on them both because neither could be closer than fifteen feet most of the time. Though with her in spirit, she and Eric wanted to physically be around their beloved daughter, but Riley was safer apart from them.

For now.

Mental scans of the other Rai Plebis vanished after they were destroyed, while Eric’s solidified in Kacey’s mind, which made it impossible to locate him. To top it off, Darius, Rai Plebis number twenty-three, had been altered when he tried to destroy himself along with the others. She had attempted an implosion on him so he never could return to the human population, but Darius’s system was different now and Kacey couldn’t terminate him.

She knew he was a shell of his old self at the moment, however he was discovering what abilities were at his disposal. There was no sign where Darius would begin as he could teleport and jump through time as well.

She had two options: Try and take out Darius herself; or have Riley do it. Kacey wasn’t afraid of Darius, but she knew her daughter would be stronger and faster than she ever could be. To drop the powers on her daughter without some basic explanation just absurd, she had to meet Riley and initiate her final form. Only after that would she even divulge the vast information her daughter required; any other method was unrealistic far as she was concerned.

Focus on the correct time and her daughter’s vitals to intersect with her, Kacey disappeared in a white flash.

***

9:37 pm July 16th, 2018 Miami

As she cruised past the line of colorfully lit hotels on Ocean Drive, the bike’s distinct sound echoing against them, Riley was stuck between Jack’s Grill for ribs, or Luigi’s, a local pizza parlor. Even before high school she was always able to eat whatever she desired without fear of weight gain or losing her slim physique. A great metabolism combined with a five-day workout regime was the explanation she always provided when someone asked.

While other models she knew envied her ability to eat all types of food, Riley always felt bad none could enjoy what she had at restaurants by herself. It was the main reason she ordered something else when out with them and never taunted anyone about it.

As she decided on Luigi’s, Riley was blinded by a white flash, convinced she was about to be run over by a truck. As she left off the accelerator, stepped and squeezed on the brakes, a woman in a semi-gloss ocean blue dress appeared about ten feet in front of her. The woman held up her hand and her Harley came to an abrupt halt, which sent her over the handlebars and towards the ground.

Riley’s heart pounded...but she felt no pain as she now stared at the sky.

Riley. The woman’s voice was stern. It’s time.

As she moved to her feet and saw there was no damage to her or the bike, great confusion waved over her. Wha...who are you? And how the hell do you know my name?

Its me, Kacey Entorian. The woman smiled as Riley titled her head. You mean you don’t recognize your own mother?

Yeah, right! If you’re my mother, prove it!

The woman took a step forward as she put her right index finger to her lips. "Let’s see, your full name is Riley Joanna Kane. You weigh a hundred and fifteen pounds. Your measurements are thirty-two, twenty-six, thirty-two—the same as my own. And of course... She paused. You’ve had unexplainable occurrences happen to you."

Sweat formed on Riley’s back as her nerves tensed. What she’s saying makes no sense. If it’s true, does this mean all I know is a lie? I mean I have experienced some strange events in my life. She tapped her chin. That time my left arm was engulfed in fire when I was in science class as a freshman and never even had a scorch mark is odd. Nah, just lucky. Flames were quick and went right over me was the explanation.

A small grin formed across the woman’s face as she could sense what Riley felt. "Sweetie, I created you. It’s normal to react this way. That’s how you are."

Riley crossed her arms and shook her head. There was no way she could believe it and more than positive she knew this was far from real. A scam. This woman’s after money, or whatever. She rolled her eyes.

Amazes me you question what I’m saying. The woman had one last bit of proof. Your navel. She snapped her fingers and Riley’s shirt rose a few inches.

Hey!

The woman trailed two fingers along her front to open the center of the dress and reveal her own. Similar in appearance to theirs, our navel is about half the size of a human’s.

Riley looked at hers, then the woman’s. Sure enough, they were the same. Even their abdominal region was identical: slender with toned abs.

The woman pulled the front of her dress closed and slid the same two fingers over its center, any indication of a seam now gone.

No. It can’t be, can it? Hot tears formed in her eyes. She was so...so...Riley didn’t know the word for it. She knew the Kanes weren’t her biological parents, but this was too much. When the woman first said she was her mother, Riley had been confused and a bit angered someone had the audacity to make such claim. Now her real emotions took over as she half walked, half threw herself towards the woman and wrapped her arms around her. The woman did the same and massaged Riley’s back.

If you are my mother, why now after all this time? A few tears ran down her face.

Images began to run through her mind. Some were dreams Riley had had before, but in reality they were memories of this woman—her mother—flowing into her mind. They ranged from the woman in battles against strange creatures, which didn’t die even when you tore them apart, to her dancing around in a field of grass on a sunny day.

It’s your time to replace me. The position I held previously too dangerous, in a few moments you’ll be unconquerable. May be quite monumental to wrap your mind around, but... She tapped the left side of Riley’s head four times. That will ease the mental evolution process. It’s what you would call, an ‘information dump.’ Not the best method, however time is of the essence.

Riley pulled back from her, mouth now ajar. She had been needed in numerable ways before, such as for critical decisions