An Eternity of Dead Sun (An Eternity of Eclipse Novel Book 2)

An Eternity of

Dead Sun

An Eternity of Eclipse Novel

Book 2

Con Template

Also by Con Template:

Welcome to the Underworld, Book 1

The Fall of Gods, Book 2

The War of Gods, Book 3

The End of Gods, Book 4

An Eternity of Eclipse, Book 1

Copyright © 2016 Con Template

All rights reserved.

Cover Illustration Design by: Abie

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the Author.

Dedicated to:

Dad

For always being so strong, for overcoming all the hardships that life has thrown you, and for being my hero.

Thank you for being the greatest father I could ever ask for.

This book is for you.

Acknowledgements

The publication of this book would not be possible without my incredible beta-readers.

A big “Thank You” to: Jocelyn H., Zesha, Liliane W., Deanna Choi, Eena Shermaine Correa, Kristine Morete, Ghetty Hilaire, Vivian, Maria L. Loo, Anita, Shirley L., Anna Chanthakhoun, Jamie Lee, Sandra Bae, Nikita Delfin, and Theresa.

Thank you for being my rocks during the publication of this book and thank you for being such wonderful human beings. Your constant support never fails to chase my exhaustion away and your incredible dedication never fails to make me feel so fortunate to have you in my life. It is an absolute honor to have you look over An Eternity of Dead Sun and have you devote so much of your time into making it the best book it can be. Needless to say, you’re all timeless gems in my book.

A large chunk of my gratitude also goes to my talented graphic artist,
Abie
. Thank you for always being one of my biggest pillars of support. I thank my lucky stars everyday to have come across such an incredible individual like yourself. Thank you so much for honoring the AEOE series with your talent and for honoring me with your unending kindness. What a gift it is to have you on this journey with me. You’re too amazing. 

I would also like to extend my gratitude to my
amazing family
. Thank you for being with me through thick and thin, for supporting me in everything I choose to do, and for being such awe-inspiring souls. There is no bigger honor than to have you as my family and no bigger joy than to enjoy your company everyday.

Last but never least, no acknowledgements page would ever be complete without a shout-out to all
my beautiful readers
. Thank you for being with me every step of the way, for supporting my works, and for being so sweet to me. This could never be possible without all your continued love, support, and overall awesomeness.

Here’s to the continuation of another adventure together!

CONTENTS

“Our love will destroy the world.”
01
: The Road to Serenity

Serenity was about seven hours out of the city.

Due to the fact that we needed a car to get to my hometown, I decided to let Eclipse in on a secret that I was too ashamed to tell anyone. After we returned from our Ferris wheel ride, I herded my very curious Demon to the parking garage of my apartment complex. I solemnly showed him something that I had never shown anyone.

Under the dim lighting of the parking garage, I pointed out a white Toyota Rav4 that belonged to me and told him that we could use this car on our trip to Serenity. We needed private transportation in order to search for the missing part of my soul, and I figured this car would serve us well.

Needless to say, Eclipse was utterly stupefied to discover that I had a car of my own. He had come into my life, revealed himself to be my Guardian Demon (as well as the Devil’s youngest son—the Demon of Lust), and had hung around me for weeks on end, trying to convince me to give him my soul so he could turn me into a Demon. Given that he had been clinging onto me like white on rice, I understood why he was shocked to abruptly learn that I had a car of my own all this time.

He didn’t waste any time in asking me about my reasons for never taking it out for a drive. In fear of being judged, I kept the true details of why this car was secretly tucked away in a parking garage to myself. I simply told him that I didn’t want to risk giving up my parking spot in the garage, even though the truth was that all the residents were given designated parking spots. Eclipse didn’t know that and I didn’t deem it necessary to tell him. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him and it most certainly couldn’t hurt me.

As the next afternoon arrived, with Eclipse still blissfully unaware of my shameful secret about the Rav4, I waited nervously in front of my school. I wore my favorite white trench coat over a black top and blue jeans. Protected from the drizzling rain by my pink umbrella, I stood on the busy sidewalk while distractedly looking at the cellphone picture of my white Maltese puppy—a small dog that Eclipse had gifted me when I was angry with him—OinkOink. I had snapped the photo this morning before I left for school.

The night prior, Eclipse told me that it would be best to leave OinkOink at home instead of lugging him with us on our trip to Serenity. I wouldn’t say that I loved the baby Maltese with all my heart, but I cared about the puppy enough to voice my concerns for his safety. There was no way the little ball of fluff could survive the weekend without us, and I shared this concern with Eclipse.

