World Apart: The Earthbound Trilogy, #2

By Maggie Mundy

Clare and Trevi made their way through a portal to get back to Earth. Instead, they find themselves on a dying world as a mysterious mist closes in. Trevi's scarred twin brother, Celi, has accompanied them. He meets a female magician called Fane, who has been an outcast just like him. In this world only men are magicians and they believe her existence is the cause for the mist. Fane and Trevi learn to trust and eventually love each other as they fight to find a way to save the world. There are people who want Fane dead and to use her to get off the dying world, but Celi will use all his powers as a vampire to stop them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maggie Mundy
• Release date: Jun 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393064411

Maggie Mundy

Australian author Maggie Rose lives in Australia with her husband and dog Duke. She has always loved reading fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary romance books and decided the stories in her head needed to be written—it was either that or start on medication. She writes hot, sexy men and women who have troubled pasts and are looking for their soulmate. She may make them suffer along the way, but you always get a happy ending. Maggie believes romance can be fun to read and write, but it's exciting to spice it up with the uncertainty that comes with suspense where the rules can be broken.

Book preview

Chapter One

The Portal

Celi was surrounded by never ending darkness. He had always believed his life would be one full of pain and loneliness. In the last few moments he had discovered so much from his twin's thoughts that changed everything. Thoughts that changed his view on life and what had happened in the past. For years his mind and body had been full of poison. Poison from the blood of the High Priestess Sari, and now he was free of it. He thought back to when he had bitten Trevi in the seaport. When his teeth had entered his brother's skin, he had wanted him dead. All he could see was the hatred and deceit Sari had planted in his mind for so many years. Now the evil had been replaced by Trevi's memories, and knowledge of all the things he had missed.

His life had been spent as a scarred twisted shell of a man. Through Trevi's memories, he knew at least one of them had found redemption for those they had killed. His brother had also known the love of a woman. It was something Celi knew he would never have but craved so much. The truth was, no one would want a twisted grotesque creature like him who had the blood of so many on his hands.

He thought back to before the darkness had arrived. He had seen Luca, who he now knew to be a werewolf, and his woman, Merri, go into the portal. Trevi's woman, Clare, had followed them. He didn't know these people, but through Trevi's thoughts he felt as if they were his friends as well. His honorable brother would have fought to save him as they entered the portal, but Celi was ready to die. The memories of all those he had killed were flooding back. He didn't know if he wanted to live with such recollections.

He remembered calling to Trevi as they made their way closer to the portal. Blood would be needed to close it and stop the villagers coming after them. Celi's fangs ripped his own wrist so the blood would flow. At least Trevi and the others would be saved. The villagers had been all around, with their spears aimed at his heart. They would kill him and it was a fitting end. Then another memory of his brother returned. Trevi grasped hold of him around the chest and pulled him backwards into the portal. He saw how Trevi had nearly died once when Celi had attacked him. In truth, he would have just grown weak and then found some poor unforgiving soul and sucked them dry. It had nearly been Clare.

It's our blessing and our curse brother, and it was what Sari craved. We cannot die.

Colors swirled around them as the view of the world and the fighting men disappeared into a tiny speck. A storm was brewing in the portal. Celi tried to hold on, but his brother was ripped away into the dark.

I'm sorry. He hoped Trevi would forgive him for the attack on his life. He was alone again as the world went black. All he could hope was that he had saved Trevi. Then at least there would have been some point to his life. If he couldn't die, then to be lost in this void as penance for the deaths he had caused was fitting.

Chapter Two

New World

The cold night air made Clare's breath catch in her chest. Then the scent of blood hit her nostrils and brought her alert. She inhaled deeply as her incisors lengthened and popped through her gums. It took a moment for her eyes to readjust to the dark and find out where the smell was coming from. Before she could get a bearing, her face made contact with the ground and her mouth filled with dirt, or rather mud. The air was thrust out of her chest as a weight landed on her back. She had expected Earth and Italy on the other side of the portal. The ground in front of her smelled more like a bog and she was sure there might have been a cowpat nearby. At least she hadn't face planted in it. Whoever was on her back had rolled off.

She spat out the dirt and peered at her surroundings. Before she got a chance to see if her companions had come through, she saw a young man get his throat cut. His head had been wrenched back by the man holding him. He was about ten feet away, but now her eyes had become accustomed to the moonlit night she could see the spray of blood. The knife was sharp like a surgical blade and cut through the skin with ease. Her stomach clenched at the loss of life. She was a nurse, she helped save people, but her yearning for blood at this moment made her want to take part in the fight and drink from the killer.

Her body reacted. She was in the air and flying toward the group of men on horseback. They were laughing as they surrounded the killer and his victim. She landed next to the dead body and grasped the killer by the neck as he stood grinning at the corpse at his feet.

Why? she yelled, not bothering to hide the anger in her voice.

They're like beasts, breeding and spreading their filth. We've been ordered to clear this area of land by the Chancellor. The man's eyes were wide as he shook in her arms.

