Ever After (33 page)

Cole and I walked hand in hand back to the house that morning. The stars still twinkled over our heads, but the black sky had turned a light blue in the east. The summer breeze lifted my hair. Occasionally, Cole reached over to lift a strand from my face.

“Have I changed much?” Recalling Annabeth’s face or my old face or whatever, she was more doll-like.

“Are you asking if I liked her better than you?” he asked with a laugh.

“It’s not funny. It’s a valid question.” Competing with a memory sucked.

“Women and their traps,” Cole said with that sexy smile I loved. “This is exactly the reason we need time. You need time. You’re going to have to sort through a lot of emotions over the next while. And to answer your question. Your body is different but just as beautiful. Soul? Just as stubborn as ever. I don’t think it will ever change. I should have known you as soon as you spoke the first sentence.”

“But you didn’t?” I walked up the steps.

Cole stayed at the bottom. “It didn’t take long. I just couldn’t figure out how you came to be here. I should have known I couldn’t trust Ava. She wanted to know my story, and I made the mistake of telling all.”

“You’re not coming in?”

“This is where I always left you. I think it’d be best to keep it that way, for now,” he answered, the flood lights on the side of the house lighting the contours of his face.

The god’s had to have chiseled him from the most precious of stones.

“It’s been a long night. Rest now. Like you said, we have all the time in the world.”

I leaned down to kiss him.

He kept it short, but not too short.

After a shower, I lay in my bed. How could I sleep, knowing the man I’d loved for a century was only a house away?

* * * *

A few hours later, I woke with a start. Had the evening before been a dream?

A book and a note lay on the pillow beside mine.

In an antique handwriting, Cole had written, “I wrote this for you.”

The leather bound composition book was filled with pages of the same elegant but masculine writing I’d seen in Cole’s cottage in what I now knew to be his journal.

“You’ll have some time to read this while I’m away. Please don’t be too mad. I love you, but I have to find the strength to keep you safe. I’ll be in touch very soon.”

A block of ice formed in the pit of my stomach.

Cole was no longer on the property.

I angrily poked the intercom button. “Thomas, could you come to my room please.”

“Yes,” he answered at my door a minute or so later.

“Could you come in for a minute?”

He inched in like a cat with a feather in his mouth.

“Where is your nephew?” I trembled.

“Gone.” He winced.

“Exactly where did he say he was going?” I gathered clothes acceptable to wear out of the house. I honestly didn’t care whether they matched or not. I was going to hunt Cole down.

“If it makes you feel any better, he did say he wouldn’t be too far away. His only directions were to make sure you read that book. He said it would keep you plenty occupied until he returned.”

My jaw went slack. I turned back to Thomas.

He waited as I tried to form words that wouldn’t come out as expletives.

Never in my life had a person evoked so many opposing emotions from me as Colby Kindall Kinsley. I already missed him so much that the next time I saw him, I would strangle him. After I kissed him.

Turnabout was fair play.

“Why do look afraid of me?” I asked Thomas as he stared at the carpet, possibly waiting for my next orders.

“You are technically Ava’s great aunt. Tantrums had to have come from somewhere in her bloodline,” Thomas said, a nervous smile on his face.

I imagined Ava smiling down on me, wherever she was. “I’m not going to fire you. You’re too dear a man. You’re dismissed for now. I guess I have a book to read.”

Thomas bowed out of the room.

I plopped down on the bed and flipped the book open.

Horseshoes tapped the cobblestone drive as we approached the Rolling Hills Manor. At the entranceway, the owner, his wife, a pretty girl about my age, stood in-waiting as we approached. From the tall double doors, a girl about the age of twelve bounced out and bounded up to her sister’s side. Our eyes met, and she stuck out her tongue at me.

I live in the beautiful North Carolina foothills where the weather is ever changing. Our town is virtually crime-free and one of the best places in the country to nurture a family.

I am a wife and mother of four. I have two Chihuahuas: Little Bit and Rico. We rescued a lab and pit mix, Mo. When I’m not chasing dogs around the backyard and tackling the daily duties of mother- and wife-hood, I enjoy watching horror movies, reading and writing paranormal romance.

