Rising Sun Read online

  The Red Trilogy

  Rising Sun

  By: Lyla Oweds

  The rights of Lyla Oweds to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it was published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Cover Design by

  Crimson Phoenix Creations

  Edited by

  Heather Long, Jennifer Jones, and Becky Stewart

  Copyright© 2019

  All rights reserved

  Table of Contents

  Glossary

  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

  The Author

  Glossary

  Onmyoji — An onmyoji is a practitioner of onmyodo. It’s an occult-based science that was popular during the Heian period in Japanese history. The most popular practitioner was Abe no Seimei. Their magic is drawn from the underworld. They are also fortunetellers, taro masters, and can bind a shikigami to them to act as their worldly familiar.

  Shikigami — A shikigami is a spirit guide, of sorts, that is present on Earth through a contract with an onmyoji. They have a human form but prefer to take on their animal shape in this realm. They act as an intermediary between the underworld and this realm on behalf of their onmyoji.

  Necromancer — In this universe, the necromancer retains most of their original definition with one change: they cannot summon spirits. Necromancers deal with the physical side of death and the memories that are tied to living and dead things. Because a person’s essence is tied to the spirit as well as the physical body, necromancers can dream-hop and manipulate emotions.

  Fae — Much of the original fae folklore is kept, including the appearance of the Seelie and Unseelie court. In this world, fae act as the intermediary between this world and the underworld. They live between the two, and their specialty is mediumship—communication with spirits.

  Witch — A witch in The Grimm Cases and Alpha are much like a hearth/house/green witch of today. There are no sparkling spells and wand waving. Witches practice earth-based magics that are quiet, subtle, healing, but also deadly if in the wrong hands. Both men and women are witches.

  Wu Xing — The mythology behind both Grimm and Alpha are based off the practice of the Wu Xing (the Chinese Five elements). Every “ability” falls within one of those elements: the fae belong to the Wood element, the onmyoji are Fire, witches are Earth, shifters are Metal, and necromancers are Water. The properties of their abilities tie in with the aspects of their element within the Wu Xing.

  Controllers — In the Wu Xing, one of the five elements controls (overcomes) another in nature, and so it is in this story. To keep one ability set from growing too powerful, their opposite exists. Metal controls Wood, Water controls Fire, Wood controls Earth, Fire controls Metal, and Earth controls Water.

  Supporters — The same as the controllers, except with the opposite effect. Each ability can help other abilities grow stronger, that’s the generating cycle. Wood helps Fire, Fire helps Earth, Earth helps Metal, Metal helps Water, and Water helps Wood.

  Xing — The Xing, as characters, are the backbone of The Grimm Cases universe. They are archetypes, elements “manifested” into the world, who are reincarnated every other lifetime to restore balance. They have had many lives and are the leaders of their world.

  Er Bashou — The Er Bashou is top-most ranking official below the Xing. Their sole function is to oversee the other officers and to serve the Xing. Officers are sorted into their quintets at the age of thirteen based on the strength of their abilities.

  Jiangjun — The Jiangjun ranks below the Er Bashou and is one of the top three confidants of the Xing.

  Tongjun — The Tongjun is the third top-most official, falling under the Er Bashou and the Jiangjun. There are other officials under the top three, but these are the ones most prevalent in the story.

  Quintet — The more powerful the person, the harder it becomes to control their powers, and the more easily unbalanced they can become. When someone is at that level, they seek balance. So those who have abilities are organized into groups of five individuals who have comparable and complementary strengths.

  The Council — They are a group of overseers created by the Xing to help keep balance when they are between their reincarnation cycles. The council is made up of powerful individuals—though no one knows their real identities—who help determine the laws for the rest of the supernatural world to follow. When the Xing are alive, they can actually override a Xing’s decision if they think they pose a danger to the general population.

  Chapter One

  “Rejected.”

  I stared at the station clerk—an onmyoji about my age with wavy brown hair and the scent of contentment heavy around him. He pushed the envelope back toward me with a smirk.

  I longed to punch that smug expression right off his pockmarked face. However, my mother’s continual warnings rang in my head. “Gloria, a proper young lady doesn’t blacken their suitors’ eyes” and “Gloria, if you keep breaking men’s noses, you’ll never get married.”

  It was only the warnings that made me resist. Not that the prospect of marriage mattered much to me, but I did so hate to see my mother cry.

  Especially if I put another man in the hospital.

  So despite the call for violence, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to smile instead.

  “I’m sorry.” Perhaps I had misjudged. It was possible he hadn’t realized. “I believe there is a misunderstanding. I’m not a solicitor. This is a job application for the ‘Private Detective’ opening your department has advertised. I’ve come to apply to—”

  “I know. I’m not accepting your application.” His smirk grew, and he trailed his amused gaze over my gray, fitted dress-suit—as close to standard police officer wear that I could find. “Although it’s adorable,” he added. “You play dress-up quite convincingly.”

