B00528UTDS EBOK (27 page)

Sarah burrowed deeper into her sleeping bag in an effort to stay warm. Nicole slept only a few feet away. The guys didn’t have a choice but to stay in the van. They couldn’t be outside when the sun came up.

Closing her eyes, Sarah tried to fall asleep. Just as she was ready to doze off, a rustling in the underbrush brought her full awake. Sitting up, she stared in the direction she’d heard the noise. The moon was bright, but not really bright enough to make out much of anything.

Then she saw him, a dark silhouette against the moonlit sky. Sarah scrambled from her sleeping bag and started toward him. There was a chance that she was wrong, and the person was just some stranger getting his thrills by watching them sleep, but she didn’t think so.

She could feel him - feel his presence. She could feel the essence of his being in a way that was only possible with someone that you loved so intimately, and so deeply.

“We came here looking for the Place of Light …
Outerlands
,” she told him. “I didn’t know you would be here.”

“No, I don’t believe you,” Sarah told him, moving cautiously in his direction. She didn’t want to risk him running again. There was simply no way she could keep up with him if he did.

“Don’t come any closer!”

“Or what Darrien? Are you going to attack me?” she asked. “If you are the monster that you claim to be, isn’t that what you would do?”

“Just go away Sarah.”

The defeat and sadness in his voice were like shards of pain going straight into her heart.

“Why can’t you believe in me Darrien? Why can’t you believe that we can get through this, no matter what it is?” Sarah’s voice splintered, her heartbreak coming through with every word. If she lost him again, she knew she would simply wither and die.

Another step and then she could see why he was running from her. She could see the hideousness of his deformity. Sarah willed herself not to so much as flinch or avert her eyes. She took another step toward him.

Slowly he turned to face her. Sarah slipped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. Darrien pulled her close and kissed her. At first his kiss was tender and uncertain, but then his kiss turned to one of yearning.

Sarah shook her head. “No. I want to marry you tomorrow … next week … next month. I don’t care when. I just want you to promise that you will be with me the rest of my life.”

“I promise,” he told her, his lips next to hers.

Sarah wanted no more words. She pulled him down with her into the grass of the meadow. Darrien was on her, kissing her hungrily as he tore away the barrier of her clothes.

“Are you sure,” he asked.

“Very,” she smiled.

As he caressed her body, Sarah felt herself drowning in her need for him - her love for him, and her desire to be possessed by the only man she would ever love. In that instant, she felt so much love and so much happiness, that she began to shake uncontrollably.

“Are you okay,” he asked.

Sarah smiled. “I’ll always be okay, as long as I’m with you.”

As they made love, Sarah’s heart was filled with everything that was good in the world. It was only in the arms of this immortal that she could feel such optimism. With their need sated for the moment, Sarah cuddled closer to him, her hand straying to the scars on his face.

Darrien stiffened.

“Don’t,” she told him. “I love you … all of you.”

Sarah put her arms around him and squeezed tightly. She made a vow to herself that she would eventually heal him. She would heal his body and his soul. What her love could not heal, magic would.

For the time being she was content. Tomorrow was another day, and there would be time enough to find out what happened to Dash, and to fight the evil that would descend on the world, but for now she was content to just be close to the one she loved.

The End

Excerpt From Immortal Destiny Book 3

Wolves and Black Roses

Immortal Destiny

Wolves and Black Roses

By

Copyright 2011, Lorraine Kennedy

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

She was entombed in darkness - a darkness so complete that nothing existed beyond that black void but her own poisonous thoughts and fears. The rapid pounding of her heart was like a relentless hammer beating against her chest.

How long had she been here?

Terror had been her constant companion - its grip so tight that she no longer knew what it felt like to
not
be afraid.

She could hear movement above the pounding of her heart. Something scurried across the floor and brushed up against her leg.

Summer put a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. She dare not make any noise for fear that she would wake them. For now they lay rotting in their coffins - unaware of her and her terror.

There was another sound - a creaking. It came from the direction of where the coffins were lined up against the cold - gray wall.

Something came out of the darkness to brush up against her hair. Her mind exploded with panic, and she scrambled up the steep stairs to the opening of the tomb.

Pounding and digging at the door, she could no longer contain her terror and she began to shriek.

The heavy door creaked and groaned as it was pulled open. For so long the darkness had stolen her sight, that now even the moonlight was blinding.

She could see only a looming shadow that grew as it moved toward her.

He stood there on the stone steps, a silhouette against the moonlight streaming in from the open door of the tomb. His dark eyes resonated an inner light - the light of the immortal.

The vision of the gravestones bathed in the light of the full moon was surreal - eerie, but she was aware of only one thing - her captor.

Drawing her down into the grass, he positioned himself above her. She felt the chill of his touch on her legs, and then he lifted her dress. She gasped when his hand roughly spread her thighs.

The scene faded.

She suddenly found herself somewhere else. She was no longer in the cemetery with the vampire. In this vision she was in the home of her ancestors.

Shades of crimson blazed across the desert sky as the sun made its descent into the west. Though the day waned, the heat of the desert was stifling. The only relief from the heat was a soft breeze coming from the north, though it was little help. The wind could not penetrate the thin material of her ribbon dress to cool her skin. It made no difference. Summer barely noticed the temperature.

She stood on a rock ledge overlooking the dance arena. The steady rhythm of the drums vibrated the earth, folding around her body until her heart felt as if it beat in time with them. From the ledge, she could view the dancers moving gracefully to the beat of the drums - their traditional Navajo regalia creating a spray of brilliant color that swept across the dance circle.

She could feel the shadows moving silently over the land. Not the shadows of night, but the darkness of spirit. A gust of wind played havoc with her long golden-brown tresses. A sudden gust of wind blew her hair into her face, blocking her vision for a fraction of a second. She brought a hand up to brush the hair away from her eyes, and was startled to see that the dancers were no longer there.

The drums had gone silent.

A lone figure in the center of the circle looked up at her. Though there was a strong breeze, it did not disturb the old man’s long - thinning gray hair. His intense stare never wavered from where she stood.

“It was always meant to be. Your life’s path will take you on a journey of shadows. You are in danger … you are all in danger!” Grandpa Busby’s scratchy voice faded away, as did the vision.

“Who are you talking to?”

Summer jumped at the sound of the deep - husky voice that came from behind her. She knew that voice. It had haunted her dreams and beckoned her heart on those lonely nights when the world seemed so empty of light and love.

Was this just another trick of the spirits?

She turned around slowly, afraid that she had imagined his voice. He stood only a few feet away. He was as large as life, and so overwhelming that to look at him, took her breath away.

He stood there against the backdrop of the darkening sky, his long blond hair dancing on the winds. Their gaze locked and Summer found it impossible to look away from those intense, smoky-gray eyes. Standing so close to him, she felt as if she were still a child. He was so tall that he towered over her.

* * *

Finally Summer opened her eyes. Her heart sank as soon as she realized that she’d been dreaming again. It had been so long since she’d seen Anton that she ached whenever she opened her eyes to find that he was not really there. Dreaming of Anton was not so unusual, but the rest of her dream had been truly bizarre.

Sitting up, Summer struggled to rid herself of the grogginess she was feeling. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept, but it was getting dark outside. She had worked all night, trying to get into the head a killer, but had made no progress at all. The latest murder was as weird as the rest. Usually she didn’t have too much trouble coming up with some type of profile to give the police, but this one really had her stumped.