Mythomedia Press: Hot Off The Press #childrenofankhseries

Mythomedia Press: Hot Off The Press #childrenofankhseries

Wild Thing

Drunk Me Would Totally Be Willing To Risk The Aftermath

You take a moment of happiness in whichever way it presents itself to you. A beautiful moment can come in many forms. Sometimes beautiful moments are not found in obvious places.    There was nothing striking about this dive of a small town pub. It was always something random that changed the average experience to the memorable. She could tell this was going to be one of those nights. One of those places to remember. A gold star on her always expanding list of wild whacked out memories. Memories that laid dormant in her mind waiting to be remised upon during the tediously long hours of travel that always seemed to lie ahead of her. The smoke machine in the corner added something extra seedy to the ambiance of the pub. Kayn lifted her hand from its place on the bar’s counter and it was actually covered in dust. She wiped it on her jeans. Kayn had been watching the dust as it drifted in through the large double swinging doors each time someone entered.    The guys were sitting at a table a few feet away from her. They were probably talking about the bar’s female patrons. It was usually what they were talking about on any given occasion. They were watching the locals sing karaoke badly. This was the best kind of karaoke. The kind where everyone in the entire establishment was clearly tone deaf and possibly crazy but they were all having the time of their lives. Tonight was about embracing the simple things in life such as stopping at a random pub and allowing the crazy boys of Ankh to school the locals. She would have liked to use the ‘you’re only young once’ phrase but she could now be whatever age she chose to stay at. That particular phrase had lost its ability to hit home. Kayn was doing shots as they appeared before her. They were being sent from a table of attractive cowboys. The ladies of Ankh raised their tiny glasses in salute as a thank you. She found her gaze traveling as always in search of Frost. He was grinning at her, looking more than a little intrigued by the fact that she was still drinking. She had made a few alcohol induced decisions in the last five or ten minutes. She had decided that she was jealous of the flock of scantily clad girls that surrounded Frost and hung on his every word. She wanted to walk over, sit on Frost’s lap and stake her claim. Each time she peeked in his direction she caught him watching her. She glanced away, afraid he’d be able to read her mind if their gaze held for longer than a second. She was all but a few stolen glances and innocent brushes against him from ignoring her earlier plans to make good choices. He was thoroughly aware of this little tidbit of information. Kayn could hear the whole conversation at his table. She could hear it quite clearly from where she was sitting at the bar. It was becoming difficult to stifle her laughter.      Grey punched him in the arm, “Don’t be that guy.”   “What did I do?” Frost laughed back in his usual mischievous manner.   Zach shook his head disapprovingly. He looked at Grey and said, “He’s not that much of an ass.”   “Yes, he is that much of an ass. It’s like you don’t know him at all!” Grey chuckled as he shook his head. He scolded, “I’ll be personally disappointed in you. Don’t you dare lay a finger on her while she’s drunk.”   All of the girls were listening to the conversation now. Lily stood up, wandered over to the boys table and remarked, “Really... Kayn can hear everything you’re saying. Frost is not plotting to deflower her tonight. That would make him Satan and I’d like to hope I have better taste in friends.”   “I’m just happy she’s finally having a little fun,” Frost replied.    “That’s good; we wouldn’t want her to regret her first night out in public drinking, would we?” She teased.   Frost whispered his response, “Oh Lily... Nobody regrets a night spent with me.”   Kayn turned away as her cheeks heated up. She pressed her palm on her face. It was hard not to react to what she was overhearing.     Lily smirked and countered, “I was there when you were given that order Frost. It wasn’t a suggestion.”    “I don’t need to be reminded,” Frost replied.   Lily caught Grey’s eye as she left the table. His gaze followed her as she strolled away from them towards the bathroom.   