Into the Void (The Godhunter, Book 10) by Amy Sumida Page A

hands and I focused on it intently, seeing it changing in my mind. I sent my will into it, urging, cajoling, and finally demanding that it change into a pumpkin. Nothing happened and I growled in frustration. It was my sixth try that day.
    “Come on,” I snarled at the rock. “If Cinderella's Fairy Godmother could do it, I can. Don't you wanna be a pumpkin?”
    “ Doubtful,” Kirill was leaning against a tree, watching me with an amused expression. “Rocks don't rot, besides Fairy Godmother changed pumpkin into coach, not vice versa. Maybe you should start vith pumpkin, da?”
    “ You wanna come show me how this is done, smarty pants?”
    “ I'm not ze vitch,” he shrugged and walked closer, “or the Tima of ze Intare. I'm just Ganza.”
    “ Uh huh,” I smirked at him. “So keep your comments to yourself then.”
    “ Failure always makes your mood foul,” he shook his head. “Come here, I vill improve it.”
    “ Oh really?” I raised a brow but got to my feet automatically. “You're mighty sure of yourself.”
    “ I have good track record,” he shrugged and smiled down at me while he pulled me into a hug.
    His long black hair was loose and it blew forward in the breeze, tangling with mine. His eyes darkened slightly, going from azure to sapphire, as he lowered his face to kiss me. A low growl rumbled in his throat, vibrating down into his chest and then through mine. My lioness perked up, lifting her head as if she scented something delicious on the wind. Yes, Kirill was her favorite.
    “Tima,” he pulled back and looked down on me with heavy-lidded eyes. “I've interrupted you because of zomething Darius has found on Internet.”
    “ What is it?”
    “ Mermaids,” he said with complete seriousness.
    “ Shut up,” I laughed.
    “ No, truly.”
    “ Mermaids as in faerie water-sidhe?” I frowned.
    The fey had opened the way between realms now and I knew there were several who were already visiting the Human Realm but they were supposed to be discreet. They knew this wasn't the same world they used to be a part of and humans wouldn't be able to accept them like they used to. I'd be seriously surprised if they'd let themselves get caught on video.
    “Nyet,” Kirill took my arm and started leading me back to the house. “Zey are different, you'll see.”
    The ravens cawed mournfully and took off from their perch as the wolves jumped up and disappeared into the terrain. I felt a shiver flow over me, like they knew something I didn't. Or maybe it was just the connection with water, I really didn't like the water.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Fourteen
     
    “What the hell is that?” I stared in disbelief at the computer screen.
    It was playing a clip from a news report done on a beach in New Zealand. The reporter was standing in front of a line of beached whales, talking about the effects of sonar on the mammals and how the US Naval ships using the sonar in excessive amounts were causing the beaching of whales all over the world. Then there was movement behind him, an arm emerged from behind a whale body and dropped onto the sand. The cameraman, spotting a better story, went running in the direction of the arm, probably thinking he was about to save someone's life on film, but when he rounded the huge carcass, it wasn't to find a human.
    The body was unlike anything I've ever seen. Or anything the cameraman had ever seen, if his startled shout was any indication. It was a dull gray, very similar in color to the whale next to it, and was roughly humanoid. It had arms, a head, and a torso but no legs. Instead, there was a thick tail, like a dolphin's. The hands grasping at the sand were webbed and overly large. The face had two massive totally black eyes, thin lips, and an almost non-existent nose. There was a nose ridge but it flattened down at the end and the holes had little flaps in them that opened as it breathed. On top of its hairless head was a crest, a