B00528UTDS EBOK (28 page)

She had only intended to take a quick nap, but had been so exhausted that she’d fallen into a deep sleep. In her dream she’d been with a stranger - an immortal. That part really disturbed her. She’d been about to have sex with him in a cemetery. Summer couldn’t help but wonder where that had come from. Then her dream had changed suddenly and she’d been in New Mexico. Anton had been there. He’d come to take her home.

But then there was that ominous warning from Grandpa Busby. Busby was her mother’s grandfather. Though Grandpa Busby had passed away when Summer was young, she could still remember the sparring of words between him and her mother. Laura Gray Eagle had always tried to talk Busby into coming to live with them. Grandpa had been one of the few humans that knew of the existence of
Outerlands
. He always told them that he loved visiting, but he liked it just fine at home.

Summer could still hear his words.

“I am Busby, born to the Bitter River People for the Deer Clan. I am Dineh and will die in my own country.”

And he’d done just that. When the time came for Grandpa Busby to pass into the land of spirits, her mother had been devastated. It was then that Laura decided that she wanted her children to grow up in the Navajo tradition. She’d sent Summer and her brother J.J to live in New Mexico with a family friend. Though
Outerlands
was where she came from, she really looked at New Mexico as home.

Her native heritage ran deep and was a large part of who she was. That was why she believed that her dream had not been just a dream. It was a message from her grandfather. He was trying to reach out to her from the other side - he was warning her about something.

Summer had her mother’s gift. She could communicate with the dead, but for some reason Grandpa Busby had never come through. There were times that she really wished that her grandfather would make contact with her. She missed him terribly.

Summer groaned when Penny returned to the living room and gave her a look of disapproval. Her friend was already dressed and ready.

“Okay, I’ll get going,” Summer told her.

“You shouldn’t have stayed up all night,” Penny scolded.

Summer ignored her and headed for the bathroom. She now wished that she hadn’t promised to go out. Not only was she troubled by her dream, but she could not keep her mind off of the murders. Someone was killing people and it was her job to help the police figure out what the perpetrator could be thinking. What could drive someone to commit such horrendous acts against others?

* * *

Through the double glass doors, Summer could see the flashing lights of the slot and poker machines that filled the interior of the casino. Just as she reached for the elaborate brass handle on the door, her mobile phone rang. She knew she’d never be able to have a conversation once she was inside, so she backed away from the doors and pulled the phone from her handbag.

“I can’t explain a lot right now, but I will as soon as we see each other again. I have a problem that I thought you might be able to help me with?”

“What’s that?” Summer asked.

“A friend of mine managed to get through to
Outerlands
. Do you know if he will find his way out again?”

Summer inhaled sharply.
Outerlands
was not the place to be if you were not from there. Although it was her home, she’d really spent little time there throughout her life. Summer could only imagine what might happen to someone that was unfamiliar with that realm.

Great! Now she had a serial killer on the loose in her city, strange dreams warning her about something, and to top it off, now there was a vampire trespassing in
Outerlands
. How much worse could it get?

When Sarah was in Reno, the young witch had performed the most amazing spell to bring their true loves to them. So far it hadn’t worked for Summer, except for in her dreams. But then again, Anton was always in her dreams.

Summer shook her head in denial. She was ready to say something in her defense when she saw him. He was playing a dollar slot machine and seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings, though with Anton, appearances could be deceiving.

Somewhere nearby, the lights and bells of a machine started going crazy. Everyone’s attention was on the little old lady sitting at the winning machine. Summer barely noticed. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the giant man with the long blond hair. Summer could only see a profile of him from where she sat at the bar, but that’s all she needed to see. She’d know him anywhere.

What was he doing here?

Was it Sarah’s spell?

Had her dream really been a premonition?

Summer did not want this to be just another dream. She wanted - no she needed Anton to be there in the flesh.

As if sensing her watching him, Anton turned in her direction. Their eyes locked, and Summer had to catch her breath. It had been years since she’d looked into those smoky silver-gray eyes, but they were still as magnetic as she remembered. The corners of his mouth lifted just a touch.

An elbow in her side pulled her out of her trance-like state. Summer forced her gaze away from Anton and turned her attention to Penny.

Blushing, Summer took the little red straw that protruded from her margarita and started stirring the slush in a circular motion. “Yes I know him. He’s from back home … a friend of the family.”

He was from
Outerlands
, the mystical land of that which supposedly didn’t exist to those living in the human world. Anton was also part of what didn’t exist in this world.

