Revenge Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

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  Social Media

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Revenge

  City of Kaus, #1

  First Edition © 2021 FoxTales Press

  Edits by Victory Editing

  Cover Art Copyright © 2021 Mona Finden

  Cover Format Copyright © 2021 by Biserka Designs

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN for Paperback: 978-1-956495-02-7

  ISBN for Hardcover: 978-1-956495-01-0

  “You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts.”

  —Uncle Iroh

  CHAPTER ONE

  ELLIE

  It didn’t used to be this way.

  I tapped my smoke on the ashtray, exhaling the herb-filled vapor. It was a delightful blend of local plants and made to order at the bar. This establishment seemed to have it all—smokes; drinks, both alcoholic and not; games; food; gambling. It was all here, meaning everyone in town occupied the small establishment at all hours of the day.

  Thank goodness all I could smell was my herbal smoke and the alcohol on my friend Zach’s breath. I had a feeling the room smelled of sweat and wet fur.

  “How many girly martinis are you going to drink tonight?” I raised an eyebrow and flashed him a grin.

  Zach stared at me—his shimmering gold eyes unamused as he downed the rest of the fruity martini through his tiny straw. Why he always used them instead of drinking from the side of the glass, I did not understand. Perhaps it was so he’d feel he was pacing himself. Even if we both knew that was a lie.

  Setting the glass down, Zach pulled loose strands of red hair back into his bun. “I’ll have you know these drinks taste a lot better than that straight alcohol you always drink.”

  I sighed. “It’s not straight alcohol. It’s called whiskey.”

  “Tastes nasty is what it is.”

  I smiled a little. “Anyway, I should cut you off there. That’s your third one, and our contact isn’t even here yet.”

  “There isn’t much alcohol in these. At least, I taste none.”

  “Yeah, I have noticed you don’t. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any in it. We have gone over this. You’re a year older than me—you should know better.”

  He let out a breath of defeat. “Oh yeah, a whole whopping year. But fine, I won’t have another until the guy gets here. What’s he look like again?”

  “He’s a human, and honestly, I’m not sure we can trust him. But he’s the only lead we’ve gotten so far.”

  Glancing out at the crowded area, I noted all the beings that were having a good time. On the planet, there were a total of five different races, six if one counted Pleiadeans separate from humans. There were the Lyrans, who all appeared like a mix of a human and a wild cat. I spotted at least a dozen different groups that had Lyrans in here, and our bartender was one as well. That made sense since we were in the Lyran Zone. Then there were Sirians. There weren’t too many of those here—merfolk, who could change from being fishlike to human in a matter of seconds. Typically, the Lyrans and Sirians didn’t get along, just like cats and fish, but never say that to their face. They don’t appreciate that. Then there were Silurians, who were lizard-like and cold-blooded, both physically and emotionally. There were a few in here as well, and I did my best not to make eye contact with any of them.

  Then, of course, there were the humans, which is what my kind appeared like as well, at least for the most part. I glanced around and found quite a few as humans liked to travel and settle among the different zones and then create half species, or half humans. Typical humans.

  I sighed as I glanced around some more, seeing if I could spot my own race.

  As if that were going to happen.

  This was the new norm, I supposed. There weren’t many of us Kausians left—shape-shifters who almost all had been destroyed in the attack three years ago. The other races didn’t like us as we could turn into any creature or race we wanted. The only way to tell we were Kausians was with our shimmering gold eyes. Each zone used propaganda against our race, making it illegal for us to shift, and eventually we were attacked. The problem was, our zone was heavily armored and shielded. Someone had to have given them the codes and told them how to get in. I fiddled with the wooden ring that hung from my neck.

  And that person was my ex, Cornelius Adams.

  Zach brought me back to the present. “Not too many humans in these parts though, so he might know something. Surprised he didn’t want to meet in the Quarter.”

  That was fair. Humans typically stayed in the Quarter, which was across town. It was where all the humans usually stayed. Then the beach was just on the other side of the city and was full of shelters for the Sirians to live in. It had been so long since I’d gone out in the water for a swim.

  Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself what happened the last time I jumped in water and how the Sirians tried to kill me for entering their area. They also didn’t appreciate the fact I could turn into one of them. Live and learn, I supposed. At the time, I was only thirteen, so one would think they would be a little less aggressive about it.

  I thumbed my 5Z742 revolver, which was named “Crazy Jack”. It made me feel a bit safer when around all these distinct races.

  “Well, well, what do we have here?” I heard a crackly voice to my right say.

