The Keeper of Time: A Wolf Shifter Romance (Moonlight Among Monsters Book 3) E-Book

Mac Flynn

• Herausgeber: Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Adi is up to her eyeballs in gods and monsters, but more shadows linger in the world of the paranormal than even she can imagine.

One of those shadows is a bright light of beauty that comes beseeching her for her help. A dark shade is searching for the Keeper of Time, an ancient god of legend rumored to be the downfall of Atlantis, and the beautiful goddess pleads with her to find the Keeper before the darkness does.

The few clues in their possession lead Eric and Adi from the dingy world of sewer rats to the circles of high-society cool cats. Their heels are dogged by more than just the shadow of the wolf god that protects them, but by two gods intent on destroying that which they protect, the World Tree. With time against them and them being outnumbered, the pair must rely on their wits and each other to find the Keeper before evil does, even if it means one of them is sacrificed in the process.

Leseprobe

THE KEEPER OF TIME

MOONLIGHT AMONG MONSTERS BOOK 3

MAC FLYNN

Copyright © 2022 by M. Flynn

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Continue the adventure

Other series by M. Flynn

1

Dreams are a window into the soul.

They’re also a good way for a god to intrude on my wonderful fantasies, most of which included a certain handsome cursed werewolf guy.

This particular dream had us seated on a nice blanket with a picnic basket close at hand. Eric sat close beside me with his hand atop mine as the sun shone down on us. I wore a sun bonnet and flowered dress, and he was handsomely attired in a white polo shirt and matching shorts. He looked like an angel, and when he smiled at me, I could believe he was one.

He leaned close to me and lowered his voice to a sultry whisper. “You look beautiful.”

I couldn’t help but blush, especially as he gave my hand a squeeze. “Flatterer.”

He grinned. “The truth is easy to speak, especially when we have all the time in the world to say it.”

“Can we stay here all day?” I pleaded as I closed my eyes and reveled in the feel of the warm sun on my skin.

I didn’t receive a reply, so I opened my eyes. Eric was no longer looking at me, and his smile had vanished. He had lifted his gaze to the sky, and I followed suit. My breath caught in my throat as I watched a thundercloud gather on the horizon and speed toward us like an oncoming train.

Eric’s hand slipped off mine as he stood and took a few steps forward. His back was to me now, but his words reached me like a knife in the heart. “Something’s coming.”

My pulse quickened as I scrambled to my feet. “What is it? What’s-” The moment the word came out of my mouth the scene changed.

The shadows of the clouds sped across the ground like an unstoppable blob and swallowed everything in its path. The darkness reached us and plunged us into a chilly air that reminded me of the cold anguish that the clung to graveyards. A harsh, freezing wind followed the shadows and swept over us, bringing with it dead leaves and promises of winter.

I shut my eyes against the debris, and when I opened them, I found Eric had vanished. Panic overtook me as I took a step forward. “Eric? Eric!” Each time I spoke my voice sounded more desperate, more frightened. “ERIC!”

He will not come.

The voice came from behind me, and yet at the same time from everywhere around me. I spun around to find myself staring at the tall figure of Vanar. His yellow eyes stared up at the dark sky, and I detected a tension in his voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I took a step toward the imposing shadow, feeling some solace in his presence. “Vanar, what’s happening?”

Those keen eyes examined the black skies as the clouds tumbled over each other. Echoes of thunder rumbled in the distance. Something is being hunted. There is the scent of fear in the air.

My word came out in a squeak. “Me?”

He shook his head. Not you. Another has come.

I blinked at him. “What’s coming-” I froze as the darkness behind him began to swirl about the edge of the woods.

The shadows mingled with what little light remained in my gray world and took upon themselves a soft blue color, like the sky after a gentle rain. The blue formed itself into a beautiful woman, so lithe of figure that she moved with the grace of a dancer. She wore a silken dress with many folds that nearly reached to the ground, and the long hooped sleeves draped over her slender arms. Her long white hair cascaded over her shoulders and brushed against her waist.

The woman’s gray eyes were the color of starlight on a misty night, and they had a look that warned me that no lies could be told to her that she wouldn’t know the truth.