Clare sensed that the blood covered dagger in his hand no longer reassured him.

Leave now, Clare said. She let the man go, though the inclination to rip into his throat was so powerful it made her fangs ache with need. Her body and mind were fighting a battle and she needed to stay in control. He had too many comrades and she wasn't sure she could take them on anyway. If she gave into the bloodlust and killed them she knew she would regret it later.

The men all appeared as if they were extra's on a movie set in the Scottish highlands, except they wore old plaid and trews rather than kilts. They were definitely not in modern day Italy, and a man had just been killed for real. There was no fake blood here.

We didn't know you were out here, my lady. Maybe these are your pets. You probably haven't heard about the new edict passed yesterday. I know you like to chase them for game, but we've been told the pests are to be exterminated. He bowed low.

Clare needed to think quickly. It's true, I'd not heard. You may leave, even if you've ruined my hunt. If there are any more of these vermin around, I shall dispatch them. Know this in future though, if our paths cross again and you kill my food, I'll suck you dry instead. Now go. She waved him away. He bowed again, so deeply that she thought he would kiss the ground and come up with brown mud on his nose. Then he got back on his horse.

The horsemen turned away and rode off down the hill. Her incisors retreated into her gums. Damn it, they hurt more than any toothache she had ever had when she craved blood.

Sadness, too much death.

The words were uttered from someone behind her. They were right. Clare turned and saw eyes that reminded her of her beloved Trevi. The face was badly scarred and the skin pulled tight, plus one of his blue eyes was clouded over. Celi sat on the ground holding the body of the slain man and rocked back and forth. He could have been crying, from the way his shoulders heaved, but the rain was starting to come down so heavy it was hard to tell. It made no sense that he should feel so sad when he didn't even know the man. Celi had been a killer and had even tried to kill his brother. Clare thought back to when they had been in the old world. She had seen him cry when Trevi held him and their thoughts had joined. There was too much going on here that she didn't understand.

Clare wanted to hate him, but remembered the last thing she saw before entering the portal. It was Celi trying to save his brother. He had pushed Trevi into the portal as he ripped at his wrists to close it. If what she remembered was true, why was he here and not Trevi? Was her lover alive? Surely she would sense it if he was dead. They were connected in so many ways. She tried to get her thoughts together. Then someone hit her with such force from behind that she fell forward. She put her hands out in front to break the fall, but they didn't prevent the rock bolder connecting with her forehead. Her head pounded as she rolled over to find Merri leaning over her. Clare had never felt as happy as she did at that moment to see her friend from the old world. If Celi and Merri were here, then Luca and Trevi might be as well.

I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself, Merri said as she scanned the hillside.

Clare sat up and touched her head where the bump was reducing in size beneath her fingers. These super quick healing abilities were handy to say the least. She stood and her legs were steady. They all needed to get moving. The rain had lessened and was now just a scant drizzle, though it didn't make up for the fact that they were all soaked through to the skin. There was no sign of a portal anywhere and staying here in the open didn't seem much of an option. If the sun ever rose in this god forsaken place, they might even burn. The other alternative was they might start eating each other. It wasn't a nice thought, so she trudged on. Celi put the body of the young man down and followed her and Merri down the hill. He hobbled along like a hunchback but managed to keep up with them.

A lump formed in her throat as she fought to hold back the tears. Celi was here and not Trevi. From what she could make out, he was bent and disfigured but seemed strong. Whether she liked it or not, it didn't appear they were back on Earth, and they needed to help each other. Celi was probably more confused and lost than she was. She didn't know enough to trust him yet though, and would keep alert to make sure he didn't hurt Merri while they tried to find the others.

As they walked, her mind went back to the fight before entering the portal. There was the moment when the two brothers were fighting off the villagers. Had Trevi been stabbed before Celi pushed him into the portal? She could not accept Trevi was dead. She would not be alone in a strange world again. That wasn't true though. When she had gone to Trevi's world she’d been alone and scared until she had met him. Here she had Merri and her beloveds deformed twin brother. She was not human anymore either, but a strong vampire and from the way that man reacted earlier, they were held in reverence here.

Celi stopped in his tracks in front of her. Clare's body tingled as she sensed it too. The connection. It was the feeling that someone was searching for you and the relief of finding you made them cry at their discovery. Wherever they were, wherever this world was, Trevi was here too. Her heart soared as tears of joy filled her eyes. He wasn't dead and they would find each other. It was all she needed to know for now to keep her going.

Trevi, he's alive, Celi mumbled.

Their eyes met and she nodded in reply. His face was contorted but she thought she saw what might have resembled half a smile. It appeared he was as much relieved as her.

As they reached the bottom of the hill, Clare spotted dark lumps in the grass. They didn't look like rocks. As she got closer, she made out at least two bodies. Were they still alive? As a nurse, she would see if she could help them. It would help ease her conscience after her earlier failure with the murdered young man. One of them groaned and a hand grasped her ankle.