  His statement, filled with such finality, told me I’d have to find a way to speak to someone else. My pulse began to race while desperation filled me. This was my last chance. I’d been rejected already from every other precinct in the surrounding areas. But in every other location, the clerks allowed me to talk to someone higher up at least.

  Even if it was for them to laugh at my expense.

  Here, however, I couldn’t even get past the front desk. Considering the reputation of this particular precinct, I’d hoped to gain the Chief of Police’s attention. They would think me interesting, at the very least.

  “Please, sir.” I couldn’t be dismissed like this. If I left, I knew my resume would never reach anyone’s desk. “If we could just—”

  “I’m not going to waste your time, or theirs.” He waved his hand in the air, cutting me off. “Miss, we’re already the laughingstock of our area. We cannot take on even more charity cases. Besides, y
ou’d never be able to work in the field, which is what our homicide department requires. You’d only hinder the other investigators.”

  “Hinder?” It was a fruitless endeavor to hope my pale cheeks didn’t turn as red as my hair. “You haven’t even interviewed me. You know nothing about me. I am more than proficient in several fighting techniques. I could help—”

  “We’ve no use for ballet on a crime scene.” The grin faded entirely from his face.

  “I was trained in fighting, not ballet!” Frustration caused my breath to catch, and I was holding back my desire to rip this man to shreds. “If you’d just announce me to the hiring manager, I’ll be out of your—”

  The man pressed his hands to the table, the surprise of his actions cutting me off as he stood to his feet slowly. For a moment, I hoped that this meant he’d lead me into the offices, but then a grin touched his lips.

  I already knew his response before he spoke. “I’m very sorry, miss, but we’ve no time to humor you. Surely you have something better to do with your time.”

  I’d been turned down for jobs before, of course. Women didn’t actively seek careers, especially not careers in law enforcement. In fact, I’d had to fight for admission to the program I’d just graduated from. I should have been used to rejection.

  Yet my heart still sank at his words.

  For a moment, shock replaced my anger. So I didn’t react until after he’d left his post to come to my side. His hand brushed against my arm—an effort to guide me toward the exit—when the hold on my control snapped.

  “Get your hands off of me!” I barely had time to growl, my wolf’s temper as unrestrained as my own. Without even stopping to think if this was proper, or if it was wise to harm someone who worked in a police station, I punched him in the face.

  The man screamed—though by all accounts, I hadn’t even put any real effort into the hit—and fell to the ground in a heap, holding his nose as if I’d broken it.

  Which was ridiculous. If it had truly been broken, I’d have felt his bones crunch under my fist.

  Even so, it didn’t stop the weakling from blubbering through his blood covered fingers. Nor did his apparent distress prevent him from pointing at me when the rest of the office came scrambling out the door to see what was the matter.

  And that was how I ended up in a jail cell instead of a job interview.

  I was so stupid.

  I rested against the hard stone behind my seat while I contemplated my life.

  How had it come to this?

  Of course, I knew exactly how. But surely there was a silver lining in this situation. A way for my imprisonment, and impending black mark on my record, to work out for the best. After all, I was now locked within the building that I’d been trying to gain access to. Perhaps I might be able to make a connection somehow and talk to someone of authority?

  If only there was a kindred soul in this place. Someone who would be sympathetic to my cause.

  “Gloria Protean!”

  The all-too-happy sound of my name jerked me out of my musings. Wariness filled me as, in an instant, I’d hoped I imagined that voice.

  That familiar smell.

  But my hope was squashed. He strolled toward me, his hand raised in greeting. Just as quickly as I’d spotted him, my heart raced as I averted my eyes. But still, I’d seen enough.

  Just like our university days, my rival’s pale blond hair was slicked back from his face. Although, it appeared that since graduation he’d decided to add a bit of a wave in there too, as such was the style of the day.

  However, I had no idea that Michael Abernathy cared about fitting in. He’d never followed the trends, nor cared what people thought. Today was full of all sorts of surprises.

  Yet, I couldn’t contemplate the change.

  “You…” My stomach churned at his appearance. Every instinct on high alert because it was his power that was a direct threat to our own. The desk clerk was a lower level onmyoji, so he hadn’t been a threat.

  Everything about Michael’s presence radiated strength. If a Xing had been born in our generation, it was a certainty that he would have been a ranking official. But as it were, the cycle had only just ended. Which was an unfortunate waste of Michael’s talents—because even though they frightened me, they were still admirable.

  It wasn’t his ability that made me loathe him the most.

  No, it was his arrogance. And his inability to take a hint. I scowled, an expression that I frequently adopted when dealing with the man. “What are you doing here, Mr. Abernathy?”

