Fury of a Queen — Chapter One

This is a repost of the first chapter of Fury of a Queen. Originally posted on my website (here) and the Dark Moon Dynasty Universe (here) around October 2020 when I released the book.

I was going to do a repost of a blog, but saw this and thought it would be a fun repost since I normally don’t repost these first chapters.

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Listen to the audio, instead of reading. Posted Fridays. Subscribe to the audio experience on Spotify or YouTube

“My Queen, there’s something at Inferno you need to see. Sooner, rather than later.”

“Bradon, give me a good reason for rushing down there,” Kat sighed. “You were supposed to have a night out. Away from me.”

She’d assumed Bradon and the others were going out for time on their own. Now here he was calling her and asking her to come down. Not long before the phone call, she got an odd feeling which unsettled her. A presence in the city that felt wrong, off. She’d been hoping to investigate, but Bradon rang and interrupted her thoughts.

“Kat, get to Inferno. Right now.”

She bristled and a growl slipped up. “You’re not Julian, don’t you dare try to order — ”

Her soon-to-be not immediate guard cut her off, “Feel anything weird tonight? You’ll find your answer here, Your Highness.”

Then the bastard hung up. He actually hung up on her. Weird feeling? How’d he know she felt weird? Sure, they were intimately bonded, but only Julian understood what she’d been feeling as of late. The feeling came from someone in the city. Someone new. Pissed off to no end, but curiosity got the better of her.

Kat checked Julian’s office, only to find him gone. She swore he’d just been here.

Great.

With a shake of her head, she snagged a piece of paper from his desk, jotted down where she was going. She left it on his desk, then left the mansion. Usually she avoided having someone drive her as she preferred walking, but for a change she used the on-call driver Julian hired to take her wherever she wanted to go. The moment she left the confines of the house, her skin prickled and came to life, her vision clarified. She stared off into the night beyond, taking in the main city beyond their hill.

It was a person. Human? No. Not entirely. Kat couldn’t see as far as Inferno, but she didn’t need to. That feeling of off and an other-worldly presence triggered her in ways she couldn’t explain. Getting inside the car dampened the sensation ever so, but as they approached Inferno it grew. A warmth gradually built that made her skin crawl.

Kat attempted to sense anything beyond the vehicle, but she couldn’t press too far. After the last fight, Cara hadn’t just remodeled [the club, Inferno] to keep fights from destroying the place. She’d enabled wards around the entire building to ensure the safety of those inside. Namely the occasional one in government offices who wanted to do their King wrong. Julian found working with humans and other races was better for all. Most agreed with his viewpoint. They’d learned working with him meant peace among all, not just vampire and human.

That didn’t mean on occasion a “bad egg” didn’t pop up who held ill intent and wanted to “out” them on social media and the rest of the world. Social media was part of a huge reason her beautiful hard-working King had begun twice the work as previous and worked with far more than just Awakened. The King and Queen ensured all were safe. Kat took on her duties and took them as seriously as Julian did.

She tried to keep on top of the social media aspects as much as Julian and tried to have her own meetings with the local government, as well as more. At the end of the day however, Julian was far better at being fair and meeting with people. They hired others to deal with social media. It was in Julian to be on the move all the time. Not as much for her. So most tended to come seeking her help, seeking her advice, and the role of mother was the one she took on with ease. Her door was always open to anyone who needed an ear, anyone who needed advice, anyone who simply needed her.

Julian’s was the traveler businessman role, the father to all. He went to meet with government officials, he went to meet with other leaders. He was constantly on the go, training in his gym, training the Runsasi Guard. She absolutely loved him for it too and often snuck in to watch him train or would have her own training time. It was still very easy to distract him, and when the King was home, she made it clear, it was Kat’s time and nobody else’s. Well, mostly. Julian couldn’t stop working if he tried.

“Just pull up in front,” Kat instructed the driver.

All Cara told Julian and Kat about the wards around the club was that they were to ensure safety of the patrons, nothing more. Julian trusted her so Kat let it go, but she didn’t like it. It was strange that Cara suddenly wanted to “ward” the club. It happened shortly after Julian destroyed the pairing between her and Sean. It was a little too coincidental with the timing. After all the many fights Cara dealt with inside the club, it sort of made sense, but still. It unsettled Kat. Did she feel she needed another level of protection? What happened between her and Sean?