Merri and Celi had moved on ahead but she couldn't leave someone behind, even though she didn't know if they were good or bad. The man’s neck was cut. It had missed his carotid but was oozing. If he continued to bleed, he would go into shock and most likely end up dead. The first night she had met Trevi, he had cured her wounds from the guards with his saliva. She had to try, even if the idea of what she needed to do repulsed her.

This one's alive, she called out to the others.

The man didn't move when she spoke. The exertion of reaching out must have caused him to lapse back into unconsciousness again. His thready pulse indicated she didn't have long to save him. Taking a deep breath she bent down, closed her eyes and licked along the wound. He was a werewolf. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she had no doubt. Maybe now that she was a vampire it was like a human knowing the difference between the taste of lamb and chicken. The concept freaked her out a bit, but she needed to push those thoughts to the back of her mind.

It made sense though, with the comments from the killer about clearing out the pests. She sat back up and watched the wound heal. She should make him take her blood, but had a feeling he wouldn't be too keen. There was a growl from someone behind her and Clare had inkling that it wasn't Merri or Celi. She now had her answer as to whether the other man in the grass was alive.

She turned to find Celi holding a young man in a tight grasp from behind. Celi's fangs were extended but he had not impaled the man, well not yet. If he chose to do so, it would take no more than a second for him to start draining the man of his blood. She would not have more death on her hands. Celi had been trapped all his life so it was amazing he wasn't running around screaming. She needed to be the voice of reason.

I mean no harm, the man said. His eyes opened wide as he stared at her.

Let him go, Clare ordered, staring at Celi.

Celi snarled but eventually let go. He sat and covered his head as if in shame. She hadn't meant to upset him. Yet again she wished Trevi was here so he could deal with his brother. She would try later to work out what was happening. For now, she needed to get more information from these strangers if they were to survive in this world.

Clare grabbed a dagger from the ground in front of her and handed it to the friend of the man she had just healed. She held her arms wide and hoped the show of vulnerability would work. He glanced to his friend then back again. He placed the dagger down on the ground as the man behind her moaned.

Kill her, the man on the ground said. She's a bloodsucker.

To hear someone speak about her in such a way made her cringe, but he was right. It was what she was now. Even if she was one with a conscience.

Look to your wounds, Hathal. They're healed. I thought she was going to bite your neck, but she saved you. Use your sense of smell. She's like no bloodsucker I've ever smelled before, and neither is he. They also have an imprinted female with them. More is happening here than a fight between foes.

Hathal grabbed the dagger, sat up and aimed it at her throat. Clare tried to keep her feelings under control as her heart raced. She could overpower him, but she was trying to gain their trust. Celi went to move forward, but she put her hand up to stop him.

I will kill who dares to touch you, my dearest love.

Clare recognized the voice in her head as Trevi. His threat would mean nothing to these men here. They could not hear it, even if he tore them apart later, which she knew he would. She would take a chance and hope she wasn't putting them in a worse situation.

Your friend is right, Hathal. We're not what you think, Clare said, as she slowly stood. The man got to his feet and pressed the knife close against her windpipe. She was starting to regret healing him now.

I saw you before when the enemy was here, before I passed out. You have fangs. What are we to think? You live on the blood of our kind. Hathal snarled through gritted teeth.

We come from a land far away from here and we're just trying to find a way home, Clare said, trying to diffuse the situation.

Her words caused Hathal to laugh and move his blade away. It was not the reaction she had expected.

I don't know what you are but your answer has made me certain you're different, if not loose with your thoughts. There are no lands beyond this one. We're so close to the veil, you can see and feel it. It's the only place they'll let pests, as they call us, live in peace anymore. If the Chancellor has his way we won't even have this land for much longer.

Clare didn't understand what he meant, but peered to the sky to see if two moons shone as they did in Trevi's world. Nope. There was only one. Staring to the horizon with her vampire vision she could see mountains. One of them had been cut in half by a dark red shimmering mist. If she had thought Trevi's world would challenge her, then she had not appreciated what was to come when she had stepped through the portal to this one. Would they ever get back to Earth?

I know it is a lot to ask, but trust us. We mean you no harm, Merri said, as she moved forward.

Hathal stared at her as though entranced. He handed the blade to his friend, and then his legs gave out as he collapsed to the ground.

The other man offered his hand in greeting to Clare. I think we both have many questions. My name is Tero, of Clan Belthief. I could take you to our home if you’re willing. Our Chief will need to speak with you.

I'm Clare, this is Merri and Celi. You may not believe it, but we really are strangers here and would be glad to go with you.

Tero helped Hathal up and supported him. Clare would have offered assistance, but she had a feeling Hathal didn't want a vampire close again. He would probably be scrubbing his neck later to get rid of any trace of her. Tero motioned for them to follow. She trailed down through the bracken but kept glancing back at the horizon. Had they left one world to be trapped in another? Merri was next to her and grabbed her hand. It was funny, but at this moment, holding another human's hand, she realized how much her own body had cooled. The reason being she wasn't human any longer, and