The Chess Master's Queen

By Deirdre O'Dare

Viktor Yabaczill has built himself a comfortable if rather boring existence, concealing the fact he is Vampara, a member of one ancient vampire kind. His hobby and passion is chess. When he receives a mysterious challenge to a match, he hopes it will provide some excitement and liven up his tedious life. Little does he know just how exciting things can get.

Ekatrina Kelleher has a secret, actually several secrets. The most precious is the formula to move beyond existence as one of the undead to true eternal life. Long ago, she was slighted by an ignorant peasant lad. She has waited eons to get her revenge and intends to sample some lascivious thrills in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Nov 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646569526

Deirdre O'Dare

Deirdre writes gay romance channeling a prior life’s gay male twin she calls Danny. Fascinated by love’s diverse shades and guises, she explores and experiences a range of attachments. She still believes in happily ever after, that Love is the One True Thing and genuine Love is never wrong. For more information, visit deirdredares.blogspot.com.

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The Chess Master's Queen

By Deirdre O’Dare

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2021 Deirdre O’Dare

ISBN 9781646569526

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission from the publisher, with the exception of excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Dedicated to all the authors over the years who’ve built the lore of vampiredom and created a mystique ranging from Count Dracula to LeStat. I never thought I could or would write a vampire story but when my characters suddenly announced themselves to me, what choice did I have? Their version may not match with anything a reader has seen previously, but this is the tale they told me.

And thanks also to the readers who accept my verbal diversity and by your acceptance encourage me to keep trying to outdo my prior work. Of course it is all for you!

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The Chess Master's Queen

By Deirdre O’Dare

Chapter 1

Early spring, 2150

Dartford University, Near Seattle, WA

North American Union of Provinces

Viktor Yabaczill scanned the e-mail one more time. There was nothing strange about it. As a reigning chess master and one of only a half-dozen acknowledged masters of holographic 3-D chess, he received challenges often enough. Usually he demolished such would-be champs in a couple of games. What was it about this challenge that troubled him? On the surface, it appeared quite straight-forward.

As the chess champion of my alma mater, the University of Zacatecas, I wish to challenge you to a match, the best of three. You may select the date and place for the match to be held, according to custom.

I remain yours sincerely,

E. S. Kelleher

He hadn’t played a chess match for some time, what with a recent relocation. This new challenge could be entertaining. He often thought of boredom as his worst enemy. One could go dangerously lax and lazy when there was nothing to test the mind and demand one’s utmost. Long, slender fingers flicking over the touch screen, he accepted the challenge and scheduled the match.

As he sent the message, he chuckled. He glanced at his gray tabby cat, Methuselah, napping on the bookshelf. How about that, old sod? Some innocent young buck thinks to challenge me. I will checkmate him in a half-dozen moves and send him back to his southern province with his tail tucked.

The cat regarded him briefly with one green eye and went back to sleep.

He elected to play the first game right here at Dartford in the annex of the student union building. That’s where the university’s chess club met, naturally under the sponsorship and direction of Professor Yaba, as the students called him, stumbling over the rest of his name.

There was a curious irony in that name. The syllables yaba, in most of the Balkan languages, were connected with the fruit known in English as apple. It was also slang for a nicely shaped and rounded ass. He had been turned in that far-ago time by a deep bite on his left buttock, not