WINTER MOON

  Vampire for Hire #24

  by

  J.R. RAIN

  The World of Samantha Moon

  VAMPIRE FOR HIRE SERIES

  Moon Dance

  Vampire Moon

  American Vampire

  Moon Child

  Christmas Moon (novella)

  Vampire Dawn

  Vampire Games

  Moon Island

  Moon River

  Vampire Sun

  Moon Dragon

  Moon Shadow

  Vampire Fire

  Midnight Moon

  Moon Angel

  Vampire Sire

  Moon Master

  Dead Moon

  Lost Moon

  Vampire Destiny

  Infinite Moon

  Vampire Empress

  Moon Elder

  Wicked Moon

  Winter Moon

  Moon Blade (coming soon)

  SHORT STORY SINGLES

  Teeth: Fang’s Story

  Vampire Nights

  Vampire Blues

  Vampire Dreams

  Halloween Moon

  Vampire Gold

  Blue Moon

  Dark Side of the Moon

  Vampire Requiem

  Moon Love

  Vampire Alley

  Moon Musings

  Moon Beast

  Vampire Widow

  Moon Maze

  Silver Hammer

  When Sam Met Santa

  One Swallow

  Little Moon

  SAMANTHA MOON ADVENTURES

  Banshee Moon

  Moon Monster

  Moon Ripper

  Witch Moon

  Moon Goddess

  Moon Blaze

  Golem Moon

  Moon Maidens

  CASE FILES

  Moon Bayou

  Blood Moon

  Parallel Moon

  ORIGINS SERIES

  New Moon Rising

  Moon Mourning

  Haunted Moon

  SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

  Moon Tales

  Moon Shots

  EXTRAS

  Moon Dance Deluxe Edition

  Moon Extras

  Spin-off Series

  ALLISON LOPEZ

  The Witch and the Gentleman

  The Witch and the Englishman

  The Witch and Huntsman

  The Witch and the Wolfman

  The Witch and the Hangman

  ALEXIS SILVER

  Silver Light

  Deep Silver

  Silver Quarrel

  Silver Crucible

  J.R. Rain’s Vampire for Hire World

  STANDALONE TALES

  Vampire Apocalypse

  Fang

  Fire Warrior

  I, Samantha Moon

  Vampires She Wrote

  Dragon Lessons

  Dead Ahead

  Crystal Moon

  CHRONICLES OF THE IMMORTAL COUNCIL

  Vampire Abduction

  Vampire Exodus

  Vampire Sovereign

  Vampire Magic

  Vampire Vacation

  Vampire Reflections

  Vampire Enigma

  Vampire Spirit

  Vampire Regent

  Vampire Intuition

  VAMPIRE CRIMES SPECIAL UNIT

  Moon Hunt

  Moon Gone

  Moon Crimes

  Moon Castle

  BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE

  Burning

  Afterglow

  Radiance

  SAMANTHA MOON, GUARDIAN VAMPIRE

  Twisted Sister

  Harvest Moon

  Moonbow

  WEREWOLF FOR HIRE

  Wolf Moon

  Winter Moon

  Published by Rain Press

  Copyright © 2021 by J.R. Rain

  All rights reserved.

  Ebook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. All rights reserved.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  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

  Author’s Note

  Reading Sample: The Beast of Devil’s Creek

  Reading Sample: Broken Ice

  About J.R. Rain

  Winter Moon

  Part One: The Sword

  Chapter One

  “What do you guys know of Excalibur?” I ask.

  “The hotel in Vegas?” says Allison. “Used to dance there before they replaced us with the Thunder From Down Under.”

  At present, we’re all in my living room; that is, my three kids, Allison and Kingsley. It’s about as cozy as cozy gets, especially with all of us piled on my big u-shaped couch. We’re waiting on an Uber Eats delivery... all $312 of it. Yeah, some of us have massive appetites. We’re supposed to be deciding on a movie to watch, but Tammy, Anthony, and Kingsley were working their phones. Only Allie and Paxton were actively discussing what movie we should all watch. Until they skimmed past a movie called ‘King Arthur,’ which reminded me of a conversation I had earlier today.

  Sebastian, an ancient, badass vampire who had been training me in the ways of the sword, called my cell phone. That the old vampire seemed completely unaccustomed to using such a device was evident, as I could barely hear him, all while he shouted on his end. You’d never believe either of us had super hearing. Anyway, he wanted to know if I had planned to resume my lessons. I told him I no longer had the sword. He laughed at that and said he had plenty for me to use. I asked if any were magical, and he said, unfortunately, no. But a sword was a sword.

  Which wasn’t quite true. The Devil Killer was particularly adept at killing the hard-to-kill... and making sure they stayed dead. Case in point... the Devil himself.

