Through The Fire and Flame (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 3) Read online

  Through The Fire and Flame

  The Kurtherian Endgame™ Book Three

  Michael Anderle

  Through The Fire and Flame (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2018 Michael Anderle

  Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  A Michael Anderle Production

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, November 2018

  The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015-2018 by Michael T. Anderle and LMBPN Publishing.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  The Zoo

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Books By Michael Anderle

  Connect with Michael Anderle

  Through The Fire and Flame Team

  Thanks to our Beta Readers

  Bree Buras

  Dorothy Lloyd

  Tom Dickerson

  Dorene Johnson

  Diane Velasquez

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  John Ashmore

  Kelly O’Donnell

  Diane L. Smith

  Chrisa Changala

  James Caplan

  Keith Verret

  Nicole Emens

  Daniel Weigert

  Peter Manis

  Misty Roa

  Angel LaVey

  Mary Morris

  Kimberly Boyer

  Larry Omans

  If I’ve missed anyone, please let me know!

  Editor

  Lynne Stiegler

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  to Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  to Live the Life We Are

  Called.

  1

  High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base, Queen’s Suite, (two months after leaving the quarantine zone)

  Bethany Anne watched the video intake from the small drone following Michael, Peter and Akio. She tapped her lip while she completed her thought, “Anytime that man is that happy, something is going on I probably don't want to know about.”

  Cheryl Lynn looked up from her tablet to frown at the vid-screen for a moment. “You know what Michael is up to,” she reminded Bethany Anne. “He's going after his T-rex.”

  Bethany Anne narrowed her eyes and dropped her hand to tap on the table instead. “I know, but somehow, someway, he's going to come back with ten tons of meat.”

  “I thought that was inevitable?” Cheryl Lynn countered, pointing from Bethany Anne to the screen. “You have been stalling the hunt for ages. I'm surprised he waited this long.”

  Bethany Anne sighed. “Yeah, me too. I just thought that if I kept his mind on other things, the great dinosaur hunt wouldn't happen.”

  “Why is it such a big deal, anyway?” Cheryl Lynn asked. She placed the tablet to the side and started moving her hands. “He goes out hunting, kills for the meat, and comes back. It's not like you have to eat it, or even be around it. Hell, he could have asked you to go with him to hunt the damned thing. You got off lightly.”

  Bethany Anne frowned as she turned to look at her friend, one eyebrow raised. “Doesn't Scott have a hobby that just rubs you the wrong way?”

  Cheryl Lynn snorted. “You mean, other than liking stuff just because he is a guy? C'mon, you can't tell me you have been against this,” she waved a hand at the screen Bethany Anne was watching, “just because he likes it?”

  Bethany Anne made a face. “I’m being a girl, aren’t I?”

  Cheryl Lynn raised both eyebrows, a glint of a smile on her lips, “What, the fairer sex? The passionate side of humanity who integrates emotions and logic in equal measure?” Cheryl Lynn stopped and giggled. “Yeah, I can’t sell that one.” She waved a hand in a circle that encompassed Bethany Anne. “You are acting like a girl, yes.”

  Bethany Anne turned back to the screen and sighed. She called, “CEREBRO?”

  “Yes?”

  “Cancel my video tracking.” The screen went off as Bethany Anne turned back to Cheryl Lynn, decision made. “Okay, I promised you a couple of girly movies, and I agree—watching Michael isn’t a girly movie. I’m worried about him, and I don’t like him taking chances.”

  Cheryl Lynn made a sympathetic face. “He’s not exactly the kind of man who can be tamed. I mean, at least Scott came partly trained. Michael is…”

  “An ass?”

  Cheryl Lynn snickered. “Yeah, that too. But you knew that about him when you started loving him.”

  “So?” Bethany Anne retorted. “I figured I could change him. I don’t think that’s any different than the other few billion women in our species’ history.

  There was a silence that stretched out in the long moment before Cheryl Lynn broke it. “It’s okay. They failed, too.”

  Bethany Anne smirked. “Who says I’ve failed? I’ve had a long time to learn how to pick my battles. This is just a minor skirmish in a much longer war.”

  “I’d say you were being dramatic as well as girly, but…” Cheryl Lynn lifted a shoulder. “Never mind.”

  Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow in amusement. “No no, go on. But what?” She let the silence stretch for a few more moments while Cheryl Lynn thought of a way to dig herself out of the hole she’d inadvertently stumbled into.

  Cheryl Lynn grinned. “It’s kind of cute the way you two fight without fighting.”

