Heaven's Eclipse - Star-crossed Fate

By Abbeysue Ellis Mosedale

Navigating life can be hard at the best of times.

Throw in creatures that come from mythology with fur, fangs and killer instincts and it becomes downright deadly.

 

Nia Raven comes from a family of legacy hunters. Raised in this world, its all she's ever known and its a life she uses to hide her mysterious past. Just when she thinks she's found her place in the world and will continue her parents legacy, it all comes crashing down in a single night of devastation and betrayal.

 

She'll be forced to survive in a new world, as she has to live alongside the very creatures her and her parents used to hunt.

 

She must do this, whilst navigating the raw and passionate relationship developing between her and the one woman she desired more than anything. The bond and sexual magnetism between them is undeniable, but can the wolf be controlled?

 

Used to living a life of secrets, it may just turn out that the biggest and most deadly secrets being kept, are her own and that the fate of humanity is resting on her shoulders.

 

Who can you trust, when you can't even trust yourself?

Not everyone lives just one life and seductive bonds have a way of traversing lifetimes.

The past never stays in the past for long.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbeysue Ellis Mosedale
• Release date: Mar 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224094301

Book preview

Heaven's Eclipse: Star-Crossed Fate.

- Fated Chronicles. -

Table of Contents

Title Page

Heaven's Eclipse - Star-crossed Fate

Chapter One.

Chapter Two.

Chapter Three.

Chapter Four.

Chapter Five.

Chapter Six.

Chapter Seven.

Chapter Eight.

Chapter Nine.

Chapter Ten.

Chapter Eleven.

Chapter Twelve.

Chapter Thirteen.

Chapter Fourteen.

Chapter Fifteen.

Chapter Sixteen.

Chapter Seventeen.

Chapter Eighteen.

Chapter Nineteen.

Bound By Mortal Desire.

By

Abbeysue Ellis Mosedale.

This book is dedicated to my amazing partner.

Who took the time to read my book, even though she’s dyslexic. Who give me the feedback and criticism I needed when editing and who has always gently pushed me to keep writing, when I lost hope that I would finish this book.

Marie Davies.

I Love you lots.

xxxx

© Abbeysue Mosedale 2023. All rights reserved.

ISBN:

First edition.

Written, edited, cover image created by and published by Abbeysue Mosedale and as such remains their intellectual property.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, in part or whole, by any means, without prior permission in writing of the author.

Nor be otherwise circulated in any form, part or whole, of binding or cover other than that of which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition of being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. This manuscript was originally created and written in 2011, but subsequently re-written and published in 2023.

All names are purely fictional and any relation to living or deceased people is purely coincidental. Places, locations and buildings mentioned in this book are used purely fictitiously and may not resemble the actual place, location or building.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

This book contains scenes of a sexual nature, readers discretion is advised.

Prologue.

Falling through the sky, my body tumbling over and flailing out of control, as I’m reaching out blindly into the empty air around me. I’m a dizzying mass of failing limbs and whipping hair, trying to grab onto something in this freezing void; anything to steady myself and slow my rapid descent through the swirling blues and greens around me. Through my watering eyes I see the blurred patches of landscape greens looming closer and they begin to take on the form of terrain and flora. Wet hair is plastered against my forehead and face from my free-fall through the atmosphere and my clothes are soaked from the clouds, chilling me to the bones and making me shiver uncontrollably. I uselessly try again right myself with the numb limbs, as the landscape below me looms ever closer; close enough now for me to make out the trees and vegetation that are rising up quickly to meet my battered body.

As I twist around futilely, a sharp pain radiates across my back, making me cry out from the stabbing ache that over-rides my otherwise numb body. My agonized cry is whipped away from my mouth, smothered by the winds and silenced into nothing by the crescendo around me in the infinite blue sky. Not that anyone was around to hear me whimper anyway. My mind was a blank haze and I couldn’t remember what had happened to me, to cause this much pain. My brain was as numb as my body.

I tried to reach round and feel my back, but my body had a thin build up of ice forming all over and the exposed skin of my arms and my fingertips were turning a sickening shade of black, with the rest of my skin pallor taking on a deathly blue tinge. I knew my body wasn’t going to last much longer in its condition and I prayed that I lost consciousness before I hit the ground below.

