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  Cover Copy

  In a post-virus New World, authentic humans are a hot commodity. And The Society rules.

  Neeman has tried everything to overcome the pain of both heartbreak and being forcibly turned into a vampyr. When he meets the headstrong Selene in a nightclub, she could be the change he needs. Her beautiful human-like features stand out among the vamps, and he has no choice but to bring her back to his Tracking Squad’s compound before she gets herself killed.

  Charged with stopping a demon invasion, Selene has been sent back to the Earth Realm by the Fae. But en route, she loses the talisman that can keep her darker nature, and her impulses, under control. With Vampires now ruling Earth there are more vices than ever to distract her from her mission. Especially Neeman, whose hard body and piercing gaze awakens a primal desire within her. He’s the only one who can protect her from The Society, and from even darker forces on the horizon…but he can’t protect her from himself.

  Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

  Books by Rebekah R. Ganiere

  The Society Series

  Reign of Vampires

  Rise of the Fae

  Vengeance of the Demons

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  Rise of the Fae

  A The Society Novel

  Rebekah R. Ganiere

  LYRICAL PRESS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  Copyright

  Lyrical Press books are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2015 by Rebekah R. Ganiere

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund- raising, and educational or institutional use.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

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  119 West 40th Street

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  Attn. Special Sales Department. Phone: 1-800-221-2647.

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

  First Electronic Edition: November 2015

  eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-661-2

  eISBN-10: 1-61650-661-X

  First Print Edition: November 2015

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-662-9

  ISBN-10: 1-61650-662-8

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedication

  For those who always said I could.

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you to my editor, Paige Christian, Renee Rocco and Lyrical Press for all the love and support.

  Chapter 1

  Selene stared into the luminescent void, her breathing short, eyes watering from the glow. The surface rippled with light and darkness swirling together, waiting to swallow her whole. Her heartbeat fluttered like a hummingbird’s wings at the sight. It’d been over two decades since she’d seen one. How long had this one been here without her noticing?

  She glanced around the glade. The sickly sweet scents of the blossoms sitting next to the cherished altar made her stomach churn. Her blood still stained the massive alabaster stone she’d spent weeks tied to, despite her being ordered to scrub it till it shone.

  Hushed footsteps swished behind her. The Council of Elders had chosen her for this mission, but not because they liked her, let alone trusted her. No, they chose her because there was no one else who could do what they were asking.

  “Selene. Are you ready my child?” Her mother’s hand fell like a feather upon her shoulder. Her smooth voice floated over Selene’s neck, making her body tingle. Her mother had never sounded so passive and distant when they’d lived on the Earth realm.

  Selene nodded mutely, her eyes never leaving the portal, not daring to give away her desire to race through the rift and disappear. Afraid that if she blinked she would find it had all been another test and they wouldn’t really let her go.

  “We’re all counting on you, Selene. This is your chance to prove to everyone whose side you’re on. To avenge what has been done and return honor to me, as well as give you what you’ve always wanted. A place to belong.”

  Her mother brushed the hair from Selene’s shoulder with thin, light fingers.

  Selene balled her fists in an effort not to swat them away.

  “Don’t let your feelings for Maelstrom get in the way of your mission. And don’t be distracted by the pleasures of that hedonistic place. It’s different now. Worse. The temptations are greater than ever now that the Vampires rule.”

  Selene’s throat dried like it had been scrubbed with sandpaper. She tried to conjure enough saliva to swallow. Ever since she’d left the Earth realm she’d been trying to fit in, trying to prove herself to everyone, while secretly praying for a way back. Excitement and terror clenched her gut and made her palms sweat.

  “I won’t succumb.” Was that too much glee in her voice? She turned her gaze from her means of escape to her mother’s beautiful face. Selene donned the placid expression that the High Elder had beaten into her and lowered her eyes in the most demure of fashions. “I will do my best, mother.”

  “Be well, my daughter, and bring me honor.” Her mother pushed something into her palm. “There’s one of us on the other side. He’ll be your contact. When you’ve gotten close enough and you’re ready for us to prepare the trap, he’ll contact us.”

  “Move already!”

  Selene’s body lurched and she took a step forward. Her eyes darted around to see if anyone had noticed, but their heads remained bowed and their eyes on their feet.

  Selene ran her fingers over the smooth amulet around her neck. Her heart tightened and her skin tingled as she stepped up to the portal. The hairs rose on her arms as the surface snapped with electricity. The desire to rush into the portal toward freedom caused her limbs to shake. Holding back was a torture almost worse than the ones that had scarred her skin. She needed to be careful, patient. “Don’t blow it.”

  “And remember, my daughter, to wear your amulet always. It will keep you grounded.”