  The thing is, I’d gotten pretty darn proficient with the sword. Having the Devil Killer at hand always gave me peace of mind, too. I only got rid of the damn thing because it was a beacon for all things slithery and evil. You’d think demons would run from something called the Devil Killer. Instead, they actively tried to kill me, ambushing me at home. I couldn’t have that. Not with Paxton living with us now.

  Stupid demons.

  So, yeah... I had an idea. Maybe having another sword was my answer. But would just any sword do? Probably not. I often fight some pretty nasty things in this world—and other worlds, too. A weird thing to say, since I think of myself as a mom first... and monster slayer a distant fourth or fifth. But hey, these were the cards I was dealt.

  The sword would probably need to be supernaturally strong... and maybe even magical, somehow. The only such sword I knew of was Excalibur—and that might not even be real. I’m pretty sure it had been returned to the Lady of the Lake after King Arthur’s death. Then again, my only source of information was a Disney cartoon.

  Which got me thinking... and got me Googling.

  “What do you mean, danced there?” asks Anthony, lowering his phone, suddenly highly intrigued by the conversation. It’s no secret he has a crush on Allison. It’s kind of sweet, actually, and Allison has been really good about not leading him on, or wearing anything too provocative around him. The truth of the matter is, she used to be a go-go dancer in Vegas, with side trips into stripping and showgirl dancing.

  “Um, just danced at a few night clubs there. No biggie,” she says, looking at me and making the smallest ‘my bad’ expression.

  Anthony’s eyeballs darn near pop out of his head. I could only imagine what’s going on in my teenage boy’s imagination.

  “Not the Excalibur hotel,” I snap. “I’m talking about the sword.”

  “Like, King Arthur’s sword?” asks Tammy.

  “Yeah, that one.”

  Indeed, I’d spent some time researching the sword today. And what I read, I liked. Though shrouded in legend and folklore, and generally believed to be a tall tale, the stories of King Arthur and his Noble Knights had all the hallmarks of being much more than a story. First of all, whether real or not hardly mattered anymore. Many people the world over believed the stories to be true, though there wasn’t a lot of documented evidence to his existence. The stories of King Arthur and his famous sword had long since reached critical mass... meaning, these characters would have long since emerged from the ether as surely as the Devil or vampires. A collective belief is all that’s needed. In fact, I have little doubt that Merlin really is trapped in a tree or cave somewhere in Britain (the stories differ... and there might even be two versions of him at this point, or more).

  Following that logic, Excalibur really could be in a lake somewhere... just waiting to be found. Perhaps even by yours truly.

  “What
about it?” asks Kingsley, lowering his phone, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

  “Wait. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” asks Allison.

  “She’s saying it,” says Tammy, nodding, and looking for all the world like she’d just read my mind, which I know she hadn’t.

  “I’m not saying anything yet.”

  “But you’re thinking it,” says Kingsley. “And that’s what worries me.”

  Anthony sits forward. “Just as long as she’s thinking we can all go.”

  “No one’s going anywhere,” I say. “I’m just wondering... actually I’m not sure what I’m wondering.”

  Allison rests her hand on mine. “You’re wondering if we think it’s a good idea for you to look for a magical sword that may or may not exist, to replace the magical sword you used to have, because, let’s face it, you were pretty damn good with that sword, especially after all that training you had. And, if I’m correct, you miss having such a handy weapon at the ready. And you chose Excalibur because your knowledge of magical swords is scant, and it’s the first one that came to mind. And once you started researching it—and by researching, I mean read Wikipedia—you got it in your head that you, unlike every other treasure hunter on this planet, could possibly find it. Mostly, you want to know if we think you’re crazy and, by proxy, crazy enough to help you look. The answer is yes to both questions.”

  I make a snorting noise. “You couldn’t be more off.”

  “Oh?” she says, smiling knowingly. She is, after all, also a psychic with a highly attuned sixth sense. In fact, her late night radio show is #1 in Southern California. Heck, I even saw a billboard for it on my way home from the office today.

  “I didn’t read just Wikipedia. I read some blogs and stuff too.”

  “My mistake she says,” she says, winking.

  “Okay, Allie is kinda sorta right. I miss my sword. It was damn handy. And I got pretty darn good with it. It made me feel protected, like I had an edge. Literally.”

  “Then let’s buy you a sword—a nice one too,” says Kingsley. He’s dragging his feet for good reason. He definitely knows he’s getting roped into this. “We can probably get a good one online—”

  “Online? Really?” says Allison. “Sam needs something magical, powerful. You see the things she fights. How’s a homemade sword from Etsy going to hold up against the next demon attack?”

  “I was thinking more like Amazon,” says Kingsley, sulking. “Fine. When are we leaving?”

  “Will there be more demon attacks?” asks Paxton, squeezing between me and Kingsley. Definitely a safe place to be.

  “No, sweetie,” I say, hugging her tight. Paxton had been, after all, the object of the last demon attack. She’d spotted them first through her bedroom window. Ugh, poor thing. “Allison was just making a point. A very poor point, which lacked serious judgment, considering who was within earshot.”