Eclipse, being such a positive thinker, assured me that OinkOink was a smart puppy and that he’d be able to fend for himself over the weekend. When he saw that my hesitation persisted, he added that he would cast a spell over the puppy for it to be sharp enough to survive without us for the next few days. With that supernatural reassurance in mind, I went along with Eclipse’s negligent plan and promptly left the food, water, and dog mat out to last the puppy for a couple of days.

It was originally easy to leave OinkOink when I thought he wasn’t privy to the fact that we were leaving him. However, this morning, as though knowing that we were ditching him for the long weekend, he actually began to give us attitude by pretending to not pay attention to us! I initially thought it was my imagination, but when I was trying to take a picture of him for my cellphone—just to look at it whenever I was bored—he wouldn’t even deign to look at or acknowledge me.

It was only when I was about to leave for school that OinkOink showed some emotion by turning away from me. Instead of bidding me goodbye by nuzzling himself against my ankle as he usually did, he merely whimpered sadly and hopped into my room. Next thing I knew, his little button nose was pushing the door closed. After that, the only sounds I could hear from my room were his soft whimpers of sorrow.

I was stunned by this display of sadness, but Eclipse assured me that he would make the puppy feel better before he left to pick me up from school. So with my disconcertedness set, I left for class. All throughout the day, both during school and while waiting to be picked up by Eclipse, I couldn’t help but wonder if OinkOink was okay.

I’ll be home soon,
I assured him in my mind before I heard an engine rev in the distance.

I looked up from my cellphone, feeling the wind whip at my long black hair. My stomach clenched in nervousness when I saw Eclipse appear around the corner. He was in the driver’s seat of the two-door Rav4 and he was driving straight towards me. I closed my umbrella once the car came to a slow stop beside the curb.

“Ready, Teacup?” he asked when I opened the door, his voice as smooth and enthralling as ever. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and casual blue jeans that made him appear more rugged than usual. Even his newly washed dark hair added to the whole “breathtaking bad boy” look. I hated that I was beginning to admire whatever style he chose to don as he experimented with civilian clothing.
He always looks so good.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I responded, shaking excess water off my umbrella.

With my breath frozen in my chest, I hesitantly hopped into the car, tossed all my books into the backseat, and uneasily flicked my focus over to Eclipse. I wondered if he had figured out my shameful secret yet.

“How’d your presentation go?” he asked warmly, turning up the heat once he noticed that the cold had yet to subside from my shivering body.

“Good.” I shook off my coat and tossed it into the backseat as the warm air began to move over my skin. I managed a proud smile even though I was still nervous about him finding out my secret. “I think I got an A.”

His full lips curved into a magnificent smile. Presenting me with a knowing chuckle that felt warmer than the air streaming around us, he gave an incline of the head. “Of course you did, Gracie.”

With my cellphone clutched in my hand and a dim picture of my Maltese fading into a black screen, I casually asked, “How was OinkOink?”

“Pissed off,” Eclipse answered with a broad smile. He showed me the little red teeth marks on his right index finger. “The little pup nearly bit my finger off when I took him out of your room, closed all the doors, and kept him inside the living room so he could have access to his food and water for the weekend.”

“Are you sure the little fur ball will be able to survive the weekend?” I couldn’t help but question, once again wondering if we should double back to the apartment to get him. At times like these, I honestly felt bad for OinkOink. It sucked for him that he was stuck with a sadistic human girl and a Demon as his “caregivers.”

“The hellhounds in Hell are smart enough to take care of themselves,” Eclipse responded, as if hellhounds and that little Maltese had the same genetic predisposition to protect themselves at all costs.

“OinkOink is a human’s puppy,” I deadpanned with a dry stare. “He’s not a killing machine. He’s a domesticated puppy whose biggest adversity in the wild is fighting me off while I’m trying to give him a shower.”

Eclipse laughed at the comparison. “OinkOink is a very smart puppy,” he stated again, his smile growing wider. “Aside from being pissed that we left him alone, he will survive.”

I swallowed tightly before nodding and glancing ahead. Eclipse had taken the car out of its idle mode and was getting ready to drive it.

Anxiety laced my blood as the car began to move.

“So,” I prompted, trying to appear normal instead of nervous, “was there any trouble getting the car out?”

“Other than the fact that it’s the scrawniest car I’ve ever seen?” he mocked lightly. “No, Gracie. Everything’s fine.”

I laughed anxiously. His pleasant mood indicated that he hadn’t figured out the truth about the Rav4 yet. For this, I was grateful and hoped it would remain that way. I wanted to have a peaceful ride to Serenity and did not want to deal with him judging me.

