Title: The Night Menagerie
Series: The Pact of the Veil, Book One
Author: Kathryne Lentes
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 04/15/2025
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Female/Female
Length: 25400
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, lesbian, trans, shapeshifters, police detective, disappearance, role-playing game
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Description
Sah Williams is used to navigating the fantastical worlds of her own creation, but when her sister disappears, she is thrust into a world of magic and shapeshifters beyond anything she would have put to page. The only things she might be able to count on are a mysterious detective who she suspects has their own agenda and her novel’s main character’s voice whispering her advice.
The Night Menagerie
Kathryne Lentes © 2025
All Rights Reserved
The following hours seemed to pass in a blur of caffeine and one speeding ticket.
I pulled into the parking lot just as the sun was starting to rise. I had been on the road for almost fourteen hours straight. My first thought was to go to the hospital, but I figured what was most important was to find her. I then thought maybe going to the police department, but I was probably too fuzzy to be of any use in helping them find my sister, and maybe she had gone back to the condo we shared when I was in St. Louis. It was about the only place we had ever felt truly at home and grounded. I wandered up the three flights of stairs more from habit than my usual desire to knock off some calories and got to the door. I pulled my keys out and started to insert them into the lock, but the door slid open. This would be the part in my novel where the heroine pulls her gun and jumps in to accost the bad guy, but I did not have a gun on me. I could have gotten a permit to carry one concealed, but since I had voted against the bill, it seemed wrong to take advantage of it. It’s not that I have a problem with guns; I just think for a person to carry one concealed, they should demonstrate an above-average ability with firearms. The only thing I fear more than a terrorist is a well-intentioned amateur blazing away with his brand-new Glock. Now, the fact all of that went through my mind as the door was slowly opening probably meant I should have had one more energy drink on the road.
So, since I was not that well-armed heroine, what I should do was call the cops, but somebody might be in there, maybe my sister, perhaps someone who knew something about my sister, which meant I wasn’t going to wait for the local police department. I gave a gentle push to the door to make it slide open enough for me to slink through. I looked around the front room, and it was a mess; papers and furniture were scattered everywhere. I could hear a low barking from the back room, which meant that Fenris was still in his crate. I kept my eyes forward, reached behind the door, and, after a moment, got a grip on the baseball bat. We kept it there in case of softball games and ex-boyfriends. I took a couple of practice swings, then held it ready to swing as I walked through the apartment. I tried to focus my senses to determine if anyone was in the condo but couldn’t pick anything up until I caught a sound from Nisha’s bedroom. I sprinted forward with the bat held up high and kicked in the door. A black-and-white shape darted out the door as I came in, entangling itself in my feet, and a moment later, my face impacted the floor.
“Ounce!” As I lay on the floor, I watched my cat tear around the corner and head for the bathroom, her favorite hiding space. Well, at least both animals who shared the condo with us were accounted for. I got up, then sat back down on the bed.
Okay, enough of playing Sam Spade. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.
“Nine-one-one, what is the nature of your emergency?”
“My apartment has been broken into and ransacked.”
“Are you safe? Do you think that the people who did it are still in the area?”
I gripped the bat a little tighter. “If only,” I whispered.
“I am sorry, I did not hear that.”
“No, but it might have to do with another case, the disappearance of my sister, Nisha Williams.”
“I will send some officers right over; do you need me to stay on the line till they get there?”
“No.” I hit the end button on the phone. Sis, what have you gotten yourself into? I got up, went into the kitchen, and let Fenris out of his crate. The Pomeranian ran out and started barking at me. Yes, my sister has a Pomeranian named Fenris. We had anticipated getting a much larger dog, but the condo had extremely strict rules. Anyway, I poured out some food for him and Ounce, then sat down on the kitchen floor with my back against a wall, clutching the bat tightly. That is where the cops found me.
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Kathryne Lentes has been writing stories as long as she could hold a pen in her hand. She is a transwoman who, when not working on her own projects, operates Paper Phoenix Ink, a blog showcasing queer creators. She is currently living in Saint Louis with her wife, two cats, and a pile of science fiction and fantasy books.
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