Enchantment (151 page)

Kerrigan
carried
her
back to
bed,
ki
s
sing
her deep
l
y
on
the lips.
“I
could have hurt
y
ou
when we
m
ade
love,”
he
scolded.

She
touched
his
cheek.
“
I
w
ould
have
been
hurt
if
we
hadn’t
m
ade love,”
she
whispered. “Don’t
torture
m
e.
Marry
me.
I
love
y
o
u
.
I
love
our
child,
and
I
alw
a
y
s
want
to
be
y
o
u
rs forever.”

Meeka
cried,
tears of
happiness
flowing
down
her
cheeks.
“
Where
will
we
live
?
”

He
held
her
hand
to
his
heart.
“
Wherever
y
ou
w
i
sh,
my
precious.
I
can
f
l
y
us
to
a
n
y
w
orld
y
o
u w
i
sh.”

“I
don’t
care
where
we
go,
Kerrigan,
as
long
as
y
o
u
love
me.
Though
we
will
need
to
visit
y
o
ur folks
often.
I’d
gotten
used
to
having
th
e
m
around.”

Kerrigan
kissed
her
long
and
hard.
“
Y
our
wish
is
my
com
m
a
nd.”

Impossible to Hold

Chapter One

The Sahara Desert

But I did see it,” Raven declared emphatically, hands just above her hips, and glaring defiantly up at the nanny.

“That’s enough nonsense for one day, young lady. Your father would tan both our hides if he knew you’d wandered away unattended. You know better than that.” Ms. Myles bent over turning down the covers on the small cot, and motioned Raven forward, pointing at the bed.

“Why doesn’t anybody ever believe me?” She pouted and stepped ahead, tripping on her long white cotton nightshirt.

Raven snuggled down into the covers. She’d been wrong—being twelve years old was worse than being eleven.

Ms. Myles crouched down onto the carpet that lay in the sand beside Raven’s cot. She pulled the covers up under her chin.

“My goodness child, you have the most overactive imagination of anyone I know. Perhaps you had too much heat today.” The woman’s hand touched her forehead.

“I wore my hat all day...just like every day. I’m not overheated,” she grumbled, frustrated. “When will Papa be back?”

“I’m not sure when your father will be back. They are travelling quite a distance today. It’s my guess he won’t be home until long after you’ve fallen asleep.”

She looked up at the woman who had been her nanny for as far back as her memory would go. She always pulled her red hair back into a tight neatly kept bun. Her hazel colored eyes stared warmly down at her.

Raven yawned. “I don’t think I will go to sleep. What if I
have a nightmare about what I saw today?”

Like every night, Ms. Myles kissed her on the forehead before turning to the zipper on the netting that enclosed her bed from the outside insects. “Sweetie, you’re yawing already. You won’t have a nightmare, but if you do, you know my bed is just on the other side of this piece of canvas. And your father is on the opposite side. You’re right in the middle, you only need to shout and we’d be here in a second.” She smiled, pulling the zipper down and disappeared into the main room of the large tent.

Raven didn’t care what they thought. Stormcat was real. She’d already given him a name, certain that she would see him again. Why wouldn’t they believe her? Well, tomorrow she’d prove it. The only problem would be finding him again, and that would depend on the weather. Raven overheard her father’s men say a
Haboob
was brewing. She knew the Arabic word meant “strong wind”. Would he jump out of the clouds again tomorrow?

She strained to keep her eyes open, not wanting sleep to come. Stormcat would be friendly...wouldn’t he? He had jumped out at her with a growl. With a giant yawn, her eyelids fluttered shut.

***

“Well, sleepyhead are you gonna stay in bed all day?”

Her father’s teasing tone roused her. “Papa, you’re here!” she squealed, reaching her arms up toward him. “I missed you.”

Her father pulled her into his arms for a giant hug. “I missed you too, sweet pea. Ms. Myles tells me you had quite the day yesterday.”

She struggled out of his grasp, and sat straight up.

“Papa, I saw a giant tiger in the clouds. He jumped out of them straight at me,” she explained, bubbling with excitement.

He pulled the glasses off his face and frowned, peering down at her. “A tiger you say. Interesting indeed. He must have been very large to jump down here from the clouds. You know tigers don’t live in the Sahara Desert. Are you sure it was a tiger?”

