Novels by Darken Ross

"HOW ARE YOU feeling today?" Jon asked as they left the hospital. His hand was around Nicole's waist, supporting her as they walked out with her nurse in tow. "A lot better," Nicole smiled. "That room was starting to feel a little crampy." Jon chuckled. "There is a lot of space where you are going now." Nicole smiled. They got into the waiting limousine and Jon's driver pulled out of the parking lot. It had been a week since Maxim fled for Russia and things had been relatively quiet. There were no talks about assassins or attempted murders anymore. For Jon, the only annoying part was Antonio Orsatti, strutting around like a peacock. He had to do something about him. But what? He asked himself. "What are you thinking about?" Nicole's voice drew Jon back to the present. He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. I'm excited you are coming home with me." Nicole gave him a knowing smile and said. "Maxim is behind us now."Jon coughed out a laugh. "Why said anything about Maxim?" He as

JON DROVE TO the hospital parked, at the end of the lot and sat in the car, taking deep breaths and calming himself. He ran his hands over the steering wheel. There was a loud whine of an engine behind him. He turned to see a Porsche squeal into the parking lot some yards away from him. He turned to see Antonio get out of the car. He flipped a loose strand of his long hair behind his ear. He put on sunshades and then walked into the hospital. Jon was in awe of what Antonio was doing here. "What the fuck?" Jon muttered under his breath. "When did they even release him?" He asked himself. He wanted to follow Antonio and confront him about what he was doing here, but he decided to wait it out and see how it played out. He did not have to wait for long because, after a few minutes, he saw Antonio coming back out. Jon opened his car door and folded himself out. Antonio was taken aback for half a second when he saw Jon standing in the parking lot. He looked hesitant to approach Jon bu

THE MANSION WAS lit up with sirens the following morning. A servant tapped on Jon's door to wake him up. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and went down in his pajamas. Alex Brandon and Mirtovic stood in his grand foyer. He stepped out just at the same time as Vincent, who was a little more formally dressed than Jon. "Head director," Vincent nodded at Mitrovic, and then he turned to Brandon, "Head director," he nodded again. "To what do I owe this surprise?" Jon asked dryly. Lucas came out of his suite and eyed the men. If looks could kill, both Mitrovic and Alex would have dropped dead. "Have a seat and drinks maybe," Mitrovic said. Jon snorted and led them into the study room. Lucas poured out 5 glasses of Whiskey. Vincent declined his, "A little too early for alcohol. Don't you think?" Jon nodded in agreement. He collected the glass from Lucas but did not drink it. "What do you have to tell us?" Mitrovic took a drink from his cup before saying, "News just got to us.

"YOU CAN GO in now, Mister Stone." Jon stood up and gave a small nod at the FBI agents who had spoken to him. He walked into the room to see Lucas seated. Lucas looked up and gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I told you something would happen," Lucas said when Jon came in. "They screwed it up, didn't they?" Jon nodded. He paced the small room and massaged his eye socket. "You should call Vincent," Lucas said. Jon stopped and looked at Lucas like he was about to argue. But then he nodded again, "I will. What were the charges against you? Why did they bring you in?"Lucas scoffed. "Did they need to have a reason?" He asked back. "I saw the way the Brandon guy looked at me that first time, he wanted to bring me in from there." Jon didn't have anything to say to that. So he sighed and said, "I am going to get you out of here." Lucas nodded as Jon left the room. He got back into his car and sped out of the parking lot. His mind was spinning as he drove into the mansion. H

IT WAS ONE importance of having numerous contacts in every area of the world. One of his contacts had informed him of the incoming arrest. Maxim had been in the kitchen, making himself breakfast when he received a text from his contact saying that there was a big arrest of a Russian coming the next day, all the bosses in the head offices were riled up and prepared. That was all the heads up that Maxim needed. He tossed the eggs into the trash can and left the house without even parking a bag. Just his car key and the clothes on his body. He hopped into his G-wagon and drove gently – He didn't overspeed. Nothing to catch their attention – to the airport. He told his pilot to take a one way flight to Russia immediately but that was not possible. The pilot had told him that the fuel wouldn't carry them nonstop, so they had to make a stop in France to refuel, before making the last half of the journey. That sounded fine. He just wanted to be out of New Jersey when the FBI came knockin