Regrettably, my prayers were not answered. After driving the car for a sizeable amount of time, Eclipse finally figured out why this car was hidden away in my parking garage and why it was left inactive for so long.

“What the fuck?!” Eclipse complained for the millionth time since we had been on the road. “This car sucks!”

His face was red, completely frustrated with the contraption that he was unlucky enough to drive for the past few hours in the pouring rain. The windshield wipers were going at full speed in the background as Eclipse hit his hand against the steering wheel. He had gotten so mad that he wasn’t even smoking anymore.

“I’m flooring it and it won’t even go past 45 miles per hour,” he plowed on heatedly. “At this rate, we’re better off hitching a ride from a retired turtle than trying to get anywhere in this piece of junk.”

“Stop being such a jerk!” I quickly defended my car, even though I knew he had every right to get road rage. When I used to drive this car, nothing but F-words would come out of my typically sweet mouth. I understood his irritation, but I wasn’t going to let him continue either. “You have to be gentle with my Rav4, Eclipse,” I tried to patiently explain. “It’s not that strong when it needs to go uphill.”

“
How?
” he breathed out in exasperation, turning to me in disbelief. “How is it possible that you have so much money but you wound up with this piece of shit car instead?”

Embarrassed fire ignited my cheeks.

“I wanted to be practical with my purchases,” I muttered quietly, knowing that I was about to be judged harshly by the Demon of Lust.

His stunned eyes critiqued me mercilessly. “You have a million dollars worth of clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry, and God knows what else in that overpriced apartment of yours, and you decided to be ‘practical’ by choosing to
not
invest in a better performing vehicle?”

My blush deepened.

“Shouldn’t girls like you be buying yourself a cute looking convertible Ferrari?” he forged on when I didn’t respond.

“Is that the chosen car in Hell?” I murmured, resenting that he was busting my ass for splurging on cute clothes instead of a nice car.

“That and Lamborghinis and a series of other beautiful brands,” he replied as the Rav4 made an awkward groaning sound. It was as if it was jealous of the other car brands Eclipse mentioned. “There are not a lot of things that impress me in this world, but your race gets a few points for the ingenuity of your cars.” Eclipse spared a moment to glare at the dashboard of my car before he went on. “Of course, it is my luck that instead of driving something beautiful and exotic, I’m stuck driving a dilapidated car instead.”

“This car isn’t that bad,” I said defensively.

“I nearly got honked off the road by an eighty-year-old grandpa driving a station wagon!” he retorted in sheer outrage, mortification stinging his voice.

He got me there. That incident was pretty embarrassing, especially when the old grandpa saw that Eclipse was a young, good-looking guy and proceeded to scream out things like, “If I was your age and looked that good, I’d rather walk than be seen in that ugly, rinky-dink car! What’s wrong with you? Go strip and buy a new car!”

It was an understatement to say that the Prince of Hell was beyond pissed to have experienced such a blasphemous moment.

“Different people value different things,” I tried to explain calmly, even though I wanted to skull-bash him for his judgmental attitude. “Everything is within walking distance to where I live. Since I was walking so often, I decided to invest in cute outfits to showcase my journey from point A to point B instead.”

Eclipse muttered something under his breath and shook his head. Laughing with endearment, he said, “You are so shallow, Teacup.”

I snorted and eyed him critically. “And you’re not?”

“I’m a Demon,” he retorted without shame. “It is in my nature to be shallow.”

“I’m a twenty-year-old girl with a part of her soul missing,” I supplied, squaring my shoulders. I kept my voice even as I spoke to him. “I became an orphan at the age of six. Even though I don’t remember doing it, I grew up with everyone telling me that I killed my entire family right before my sixth birthday. I have been alone most of my life in a psychiatric hospital. I have disturbing sadistic tendencies and I have no family and no real friends. With all that said, it is also in my nature to gravitate towards superficial things that give me instant gratification and make me feel good about myself. As silly as it sounds, overly expensive fashion accessories are my only family. They are my only rocks in this world and the only ones who will always be there to cheer me up.”

“Now that you’ve brought it up, I actually have to ask,” he started, his tone becoming serious as we continued to drive over the desolate road, “even though you can’t remember what happened the night your family was killed, can you remember anything else from your past? For example, what was your family like? What was your life like?”

The question hit an uneasy nerve. I abruptly found unwavering interest in watching droplets of rain streak across the window. I always hated talking about my past, and this was no exception. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Though I couldn’t see his face, I could sense a frown cloak over his features. He wasn’t happy that I dismissed another one of his questions.