To save myself from childhood troubles, I buried myself in crafting stories. After seeing my school mates laugh, cry and threaten me within an inch of my life to write more, I began to wonder if my future wasn’t in writing. So, years later, when my God children found a tote with thousands of hand-written pages, read every page and begged me to write more, my journey to becoming published began.

Read on to discover the first book in Dani-Lyn Alexander’s series, Kingdom of Cymmera

Betrayal lies cloaked in shadow.

Seventeen year old Ryleigh Donnovan is certain her life is cursed. Nothing ever goes smoothly, and her first job interview is no exception. An earthquake rocks the building, sending Ryleigh on a frantic search for her younger sister, a search which lands her in the hospital. Terrified they’ll push her for answers she can’t afford to give, Ryleigh flees with a mysterious stranger.
Jackson Maynard is about to be ordained as a Death Dealer, a warrior for the Kingdom of Cymmera, but first he must pass one more test. When he fails to acquire the human girl the prophet has chosen, he’s forced to stand trial for treason. Banished from his realm, he seeks out the girl from the vision, Ryleigh Donnovan, and together they embark on a journey to save his dying kingdom
 

A Lyrical YA Fantasy

Learn more about Dani-Lyn at
http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31632

Chapter 1

“Come on, Mia. I can’t be late.” Ryleigh engaged the lock and dropped the keys into her bag. She resisted the urge to check her watch again as she started across the parking lot. What good would it do?

“I’m coming.” Mia rounded the back of the car and ran to catch up. “Sorry, I had to tie my shoe.” She tried to shove the mass of curly, brown hair behind her ears, but it kept tumbling back into her face, covering big, blue eyes that were still red rimmed and puffy.

A bolt of sympathy shot through Ryleigh, and she hugged her sister. “It’s okay, honey, not a big deal. I’m just a little nervous. You remember what to do, right?”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Yes, Ryleigh, I remember. Sit in the lobby, don’t move, don’t talk to anyone, and stay out of trouble.”

They both grinned as they hurried toward the building.

Mia sobered. “Do you think you’ll get the job?”

“I don’t know. But even if I don’t, it’ll be okay.” A car backed out in front of her, and she grabbed Mia’s arm.

“How can you be sure?” Mia’s tears started again.

Great. She couldn’t leave her sitting alone in the lobby blubbering. Grandmother’s watch showed only five minutes to make it to the third floor. Taking both of Mia’s shoulders in her hands, she turned her until they stood face to face. “It will be okay, Mia. I promise. You have to trust me.”

“I don’t want to live with someone else.”

Ryleigh’s heart broke. “I know.” Seconds ticked off in her head. “Please, trust me. I’ll make sure we stay together. Okay?”

Mia nodded, once again tumbling curls into her face.

Ryleigh tucked them back behind Mia’s ear. How would she ever make things right? “Come on. After this, I’ll take you for pizza.”

Her sister smiled hesitantly, and they resumed their rush, Mia struggling to keep up. Whether she got the job or not, she would take Mia to Tony’s for pizza. Not that they could afford it, but Mia needed time to be a kid. Actually, Ryleigh did too.

Ryleigh led Mia to the small seating arrangement in the corner past the main reception desk. “Now remember—”

“I know, I know. Just go.” Rolling her eyes, Mia curled into the chair.

“Love you, little sis.”

“Me too, big sis.”

The twelve-story building had plenty of traffic moving through the lobby. Mia would be all right, but Ryleigh still worried. Mia was fourteen, but her tiny frame made her seem more like ten or eleven. Tucked into the large armchair, with an oversized book open in front of her, she appeared so fragile. Getting this job was too important to mess up, and taking Mia upstairs with her might appear unprofessional. She jabbed the button for the third floor. No way would she let anyone take Mia from her. She’d find a way to support them, somehow.

Exiting the elevator, Ryleigh tried to read the crumpled napkin she’d jotted the suite number on while running out the door that morning. Of course, now she couldn’t make out her own handwriting. Four o’clock on the dot. She was late. She raced down the corridor as quickly as her pumps would allow.