“I knew you’d believe me! Nobody else would. I’ve named him Stormcat. I think he likes the sto
rmy clouds. He was very large as big as a car or bigger!”

He rubbed his chin as he always did when deep in thought. “Well then, you and I are just going to have to make a trip to go and find him, won’t we? But, I do have one request first.”

Raven sighed in disappointment. “What?”

“I’ll be gone for half the day, but this afternoon you and I will go find your...err, Stormcat, on one condition. I want you to stay in the perimeter of the camp until I get back. No ifs, ands or buts. It’s only for a few hours. Do we have a deal?”

“I hate those types of deals.” She whined.

“Yeah, I know you do, but those are the terms.”

“Okay, I’ll wait until you’re back, Papa.”

His large smile warmed her heart through and through. “That’s my girl.” He kissed her on the cheek and exited the room.

Raven swung her legs off the cot and onto the carpet. Running, she followed him unnoticed. She ducked out of the netting and carefully peered out the door of the large canvas tent as not to be seen. Her father, the prestigious Professor Hill, stood talking to Ms. Myles. Raven tried desperately to hear the conversation, but she only caught a few words of her father’s speech.
“Don’t worry, she’ll listen.
”

She clenched her small hands into fists. What could she do, she’d made her father a deal? He may have arranged the idea, but she’d stick to her promise. At least he believed her—didn’t he?

***

The morning hours raced by and lapsed into the afternoon. Raven gave way to disappointment as she realized her father would likely not be home on time.

She stared down at the live habitat she'd created for the insects she collected. The glass aquarium bustled with life today. The Scarab Beetles scurried back and forth as if anxious.

A gust of dry hot desert wind teased the rim of her wide sage green hat. She didn’t need to wear it today. The clouds were coming and the smell of rain hung in the air. Raven took the hat off setting it on the arm of the chair. The hat had symbolic meaning for her because it belonged to her mother. She never went anywhere without it.

The wind continued to blow and Raven looked up into the sky. In the horizon, she could see the grey clouds swirling as they danced forward to cover the red sun. A storm was coming. Why hadn’t her father come back? Restless she jumped off the chair to go in search of Ms. Myles.

The camp buzzed in a flurry of activity. The men were ensuring the tents were tightly affixed to the ground. She found her nanny closing up trunks filled with dishes and others with clothing.

“I’m worried about Papa, Ms. Myles. He said he would be home by now and a storm is coming.”

The woman bent down in front of her and smiled. “You have nothing to worry about, Raven. Your father is well accustomed to being in the desert. Perhaps he made a huge discovery. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Raven sagged in defeat. “Yes, I suppose you are right, but I am worried about him. The sand storm is coming.”

Ms. Myles stood and continued packing. “You worry too much, my sweet. Can you please do a favor for me and make sure all your personal belongings from outside are securely put away or brought into the tent? We don’t have much time so please hurry and return here.”

“All right.”

Raven, exited the tent as the canvas flapped viciously in the wind. She peered way up. A wall of silver gray clouds towered high into the sky bringing the dark wall of sand. Was Stormcat up there? She knew he would be.

She carefully placed her aquarium in the metal storage cabinet outside the tent. Shielding her eyes, Raven headed to the door. Men were shouting orders over the howling storm.

She heard Ms. Myles yelling for her. “Raven, hurry, the storm is almost on top of us.”

Raven turned one last time, looking up at the sky, just as her hat flew off the chair and into the air.

“No!” She screamed, panicked, and bolted back into the gale force winds in the direction of her hat. Ms. Myles shouted at her to stop, but she didn’t care. The hat flew along the desert floor, Raven in pursuit. She was unaware, that with every step the darkness descended.

She ran until she thought her lungs would explode. No longer could she see her mother’s hat. Tears streamed down her dusty face. Suddenly scared she turned back from the way she’d come only to face the fury of the storm. She coughed and fell to the ground. Sand bit her sensitive skin.

“Papa!” She shouted into the deafening noise. “Help!”