JON HAD A very short night. He woke up 3 hours after he closed his eyes, and his eyes remained open. After lying prone for a long time, he turned and glanced at the bedside clock. It was 6 a.m. "I might as well prepare for my flight back to New Jersey," He muttered as he threw the covers back and swung his leg over the edge of the bed. He grunted to his feet and went to the bathroom. He stepped into the cold shower to wake him up for the morning. After washing up, he headed downstairs where the maids were already setting the table. Vincent had told them last night that the big boss was going to leave very early the following morning, so they had to wake early to make sure he is well taken care of.Jon took a seat at the dining table and nodded as his meal was served. "Have one of you get my bags from my room upstairs," He said to a servant boy who nodded and headed up immediately to get the bag. Jon took a bite of his breakfast and then turned to another servant nearby, "Go knock o

"SIT!" LORD HEDERICK commanded. Anakin bowed and sat on a small stool opposite the throne. Daryth sat beside him, scowling. Queen Eleana sat beside the throne, opposite the boys. Lord Hederick stood, towering over them all. "Tell me," He said, his voice booming across the throne hall. "Tell us what you did.""I, um–" Anakin started, but saw his father's frown so he cleared his throat and said in a stronger voice. "I fought and killed a herd of giants, father." Queen Eleana's eyes threatened to pop. "You what?!" She almost screamed. "Sid you know about it?" Lord Hederick asked Daryth who shook his head vehemently. "How did you do it?" The question was directed at Anakin. "Um, Commander Arlen has been training with me –" "Tell the truth, Anakin!" Anakin looked at the soles of his sandals and said, "I have been receiving some training from someone else." "Who is it?" His father asked. Anakin shrugged slightly. He did not know how to answer that question. Who really was Norman? He

KING HEDERICK WAS led through a long dark hallway. The fey king muttered a spell under his breath, "Continual Light," and a ball of light floated from his fingers and went ahead of them, illuminating the whole hallway. "What is it?" King Hederick asked. "What happened to the mage?" "It's hard to say," Dynnatt replied. "It's better you see it for yourself. My scouts found the remains of another man too. He might have been an archer or hunter. He had an enchanted bow beside his corpse." "What killed him?" Dynnatt shrugged. They had gotten in front of a thick wooden door. The Fey king pushed it open and they walked in. It was a small room with a thin bed in one corner. A wizened pale young man lay on the bed. Hederick immediately noted that he was human. Beside the bed, were two female Fey healers. They bowed and hurried out of the room. "Here is the mage," Dynnatt said. "Or ex-mage, is it?" "What do you mean?" "He has Life sucked out of him," Dynnatt walked to the pale figure on

GIANTS WERE DARK BLOODED creatures, they were one of the races most likely to embrace the darkness. They did not wield Life like natural Feys or mage druids, instead, the life that flowed in their veins made them grow to enormous sizes. The shortest full-blooded giant was said to be 20 feet tall. They had strength that matched their size too, but they were often slow and stupid. Their brain processing power was very low, but still, a herd of giants like this was more than enough for a platoon of 4th class warrior mages. Anakin dodged the club of the first giant, he rolled underneath the legs of another. "Reverse gravity!" Anakin yelled, pointing at the closest giant near him. The giant's eyes rolled in confusion as it floated into the sky. Just those two spells and Anakin could feel his energy draining. Norman was right, wielding Life like this was tedious work, he turned and –SLAM! He felt himself being flung 10 feet in the air as he was hit hard with the side of a giant stick.