Vanar turned around and those sharp yellow eyes softened just slightly. My mouth almost hit the ground as he crossed one arm over his chest and swept into a low bow. My lady.

A faint smile slipped onto her lips, and her voice rang out as Vanar’s, more in my mind than in my ears. It has been a long time, Kismet.

He lifted his eyes to her, and they showed worry. What has brought you here to the dreams of my Fang?

Those haunting gray eyes settled on me, and I felt as though I was falling into a strangely soothing abyss. I come to she who stands on the precipice of time and eternity in order to beg for her help, and yours.

Vanar frowned. What could vex one such as you?

Her face filled with sorrow, and she closed her eyes. My child who was lost to me has been rediscovered, and I fear that if released his powers will be used to destroy the tapestry of music.

There was a flash of anger in Vanar’s eyes that I’d never seen before. Who has found him?

The woman opened her eyes and stretched out her palm to us. A small piece of parchment lay in her hand. This is all the help I can give to you. She blew a soft breath and the slip of paper floated over to us.

Vanar caught the paper between two clawed fingers and unfolded the note. His eyes narrowed before he closed his claws around the note and looked up at the pleading woman. You and I both know what this entails.

She nodded. I do, but I beg you, find my child and release him from his captivity. Even as she spoke the words her form began to fade, as did the rest of the dream around us. It was like a dark curtain was descending on the world as her words echoed in the darkness. For my sake, save my son.

My eyes flew open. A gasp escaped me as I shot up in bed. My trembling body was covered in cold sweat, and my heart beat loudly against my chest as I swept my eyes over the room. The walls were bare, and boxes were stacked against the wall opposite the bed. Moving day was almost here.

What wasn’t here was that strange woman and her sorrowful words. I pressed my hand against my chest to sooth my heart and smiled. It was all just a dream.

It was not a dream.

I whipped my head toward the wall to the left of my bed. Vanar’s shadow loomed up the wall and his piercing yellow eyes frowned back at me. And we now have much more to do to stop the destruction of the world.

2

And that’s how I found myself driving my beat-up car in the middle of the night to Eric’s house. The vehicle was crammed with my stuff, and to that was added my own mess of thoughts. I replayed the scene of my ‘dream’ over and over again, and the same question kept popping up: how did my life get so weird?

And how did I get stuck with such an annoying co-pilot?

Are you not able to move this ‘vehicle’ along at a faster pace?

I glared at the shadow that occupied the passenger seat, or as much as he could fill. A bunch of boxes obscured most of the door, but Vanar merely draped his shadow form across them. “If I go any faster then the police will want to know why I let a talking shadow talk me into going double the speed limit.”

The trip may have been quicker as the crow flies.

I snorted. “I’m not a crow, and I wouldn’t look good in feathers, anyway. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

Vanar seemed to process that bit of information with a healthy dose of disgust before he stared ahead. Eric is awaiting you.

I cast a quick raised eyebrow at him. “How much did you tell him?”

Enough that he worries for you and desires that you increase your speed.

My face drooped as I returned my attention to the road. I couldn’t help but press my foot a little harder on the gas. “Well, tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can, and to have a cup of cocoa ready for me.” I leaned forward and peered up at the cloudy sky. “It looks like rain.”

I should have become a weatherman.

The rain started slow and reluctant, but as I reached the turn onto Eric’s driveway the real weather came down on me. A torrent of water flowed from the sky and dropped itself onto my windshield. The ancient wipers on my ancient car couldn’t keep up, and I found myself forcing the car to drive a little slower so I could see across the distance the weak headlights illuminated for me.

“This is really heavy,” I muttered, more to myself than the shade at my side.

Vanar’s bright yellow eyes glowed in the eerie darkness as he swept them over the dark, shadowed woods. There is something amiss here.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Please tell me it’s just the boxes jostling you around.”

He turned his face to the right and narrowed his eyes. Stop the vehicle.

My lower jaw hit the floorboard. I wished I’d cleaned it in advance. “What? Why? You just told me we were-” I felt the familiar, and very uncomfortable, sensation of his taking control of my mind.

