Mondragón rarely deigned to visit Cortez. But from time to time—more times than Fernando would have liked—he summoned him to one of his many choice establishments in Saguero and beyond. Choicer than The Red Room, but always with a sordid edge to them, no matter how posh of a front they seemed. Mondragón was not
SessKag Series: The Pact, Part 168
It was as Kagome had thought. As Sango adjusted to being the mother of a newborn once more—and a single mother of one for the first time—Kagome helped out as much as she could around the house and with the kids. Inuyasha, too. While sweeping off the porch, Kagome smiled as she watched him romp
SessKag Series: The Pact, Part 167
The days passed. Kagome ruminated on. For once, it wasn’t just Sesshoumaru and his absence she was dwelling on, but something deeper. Intangible to her, but no less vital, she sensed. She felt like she was probing at the edges of some great and formless question, waiting for an answer to take shape from the
The Cove: Part 4
Anika’s pulse kicked up a notch when the tentacles slipped under the side-strings of her bikini with what seemed like more than idle curiosity. A few other tendrils slid up along the side of her body, coiling finger-like around her throat. Anika’s adrenaline spiked. As his tentacles began to pry at her snorkeling gear, she
SessKag Series: The Pact, Part 166
Kagome returned home with Shin, to Sengoku Jidai. She’d barely stepped one foot across the threshold of the hut when Inuyasha caught her to him and hugged her tight. As he did, Kagome realized then how nervous he’d been—nervous that now that she was free to live in the Modern Era, she wouldn’t come back.
Bane of Blood: La Gorgona, Part 44
The new establishment was called El Toro, and it was part pool hall and gambling den. Backed by Mondragón’s full support, Fernando saw the place finished out in record time. El Toro appealed without pretense to all of Cortez’s most deeply cherished vices. Because of this, it was eagerly anticipated and well-received—not only by the
The Cove: Part 3
The creature’s tentacle withdrew from Anika’s grasp. He swam back from her a little, then paused, hovering like a ghost. His silvery look was watchful, expectant. Anika smiled and swam after him. He leaned back as she did. Sleek and horizontal, he propelled himself through the water like a languid torpedo. About a foot above
Bane of Blood: La Gorgona, Part 43
Fernando smiled. “Anyone who ransoms me is bound to be disappointed. My father’s wife holds the purse strings, and she despises me. She would consider my disappearance a blessing. Maybe she even half-hoped for it in sending me here.” Of course, Juan Francisco’s pride would never suffer such a slight as to have his favored
SessKag Series: The Pact, Part 165
“They say love at first sight is a myth,” Mr. Higurashi said, lowering his eyes briefly before raising them to Kagome’s again. “I still love your mother, Kagome. In a way, I always will. But when I saw Reiko…I don’t know how else to say it, but I knew. I knew at least, at that
The Pact Side-Stories: Ghost-Hunter Nakamura, Part 4 (Final)
It was a tall, broad-shouldered man, who might’ve been quite handsome if not for his slouching posture, cantankerous expression and the ridiculous-looking ensemble he was wearing—a mismatched Western-style suit and cap, with tennis shoes, tinted sunglasses, leather driving gloves and a comically-overlarge umbrella slung over his shoulder. He looked very much like he’d gotten dressed