The Monster's Caress Read online

  The Monster’s Caress

  A Seven Kingdoms Tale 8

  S.E. Smith

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also, to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!

  * * *

  And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, PJ Ochlan, Vincent Fallow, L. Sophie Helbig, and Hope Newhouse—the outstanding voices behind my audiobooks!

  – S. E. Smith

  Fantasy Romance

  THE MONSTER’S CARESS

  SEVEN KINGDOMS TALE 8

  Copyright © 2020 by S.E. Smith

  First E-Book Published September 2020

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons

  * * *

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the author.

  * * *

  All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.

  * * *

  Summary: Tales of his grandfather’s amazing journey to another world leads a CIA agent on a quest to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious Seven Kingdoms and the enchanting Empress of the Monsters.

  * * *

  ISBN: 9781952021480 (Paperback)

  ISBN: 9781952021473 (eBook)

  Fantasy Dragons & Mythical Creatures | Romance (love, explicit sexual content) | Action/Adventure | Contemporary | Paranormal (Shifters, Magic) | Multicultural

  Published by Montana Publishing, LLC

  & SE Smith of Florida Inc. www.sesmithfl.com

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Additional Books

  About the Author

  Synopsis

  CIA agent Asahi Tanaka grew up hearing tales from his grandfather about a mysterious realm where magic and monsters are real. His quest for answers takes him back to Yachats, Oregon, his childhood home. His personal investigation of a series of disappearances leads to a break in the case, and he finds himself in a strange but eerily familiar world.

  * * *

  Nali, Empress of the Monsters, will do anything to protect the creatures under her care. When one of her fabled Sea Stags washes ashore grievously injured, she knows the last of the alien organisms that came to her world has made it to her kingdom. Her search for the alien leads to an unexpected discovery—another visitor, this one from Earth!

  * * *

  A perilous journey to find the malevolent alien takes Nali and Asahi across the Isle of the Monsters, leading them to a discovery that changes their perceptions and makes them reexamine their place in the universe. Will the magic that sparks between these two warriors from different worlds be enough to destroy the threat, or will one have to be sacrificed to save not only the Seven Kingdoms but Earth as well?

  * * *

  Internationally acclaimed S.E. Smith presents a new action-packed story full of adventure and romance. Brimming with her signature humor, vivid scenes, and beloved characters, this book is sure to be another fan favorite!

  Who’s Who in the Seven Kingdoms Tales

  The Seven Kingdoms

  * * *

  Isle of the Elementals – created first

  King Ruger and Queen Adrina

  Can control earth, wind, fire, water, and sky. Their power diminishes slightly when they are off their isle.

  Goddess’s Gift: The Gem of Power.

  * * *

  Isle of the Dragons – created second

  King Drago

  Controls the dragons.

  Goddess’s Gift: Dragon’s Heart.

  * * *

  Isle of the Sea Serpent – created third

  King Orion

  Can control the Oceans and Sea Creatures.

  Goddess’s Gift: Eyes of the Sea Serpent.

  * * *

  Isle of Magic – created fourth

  King Oray and Queen Magika

  Their magic is extremely powerful but diminishes slightly when they are off their island.

  Goddess’s Gift: The Orb of Eternal Light.

  * * *

  Isle of the Monsters – created fifth for those too dangerous or rare to stay on the other Isles.

  Empress Nali receives glimpses of the future.

  Goddess’s Gift: The Goddess’s Mirror.

  * * *

  Isle of the Giants – created sixth

  King Koorgan

  Giants can grow to massive sizes when threatened – but only if they are away from their isle.

  Goddess’s Gift: The Tree of Life.

  * * *

  Isle of the Pirates – created last for outcasts from the other Isles

  The Pirate King Ashure Waves, Keeper of Lost Souls

  Collectors of all things fine. Fierce and smart, pirates roam the Isles trading, bargaining, and occasionally helping themselves to items of interest.

  Goddess’s Gift: The Cauldron of Spirits.

  * * *

  Notable Quotes

  “It is how we deal with what we are given that defines who we are and who we are to become.”

  ~King Ashure Waves~

  Prologue

  The Isle of the Monsters:

  Centuries Ago

  * * *

  The tiny Rose Fairies fluttered with excitement. A portal had appeared near the old willow, and through it they could see a view of deep space before a graceful golden woman materialized in the opening. It was the Goddess!

