The Keeper: Revenge
The Keeper Series
Book 2
O.L. Ramos
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ASIN: B00ERHTOUE
Number of pages: 296
Word Count: 112,930
Cover Artist: Dane Low
Amazon
Book Description:
If the world you lived in was someday revealed to be nothing but a lie, would you really want the truth? Elizabeth McBeth did, and she's paid the price for it...
After almost 10 years since Liz's mother was taken from her, Liz finally found her mother, Mary. But Mary has been forever changed, something that Liz will have to accept. The beginning of happier times, one would think...
The conspiracy has been exposed; Liz, Vincent, Mary and Michael had all thought that the vampire plot had been destroyed. They should have never underestimated Klein.
Klein has reinforced his armies, splitting the entire vampire species with the question... is Klein the vampiric messiah? Unfortunately for the heroes and the world itself, Klein has set in motion a plan that will destroy the world and recreate it in his own image.
Will the group be able to defeat Klein and restore the balance to nature? Or are they already doomed?
Excerpt:
It had been several months since the uproar at the Coronam estate. Klein had been deemed an enemy of the state for the entire vampire nation, the ones that wanted to stay on Vincent’s good side, anyway. In all honesty, the entire time since then had been both frantic and surreal. Vincent’s declaration before the Coronam asserting that he was Cain’s enforcer had caused a massive schism in the entire vampire race.
The bloodsuckers had always been a chaotic, selfish bunch. But at least with a strong government like the Coronam reining them in, they were fearful of getting tortured … or worse. The idea that mass executions could be a consequence had never entered their minds, however. Yet now, that’s all anyone could think about. The united stand made by Vincent and Michael had finally broken the camel’s back. Some of the more fearful vampires, the ones prone to paranoia, believed it was an example of what Klein had been warning about for over a thousand years. They believed Klein to be the true messiah of Cain, and Vincent to be a mere false prophet sent to lead them astray. This group of vampires announced themselves as the Hand, a creepy mishmash of politics and skewed religion.
They droned on and on about how Klein was the voice of Cain, and they were the ones who would take action on Cain’s behalf. It was all pretty shady, and there wasn’t a thing that we could do about it. Unfortunately, the entire world behind the veil was becoming increasingly unstable. Vincent was forced to allow Algarus to accept the Hand’s request for freedom of religion, even though everyone suspected the whole thing was just a front for a terrorist organization. But nothing could be proven.
Even the werewolves had ostracized Michael. Although he was never truly accepted because of his close association with Vincent, Michael could at least always request help in the past. Now, he was cut off from almost all of werewolf society. Almost all of them resented Michael openly, dismissing his claims that a werewolf was to blame for Klein’s success. They saw his actions as the beginning for a total civil war amongst all supers. When dozens of supers were caught acting as willing slaves for openly rebellious vampires, Michael realized that there might be truth to the charges imposed against him. This caused him no shortage of pain.
I often found myself staring outside my window wondering how things had worsened so quickly. But then again, I wasn’t the same person I’d been before all this started. I was now hardened by the experiences I’d been made to endure, decisions I’d had to make. Things I truly hoped to repress.
In the past months, I had witnessed Mom, I mean, Mary, go through a very thorough and intensive training regimen. The guys had run through everything from battle concepts and strategies to weaknesses of almost every super in existence. I have to say it that way because that was another key point that Michael always stressed to Mary: to be ready for anything and everything. That it was impossible to know of every super in the world. It was crazy, considering Michael had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of thousands of different kinds of supers. But after dealing with the Hela poison, I could definitely see why he was being so cautious.
I guess that brings me to Bobby. Poor Bobby. His entire clan was ousted from the slayer community, even the children who had never known combat. This caused many fights to break out … even one Anvil clan member’s death. The majority of Bobby’s clan blamed him for siding with a vampire and a werewolf. I don’t know the specifics of what happened, but I’m positive that the slayers were just trying to evade the wrath of Klein’s Hand and the Coronam, too. It was generally agreed that the Hela poison was a threat to the entire world, both supernatural or otherwise. Still though, an example had to be made. And so Bobby took his entire clan and relocated all 188 of them to the only place they could safely go. About thirty or so miles from Angel’s Retreat.