  I turned to find three Silurian men. They wore dark, scaly leather made of the large lizard creatures called Dracons they either used for meat, clothing, or rode instead of horses since horses couldn’t hold up their weight. Only the Silurians could tame them, which I had a feeling had to do with the fact they appeared similar.

  The larger of the three Silurians was the one to talk. He was more than likely their leader since they always went by who was largest. His eyes were almost at the side of his head, like a snake I
wanted to shoot before it bit me. But in this crowd, I couldn’t do that.

  I gripped my gun, but kept it in my holster. “We aren’t doing anything wrong, just enjoying some drinks. Go make trouble elsewhere.” I turned and tried to ignore them.

  One Silurian grabbed my shoulder and turned me back around. I wondered if there would be a day where I could go to a bar without getting harassed. That prospect was looking bleak.

  “Don’t you dare ignore me, you Kausian scum.” His tongue slithered in his mouth, leaving me disgusted. There was nothing pretty about Silurians. Why couldn’t I ever get yelled at by something handsome?

  Zach stood up. “Hey, leave her alone.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I wasn’t going to forget about you.” The Silurian nodded for the other two to stand near Zach.

  Glancing around, I noticed that most eyes were on us now, and it didn’t look like anyone was going to help. Typical. No one wanted to get involved if there were Silurians.

  “We have a client we are waiting for, so unless you have business with us, meaning you will pay for our bounty-hunting services…” I flashed my gun at the Silurian. “… then it’s best you leave us alone.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “I’m only mirroring whatever your intent is, kind sir.”

  The Silurian hissed, glancing around me as if looking for some kind of weakness. If he ever ran into the few Kausians who were left, my gut told me they usually backed down or groveled at his feet by now. I, however, was not one to grovel.

  I could see his long clawed hand reaching toward his leather belt, more than likely where he stored a weapon. Without a second thought, I pulled out my gun and shot him straight in the chest. I heard his two friends let out a screeching hiss. Pivoting, I shot the other two.

  And then all hell broke loose.

  For the record, I didn’t use my actual bullets but some tranks. The lizards were only asleep—not dead. Bullets—as in real bullets that could kill—screamed across the air now, raining down everywhere. I swear, anytime a fight broke out, everyone wanted to join.

  Especially if it meant hurting a Kausian.

  Both Zach and I jumped to the other side of the bar. This wasn’t the first time we had been in this situation, and we knew exactly what to do.

  I checked my gun as I glanced over at him. “How many rounds of tranks do you have?”

  Tranks were accessible by most. Real bullets were more difficult to come by, especially for Kausians. Don’t get me wrong. We had some, but we weren’t going to use them for something like this.

  He checked his gun, which was the same model as mine but was named “Lucky Susan”. “Enough.”

  I nodded and turned to the barkeep, an enormous Lyran man. He appeared like a lion with a large mane that was pretty well groomed for working at an establishment like this. He was reaching for the weapon that hung behind the bar—a large shotgun that would do a lot of damage. Barkeepers could protect their establishments—no questions asked. Had that rule been abused to do bad things? Many times. But the rules hadn’t changed—most never changed in this world.

  This would not end well. We had to stop it before it got out of hand—well, more out of hand—and before it was all blamed on us.

  I held out three fingers, two, then one.

  Zach and I stood up and unloaded each of our guns with the tranks. We were used to this mess and had excellent aim. The tranks were immediate, and I watched as creature after creature fell to the ground. As my gun ran out of tranks, I knelt back down and reloaded. Peering over at the barkeep, I saw the horror on his face as he lifted the shotgun.

  I shot him in the chest and turned back around to help Zach. The barkeep hadn’t realized we just had tranks and thought we had just killed all these men. When they all woke up, they would realize what had happened.

  And we would be long gone.

  The last Lyran dropped to the ground asleep, and I took a deep breath. I didn’t feel comfortable putting my gun away just yet and kept an eye out for any movement. After a couple of moments, I jumped over the bar with Zach right behind me.

  I surveyed the room. It didn’t appear too many people had gotten injured by those with the real bullets that had been flying through the air. Most had taken cover and were hit by our tranks before they could get out of there. We saved most of them by knocking them all out, but no one would see it that way.

  I grabbed my smoke and left a few coins on the counter. I would not dine and dash.

  “Uh, what happened here?” a voice said from the entrance.

  Both Zach and I aimed our guns straight at the man.

  He threw up his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m not going to shoot!”

  We slowly lowered our weapons.

  “Are you Elvira Ryder and Zachariah Richards?”