  Selene nodded, but the lilt of her mother’s voice was almost unbearable. She could hold back no longer. Smiling, she sucked in her last gulp of air, and pressed her body into the portal.

  The surface sucked her in like quicksand. Every molecule of her body shredded apart. She spun in a vortex, every piece of her moving faster than light, pulling to and fro whirling, twisting, churning. She wanted to scream, but had no voice. Propelled forward by the magick of the rift, Selene fought to stay conscious. Nausea and vertigo mixed in her separate pieces like a tornado through her atoms. To get anywhere close to Chicago, America she had to focus her thoughts on something she remembered. She pictured Mason, tall and strong, the set of his jaw, the flex of his arms, his laugh, his smile, his rage. Every part of him came into clear, crisp focus.

  Pressure built on her form, squeezing and reshaping her. Every part of her slammed together and she fell. Head over ankles she spun until she landed with a thud. Her skull struck solid ground. She sucked in a shallow br
eath. The smell of decay and grease filled her. The scent was familiar, though she’d been away so long. Memories surfaced of the last time she’d been in the earthly realm.

  She rolled on her stomach and retched. Her body trembled with exhaustion. Nausea rolled through her, making her heave again. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and smiled.

  She’d made it. She was free. Free of her mother, free of the elders, free of the boredom.

  The sounds of rock music played in the distance. Her eyes strained to adjust to the dimming light. Her eyelids spasmed and her eyes teared as a flash of light struck her. Selene rolled away. The sharp pain in her knees and the gravel and pebbles grinding into her arms told her she was naked. Not to mention the breeze on her bare—

  “Hey! Are you okay?” a man called to the right.

  Selene turned her head and tried to focus. A blurry figure moved closer.

  “Hey.” Heavy, cool fingers landed on her shoulder. “What happened? Are you okay? You’re naked.”

  Someone wrapped a warm piece of clothing around her. The blurriness faded as she blinked over and over.

  “Where’s your master? Who did this to you?” asked the gray-skinned man.

  Selene got to her feet shakily and pushed her arms through a faded red flannel shirt. The man put his arm out to steady her and she got a good look at where she’d ended up. She stood on a city sidewalk. Boarded up businesses scattered the road. Down the block, a customer walked out of a flashy convenience store.

  Selene’s gaze lit on the older man who stood next to her. His face held a soft quality, and wrinkles cut the corners of his eyes. His skin was a bluish gray color and his hair was white like salt. “You’re…You’re a vamp.”

  He chuckled. “Yup. Haven’t been a human like you in almost twenty years now.”

  She’d not seen any of the humans who had been mutated by the V2000 virus before her mom had forced her to run to the fae realm. It amazed her how different from Vampires and vampyr they were. Vamps looked more like undead from old movies and books than any pure-blooded Vampire or turned vampyr she’d ever seen.

  Her stomach roiled and her knees shook as the aftereffects of portal travel struck her. Her head lightened and she gripped the old man by his dirty undershirt. She needed to keep it together, needed to focus.

  “Where am I?”

  His brows furrowed. “You’re in the Middle American Territory.”

  Selene’s temples throbbed and she tried to remember where she was trying to go.

  “Chicago?” She gulped in air.

  “Yes, Chicago.”

  She’d made it. She planted a hard kiss on the old vamp and then backed up, taking in her home city. She was back. Laughing, she spun in a circle. She was free.

  She reached for her amulet, and gasped. It was gone. Like everything else. Including the coin her mother had given her to help identify her contact on this side.

  The coin she didn’t care about. She had no intention of contacting her mother or those like her ever again. But the amulet... She spun in a circle scanning the ground. No, no, no! She needed it. Panic lit within her.

  “Dammit.”

  “Are you all right, miss? Can I help you get somewhere?” The old man’s face held concern.

  Selene scanned the area and memories rushed back to her. “I’m looking for Mael—Mason.”

  “Is he your master?”

  Selene stiffened. “My master? Of course not. Why would he be my master?” How could this man possibly think someone like her would have a master?

  The old vamp looked Selene over. “Well, you’re human, so…”

  Selene nodded, understanding. Her mother had told her all remaining humans were now slaves to the Vampires and no longer free.

  “Come on girl. Let me get you somewhere safe where they can figure out what to do with you.”

  “Find Maelstrom.”

  Selene’s head whipped up and she grabbed the old man’s wrist. “Do you know Mason?”

  The old vamp’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  Her heart sank. “So you don’t know him then.”

  “The only Mason I know of is the new mate of Lord Danika—”

  “Yes, that’s him.” Selene gripped him tighter. She needed to get to Mason.

