In The Beginning.... ;-)

Hey Everyone! :-)

Since I know it's been a while, I just thought I'd remind you all how Petri's adventure started. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from Rainbow Dreams:
Lightning bolts of fire and ice shot up and down Petri's spine as she moved over the human man on the bed. Her short, slender body bowed with the sensations that washed over her. His lust was like a fountain of cold water on a hot day, and she was parched. It had been too long; she needed this. Desperately.

Looking down at him as she slid her body onto his straining cock, she smiled. This client had wanted to be blindfolded; he said he enjoyed the mystery. There was more mystery in Petri than most humans would know what to do with, so that was fine with her. With him blindfolded, she didn't need to be careful to keep her own eyes shut. This was going to be a good feed, and there was no way she could have kept her eyes from glowing.

The man moaned in pleasure. Being fed upon felt as good for humans as feeding did for Petri. None of her clients knew she sipped from their energy, their life force, when she fucked them. All they knew was that she was one hell of a talented dolly. A win-win for all involved.

This client was a regular; Petri had shown him many times how good it could be with her. Some of her regulars came to crave her, almost like the dream dust that was sold in the club below. They were guaranteed repeat business, and she always made sure to show them a good time. After all, that was her job.

The energy of the man's lust filled Petri as she glided up and down on top of him. She shivered. It was renewing, rejuvenating. She couldn't get enough. A few grains of dust remained on his upper lip as evidence of his earlier indulgence in some of the chemical delights that were available at Abracadabra.

It was clear her client was high long before Petri started feeding. Before she blindfolded him, she had noted the man's dilated pupils and the flush of pleasure on his face. She had no doubt the management of Abracadabra would go to great lengths to make sure he received the maximum enjoyment possible during his visit. There was a reason it was the hottest nightclub in this part of Under City.

The club specialized in hedonism in all its forms. Drugs of every description, games, gambling, and other, darker pleasures could be found within its walls. House dollies, little more than sex slaves, waited to fulfill the customers' every desire. Freelance dollies, like Petri, rented space to ply their trade as well. The house allowed it because the dollies offered the club's clientele more variety and were motivated to attract business. Once a patron had satisfied their lust, they often wandered downstairs in search of other entertainments.

Leaning down, Petri pressed her cat-like mouth to her client's lips in a sizzling kiss. Their tongues tangled as he responded, and she undulated her hips against his, faster and faster. The drugs he had consumed tainted his energy, giving Petri a pleasant buzz. She never took dust herself since it interfered with her ability to control her power, but she enjoyed the effect when one of her johns indulged. As their sex intensified, Petri drank deeper, swallowing down the man's whimpers and sighs of ecstasy as she swallowed his desire.

Lost in the haze of feeding for the first time in days, Petri didn't realize it at first when the man suddenly went still underneath her. His penis remained stiff and eager inside her, and she continued to ride it, draining his energy. It was only when the cold, clamminess of his skin penetrated the pleasurable trance she often sank into when feeding that she realized that she had gone too far. Her heart skipped a beat.

Swinging her leg over him, she clambered off his body and knelt beside him on the bed. She grabbed his shoulder, shaking him, but there was no response. He was as still and cold as death.

Petri's breath froze in her chest as she tried to suppress her rising panic. She slapped him, hard, across his face, trying to provoke a response. There was nothing. Leaning down, she put her ear against his chest, listening for something, anything. Any sign that a spark of life remained in the man. She wasn't sure, but she thought she might have heard a faint fluttering within.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and put her hands on his chest, fingers splayed. She had never done this before, but her instincts said it might work. The process of drawing energy from others had come automatically when she reached physical maturity. It was as natural as breathing to her. But reversing the flow of energy… That was something else altogether. She forced herself to focus; all she could do was try.

Reaching down into the well of energy within her, Petri tried to snag a wisp of it. It was like trying to catch fog. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated and managed to grab a small piece of the mist and tease it up, out of herself and back into the man. It flowed at a slow trickle, but it did flow. The man took a deep breath and Petri slumped in relief.

Before she could stop him, or even turn away, the man reached up and snatched the blindfold from his face. When he saw her glowing eyes, he shrieked, "Mgeni!"

Petri swore. She knew she didn't have much time. Sitting up, she sucker-punched her client hard in his stomach. The man folded over, clutching his gut, just like she knew he would. As her former client coughed and wheezed, Petri scrambled into her tight, red mini-dress and stiletto pumps and clambered out the window. She couldn't risk trying to make it through the crowded club below; she needed to be gone before the man recovered enough to sound the alarm.

As she scurried down the fire escape, Petri cursed herself. She should have known she needed to be more careful. After having gone without feeding for several days, she shouldn't have broken her fast in such a public place. At least he wasn't dead. That was the one thing that might save her. If she had killed an Upworld client in Under City, the houses would have banded together and hunted her no matter where she went.