EVERY TIME LORD HEDERICK visited the Fey kingdom. He was always in awe. He never let the aww show on his face, that would just further increase the ego of Feys. "Welcome once again, my Lord," A slim Fey in a green robe said as soon as they stepped out of the portal. Lord Hederick nodded. "Take me to your king," He said, half hoping that they wouldn't portal themselves to the palace, he wanted to admire the landscape surrounding the Feuy kingdom. "Yes, my Lord," the Fey said. "I will take it from here," He said to the first Fey messenger, who bowed and walked away. To Lord Hederick's delight, they did not portal, the Fey started walking. It was like he knew the Capital's king wanted to see their kingdom. The Fey kingdom was the most civilized and most magical in the whole continent. It was often believed that the ancestors of Feys had been the first to reach the source of Life, and they built the kingdom on the source, making them closest to magic than any other race. But those we

"COMMANDER ARLEN TOLD me that you are improving," Lord Hederick said a few days later. The whole family sat at the table having breakfast. "Hmm," Anakin said. "He is a good teacher," his father snorted. Anakin focused on his food. He had been meeting Norman and now he was getting the hang of wielding Life. He still had no idea who or what Norman was, but Norman was even a better teacher than Ser Arlen. "He said you used two small goblin metal swords," Lord Hederick said, when Anakin nodded, he continued, "I would have preferred if you favored a broad sword," His wife cast him a hard glance so he added, "But I am glad you are getting the hang of weapon fighting." "Thank you, Father," Anakin said, bowing slightly. They continued eating in silence, only the sounds of spoons on plates could be heard. Daryth kept on glaring at Anakin occasionally as they ate; Anakin noticed them ignored. Norman did not only teach him how to manipulate life from his surroundings, but he also taught hi

ANSALON WAS A very diversified world, with many kingdoms and species. Each kingdom was easily accessible by any species – except the dark bloods like orcs, centaurs, giants e.t.cThe Northern part of the continent – all the land in Ansalon was referred to as the continent – was characterized by harsh atmospheres and little sunlight. It was on the extreme edge of the world, no one knew what was beyond.The warriors and Northmen were said to be the toughest in Ansalon because they trained in such harsh conditions. IN THE DEPTH of the woods, the heavy snowflakes were blown around by the heavy wind. The skies were gray and thick with clouds, and the ground was buried underneath a thick layer of snow. Very few animals could stand this cold without suffering from frostbite, so the forest was silent and lifeless.Suddenly, the air seemed to compress and swirl like it was turning into liquid. And then a white portal opened and a translucent being walked through.It was Marzurk in his godly

"WHAT DO YOU mean by bond?" Lucas asked Grace. She went into a frantic read, skimming through all the scrolls. "Grace?" Lucas called again. "What's wrong? What do you mean by bond?" "That's what I am trying to find out," Grace snapped. Lucas kept quiet and sulked away. He walked to the window and looked out. "How long do you think we've been here?" He asked Grace who did not reply to him. "The rain is finally stopping," He said again. "And I think I see the beginning of sunrise." "You should expect to hear the waking sounds of animals," Grace muttered. "But not these woods, there is no animal sound here."Lucas cocked his head and listened. After a few seconds, he nodded and said, "You are right. There should be chirping of birds, right?" "Yeah.""What happened? Maybe the villagers killed all the animals for meat," Lucas suggested. Grace snorted. "That's dumb." She said. Lucas looked out the window again and his brows came together in a thick furrow. Grace noticed his changed

I am running amidst the woods. I can feel the leaves slapping against my face and tiny thorns sticking into my flesh as I run. I am running at an insane speed, faster than any human should be able to move. I suddenly notice that I can see very bright even though it is night. I see it very clearly. Almost as clear as day. I feel anger. And pain. And the thirst for revenge. And insatiable hunger, the hunger that felt like it had persisted for hundreds of years. I do not know where I am going, but it feels like my legs are accustomed to the floor of the forest, because they are moving on their own accord, leaping over shrubs and turning corners I do not know. I vaguely register at the back of my head that I am running on both my hands and legs. Like an animal. Like a wolf. Different scents waft through my nose and spark my brain. It is coming from the direction where I was headed in the first place. With renewed agility, I launch in the direction where the scents are coming from. I