  “Nice save,” ADAM cut in from a nearby speaker. “Not to mention the endless entertainment we all get from betting on the outcome of whatever one of you is trying to pull on the other.”

  Both women looked at the speaker on the wall.

  Bethany Anne pursed her lips. “This is a girls’ night, ADAM.”

  “I didn’t plan on staying.” ADAM sounded a little bit miffed. “I only wanted to tell you that Tabitha is on her way.”

  “You wanted to see what you were missing out on, more like,” Cheryl Lynn teased. “It’s only movie night.”

  Bethany Anne smiled. “You can stay if you want. I’m sure Cheryl Lynn and Tabitha won’t mind.”

  “I’ll pass, thanks,” ADAM replied airily. “I’ve seen your movie queue for the evening, and you’re welcome to your clichéd
sob-fest. Besides, I’ve known you all long enough to know that if I stick around I’ll hear way more than I ever wanted to know about the guys. I’ll catch you later.”

  Bethany Anne snickered. “You’ve got us there. Bye, ADAM.”

  Cheryl Lynn’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

  “I know, right?” Bethany Anne grinned. “We would never talk about the guys behind their backs. Who even does that?” She shook her head. “It’s not like he can’t just listen in on my thinking if he wants.”

  >>I try not to do that.<<<br />
  You do?

  >>Much.<<<br />
  There was a thump and a bang as Tabitha entered Bethany Anne’s suite with a string of muttered curses.

  Cheryl Lynn got up and put her throw blanket to the side. “I’ll go make the popcorn.”

  Bethany Anne watched the door with a slight frown, waiting for Tabitha to appear. “We might need more than popcorn. Break out the ice-cream. The good stuff.”

  Tabitha flounced in with a face like thunder and collapsed on the sofa with a heavy sigh. “Ugh! Men!” she growled, then grimaced, then hid her face in her hands and burst into tears.

  Bethany Anne’s eyes narrowed. This was beyond Tabitha’s standard flair for the dramatic. “Well fuck, this looks serious. What’s up?” She held up a finger before Tabitha could speak. She turned her head toward the kitchen. “Cheryl Lynn, the popcorn can wait. Just bring the ice-cream.”

  Tabitha grabbed one of the sofa cushions and hugged it to herself. “Stupid men, that’s what. How can they be so…Gott Verdammt stupid?”

  Cheryl Lynn walked back in from the kitchen and handed Tabitha the carton of triple-chocolate ice cream and a spoon. “Did you and Peter have another fight?”

  Tabitha poked at the ice cream half-heartedly. “That would be the polite way of putting it.” She set the carton on the table and glared at it as though the ice cream were to blame for her mood. “I’m not really that hungry.”

  Bethany Anne and Cheryl Lynn shared a concerned glance and moved in to bookend Tabitha on the couch.

  “Come on, it can’t be all that bad.” Cheryl Lynn leaned in with a hug. “Tell us all about it. We can curse Peter out together until you feel better.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. Just thinking about it gets me mad.” Tabitha pulled away slightly from Cheryl Lynn’s embrace and looked at them both with more tears threatening to spill down her angry face. “You know what? Screw him. I just want to have a fun night with my girls.” She leaned forward and snatched the ice cream carton and spoon from the table.

  Bethany Anne grinned. “There’s our Tabitha. You know it freaks me out when you say shit like, ‘I’m not hungry.’”

  Tabitha stabbed the ice cream with her spoon. “You know it. Now, what chick-flicks did you find? Better not be the kind where the love interest dies at the end. That might be a little too close to real life.”

  Bethany Anne snorted, but shared another concerned look with Cheryl Lynn. It was the kind of look only two mothers can share, and Tabitha didn’t appreciate it one bit.

  “Oh, lighten up. I’m not really going to kill Peter.” Tabitha kicked off her shoes and put her feet up on the ottoman. “Probably. Maybe.”

  Her face told Bethany Anne a different story. “You know I’m here for you if you want to talk about it.”

  “We both are,” Cheryl Lynn added.

  “I know.” Tabitha sighed. “Maybe later.” She waved her spoon at the screen. “Movie night first.”

  High Tortuga, Southern Continent

  Peter trudged through the brush, rolling a shoulder every now and then to shift the weight of Tabitha’s rifle on his back.

  The subtropical heat was oppressive. It rose from the jungle floor in moist, shimmering waves that distorted the air around the hunting party and caused uncomfortable rivulets of sweat to run down their backs with every step they took.

  They’d been hiking since daybreak and Peter was bored with the monotony of the trek.

  Michael and Akio had been their usual stoic selves since they’d left the transport, and Peter was wondering why he’d come along on this hunt if they weren’t going to have any of the fun he’d been promised.