The funny thing about Under City was it could be a wild, crazy place, but only within certain parameters. In some ways, it was as restrictive as the world above. Upworld citizens were fair game for cons, beatings, muggings, pick-pocketing, and many other crimes. As long as the citizens left Under City breathing, the houses would look the other way. After all, most people from Upworld came to Under City for the thrill of danger, so, in many ways, the underworlders were just giving them what they paid for.

But too many deaths were bad for business and that the houses would not allow. The only reason an Upworld citizen could be killed in Under City with the blessing of the houses was if the citizen killed an underworlder without paying for it first. Life was cheap in Under City, but it wasn't free. And no one left Under City without paying their bill. No one.

Even though the man was alive, Petri's life was still in danger. She had survived thus far in Under City because everyone thought she was a Human/Paka hybrid. Half-breeds weren't especially loved, even among the generally open-minded underworlders, but they were tolerated. Arcanum, on the other hand, were universally despised, and the glowing eyes and energy draining power were unmistakable. Petri was now a marked woman, and it wouldn't be long before half the underworlders in the Southern sector were howling for her blood. She needed to get away.

The problem was where could she go? Each sector of Under City was isolated from the other sectors, and the only way to get from one sector to another was to travel through Upworld. And the only way underworlders were allowed into Upworld was if they had a pass. Even if she did manage to get to another sector, that would only be a temporary reprieve. Word would travel and her appearance was too distinctive for her to be able to disappear into a crowd of strangers.

No, the only possible way for her to survive was for her to find passage off-world. Petri grimaced. She might as well wish for the planetary presidency.

The moment she reached the ground, Petri looked both ways down the alleyway she was in. Everything seemed normal. The bass from club Abracadabra throbbed through the street, lending the night a syncopated heartbeat. The fast food dollies who worked the crowd outside the club seemed to be doing a brisk business. The groans and gasps of pleasure from their johns blended with the music.

Other than the regular street activity, nothing was happening. Maybe the hottest club in the sector wasn't the worst place this could have happened. At least, she was central. It wouldn't be hard to get anywhere in the sector from here; if she could only decide where it was she should go.

Hiding and lying low were out of the question. There were too many people in Under City who would be thrilled to earn a couple of easy creds by informing on her. Which also made going home impossible; that was the first place they would look for her. The distant rumble of a subway broke through her temporary paralysis and got Petri moving.

But she didn't run. Running in Under City was never a good idea. Running meant trouble and attracted attention. Predators chased those who ran, and Under City was full of predators.

Neon signs glittered in the night, advertising the wares to be found in the many businesses in this central part of Southern sector. Outlines of naked men and women, frothing drinks and steaming food, new hairstyles, and more had been recreated out of glowing lights and buzzing bulbs. Abracadabra wasn't the only purveyor of pleasures in the area; there were others, though each was smaller and had a narrower focus than the popular club. Brothels, restaurants, bars, dust dens, casinos, gaming establishments, salons, and chop shops abounded. This part of Under City existed to cater to the whims of the rich, and there was nothing subtle about the offerings that were available to those with money.

Shops of all kinds welcomed customers from Upworld with open arms. Clothing, children's toys, vehicles, sex aids, personal electronics, game programs, jewelry, and domicile furnishings could be purchased right next to each other at any time of the day or night. "Come In!" flashed their advertisements. "Good Deals!" "Low Prices!" "Rare Merchandise!" A constant siren song of the consumerism that ruled the underworld.

There were also businesses with darker, less obvious entryways. The snuff industry was alive and well in Under City. Upworld citizens who had the creds could indulge their most twisted and violent fantasies, and there were snuff houses that specialized in providing those services. Fights, snuff porn, torture, cannibalism—it was all available for the asking. And no matter if a citizen wanted to watch, participate, or direct, their most hidden desires could be satisfied by the snuff houses. Customers were only limited by their bank accounts, and the grinders waited to clean up the mess afterwards.

Petri ignored all the enticements and offerings and tried to keep her mind away from where she might end up if she failed in her escape attempt. A short, brisk walk brought her to the transit station just as a train pulled up to the stop. It wasn't a perfect solution, it wasn't even a good solution, but at least it was a stopgap that might give her the time she needed to formulate a plan. Being a moving target was better than being a stationary one.

She hopped on the train and found an empty car. As she dropped into a seat at the back of the car, she sighed. It had started out as such a good night.


Want to find out what happens next? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! :-)

Rainbow Dreams

#APC #Spotlight: The Naïve Princess: An Electric Eclectic Book By C.A. Keith!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got C.A. Keith in my APC spotlight, today! C.A. is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her young adult, fairy tale, fantasy, folktale, coming of age novel, The Naive Princess, looks great! Here's the description:

This all ages story is not just another Princess in a castle story. Beatrice, Bee for short, grew up protected in a castle. At 21 she is desperate to find out about the world around her. What happens when she finds out she is not who she thinks she is? How will she handle the modern day world when she grew up sheltered in a castle. This story will remind us all, how we take life for granted.

