Pure Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #3) (26 page)

“Gross, do you guys have to do that when
we’re present?” Quinn grimaced while popping a piece of bread into
the toaster.

Yanked apart by their son’s disgust, Lena
laughed her way back to her pancakes as Gabe refereed another
squabble between the boys.

“Here you go, Lucia, eat up.”

Lena placed a plate of steaming food on the
table. Lucia gripped the back of the chair, still feeling a little
dazed.

“Actually, I’m not that hungry.”

Her mind was still a blur as she tried to
wrap her head around the images filling her brain. They felt so
real, yet here she was living in a zoo with loads of children and a
warmth so inviting she never wanted to leave.

The smile dropped from Lena’s face as she
studied her daughter. Glancing back at her husband, she handed him
the spatula before pulling Lucia into the laundry.

Leaning against the washing machine, she
turned to her with serious eyes. “Did you dream again last
night?”

Lucia nodded.

“What was it about this time?”

She sighed, knowing her mother would get what
she wanted, even if it meant staying here all day.

“You know that story you told me? About when
I was a baby and that girl came and told you to run.”

“Yeah.” Lena rubbed her daughter’s arm.

“Well, I was the girl this time and after all
the gunshots I disappeared and ended up on this beach. It was
sunrise and there were birds and… then I died.”

Lena closed her eyes and shook her head. “We
should never have told you about the
electus
… your
history.”

“What, are you kidding me?” Lucia shook her
head adamantly. “No, Mom I needed to know all that stuff. We’ve
spent our lives moving around and hunting for this box that just
seems impossible to find. You had to explain that to me and you’ll
need to tell the others eventually too.”

“I know, but your dreams are getting more
vivid and… violent. I’m worried about you.”

“They’re only dreams, Mom.” Lucia attempted a
smile. “I just… have you ever wondered if that girl who came back
that night was actually me? Like those people, the Harts, had
succeeded and I’d grown up with them. Was it me who came back to
fix everything?”

Lena’s eyes studied her daughter closely
before giving a nod.

“It makes sense. That girl asked me to find
Dom and Ruby Hart… the children of the people who tried to steal
you.”

“I know you always feel bad you couldn’t take
them in.”

“Yeah,” Lena sighed. “That grandmother
wouldn’t give them up for anything. It’s probably best they stayed
with family.”

Lucia nodded, but got straight back on point.
“I just can’t help feeling like that girl, if I was that girl, left
something huge behind. I feel so hollow sometimes and I can’t
explain why.”

Her mother touched her cheek with an aching
smile. “Oh baby, I wish I could give you a reason. All I can hope
is that you’ll find your answer one day.”

“Yeah.” Lucia smiled again, but it was a
half-hearted action. The aching loneliness had started earlier that
year and had been increasing each day. She knew she should just
accept it, she might feel like this for the rest of her life, but a
small part within her fought against it.

“Sorry to break up the party,” Gabe’s voice
was gentle as he interrupted. “Did you say Quinn was allowed to
skip math tutoring this afternoon so he could play baseball?”

Lena’s eyes sparked. “I certainly did not!”
Rolling her eyes, she shuffled out of the laundry. “Quinn Hunter,
what have you been telling your father?”

Lucia smiled as she listened to Quinn’s quick
protests.

“You okay, kid?” Her father tipped his
head.

“Yep.” Lucia grinned, knowing that in spite
of the cavity in her chest, she had a great life. Stepping forward
she wrapped her arms around her father’s waist and squeezed. “Love
you, Dad.”

He rubbed her back and kissed her head with a
chuckle before slapping her on the butt and pushing her towards the
door.

“Now go eat your breakfast while I clean up
the new coat of peanut butter now adorning the counter.”

Lucia stepped past her father with a grin,
which turned into a full on chuckle as she watched him bend back
with mock dismay as Mya innocently licked her peanut butter pinkie
and giggled.

Chapter
Forty

Boston, Massachusetts – 2012AD

It had been six months since her most
horrific dream. As time passed they had faded and Lucia had learned
to live with the hollow aching. She knew it would dim as the years
passed and her hopes for the future were mounting day by day.

She was now a student at Boston College.
Aside from the burning homesickness that seemed to fill her
evenings, she was doing pretty well. The school was only two
hundred miles from her family home in Burlington and her father had
promised to fly her back whenever she needed.

Her parents were a little nervous having her
so far away after a life of shifts and changes. Throughout weeks of
discussion they finally decided they couldn’t let their future be
dictated by the box anymore and so she had applied to colleges all
over the country. She was secretly relieved when she was accepted
at Boston; she wasn’t sure how keen she was to be too far from
home.

She was sure the homesickness would
eventually ebb and she would get sucked into the busyness of
college life. Friends had been a little sparse over her first two
weeks, but she was never one to initiate, a skill she knew she had
to improve on if she were to have any social life while away from
home. Her roommate seemed nice enough, but a little flighty for her
tastes. In all honesty she was already eager to start looking at
solitary accommodation, but it was going to take a fair amount of
sweet-talking to sway her parents in that direction.

Pulling her books to her chest, she drew in a
breath of fresh morning air as she sauntered down the path towards
her next class. Her eyes ran over the line of cars parked neatly
against the curb and her mind let out a little huff as she relived
the argument she lost with her mother over being able to drive
Dad’s Harley down. He had been doing it up for her in secret; now
the only thing stopping her from hitting the road was a fierce
determination from a mother who was adamant none of her children
were to be seen on that bike.

She’ll come around.

Lucia grinned.

Without realizing, her steps slowed to a stop
as she noticed a shiny Corvette Stingray. She let her eyes travel
up the silver paint and curve over its smooth lines.

