Tortured Souls (The Orion Circle) (33 page)

“Well, you almost died,” Dr. Hayes says, glaring at me. “Logan saved your life. Again. I had to smooth things over with Adam. He wanted to pull you from the Circle. Can’t say I blame him. I can’t use my compulsion on him anymore either.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because I care about him as a potential… um…”

“Husband,” Mrs. Kincaid supplies the missing word.

“Possibly, but way in the future,” Dr. Hayes says, waving her hands in the air. “Using compulsion is akin to lying. I won’t do that to someone I’m in a relationship with. So stay out of trouble, young lady!”

“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, staring at my hands.

“And please don’t call me ma’am,” she says sighing. “I’m still paying back my student loans. I’m not that old yet.”

“On the positive side, your dad and brother think I’m the greatest person ever,” Logan says with a proud grin.

“That’s ‘cause you are,” I murmur, kissing his cheek. My face flames when I remember our audience. He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead.

“You are too,” he says. “You freed those child spirits and led us to Yardley.”

When I try to grasp the hazy threads of memory, they unravel into nothing. “I just can’t remember anything after freeing Ellie and the other spirits, no matter how hard I try.”

“Yardley possessed you through the athame and you tried to stab Logan,” Rebecca offers with an eager expression. Like her revelation would ease my mind or something.

“It was just a scratch because you did a good job fighting him,” Logan says, pointing to a long cut on his left forearm that looks like a cat scratch.

“Daniel, grabbed the dagger from your hands, slicing his palm open in the process,” Raven says, looking at Daniel from the corner of her eye.

“He needed eight stitches to close the wound,” Dr. Hayes adds in her matter-of-fact tone.

“We stripped Logan to stop the bleeding,” Rebecca adds with a sly wink.

“Just my shirt,” Logan says when I glance at him. “After Daniel threw the athame into the fire, I had a sudden realization. The last time I spoke with your mother, when she was frantic, she kept going on and on about the goat mask. It seemed like the perfect thing to bind his spirit. I remembered seeing it in the ritual room.”

“I guess I should call my mother and let her know it’s over and I’m okay,” I say with a resigned sigh. “I really don’t want to talk to her.”

“It’s the first step in mending bridges,” Dad says, entering the room with his arms full of pizza boxes. “But later. Now you celebrate a job well done.”

I watch the last of the taillights disappear around the corner while standing in Logan’s arms. It was a good evening, and I’m sorry to see everyone go, especially Logan. My arms wrap around his waist, careful to avoid the bandages on his back. We stand in silence, just holding each other, feeling utterly content. That is until a crow lands on my shoulder and starts playing with my hair. It doesn’t bother me like I expect it to. When I pet its feathered back, the bird lets out a strange chirping noise I had no idea a crow could make then it flies back to the porch railing.

“I guess I better head home,” Logan says, caressing my cheek with his fingers. “I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty tomorrow morning.”

“I was afraid Dad wouldn’t let me go back to school this soon,” I murmur, turning my head to kiss his palm. “It’ll be nice to get back to drama rehearsals.”

“Bye, Kacie,” he says as he heads toward his Mustang. “Sweet dreams. Remember, I’m only a phone call away if you need me.”

“Thanks,” I reply, waving. “See you tomorrow.”

After his car disappears around the corner, I turn to head back inside, unsurprised to see both Dad and Gavin lurking in the foyer. I guess after two brushes with death it may be a while before they tone down the overprotective vibes. With a smile, I give both a kiss on the cheek before heading up the stairs to my bedroom. I’m looking forward to a night of uninterrupted sleep and with any luck, some pleasant dreams.

THE END

Thank you for reading
Tortured Souls
! If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Reviews are very important, especially for a newer author. It doesn’t have to be long. Short and sweet reviews are wonderful too.

I love communicating with my readers. Please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions or would like to discuss the world of books. I’m recruiting beta readers right now. If you enjoyed this book and would like an opportunity to read my work prior to publication, please contact me.