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 856

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eight-Hundred-Fifty-Six:

The local weather where my post is located is beginning to cool down, again, as the axial tilt of this planet has resulted in an increase in the distance between this portion of the planet and its closest star at this point in the planet's revolution around that star. As a result, the juvenile felid has become increasingly determined to position himself on top of my hominid-servant as often as possible. This is a rare display of logic on his part, as my hominid-servant's body radiates a startling amount of waste heat. I believe this is due to the lack of fur on most of her body, which would trap the heat. Unfortunately, this is one of many ways in which hominids are inferior to civilized species.

For her part, my hominid-servant doesn't seem to mind the small pest's company, despite its persistence. Sharing space on my hominid-servant's lap decreases the efficiency of my ability to monitor her vital signs, however, I must admit there is a certain contentment to be found in snuggling up with the other residents of my domicile to share warmth and companionship. Even the canid participates in these group cuddles when my hominid-servant reclines on her sleeping platform. And, I'm surprised to say, under those circumstances, his presence isn't nearly as objectionable as it is most of the time. Or, perhaps, I have spent too much time among the hominids and have experienced a reduction in my intelligence as a result.


Awww... I guess hominids are good for something, after all. ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

Risk A Peek At The Wild Hunt This #Halloween!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I thought I'd give you a little reminder of one of the features of All Hallows Eve, the Wild Hunt, just in time for Halloween. Enjoy!

Excerpt from Taken By The Huntsman:
The Erlking had left Faerie for the human world, something he hadn’t done in decades, to hunt the one who had killed a pixie child named Coel. The Wild Hunt, also known as the Wild Horde among the Fae, often punished murderers; though, oath breakers, liars, and others who committed crimes against the goddess fell within their province as well. But catching a child-slayer had special meaning. Children were revered among the Fae, probably because they had so few. So, when Aeronwen, Coel’s mother, spilled her own blood and called for vengeance against her child's murderer the Erlking responded immediately.

Aeronwen claimed Griogal, the male Sidhe whose suit she had rejected, had murdered her son out of spite. As a Sidhe, Griogal's pursuit of a Pixie was considered something of a perversion among the Fae, and Aeronwen told the Erlking she had been disgusted by the idea. But, she had never dreamed that her refusal to consider Griogal's romantic overtures would result in the death of her only child.

The Erlking had reviewed the evidence against Griogal and found it more than sufficient. No one called the Wild Hunt lightly because, if the evidence didn’t support the charge or the offense was not great enough to warrant a punishment by the Hunt, the one whose blood had summoned them would be punished instead. The Erlking was the sole judge, jury, and sometimes executioner when the Hunt was called. Even more so than the US Supreme Court, the Erlking decided which calls to heed and his judgment was final. No appeal was possible.

In this case, the Erlking had heard Aeronwen’s call for vengeance against Griogal and had traveled to the scene of the crime immediately. The ability to instantly appear to a caller was a power that, as far as the Erlking knew, was unique to him. It was a power he possessed only when a call for vengeance was released onto the wind with blood. He could carry any or all of the rest of the Horde with him to the initial call, but the pursuit of their prey had to proceed by other means of travel.

When the Erlking and his Horde appeared at Aeronwen’s side, she accused Griogal and was supported by two witnesses who had seen the Sidhe cast a spell of fire against Coel. The Fae were extremely hard to kill, but a magical fire was one of the few things that could accomplish the task. Especially, with a child who would not have grown into his own magical protections yet. The Erlking cast his own spell of revealing, which did indeed show that Griogal had used magic fire to murder Coel. With the charge being child-slaying and the guilt of the Sidhe proven beyond any doubt, the Erlking had immediately started the hunt for Griogal.

As any child would be, Coel had been loved within his community and the Pixies were eager for his murderer to be brought to justice. But even those who had never met Coel refused to shelter Griogal. People were rarely willing to risk the wrath of the Wild Hunt, because to interfere with the Hunt was to be magically compelled to join it. The duration of the service was entirely at the discretion of the Huntsman.

However, it was also rare that there would be any who would be willing to aid the Hunt. Under other circumstances, nothing could compel the residents of Fairie to draw the attention of the Wild Hunt except the most urgent and righteous need for vengeance. In this case, with a child-slayer as the focus of the Hunt, the Fae had not only refused to hide Griogal, they had left signs to direct the Hunt to places Griogal found to hide himself. With the act of murdering Coel, Griogal had literally left himself with nowhere to hide. The Erlking would have caught Griogal long ago, except for the fact that the Sidhe had escaped to the human world.