My foot moved of its own accord and slammed on the brakes. I got a good check of the quality of my seatbelt as I was jerked forward, unharmed but for the mark across my front. Everything in the car tumbled to the front. I was pelted by a few tiny boxes and some larger ones slammed into the back of my seat. The whole mess tumbled for a little while after the stop, and then there was silence.

Well, except for my groan. I lifted one hand and rubbed the sore spot on the back of my head where a particularly pointy box had struck me. My pain was slightly soothed, but not my ire.

I whipped my head to Vanar. “What the hell-” The damn shadow dog had vanished.

A growl escaped my lips as I grabbed ahold of the steering wheel and stared ahead. That’s when my heart stopped.

A monster of a man stood in the middle of the road between my headlights. He wore a heavy black trench coat that brushed the tops of his thick-soled black boots. The top of the coat was unbuttoned, revealing a heavy black turtleneck sweater. His hands were in his pockets and his head was slightly bowed. The rain dripped off his short brown hair and the heavy strands partially covered his face. Still, I could see that the flesh was of a sickly grayish quality with patches of black that looked grotesque, even from that distance.

The man lifted his head just enough to reveal his eyes. They gleamed in the headlights like hazy white balls, and my breath caught in my throat as I beheld a look of malevolence.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I tightly gripped the steering wheel. “V-Vanar? W-who the hell is that?”

The only response I received was deadly silence. The man drew his left hand out of his pocket, and the light from the headlights glistened off the smooth metal of a pistol. My blood ran cold, but my reflexes were hot. I slammed my foot on the gas and the car lunged forward. The man leapt out of the way and into the brush on my left. I sped past the man, but a shot rang out and I heard something strike the side of my car. The bullet flew through my car and across my lap before it exited out the passenger door.

My car bounced down Eric’s bumpy driveway, and I didn’t try to slow down my speed until the gates loomed up in front of my headlights. I smashed my foot against the brake and the car came to a screeching halt a foot before the thick wrought-iron posts.

Jenkins stepped out from the shadows behind the gate and glared at me. He looked as wet as a fish with all the welcomeness of a rattlesnake. “What’s wanted?”

I grabbed the window bar and started rolling, but not fast enough so that when I shoved my head out my chin collided with the glass. “Open the gates!”

He frowned. “What’s the-”

I dropped back into my seat and slammed on the gas, but only for a second. The car leapt forward, clearing the short distance and bumping into the gates. The metal rattled like bones and their hinges in the stone columns shuddered.

Jenkins’ expression was one of fury and panic. “You crazy fool!” he shouted as he scampered over to the lock and opened the gate. He scrambled backward with the gates in hand.

At the first chance, I drove the car through the gates and breathed a sigh of relief as I crossed the threshold. I was safe. Well, until Jenkins got a hold of me.

The old man had closed the gates behind me and stomped over to where I’d parked the car just a few short yards from the entrance. He slammed his hands on the edge of my open window and shot hot daggers at me. “What the hell are you-”

I shoved my face into his and pointed at the hole in the door. “That’s what the hell I’m doing! I’m trying to get away from the person who did that!”

Jenkins stepped back and examined the door. A strange mix of emotions appeared on his face. There was a slight touch of fear, but a hint of annoyance and deep anger lingered at the corners of his tight mouth. He lifted his eyes to me, and I was surprised to find they were calm.

Jenkins jerked his head toward the house. “Follow me.”

He strode off without waiting for a reply. I gaped at him until he stopped a few yards away and half-turned to me. “Well? Are ya coming or not?”

“Coming!” I shouted as I furiously rolled up the window to keep the rain out and scrambled out of the car.

Jenkins hurried along at a pace I wouldn’t have thought possible for such an older gentleman, but soon we were in the entrance hall of the crowded manor house. Water dripped off me and onto the floor where I left a puddle that soon showed my shivering, damp form.

Even before our entrance Eric had appeared from the comfort of his parlor in the east wing and hurried over to me. He grasped my quivering shoulders and looked me over. “Hold on.” He disappeared a moment before coming back with two towels, one he tossed to Jenkins and another he wrapped around my shoulders. “Come in here. Both of you.”

