Miles walked out to the top deck, feeling the wind in his hair. The storms from the previous night could be seen in the west, and another group of clouds could possibly be forming to the east. No one on the radio was coming across right now and talking, so he had no other information to make his decision on whether to go back or stay right here. Until he figured out what to do with those damned Nosferatu, or they died, he couldn’t take any freight on with them in the hold.

  “Captain O’Banion,” a voice called out from behind him. He turned from looking over the side to see a bald man in a black trench coat, his hands behind his back staring at him.

  “Aye,” he acknowledged. “I am. Who are you an—” The flashbacks to the screaming on the radio last night, the people talking about the Dark Messiah, the man in the black coat, raining lightning down on the Nosferatu. He swallowed. “I mean, yes?”

  Michael’s smile didn’t warm Miles’s heart. “That’s better, Captain O’Banion. I’m not too happy with the attempt to bring those Nosferatu into New York, be glad I don’t just drop this airship into the water below.”

  Miles made a face and turned to spit over the side, keeping his eyes on the man. “If I knew how to toss them over my side right here, I would have done it already. I didn’t hire on to this mess, I was shanghaied if you understand my meaning.” He pointed to the few people who had stuck their heads out or were watching this new man, wondering what he was saying to the Captain.

  And how the hell had he gotten on the ship?

  Michael turned his head slightly. “You’re worried about the Duke?”

  “Of course,” Miles agreed. “Anyone with half a brain worries about a vampire.” He narrowed his eyes. “Except you.”

  Michael’s smile reached his eyes. “No, I don’t,” he said. His smile disappeared.

  “But they all worry about me,” he finished.

  Michael tossed half the Nosferatu off the ship by simply commanding ten to climb out before he grabbed them and threw them over the side. He could have had them climb over the side and jump, but that wasn’t as impressive as physically grabbing a grown human being and throwing them through the air as if they weighed the same as a small rock.

  He had the Captain bring everyone out onto the deck when Michael explained what they would be doing and then explained he would be back.

  Then he disappeared.

  Unfortunately for the one loudmouth who decided it was past time to push for his idea of turning pirate, Michael hadn’t left.

  Everyone realized he hadn’t left when Michael appeared right behind the wanna-be pirate, eyes flaring red and grabbed him by the neck. “The Captain,” Michael told the man as he picked him up and walked to the side of the ship, his legs kicking futilely as he tried to break Michael’s grip on his neck, “told you no to turning pirate once already. That was sufficient.”

  The falling man’s screams after Michael tossed him off the ship reinforced the idea that the Captain was in charge. Michael disappeared once more.

  This time, no one assumed he was gone.

  Michael found his two charges in the park, arguing.

  “And I’m telling you,” her finger stabbed Mark in the chest, “that this looks good and you’ll grow into it!”

  “I look like a jock!” Mark exclaimed, a look of horror on his face.

  “Exactly!” she replied. “Hot!”

  “How does this,” his voice was heated, his hand waving up and down his body, “say hot?”

  “Listen,” Jacqueline huffed, “for now you have to imagine you packing on another ten pounds of muscle, because when you do, this is going to fill out. It won’t look like an oversized sack on you, I promise.”

  “And if you’re wrong,” he countered, “how does it get fixed?”

  “I can fix it,” she assured him.

  “Hooooowww?” Mark emphasized his question by drawing it out.

  “Needle and thread, easy-peasy,” she told him.

  Mark stared at her for a moment. “You’re going to take in these clothes?”

  “If I’m wrong?” She looked at him a second time and put out her hand. “I will!” He reached for her hand, and she jerked it back. “BUT!” she said. “If I’m right, what do I get?”

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  Jacqueline thought about it for a moment, remembering a story she read when she was young. “You have to say ‘as you wish’ for one whole day every time I ask you to do something.”

  Mark squinted at her. “No more than three times,” he countered.

  She pursed her lips. “Okay, deal,” she replied, reached out and the two shook hands.

  “Wonderful,” Michael said, and they jumped, turning to see him standing five feet away.

  The sheets were strewn all over the bed, both people gasping for air.

  BAM BAM BAM…

  The woman spoke between breaths, “Maybe they’ll go away?”

  BAM BAM BAM…

  “No,” he answered. “I recognize that banging…”

  BAM BAM BAM…

  “How can you recognize banging?” she asked, running her hand along his side. His skin reacted, bumps rising.

  BAM BAM BAM…

  “Oh fuck it,” he griped, getting up from the bed. The woman admired his ass as he walked out of the bedroom. She wondered idly if he was going to answer the door naked.

  BAM BAM BAM…

  “Go away!” he yelled. She heard another male voice yelling, but couldn’t tell what he said.

  BAM BAM BAM…

  Finally, her lover opened the door. “Ted! I said no fucking way are you getting in here, I don’t care what time it is, they can all kiss my ass, I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was a pause before he added, “Nice seeing you too, Milton.”