When the vehicle stopped outside the club, the driver got out and opened her door. Kat turned to him, “wait here.”

He shut the door behind her, then got back behind the wheel. Being human, the chill of the night would get to him so he couldn’t wait outside. Since he wasn’t a guard, there was no reason to have him follow her around.

Kat strode down the stairs and into Inferno without a second glance to the people waiting to the side. None of them fussed when they saw her. The bouncer let her through the rope keeping all back. Dressed in her deep red dress, she earned a few wolf whistles from the men. Their dates didn’t appreciate it and made it too clear. Kat grabbed the fabric of her dress and hitched it up so her shoes didn’t catch and trip her down the stairs.

Descending the stairs, she slammed to a stop outside the door. An overwhelming sense of strength, fear, and . . . something more struck her in the gut. Grief poured through her. Tears welled. Kat turned her face to the side. Her skin prickled, her eyes burned, and her teeth began to elongate. The instant before her hand touched the door handle, it slammed open in front of her with barely an inch of space to clear.

Bradon’s smugness infuriated her. She snarled. “Get out of my way.”

She shoved past him and into the club, then stopped at the bottom of the stairs inside the doorway. In the same instant, her gaze burned brighter and drifted straight up to the window. A scent clung to the air, dispersing throughout the club, becoming so bare nobody but Kat would know that scent.

Except for the man nowhere to be found.

Dammit Julian, get here. Find her.

She was gone. Kat sensed it. The scent was drifting throughout the entire club. An essence on the wind, growing weaker.

In a blink, Kat was inside Cara’s office. “Where is she?” her voice deepened on the last word until it came out as a solid rumble. The window shivered in its pane.

Cara stepped back. She solemnly shook her head. “Gone.”

“Why was she here?” Kat ground out.

“My Queen — ”

Kat cut her off, “Cara I swear to God you tell me or I’ll — ”

Cara raised her palms to ward her off. “Please . . . allow me to explain.”

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*Fury of a Queen* is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, stories, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 Kim Iverson

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This story is the 1st in the 4th and final series, in my *Dark Moon Dynasty Universe world. The [Eternal Souls Universe](https://darkmoondynastyuniverse.wordpress.com/eternal-souls-universe-series/)* series. This series features all of the characters and branches of the world, collecting for a final go. The book is available at all retailers.

Now, if you’re not familiar with this world, I wanted to give a little information on it, but also go into something that I notice now that I could’ve done better.

What is that?

Please note that what follows could contain spoilers. If you don’t like that sort of thing, stop here.

Well, if you notice in one of those passages, I added “the club, Inferno” in brackets. I did it so that one, it was clear I was adding it because one doesn’t tend to include stuff like that in a book. Two, I would read it for the audio. Three, it needed it.

When writing a series or world, it’s important to ensure new readers to that book, series, or world, have the right information going in. It doesn’t mean bog people down with details they already know if they’re a current and returning reader. But new readers need a slight orientation into what they’re getting into.

So in truth, I could’ve done that passage better. That’s purely on me, not anyone else.

I do mention Inferno, Cara’s club and safe zone for all, in that beginning to bring it in. However, a new reader doesn’t necessarily know anything about Inferno. There’s no, hey this club is a safe space for all vampire clans, and even humans if they dare. This club can be a restaurant. A gathering space. Only few are allowed in, not all. Hence later on by the comment about the line of people waiting, and Kat just passing them by.

But even that part. A reader may look at it and wonder how that’s important. Kat walking past them so confidently. Kat gaining wolf whistles. Why is it important? If an author includes it? It’s important. At least, if the author knows what they’re doing.

I do. I did. There is a story behind every action, and the actions and reactions of others around. That’s conveying the fact that now Kat isn’t a human approaching the club, she’s not concerned, she’s not unaware of where she is going. She isn’t this fearful new vampire afraid to go in. She isn’t trying to run off. She’s not going to stand in line.

Kat gets out of the car, and walks straight in, ignoring the men hitting on her. Because she’s used to that behavior. Because she attracts it. She shows she belongs at that club. No reaction to the behaviors show that she’s not just used to it, but because she is now with Julian, it doesn’t affect her, and she won’t disrespect her mate, either.

And further, if you know Kat, and know the world, she has this aura that she doesn’t always entirely contain, which does draw in attention. Notice the way her men treat her. Granted, Bradon is also conveying so much in this scene. We see he has the audacity to command her the way nobody else would dare. Even hangs up on her as a Queen.