Salty tears streamed their way down my raw and rosy cheeks, where they too froze into painful icicles that clung to my skin. The frozen and cold tears blurred my vision and stung the corners of my eyes. My hair is a streaming banner, whipping around behind me.

The movement of falling and my trying to coordinate my dying body, makes my back once again erupt in to a torrent of agony. In the recesses of my mind, a vague thought form that it feels like I’m missing something, but it might just be my brain malfunctioning as it shuts down. The pain is so intense, that this time spots of gray and black dance into my vision and darkness encroaches on the sides of my peripheral sight. My throbbing head adds to the disorientation, as I struggle to stay conscious and just as the land looms even closer, a faint whisper is carried on the wind. Distinct lilting words ringing calmly through the wind and into my ears somehow.

‘Heaven above and earth below,

The sun and moon are bright and doom.

Follow your heart to do your part.

Let the light and the sight be your might,

And visions be your decisions,

To use your talents to restore the balance.’

Then finally darkness swallows me and I know no more. I slump into an unconsciousness and crumpled heap, seconds before I impact the ground. I have arrived. I have come to Earth.

Chapter One.

I give a small startled whimper, as an imaginary impact snaps me out of my dream and makes my limbs jerk involuntarily. Falling out of bed, I end up in an undignified heap on my bedroom floor, with the alarm clock still blaring out its sleep snatching siren. I search blindly along my bedside table from my prone position, until I managed to find it and hit it in groggy irritation; my annoyed thump causing it to cut off mid-wail. Silence once again fills my room and the only sound to break the quiet in the air, is the cooing of the pigeons nesting on the roof. The Sunday morning rays of sunlight gleam through my bedroom window, highlighting the start of a new day. Territorial cries of the hawks, swooping in the countryside fields, sound off in the distance, but it’s those damn pigeons who herald the start of the day; from where they sit calling from their lofty perches.

The green acreage of countryside that filled the view outside my window, fell away into layers of green fields, woodlands and hills; until it met the rolling dales. Filled with an abundance of the native wildlife and complimented by the vast expanse of beautiful scenery. The small and civil parish of the local town was quietly nestled into this breathtaking surroundings and had been my home since I was only six years old. When I wasn't doing one of my dad’s training routines, I was roaming about said countryside; although I doubted there wasn’t a single inch of it I hadn’t explored by now. Getting immersed in the overgrown tracks of the foliage and woods, whilst sunlight filtered down through the green canopy of trees. Following animals tracks and paddling barefooted through the babbling brooks, until the sounds of the town fell away into nothing, replaced with only the choruses of birds and the rustling of wind and occasional animal through the trees. When the noises from the town were gone, it was easy to forget all the worries and bad dreams.

Stretching like a lithe cat, unwinding and rubbing the last remnants of the sleep from my eyes, the vivid dream faded from my thoughts once again and I shuffled over to my en-suite bathroom to begin the new day. The piercing whistle of the kettle from downstairs signaled my parents whereabouts in the house and the wafting scent of breakfast pancakes sifted up through the house floor boards. The sweet smell was enticing enough to make me rush through my usual morning routine.

The beaded necklace that hung on the wall from a hook in my bathroom, was my oldest possession every morning as a routine, I ran my fingers over the beads as I got ready. The smooth and well worn metal beads were cool against my skin. The necklace was a prize possession of mine and had been the only item I’d brought with me when my parents had moved me into their house; at age six. Finishing up in my bathroom, I took the stairs two at a time, down to the kitchen; going fast enough to risk a misstep and falling.

*****

The kitchen was full of the smells of freshly baked bread, wafting from the bread maker and the sharp tang of citrus, from the freshly squeezed oranges; that now made up the jug of orange juice in the centre of the table. My mum made a big breakfast for me and my dad every day and today was no different, her routine of twenty years was predicable and a comfort to me. 

The man in question sat polishing a silver loaded blade with one hand, whilst shoveling toast in to his mouth with the other; something it seemed only he could pull off so efficiently. He nodded his usual silent morning greeting to me, as I entered the kitchen and slide into my own chair; not pausing once between the mouthfuls of his toast.