And I guess that’s why I’m keeping this diary. It’s cliché as all get out, but for all my big talk … I’m terrified. Everything has changed. And I’m not even sure it’s for the better either. The reality is—
A loud knock announces the presence of a visitor. I turn in my chair to look at my bedroom entrance and see Vincent. He has a curious look to his face as he leans on my door and waits for me to say something.
“Hey Vincent,” I say with a bit of a sigh. “How’s it going?”
“Same old, same old,” he answers as he walks into the room and heads straight to the balcony. He opens it up and sits on the guardrail. “How about you, Goldilocks? You seem to be brooding on a Michael-esque scale lately. The hell’s wrong with you anyway?”
“What do you think is wrong with me?” I reply angrily, the sharp tone in my voice echoing throughout my room. I give it a chance to linger before I continue. “You know … it’s just that I really thought we won. Seriously. You guys kicked some major bad guy ass. I thought that would be that. My mother could come home and be back with Dad, I could have some semblance of an ordinary life, I don’t know.”
“Why be ordinary, though?” he asks with a brief turn to me before he returns to browsing the outside scenery. “You were special before, you were special during. You’re special now. Why all the teenage angst? So everything didn’t end up roses … it sucks. We’re working on it, though. Besides, is this the way you treat me after not seeing me for two days? That’s hurtful.”
He pretends to get stabbed in the back, does a horrible silent death scene and then throws himself off the balcony. I merely shake my head.
“Wow, tough crowd,” Vincent says as he floats up and hovers in the air a little above my balcony. Such a strange sight, but I’m completely desensitized to it. “You really are on a bummer aren’t you? What really gives?”
“Oh, I don’t even know …” I admit reluctantly with a deep sigh. “I decided to keep this stupid diary. I thought it would make me feel better if I could just write out my thoughts. Maybe keep them here, and the negativity would only be here. In secret. Then I could go and live my life as if nothing ever happened. But it didn’t work out like that at all. I wrote everything down and it just upset me more. What good have we done? Everything is just so much worse now. And this stupid diary is just a reminder of how much we’ve failed.”
***
Character Interview with Vincent
Vincenzo Della Rosa, but it’s Vincent to all of you.
Hair - Blond
Eyes - Blue
Height – 6’2”
Weight - 205
Age (since re-birth as vamp) – Almost 1700. I don’t really remember the details. I remember that Rome was still very much in control
Drink of choice - Vodka/tonic with lime
1. In all the years that you have traveled this earth, what is the most beautiful place you have seen?
I have an answer that might seem cheesy, maybe even tacky. I’ve seen probably the entire world, at least above water. I’ve seen some beautiful sights. The Lake of Loch Ness in the morning, with its mist rising up above the water with the background of the vibrant green valley is gorgeous. The Northern Lights are mesmerizing. But among experiencing all of it, I’ve learned one thing. It’s the company that makes the trip. Without good company, you’re just alone no matter how nice the sights might be.
2. Do you regret being changed to a Vampire ?
Sometimes… It was really rough in the beginning. Blood banks make things extremely convenient. Hospitals, while convenient, I try to stay away from. They’re freaking depressing. Life is depressing enough, I don’t need any negativity in my life. I’m trying to keep everything positive, good chi or feng shui or whatever.
3. What is your favorite Vampire ability?
What a strange question. I love them all, I never thought about it. I guess… I love flying. It’s very convenient. But so is my charm ability… I don’t know, it’s one or the other.
