Chapter 1 of Trembling Wings

I'm so incredibly happy with how the fourth book has turned out. The fourth book in the Galoria Hunter series finally has a name as it nears completion. Trembling Wings. This is the first book to pretty much tell me what its title should be. I had Blood Red Roses in my head before I even started the book. Nephilim was kind of self-explanatory. Willing Destruction was a bit more abstract but it still sometimes confuses me and I have to remind myself why I called it that.

Trembling Wings is my favorite so far.

In anticipation of the completion of the fourth book in the Galoria Hunter series, here's CHAPTER 1.

Autumn. One of the most treasured times for supes. The colors of Fall are crisp and solid. The air is clean and fresh. Humans think of Spring as the season of growth, but for the supernatural community Autumn is the time of year when we all flourish. You see, the other three seasons cater more to specific elements.

Winter is great for those who fall on the water side of the element chart, but it hinders those on the fire side, like myself. Spring is more for the nurturing earth elementals. Summer is for the free-spirited air and wind elementals and it isn't so bad for us hot-head fire elementals either. We all have times when we have more power than others, but no matter the element or particular prowess, we all strive during Autumn.

My son, Hannibal, the first Autumn Lord in a thousand years, had outdone himself this year. As Autumn Lord, he is solely in charge of making Summer transition into the next season. He's sort of like Tinkerbell and her friends, except he's a 6'1" man. Well, he was born in 2007 so he's not technically a "man" yet.

I could have watched the dead brown leaves flying around the parking lot forever, but I could feel something. Something was coming. The lamp next to me brightened to the point where I had to turn away and shield my eyes. I dropped to the floor, hands over my head and neck as it exploded in a shower of glass that fell around me. I surprisingly managed to avoid getting any sharp edges stuck into my skin.

“Sarah.” I tentatively looked up at where the voice had come from. Castiel's blue eyes were filled with something close to regret as he stared at me. He knelt down and put one hand on my back.

“Did you really need to make that much of an entrance?” I asked, frowning up at him.

“I'm sorry, Sarah, but I've been using too much power today.” I frowned as I stood up and dusted myself off. “I've been looking for a blasphemer that needs to be found as soon as possible.”

“What did this blasphemer do? Did he use Dean's name in vain?” I asked teasingly.

“He's murdering young girls and desecrating their corpses.”

I stared at him and just said, “Oh.”

“I need Dante's help.”

“Dante? Why would you need his help to find someone?”

“Because he knows he can't find anyone better than me.” I rolled my eyes at the sound of the Shade's voice. “Isn't that right, Cas?”

“My name is Castiel, Shade, and I simply need you to find this person and inform Sarah when you do.” I frowned at him again. “When he finds him, you will get the abomination to come here, and then get the police to come.”

“You want me to hand a guy who gets his jollies off by hurting little girls over to the cops? Cas, you can't be serious. Come on, the guys haven't had anything to play with for weeks.”

“No, Sarah. You can't tell anyone of this.”

“If they don't get something to use to get out all of this pent up emotion, they're going to go after you-know-who.”

It was his turn to frown. “This one goes to the police. They will have to go after Nevin because I will not supply them with anything.” With that he was gone.

“What a party pooper,” Dante jested. I sighed, but it was more exhaustion than annoyance. “How are you doing?”

“I'm fine,” I replied sharply.

“As evil as I'm supposed to be, I don't like it when you're not happy. You, my sweet girl, are not happy.”

“I'm completely content,” I mumbled, turning around to look out the window. “And stop calling me that.”

Dante chuckled lightly and said, “Maybe you should go be with Auvo for a while. He seems to make you happy.”

"How do you know what makes me happy and what doesn't?”

“Sarah, I've been watching you since you were born. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Sampsa Auvo makes you happy. He made you happy when you were little and he makes you happy now. You don't think about anything else while you're with him. That's what you need right now.”

“You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?”

“You never got the chance to be selfish and to think of yourself first. Here's your chance, sweetie. You want Sampsa, but are afraid of how everyone else will deal with it. You also have no time to focus on what you want because you're too busy worrying about the Abassy and Sampsa will do a very good job of taking your mind of everything. You should be with him. Lose yourself in him for while.”

“Why don't you go do your job and stop telling me who to be with,” I snapped, but it was a lot more lighthearted than I expected.

“My job is taking orders from those winged bastards,” he sighed, shaking his head. “In regards to who you should be with, my vote is for Auvo. He's the most decent, respectable man you've ever known and he'll protect you until his dying day.”

“Well, that makes me feel so much better. Knowing me and my life, he won't have to wait long.” We stood in silence until I couldn't take his staring anymore. “I know you know who he's talking about so fess up.”

“Oh, captain's orders say I can't tell you,” he said, grinning widely.

“What is he?” He lifted his eyebrows. “Of course he's human, that's why we have to hand him over. Back in the day people sought out and stoned blasphemers to death. I want to be there,” I huffed.