  “Gloria.” The force of my name from his lips pulled my attention to his face. He frowned, and his gaze lingered on the spot I’d abandoned.

  He didn’t comment on it. Instead, he defaulted back to his old argument. “How many times must I ask that you call me Michael? We’re all friends here.”

  “We’re not friends.” My thoughts scrambled the longer he looked at me. Why did the corner of his mouth raise when he spoke to me? Just being near him was suffocating, and I had to escape. “Why are you here?” I asked again. “Go away.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Gloria.” Michael’s gray eyes twinkled in mirth. “I heard you’ve been up to no good. Since we’re old friends, I’ve been sent to fetch you. Apparently, Chief Conner finds your story amusing and our history together enchanting. Then we’ll probably discharge you or other such nonsense. Although, I’d much rather keep you around. I’ve missed you.”

  My heart raced. My opportunity had arrived! I was so thankful that I ignored the fact that Michael still suffered from the delusion that we had a history.

  “What does he think about me?” I might have to do some damage control. Hopefully, Michael hadn’t said anything too terrible and I could salvage this interview.

  Michael had just opened his mouth, probably to say something else stupid, but then slowly closed it as he blinked at me.

  “What?” His expression caused my pulse to race—what if it was hopeless already?

  “You asked me a question—without a hint of sarcasm or hatred.” He seemed stunned. “Is there hope for me yet?”

  “No,” I deadpanned, a sense of déjà vu washing over me. “And if you don’t cease and desist in this line of questioning, you’re going to end up with a broken face again.”

  He touched his jaw, frowning. “I am an officer now. You’d be charged with assault… again. Don’t forget why you’re in this cell.”

  “It would be worth it.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” He waved his hand in the air. “I don’t want to win you over while you’re in a jail cell anyway. That takes all of the fun out of our courtship. Is your father home tonight?”

  “You leave my father out of this!” My senses heightened as his excitement drifted toward me. He thought this was funny, and I knew he was playing around with me. But still, his words affected me in ways that I didn’t want to admit. “Now be serious, what does the chief think? You didn’t say anything terrible?”

  “Why, Gloria, why would I say anything other than the truth?” Michael shrugged, seemingly unaffected by his threat—or my response to it.

  Why was he doing this to me? “What’s that? What did you say?”

  He grasped the bars, leaning forward as his hooded gaze met mine. My heart pounded, and every horrible thing he might have said rushed through my mind. Slowly, his lips upturned, and he did the most unexpected thing.

  He winked.

  My breath caught, because even though he terrified me, I could never deny that he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. “Michael?”

  The small smirk burned into a brilliant smile, and for a moment, I forgot what we were discussing. It was like flying. But then his next words brought me crashing back to Earth.

  “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”

  “Mr. Abernathy tells me that you have quite an impressive background.” Chief Conner, a graying man of medium stature and portly build, had launched right to bu
siness after pleasantries had been exchanged. He sat, professionally established behind his brass nameplate and rich desk, while he judged my qualifications.

  I was breathless with nervousness, and some worry. My eyes flickered in the direction of where Michael stood, but he remained out of sight. He was a presence in the room but not imposing on the conversation in any way.

  The sound of rustling pulled my attention back toward Chief Conner.

  He thumbed through a small collection of papers: my resume.

  “I see that you’re the top of your class,” he said. “Which confirms Mr. Abernathy’s claims. And that you’ve shown initiative while on campus within the leadership of several clubs. You know your martial arts.” He paused, his gaze resting on the last page. He was silent a moment, then his eyes slowly rose to meet mine.

  “It’s impressive,” he repeated. “In that case, why is it that six months after graduation you have yet to gain employment?”

  My face heated and my mouth went dry. Clearly, he knew why but was asking anyway.

  I was so humiliated.

  Still, did he want me to lie? To make up some excuse to make it seem like the fault was mine?

  I wasn’t about to do that. I’d call out the entire system first.

  Forcing myself to collect my overwhelming emotions—anger and shame that gathered in my stomach—I breathed in deeply and then out slowly. A way to gain focus, and to not say something I’d regret later.

  Finally, when my racing heart calmed, I spoke. “I’ve been unemployed because no one wants to hire a woman to join their active forces. There’s a bias against female officers, and we live in an area where change is not readily embraced.”

  Chief Conner released the paper he had been holding up, and it fell back onto the stack with a soft sound. Then he sighed. “And so it is here.”

  My heart fell as the last of my dreams scattered to dust. The regret was heavy in his voice, and his posture crumbled. Without seeming to realize he was destroying my last hope, he continued. “I am sorry, Miss Protean. I agree it would be a wonderful initiative, but we’re a small precinct with limited resources. And we’re already under scrutiny with our other experimental programs.”