Read Susan Squires - [Da Vinci Time Travel] Online
Authors: The Mists of Time
Susan Squires - [Da Vinci Time Travel]
Critical Acclaim for
New York Times
Bestselling Author Susan Squires
TIME FOR ETERNITY
“The heroine’s dual nature is exquisitely executed, and Squires’s lush writing skillfully entwines the dramatic story of an aristocratic smuggler’s resistance to corrupt revolution with the romantic tale of lovers drawn together across time.”
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“A romance for all romance lovers, the novel eloquently combines time travel, vampirism, and a bygone era into a compelling and original tale…Squires has created one of the most mysterious and appealing vampires since Lestat.”
—
Romantic Times
ONE WITH THE DARKNESS
“Superb writing, vivid narrative combined with complex plotting, and intricate characterization make each novel by Ms. Squires an absolute winner. Don’t miss this exciting chapter in this unique and captivating vampire series.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
ONE WITH THE SHADOWS
“Full of colorful characters, romantic locales and vivid details of 1820s life, [
One with the Shadows
] has a delicious pace and plenty of thrills, and her vampire mythos is both mannered—almost Victorian—and intriguingly offbeat. Bound to net a wide audience of paranormal fans, this one may even convert devotees of traditional historicals.”
—Publishers Weekly
(A Best Book of the Year)
ONE WITH THE NIGHT
“Superb…captivating…With her usual skill and creativity, Ms. Squires has crafted a novel that is passionate, heartbreaking, suspenseful, and completely riveting.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Few writers combine a sensual romance within a supernatural thriller as well as Susan Squires consistently does. Her latest is a terrific Regency vampire romantic suspense starring two courageous heroes battling one hell of a meanie.”
—Midwest Book Review
“This is an incredibly unusual take on historical vampire stories. Susan Squires delivers an exciting story.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
THE BURNING
“A terrific tale…the story line is action-packed.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Blazingly hot and erotic.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Marvelously rich, emotionally charged, imaginative, and beautifully written.”
—BookLoons
“A fantastic erotic vampire thriller.”
—Fresh Fiction
THE COMPANION
“A darkly compelling vampire romance…the plot keeps the reader turning the pages long into the night.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Bestseller Squires charts a new direction with this exotic, extremely erotic, and darkly dangerous Regency-set paranormal tale. With her ability to create powerful and tormented characters, Squires has developed a novel that is graphic, gripping, and unforgettable.”
—Romantic Times
(4 ½ starred review)
“Travel through Egypt’s deserts and London’s society with two of the most intriguing characters you will ever read about. You will encounter a dark world that is intense, scary, and sexy, and a love that will brighten it…powerful and passionate…captivating…Squires has a wonderful ability to keep her readers glued to the edge of their seats.”
—Romance Junkies
“A vibrant, riveting, and sometimes just plain scary novel that should satisfy anyone—including the man in your life—who enjoys paranormal tales…Squires’s saga is off to an intriguing start.”
—All About Romance
“Squires does a fantastic job of taking an old tale of vampirism, and spinning it into a new and fresh tale with characters who intrigue and captivate.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“An unforgettable, sensual, and erotic novel that takes you places you’ve never gone before…will make you believe in the power of true love.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
“[
The Companion
] delivers sensual love scenes, an intriguing plot fraught with danger, adventure, and the unexpected which will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next enthralling tale from this immensely talented author.”
—Rendezvous
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES
BY SUSAN SQUIRES
A Twist in Time
Time for Eternity
One With the Darkness
One With the Shadows
One With the Night
The Burning
The Hunger
The Companion
Susan Squires
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE: |
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE MISTS OF TIME
Copyright © 2010 by Susan Squires.
Cover photographs:
Stonehenge prehistoric stone © Harald Sund/Getty Images
Golden Gate Bridge in fog © Richard T. Nowitz/Corbis
Man and woman © Shirley Green
Cover illustration © Don Sipley
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 978-0-312-94355-4
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / September 2010
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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Jails were always either too hot or too cold. This one was too cold. Jenna Armstrong pulled her sweater around her. The barred door clanked open, sending echoes through the gray hallway, and Kracken pushed out. The shrink looked disgusted.
“She’s all yours,” he muttered, holding a handkerchief to his forearm. Long bloody scratches disappeared under the handkerchief.
“Diagnosis?” Jenna called after him.
“Homicidal maniac,” he threw back over his shoulder.