Eric wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed me against the side of his warm body as he guided me into the parlor. The room was as crowded as the others, though with a decor that more leaned to animal heads and weapons than other parts of the house. The newest addition to the scene was the grimoire we had taken from the doomed Dr. Jones’ home. The book sat on the end table beside the high-backed chair positioned near the hearth. A fire crackled inside the brick fireplace, and I was glad for its comforting heat as he set me in his own seat.

Eric stepped back and his gaze flitted between Jenkins and me. “Now tell me what happened.”

3

I took a deep breath and recounted my trials and tribulations, even the dream. By the time I was finished Eric’s worried expression had changed to both angered and slightly surprised. He half-turned to Jenkins who stood on the other side of the hearth near the warm flames. “Did you see him?”

Jenkins shook his head. “No, sir, but the edges of the protection were a little bowed earlier this evening. I figured maybe it was the coming storm and didn’t see fit to tell ya.”

Eric pursed his lips. “That’s understandable. It seems by Adi’s dream that it wasn’t a normal storm.”

I drew the towel closer to myself and lifted an eyebrow. “You mean the storm brought me the dream?”

The reverse. Vanar’s shadowy form stretched up from the floor and stood between us and the door. The dream created the storm to bring her to you.

“But who is she, and why did she come to me?” I asked him.

Vanar lifted his chin slightly and he raised his eyes to the ceiling. She is the Mistress of Time.

I blinked at him for a moment before a snort escaped my lips. “Funny, I always imagined Time as being an old man with a long white beard.”

She has many forms and many names to many people. Gods of old may take such liberties with their appearances.

I cast a teasing look at the plain shadow before us. “Did you skip that lesson in Gods 101?”

Eric was less than amused as he frowned at the shade. “Why did she appear to Adi and not anyone else in the paranormal world?”

Vanar settled his eyes on me, and my humor fled beneath that penetrating gaze. She is between time and eternity.

I wrinkled my nose. “That’s what she said, but what does that mean?”

Eric had a troubled look as he cast his gaze to me. “It means you’re still transitioning from being a mortal to an immortal, such as we are.”

I tilted my head to one side. “You mean dying wasn’t the final exam into immortality?”

He shook his head. “It was only the entrance exam. You haven’t gained full control over your powers. Once that happens your transformation will be finished.”

“But what does that matter?” I wondered as I turned my head back to Vanar. “I’m less able to help her than Eric.”

Vanar slightly turned his snouted face away from us. I am not sure but can surmise that your status will help us find her child.

Eric frowned at him. “Who is this child she spoke about?”

The old wolf god closed his bright eyes and the edges of his body seemed to shimmer. He is the Keeper of Time.

I blinked at him. “The what?”

A dark shadow settled on Eric’s brow as he studied the old god with an attentive look. “I thought he was a legend.”

A bittersweetness tinged Vanar’s words. As am I, to many who know of the old stories. Both of us are real.

I held up my hands. “Wait a sec. You guys are losing me. What’s this guy do as the Keeper of Time?”

Eric cast one last suspicious look at Vanar before he turned to me. “He was, or so I assumed, a legendary god, the child of Father Time and oblivion. Legends state that for he forsook his duty, and the result was that time was left in disarray and Atlantis fell into the ocean, a victim of the uncontrolled tides.”

I furrowed my brow. “That’s not the Atlantis myth I know.”

A smile touched the corners of his lips. “Nor do many people. It’s known only to a few and believed by even fewer. However-” He returned his attention to Vanar and frowned, “you might be able to tell us how much truth, if any, is in that story.”

Vanar scoffed. Hardly any truth remains beyond that Atlantis sank, but not by the actions of the Keeper.

I looked between man and god. “Then who sank Atlantis and how was the Keeper involved?”

Vanar shook his head. I cannot reveal to you the long past, but there are ways to view such events if one were to find the right book.

Eric crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at him. “You mean the one with the story.”

Vanar slightly inclined his head. I do.

“You and I both know where that is.”

Yes.

“Is it absolutely necessary that we get it?”

The tome may help lead us to whoever has found the Keeper or discovered his resting spot.