  SLAM!

  Janine smiled, she liked it when Ethan talked dirty.

  Captain Miles O’Banion was eyeing a fresh storm brewing on the horizon south of them. It shouldn’t come this way, but he’d normally move his ship to keep it a little further away from the turbulence. The extra air required them to run the gravitic generators more, taking a lot of battery power.

  No way was he moving at the moment, though. He didn’t trust that he and his people weren’t being tested right at that very moment. While he appreciated the support of the new owner of the ship, he didn’t want to piss him off, either.

  Certainly, not a daywalking vampire.

  Miles happened to be staring across the deck when three people appeared right in the middle, with luggage.

  It was the man in the black coat accompanied by a strong-looking young man and a very attractive brunette with dark eyes.

  They made a good looking family, he thought.

  He nodded to the man and turned around. He walked into the ship’s bridge and picked up the radio mic. “Attention New York Air Control. This is the DMS ArchAngel, we are leaving your zone, headed toward England, then Europe.”

  “The is NYAC, ArchAngel, understood. Name change complete, heading to England. I imagine you’ve seen the storm to your south. One other storm reported off the west coast of France but is expected to also head south of your path. Please report all weather you find and pirates you see. Safe voyage, DMS ArchAngel.”

  Miles clicked his mic. “Understood. Safe times to you and yours. ArchAngel out.”

  Miles O’Banion stepped out of his bridge and eyed the two youths. Neither seemed particularly afraid of the man, unlike the Duke back in Europe. In fact, they appeared to smile more than those around the other set of vampires.

  He felt a little hope that maybe this time he and his crew would be working for that rarest of mythological creatures.

  An Honorable Vampire.

  FINIS

  The black Pod was silently moving through the upper atmosphere much higher than the storm raging below when the person occupying the front seat received a message.

  A moment later, the Pod turned east, heading to the New York City-State.

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Written December 22nd, 2016

  As always, can I say with a HUGE amount of appreciation how much it means to me that you not only read this book, but you are reading these notes as well?

  Let me get some of the normal stuff out of the way, then I will talk Dark Messiah.

  The last time I had my own Author’s Note (in a non-collaboration book) was “way back on November 12th, 2016” with Don’t Cross This Line.

  It seems like forever ago that I published that book (It was 6 weeks). Why? Because since that time, I have published and worked on multiple books with multiple authors plus The Dark Messiah…and Thanksgiving was in the middle of that time somewhere.

  I’m going to chat a little more about this, but let me talk the books, first.

  Three of these books now out include:

  JUSTICE IS CALLING (Reclaiming Honor Series) - (December 8th, 2016) Written with Justin Sloan. As of right now, it is still top #1,000 book on Amazon (here are the rankings):

  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

  #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Paranormal > Vampires

  #6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Paranormal > Werewolves & Shifters

  #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Genetic Engineering

  NOMAD FOUND (Terry Henry Walton Chronicles) - (December 21st, 2016) Written with Craig Martelle. As of right now, it is a top #1,000 book on Amazon (here are the rankings):

  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

  #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Paranormal > Werewolves & Shifters

  #2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Post-Apocalyptic

  #3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Genetic Engineering

  BELLATRIX (Frank Kurns Stories of the UnknownWorld) - (December 22nd, 2016) Written with Natalie Grey. As of right now, we have no ranking as it is too soon to get one. However, here are a few review comments:

  “Love the back story on Bellatrix. Hope to see more of her and the puppies in future books (huge dog lover). Bobcat finally gets what he deserves. Alec has lots of potential now the he has been upgraded, looking forward to see where he shows up again.”

  and

  “So I love this so much I was surprised when it ended. I want more. The characters are so entertaining, that I was laughing out loud at times. Great debut, keep them coming.”

  Working with each of the authors above is a different experience, to be sure. I realized as I was writing the author notes for BELLATRIX that Natalie Grey was the first female author I was collaborating with in The Kurtherian Gambit. I thought that was cool. I hadn’t MEANT it to be an all-male club (Paul C. Middleton, Justin Sloan, Criag Martelle, TS (Scott) Paul and Tom Dickerson) but that is what had happened.

  However, it won’t be the last, I don’t think. I’ve had two (2) other lady authors approach me and one is working on her trilogy collaboration which should be done end of March and then will setup to work inside the Universe. Another is looking to talk again in January for starting her efforts in late February after she does a seminar for authors on building worlds.

  Plus, Natalie Grey is doing a Trilogy (first book out January) so we will see a bunch more from her.

  THANK GOD that a lot of fans loved the first books coming out from Justin and Craig! It would have ever-loving SUCKED if they had bombed. I know that a lot of readers assume that since my name isn’t on top, I’m not as involved but that isn’t the case (less on Bellatrix - but that is because Stephen Russell picked up the slack).

  However, while the authors and I talk beats, and what can and can’t happen and maybe emotional tone - THEY write the stories. I might edit the books during my pass, but I rarely change anything even halfway significant (well, ok, I might add a bit more colorful language in there a few times…but I digress).