Morning sweetie. You’re up a bit late this morning. My mum calls from her current position at the stove, without even turning around to face me. She was still busily flipping pancakes, a treat made just for me, like she could do it with her eyes closed. I sat in my usual place at the other end of the kitchen table from my dad and pour myself a glass of orange juice; whilst waiting for my brain to finish waking up. I grunted back a reply that barely passed as civilized to my mum. Luckily my parents didn’t expect too much conversation from me in the mornings, at least not before I’d had a chance to wake up.

Back to college tomorrow then. That means you won't have the time to do as much target practice and training in the back fields; so you'll have to fit it in after college instead, but don’t be falling behind on any assignments like last semester. She gave me a knowing glance over her shoulder.

Alec is coming over later on today, to practice with you again. Now the two of you are old enough, I want you to get used to working with each other and build a bond of trust. She came over and set a plate of pancakes down in front of me and it was my dad’s turn to speak up.

One day the organization will pair the two of you up, into hunting partners and you’ll be dependent on each other in many unpredictable situations. He didn't take his eyes of the blade in his hand, so I got away with rolling my eyes at him; only to have my mum chastise me as she leaned over with some extra pancakes for me.

Alec was the young female apprentice my dad had taken on two years ago. She was twenty and often came over to train with me. At times it was like she had no family of her own and she rarely liked to talk about her own home life, but from what I had managed to squeeze out of her over the many tedious years of training was that she was part of a large family. A family of two parents, two older sisters and two younger twin brothers, who were only four. 

The sisters were at separate universities in a different country and were not expected to go in to the family business themselves, although the reason why the tradition had bypassed them and fallen to Alec, was unclear. I often wondered how they had gotten away with not going into the family business like me and Alec had been forced to, but she had never wanted to speak of it; so I’d eventually stopped pushing for answers. With me as the only child, I had no choice, but Alec especially seemed less than thrilled at her arrangement.

Her own father wasn't training her because he had been relocated temporarily by the organization to America, on a mission to track and destroy an elusive pack of vampyres that were preying on the locals. Nobody knew how long he was going to be there, as the mission was very secretive for the hunter’s own safety and the assignment had also been very last minute and rushed; based on new time sensitive intelligence that had come in. He had just left suddenly one night, a while ago, with no previous mention of it beforehand.

The American sector of the organization had called in for reinforcements some months ago, because this particular pack was said to be exceptionally elusive and large in numbers. They were unusually well organised for what were typically just bloodthirsty creatures of the night, that were ruled by their instincts to hunt and kill and were mainly considered no more intelligent than wild animals. This pack had already destroyed an entire village, something that was very hard for the organization to cover up, even if it was in a remote location, but those conspiracy stories you hear about have to originate from somewhere and the organization could be very good and cleaning up after themselves and these creatures when they had to be. It was an essential skill they taught all hunters, before they were sent out into the field and it was a crucial skill to have. Hunters had kept humanity in the dark and unaware of these creatures existence for generations.

Alec’s dad had already been gone for six months so far and sometimes Alec even slept over on my parents couch, if we had perimeter running duty early the following morning; as it was just easier for her to spend the night than to have to get up even earlier to make it over to my house. She lived in the town and since my parents house was in the countryside, it made it the ideal training ground. She did have a little crush on me and had made no secret of it over the years, but I didn't feel the same way about her and really only saw her as just a close friend and excellent hunting partner; she was as skilled as I was. Still it didn’t stop the incessant flaunting of her skills, like her prideful attitude would one day win over my affections. We had definitely built up a good level up of trust with each other, from all the weapons training, hand to hand combat practice and survival training; that were specifically designed to keep us alive when hunting supernatural creatures. She never held back with me and although we’d both end up bruised, bloodied and sore after every session, we were honing our skills together and there was big talk of us becoming future Hunting partners among the elders in the organization.

I however only had eyes for Samantha, which is where things got complicated for me because she was human and knew nothing of this other world around that surrounded her. The world that I lived and breathed in and I couldn’t ever risk her life, by bringing her into it; she was so blissfully unaware of it all.

