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Chapter 1 – In the House of Darkness
I held the hand of the man I loved as we stood before the thrones of the Furies in the House of Darkness. Josu and I might not survive the next few minutes. Assassination is both an art form and a popular sport on Planet Fury.
The room stretched off into shadows. The Furies had state-of-the-art weaponry, but the approach to their thrones was lit by flames burning in braziers on tripods. The Furies sat on a raised dais at the end of the cavernous room. Everyone else stood.
The black, red and green thrones matched the Furies’ robes, but the snakes drew every eye. My own red hair was secured in a simple braid. The Furies’ jet black hair was woven into a gleaming nest for the snakes to crawl through.
When the Furies visited Earth thousands of years ago, humans reported that their hair was entirely made of snakes and their terrifying faces turned anyone who looked at them to stone. Josu I hadn’t turned to stone. But it was hard not to freeze like a petrified bunny and stare at the constantly shifting reptiles. Rumor had it that the Furies even more dangerous relative, Medusa, did indeed kill anyone who gazed upon her face. I never wanted to meet her.
Judging by their furrowed brows and clenched lips, the Furies were angry. Well, they were always angry. Just some days more than others. This was a bad day.
Alecto, all in black, sitting on the black throne, addressed me. “We killed for you not long ago. We rescued both you and this one,” she indicated Josu, “from the clutches of attackers on Earth. You did not request, nor were you entitled to our protection.”
“We are grateful for your help,” I threw in an “Honored Godmother.” I probably got the title wrong. The rulers of Planet Fury were always addressed with exquisite politeness as the Godmothers. No one dared to offend them.
I squeezed Josu’s hand for comfort. He squeezed back. In that moment I sensed that another man somewhere in this room was snared by my Gravitas. Impossible. Any man who made skin-to-skin contact would be instantly addicted to the powerful aphrodisiac all Valkyrian women secrete. The only man I had touched since arriving on the planet was my own mate, Josu.
Males on Planet Fury are nearly as fierce as the women. For everyone’s safety, they live in separate quarters and come together for controlled recreation and sacred reproduction. Furian males are governed by the Men’s Auxiliary Forces, or MAF, also known as the Godfathers.
The only Furian men that I could see in the room were the Godfathers and their armed honor guards who stood in ranks on either side of the thrones. None of them had come close enough to touch me. Yet every one of my senses was on high alert. I sensed that a man addicted to Gravitas was in the room. He just had not revealed himself. Yet.
Men snared by Gravitas cannot be trusted. Driven by uncontrollable urges, they have been known to kill to feed their appetite.
A few hours earlier, my primary worry had been dealing with the three husbands I married during Josu’s absence.