  Except for Paul’s…I’m not allowed to add colorful language to the Etheric Acadamy.

  There is one thing that all books share, the core that is The Kurtherian Gambit. The reason for picking up any of these series and raising your fist in the air, or shedding a tear, or laughing out loud and having people look at you funny and that is emotion. The sense that Honor is important, Justice is warranted and the opportunity to flip off those who believe otherwise is, at our core, something that makes each of us…you, me, the next TKG fan next to you tick.

  Now, we come to The Dark Messiah.

  Wow, to say I freaked a little thinking about writing Michael’s Return wouldn’t be doing justice to my experience. I had a few times where I wanted to chew off my fingernails, thinking about it.

  Michael Anderle

  The Darkest Night

  The Second Dark Ages Book 2

  Chapter One

  Frankfurt, Germany, Approximately One Hundred Fifty-One Years After the WWDE

  The streets of Frankfurt were wet; the air was heavy and humid this dark night. Between the occasional sheets of rain coming down and her son asking questions, Sarah Bearnstred wasn’t paying nearly enough attention when she took a left down the wrong alley.

  “Oh!” She pulled little Michael close when she noticed the man farther down the dark alley turn around, holding what looked like a body close to him.

  “What is it, Momma?” Michael asked, peeking around his mother’s hip to stare into the darkness.

  “Yes, what is it, Mother?” the man’s voice asked from the darkness. Sarah was screaming inside, the aggravation she was feeling a moment ago lost in the recesses of a mind now paralyzed with fear.

  “I’m sorry, I was trying to get back home.” Sarah spoke in a clipped fashion as she took a step back, gently pushing her son behind her.

  “I do believe,” the man said as his footsteps clicked on the pavement in the alley, “that you are far away from home, little woman.” He took another two steps into the pitiful light cast by a dim bulb that must have been salvaged from a building in the part of the city that had fallen into disuse. “I smell France on you.”

  “Oui,” Sarah replied, as she took another step back. Now little Michael was almost out of the alley and Sarah set her shoulders. She was completely aware of who, no, what she had found.

  And probably who, as well. “You are the Duke, are you not?” she asked, trying to keep as much fear out of her voice as she could.

  The man paused and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You know of me?”

  “Oui,” she agreed. “I’ve heard of you.” She grabbed her young son’s arm again, his curious nature not a benefit at the moment as he edged forward to see better. She pushed him back behind her once more.

  “How delightful,” the smooth voice responded as he took another step toward her.

  Sarah kept her eyes on the man, who was now maybe ten steps down the alley. She had already accepted that her trip to this city was a mistake. She set her lips and knelt, pulling Michael closer. When he was next to her, she leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. “Momma loves you. Now do as I tell you and run down the street to our hotel. I’ll be along to meet you at the room later.”

  “But...” the young boy started to argue, but stopped when his mother’s fingers tapped his lips.

  “Go!” she told him and was relieved when he obeyed, his running steps taking his little body away from the alley.

  The man’s eyes widened in surprise. “You are a brave one, child. I can hear your heart,” he said, taking another step forward. “Bah-bump, bah-bump, bah-bump.” He smiled. “It is courageous of you to surrender your blood in lieu of your son’s life. I am not a totally cruel and heartless man. I recognize the love you have for him, and I will honor the sacrifice you make.”

  “I won’t go down without fighting!” she hissed. “You are the spawn of Satan himself, and...”

  His rush caught her by surprise. Her feeble attempts to pull his head away, to separate from the teeth penetrating her neck, were futile. Sarah wanted to scream, but the languor that set in as he drew the blood from her body made that impossible. A single tear left her eye and traveled down her face. She had lost the ability to stand, but her body was held up easily by the man embracing her as he pulled her deeper into the dark alley.

  Her final thoughts were of her son, hoping he stayed away and that the monster draining her blood would honor his word.

  New York City-State

  The city was a damned mess.

  Akio’s ship hovered ten feet over the tallest building in the city. Through the night’s cloud cover, he dropped out of the Pod and landed on the roof. He spent a little time looking over the city before making his way down to street level. He pushed out a bit of fear to keep the area around him clear.

  He read the minds of those he encountered as he walked the streets. The most interesting bits of information came from the police.

  There had been a major battle here that he and Yuko had helped fight just in the last day, and it had changed people in various ways. Some of them grew closer, some farther apart.

  A few had killed themselves.

  The fighting in this city was intense, and if it were any other time, he would stay and help. However, his duty, his obligation was to finding Michael and he was close.

  He could feel it.

  Akio allowed his mind and body to wander over to the airport, where he was able to read the men and women drinking coffee and talking while they worked. They were directing the various ships that had arrived before the massive battle to clamp onto the colossal towers, reeling them in and connecting them for passengers to debark.

  Only one ship was currently connected to the immense structures.