Now Nia respect your father. One day you'll go into the family business. Its an honour to protect mankind, not everyone is so lucky to have the knowledge of the real world; like we do. My mum’s voice brought me back from my thoughts and I drenched my pancakes in syrup, before stuffing a great wedge into my mouth; so I couldn't answer her. All whilst avoiding my fathers puzzled, yet stern expression. More than anything, I didn’t trust myself to answer her. Not in any way that wouldn’t result in me being made to run laps around the property. There were not many females that went into the hunting business and it was usually the men that continue their bloodlines legacy, but because I was their only child, they had to leave their legacy to someone. It meant that me and Alec were a rare commodity in the hunters community, as usually the best hunters were selected from a young age and then paired off by the elders to train together to become partners. They were also always male and female, to continue the bloodline and produce good and strong genetics. They had already been training me from an early age anyway, so it seemed like a logical choice, however Alec was the only other hunter apprentice in the area and was the only one that could match my skill set, she was however female like me; so we couldn’t naturally produce a heir.

However, no one had ever actually asked me if I wanted to go in to the family business. If I wanted to continue on the tradition, but this semester’s holiday my dad had been pushing me harder than ever before, probably because apprentices were expected to be fully trained and paired up, working their own cases by the time they were twenty. It had been nothing but target practice, sparring and physical endurance exercises, for hours at a time this break and I was actually looking forward to returning to college; with its huge lecture halls and long assignments to complete.

Most mornings I had awoken with sore shoulders from the recoils of guns and an aching back to name a few places where I’d been sore the most. My mum had made him ease up and lay off towards the end of the holidays, so I had time to recuperate before the start of the new college term and let the bruises fade away.

When it came to the Hunters training she was the most relaxed and it was nice to have her there to remind my dad that I was only nineteen and was in college. In fact my dad hadn’t even wanted me to go to college, but not only did it keep me sane, it kept up the pretense of a normal life, to those around us.

Apprentices like me were very rarely even sent out into the field before they were eighteen and I had been going out with my parents on hunt for a few years now. The initiation happened on our twentieth birthday and the only time I remembered an apprentice being sent out before they were eighteen, was when one had lost both their parents to an attack last year. The apprentice had only been sixteen at the time, but with their family gone they had to step up and take over their parents legacy. They had only lasted six months, before they too were buried next to their parents.

There were so few of us in the organization, that we needed all the Hunters we could get. The fact they hadn’t lived to see their seventeenth birthday; it was a stark reminder of just how dangerous our job was, but also how vital it was as well.

With one of his legendary heavy sighs, my dad brought my attention out of my little daydream world and back to the reality of the kitchen. Heaving himself out of the chair with the slight falter that came from the years of hunting and physical abuse it had heaped onto his body, he inspected the gleaming blade in his hand under the scrutiny of the kitchen lights; before deftly turned and flinging it at the wall. It hit a paper bulls-eye that was tapped to the back of the kitchen door with a satisfying thud; this of course earned him an earful from my mum.

Steven! Mind the damn wood work! He turned and gave me a sly wink, before retrieving the dagger and retreating to the sanctuary of the attic gym. I hid a smile behind a mouthful of food and finished up the last of my breakfast. Mum got the wood filler out of the draw, to once again patch the poor kitchen door. It was marred with holes, dents and the odd scorch mark or two; always seeming to bear the brunt of my dad's weapon testing. However this was anything but just another typical morning in the Raven's household, at least today dad hadn’t been working on his gun, so breakfast was more peaceful today.  It was fun, but also a little scary when he got that out. 

There were only so many bullet holes you could, fill and stick a nail in to hang a picture from, before it just got ridiculous.

I was also surprised the neighbours didn't think there was spouse abuse going on. What with the way my parents came back black and blue from their missions and with the gun shots that echoed through the back fields on a weekly basis. The sight of me limping around to and from college, or nursing my own sparring and training injuries. Then again maybe that's why my parents had chosen to live on the outskirts of the town, with only the farm fields and scattering of local wildlife for neighbours.

Mum when can we go to the holiday house again? Do you and dad have any off-duty time coming up? I tried to keep the whine out of my voice, but I really did miss having them around. Their missions used to only be once a week, but over the last few years they had been getting more and more work through, to the point of going out during the week, on multiple nights; or staying out for days.