  The fairies clung to the branches of the magnificent old willow tree, huddled behind the cover of its many leaves, and curiously peered down at her. The bravest of the slender green fairies flew closer as the woman knelt and gently placed a mound of colorful material on the ground. When the tiny fairy flitted back and forth, trying to get a better view, the golden woman looked up and smiled.

  “Watch over her,” the Goddess instructed in a melodic voice.

  “We will,” the fairy promised, landing on the ground next to the brightly colored bundle.

  The Goddess smiled. “What is your name?” she asked.

  “Rosewood, your Majesty,” the fairy replied with a tiny curtsy.

  “Thank you, Rosewood,” the Goddess acknowledged. Then she faded from view.

  Rosewood gaped at the empty space where the Goddess had been a moment ago. Then she flew up and landed on the bundle. She tittered when the creature wrapped inside
moved. A chorus of gasps came from the gently swaying branches.

  “Be careful, Rosewood,” a fairy called out.

  “You don’t know what it is,” another cautioned.

  Rosewood impatiently waved the fairies’ concerns away. The Goddess had given her a task, and she would not fail.

  The creature moved again, and a fold of the material fell aside, revealing an infant’s dark, round face and large gold-flaked brown eyes. Black curls peeked out from the edge of the blanket. The infant’s mouth opened, her eyes squeezed shut, and her lips twisted. For a moment, Rosewood thought the baby was about to cry. Instead, the infant sneezed loudly and cooed with delight.

  Rosewood smiled and confided to the others, “In the palace rose garden, I overheard the Empress and Emperor wishing for a baby, a little girl to name Nali. This must be her. The Goddess has answered their pleas,” she announced with wonder.

  “What kind of monster is she, Rosewood?” another fairy asked, fluttering above the baby.

  Rosewood scrutinized the creature, tilting her head, then shrugged. “Does it matter? She is Nali—our future Empress.” Rosewood grinned at the increasing number of fairies crowding around the baby, all curious to see the creature who would one day be the Empress of the Isle of the Monsters.

  Yachats, Oregon:

  Twenty-six years Ago

  * * *

  Seven-year-old Asahi Tanaka curiously peeked out from where he was crouched behind the long sofa and winced when his father slammed the front door behind him as he left. Asahi had hidden to listen to the conversation between his father and the man who had introduced himself as Aiko, his grandfather.

  They had all just returned from Baba’s funeral, so today was already difficult without his father’s anger boiling over, but the moment Hinata Tanaka had entered the house, he began shouting at Aiko. Their conversation had quickly become heated—mostly because of his father’s refusal to listen to Aiko’s explanation of where he had been and what had happened to him.

  Asahi tilted his head when he heard the tires of his father’s sports car burning rubber. Once again, his father had forgotten about him. Baba, Asahi’s grandmother, would have been upset if she were still alive. She always complained that his father drove too fast on the narrow winding roads around here.

  Tears burned his eyes at the thought of his grandmother. When one escaped from the corner of his eye and ran down his cheek, he lifted his hand and wiped it away. Baba would have scolded him for crying over her.

  “Asahi, I know you are there. Please come out,” the man sitting in the chair instructed.

  Asahi slowly crawled out from behind the sofa and stood up. He stared at the man who looked almost the same age as his father. They looked so alike that Aiko and his father could have been mistaken as twins.

  “Come, sit down so we can talk,” Aiko Tanaka gently requested.

  Asahi stiffened his thin shoulders and lifted his head. He silently walked over and sat in his grandmother’s favorite chair. The pristine white doilies she had crocheted were draped over each arm of the green floral-patterned upholstery. He swallowed and remained still as his grandfather studied him.

  Aiko sighed and looked down at the picture he was holding. Asahi looked at the photo too. It was an old picture of Baba, his father as a child, and Aiko—and Aiko looked the same as he did now.

  “How… can you be the same person?” he asked in a faltering voice.

  Aiko smiled at him. “It is a long story, one that I wish I could have shared with your Baba—and one I will share with your father in greater detail if he allows it. I want to share my story with you if you would like to hear it,” he said.

  Asahi eagerly nodded. “Yes. I love stories. Baba shared lots of stories with me,” he shyly answered.

  Aiko chuckled. “Your grandmother was a gifted storyteller. She would have loved this one. My story begins on a foggy morning forty years ago…,” he began, leaning back in his chair.

