Cerberus: Book 1 of Parish by P.K. Gallagher Paranormal YA Fantasy
For Kaeden Parish, life in Solace has always followed certain rules—everything makes sense, everything can be planned for, and everything is as it seems. Unfortunately, the secret harbored by his gorgeous, albeit guarded girlfriend is about to shatter all of that. After a successful attack on his life opens his eyes to a world of war, shadows, and supernatural creatures—a world he didn’t plan for—Kaeden finds himself resembling the sort of monster he has always feared. As he desperately struggles to resist a new temptation, danger draws ever nearer, threatening the ones he loves most. A prophecy tells of a final battle and great destruction, and Kaeden must decide which side he is on, a choice that could mean the end of the world. In Book 1 of the Solace Series, P.K. Gallagher pulls readers into a realm where good and evil are at war, and the outcome of it all rests on one young man’s decision to either go and live...or stay and die. This is where the story of Parish begins.
Excerpt:
And suddenly the man was right in front of him.
And suddenly the man was right in front of him.
“What the—!” Kaeden jumped back, shocked.
“Oh, but you are,” Rhiam said. “I can make the hunger go away altogether, you know. Make it so that everything is how it once was. My reasons for wanting this information and what you think of them are really of very little consequence. If you’ll get it to me without question, I’ll give you what you want in equal fashion. I will give you this.” He made a motion with his hand and above it appeared a small dagger.
Startled, Kaeden swore and stumbled back only to trip and fall backwards against a sofa. Rhiam squatted beside him, a patronizing smile on his face, the dagger hovering just above his palm. It was maybe eight inches long with a handle that looked uncannily like bleached bone and a blade the color of blood.
And it materialized out of freaking nowhere, Kaeden thought in awe. He should have been throwing a fit; in fact, normally, he was certain he would have been. However, he was oddly calm right then as he looked at the dagger. The blade gave off an eerie, incandescent glow that eased his disquiet and hunger.
“You’re not joking about all this, are you?” he asked weakly.
Rhiam’s smile widened. “Do you think it’s funny?” Kaeden did not, and he knew it must show. “The blade is made of a stone we’ve named Cerberus,” he said. “It drains a…vampire’s immortality and the thirst for blood needed to sustain it.”
Kaeden flinched at the word, and it occurred to him that this was an all or nothing deal. Either he believed Rhiam’s entire story or none of it, meaning that if he believed that Rhiam could help him with his Cerberus stone, he’d have to believe that he truly had become a vampire. He couldn’t accept that, could he? He was human. He was Kaeden. Things like vampires just didn’t exist. And people can’t make things appear out of thin air or blow things up with a wave of their hand, but you’ve seen it done. He put a hand to his heart but felt nothing. He swallowed.
“How does it work?” How did this happen?
“It’s very straightforward, really. You simply drive the blade into your heart, and it will take care of the rest.” Kaeden looked at the dagger. It may have been small, more for decoration than combat, but it was wicked sharp and would no doubt kill someone very quickly if thrust through that person’s vital organs.
“You have got to be kidding me.” This has to be some kind of joke.
“Come now,” Rhiam said. “Don’t be so negative. You do want me to go away, don’t you? For everything to go away? For everything to fit into your nice little mold of sane and insane again? If you don’t now, you will soon. As soon as a dryyd comes after you again—”
“It’s very straightforward, really. You simply drive the blade into your heart, and it will take care of the rest.” Kaeden looked at the dagger. It may have been small, more for decoration than combat, but it was wicked sharp and would no doubt kill someone very quickly if thrust through that person’s vital organs.
“You have got to be kidding me.” This has to be some kind of joke.
“Come now,” Rhiam said. “Don’t be so negative. You do want me to go away, don’t you? For everything to go away? For everything to fit into your nice little mold of sane and insane again? If you don’t now, you will soon. As soon as a dryyd comes after you again—”
“Stop it.” Where’s Hagan?
“—As soon as you have to drink blood—”
“I said stop.” Where’s my heartbeat.
“—As soon as you kill someone—”
“Shut up!” Kaeden shouted, scrambling to his feet and putting distance between himself and Rhiam. He scratched roughly at the back of his head. He just didn’t know. He didn’t know what he believed, he didn’t know what he was going to do, he felt like he didn’t know anything at all. He’d outlined his life so perfectly, planned everything so perfectly, complete with Plan Bs and even contingency plans for those. This, however, was something he’d never planned for, had never in a million years expected, and he had no idea how to deal with it, or even how to modify his perfectly laid out schemas to accept it. For the first time in years, he simply didn’t know what to do.
Author P.K. Gallagher Despite writing stories that take place almost exclusively in New England, speculative young adult fiction author P. K. Gallagher has lived in the suburbs of the south her entire life. It is to this that she attributes her love of the fantastic and the supernatural—writing such things was her only escape from the monotony of Suburbia. Gallagher graduated from Florida A&M University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a fervent desire to never set foot inside a newsroom again.
She currently lives in Atlanta and divides her time between working a day job, finishing her works in progress, and perfecting her plans for world domination.
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