Excerpt: Nine Dead Suns

"You said this thing gives soundtrack power?" Ben asked, not really expecting an answer. "Well, there's a lot more to movies than just the fight scenes." On his digital player, he flipped through menus until he found the song he wanted.
Jazzy bass started to thrum, and the deep basso voice of Barry White murmured in his ear, "Tell me your secret," he said. "I don't wanna know about just any secret, I wanna know that special secret, ohhh..."
Kate and Layla both blinked in astonishment.
"No," Layla muttered.
"You have Barry White on your player?" Kate asked.
"What is the Stuff?" Ben asked Layla.
"No! I won't tell!" Layla yelled.
"Tonight, I wanna learn all about the secrets in your garden," Barry White said.
"What is the Stuff?" Ben asked again.
"Th-things," Layla muttered. "Things with powers... big secret..."
"Where do they come from?" Ben asked.
Layla bit her lower lip as her eyes looked up at Ben with a strange desperation. "No one is sure," she said. "But the book says they come from... another world."
"Let me share the mystery, come on, come on..." Barry's co-singer crooned.

"What book?" Ben demanded, feeling his body--no, not his body, his being--fill with potency, with power, from the music.
"Rick Rambler," Layla said quietly, her breath heavy. "And the Nine Dead Suns."
"Oh, Ben," Kate sighed, "that is way too much coincidence."
"You know it," Ben said. "Who else knows about the Stuff?" he asked.
"Come on, come on, come on," Barry rumbled.
"The collectors," Layla said. "Mmmm..."
Kate looked down at Layla, frowning. "Ben, honey... something's not right."
"Oh, it's all right, Kate," Ben said. "She's gonna tell me everything, aren't you, baby?"
"We can make it come aliiiiiive," Barry added.
Layla squirmed slowly in her cord.
Kate reached out and yanked the adaptor plug out of Ben's digital player. The music stopped, and it was like someone had turned off a light, a very sensuous light. Ben's face flushed with sudden embarrassment.
"You rotter!" Layla yelled in fury.
"Right idea," Kate said, "wrong song."
Ben just nodded.