I lifted an eyebrow. “His resting spot? You make it sound like he died, but can anyone kill a god?”

Vanar shook his head. No. A god can only be imprisoned.

Eric kept his irritated gaze on Vanar. “You and I both suspect that the ‘person’ in possession of the tome is probably the one who is searching for him.”

“I’m guessing you guys know where the book with the legend is, and you don’t like the owners or vice versa,” I mused as I looked between them.

Eric nodded. “And the feeling is mutual. The book is in the possession of Helen Rachen.”

My eyes widened slightly. “The famous chef? What does she have to do with us?”

She is more than she appears Vanar admitted even as his form began to sink into the shadows that danced along the carpet. He paused with half his body gone and stretched out his arm. The shadow opened his palm and revealed the slip of paper the woman had given him. This will help you find her.

A slight breeze swept the paper into its chilly grasp and the parchment danced over to us. Eric snatched it out of the air, and as he did so Vanar vanished into the shadows. He unfolded the old paper and read the contents. The shadow over his brow darkened.

I stretched my neck to try to catch a glimpse of the contents. “What does it say?”

“Just as I feared,” he admitted as he handed me the paper.

I eagerly looked over the contents, but there was merely a star-shaped design and a single word: abyss. I lifted my confused eyes to him. “What does that mean?”

“When translated from the original German, Rachen’s last name means ‘abyss,’” he revealed as he took back the paper and tucked it into his pocket.

“But what does a health guru have to do with the paranormal world?” I insisted.

Eric tilted his head slightly and met my eyes. “Do you recall our conversation some time ago when we spoke about Gandra being the serpent that’s wrapped around the world?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Helen Rachen is Hel, the goddess of the underworld and keeper of the dead.”

I stared at him for a moment before I dropped my back against the seat. A snort escaped my lips as I ran a hand through my hair. “Wow. A serpent who’s a dealer in snake oil and an undead goddess who’s a health adviser. These guys really like their irony, don’t they?”

“They’ve lived long enough that irony is one of their few amusements,” Eric agreed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “The star design, however, is something that puzzles me.”

I shrugged. “Vanar said it would help us find her, so maybe it’s a map.”

“Undoubtedly, but to what is anyone’s guess.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Why are we guessing when Vanar can just tell us where she is and what’s going on with this Keeper guy?”

Eric sighed. “The gods are… restricted in their actions. As Death mentioned during our last meeting with him, they can’t directly interfere in the affairs of mortals unless those mortals are bound to them, and even then, they have limitations.”

“One of which being that they can’t tell us what happened a long time ago?” I guessed.

He nodded. “That’s to exclude their favored from gaining the lost riches of the past to influence the present. The gods also can’t guide us to another of their kind. It keeps them safe from other gods who have personal vendettas against each other.”

I snorted. “Like us and Gandra. So now we’ve been given a treasure map and have to find where Hel is hiding herself, but how hard could it be to find a famous chef?”

A frown creased his lips. “She’s not merely a celebrity, but an ancient creature who’s had many aliases and a great deal of time to accumulate wealth and influence.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “That kind of sounds like she broke that cardinal rule of influencing mortals.”

“Rachen has certainly bent the rules to please her penchant for attention, but she doesn’t force anyone to follow her cooking guidelines,” he pointed out before he returned his attention to his neglected but now dry guardsman. “Now what about the hunter?”

4

Mention of the word piqued my attention, and I sat up slightly.

Jenkins frowned. “I didn’t see him at all, sir, but by this lady’s description I’d say it was Quade. There’s also the bullet hole. Looks like something his gun could do.”

Eric pursed his lips. “I agree with you, but I can’t think of why he would bother to be here, and the timing is suspect.”

Jenkins jerked his head toward the windows that looked out on the front lawn. The rain pelted the glass, and a slight gust of wind rattled the panes. “Do you want me to see if I can track him?”

Eric smiled and shook his head. “Even my nose couldn’t find him in this weather, rotten though he is, which may be why he was around at this time. Just inspect the perimeters to make sure all the trail cameras are working and check the footage to see if they captured anything.” Jenkins nodded and hurried out of the room.