  Asahi listened with wonder as his grandfather spoke of his unbelievable journey to another world, a world filled with magic, dragons, giants, witches, pirates—and monsters. The marvels of the Seven Kingdoms sparked Asahi’s imagination.

  Darkness fell while they were finishing dinner. His grandfather paused and stared at him in silence, then twisted in his chair, opened a bag hanging from it, and pulled out an ornate dagger. At the top of the hilt was a small winged lion made of gold. Aiko held it lovingly in his hands.

  Asahi stared in fascination at the strange symbols embossed on the thick leather sheath. His grandfather placed the dagger on the table in front of him and nodded toward it. Asahi’s attention remained fixed on the richly detailed lion at the top.

  “This dagger was a gift from a dear friend. For years, I dreamed of giving it to your father, but I was unsure if I would ever return to Yachats,” Aiko softly explained.

  Asahi tilted his head. “Baba said that father does not always appreciate the things he receives the way he should. She missed you. I liked when she told me stories about you,” he confessed.

  Aiko smiled and pushed the dagger toward him. “Then I will give this magic dagger to you,” he said.

  A knock at the front door forestalled what Asahi was going to say. He waited until Aiko was in the living room before he ran his fingers over the hilt of the dagger. Surprise washed through him when he saw the red-jeweled handle glow. He yanked his hand away.

  The sound of his grandfather’s hoarse cry of denial drew him to his feet. Asahi walked over to the opening between the kitchen and the living room. He peered around the corner to see who was at the door. His heart hammered in his chest when he saw that a police officer was talking to Aiko.

  “Where did it happen?” his grandfather asked in an unsteady voice.

  “Along Highway 101. It appears he lost control coming around the curve and hit the guardrail. His car flipped over the edge of the embankment and went off the cliff. Someone reported that they saw it below. He died on impact. I’m sorry,” the police officer explained.

  “No,” Asahi whispered. The tears dripping down his face mirrored his grandfather’s. Anger flooded his body.

  “Asahi—” his grandfather began.

  “It’s all their fault,” Asahi whispered.

  The police officer looked at him and frowned. “Whose fault, son?” he asked.

  Asahi looked back at his grandfather. “The monsters. If they had not taken you, then you would have been here for Baba and Father. They should not have taken you. They are the reason Baba and Father are dead,” he replied in a low, fierce tone.

  He didn’t wait for the police officer or his grandfather to respond. There was nothing they could say that would bring back his grandmother or his father. He hurried back into the kitchen, grabbed the dagger off the table and a dish towel from the counter, and exited through the back door.

  The tears on his face mixed with the damp mist as he hurried along the uneven path into the forest behind their house. When he was about a hundred yards away, he stopped and took several shuddering breaths of the chilled air. He wiped his face with the back of his shirt sleeve.

  There was an outcropping of rocks next to the path where he had often enjoyed playing. He walked over to it, dropped to the ground, and placed his grandfather’s dagger and the dish towel on the ground beside him.

  It took him a few minutes to clear the dirt he had piled up near one side of the boulders. He felt along the ground until he found the large, loose rock that covered his secret hiding space. He wiggled the rock free, put it aside, and reached into the small crevice. Inside were the treasures he had collected over the past year. He scooped out the rocks, shells, and an assortment of toys he had hidden in the hollow space and tossed them aside.

  Asahi carefully wrapped the dish towel around the dagger before he slid it inside the hole. He replaced the rock over the hollow area and concealed it by piling more rocks and dirt on top.

  Once he was confident no one would ever find the
dagger, he returned to the path. The heavy mist changed to a light rain that soaked through the dress shirt and pants he was still wearing from the funeral. There were dark patches of dirt marring his clothing, but he was beyond caring.

  Asahi slowly walked back to the house, shivering from the cold and shock. His grandfather was standing in the doorway waiting for him. He stopped, and they stared at each other in silence for a minute before Aiko stepped out of the house, walked through the rain, and stood before him.

  He trembled when Aiko placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “We will start over, Asahi. Yachats has too many memories for both of us,” his grandfather quietly announced.

  “I took your magic knife and hid it,” Asahi confessed.

  Aiko nodded in understanding. “Then you will know where it is when you are ready,” he replied.

  Asahi stepped into Aiko’s open arms and hugged his grandfather’s waist. Silent sobs shook his frame. He couldn’t help wondering if the rain was Baba’s tears as she cried with him.