He shows his arrogance, his attitude, his confidence in knowing he can get away with that behavior with her. He can. Bradon was this smug ass arrogant man who she ended up awakening under her, and there was a connection with him that few gained with her, or from her. Not a connection of having been with her, but just a mutual respect almost. I won’t say why, but they do have their moments, which contribute to all of that.

And finally, in this passage we get a glimpse of a female that Kat picks up on. A female Cara just had a meeting with. We see Kat has had a connection. We see there’s something very important happening there. But who is she? Who would cause such a reaction out of the Queen, when we have established, she isn’t going to just react to anyone?

For those again, not familiar with this world, the last book in the 3rd series, which is *Dynasty of Moirae*, my Lycaen branch, and Kylarra’s series, we see who is in that club with Cara.

Kylarra.

Because in the very final book, and Chapter 5 is this passage at the end of it that I will read you. Again, this is from the book, *Birth of a Princess* by Kimberly Sue Iverson — me! — and Chapter 5 -

Whatever was scaring the living crap out of Cara was close. The blood rushed through Kylarra’s ears, drowning out all other sounds until something else sunk in.

A steady thrump . . . thrump . . . thrump.

The breath caught in Ky’s lungs. Her head slowly turned to face behind her. At the nondescript wall behind her.

Fingers of ice tap tap tapped up her spine to her head. Her scalp tingled.

Without thought to what she did, Kylarra’s eyes drifted shut and she swayed on her feet. In the scent drifted into her nose, a familiar one, one that tickled something inside of her.

Tendrils of darkness slid around the side of the club one by one.

Not penetrating the walls of the club, but pressing into the wall behind Kylarra.

Seeking, searching, finding.

When her eyes snapped open, something began to happen. Deep inside, a darkness bloomed like the night she spent with Sloan. Ancient claws scrambling for purchase within her, digging at her flesh until fire peeled the layers apart from inside, one by one . . . one by one.

“Kylarra!” Cara snapped a breath in front of Ky’s face.

“What?” Reality slammed home and Kylarra squeaked in a breath, disoriented. Another presence pressed around her entire soul. There were two, warring. One was inviting, the other cold and alien.

“Dammit, child.” Clawed fingers sunk into Kylarra’s arms, the nails sinking into her flesh and suddenly she was there in the room with Cara. Facing her. Getting pissed off at her for hurting her. She yelped and went to move away, but Cara’s eyes brightened, held her, tightened with the power of a centuries old being aware of powers Kylarra couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“Go home, Kylarra,” Cara pleaded. Pointed sharp cat like teeth protruded from beneath Cara’s upper lip, but it was the tone that held Kylarra. She listened to the gentle, comforting, motherly tone. “Please. Focus on this. Us. Right now. You need to go home. Okay?”

Kylarra’s bottom lip trembled and her eyes watered. “What’s happening to me?” she whispered, truly afraid.

At once Cara calmed and her entire body eased. Her hands drifted away from Kylarra’s arms. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.” The fear left and the very old vampire in her came forth. Cold, deadly, too calm. “The next time I say it, Kylarra, I won’t ask.”

Gathering her point loud and clear that it was time to go no matter what, Kylarra’s shoulders fell, her head lowered. Closing her eyes, she nodded. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Then left the club, headed away from the sensation that grew stronger when she was outside. It was as if something was sensing the air. Kylarra could almost see it when she entered the alleyway. She stepped back and back, slowly, then skittered away, fleeing from the presence that came. The grip reaching, grasping.

From whatever frightened the hell out of Cara.

That is the passage in that book, that leads into the First Chapter above, of *Fury of a Queen, in the [Eternal Souls Universe](https://darkmoondynastyuniverse.wordpress.com/eternal-souls-universe-series/) series. The 4th series in the world of [Dark Moon Dynasty Universe](https://darkmoondynastyuniverse.wordpress.com/)* world.

More to come. Thank you for reading and subscribing. I know how valuable your time is so it means so much that you’re here, and I’m beyond grateful you chose to spend this time with me. What are your thoughts? Engage with me and start a conversation, just don’t be rude about it.

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Remember apparition weavers. Everyone is fighting battles inside nobody can see. Who are you willing to see today? And who are you willing to let see you today? ❤️