“That’s not a diagnosis.” How a child psychologist could be so bad with kids she’d never know. She gave an apologetic smile to the matron who waved her in. As a social worker from Child Protective Services, she was a frequent visitor to the juvie lockup.
“Good luck with this one, honey,” the uniformed woman said, shaking her head. Her iron hair matched the surroundings.
Jenna flipped open the arresting officer’s report again and once more tried to make heads or tails of it as she walked, her steps and those of the matron echoing down the corridor of cells. Shouts and cries and mutterings from the occupants of the other cells reverberated, making it
almost impossible to think. Witnesses said the girl “fell off a roof onto the street” in front of a convenience store. There was no ladder and no one knew how she got onto the roof. She kept everyone who tried to help her away by waving a big knife. The convenience store owner called the police. Three officers got the knife away from her only when she passed out. Both officers and patient made a detour through the ER over at Cook County. They tranq’ed the girl to examine her. No broken bones. Hadn’t been sexually assaulted. She was released with a mild concussion and stitches. But there was nowhere to take her. She didn’t respond to any questions about who she was or where she lived. The officer said the little girl spoke a language he called gargley. But no one had yet identified it. Unless she was tranq’ed, she was so violent the only place they could take her was back to the juvenile lockup until they could get an order to get her into a mental hospital. Jenna was sure Kracken was on his way to do just that.
Great. One of those.
Glancing up, Jenna found herself in front of the “homicidal maniac.”
Jenna had never seen anyone so frightened in her life.
The report said the girl was thirteen or so. Maybe. She was skinny, with big blue-gray eyes, translucent, pale skin and light brown hair in a long braid. Escaping wisps gave her a halo of sorts. She was dressed in a long-sleeved straight dress to her ankles of some rough fabric with a kind of a long, straight jumper pulled over it. She wore soft leather boots that looked homemade. Maybe she was from one of those crazy families who lived in the wild, expecting Armageddon. She sat on the bunk, pushed up against the wall, her hands behind her.
“Thanks, Mabel,” Jenna said as the matron unlocked the cell door. “Why don’t you leave it open? We’ll probably be heading over to the children’s interview room.”
The matron raised skeptical brows, but she shrugged
and left. Jenna headed into the cell. “Wait! Mabel?” The matron stuck her head back into view. “She handcuffed?”
“You’re darned right,” Mabel said fervently. “Did you see Kracken’s arm?”
“Leave me the key to her cuffs.” Jenna held out a hand. At Mabel’s doubtful look, she said, “My responsibility.”
“Your funeral more likely.” But Mabel handed over the keys. The girl pushed herself even farther into the corner. Jenna crouched in front of her.
“Hey,” Jenna said. “I’m the social worker.” That didn’t make an impression, though it wouldn’t if the girl really didn’t speak English. Maybe she was not connected to reality at all and the language she spoke was entirely made up. It happened. It had been almost twenty-four hours since she’d been arrested. Dark circles hung under her eyes. She was exhausted, and ready to shatter into a thousand pieces from stress.
Jenna didn’t touch her. That might set her off. Jenna held out the hand with the key in it and raised her brows. A thousand thoughts raced through the girl’s eyes as she considered the offer. Her breathing started to come fast and shallow. “It’s okay,” Jenna soothed. “It’s okay.”
At last the girl nodded once in decision and scooted out a little so Jenna could unlock the cuffs. The girl’s wrists were chafed. These weren’t the first cuffs she’d had on. “Poor thing,” Jenna muttered. She tossed the cuffs aside and sat back on her haunches. She smiled and touched her chest. “Jenna.” Then she nodded encouragement and gestured to the girl.
After a long pause, the girl whispered, “Diana.” Then the walls she’d built around herself shattered. She cried hard, racking sobs. Jenna took her in her arms and rocked her.
Diana sat in the white visitors’ room. It had been nearly a month since Jenna had first seen her in that cell. She was
dressed in conventional clothes now, her braid fresh and neat. She’d been living in the temporary holding facility for runaways. Jenna couldn’t bear to send her into the foster-care system, fragile as she was, when she
must
have parents out there somewhere. Jenna had combed the missing-persons reports, going back six months and a year, to find families who might have lost her. Her first name seemed to be the only thing the girl could remember, or the only thing she’d say aloud. Her fierce rebellion had slowly disappeared. Violence had been replaced by withdrawal. She was afraid of even common things such as toilets and television. It seemed to take all her courage just to face new situations. Jenna had come to care for her, more even than she usually cared for the runaways or children taken from their parents for neglect or abuse who came through the system. Maybe it was because Diana kept mustering the courage.