My parents owned a small thatched cottage in Black Dog; a small village tucked away in Mid-Devon. It was an isolated place away from the bustling towns and dangerous life my parents led, but most importantly it was away from their supernatural worldly duties and we could enjoy peaceful walks in the evening and real family time, without the worry of getting ambushed and without my dad carrying around his usual 9mm everywhere he went. It was a chance for my parents to unwind and get their blood pressure back to normal, being Hunters meant that they were often hunted themselves by the creatures who wanted to kill them for either substance, or to get revenge for the deaths of their family and friends; if such creatures even had what we’d consider family and friends. For me, it was a chance to be a normal child, with a normal family life for at least two weeks of the year.

We spent two full weeks there every year, as that was the only time my parents had off-duty. After all you can't slack off, or let your guard down when you hunt creatures that did more than just go bump-in-the-night. 

The organization has a library full of books, that covers everything we know on all the supernatural creatures we know of. It contained the biology, ancestry, anatomy and capabilities for all the primorph species, vampyres, nephilium, the fallen and the angels. Hunters were individually taken to its location when they turned sixteen. They were then shut in the library for a month, during which they were to live there and memorize all the books they could. This wasn’t just their job, it was their life and soon, when my apprenticeship ended, it would also become my life.

Thankfully, it was coming up to the time of year when we would normally be heading to Black Dog for several days.

I'm asking for the time off today, after we check in over the phone for our next mission. I'll tell you tonight, okay. I nodded. 

My parents got all their mission requests over a secure and untraceable phone line, it was just one of the new improvements that had been introduced when a new leader had taken over The organization a few years back. Whilst they hadn’t necessarily just wandered the streets, knocking on doors, following up media articles and investigating the whispers hushed in pubs. People muttering about what they’d experienced, even knowing no one around them would believe them; unless it caught eh ear of a nearby hunter. We no longer just went looking for these creatures and no longer had to stake out the situation or gather intelligence. It was a quick phone call with everything we needed to know and it was always expected to be quick, leaving no evidence behind. It was always get to the location, dispatch the supernatural, call it in the if they needed a clean up crew, usually for multiple executions and get back home again. No witnesses. No survivors and no questions asked, because they were never answered; ever.

Whilst there had been supernaturals for longer than humanity itself had existed, there were those among them who were rogues. These were the individuals and sometimes whole packs that preyed on humans. The majority of supernatural creatures could use humans like cattle for their dietary needs, if they they so chose to. Either for our blood or meat and organs, which would provide more nutrients than the wild and sometimes domestic animals they otherwise preyed on. However, out of the supernatural creatures that needed a diet like that to survive, the majority of them just hunted animals. Humans were too hard. Not too hard to take down and kill - that was easy enough, but to cover up their disappearances. Animals go missing and not much, if anything is done about it. However, if a human goes missing there were usually investigations and their other family members to worry about. It was too much work and not worth the risk of exposure, when they lived among humans themselves.

Although a lot of the supernaturals had once been the apex predators on the planet, once humans had started to evolve and rose to power, they inevitably cut down the hunting grounds these species had relied on and replaced their territories with cities and farms. The population of all the species had declined to such a point, that they no longer numbered enough to rule the planet. Instead they had to fade into the myths and legends most people know of; to survive. A lot of them then adapted and moved into the civilizations among humans, living in secret.

There were some however, that didn’t want to live with the humans, for their own reasons; these were the rogues. These were the ones we hunted, under the organizations orders now.

It was a legacy that all hunters kept within their families. Rarely did the organization bring in a new family, so some of the families had been around for hundreds of years. We were the secret line of defence that was the only thing stopping humans from becoming prey to rogues of all different kinds of supernatural species.

*****

The day went by, like the rest of my college holiday days had, although I could feel my dad holding back in sparring and target shooting this afternoon; no doubt fearful of my mum's wrath. So I ambled my way through the day, just working through it like it was nothing special and not doing anything out of the ordinary, but also not really putting in much effort either. My mum had baked fresh scones for tomorrow’s college lunch and had opened up a fresh jar of home-made jam from the pantry to compliment them. All in all it was as good and typical day. 