“I was there and I likewise would like to be back there.”

“You're not going to tell me anything, are you?”

“I, unlike most, would never keep anything from you, but I have nothing to keep from you on this one. I just know that the blasphemer is a human male. I don't even know how I'm supposed to go find someone with that little, but according to Mr. Overcoat I can find anyone.”

“Maybe you could just walk around and ask random dudes if they've blasphemed recently.”

He laughed, “That's as good a plan as any. I don't think I'm supposed to find him anyway. I think this is a rouse.”

“A rouse for what? Why would Cas send you on a wild goose chase?”

“Because those overgrown pigeons don't like the fact that you've become so fond of me,” he replied, waggling his eyebrows.

“I'm as fond of you as I am of a spider.”

“And that cryptic little diddy means what?”

“I don't like spiders, but they eat the insects I dislike more. You're helpful when you're needed and that's more than I can say for a lot of people around here.”

“I wish I couldn't agree with that, but it's true that you've been very mistreated.”

“Alright, enough of this pity-Sarah-love-fest. Go ask some men if they've sinned lately.”

He bowed at the waist and said, “As my lady commands.”

After he left, I stared out the window for a while. School had started up again, but it was already over for the day so the neighborhood kids were running around the parking lot. Their screaming was usually annoying, but for some reason it was almost soothing now. It might have been because it was the most... normal sound I'd heard in months. They were just human children, unknowing of the horrors of the world. They didn't know that the most dangerous creature in the twelve dimensions was watching them from the three-bedroom-two-and-a-half-bath apartment they were so joyously playing outside of. I hope they never know what evils this otherwise beautiful world holds. If they ever do lose that glowing innocence, they will never be able to see anything the same way again. I was naive once. And then I was Queen.

My phone started to vibrate as If I Was Your Vampire began to play from it. I grabbed it off of the plastic shelves I was using as a nightstand and when I looked at the name I was suddenly a lot less forlorn.

“I miss you,” I said after hitting the ACCEPT button.

“I miss you, too, vauva,” Sampsa replied. “How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?”

I had to smile. “I slept great, but then I woke up and I was alone. I'm not sure how I'm feeling now.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. Are the guys not there? Ian should be there. If I knew you'd be alone, I would have brought you with me.”

I caught the sound of shouting in the background. “Where are you?”

“I'm in Helsinki,” he said. I could tell that he was focused on something else though.

“Why are you in Helsinki?” He didn't answer. “Sampsa, what's wrong?”

“Vauva, please, believe me that nothing is wrong. I'm alright. We're just having some issues with Timo. It's nothing I can't handle.”

Timo Rahkamo was the guitarist of Sampsa's band, Tsavo. The band had been together longer than I'd been alive; they formed in 1990. Timo joined them in 2006, making him the newest addition. From the moment I met him, I just knew that he didn't fit in with the band.

“Are you okay?” Sampsa asked. “If you want, you can come here.”

“You sound like you're very busy and in the middle of something very important so, I will stay out of the way.”

“What's wrong, Sarah?”

“What do you mean what's wrong? Nothing's wrong.”

“I know you better than anyone and I know that you have something on your mind.” I didn't know what to say so I stayed silent. “I'll be there soon.”

“No, Sampsa,” I sighed. “Cas showed up and said that he needed Dante's help with finding someone. That's it.”

“That's it?” I pictured him closing his eyes and scratching his head through his beanie. “I don't believe you, but since you just sound distracted and not worried, I will let it go. For now.”

“Thank you. When will I be seeing your beautiful face around here again?”

He had been gone for a week and I missed him so badly. Granted we talked multiple times a day and texted back and forth, but I missed having him physically near me.

“I should be finished here tomorrow. Can you stay out of trouble until then?”

“For you, I'll be an ang-” I stopped mid-word.

“Now I know what's bothering you. Sarah, you don't need to walk on eggshells. He won't be coming after you.”

“No, he'll be coming after you and that's worse.”

“How is that worse, sweetheart? I can take care of myself.”

“And I can't?”

“I don't have an emotional connection to him and don't say you don't because as long as those women are in your head, you will always have an emotional connection to him.”

Astonishingly, I had forgotten that I had over seventy voices in my head of women and most of them, it just so happens, are completely devoted to Emmett Hunter. They had all been very silent ever since we collectively found out that Emmett – better known now as, Nevin, the King of the Abassy – used them all to get to the Nephilim – me. I was sure the next time he came into focus, I was going to get one hell of a headache.

“So you're saying since I have an emotional connection with him that I won't be able to defend myself if he attacks me?”

He sighed heavily. “He won't come after you, vauva. I'd rather he come after me anyway. I will happily do whatever I can to make sure he never gets close to you again.” Someone shouted at him. “Sarah, please, find Doyle and Ian and stay close to them. Try not to do anything brave before I get there.”

“Translation being don't do anything stupid.” He chuckled. “I love you, Sampsa.”

“I love you, too, vauva.”