Kayn ordered another drink just as the boys were called up for their turn to sing. Kayn, Lexy and Mel scrambled over and stole their table so they’d have a decent seat up front for the impending gong show. As their tone deaf rendition of a Mariana’s Trench song began Kayn couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face. Zach was actually pretty decent so was Grey. Maybe they were all so horrible and she was so drunk that they sounded phenomenal? They sang to each girl within flirting distance. Frost of course lost his shirt five seconds into the song as always and their performance turned into a karaoke slash Chippendales show. They all laughed for a solid five minutes, nearly falling out of their chairs. Kayn couldn’t help but notice that Lily never seemed as impressed with the boys’ shenanigans as the rest of them were. They had all lost their shirts by the time the song ended. The boys were always attempting to one up each other. The naughty trio came to sit down at the table. A still shirtless Frost scooted into the booth beside Kayn. She smiled at him and shook her head while actively trying to stop herself from ogling him but she was far too drunk to be coy. He casually slipped his hand over her knee and gently squeezed it. She picked up her drink and took a sip while trying to act like his forward behavior hadn’t thrown her. He didn’t remove his hand. He left it there. Kayn smiled because she knew it was a dare. He wanted to see if she would scurry away like a frightened rabbit. She wasn’t going to offer him the satisfaction of reacting to the placement of his hand. She could feel him smiling at her stubbornness without even looking up. Desperate to think about anything else she picked up one of the coasters from the table and began to read it. As his hand traveled a seductive path from her knee to the center of her thigh, aroused she bit her lip. Kayn took another shot and exhaled. She was going to lose this game of chess if she wasn’t careful.    Lily broke the tension as she ordered, “Put your shirts on before they kick us all out of here.”   Grey rolled his eyes, “Why must you always be such a party pooper?”   Zach was sitting on the other side of her. He snatched the coaster out of Kayn’s hand and gave her a glare of disapproval. He’d noticed the placement of Frost’s hand. Lexy was smiling so hard it was a little creepy. She’d done something. Zach was called up to sing.   Zach smiled at Lexy and as he stood up, gave her a golf clap and jousted, “Kamikaze karaoke... Touché Lexy.”   For a second Kayn had no idea which song it was and then it clicked. Oh, that’s so evil. They all began laughing hysterically as soon as the chorus started. It was, “The Woman in Me” by Shania Twain. If Lexy had expected Zach to crack under pressure or storm off of the stage mortified, she’d underestimated him. His sense of humor was wacky enough to prove her wrong. Zach didn’t flinch and without missing a beat, he belted the entire song out. He even began serenading the men sitting at the tables in front of him. Everyone was laughing so hard it turned to tears. Frost removed his hand from her knee to put on his shirt. Moments like these were amazing. The usual rules did not apply for any of them. They didn't care if they made a fool of themselves. Why would they care? Every person that they met would only in the end be a tiny blip on the screen of their existence. Kayn got up to sing next. She knew she wasn’t half bad. One by one they took turns singing. When karaoke ended, the music began. She wished she had a touch of Chloe’s confidence. The alcohol had definitely loosened her inhibitions. She wanted to be wild and carefree even if it was only for a moment until her brain cells staged a revolt. She shimmied closer to him on the bench and whispered his name, “Frost.”   He whispered back, “What?” He was listening to Melody tell a story.   Zach rather abruptly grabbed her hand, yanked her to her feet and towed her towards the dance floor. He laughed, “You’ll thank me later.”   She met his eyes and sighed, “You don’t need to protect me. I’m a big girl.”   Zach pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “I’m your friend and you’re drunk. Things always seem like a way better idea when you’re drinking. This is all new for you. Do you have any idea how badly I want to hit on Lexy? Does that sound like a good idea?”   Kayn chuckled, “Not even a little bit.”   Zach whispered back, “From what I’ve heard crazy girls are always incredible. Drunk me would totally be willing to risk the aftermath.”