"DO YOU THINK that Henry is right?" George asked Jeff. They had been walking without seeing anything suspicious or even a bit scary. But Jeff was not yet relaxed, he had been here before, and he remembered how he felt. He remembered the bone chill and goosebumps. He knew there was something "off" about this town.He shrugged at George's question. "Maybe. I don't know." George sighed androyght out his phone. "I should call my sister," He said. Jeff scoffed. "I doubt that there would be service," George looked at his phone's screen. "You are wrong. There's service," He trusted his phone to Jeff's face. There were two bars of service. He dialed Grace's number. "Come on," Jeff said and they continued walking ahead as the call rang. After a few rings, it went to voicemail. "The hell?" George muttered. "Why isn't she picking up?" "She's probably busy. You know… she and Jeff… alone… in the dark," He laughed. George snorted. "Yeah, very funny, Jeffery. You know, your Carmen and Henry a

"I… I AM NOT the only one that can see that, right?" Sophie stammered, pointing at the child. Tristen and Emma shook their heads. "Yeah, I can see it too," Emma said. The child still stood near the large tree. One of his hands rested on the bark of the tree as he half-hid his face. He was small and thin. And he was white. Very white. Almost pale. Tristen shuffled forward. Emma gripped his arm. "What do you think you are doing?" She whispered fiercely. "Going to speak to the kid," He whispered back. "Are you crazy?" Sophie asked. She didn't bother to lower her voice. "That child is damn creepy. I suggest we turn back and head back to the meeting point." She looked at the screen of her phone. "Our time is up anyway.""I agree with Sophie this time," Emma said. Tristen snatched his arm from Emma's grip. "That might be the child that Henry saw… and the main reason that we are here." He said. " and that might be our only chance of getting help," He walked forward carefully. Emma and

Tristen AND THE girls walked on quietly. The lights from their phone's torch light cast a dim glow that moved about in an arch in their front. Tristen turned to look at the road they had come from, it felt like the other group was lost. He sighed and moved on ahead, leading the way. "What is that?" Emma suddenly whispered in his ear. They both crept behind him, letting him walk in front. He was the one with the torch. "Where?" He asked. "Flash it on the right." She said. Tristen flashed the torch to the right. The light illuminated the washed wall of an old stone house with open windows. "I could have sworn I saw someone looking from that window," Emma said. "Like a child." "Go check it out, Tristen," Sophie said, poking him in the ribs. "What? Why me?" Tristen asked. "Because you're the man amongst us," Sophie said. "Now, Go. We'll be well clear behind you." Tristen scoffed and walked forward. "I have a bad feeling about this," He gulped and tiptoed forward slowly. "We shou

I pull her for almost 5 minutes while running at full speed because I see the first houses of the village. There are lit lanterns along the street, casting the whole place in a soft warm glow, but creating a sharp contrast with the darkness. The shadows are deep and moving as the flame flitted around. As soon as we walk into the major street, the feeling of life and people surround me. I heave a sigh of relief and follow the street to the bar we had been in yesterday afternoon. I turn to look at Carmen. She is still in the weird trance. I push open the bar door and walk in, tugging on Carmen to follow me. The bar is empty and looks different than the afternoon. There is a lone candle fighting against the darkness in one corner. I make our way to the counter where a bartender is standing. He is different from the one we saw yesterday and he has another smaller candle in front of him, reading a thick-volume book. He has a kind of familiarity as the one we saw in the afternoon. Maybe

HIS NEXT STOP was a fashion store. He glanced at the clock on the car's dashboard, the time was 8.56 a.m.He chuckled. He still had time. He trapped his fingers on the steering wheel slightly as he cruised the street, looking for the best fashion store around. A glass and chrome budding caught his attention and he drove to the parking lot. His car was getting the attention of some nearby people, and they stared as they walked by. A girl quickly took a selfish in front of the car. She was going to post it on her Instagram and pretend that she knew who owned it. With a smile on his face, Arthur got out of the car, and the people around gasped. They could not believe that such a shabby-looking man could own such a wonderful car. Arthur pressed the key button to lock the doors and the car responded with the flash of lights. He walked into the store and was welcomed with pleasant cool air. He could immediately see his type of clothes – a regular shirt and baggy jeans – lined on a shel

ARTHUR WOKE UP to a call from his secretary, Helen. She basically ran his whole life schedule now from his gym sessions to meetings with dignitaries and governors of the state to even press conferences. He rolled over in his bed and groaned when he looked at the caller ID. He tried to recall if she had told him about any meeting for today, but he could not think of anything so he picked up the call."Yeah?" He answered gruffly. "Morning sir," Helen said brightly. Sometimes Arthur wondered how she did it. When he wanted nothing more than to collapse back on the bed and sleep as long as he wanted, her voice was always sharp. It was like she did not sleep. "Hello, Helen," Arthur muttered. He swung his leg over the side of his bed and stood up. He might as well fix himself a cup of coffee to wake up. "Yes, sir," Helen said. He could hear the sound of traffic in her background and realized that she was on the road already, this early. What time is it? He glanced at the digital clock.

