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AEDEN STONE in Quickening of the Wicked


At an astonishing 397 years old, Aeden appears to be no more than 23. With an air of majesty and the countenance of a rock star, he stalks the dark and gloomy, mist shrouded streets of San Francisco. With great vigilance and perception, he quests for victims of the night. With power beyond imagining, eternal youthfulness, and the ability to move at the speed of thought, most women are uncontrollably attracted to him and many men want to emulate him, while others only fear him. Aeden alone carries the ability to destroy the shadows at will and his method is so simplistic it is startling. Possessing all the hypnotic romance of fictitious vampirism sans the need for blood, Aeden, in our real world, is possible.

> Lily Maddison


Excerpt featuring Aeden Stone: Chapter 7 ~ INFINITE PURITY


His body quaked and rocked. Like two enormous pearls, his eyes glowed as his irises rolled up into his head. Grace’s fear fed supplication actually caused him corporeal pain. His tumultuous emotions radiated outwards from his physical body and rent the air around him. He could have easily transcended and transported himself to her in an instant, he wanted to but, he knew…not yet, wait, wait, she’ll be all right. She needed to grow into the wholeness of herself. She had to find her own strength. He couldn’t let her become dependent upon him for anything. He could not nor would not become the crutch that she would never toss away, for that would prevent her from coming into the fullness of her own salvation, her own release from the negativity that held captive all in the material world. 
     His glassy eyes rolled down, and came into focus. He released all his thoughts of her and of himself. He emptied his mind, and he resigned to feel nothing. He let it all go and allowed himself to be moved by the Power within, the Power without, the Power of everything. 
     One of the two shadowed zombies that had been racing towards him ran straight through the spellbound shadow that floated above the ground and still faced Aeden. 
     Aeden took a step sideways just as the zombie leapt at him and consequently fell, not on him, but instead, to the sidewalk. The other zombie, not allowing itself to follow the same movement as the other, ran at Aeden, head down, intending to bulldoze him. Aeden, too quick for it, as one moment he was in front of it and then the next moment he was behind it, rammed his shoulder into its back, knocking it on top of the other zombie who had been trying to climb to its feet. 
     At that moment, the floating shadow broke free of its stupor. It flew promptly towards Aeden, its purpose to fill and overcome him. Aeden, second-guessing the shadow’s intention, spun around and stood his ground in front of it. The shadow halted its flight as if it had hit a brick wall. The few spectators who timidly peeked through shop doors and curtained windows were witness to the miracle that was Aeden as he extended his arms straight out to his side and they saw an odd, at least for the circumstances, look of tranquility and affection spread across his face. Then the witnesses actually saw the air in front of him ripple like hot air coming up off the desert floor. The ripples became waves that rolled out to the shadow. When the waves hit the shadow it ruptured into thousands of tiny, ash like particles that disintegrated into nothingness before they touched the ground while the spirit from which it had been made, floated invisibly upwards. 
     The zombies, having now untangled themselves and climbed back to their feet, were even more hell-bent to take Aeden down. One grabbed both Aeden’s arms from behind and meant to bite him on the back of his neck. Aeden easily wrenched his arms free, turned, grabbed the thing by its arms just under the shoulders, lifted it, and threw it powerfully against the stucco wall, breaking most of the bones in its back. Aeden didn’t kill the poor man’s body, but the shadow that controlled it was having a great deal of difficulty in getting it to stand up. 
     The other zombie, hunched over, arms hanging like an ape, had gone for Gage, who disappeared and reappeared behind it. Gage jumped on its back, knocking it back down again. Gage stood on top of it and his sheer weight was enough to hold the writhing zombie to the ground. Gage, predisposed to saving human lives would not take one without an order. He waited for Aeden to give him one. 
     Aeden knew that he could not allow those possessed to roam free to slaughter. It saddened him for he truly honored all life but more than that, he loved and venerated each of the souls that were the rightful inhabitants of their own bodies. He deemed he could not force a shadow out of an already possessed body but he did believe that by destroying the body that housed each glorious spirit, he could raze the departing shadow and free the tortured souls. 
     Aeden nodded his head; he knew it had to be done. Gage bowed his head as well. Gage bit the side of the zombie’s neck at the jugular vein causing death in one heartbeat. Aeden watched the darkness emerge from the body and remain stationary no more than an inch above it. He knew it waited for the spirit, but Aeden would not let it have its way. It took no more than a glance, just a glint of peace from Aeden’s clear blue eyes.