Innuendo #Enlightenment

Kayn laughed, “The whole two-stepping thing is a tad lost on me. I’m horrible at this. We should go and sit down before I hurt someone.”   They started to sway a little bit so they wouldn’t stand out as Zach whispered, “I can’t two-step either.” He spun her around the floor and they parted ways. They began doing the lawn mower and the sprinkler to the country music that was blaring. They powered through the list of hilarious dance moves that people who couldn’t dance did to be awesome. It caught on and everyone started doing it. Zach grabbed her hand and twirled her around again. She didn’t even have a chance to catch her breath. She was stolen mid-goofy-twirl by Frost.    Zach started to laugh. He pointed at her and teased, “Behave Brighton.” Without missing a beat, Zach had a new partner.    Everyone in the place was crammed on the small claustrophobic dance floor. Kayn had been out of breath before Frost pulled her into his arms. Now catching her breath felt impossible. With nearly perfect timing, the song changed to a slow one. In one swift skilled movement, Frost pressed the length of his body against hers. She remembered what it felt like to be in his arms and even though she was aware they were Chloe’s memories in this slightly inebriated state it felt like what she was feeling was undeniable. She relaxed with her head on his shoulder. Her hand was pressed against his chest as they danced. She could feel the rhythm of his heart pounding against her palm. He could make her forget all about everything that ailed her, if she allowed him to do what he did best. She breathed in the scent of his skin and was swept away by it. Everything about him made her want to let her guard down and just allow herself to be free. That's what Frost signified to her in one word...Freedom.   “See, it’s not that hard... Is it?” He whispered in her ear.    She cracked a grin, for that time his innuendo had been an accident. He had missed the hilarity in what he had said but she hadn’t. Kayn accidentally stomped on his foot hard enough for him to sputter, “Shit, Brighton. That actually hurt.” She hadn't stepped on it lightly. “I’m sorry. I might be drunk,” Kayn apologized.    “You don’t say?” The dangerously sexy immortal teased as he tucked one of her wild curls behind her ear.    For a second she thought he was going to kiss her and her lips parted in anticipation. She wanted him too.    Instead, he dipped her and chuckled, “You weren’t lying about the dancing thing, were you? I thought you were fibbing. In my experience when a girl tells me she can’t dance, it's usually because she just doesn't want to.” He paused and for a moment they stood still while he whispered against her hair, “I’ll put dancing on the list of things I can teach you.”   They slowly began to move together. Heat rose within her as he suggestively caressed the base of her spine. She was tempted to push him further by saying, “What else is on the list of things that you want to teach me Frost?” She met his always mischievous eyes with her own knowing he’d heard her thoughts even though she hadn’t said the words aloud. He was never thinking G rated thoughts. His day to day thoughts would never even fall under the realm of Parental Guidance. He towed her along rather suddenly as the song sped up. She was laughing wildly as he began to try to teach her how to two step like there would be some kind of dancing miracle. This of course, proved to be a terrible idea but they were both laughing hysterically by the time the song was finished.    He prodded, “Let’s be serious for a second. Just watch my feet and try to copy what I’m doing. I know you can do it. I’m sure you’ll catch on quickly to almost everything.”    She smiled; he always managed to say something that was open to naughty interpretation. She wanted him to kiss her. The next song was a slow one. She gathered up the guts to tell him what she wanted and just as the words were about to slip from between her lips, Grey swooped in and stole her away.    Before the song was over the lights turned on, bringing with them the harsh glare of two a.m. It was closing time. The moment was lost. They all gathered at the front door of the pub and began their long moonlit walk back to the campsite. Kayn was silently walking beside Frost. Grey and Zach started to sing obnoxiously.    Mel complained, “My feet are killing me.” She took off her heels and massaged her feet.    Grey bent over and said, “Hop on beautiful.” He offered her a piggy back ride.    Lily knit her brow and pouted, “My feet are killing me too.”    Zach smiled, bent over in front of her and comically volunteered, “I will be your mighty steed.”    Kayn watch Lily as she grinned and hopped on his back.   “Do you want a ride too?” Frost whispered in his usual naughty manner.   Kayn stammered, “No. I’m okay. I wore my running shoes.” I wore my running shoes… Why did she always have to be such a dork? She felt like kicking herself for not having an innuendo to say back.    He glanced down at her feet noticing for the first time that she was in fact wearing her running shoes. “You are kind of amazing Brighton,” Frost whispered while still looking at her beaten up running shoes.    She grinned and teased, “I do try.”    The seemingly normal group of wasted teens made it back to their campsite in one piece. She remembered taking off her running shoes and tossing them beside the picnic table. Grey whipped off his shirt and hollered something about the pool. They all followed suit. She could recall the refreshing sensation of the water. She recalled Frost swimming after her singing, “Da, Da... Da, Da.” It was a drunken version of the jaws theme song. He caught her from behind and trapped her against the side of the pool. She recalled the feeling of his thumb hooking the back of her bra strap as he pulled her against him. She felt his breath on the nape of her neck and the overwhelming feeling of wanting something to happen. She extended her fingers on the wet cement and parted her lips as he kissed her neck. She wanted to turn around to face him but he stopped her. He laid his palm flat on her bare stomach and ran one of his fingers just underneath the underwire of her bra in the front. She gasped and arched her back against him.    “You’re killing me Brighton, Frost groaned. “I’m not allowed.”    “Somehow, I don’t see you as the guy that always does what he’s told,” She sparred. She felt him curl a finger around one of her damp strands of hair as he moved it out of the way. He stroked his thumb across the crescent shaped birth mark behind her ear. Then he rubbed her ear lobe seductively between his thumb and fore finger.    He leaned in and she felt the warmth of his breath against her ear as he whispered, “You can’t afford to have me as a distraction. We’ll be friends, I can wait.”    Kayn remembered little after that… 

