Ferocious: Secret of Ceres, #1

By Stella Williams

The Aura, a group of magic users, are the best-kept secret in the non-human world.

Farrah is a headstrong Aura PI in the human world. Donovan is a straight-laced Security Force officer from the Aura Sanctuary of Ceres. They both want to solve the case of the missing Aura teen, but their methods put them at odds.

When clashes of the mind turn to sparks in the bedroom, will they be able to put aside their differences before the world as they know it goes up in flames?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Serpentine Creative LLC
• Release date: Mar 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781733563802

Stella Williams

Stella Williams is a Blogger and Romance Author, who lives in Washington State. She has a degree in Anthropology from The University of California, Santa Cruz. Stella prides herself in using her studies to create diverse worlds and characters for her novels. You can find more about Stella at her website www.serpentinecreative.com. Other Social Media http://facebook.com/stellawilliamsauthor http://instagram.com/StellaLove4Life http://twitter.com/StellaLove4Life

Book preview

Stella Williams

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

Copyright © 2019 by Serpentine Creative

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Proofread by Raw Book Editing www.rawbookediting.com

Book Cover Design by RebeccaCovers

Second Edition

First Edition: March 2019

Published by

Serpentine Creative LLC

www.serpentinecreative.com

Full Moon

Daphne climbed from her bedroom window and onto the landing of the fire escape. She paused as it creaked under her weight. She started sneaking out three months ago and knew it would hold her weight, just not how long.

The apartment building where she and her family lived survived on sheer will alone. The elevators hardly ever worked, the stairwell reeked of urine and weed smoke. No one cared what anyone around them did. Everyone stuck to themselves regardless of the situation. The perfect environment outside of Ceres for a family of Aura to go unnoticed. The easiest place to hide from the outside world while still living and navigating within it.

Her family could afford better. Fear and proximity to Ceres kept them stuck in this hell hole. Daphne dreamed of living without fear. Lots of Aura teens who grew up outside of the Great Sanctuary of Ceres felt the way she did. They didn't want to choose between the freedom of the outside world and the freedom to use their gifts. They wanted both. On nights like this, they defied the rules by gathering to practice their energy knowledge without limitation. The Resistance, they called themselves, organized and fought for the freedom to be themselves. At least from what the brochure said. Daphne found The Resistance mostly blogged about social injustices around the world and partied at the local hot spot, Club Obelisk.

The full moon beckoned, filling her with excited energy. Daphne rushed down the metal ladder using her Aura energy to sense the way in the pitch black of the alleyway. The buildings stood tall enough to block any of the moon’s magnificent light from reaching its secrets. The only other source of light in the alley had long been broken, and no one cared to fix it.

Took you long enough, James said, startling Daphne.

She smiled and launched herself into his waiting arms. Daphne and James flirted for a month now, and she hoped that maybe this evening made things official.

Benji wouldn't fall asleep. I had to wait him out, Daphne whispered.

He took her mouth in a passionate kiss. They made out in the dark until a sharp whistle cut through the silent night air, time to go. The others wouldn't wait for them much longer. James took Daphne's hand and led her out of the alley to a waiting van. Tonight, was a special night. They wouldn't be joining The Resistance at Club Obelisk. It was their first official date—a house party being thrown somewhere on the outskirts of town. While Daphne preferred that they travel to the party just the two of them, she couldn't be any more excited.

Hurry up. They are waiting, the driver said.

He looked back at them through the rearview mirror. Daphne never met these boys before. Human, but not part of The Resistance. She knew all ten of the human members there, James included. It made Daphne nervous. She studied James' energy. Finding him to be calm and excited, she snuggled closer to him.

Let's go, then. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting, James said.

His voice sounded deeper than usual. Like he wanted to project a manly façade in front of his friends.

Who's all going to be there? Will there be anyone I know, Daphne asked.

James smiled at her and shook his head.

"No one you know. I want you to get to know a different set of friends.

I'm sure once you meet them, you'll understand," James said.

Daphne ignored the warning bells going off in her head. James acted like a different person, but that's what humans did. They changed personalities based on the situation. Daphne could understand that, living her life as an Aura in the outside world. Still, Daphne couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in her stomach.

She shifted in her seat. Her senses picked up on a delicate swirl of dark energy. They drove farther and farther from the city. Her palms began to sweat, and her stomach started to twist in knot—the air heavy with ill intent.