4. What is the Super that irritates you the most?
You mean specifically by name or the species? Cause if it’s a specific super, I think we all know who it is. It’s my brother from another mother, Michael. Although Mary is being a REAL pain in the ass lately. If you mean species, damn. I mean, I have preferences of course, just like everyone else. Does that make me a racist if I can’t stand one entire species of super? I’m pretty sure it does… either way, I really hate brownies. They’re nothing but hippie midgets who are as flighty as they come. They’re fixing you a lovely picnic under a beautiful flower canopy one second, flinging ice and fire magic at you the next. It’s like they need to get laid or phone a friend or something…
5. What is the one quality in a woman that you find completely irresistible?
Again, this might be cheesy, but what the hell? The world sucks right? I think we can all agree on that. The thing that I find most attractive on a woman is a good heart. I mean that, too. If you know that your woman has a good soul and will always do the right thing, even when the crap hits the fan… I mean, that’s just golden. People will always stab ya in the back, it’s an unfortunate fact. But if you got yourself a good woman by your side, it just makes a man feel invincible. Super or not.
6. What is your favorite time period for music?
I really like the classics; and by that, I mean the real classics. Mozart, Bach, Handel, Beethoven… those men really knew what they were doing. They didn’t need words or electric instruments to inspire, despair or outright depress. I would mention others earlier than that, from my life, but I’m sure you wouldn’t recognize them. While I’m talking about the electric instruments, I do have to admit that the auto tunes stuff is pretty spiffy.
7. Do you think your insecurities as a human transferred over when you were turned to a Vampire?
I know they did. It sucks, but it’s completely true. As a vampire, you feel everything more. You smell better, hear better, see better. Everything is augmented. But then again, I don’t even think I remember what it’s like to be human anymore…
8. What was your favorite food when you were human?
I don’t remember much from that life, but I remember eating a lot of pasta. And I’m not a stereotype here! We were just a poor, Italian family. It was typical at the time. I also think I remember eating donkey one time, but that was a special dinner.
9. Who has been your favorite famous person that you have met over the years?
If I go into details, the humans reading this would flip. My fellow supers would understand though, sometimes it’s impossible to not interfere in the affairs of humans. It’s just too much fun. But then again, let’s just say that a famous pop painter with a certain affinity for drawing soup cans wasn’t exactly without my influence. Andy sure could party though… my favorite though, huh? I really enjoyed Sir Doyle’s company, he was a very funny guy. WAY ahead of his time.
10. Give me one piece of advice that you would share with mankind for their survival?
It’s pretty much the same thing that they should have been following since before they were even born. Don’t trust anyone until they prove they deserve it; the ones you do trust, keep them close, treat them right and don’t give them a reason to distrust you. Things are getting very shaky. Mikey and I can’t protect everyone. If you’re caught in the civil war and you become collateral damage, we’re sorry, but we’re trying as best as we can. We’ve got a war to fight. All that seriousness aside, I would also recommend picking a hobby. Idle hands make the devil’s work and all that… if you don’t have something to do, you can go insane. Trust me on that, I’ve seen it happen.
***
About the Author:
From what I understand, the first line of this thing is where I say something really interesting that wins you over. After all, they say that you know within seconds of meeting a person whether you like them or not.
So...yeah... I got nothing. But if there is one thing I know, it's that through stories we discover the world, learn about history and traditions; and in doing that, we become who we are as an individual.
Since I was a very young child, my only dream was to become an author one day. I wanted to reach people with my words, maybe even entertain them. I wanted to touch their lives and give them something to think about. After all, I am a loveable blowhard kinda guy... that's gotta be entertaining, right?
In my life, I've done many things; from supervising sales for a retail giant chain to being a Deputy Sheriff. You would think that a person who had been shot at for a living would be brave enough to write a biography without all the sarcastic quips. Unfortunately no, that's one of my main flaws as the above mentioned blowhard.
Anyhoo, please feel free to drop me a line! If you loved the book, I wanna hear about it. If you hated every word of it, please make sure to let me know, but please avoid the CAPS LOCK! The font can be a little... demeaning. Make sure to have fun guys! They say you only live twice; and if that's true, we're at least half done.
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