Enjoy This Spider Rat Battle #Enlightenment

She darted through onto a flight of stairs. The wall slid shut. Would this route be better or worse? The stairs descended into darkness. There was no choice but to proceed down them with caution, especially if the option had a chainsaw. After taking a moment to listen to her instincts, she made her way down the stairs with one hand securely against the wall to keep her steady. She was still shaking a bit and didn’t want to trip and fall. She had no idea how far the staircase descended. She couldn’t see twenty feet in front of her. She heard something scurrying around on the stairs. She took a few more steps down and there was a large rat directly in her path. She wasn’t afraid of rodents, so it wasn’t a big deal. She took a step towards the kitten-sized rodent. Kayn whispered, “I’m just going to sneak right past you. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise there is no need to be afraid of me.” The rodent looked up at her and cocked its head. It was actually kind of cute. She was almost tempted to pet it. The rat bulked up to twice its size. Kayn took a few steps back up the stairs as she said, “Well, you’re not a normal rat, are you? It’s okay. I’m not a normal girl. I am cool with you, even at double the size. It’s all good. I just need to get past you, little buddy.” The rat bulked up again and now it stood blocking the width of the stairs. It smiled at her. Those long square teeth were more intimidating on a rat the size of a large dog. This was still not that bad. She was still okay with the creature. She just needed to go past it down the stairs. This was not a big deal. Kayn scanned the walls on either side of her for grooves or ridges. There had to be another way out. What was she thinking? Stairs usually had a way out at the top and at the bottom. At the top, there was a chainsaw and at the bottom, there was a rat. Granted, it was an enormous rat but it was still just a rodent. She would venture down the stairs versus the alternative. Kayn quietly bargained, “Hey little buddy, I just need to sneak past you. Not going to hurt you. It’s all good.”

