Cerulean Strength

By Renee Hewett and Mandy Rosko

Celeste is a Taurus Blue, an accidental Zodiac who has devoted herself to helping the Zodiac Enforcement Agency keep peace on Earth. She enjoys her desk job at the ZEA prison, but she never expected a prison break to lead her to a tropical paradise, and straight to an old childhood friend.

Though she’s only ever felt friendship for him, Dagon wants more and now that he’s a multi-billionaire, he’ll stop at nothing to capture Celeste. Even if that means luring her to his island and then cloaking it to cut her off from the rest of the world, as though it and the people on it never existed.

Now Celeste must thwart Dagon and save all the island residents and tourists before it's too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Celtic Hearts Press
• Release date: Sep 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781949575767

Book preview

Chapter

One

The commotion drew her eyes toward the third screen in the middle row.

It wasn’t uncommon for there to be the odd scuffle here and there amongst the prisoners. Celeste’s job was to just watch the cameras and press a button whenever more staff were needed to break up any particular nasty fights, and she liked it that way.

With the air conditioning out for three days running, however, it meant the middle of the day in the Arizona desert was enough to make even the most mouse of pacifists want to throat punch someone—not that any of the red zodiacs resembled anything near mousey.

These Fallen had been put away for a reason. None were here for painting shitty graffiti or being caught with a personal supply of drugs. The Red Zodiacs had much bigger offenses, like trying to enslave humanity so they could take over the world.

She watched the activity on the monitor closely. Herb and Rich—the guards on staff in that area—could usually handle it, but they seemed to be struggling. Not good. A sign of weakness could make anyone in the lunchroom who wasn’t partaking in the fight think they might have a shot.

Celeste smacked the button on her desk, setting off the alarm. It blared through the prison’s badly painted, concrete walls, rattling her eardrums as it signaled for everyone who didn’t have their hands full to get their asses moving right fucking now.

She pressed another button, this one activating the mic that would send her words to everyone’s headsets. Lunchroom fight. Herb and Rich need backup.

She watched the screens again. Cringing as a Red prisoner smacked Herb on the back of his head with his lunch tray.

Backup guards were already arriving to help. She saw that, too, and exhaled a relieved sigh to see the men and women in uniform flood into the lunch room, weapons ready.

And their Blue auras flickering.

The prisoners parted like the sea for the prison guards, backing away quickly from Herb and Rich.

Herb held onto the back of his head. Rich grabbed his hand and helped him up, yanking him towards the wall of Blues. They would be on lockdown with the few guards who had stayed behind with them until they got the all-clear.

Celeste zoomed in. She didn’t see any blood, but better safe than sorry.

She turned off the alarm—blessedly saving everyone’s eardrums from any more alarm-induced pain—then phoned the onsite physician.

Hey, is everything good? Norah, the physician, answered.

It looks like they’ve got it under control now, but Herb might be coming your way.

Is he…? Norah’s voice held a note of worry as she didn’t finish asking Celeste whether or not Herb was alive.

He looks all right, a little wobbly on his feet, Celeste assured her. I’m watching him on cam. I don’t see any blood, but one of the prisoners sucker punched him in the back of the head with a lunch tray. If he doesn’t show up in your office, call his stubborn ass in.

Goddamn bastards, Norah hissed. All right, I’ll find him in if he doesn’t show.

Thanks.

There was a slight pause before Norah asked, He can walk, right?

Celeste watched, somewhat amused, as Herb waved Rich away from him, clearly annoyed, even as he held onto the back of his head. Typical hard-headed Herb. I think he can walk just fine. Just keep an eye out for him though, will you?

Can do.

Celeste hung up and returned her full attention to the cameras. Herb was being forced to sit while the others rounded up anyone who had taken part in the fight. She was sure glad she didn’t have to be in there. It was hot enough without adding a hundred sweaty bodies to the mix.

Herb was stubborn, in his later fifties, and a little hefty around the middle, but one of the nicest guys in the world. He’d rather eat his own arm than admit he was hurt or sick, something that Celeste knew, Norah knew, heck, so did anyone on the team who worked with him.

Despite Herb’s loyalty to his work and commitment to it, it was another well-known fact that he was looking forward to an early retirement in two years. Everyone on staff was determined to get him to the finish line alive. It wasn’t like there were a lot of casualties on this job, but Murphey’s Law could be a bitch like that.

Which was why everyone seemed to be casting extra worried glances in Herb’s direction.

At least everything had started to calm down. The prisoners were being taken in a nice, neat lineup back to their cells.

Probably wouldn’t be any outside time for them today. Not after that. Hell, maybe that was the point. They probably didn’t want to go outside and bake in the yard under that unforgiving sun.

Celeste blew a heavy breath, sat back in her chair, then immediately cringed when she felt the wet from her own back sweat on the material.

Gross. It really was too damn hot. She almost couldn’t blame the prisoners for getting antsy.

She was just glad she didn’t have to go in there and do anything about it.

Her chair might be gross at the moment, but it was definitely safer to be in the little office, behind her desk and the protection of plexiglass walls.

Sometimes she wondered if she was less than the other Sinless, who craved the action and adrenaline. Celeste had always been one to prefer the quiet. Had she not been born with the Zodiac blessing, she certainly wouldn’t have pursued law enforcement. It wasn’t in her nature.

Alas, all those who were born with powers were expected to join the Zodiac Enforcement Agency. It was their duty. The way they used their powers to protect the world from the Fallen.

Celeste stood, giving her clothes and the material on the chair a chance to dry. As she did so, her ears popped.

Weird.

Not as weird as the air around her continuing to pop and hiss, like a balloon exploding next to her head. Then, she noticed the puff of smoke. There one instant and then gone in the next.

To reveal three men in prison garb. Surrounding her. Around her desk.

On the wrong damn side of the plexiglass.

Her first thought wasn’t to defend herself. It was to question how this was happening at all. All Fallen had chips implanted that took away their powers. They shouldn’t be able to do this.

Finally, she gathered herself and reached for her gun. She pulled it out and aimed, finger on the trigger, safety off. Don’t move, she instructed, her tone firm.

The three men had been looking at each other with wide smiles, clapping hands in congratulations before they spotted her.

Oh shit, said the tallest, thinnest of the men. Skinny and somehow full of muscle at the same time. Booth Richardson. A Red doing time for multiple armed