When she turned the corner at the wall of smoked glass bordering the lobby, she stopped short, overwhelmed by the luxury of the grown-up world she was about to enter. Maybe she should bring Mia up there to sit. There was plenty of room. Surely, they would understand she had to keep Mia with her. Another glimpse at her watch propelled her through the door marked Jacobs & McClain.

The rhythmic clack, clack, clack of her heels as she crossed the wood floor should have been enough to announce her arrival to the receptionist. At the receptionist’s desk, she cleared her throat twice.

The woman turned her paperback over. “Yes?”

Ryleigh cleared her throat again and discreetly wiped her sweaty hands on her skirt. “Umm…” Great start. “I…umm…”

The woman tapped a beautifully manicured, blood red nail against the back of her book and tilted her head.

The rude gesture quelled Ryleigh’s nerves and pulled her back ramrod straight. “I’m here to see Mr. Jacobs.”

“Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow.

The stakes were too high for her to choke now. She mirrored the woman’s haughty tone. “Of course.” Was this how you had to act to work here? She hoped not. Ryleigh couldn’t treat people with the bored indifference this woman had mastered.

The woman checked her appointment book, and Ryleigh tried to dismiss her growing apprehension. With her grandmother gone now, she needed this job to support herself and Mia. Her breath hitched. Had it really been only a week since her grandmother’s death? She fought tears, as well as the urge to run away, and struggled to regain control. She had to pull herself together. Mia had no one else left.

“Follow me.”

Ryleigh jumped.

Beside her, the receptionist stood tapping her foot against the deep, rich wood floor.

Ryleigh flushed and lowered her gaze. What was she doing here?

She followed the ice queen down a long corridor, the thick carpet and pinching shoes making it difficult to walk.

The woman stopped before a set of large double doors, and when she shoved them open dramatically, Ryleigh couldn’t suppress an equally dramatic eye roll. Although she managed to halt her eyes mid-roll, the smirk on Mr. Jacobs’ face told her it had been too late.

“Hello, Ms. Donnovan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He came around the desk and extended his hand as the witch closed the doors behind them. His thick, dark hair and trim build surprised her. For some reason she’d expected an older man.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Jacobs. Thank you for your time.” Praying he didn’t notice how sweaty her palm was, she shook his hand.

He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and she sat. He surprised her again by taking the chair next to hers and turning it to face her. His warm smile was a stark contrast to the cold greeting she’d received from his receptionist but did little to dispel her nerves.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and dropped her hand to her lap, hoping Mr. Jacobs hadn’t noticed how badly it shook.

“She’s a temp,” he said conspiratorially, as if that explained everything. Well, perhaps it did, if the position Ryleigh was applying for was the one the temp now held.

“I’ve gone over your resume.” He opened a folder and flipped a page. “Your references are quite impressive, and your work history is commendable. You’re young to have been at the same company for three years.” He frowned and thumbed through a couple of pages.

The owner of Spencer Associates had been kind enough to hire her when she’d been only fourteen years old. Her responsibilities had included filing, vacuuming, and emptying garbage pails for the company her parents had both worked for before a terrorist attack had cut their lives short.

“I don’t see your graduation date listed here.”

Ahh, the dreaded question. She hoped to avoid answering.

Mr. Jacobs lifted his gaze from the paperwork in his lap and watched her expectantly.

“Well…umm…” She cleared her throat to dislodge the lump.

He leaned back, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. “I haven’t actually graduated, yet, but the school is willing to work with me on a work study program. I only need two more classes to graduate. They’ve scheduled those classes first thing in the morning, so I’ll be finished by nine o’clock. I can be here no later than nine-thirty.”

He shook his head, his eyes cast down at the application in his hand.

“I really need this job.”

Mr. Jacobs stood. “I don’t know. Our workday starts at eight thirty.” He moved behind his desk. At least he hadn’t said no. But he didn’t sit down either. That couldn’t be a good sign.