It was as dark as the night. She buried her nose and mouth into her shirt, trying desperately to breathe. Raven remembered the stories she’d heard, men could die in these dust storms, and end up buried alive. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled a few more steps only to get knocked to the ground by the wicked force of the blowing wind. She drove herself to stand once more, but as she stepped the ground disappeared from underneath her. Raven screamed and tumbled over and over down the sand dune.

When she came to a stop, she sputtered, wiping at her mouth. She squinted and rubbed her eyes, desperate to see anything. Then out of the blackness, she saw movement from the sky.

Orange, grey and white, the large cat pounced straight for her. With fangs bared, Raven could only scream, “Stormcat!” before coughs wracked her body and darkness consumed her.

Reviews for Lawna’s Books

ENCHANTMENT

“
Awesome!
- Run, grab your digital devices and get this book! You will not be disappointed!

“
Lost in Enchantment
- Enchantment pulled me in from the get-go. Lawna Mackie has such a fantastic imagination, which really shows in her world building. Lawna also does great, and stomach churning, descriptions of the evil areas and people in Enchantment. I had a hard time putting this book down. Thanks again for a wonderful, steamy love story!”

“Exciting and Different
- I love how Enchantment is so much different than so many other books I've read. The book was a fun distraction from every day life; whisking me away to a new world! Very cool!”

IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD

“Amazing read! -
This was a great book! The characters and creatures are so imaginative, and engaging.”

“An Unlikely Story that Works
- A story about a storm god, a fluffy cloud cat and throw in a little mermaid and talking sea horse for good measure? This is not Little Mermaid re-visited, but rather a very interesting tale about Raven, a young woman who has grown up seeing a tiger in the clouds and how she falls in love with a storm god. Her past is a mystery as Nevar, the storm god helps her uncover the secrets about her birth, her heritage and her family.”

“Fall In Love With Romance
- It had been a very long time since I'd read a romance novel. Reading Lawna's Impossible to Hold was an incredible ride back into the genre. With the added thrill of the mystery of the fantasy genre, it was the perfect story to fall back in love with the romance novel! Following Raven on her adventures from one world to another was the perfect read for the end of the day! Steaming and exciting, with tons of the unexpected! Loved this book!”

QUINN’S CHRISTMAS WISH

“A Holiday Story for Everyone -
I absolutely loved this story when I read it.”

“Enjoyable Bit of Imagination
- This was my introduction to Lawna's fertile mind, a real fun piece of craftsmanship. It comes very close to recreating the hardships of a century ago. You know where the plot is going to take you, and the ride is enjoyable.”

“Great Read!
- I just loved this book. I promise you won't be able to put it down until you are done reading it! I hope there will be a 2nd book.”

PERFECT MISFITS

“A Fairy Tale Plus
- Tempest, prisoner on Misfit Mountain, gets no respite from fear until Ryder rescues her and introduces more than one feeling foreign to her -- hope...and love. Woven in to the theme of social justice, the story of Tempest and Ryder follows the journey of each, separately and together, to the self-acceptance needed before true love can blossom. The tale is charmingly human. I recommend it to anyone who likes a fairy tale with a little bit of danger, a little bit of mystery, a little bit of sex, and a whole lot of love.”

“Five Hearts
- I loved how feisty, strong willed and determined Tempest was. I liked how she could see past the small things and look at the bigger picture, for example, Fedor's minions. She could see that although they might be considered the bad guys, they had to do his bidding or they would be killed. I also loved Ryder and thought he made a great leading man, the bedroom scenes were HOT and their chemistry really sizzled. There were also some great twists and turns along the way. The story had a real magical fairy tale feeling to it, which I really enjoyed. The characters were really nicely written and there were also a cast full of supporting characters which brought the story to life. I must say although this book is a novella I felt as if I got a great rounded story which is sometimes not the case, although it did leave me wanting more and imagining how amazing it would have been if it was a full book !! I will be looking out for more from this great author.”

BAREBACK FOR COWBOY

“This is one awesome book I read it from end to end without putting it down I know it wasn't that long but sometimes you can do a lot in a little bit of time so if you love cowboys and really hot sex than this book is for you.”

“
What a Beautiful Novella!
From the time I started read this book I couldn't' put it down until I finished it. The love scenes were a little erotic, but very tasteful. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good short love story.”