  “Sorry, Pax,” she says, coming over and kneeling down. She takes the girl’s hand. “It was a bad example. Your mother has taken steps to ensure your safety here.”

  The twelve-year-old girl nods. “It’s ironic. She gave up a powerful weapon that could kill demons... just so the demons would stop attacking us.”

  “It is ironic,” says Allison.

  “I think the demons are stupid,” she says, though I can just hear the undercurrent of fear in her voice. “But I also think mom needs another weapon to feel safe... and to keep us all safe. I’ve seen her use it. She is crazy good with a sword. And she needs the most magical sword she can find. If Excalibur is real and out there, she should look for it.”

  I hug her tighter and make my decision.

  Boy, do I.

  Chapter Two

  Dozmary Pool, Bodmin Moor

  Cornwall, England

  Cool wind hits us. So do lake smells: algae, moss, maybe a hint of dead fish.

  With Kingsley and Allison each holding my hand, I open my eyes to stunning beauty all around. It’s morning here, being nearly nine hours in the future. It’s also the next day. The upper orb of the sun is just making its way over the distant trees and verdant hills.

  Welcome to England. No passport needed—at least, not in our case.

  Teleportation is a beautiful thing, I think, and smile.

  According to the many legends and stories, Dozmary Pool is the likely home of the Lady of the Lake—and, by extension, Excalibur. There are, of course, five other lakes that lay claim to this very same thing. But this site has weight to it... and sightings over the years.

  Sightings of what? Well, that’s where things get interesting. A phantom is often reported drifting along the shoreline. Instances of a dark shape seen under the surface of the water itself. Some have claimed that anchors have snagged on invisible rocks—rocks that don’t appear on any sonar readings. Still others report sounds emanating from deep within the lake... everything from groaning, clanging, to singing.

  The other notable lakes didn’t have nearly as much paranormal activity. And, in my world, paranormal activity is the gateway drug to something more going on.

  Who the Lady of the Lake was is open to interpretation and argument. I counted the names of no less than seven mystics, witches, mortal women, and water sprites in the many retellings of the Arthurian tales. With each new story, another Lady is introduced. Well, after some discussion with the gang at home, we came to the conclusion that the Lady of the Lake had to be a water sprite; after all, who but a water sprite could make a home in a lake?

  If so, water sprites are damn near immortal. Not quite as long as vampires, but longer than shifters. Water sprites are also considered fae creatures. Elves and fairies are also considered fae creatures. Same with dwarves and gnomes.

  So, how did a creature who lived in a lake become part of the Arthurian legend? And why, per many of the stories, did she keep the sword safe all these years? The image of her hand rising up from the lake and catching the sword is sort of an iconic one. But why her? Why this lake?

  Good questions.

  King Arthur, in fact, did not return the sword to her. No, he’d been fatally wounded in battle and, upon his instruction before succumbing to death, a fellow knight returned the sword to the Lady. But why her?

  Well, as it turned out, she gave it to him to begin with. Yes, he had pulled the original version of Excalibur out of the stone as a youth. But that sword had been destroyed in battle. This was version 2.0, as created by the Lady of the Lake and her coven of witches in Avalon. That’s right, the water sprite was also a powerful witch... and apparently she didn’t just live in the lake.

  It is this sword—this newer and much more powerful version of Excalibur—that had been returned to the Lady. Why? For her safekeeping. Safekeeping for what? Well, the return of King Arthur himself. According to legend, the famous king would return to rebuild Camelot and usher in peace on earth. Since I’m pretty sure Arthur hasn’t returned, I’m pretty sure the sword is still out there. The question was... would the lady let me borrow it? I guess we’ll see.

  Oh, and another fun tidbit: according to many of the legends, the lady lived in a castle under the lake. Yeah, I’m kinda hoping that legend is true.

  Chapter Three

  The morning sun reflects off a surprisingly small lake.

  Okay, now I get why they call it Dozmary Pool. Then again, I doubted the ancient name for this small body of water referred to what many in middle-class America sported in their backyards. No, Dozmary Pool wasn’t that small, but as far as lakes go, it wasn’t much. At any rate, it shouldn’t be terribly hard to thoroughly inspect. I say as much to the others.

  “And just how do you plan on inspecting it, Sam?” asks Kingsley.

  “Her wings, I’m thinking,” says Allison, jumping in and flapping her arms. “You know, fly over the surface.”

  “Her eyes are good, but not that good.” Kingsley walks to the water’s edge, peering down. “No one could see more than a few feet into that. Not even her... nor me for that matter.”

  “Can she fly underwater?”

  “Dunno.”

  I raise a hand. “Do I get a vote?”

  Except they’re not listening to me. “What about that second-sight thing she has? You know, the one where she sort of projects herself outward in all directions, seeing through walls and such.”