About the Author

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

Acknowledgments

There are so many people to thank… I feel like an award winner afraid to forget someone in their speech! First and foremost, I want to thank my husband and son for their constant support. Writing is not an easy task in any way. There are many times when it’s an emotional rollercoaster. They have stood by my side through laughter and tears, and I couldn’t ask for more. Thanks to my mother and mother-in-law for the help with beta reading. Note to self: remember the two mothers are far too supportive to see problems. Thanks to my father for listening when I needed a shoulder to cry on. And thanks to my father-in-law who always stays positive and that rubs off on me.

I want to thank my cover artist, Amanda, for her amazing vision and work. I have never seen anything she designed that I didn’t like, but this cover is truly spectacular. Also thanks to all my writer friends, especially Lisa Temple. Your support has meant a lot to me. Thanks to everyone involved in making this book a reality: my formatter, editor, and proofreader.

And lastly, thanks to you, my reader. Without you there would be no reason to write at all.

Now available
Shadow Fire

Light Chronicles Book 1

Amazon Bestselling YA Fantasy Romance

Amazon • B&N • Kobo • Smashwords • iTunes • Goodreads

Ashlyn
– a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane
– a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire
– a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.

All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?

Each installment of the
Light Chronicles
is a standalone story.

Excerpt from Chapter One of

Shadow Fire

Every step I take is one step closer to death.

Hiking through the dense underbrush, I try to calm my frayed nerves and control the fear threatening to overwhelm me. Twigs and tendrils of ivy grab at my ankles as I continue to forge ahead, forcing me to wrench away from their skeletal grip. The sunlight is fading, signaling the end of another day, but this is no ordinary day.

A loud
crack
pierces the air. I freeze in my tracks, my breath catching in my throat. Whipping my head around, I try to locate the source of the sound. My heart pounds in my chest, the erratic rhythm painful. These woods are full of predators, some animal, some monster, but the worst… human. Taking a deep breath, I listen to the surrounding woods: birds chirp, insects hum, and small animals scurry about as if they have no care in the world.

Lungs burning, I force myself to continue walking. I didn’t collapse three weeks ago when this whole fiasco started, and I won’t give in now. My family needs me to be strong.

The trees become sparser as I approach the edge of the forest. My shoulders slump when I pass the tree house we used to play in so many years ago. Any other day when I’m this close to home after a long day of hunting, I’d smile, breathe a sigh of relief, and perhaps look forward to dinner. Today there will be no raucous family meal, no solace in entering the peaceful village, and nothing to smile about.

The villagers will be awaiting my return, skulking in the shadows, desperate to catch a glimpse of the walking dead girl.

I’ve dealt with the whispers and pointing for three weeks with my head held high, my anxiety hidden behind a mask of indifference. I don’t want them to see me like this, trembling in fear, broken. They’ve taken everything I am, every hope, every dream I’ve had for the future and smashed them to pieces with little hope of salvation. The townsfolk of Verdane decided my fate and they chose death.

The elders told me being
Chosen
is an honor. Either they are ignorant or apathetic. Every five years for the last twenty, a teenage girl has been chosen by the town, via secret ballot, to undertake this dangerous quest, never to return. Perhaps if the elders had to forfeit their lives instead they wouldn’t be so quick to label it an honor, they’d call it what it is… a sacrifice.

Coming in August 2014 from Astraea Press
Stolen Moon

Light Chronicles Book 2

YA Fantasy Romance

A standalone sequel to the Amazon bestseller
Shadow Fire

Katarina ~
a Royal Knight bound by honor and duty who steals a powerful relic from a sorcerer in a desperate attempt to save her kingdom from the clutches of a madman.

Ethan ~
a mercenary leader trapped between his growing attraction to Katarina and his responsibility to protect his friends from the evil pursuing her.

Zebulon
~ a malicious sorcerer waging war as though it’s a game, caring nothing for the lives he destroys in his quest for power.

Drawn together by a moonstone medallion—an indestructible relic with immense magical power.

Katarina steals the medallion from Zebulon and flees in the dead of night. Together with Ethan and his mercenaries, she struggles to stay one step ahead of the sorcerer and his minions in a race against time to save her homeland. Fierce battles, ravenous monsters, and bloodthirsty brigands—those are no surprise. But Katarina never dreamed her greatest obstacle could be falling in love.