Dana Marie Bell [Bell - Sound’s Familiar (Terra Noctem Book 1)

Terra Noctem, Book 1

The world can be a harsh place for a wolf familiar seeking her bonded sorcerer. All Carol wants is a sorcerer to bond to and a home to call her own. So when Jonah Sound walks in, she's found someone that not only attracts her magic but her body and heart as well. The fact that he's got her dream job makes her ecstatic. The chemistry between them sparks something more than the normal familiar sorcerer bond, leaving Carol to hope that Jonah could be her forever home.

Jonah sound has had many familiars, but none call to him the way Carol Voss does. She's had a rough life, but she's come out of it with a keen intellect and calm bravery that make her a worthy partner, both as a cop and a sorcerer. Her dainty size and almost innocent gaze stir all of his protective instincts, but it's her heart he wants to capture and hold forever.

The job of a magical crimes unit detective can be dangerous. Hunting a sorcerer who kills for power puts both Jonah and Carol's lives on the line. Finding love amidst the chaos of a murder investigation seems impossible. Fortunately for Carol, her sorcerer eats impossible for breakfast.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writers imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Sounds Familiar

Copyright 2019 by Dana Marie Bell

ISBN: 978-1-946966-31-5

Edited by Tera Kleinfelter

Cover by Leah, OA Book Covers

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition electronic publication by Dana Marie Bell: September 2019

Contents

Dedication

To Mom, who finally learned how to text on her phone. Gods help us all.

To Dad, who doesnt bother reading his texts. For him, its call or nothing.

To Youngest Son, whod rather text than do ANY other form of communication. Geez, youve got a mouth for more than feeding yourself, ya know. And dear lord and lady, the memes

To Eldest Son, who doesnt care, hes gonna tell you all about what hes interested in RIGHT. THE. FUCK. NOW. Seriously, kid, I dont play Warhammer! But Ill admit that If the Emperor Had a Text To Speech Device is pretty hilarious.

And to Dusty, who thinks the whole thing is damn funny. Keep bringing me my coffee in the morning and Ill forgive you (almost) anything.

Glossary

Angel: A creature of the plane Angelus, they have wings and are beings of order. They prefer maintaining and preserving the status quo, and often find themselves in conflict with beings from the plane Infernus because of this. See Demons below.

Anima/Animus: Like yin and yang, anima and animus are the two forms of magic that fill every living thing. Sorcerers use anima/animus to cast spells, while familiars use it to transform into their animal counterparts. Most sorcerers need a familiar to help balance out their magic, or they run the risk of slipping into blood sorcery. The two are interchangeable, neither male nor female, just two halves of a whole.

Blood Sorcerer: Blood sorcerers are those who eschew forming a bond with a familiar. Instead, they pull anima/animus from the living, using blood rituals and human sacrifice to absorb the power. This sort of activity has a cost, however. Blood sorcerers run the risk of becoming withers, creatures of Terra Noctem that thrive on absorbing the magic of others. See Sorcerer and Withers below.

Demon: A creature of the plane Infernus, they are creatures of fire and chaos. They often have horns and red or bronze skin in their demon form. They prefer change and invention to maintaining the status quo, which often leads to conflict with denizens of the Angelic plane. See Angel above.

Dimen: Often confused for demons, dimen (pronounced dye-men) are simply interdimensional beings from the different planes who have chosen to make Terra Mundus their home. See Planes below. Dimens are angels, demons, elementals, elves, fairies, and merfolk. Some lump shapeshifters among the dimens, while others argue that they are originally from Terra Mundus, and therefore not dimens.

Elemental: A being of one of the four elemental planes, they often bear characteristics from their home dimension.

Air elemental: Often has flyaway hair, blue or gray eyes, and when using their powers, wings. Often called sylphs.

Earth elemental: Brown- or black-haired, brown- or green-eyed, they are often strong and big-boned. When using their powers, their skin will sometimes turn earth-colored as well. Their nickname is gnome.

Fire elemental: Reddish hair and brown eyes often mark these creatures. When using their powers, their skin turns ruddy. They are known as djinn.

Water elemental: Pale-haired, with blue eyes, these creatures are often called merfolk. Scales appear on their skin when they use their powers.

Elf/Fairy: Elves and fairies are creatures of Terra Dryadalis, aka the fairy realm. Elves often have the power of healing as well as the power to force other dimens from the plane the elf resides in. Some believe that familiars were used in the elven war against the Infernal plane, and that their magical changes to the familiars created shapeshifters. This is the source of the rumor that shapeshifters are actually dimens.

Fairies have the ability to hex others, causing mayhem among both humans and dimens. It is said that fairies are the outgrowth of elves who bore demon children, either voluntarily or involuntarily, both during the war and at other times.

Familiar: Familiars are people capable of changing into animals but who also bond with sorcerers to balance out their magic. Sorcerers and familiars are said to be cousins, familiars being born out of necessity. They cannot cast spells, but they can amplify their sorcerers spells and make them more stable. A familiar does not, however, need to bond with a sorcerer in the same way that a sorcerer needs a familiar, as all of their magic is directed inward rather than outward.

Familiar House: Familiar House is both the advocate for and home to familiars. A familiar looking for a sorcerer will form a temporary bond with the house, allowing them to set up the meet and greets where sorcerers come to look for potential partners. Familiar Houses set the rules that both sorcerers and familiars use to regulate the bond.

Gate: Extremely difficult to open, gates are how sorcerers can move between planes. This is only recommended if proper preparations are made to survive the plane that the sorcerer wishes to travel to.

Gods: The gods are said to have created the planes of existence. They have their own plane, removed from almost all of the others. Only one pathway exists to the realm of the gods, and only certain creatures, such as demons, angels, and planewalkers, can travel there. It is impossible for a sorcerer to form a gate to the plane of the gods.

Human: Natural-born residents of Terra Mundus, humans are both numerous and capable of channeling the magic of the other planes. Sorcerers are always born of humans. Because of their ability to channel, they need familiars to help ground them and balance out their magic.

Ley Line(s): The primal force of a world, ley lines flow much like air currents and can be tracked by those who can tap into them. Unlike humans, elves use ley lines to cast their spells, as do gnomes, merfolk and other dimens.