  “You…you don’t just go to see Lord Danika. But if you’ll come with me I can make a couple of calls…”

  “Take his money,” said a commanding, familiar voice.

  Selene shook her head to rid herself of the voice.

  “Give me your money.”

  The old man stepped back. Selene glanced around and spotted an alley a few yards away. Quick as light, she grabbed the man around the neck and covered his mouth. She dragged him, struggling, into the alley.

  “Sopor,” she whispered into his ear. The vamp went unconscious. Selene laid him on the ground, rifled through his pockets, and found his wallet.

  She’d made it through the rift, which was the toughest part. From here on out should be easy. All she needed was to get some clothing and a ride. She was back and when her mother’s people came to cleanse Earth, Mason would wipe them away with his powers.

  Selene buttoned up the flannel shirt, raced out of the alley and down the street. Passing the prying eyes of the vamps, she ran toward the address programmed in her head.

  More than once, a vamp called out to her and told her to stop. Twice, a vamp chased her, but she outmaneuvered them easily. Running at top speed, she tried not to linger on the depression cloaking Chicago like a death shroud.

  It was strange being back. The destruction the Vampires had wreaked on the human world was astronomical. Stores boarded up. Whole blocks dark and desolate. Not that she could blame the Vampires solely. The humans were to blame as well.

  She wondered if they’d ever figured out who had unleashed the V2000 virus that had mutated the majority of the human population into the vampire subspecies of vamps. Inwardly she was glad the virus hadn’t worked as it had been designed. If it had worked, and had turned the Vampires and vampyr into daywalkers, so they could walk in the sun, who knew what Earth would look like now.

  After twenty minutes of running, Selene reached her destination. She rounded a deserted corner and the faded yet familiar awning came into view. Her chest tightened and she choked out a sob. Glancing around, she darted across the street to the front door. She pulled on it, but the door didn’t budge. A padlock and chain bound it closed.

  She laid her palm on the padlock.

  “Recludo.”

  The padlock clicked open. She yanked both it and the chain off and stepped through the door. The smell of stale air tickled her nose. She set her hand on the frosted glass of the entrance.

  “Securus.”

  The door locked and Selene turned, surveying the lobby. Silence enveloped her. The cream, dust-covered, plush chairs waited in the same place she remembered them. The guard’s desk sat vacant and unsecured. Her feet peppered the marble floor in silent steps. The elevator doors still gleamed and she caught a glimpse of herself, disheveled and dirty. She depressed the button and the elevator opened, to her surprise.

  Outside, a large vehicle pulled up to the building and stopped. She stepped into the elevator as two tall men in black fatigues approached the building.

  Her heart thundered as the men yanked on the outer doors. The lock spell held, and the elevator closed too slowly. She willed it to go faster.

  The bell rang and she sprinted from the elevator, rushed to the end of the hall, and spelled the apartment door so it would open.

  Once inside, she moved to the window and peeled back the curtain. The sun had set, but the sky wasn’t completely murky yet.

  Down below, the two men spoke and pointed. Eventually they shrugged and drove away.

  Selene blew out a breath, dropped the chain and lock to the floor, and plopped onto the soft, red sectional sofa.

 
Home sweet home.

  Chapter 2

  The music from inside Club Midnight pounded against Neeman’s SUV as he pulled up to the curb. The vamp valet rushed to Neeman’s door, but he stepped out before the valet could open it.

  “Evening, Mr. Colter.” The valet bowed.

  “It’s Neeman. Just Neeman.”

  The valet bowed again. “Good evening, Neeman.”

  Neeman sighed. “Stop bowing. I’m not one of the three kings. I’m a soldier.”

  “Soldiers deserve the highest respect,” said the valet. “You’re the ones who keep us safe.”

  Neeman stared at the young vamp for a minute. He was used to people fearing him, not worshiping him. Finally, he nodded and the valet hopped into the SUV.

  The line to get in wrapped around the outer wall of the building. Vamps and vampyr had been lined up for hours. A young female vampyr eyed Neeman and smiled, thrusting out her chest. Neeman chewed the gum in his mouth once before swallowing it and heading for the entrance. Why did women feel the need to throw their bodies around to get what they wanted?

  Riley hopped from the vehicle. “You want me to call the others and tell them where we are?”

  “Why? It’s none of their business what I do.”

  Riley was a good Vampire, but he hadn’t been with the Tracking Squad more than a year. His father and mother were lesser Vampires and had nothing to offer him except a place in their technology company, so he’d asked to join the Squad. Neeman assumed it was to better his position within the Vampire society.

  The stoic Vampire bouncer who guarded the door didn’t even glance at Neeman before unlatching the rope and opening the door. “Enjoy.”