Naktmerie's Monster by CeeRee Fields

Naktmerié's Monster

By CeeRee Fields

New Adult Fantasy Romance

Blurb ~

Sometimes the future is a path set in the hardest of stone and can only be altered by love.

Oneyroi D'Naktmerié is a product of the Northern Installation, designed to be the stuff of nightmares. At fourteen his abilities proved deadly, and he shuts them away terrified of how uncontrollable his power is. He refuses to bond as that could unleash the dangerous abilities constantly roiling inside of him. Taking refuge in the village of Ketewah, Naktmerié's only pleasure now is spending the night with whatever willing woman catches his eye. Never spending more than one night with each.

Until he meets Shae, the Speyressa of Uanty.

Shae sees the future. All the paths in a person's life. But there is one vision that has haunted her since she was a child. One that she's done everything in her power to prevent. Choices make up the paths, and she's forced to choose between allowing Naktmerié to be kidnapped or the destruction and enslavement of the human race. She chooses to protect the human race and seals her fate as well as his.

Betrayed by the first woman he's ever opened up to, Naktmerié returns to Ketewah after freeing himself from the Flesh Traders. Months later he discovers the path Shae began all those years ago didn't end with his kidnapping; instead, it ends with her death and Naktmerié is the only one who can save her. Can he trust her enough to form the mental bond that will save her? Or will a forced bond drive her to madness?

Book Trailer ~

https://youtu.be/PSBl2fagytM

Buy Link ~

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MLMMC4J

Excerpt 

Nakt relaxed onto the wooden lounger near the river and checked that the fishing pole was stable in its holder. Satisfied, he took his bottle of beer from the cup holder and drank as he fell into the peace he'd found after months of hard work.

After the debacle with Shae, Nakt had needed the stabilization. It'd taken him weeks of working with Kaos to reach a place where he could relax without accidentally sending his energy out and giving those nearest him living nightmares. How the higher powers ever thought she'd fit him, or that he deserved someone like that back-stabbing witch he'd never understand. And more power to that place if they wanted someone who decided whose life was worth living and whose was worth dying.

If he'd remained longer, he'd have fallen for her, her strength of character. Her compassion as she listened and guided the various people who sought her out and her single-mindedness when she was on a mission. Her determination to make sure each prisoner was brought to justice fairly.

It'd all been a facade. While her acolytes remained brainwashed. He'd had his eyes opened to the truth when he woke up in that cell. Flesh traders who wanted to pass him to Norwyna.

And his potential bonded had been the one to set the whole damned thing up. Maybe he should have given her a chance to explain, but then again they weren't friends. It'd only been about the sex, never about their potential bonding.

A hefty sigh pulled Nakt from his musings, and he rolled his head to the side. "Zev, man, hey. Didn't know you all were back yet."

They'd left over three months ago to attend Michael's new judgment then had taken a longer route back to Ketewah so they could do their foraging runs in the fallen cities before winter hit. Nakt had declined the invitation to go with them to the judgment. He was finally in a good place mentally, and after coming clean about his father's death, Draper and Kaos were assisting him in harnessing his abilities instead of just bottling them up behind a wall and never using them.

Sadness and worry rolled off Zev as he met Nakt's gaze. This man Nakt understood better than anyone else. His brothers all had a bit of darkness in them, but enough light to be able to trust others. Zev held a deep darkness, and his beast thrashed just beneath his skin. There'd been many a night neither man had slept; they would end up outside the Defenders' house talking well into the dawn.

"So, is Michael dead?"

"Yes," Zev answered his fingers tracing the three scars that sliced across his face.

"What is it? Shae stir up another hornet's nest? Send one of our own into another trap to be caught for Norwyna's amusement?"

"No," Zev replied, a scowl replacing the contemplative look.

"Then what?"

"I don't know. She wasn't there."

"Wasn't there? But she was the one that had to be there to pass judgment, she was the one that couldn't come to the MFZ to show the leaders what had happened—"

"They had a video. A video of Michael's actions, and a recited list of broken laws and the punishment for each in her voice. But no, she wasn't there. And it was weird—"

"So, this is where the nightmare calls home," a voice dripping with derision said from behind Nakt. His hand wrapped around the handle of his whip as he lunged from the chair and spun to confront the intruder.

"Kamolien? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked with a sneer.

"Delivering a message from Quaan." Kam held up a gridchip and tossed it his way.

He caught it automatically before throwing it back. "I want nothing from that vacking place."

Instead of catching it they both stepped back.

"Want it or not. Look at it or not. We don't really care. It took us over a month to find this damned village after you left. Betrayed her by getting—" Shalon cutoff as his twin sister jabbed him in the stomach.

She turned to face Nakt, her contempt a surprise. Of everyone in Shae's village this woman and her brother had been not quite friends but not enemies. "I'm not the one who betrayed anyone. She betrayed me—" He jabbed a finger toward the QZ.

"Yes, so it would appear. A plague crouched in our minds I think was the term you used. And I thank the gods she never heard it." Kamolien shrugged. 

"We've done our duty. You have the last of her now."

"The last of her? Not until she's dead and gone. She'll find a way to force me—"

Snarling, the brother pushed into Nakt's space. "As I said, the last of her, Nightmare. You who are so aptly named have destroyed everything. Given a gift and tossed it aside at the first test."

Pain lanced into him. "She's dead? Impossible. She sees everything."

"So she does. And so she did. Come on, Kam I'm tired of this place. Nothing but vacking ghosts here." Shalon spun on his heel.

"Kam? Is it true?"

Her dark eyes met Nakt's, and she shrugged. "By now? I don't know. It depends on the glass..." she shook her head. "It depends. She didn't want you to have that message until after—but Quaan asked us to deliver it sooner. He thought maybe knowing we were coming to you she'd hold on longer, but I don't know she wasn't doing well..." she kept trailing off as if unsure what to share. "We got lost after our transport to Icaria dropped us off and wandered for a while. Your village is not easy to find." She turned to follow her brother. "I'm sorry, Nakt. Maybe someday you'll find another as you were never bonded to her. It is unfortunate that Shae, however, bonded you."

Author Bio ~

I'm a geek, a gamer, a music lover, and a voracious reader. I love Star Trek and B-grade movies like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Sharknado. I enjoy figuring out software and learning new things and applying them to whatever book I'm currently working on.

I write romantic adventures. Mostly, I live vicariously through my characters. I can be a knife-wielding forager who saves her family from deadly kidnappers or a slinky thief who must outmaneuver her sadistic cousin. My male characters aren't cookie-cutter either. There's so much diversity in the world that one size does not fit all. It's the same for love. My male characters are diverse. I have several he-men, alpha types, but I also have nerds in glasses who can kickass when needed, whether in a board room or in a parking garage. I have characters who are blind and some who have lost a limb putting their lives on the line to save others.

The one thing they all have in common is they are people who learn to move past their hurdles and find love.

I can be found at:

  Website: https://ceereefields.com/

  Twitter: twitter.com/ceereefields

  Facebook: facebook.com/ceereefields