     The rat looked like it was going to bulk up again as its body began to bulge and shift, then out of its torso, eight long hairy legs unfolded. The rat went from passable to utterly terrifying in about five seconds. On either side of its square teeth, long razor-sharp fangs grew. Kayn took a very slow step back up the stairs as she whispered, “It’s fine, I’ve changed my mind. I don’t need to get past you that bad. I’m just going to go now and you can just carry on with your giant spider rat transformation thing.” Kayn clutched her knife, knowing as she gingerly moved back up the stairs that she’d probably be dead of a heart attack long before the creature touched her. The spider rat had not moved an inch and it hadn’t attempted to chase her up the stairs. Kayn breathed a sigh of relief as she made the conscious choice to brave the chainsaw versus the messed-up creature. When she reached the top, she laid her hands against the wall and said, “I’ve changed my mind. The chainsaw’s not that bad. I think I’m alright with it now. Open up.” Something jolted beneath her feet and she thought, Oh, no. The stairs turned into a slide. Kayn’s feet came out from under her. She landed flat on her back and shot down the staircase at lightning speed. She was going so fast, she caught up with the spider rat. She couldn’t help herself. It was as though the high-pitched squealing was coming from somebody else. She’d been absolutely terrified many times in this new life but in this moment, she was flying down a slide riding on a giant hairy spider rat. She attempted to scramble away, kicking at it and flailing with her hands and her feet. The spider rat did appear to be equally terrified of her screaming. It was hard to tell the difference between terrified and extremely excited as you shot down a slide. She ended up on top of the creature as they shot across the floor at the bottom. Kayn managed to pull herself together. She raised the blade above her head. They were bumping into hairy things as they sped by. Don’t think about it. Just deal with this one first and then you can worry about the rest. Just breathe, she thought as she stabbed the monstrosity. Her mind continued to shoot through the scenarios that she might be facing. She couldn’t see in the dark but she could hear the echoes of scurrying legs across the stone. She couldn’t see but she imagined that hundreds of rat spiders would be able to see just fine. She gripped the knife, prepared to fight until her last breath. She was grateful she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t handle the visual. Kayn felt a searing pain in her leg. Something was biting her! She reached down and yanked it off. She knew what it was as she tossed it across the room. Oh… Crap! She heard countless scurrying legs. No! No! No! She whirled around in the darkness launching away each abomination that sunk its teeth into her flesh. Her hand pulsed a few times in the darkness. The meager amount of light revealed that she was surrounded by an enormous swarm of the furry beings. She’d faced this challenge before. She had been in this situation. Kayn stood her ground gathering strength from somewhere deep inside. She hissed, “You want a piece of me! Come and get it!” Her leg had begun to burn. Her hand began to pulse allowing for brief flashes of vision in the darkness. It was a slow, steady radiating burn. She glanced down at her leg. It was swollen to double its size and she was covered in hives.  Oh, wonderful. I’m allergic to bees and spider rats. Good to know. She stood there slowly rotating around in a circle to keep watch on the swarm of creatures that appeared to be just watching her now during each strobe of light. She had the distinct impression that they were waiting for something. Kayn had seen countless low budget horror movies. She’d given her imagination plenty of ammunition. The swarm of spider rats parted to allow something large passage. Kayn stood there with her blade poised before her and her mind set on one thing and one thing only. She would stab this mutant son of a bitch at least once before she went down.

     Suddenly, it felt like she was breathing through a tiny juice pack straw. Deprived of oxygen, her mind flashed back to the embarrassing fanny pack she’d worn through elementary school, containing her EpiPen. It wouldn’t do a damn thing now. By the light of her flashing Ankh symbol, she saw an enormous creature moving slowly through the middle of the swarm with an ominous rattling. Her ability to inhale air ceased. In her last seconds of consciousness, she saw the monstrosity approaching her. It had a rat spider’s body and a mesmerizing rattlesnake’s tail. Pass out! She needed to pass out! It opened its jaws and sprayed something at her. She felt her body spinning in circles. Why was she still conscious? What in the hell? She was methodically encased in white as her headache ceased and her mind turned off.