"WE REALLY NEED to talk," Liam said again, starting to walk into the restaurant. "Uh, we can't talk in there," Arthur said, pointing at the restaurant.Liam stopped. "Aren't you the owner?" Arthur sighed and nodded. "You saw it on the news." "Yeah, we all did," Liam said. "Including your father." "Did he recognize me?" Arthur asked. "We need to talk," Liam repeated. "Well, we can't talk in there," Arthur said. He did not want anyone including his staff or his customers to see him with Liam. Some nosy person might go and start an investigation and connect the dots. "Let's go to my house." "Downtown?" Liam asked, entering his Porsche. "I know it. I'll race you there."Arthur chuckled and shook his head as he climbed his bike. "I've moved." "Moved? To where?" Liam asked. "And where the hell did you get that monster bike?" Arthur snapped on his helmet and kickstarted the bike. "I moved to Beverly Hills. Follow me." He screeched off the parking lot. Liam sat in his car for some s

"Mr. Cole Snr.?" Arthur asked. He was surprised and wondered to himself what Mr. Cole was doing here. He looked at Mr. Lambert and asked, "Didn't you tell him that you're the one in charge?""Someone like Mr. Cole…" Lambert said. "... when he asks for the owner of the restaurant, it's better for 'The owner of the restaurant' to meet him… not just the manager or one in charge."Arthur rolled his eyes. He hated this fear and reverence that they showered on the Cole family. He hated the entire Coles too. The oven made a Ding! sound. "Yep, that's for me," Arthur said. "But sir, Mr. Cole is waiting," Lambert said. "Phillipe would get really cross if these get burnt," Arthur said, stuffing his hand into the mitten, he turned and added, "If Mr. Cole cannot wait, he had better leave. I am running a business here." He opened the oven and took out the tray lined with golden brown-crusted delicacies. "I will, um, go and delay him for a while," Mr. Lambert said, shuffling away. Arthur took

"THE GRAND REOPENING of Le Savoureaux restaurant is a great success. The new owner, Mr. Arthur (surname not provided) graced the event with his million-dollar one-of-a-kind bike and his handsome looks. He did not have much to say to the press, but the manager and previous owner, Mr. Jean Lambert said that le Savoureaux will continue to serve the best French meals in the city, and that is without a doubt. Mr. Arthur has told the press that he will complete the renovation of the restaurant's kitchen and higher the staff's salary resulting in better customer service and better meals. There are talks to introduce English and even Italian meals to the restaurant, as rumor has it that Mr. Arthur is learning his chef skills from one of the best. The grand opening is one that will definitely be remembered by the city for a long while due to its success and the amount of money spent. And it's all thanks to the mysterious billionaire, Mr. Arthur. From left to right in the image below; The

THE OWNER OF GERMAINE real estate was called Mr. Germaine. Yes, he named the company after himself. He was a short pudgy man with a tiny voice. He came out to meet with Arthur in front of the company. "Mr. Salvatore," Mr. Germaine said, extending his hand for a handshake which Arthur accepted. "I am Germaine." Arthur nodded. "Your staff, Helen, said something about you wanting to sell the place," Mr. Germaine looked at the building and nodded. "Yes. I want to move on to another phase of life. Understand?" Arthur nodded. "How much is the place worth?" Germaine chuckled and stroked his mustache. "The company is worth a lot, I assure you." He looked at the building again. "We are not running at a loss or anything like that. The company's future is secured. I just want to move on."Arthur smiled. He knew that Germaine was lying. The company was almost on the verge of bankruptcy, He remembered that Helen had said something like that. "So how much do you want to sell it?" Arthur aske