  I gave him a once-over. He was human. Same in appearance as us Kausians except he didn’t have glowing yellow eyes—that is, when we hadn’t transformed. “Are you the informant?”

  “Indeed I am. The name is Byron Hill.” He glanced around. “Come with me. Let’s go somewhere that’s a bit more… lively.”

  “Most aren’t dead, just stunned.”

  “Well, you will be dead if they wake and you’re still here. I have a hideout in the Quarter. You won’t be disturbed there.” Mr. Blondie turned and led us out of the bar.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ELLIE

  Now that I wasn’t afraid of being killed for the moment, I took another look at Byron. He was a lot more clean-cut than I imagined our informant to be and older, at least in his forties. He was a medium height, with blond hair and blue eyes. I wondered if he was a human or part of the Pleiadeans. Since he was in this establishment, I had a feeling he was one of the former. They also wore strange outfits, and he was wearing a typical suit—gray with some lavender accents.

  I’d expected someone a little rougher around the edges, although looks could be deceiving. At first glance, I just looked like some older teen who likes leather boots, button-up shirts, and my hat, but really I was a bounty hunter—a successful one too. It was how I could pay for information on the whereabouts of Cornelius Adams—the man who destroyed everything we had ever had.

  Zach, on the other hand, well, he was a superb shot; I’d give him that. But he appeared exactly how he acted. The two of us already stood out with our golden eyes, but he stood out even more with his ginger hair. Very few Kausians had that color hair, and those were ones who mingled with humans. Zach had told me he was half human when we were young, and I didn’t really care. That never stopped other kids from picking on him, not to mention adults as well. I didn’t understand how they could be mean to him as he was the biggest sweetheart I’d ever known.

  “When we get to the Quarter, do you mind keeping your hats down a bit lower? I don’t want to be seen with Kausians. You do understand, don’t you?”

  “We do,” I answered as I pulled the brim of my hat down. I could still see the surrounding area and the few that were out as the two suns began to set. It was about fifty-fifty for whether Lyrans were more active in the night than during the day. It seemed that since many of the other zones interacted with them, they were no longer a nocturnal race. It was interesting how other cultures could change depending on their surroundings and relationships, but Kausians were never given that chance.

  The Quarter was the name of any human district of the zones outside the Human Zone. Even Kaus had a Quarter in their city as humans were the only race that would interact with us. I always believed it was because we were most like them, minus the shape-shifting ability. I felt bad for the ones who’d lost their lives in the attack.

  We came upon the Quarter, and different smokes and liquor fumes permeated the air, strong enough to cover up the smell of the ocean that filled the city. Men and women in ragged clothing sat on the corners, asking for money and performing tricks or playing some kind of instrument. That was one half of this area—the other half were rich men and women
in fine suits and dresses who snubbed those who were either down on their luck or had been born into poverty. It was like this no matter which zone, but it seemed to me that it was only humans that had this big of a divide between the upper and lower class. Perhaps that was why humans always intermingled with other species—hoping for a better life.

  It was never the case, however.

  I watched as a man glanced around and pulled a wad of cash to hand to another gentleman. The man took it and guided the first man into the dark alleyway. Yes, this was definitely where the humans dwelled. Nothing legal ever happened behind those closed doors—or open doors, for that matter—and I felt a little safer since no security officer wanted to come to this area.

  As we made our way through the Quarter, I noticed there were fewer people meandering on the street, and the buildings were a lot cleaner and well kept. Before long, we were coming across small mansions with front yards and gates.

  This intel was going to cost us a pretty penny. I made sure Byron wasn’t looking when I gave Zach a raise of an eyebrow. He gave me an equally perplexed eyebrow gesture. We didn’t expect our information to come from someone as prestigious as this. It raised a few questions in my mind, but I decided not to ask them out loud.

  We made it in front of one manor that had a large lawn of yarrow and statues of some humans—maybe his relatives or something. There were also a few fountains, which I found to be a waste of water, although I was from the desert and water scarcity wasn’t as big an issue in the Lyran Zone. Summer flowers bloomed of every color one could think of and were cut and maintained very delicately.

  We stepped inside, and it appeared exactly as I envisioned in my mind. Marble made up the flooring, and the walls were covered in a fancy red with wood that met it halfway up from the floor. Paintings that I imagined cost a fortune decorated the entry.

  A human butler with dark hair and a tall stature came and helped us out of our coats and placed our hats on the coat hanger. I was capable of doing such things myself, but apparently Byron couldn’t.