  He’d voiced this a couple of hours ago, but Michael had just winked and told him that they were having fun.

  Maybe it wasn’t too late to go back.

  The two vampires stepped softly, which annoyed Peter further. Despite his best efforts, he was making more noise than Michael and Akio put together.

  He shifted the rifle again, grumbling internally at the inconvenience. He hadn’t wanted to bring the damn thing, but Tabitha had insisted.

  Very vocally.

  And a little bit physically, too.

  Michael cleared the path ahead, cutting through the jungle with the hardened Etheric energy he’d coated his hands in. He looked around every so often, and then put his head down and continued to hack at the foliage.

  Michael paused suddenly and held up a finger. “Aaaand…it’s gone.”

  Peter halted beside Michael and Akio and glanced around to see what Michael was talking about. He looked behind him before looking back at the guys. “What’s gone?”

  Akio looked at Peter and chuckled. “The video drone Bethany Anne had following us. You didn’t spot it?”

  Peter turned to Michael to confirm Akio’s answer.

  Michael nodded and resumed pushing his way through the thick foliage with Akio close behind. “It’s been with us since we left the base.”

  Peter followed, frowning. “I wasn’t looking for it.” There was a pause before he continued, “Don’t you mind Bethany Anne keeping tabs on you like that?”

  “Of course I mind,” Michael replied. He ducked under a low-hanging branch. “But I also understand that Bethany Anne worries. She sends the drones, but they never stay long. If it makes her feel secure, I will put up with it.” He stopped, looked up into the foliage before the bird up there moved away, and then continued pushing forward. “Up to a point.”

  Peter followed, ducking under the branch. “Has she been so insecure?” he asked. “I know she was a bit antsy after the twins were born, but having you followed is kind of extreme.”

  Akio snorted. “Did you miss the part where she locked him ten thousand feet underground for three years?”

  Peter smirked at Akio’s exaggeration. “I thought the point of hunkering down at the base was to make everyone forget us?”

  Michael sliced through a thin tree with more force than necessary. “She did not ‘lock me up,’” he grumped, only just avoiding being hit by the falling tree. “We have been a little busy raising our infant children.” His face softened into a grin. “Fatherhood is very involved in these modern times.”

  Akio’s eyebrow twitched.

  “I saw that.” Michael sighed. “Very well,” he admitted reluctantly, “she locked us all up.” He held up a finger. “But. She has been working on her need to keep us all within her sights.”

  Peter hid his laugh with a cough. “You mean her need to keep you within her sights.”

  Michael waved Peter’s teasing off. “Semantics. The point is that we’ve only been gone a few hours. I thought we would have to spend at least a day wandering aimlessly before Bethany Anne was satisfied that I am not putting myself in danger and recalled her surveillance.”

  Akio glanced around. “Are we good to go now?”

  “We are.” Michael sniffed the air and headed in a completely different direction than the one they had taken so far. “Now that the drone is gone, the fun can really begin. Let’s hunt.”

  Peter slipped between the trees and hurried to keep up with the two vampires. “We weren’t hunting before?” he called.

  Akio shook his head. “No, Peter. This was merely a diversion.” He broke into a wry smile. “You have so much to learn about women.”

  Michael snorted from up ahead where the foliage was thick enough to need pruning.
“My friend, I think you have some things to learn yourself.”

  Akio turned red, and his smile fell away. “I think not.” He pushed through the brush to get ahead of the others.

  Michael gave the back of Akio’s head a pointed look, knowing the man would feel it. “I would argue differently. Did you speak to Sabine yet?”

  Peter moved a branch out of his way. “Why does Akio need to speak to Sabine?”

  Michael didn’t answer, so he caught up to Akio and bumped him with an arm. “Why do you need to speak to Sabine? I thought she was on New Devon?”

  Akio sighed, looking straight ahead as he walked to avoid making eye contact with the younger man. “She is. She sent me a letter.”

  Peter frowned. “A message? That doesn’t sound too strange.”

  “A letter,” Akio repeated. “On paper. Not a message.”

  “What’s that got to do with…” Peter’s confusion deepened until he connected what Akio was saying to the way his body language screamed for Peter to drop the subject. “Ohhh, a letter.”

  Akio hung his head in misery. “Exactly.”

  Peter sucked in a breath. “Oh, man. How are you going to deal with that?”

  Michael looked back, pausing in his efforts to cut them a path through the undergrowth since they had reached a fairly open part of the jungle. “So far he has been doing his best to ignore the situation.”