This World of Love and Strife by Shawn Mackey

Publisher:   D.X. Varos (March 15, 2022)
Category: Horror, Vampire Thriller, Dark Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Tour dates: June 16-July 22
ISBN: 978-1955065238
Available in Print and ebook, 350 pages

Description This World of Love and Strife by Shawn Mackey

It is the duty of the Vanguard to protect the world from unseen demonic forces.

But what if the organization falls to corruption? Their reformation is up to Cato, a disgraced former member who discovers many of the elite using their powerful positions and martial skills for ill-gotten gains rather than fulfilling their true purpose: aiding mankind in a secret war against their eternal foe.

Aldous is a Vanguard who fell from grace after being stricken with vampirism by a mysterious figure known as the White Lady. His increasingly vile appetites are tolerated because his knowledge as an alchemist is vital in the Vanguard’s battle against the demons. When those desires lead to the abduction of the woman Cato loves, Cato wages a one-man war against Aldous and his werewolf henchman.

Excerpt This World of Love and Strife by Shawn Mackey

Mephisto’s house key slipped from his hand as he attempted to unlock the front door. Squatting down to pick it back up, he had no trouble finding the key due to the bright light of the full moon. As he reached to grab it, a shadow cast over his hand so briefly, he thought it was his imagination. Regardless, he casually placed a hand in his left pocket, clutching the handle of his derringer as he rose back to his feet with the key in the other hand. A strong grip suddenly clenched under his elbow, and before Mephisto could turn around, he felt the cold barrel of a gun poke his back.

“No sudden moves,” said a familiar voice. “I’m not here to rob you or anything. I want to do business.”

“Then why not meet me at the usual place, my friend?” Mephisto asked. Though his heart pounded in his chest, he kept his composure. He always had a bad feeling about Cato. There was a chance his worst fears were about to come true. The man was certainly on something.

“I had to take this to you directly. You’ll see,” Cato said, lowering his gun and letting go of Mephisto’s arm. He carefully removed his hand from his pocket.

“I’m turning around,” Mephisto said as he did so slowly. Cato still held the gun at his side. On the ground behind him was a massive, bulging brown sack. It was a wonder he was able to sneak behind him with that slung over one shoulder.

“Don’t take this personally,” Cato said as he reached into Mephisto’s pocket and removed the derringer. “I’d be pretty on edge too if the roles were reversed. When I’ve shown you what I’ve got, you’ll look back on this and laugh.”

“Any reason you haven’t told me yet?”

“You’ll see,” Cato said, pocketing the derringer and then holstering his gun. He picked up the brown sack with care and motioned to the door. “Let’s go inside.”

“If you say so, my friend,” Mephisto said as he unlocked the door. Those last two words were laughably forced. However, most of his fear had given way to curiosity—even excitement.

“Can you make coffee?” Cato asked as they stepped inside. Mephisto flicked on the light switch, keeping his peripheral on his guest as he placed the sack on the entry room floor.

“One thing at a time. I hate to be rude, but I’d like to see what you’ve got in there before we go any further.”

“Mostly trinkets,” Cato said, pulling out a large gold cross. It was embedded with a variety of jewels. Though it was valuable, it was a disappointment.

“And?”

“Here,” Cato went on, removing a book. Mephisto took the tome, placing it on top of the nearest table. When he noticed the name “Linus Elliot” on the cover, he pushed aside all the various garbage on the tabletop so that he could open it. The pages were pristine, and though he was eager to pour over their contents, Cato was removing more items from the seemingly bottomless bag.

“Okay,” Mephisto said, closing the book. “You’ve got me intrigued. Let’s go into the living room.”

“Don’t forget the coffee.”

“I suppose so,” he said, leading Cato to the next room. His guest sat on the couch and began removing items one by one and placing them on the tables and floor. Though Mephisto wanted to protest over his handling of some of them, especially a green glass statue of an elephant, he thought it better to make the coffee than potentially provoke his ire.

Simple coffee was an odd request of Cato. Despite showing up at Mephisto’s house in the middle of the night, the man didn’t appear strung out or angry, rather focused and sober-minded. Tracking this location took a certain degree of dedication. None of his associates were aware of the place. That had more to do with his insignificance than difficulty. He was merely a merchant. If anything, he expected to get in trouble due to his dealing with Cato, not due to Cato himself. Mephisto had vastly underestimated the former Vanguard. Even their weaklings weren’t to be trifled with, and though an apostate, he had the reputation of a prodigy. His master, Basil, had been one of the best.

“That’s quite the collection,” Mephisto said as he returned with two mugs of coffee. He counted twenty-four items in all, none of them entirely useless. It would net them a pretty penny, and though the quantity was more than Cato’s usual haul, the quantity didn’t warrant the intrusion.

“I’d hope so. I need the money.”

“It’ll get you quite a bit even though this stuff isn’t exactly in demand. We’ll find buyers, but some of it will take months to sell. Maybe even a year.”

“That’s unacceptable,” Cato said. As those words left his mouth, Mephisto dropped his mug, his stomach clenching to the point of nausea. The coffee rolled across the wood floor toward one of the books. For a few seconds, Mephisto was powerless to move it away, his eyes glued to Cato’s holster. Cato lunged forward, prompting Mephisto to fall back onto the sofa.

Praise This World of Love and Strife by Shawn Mackey

“While This World of Love and Strife will reach horror audiences, it also should be included in fantasy and thriller library collections as a strong example of the strengths that can emerge from a story that embraces different genres with powerful characters and scenarios that are unpredictable and engrossing.- D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

“The thrills build and build and never let up. The characters feel like real people. Even the vampires and werewolf! Best of all was the protagonist. He starts as kind of an eccentric and a bit of a jerk, but by the end I couldn’t get enough of him. I highly recommend this book for people who don’t mind horror with a heaping dose of action.”- John Martin, Amazon

About Shawn Mackey

Living in New Jersey for all his life, Shawn Mackey has been writing since childhood. Though his favorite genre is horror, he has a deep appreciation for fantasy influenced by mythology and science fiction that questions the modern world and its future.

Website:  https://mackeywriting.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mackeywriting
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Shawn-Mackey/100073414053488/

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