Silver Kingdom

SILVER KINGDOM by J.R. RAIN & MATTHEW S. COX Alexis Silver #6 The World of Samantha Moon VAMPIRE FOR HIRE® SERIES Moon Dance Vampire Moon American Vampire Moon Child Christmas Moon Vampire Dawn Vampire Games Moon Island Moon River Vampire Sun Moon Dragon Moon Shadow Vampire Fire Midnight Moon Moon Angel Vampire Sire Moon Master Dead Moon Lost Moon Vampire Destiny Infinite Moon Vampire Empress Moon Elder Wicked Moon Winter Moon Moon Blade Sasquatch Moon Wild Moon Moon Magic Moon World Vampire Deep (coming soon) SHORT STORY SINGLES Teeth: Fang’s Story Vampire Nights Vampire Blues Vampire Dreams Halloween Moon Vampire Gold Blue Moon Dark Side of the Moon Vampire Requiem Moon Love Vampire Alley Moon Musings Moon Beast Vampire Widow Moon Maze Silver Hammer When Sam Met Santa One Swallow Vampire Reich Little Moon Leprechaun Moon Vampire Fly SAMANTHA MOON ADVENTURES Banshee Moon Moon Monster Moon Ripper Witch Moon Moon Goddess Moon Blaze Golem Moon Moon Maidens SAMANTHA MOON CASE FILES Moon Bayou Blood Moon Parallel Moon SAMANTHA MOON ORIGINS New Moon Rising Moon Mourning Haunted Moon SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS Moon Tales Moon Extras Moon Vacation Moon Shots Moon Cases Spin-off Series ALLISON LOPEZ The Witch and the Gentleman The Witch and the Englishman The Witch and Huntsman The Witch and the Wolfman The Witch and the Hangman ALEXIS SILVER Silver Light Deep Silver Silver Quarrel Silver Crucible Silver Heart Silver Kingdom J.R. Rain’s Vampire for Hire World STANDALONE TALES Fire Warrior Fang I, Samantha Moon Vampires She Wrote Dragon Lessons Dead Ahead Wolf Moon Crystal Moon Vampire Apocalypse CHRONICLES OF THE IMMORTAL COUNCIL Vampire Abduction Vampire Exodus Vampire Sovereign Vampire Magic Vampire Vacation Vampire Reflections Vampire Enigma Vampire Spirit Vampire Regent Vampire Intuition VAMPIRE CRIMES SPECIAL UNIT Moon Hunt Moon Gone Moon Crimes Moon Castle BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE Burning Afterglow Radiance SAMANTHA MOON, GUARDIAN VAMPIRE Twisted Sister Harvest Moon Moonbow Silver Kingdom Published by Rain Press Copyright © 2023 by J.R. Rain All rights reserved. Ebook Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-one Chapter Twenty-two Chapter Twenty-three Chapter Twenty-four Chapter Twenty-five Chapter Twenty-six Chapter Twenty-seven Chapter Twenty-eight Chapter Twenty-nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-one Chapter Thirty-two Chapter Thirty-three Chapter Thirty-four Chapter Thirty-five Chapter Thirty-six Chapter Thirty-seven Chapter Thirty-eight Reading Sample: The Mermaid Next Door About J.R. Rain About Matthew S. Cox Silver Kingdom Chapter One Mental Issues Hope is a powerful force capable of giving a person the strength to do the unimaginable. It’s been almost three weeks since my trip to the Middle East and Licinia’s ritual. Nothing outwardly obvious has changed. Internally, my emotions have been all a tumult. She can’t be the only dark master to have ever done something based on love rather than in pursuit of power. I’m aware it’s still so woefully uncommon for one of them to do such a thing that I’m feeling awkward about it. And yes, I said love. I suppose it’s equally rare for someone like me to regard their resident dark master with such admiration, respect, and—dare I say it—love. Our relationship is mostly like a mother and daughter. However, on occasion, Licinia feels more like my older sister who’s equally interested in sneaking around to do something incredibly fun that we’ll get in big trouble for. The bigger shock is the risk she’s taking with her eternal soul. She’s been a touch cagey about the odds of our death, continually downplaying it. Normally, when a cursed immortal like me dies, the mortal soul returns to the Source and the dark master goes back into… wherever they go to await their next mortal host. By the by, I do not consider myself ‘cursed.’ It’s merely a term some in the know use to describe anyone of mortal birth who later became a vampire, mer, werewolf, or other such ‘creature’ through the machinations of a dark master. Thanks to the magic she worked in her old temple, when the day of my demise comes, my mortal soul won’t return to the Great Beyond. Truth is, I’m a little fuzzy on some details. Some think the mortal soul is consumed by the overarching Creator responsible for existence, and will never again exist in the same form. Absorbed into the Creator, as some describe it. Others believe the mortal soul is ripped apart and the energy released by that process provides the power to protect the dark master during the separation. Licinia broke that part of the process. When I die, my soul is now going to fly back into the machinery of reincarnation like any other mortal reaching the end of their life. Licinia will probably go back to… wherever like a dark master would… however, a chance exists she might be the one who gets destroyed. To hear her talk, the chance is minuscule. Like, we’d have about the same odds of winning the big Lottery prize if we bought a ticket every game cycle for the next 200 years. I hope she’s right. It would make me feel incredibly guilty if I knew she sacrificed her existence for me. Oh, hush, dear. If I am not worried about it, you should not be. I let out a long sigh. Maybe I’ll convince myself not to worry in another half century. She chuckles in the back of my mind. Sitting here in my Jeep watching the screens of two iPads for hours is not terribly helpful in keeping my mind free from distractions. Why am I sitting in my Rubicon staring at iPads? In a word... work. A man by the name of David Emmons hired me to keep tabs on his wife