Behind The Series ☥

Behind The Series ☥

One thousand years ago, procreation with mortals became illegal under the immortal law. Any suspected immortal offspring will be allowed to live until the age of sixteen. At this time, a Correction will be sent to erase their family line. The suspected immortal and their immediate family will be executed. If the partially immortal teen manages to survive their Correction, or they have impressed the Guardians of the in-between with their bravery, they may be granted a second chance as a sacrificial lamb for the greater good. They must join one of three clans of immortals living on earth. Clan Ankh, Clan Trinity or Clan Triad. They will then have the symbol of that clan branded into their flesh and with this mark, their souls will no longer be permitted through the hall of souls when they die. They must wait in the in-between for their clans to heal their mortal shells. Once they have reached the age of eighteen they will be sealed to their clan. The next step is to train their partially mortal brains to survive the stresses of immortality. The next feat will be the immortal Testing where they will be dropped into a floating crypt the size of New York City. This Testing is fuelled by your worst nightmares. It is a place of magic. A personal hell, where anything can happen. Here you must die a thousand times if need be, in increasingly violent ways until you understand what it is to be immortal. All three Clans go into the Testing. They must remain together and search for the Amber room in order to survive. There is a catch…only the first two clans that find the Amber room will be allowed out. The third clan will remain trapped in the nightmare forever…


A blurb from, Sweet Sleep.

As her vision flickered one last time, the man was gone. It was her mother looking into her eyes. Her mother's eyes were filled with so much love that it seemed to release her from her pain and fear as it had when she was a small child. Her mother cradled her as a baby, rocking her back and forth. She was safe now in her mother's arms. She was at peace. Mommy, her heart sang, you're here to save me. 
The warmth of her mother's love enveloped her tortured soul. She looked into her mother's eyes. She touched Kayn's face and started to sing a song that she had sung to her every night when she was very small. 
Sleep, sweet sleep till the morning
Just dream away and close your eyes
My love, you'll be safe until the morning
Sleeping in my heart, all through the night
Although bad dreams come to scare you
My love will scare them all away
My heart
The lights flickered, the pain went away, and her mother was holding her, singing "Sleep, sweet sleep."

The Beginning 

Would you live your life differently if you knew the Correction was coming for you? 
They have allowed you to live until the age of sixteen because they want you to fight back. Your entire family line will be erased from this world sometime around your sixteenth birthday. You and your twin sister were never meant to be born. There will be no place to run and no place to hide because won't even know they're coming.
Do you have what it takes to survive your Correction?
Do you have what it takes to leave your humanity behind?
If your answer is yes, then hold on tight...




You can find the series trailers and the teaser online. If you find me somewhere out there in the vast world of social media, I would love to hear from you.
http://www.childrenofankh.com
http://www.kimcormack.com
amazon.com/author/kimcormack


Fun facts about this series...

(Correction) The scheduled execution of all partially immortal offspring and their genetic line.

(Ankh, Trinity, and Triad) The three clans of immortals living on earth. You must join one of these three clans if you survive your Correction.

(Testing) At the age of eighteen, you become sealed to your clan. All of the newest members of each clan train for this infamous Testing. The Testing is a floating crypt the size of New York City that contains your worst nightmares. In this crypt, you must die thousands of times to prove that your partially mortal brain can withstand the trials of being immortal. Three clans enter and race for the Amber room. Only the first two to find this room will be set free. the third will remain lost their worst nightmares forever. 

(Tombs) If you survive the Testing you have earned your own healing tomb. 

(Guardians) Three Guardians created each clan of immortals. (beings from the in-between)

(Crypts) Homebase's for each clan, scattered all over the world.

(Dragons) There are green scaly Dragons in this series, but in most cases, the word Dragon refers to an emotional Dragon. Lexy is the Dragon of Clan Ankh, and she is capable of operation without emotions. A Dragon is a partially immortal hitman...or woman. 

Happy Reading 
Kim Cormack XOXO