Pull over! Daphne snapped as they reached the last few blocks of civilization.

James' friends chuckled, and he wrapped a tight arm around her waist.

Chill out, babe. We've got big plans for you tonight.

The implication of his words sent Daphne into a panic. She focused on the vehicle's engine, feeling out its energy until she found just the right component to manipulate. The car sputtered and began to smoke before the engine died. As soon as it slowed, Daphne lunged for the door. She almost made it out van before James grabbed her by the ankles.

I thought I told you to neutralize her before she got in the van, the driver shouted.

She struggled with all her might.

I did! I slipped her the potion while we kissed, James snapped.

Daphne screamed and kicked for dear life as they pulled her back into the van. She prayed for someone, anyone to hear and come to her rescue. She missed her chance.

Guess I'll do it the old-fashioned way. Boss is going to be pissed, the other boy from the van said.

A big black object came flying at Daphne's face. The force of someone's fist impacting her jaw sent her flying into the wall of the van. She heard the sickening sound of flesh connecting with flesh before her head hit the metal behind her. Everything went black.

What Lies Beneath

S ir, there's been another incident. This one is about a month old now. The officer originally assigned filed it as a death which is why we didn't find it before today. A records inquiry from a deep cover agent brought it to our attention.

Hendrex didn't bother turning to face the man addressing him. He stared out of the transparent glass in front of him. He marveled at the bustling city below. From three stories up, the highest building in all of Ceres, he watched his charges. They flitted about without care to the danger they faced.

Thank you for the update. Please tell Officer Mars to proceed with his mission before assigning him to follow up, Hendrex said.

He waved the man away. Another missing child of the Aura, another having fallen through the cracks of a flawed system. It made Hendrex want to ram his head through the pane of glass before him. He turned his gaze to the sky. The aubergine plumes of smoke floating about, simulating the fluffy white masses found in the outside world. A total waste of precious Aura energy, but the elders insisted they continue with business as usual—the Great Sanctuary more voluntary imprisonment. The shimmering Barrier surrounding Ceres keeps them safe from the outside world. Safe from those who would do them harm, at least for now.

Soon their population growth would outpace the Barriers ability to shield. A gathering this large of Aura roiled with magic, pulsated with power. As it stood, the outside world considered the points where Ceres touched theirs sacred, haunted even. Human crop circles, a small burst of Aura energy the Barrier couldn't contain. Those flying saucers or unexplained lights? Remnants of old gateways to Ceres, glimpses of a world humans would never know.

Past members of the Ruling Council did their best to get a handle on the population crisis. They just went about it in the wrong way. Childbearing limits and criminal expulsion only increased the risk of the knowledge of Ceres falling into the wrong hands. Not only that, it did nothing to quell the real issue. Aura being born today seemed either unable to control their energies making them too dangerous to teach or, worse, had no energies at all. So many children cast into the human world abandoned by their flesh and blood because they couldn’t help sustain Ceres. Not unlike these new cases of missing Aura.

The thought of the lost ones made Hendrex's blood boil. He almost lost his twin brother because some hag with a vendetta against his bloodline deemed him Auraless. His brother turned out to be full of Aura energy just one not seen in a long time. Maclovis could absorb and extinguish other energies. Many feared his power. Maclovis chose to leave, rejecting his rightful place as one of the Ruling Council. Hendrex being the exact opposite in power to his twin, became required to take his place. Not his choice at all, even if Maclovis held it against him to this day.

Hendrex went back to staring out of the window. The responsibility to uphold the security of Ceres weighed heavily on his shoulders. Hundreds of people depended on him and the other Ruling Council to make decisions with the best interest of the whole in mind. Time stood still for no man. He needed to get back to work.

FOR THE LOVE OF HORUS, Farrah groaned, slapping at her nightstand.

Her hand came in contact with all sorts of things—pens, notepads, crystals—before finding its target. An owl-shaped clock, gifted to her by Disrayan on the day Farrah had matriculated from force training. It had been a pain in her morning ever since, but in all these years she never threw it out. Disrayan would never let her live it down if she knew Farrah tossed out one of her gifts. Disrayan didn't give things without good reason. Disrayan based everything on careful calculations for the best course of action. For Farrah, it meant not oversleeping so she didn't get fired before her career even began.