The human world was fraught with peril, more so now than in older times. The humans had dirtied their world to the point that the air was dangerous to breathe and the water not fit to drink. They had covered whole swaths of land with tar and metal and other artificial things so that nothing natural could grow in those places. There had always been some risk in entering the human world. Any manmade metal could poison a Fae if it broke the skin, and even touching such materials would burn some Fae. These were the reasons the Fae’s deadliest swords and spears had always been made from manmade metal, specifically manmade cold iron. But never had the human world been so dangerous as it had become in recent years, with humanity’s enormous increase in numbers and apparent determination to make their world uninhabitable.

Humans were susceptible to Fae glamour, the ability to change appearance or to become invisible, so the Erlking was concealing his Hunt while he searched for Griogal. Though, he was not sure what, if anything, would show on their recording devices. In ancient times, if the Hunt had revealed itself in the human world, the humans who saw it went mad. The appearance of some members of the Hunt was so fearsome as to make it impossible for an unshielded human mind to survive an encounter with them without breaking. The Erlking was worried about what might happen if a modern human happened to see them. Would they also go mad? Or had humanity lost too much innocence for that?

It was the recording devices that the Erlking was most worried about. If humanity saw proof of the existence of the Fae, would they try to find a way to enter Fairie? Would they succeed? Humans had worshipped the Fae at one point in history but had forgotten them in more recent times except for old stories, which were dismissed as imagination. If the humans realized that those stories were real, what would they do? The Erlking tried to set aside these concerns as questions for another day; he had a child-slayer to catch. It was a testament to Griogal’s desperation that it would even occur to him to try to flee to the human world.

Of course, those hunted by the Wild Horde were nearly always desperate. The punishments devised by the Erlking were the stuff of legend, and Griogal was not the first Fae to run to the humans to hide. It was more common in times gone by, but even in more recent times there had been some Fae who had tried to hide with the humans. The magic held by most Fae made it possible for them to hide their true natures behind glamour and, in some cases, to amass the kind of wealth recognized by humans.

In past times, some of the Fae the Erlking hunted had tried to blend in with a human community and sometimes they even succeeded for a time. In more recent times, this happened less frequently because of how polluted the human world had become. Most full-grown Fae could not die of thirst or starvation, but they could suffer from them. As dirty as the human world had become, it was almost impossible to find food or water that was not contaminated with the same manmade substances that would poison a Fae. So, trying to survive for any length of time in such an environment was not a happy prospect.

Want to read more about the most famous Hunt in history?  Grab your copy of Taken By The Huntsman at the link below and let the magic of the Fae enchant you this Halloween. Happy Reading! :-)

Taken by the Huntsman

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. This one talks about Michael Moore's take on a problem that I've remarked on multiple times. The purpose of a free press is to speak truth to power, be a voice for the voiceless, and to hold the powerful accountable. In other words, to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. I think this video makes some interesting points, but I'll let it speak for itself. So, please take a few minutes to watch it and you can make up your own mind. Peace!

Shepherd's Pie Dumpling #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is a variation on the recipe I shared with you last week. It's the same technique but slightly different ingredients and flavors. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :-)

Ingredients:
15-20 large wonton wrappers
2-3 cups vegetable or peanut oil
1 egg
2 tbsp water
1 cup butter melted
1/2 cup red wine reduced
2 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
5 large potatoes peeled and boiled
1 cup frozen green peas thawed
1 onion chopped very fine or grated
1 carrot chopped small
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped fine
4 cloves garlic minced fine or grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, mash and mix the remaining ingredients except for the oil and wonton wrappers. Make sure you mix everything thoroughly. Taste your mixture and adjust seasoning as necessary. Lay the wonton wrappers on a clean, flat surface and brush the edges with the egg wash. Put a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half (depending on the size of your wrappers) of the filling in the center of each wrapper, and then fold the wrappers over to form triangular-shaped dumplings and press the edges together to form a seal. Make sure not to over-fill your wrappers or they'll pop open when you cook them. If you want to, you can crimp the edges of your wontons with a fork, but it probably isn't necessary as long as you press the edges together firmly with the egg wash.

Put the oil in a frying pan and heat it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put your dumplings in the hot oil and fry until they are golden brown. Flip them over halfway through cooking to make sure they get brown on both sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Place the cooked dumplings on a paper-towel-lined tray to drain the excess oil and lightly sprinkle them with salt. Serve warm by themselves or with your favorite dipping sauce or gravy.

Bon appetit!

Hauntingly Good #Reads #Giveaway! $84 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new giveaway for Halloween!  Please take a moment to check out the Hauntingly Good Reads Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 54 prizes, and the grand prize is $84 cash payable through PayPal!! :-)  Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-)   Here are all the details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)