Hope had been born with the gift of sight that she used to protect the little ones she had taken in. It also meant that the Heliokillers couldn’t hide from her by disguising themselves as humans. She saw the monsters of her childhood nightmares for what they really were, her enemy, and Hope would kill as many of them as she could.
She’d learned early on to blend in with her surroundings, including hiding her scent. After destroying each Heliokiller, Hope removed their sweat glands, or whatever organ it was that produced their hideous smell. With experimentation, she’d created a concoction that masked her smell. That enabled her to get close enough to kill the creatures without them even knowing she was near. It also allowed her to move around more freely when running low on supplies.
She didn’t use guns because the noise would draw others to her. Her choice of weapon, was the xiphos, a weapon used by her ancestors, the ancient Greeks. This lightweight, double-edged, leaf-shaped blade was perfect for slashing through their leathery skin.
Hope had pinned the massive bundle of her platinum-blonde hair to the top of her head both to provide camouflage and to keep it out of the way. It also gave her more cushion between her head and the helmet she wore that covered her face.
Three more feet and she would have another kill under her belt. She stopped when the thing twirled and faced the direction she was in, but its attention wasn’t on her. Something new and dangerous to them stood before it—something Hope had never seen on Earth. Four strange creatures circled the Heliokiller. Hope couldn’t believe what she saw. One of the monsters that had destroyed her world actually looked terrified as it hissed and watched every move the four creatures made.
But what really shocked her was that Hope’s bear wasn’t worried about new creatures. Oh, the Mama bear watched, considering not less than two miles were the children she called hers. The new animals had hair like that of a big cat, but they stood tall like a bear on its hind legs. They had to be close to six feet in height, and their red, purple and black pelts showed that they were not from this world. Their eyes seemed to glow yellow, and a strange liquid dripped from their fangs.
As Hope studied the creatures, she wasn’t ready for their coordinated attack and jerked a little backward from her hiding spot. On the one hand, she was lucky the sole Heliokiller didn’t see her and inform his friends about her, but that was where her luck ran out. The tallest new creature had seen her. Its attention was drawn away from the Heliokiller for only a few seconds, but that was enough to warn her to slowly back away from the scene as the four strange beings devoured the monster.
After running for a good mile away from her home to make sure those things didn’t follow her, Hope made her way back to the caves. As she approached, Hope shifted into her bear and sniffed around, but still she didn’t scent anything as she moved to the cave’s entrance, looking at the valley below. Her head moved back and forth as she fought her terror, hoping those new creatures hadn’t found her new home.
At the age of 23, Hope had lived a hard life, but she was determined to make a good life for the little ones behind her. Two years earlier she had found the three orphans huddled together and made them hers.
They were running out of food and she had been detoured by the Heliokillers. She could go into the woods and hunt, but the children couldn’t. Hope stiffened, but relaxed, smelling one of the children she had adopted.
“Mama Hope,” Sasha, her human child, called to her, coming up next to her bear and running her tiny fingers through her fur.
Hope’s bones cracked and her fur disappeared as she knelt in front of the four-year-old fully clothed. “You shouldn’t be out here,” Hope said, picking up the girl and throwing her in the air. She smiled when the child giggled. Hope caught her and made her way to the back of the den. “Now, what do you need?”
“Mandy told me to come get you. Baron is sick.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was nasty.” For a four-year-old, Sasha was one of the smartest little people Hope had ever met. She was already learning her numbers and could write.
Coming around the bend, Hope pushed open the homemade door and frowned. “Baron, did you eat something bad?” She placed Sasha on the couch next to Mandy, who sat on the other side of the couch bed to be close to Baron.
She knelt close to where he was curled up and felt his forehead. “Yep, you have a fever. Into bed with you. I’ll grab some medicine on my trip into town.” She helped him up and walked with him to the side of the cave where his bed was. “You can watch TV if you want. I’ll grab more batteries too, but make sure to drink plenty of water till I get back.” She kissed the top of his head and tucked the blanket around him.