The crew would no longer be there in the bunks around her to get her up in time. Farrah's irritation faded as she thought of her best friends. Before the Trials, they would be called a coven. The Aura dispensed of titles such as a witch, warlock, and coven during the formation of Ceres. Farrah rolled out of bed and onto her hands and knees. With eyes still closed, she picked up what she knocked off the table and put them back. She used her energy to sense the emotions tied to each object so she knew where to return each item. It also helped to shield her eyes from the bright rays of sunlight filtering through the window next to her bed.

Farrah must have drunk more than she thought last night. She made a mental note to stop taking jobs that involved shadowing drunk Aura. Not for the first time, Farrah regretted leaving her cushy position with the Magelor Security Force. Not so much left as terminated. Her supervising officer detested her methods in solving a case. He deemed her a risk to the security of Ceres and unceremoniously booted her.

Farrah stood with a sigh, opening her eyes, letting her mind and body adjust to the transition. She scanned her apartment. Another old habit, and found an uninvited but familiar void of energy in the vicinity of her couch. Living on the outside meant Farrah had to be on guard, being a PI meant she always needed to be prepared for a fight. In this case, she knew not to grab her gun. She grabbed a handful of crystals from her side table and tucked them into her sports bra. Their energies were stable after a full night in the moonlight and a few hours in the morning sun. Not quite balanced, but enough to keep whoever sat on her couch from reading her energy from the other room. She hoped.

Farrah crept out to her living room. She had a good idea of who it could be. One thing she learned in her short term as a Security Force Officer—don't take unnecessary chances. They frowned on that. The hall leading to her bedroom was short, just a couple of steps before her couch came into view. Mack popped his head up with a big grin.

Crystals? Really? Quartz, obsidian, serpentine, and moonstone, he said.

Mack hopped over the back of the couch and pulled Farrah into his arms.

Mack was no longer the skinny, shy kid she knew growing up. He looked like he spent countless hours in the gym, but his muscles were not as defined as a bodybuilder. The guns flexing in his shirt came from manual labor. Slinging bottles to be exact, bottles and blood. Mack may have left Ceres, but that didn't mean he cut all ties. How could he when his twin, Hendrex sat on the Ruling Council in his stead.

Show off, Farrah laughed pushing out of his grip, "What brings you to

my neck of the woods?"

Just laying low for a bit. My neck of the woods is looking like dry kindling at the moment. I don't want to be the match that lights that firestorm, Mack said.

He stayed purposefully vague, probably better that way. Mack worked in some deep cover stuff even if he claimed to be just an aimless outcast. Farrah could read that much from him at least. The only person to ever crack Mack's Teflon walls was Disrayan, and their story proved complicated.

Laying low? You could lay low a million other places than my couch.

Farrah moved into the kitchen to start water boiling for her morning tea. Farrah preferred the mellow buzz of black tea over the jittery edge of coffee. Mack joined her in the kitchen and started prepping two bagels for the toaster oven. Farrah didn't really cook, the only other breakfast option being a carton of eggs.

Yeah, but your place requires less emotional currency than others.

Well, you are welcome to the guest room.

Thanks. How is Jaq by the way?

I'd think you would know better than me. Jaq frequents that place you work at.

Obelisk, Club Obelisk, and yeah, I saw him there a few times, but you know I don't associate with anyone while there.

Which is a total giveaway that you are undercover.

I'm not anything, Mack said, a deadly glint in his eye.

Sure, bud. You love slinging drinks for those bloodsucking assholes and pretending to be human.

Farrah set a fresh cup of Earl Grey in front of him, but he still glared at her.

You of all people should know not to judge the many based on the actions of a few, Mack bit out.

You know maybe you should stay with Disrayan. I can call her for you, Farrah snapped back.

No, I think I'm good here. I just need a night or two, he said.

All right then. It's been a little slow on cases, so I'm going to see what I can drum up. Care to tag along, Farrah asked.

Not gonna happen. If you're that hard up, I may have a lead for you, Mack said.

Really?

Farrah eyed Mack suspiciously. She knew he didn't just come to squat on her couch, but his hesitance in revealing his real purpose put her on edge.

There have been some strange disappearances. I'd leave it up to the human authorities, but you know how useless they can be, Mack said.

So, you want me to investigate human disappearances?

Mack snorted and rolled his eyes.

"The disappearances appeared to be a human problem for the most part, until recently. A young Aura, Daphne, went missing a month ago. Her parents don't trust the human police to find her. The