I got in to another argument with my dad about the benefits of wearing stilettos and how they weren't just 'walking ankle breakers'. I was trying to prove to him how the point of the heel could also be used as a great self-defence spike and so he wouldn't need to worry about me ' helplessly staggering and tripping away' - his words not mine -. I thought my argument for allowing me to wear heels had been going marvelously, as he had been listening to my points it seemed, until he asked for a demonstration and that was how, a few seconds later, I ended up lying flat on my backside; with my dad pointing the shoe threatening in my face. Now most people would freeze when there is a gun pointed at them. I however also knew to freeze when it's a shoe, simply because it was my dad holding it. He threw the show aside like it was disgusting and with it went any chance I had of me being a normal teenage girl. Hunter’s apprenticeship and a life long dedication of service to the organization, was what my future held; whether I wanted it or not. I was only permitted to go to college, until the day I passed my apprenticeship and became a hunter full time. I had about four years left of being truly free and I wanted to spend it being as normal as I could; maybe one day I would get out and my college qualification would come in use.

In the early evening, as promised, Alec came over and we retreated to the farthest back field with a handful of fresh scones; our bows were at the ready and quivers full of arrows. We sat down on a fallen log, among the tall grass in the paddock, which held a scattering of trees and chatted between us, whilst munching on our treats. Our words softly filling the space between us, as the sun set in the evening sky behind us. 

How was your day. Did you win that argument with your father? I paused midway through putting another scone in my mouth, to give her a look of contempt. She laughed and almost inhaled the mouthful of scone she had taken.. Of course we had made a bet on how my conversation with my dad would go and had whether I’d actually be able to convince him to change his mind. I had lost that bet.

We wiped the crumbs off our laps and got our compound bows ready. Our targets were nailed to a tree trunk and as I was finishing up with my bow preparations and checks, Alec released her first arrow and hit the targets bull's eye; dead in the centre. She turned around to smile smugly at me and leaned against her bow, as she watched me line up my first shot next. I aimed and hit the same target dead on, making Alec's arrow split down the middle as mine thudded in to it; quivering from the force. I had always had a remarkable gift when it came to target practice, especially where bows were concerned and never missed my mark. It was like I carried the skill from past generations and had taken to the weapon more naturally that any other, I was forced to wield.

I lowered the compound bow slowly in a show of skill and turned to Alec, with my own little smug smile confidently in place. She looked at my accomplishment in amazement, before covering it up quickly and shrugging it off. She set her bow down in the grass, before coming up behind me.

It was a very good shot. However your stance is all off and it makes you vulnerable to close up attacks. If you were to be taken by surprise, a creature could easily knock you off balance. Here it's like this. She nudged my body into position with her own. The heat from her body seeped into my back through my top, with the fullness of her breasts pressing in place; as her soft hands enclosed over mine. I could feel her hot breath on my neck and it sent a shiver down my spine. She thought she knew more than me, even after the years I had spent wielding a variety of weapons, from swords to crossbows; she still tried to tutor me. She was close enough for me to smell the lingering scent of the perfume she must have put on this morning. 

I’ll just have to make sure I’m never taken by surprise, then. I dropped my arms and stepped out of her reach, whilst pretending to fiddle with an arrow I was trying to notch. This situation was beginning to feel awkward for me and her close proximity was giving me feelings I didn’t want coursing through my body. There could be no emotional attachment between hunting pairs. Emotions led to rash decisions and that could cost lives.

Everyone gets taken by surprise eventually. Nobody is infallible, not even you. Her tone was surprisingly bitter, but she had turned to look away from me, before I had time to examine her expression and I decided now was not a good time to dwell on it. 

Even though we did all this training, we were never allowed guns when we were target practising on our own, even my parents had their limits it seems, so archery was a common way we practiced our long-distance precision shots.

Come on let's head back inside, dinner will be ready soon. I started to head back towards the house as Alec opened her mouth to protest, just as my mum called us in for dinner and I found myself muttering a prayer to some higher deity for my physic abilities. Alec gave in and stomped along behind me quietly, after retrieving her bow from the ground. Her now gloomy mood for the