“I should be watching the girls,” he mumbled.
“They’ll be fine and you can see them fine from here. I’m going to shut the door when I leave. I don’t want any of you near the front of the cave while I’m gone, okay?”
He nodded and grabbed on to her arm before she could leave.
“Please be careful.” Though he tried to keep from crying, his eyes filled with tears. At the age of eight and the oldest child, Baron tried to be helpful.
“I’m not going anywhere. You three are stuck with me for good. Now, stay covered up and drink your water.” She tousled his hair. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
After giving Mandy instructions to keep everyone inside, Hope slipped out of the room and closed the boulder door. Each child knew where the emergency exit was in case they needed it.
As soon as she stepped out of the cave, Hope knew she had visitors. “Fuck,” she whispered as the four creatures she’d seen earlier stood there staring at her.
About the Author
Trinity Blacio is the #1 Amazon bestselling romance writer of such paranormal erotic romance series as Running in Fear and Masters of the Cats, as well as a number of dark fantasy, erotic romance, erotic horror and ménage titles. She is a PAN member of the Ohio chapter of Romance Writers of America and is the bestselling author of a paranormal stepbrothers series that made her an All Romance eBooks and Siren bestselling author.
Coming from a split family, Trinity Blacio has lived in Minnesota, California, Michigan and Florida, but eventually settled in the state where she was born—Ohio. She has an associate’s degree in psychology and social work from Lorain County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cleveland State University.
You will find her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. She loves to talk with all her fans.
Other Riverdale Avenue Titles by Trinity Blacio
The Running in Fear Series
Searching for the Perfect Mate: Remi’s Story
Prequel to The Running in Fear Series
Escaped: Book One of the Running in Fear Series
Abandoned: Book Two of the Running in Fear Series
Coming Home: Book Three of the Running in Fear Series
Cupid’s Venom: Book Four of the Running in Fear Series
Dragon’s Den: Book Five in the Running in Fear Series
Ghost Warriors: Book Six in The Running in Fear Series
New Beginnings Jubilee: Book Seven in the Running in Fear Series
After Hours on Bourbon Street: Book Eight in the Running in Fear Series
• • •
The Stepbrothers Series
Her Stepbrothers’ Demands
Her Stepbrothers are Aliens
Her Stepbrothers are Demons
Her Stepbrothers are Blood Suckers
Her Stepbrothers are Dragons
Book Five of The Masters of the Cats Series
Her Stepbrothers are Werewolves
• • •
The Virgin Witch and the Vampire King
The Virgin Witch and the Vampire King
Book One: Wedding Bells Times Four
The Virgin Witch and the Vampire King
Book Two: Training a Wife
• • •
Masters of
the Cats: Collaring the Saber-Tooth, Book One
Masters of the Cats: Dee’s Hard Limits, Book Two
Masters of the Cats: Caging the Bengal Tiger, Book Three
A Christmas Tail: Book Four of the Masters of the Cats Series
• • •
Surrender Your Independence
Red Satin Lips: Book One of The Surrender Series
• • •
The Naughty Angel and Her Three Very Wise men
Book One in The Naughty Series
Naughty Mommy and Santa’s Helpers
Book Two of the Naughty Series
Book Three of The Naughty Series
• • •
Jeanne-Claude and Eugene’s Magic Lamp
Books One: I Dream of Jinns
Hot for Winter: A Christmas Ménage
Hot for Xmas
Embracing the Winds
Stoned Love
Her Three Men
Possession of the Soul: Book One of The Fantasy is Alive Series
My Sugar Daddy: Book One in the Sugar Daddies Series
Secrets Unwrapped: Book Two in the Sugar Daddies Series
I Left My Heart in Sin City
The Empress’ Rapture
Three in a Bed
A Collection of Ménage Novellas by Joy Daniels, Louisa Bacio and Trinity Blacio