“I’d love to think you were checking me out
with that look on your face, but I’m guessing it’s my car.”

Lucia blushed as she noticed the lean guy
stepping from its interior.

“Sorry.” She grinned. “I have a little thing
for Corvettes.”

“I can understand that.” He swung the door
shut with a smile.

Lucia ran her hand over the edge of the
machine. “It’s a really nice do up. Did you work on it
yourself?”

“Yeah, me and my stepdad.” The boy ran a hand
through his waves of blond hair and shoved his hands in his
pockets.

She looked up and caught his warm gaze,
basking in the beauty of his chocolate orbs. His head tipped
curiously to the side as he studied her.

“Have we met before?”

The question sparked something within her
that she couldn’t explain. She shook her head with a smile. “I
don’t think so, but you seem really familiar somehow.”

His hand shot out of his pocket and extended
towards her. “Harrison Granger.”

“Lucia Hunter.” She returned the gesture and
felt her insides gasp with pleasure as a warm flame licked up her
arm.

They both stood in stunned silence, their
hands bobbing up and down, locked in an endless shake. In a slow
yet fluid movement, Harrison drew her towards him and placed his
lips lightly on her mouth.

Her skin sparked to life and she felt the
cold contrast when he pulled away.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking confused. “I
don’t usually kiss girls I’ve only just met.” His cheeks blushed
red to match his impish grin.

She smiled back slowly then shrugged her
shoulders. “There’s an exception to every rule.”

His face lit like the sun as he grinned back
at her. Jumping to the sidewalk, he extended his hand. “Can I walk
you to class?”

“Sure.” Lucia placed her fingers in his palm
and relished the warm sparks flying over her flesh. They traveled
up her arm and dove into her chest filling the cavity with a rush
so fast she nearly lost her breath.

A small laugh filtered through her lips.

Harrison turned at the sound and squeezed her
hand. His eyes swam with a smile that said, "I've finally found
you."

####

Acknowledgements

Completing this trilogy has been a total joy. It has
taken me three full years and so many wonderful things have
happened in this time.

Peter - my gorgeous husband, thank you so much for
your constant support. Thank you for looking after the boys so I
could write and giving me everything I needed to be successful.

Thank you to my beautiful boys, Jake and Brody, for
making me laugh and giving me so many great reasons to be
thankful.

I want to thank all the people who have been such a
support to me, cheering me on and telling me how much they have
enjoyed my work... in particular Mel and Anna. I love you guys.
Thanks for being awesome.

As always,
Amanda
- thank you
for the beautiful cover. You are such a patient, generous person
and I'm so grateful for everything you've done.

To my bestie, Brenda, I'll never be able to write a
book without thinking of you and being so incredibly glad God
brought you into my life.

And lastly, to my ultimate inspiration... thank you
for your love, your grace and for every story you plant in my head.
I'll love you forever.

About Melissa Pearl

Melissa Pearl lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her
husband and two sons. She trained as an elementary school teacher.
She has always had a passion for writing and finally completed her
first manuscript in 2003. She has been writing ever since and the
more she learns, the more she loves it. Keep an eye out for future
projects.

Connect with Melissa Pearl

You can contact Melissa Pearl online:

Blogs:

http://melissapearl.blogspot.com

http://yalicious.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Pearl/230335437021600

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MelissaPearlG

Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/melissapearl

Other Books by Melissa
Pearl

Golden Blood (Book 1
of Time Spirit Trilogy)

Black Blood (Book 2
of Time Spirit Trilogy)

EXCERPT FROM
FORBIDDEN TERRITORY

Forbidden Territory is a co-authored novel by Melissa
Pearl and Brenda Howson.

Mica and Lexy have been best friends and
next door neighbours since they were eight years old. They share
everything and have no secrets from each other until... Tom arrives
on Mica's doorstep - a gorgeous exchange student from England. And
Lexy is smitten. 

Suddenly both girls are keeping secrets.
Mica is hiding news about Tom's English girlfriend and Lexy hasn't
got the heart to tell her best friend that her brother Eli, the guy
Mica is mad on, thinks of her as only a friend.  

After a massive fight, the girls decide the
best way to mend their friendship is to spend some quality time
together. And what better way than to go camping away from their
parents... and why not invite along the guys they are crushing
on. 

So the four teenagers embark on a
geo-caching expedition into New Zealand's native bush expecting a
long weekend filled with flirtatious fun; instead secrets are
exposed as they stumble across a hidden marijuana crop and its
gun-wielding watchmen. Forced apart they spend the next forty-eight
hours racing blindly in opposite directions as they fight to find
each other before the hunters do. 

Here's a little excerpt from the book, coming in
2012.

Enjoy!

MICA

“Run!!”

I needed no more persuading and was soon
racing blindly through the thick foliage. Leaves slapped at my face
and roots nipped my ankles but I kept going, following the bright
pack in front of me. Another gunshot rang out. I ducked my head.
The tree beside me exploded. Splinters fired out from the bark
exterior, spraying my arm with small shards of wood.

“Mica!” Eli’s voice was strong with
concern.

“I’m fine. Just go!”

The gunfire fuelled our speed. A strong hand
grasped my wrist, pulling me further into the dense bush.

“Through there! Mutt! You go around the other
side, we’ll block ‘em off!”

My heart jumped into my throat as I heard the
voices behind us. Eli yanked me towards what I hoped was
safety.

I heard his cry before suddenly dropping into
a steep slide. The earth rushed past us as our bodies slid through
sticks, pinecones and dead leaves. My stomach rose into my throat.
I quickly swallowed it as we came crashing out of the bleak woods
and into the dazzling sunlight. Our bodies tumbled over one another
as we fell the last few metres and landed, battered and bruised,
onto a dried up river bed.