In the lounge, the band began playing a slow pop tune. Summer could sense that he was near. Slowly she looked up from her drink.

“Hello Summer,” he said with a smile. Anton’s accent added to the air of mystery that surrounded him.

“Hi,” she responded with a nervous grin. The butterflies in her stomach made her feel as if she were just getting ready to get on a very wicked roller coaster.

Over the years she’d thought of Anton often. He’d been her hero when she was a little girl. Back then she’d been utterly mesmerized by him. She was no longer a child, and now the fascination had an underlying heat to it.

He was the type of man who could make a woman stop what they were doing just to get a better look. Anton was attractive, but there was something about him that made him seem wild, and maybe just a little dangerous. Tonight he was even more breathtaking.

Summer had never seen him out of the black tunic of the Zen warriors, but tonight he wore a royal blue shirt, with several buttons undone to show off his hard - muscular chest.

“Will you dance with me Summer?” Anton smiled and held out his large hand.

Placing her hand in his, she let him lead her onto the dance floor. She was glad for the dim lighting in the lounge so that he would not see how flushed she was. Anton wrapped an arm around her waist and continued to hold her hand.

“How have you been Summer?” he asked, pulling her closer so that she would hear him.

Summer cleared her throat. She was afraid that her voice might crack when she tried to speak. “Good … and you?”

“Little ever changes in
Outerlands
.”

Swaying to the music, they said no more. Then the music changed to an even slower song. Without thinking, Summer wrapped both arms around his neck and snuggled closer.

Anton stiffened. Backing away, he put a few inches between them.

Summer wasn’t sure if his reaction was because he still viewed her as a child, or because he was as sexually aware of her as she was of him.

She knew it!

“I am really having second thoughts about this marriage deal he’s made on my behalf. I should be able to decide for myself who I mate with and marry.”

“Oh come now Summer. You’ve been aware of this for most of your life. And you never know … you might actually like your husband to be.”

“What if he has smelly feet and can’t dance?” Summer pouted.

Again she heard his deep laughter. Summer was ready to spout another slander against her future husband when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see who was trying to get her attention, and froze.

Summer backed up sharply - running into Anton.

Only a few inches away, a girl peered at her with dead eyes. When she tried to speak, blood gurgled out of a deep gash in her throat. Her long, stringy blond hair was matted with dirt, and she was so pale. Scarlet stains covered the front of the girl’s delicate, white nightgown.

The phantom held out her hands. Summer could see that her fingernails were torn and bleeding, as if she’d been digging and scratching at a hard surface. Summer’s hand went to her mouth to stifle a scream. She again stepped back abruptly, this time right into Anton’s arms.

“What’s wrong?” Anton asked.

Shaking her head, she told him, “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

Summer stepped around the apparition and headed for the bar where her purse sat next to Penny. Trembling, she reached for her bag, but Anton’s large hand was on hers - stopping her.

“Summer … what is wrong?” he asked again.

Penny looked up. She must have noticed the troubled expression on Summer’s face because she turned to Anton and narrowed her eyes.

* * *

Anton watched Summer as she threaded her way through the flashing lights of the machines and toward the casino’s exit.

Exotic. It was the only word that came to mind as his eyes followed her every movement. She was as graceful as a cat. The silky white cocktail dress she was wearing complimented her smooth - sun kissed skin perfectly. Her golden-brown hair hung like a silk curtain around her shoulders, swaying as she walked.

Yes she was exotic, but she was also headstrong and stubborn.

Anton had to keep reminding himself of this, along with the fact that he was here to escort her to her family and fiancé. If he thought about her too long, he would remember how it felt to dance with her - how it felt to have his hand on her hip and her arms around his neck.

He banished the memory from his thoughts. Anton couldn’t recall the last time he’d actually felt shaken by the nearness of a woman. He reasoned it was probably just shock at seeing little Summer as a grown woman. After all, the last time he’d seen her she’d been a teenager, though she’d tried hard to convince him that she was a woman.

When he could no longer see her, Anton felt his common sense return. Something was wrong. He sensed that strongly. It could possibly be her reluctance to marry, but he didn’t think that was all there was to it.

“So how long have you known her?” Penny asked.

Anton had forgotten all about the woman. He looked over at her, shocked to see her still sitting at the bar. Summer’s friend was not unattractive, but she seemed a little too overdone. Her short bleach-blond hair was worn in a wild array of sharp spikes. Her lips painted a deep red and covered with shiny gloss. Penny’s blue eyes were almost obscured by the dark shadow and liner she wore. Her black dress was much shorter than the dress Summer had been wearing.