My wife and my two children. He has agents in
both worlds. Rumors are he intends to rule them
both.” I clench my fists so tight my claws dig into
my palms.
Frowning, she steps closer. I could almost reach
out to touch her if she reached out for me.
“I’m already in danger. I—” She looks away for a
moment, cheeks reddening, before squaring her
shoulders and look me directly in the eyes once
again. “I have heard voices since I was twelve. They
wanted me to do the love potion, and they’d
punish me with pain if I failed them.”
“They sent you to that house where …” A low
growl rumbles in my chest.
“I barely remember it now, but they took
control of my body. I wanted to stop them.” The
smell of her fear and pain fills the air. I want to rip
them apart again.
I leap forward and envelop her in a hug. She
jerks in my grip, and I let go immediately. “Sorry, I
wasn’t thinking.”
She hugs me and buries her face in my fur. I
place my arms around her. Unchecked, hot tears
roll down her face. My heart aches with a deep
longing I haven’t felt since Sammi died.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner,” I choke out,
stroking my hair.
Sniffling, she looks up at me and smiles—a real
smile that warms me all the way to my toes. “I can’t
thank you enough for rescuing me,” she says.
I pull her closer and hold her tight. She feels so
warm. Twisting in my arms so her back presses
against my front, she snuggles into me, and I’m
acutely aware of her nakedness. I lift her up in my
arms so she can’t feel my erection pressing into her
back. It’s been less than twenty-four hours since
she was raped, and I want to give her time to heal.
We look out at the water shimmering in the
moonlight, at the moon smiling down over us, and
the stars sparkling like tiny gems, and for me, for
the first time in a long time, the world feels clean
and fresh and new.
“I can’t stay, but I will be back. I’d like to … I
think we … I want to be with you. For the first time
in years, I’m no longer trying to live in the past. You
give me hope I can have a future, one that involves
you.”
“Is it even a real possibility?” she whispers.
“I’d like it to be, but first I have to rid the world
of a tyrant and his army. And there’s the matter of
a powerful bracelet that’s gone missing.”
She smiles thoughtfully. “I have things to do too.
I’ve got to get my head on straight. There is silence
in my head for the first time in seven years. I don’t
even know who I am or what I want.”
I rest my chin on the top of her head, my arms
wrapped tight around her.
“I still owe you a month in your bed.” A sharp
spike of fear returns, and she shivers in my arms.
I grimace. “Angel, you don’t owe me anything. I
will never force you. I still want you, but the only
way you’re getting back in my bed is because you
want to be there. I’m patient; when you’re ready, if
you want me, I’ll be waiting.”
She sighs and leans deeper into me.
Sniffing her neck, I memorize her smell, the
sugary sweet aroma that captured me almost a
month ago. Then I turn to leave—running because
otherwise I’ll never go.
Chapter 31
~ ANGELINA ~
Days have grown into weeks, and I have lost all
track of the passage of time. I feel alive and real
Sitting under the tree, I watch the lake. The
water elementals dance and play, splashing water
at each other. The sun glints off the water, and a
soft breeze cools my skin.
So much better than the frozen hell of Alaska.
Weeks have passed, and I wonder about my sister.
Does she miss me? Has she even noticed I’m gone?
After what I just pulled, I doubt she even cares
about what happened to me. I was awful. How
much of my actions were mine? How much can I
blame on those voices?
The silvery dome covering this druid sanctuary
gives me peace. Time to think. Time to discover
myself. Who am I really? What do I want with my
life?
I don’t know.
All I know is I don’t want to be the creature they
were manipulating me to be. I want to care about
others, not destroy them and take away their free
will.
Why did I ever think it was a good idea to use a
love potion to make Jason like me?
For that matter, I’m not sure I ever wanted
Jason’s attention in the first place. He was kind to
me, and I enjoyed conversations with him. He was a
good friend, but I’m not sure my obsession was
real.
I have no way of knowing if anything was real.
And what about Hunter?
My heart gives a little leap at the thought of
him, but I am so not ready for a relationship. I’m
one messed-up girl.
How can I love someone else when I don’t even
know who I am? How can I even begin to relate to
someone?
It’s not like I can talk about my likes and dislikes,
about what movies I enjoy or about my dreams for
the future. I can’t share myself with someone else
when there is no me to share.
I feel a hole in my soul. The voices tore me apart
with their lies, with the doubts they whispered into
my ears, with their control over my emotions. It will
take me a long time to sort out what was real and
what they made me feel.
I bury my face in my hands and grit my teeth.
It will take me years to get my heart and mind
all sorted out.
“I can help you with that,” a voice says.
I look up to see a woman sitting beside me. Blue
scales. Her smile revealing sharp teeth. Her gauzy
dress mostly transparent but tucked demurely
around her folded legs.
“You wouldn’t help me a month ago when all
this started. Why should I trust you now?”
“You weren’t ready a month ago. Would you
have listened to me? Most humans must hit rock
bottom before they can start accepting help.”
“Go away. I don’t need someone else to
manipulate me.”
She stares out over the water, not looking at
me, and somehow it makes me feel more
comfortable. Less threatened. The corner of her
mouth turns up in amusement, as if she senses my
thoughts. “You are an empath, Angelina. It’s an
inherited trait from the minute traces of dragon
and fae in your blood. You don’t have nearly the
kind of telepathic power a dragon would have, nor
the presence and strength of mind a fae would, but
it is enough to make you susceptible to the
emotions and influences of others.”
&
nbsp; A month ago, I wouldn’t have believed her, but
now …
Maybe.
She glances at me. “With training, you can
control your empathic ability. No longer will you be
under the control of other people’s emotions, and
you would learn all the tools you need to help
people the way you helped your friend Brianna.”
“I suppose you are the one who will teach me?”
I hate the idea of being under her control, but at
the same time, I’d rather it be her than the voices.
“Yes,” she says simply.
I like that she doesn’t argue her case. I need to
make up my own mind.
“Then tell me who the voices are.”
“Insane wraiths, echoes of mad rune-dragons
who once had a great deal of political and magical
power. Since their power was stripped from them,
they have searched for a new power source. They
sought to use you as a means to obtain that
power.”
“Why were they so interested in hurting Jason?”
She smiles. “A perceptive question. But those
are Jason’s secrets. You will have to wait until he
shares them with you.”
I stare out at the lake. The elementals play, leap,
and dive like dolphins. I can sense their joy from
here, but the darkness inside my own soul drives it
away.
I want to feel joy and laughter again. To dance
and play and sing with the innocence of a child. But
I also want the strength of a woman who can fight
off an attack.
I never want to be pinned down again, alone
and unable to defend myself.
To see people hurting and be too afraid to help
them.
To be unable to seek help from my friends
because something is controlling me.
I never want to be the helpless victim again.
The blue woman nods and whispers, “Never
again.”
I understand the power this strange woman
offers. I want to start making my own choices.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
Dear Sweet Reader,
Thank you so much for reading this story!
If you enjoyed this book, please take a few
moments to write an honest review and post it on
Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads. Readers like you are
what make it possible for other people to learn
about this book. I can’t do this without you!
Please stop by my Facebook page at
facebook.com/TJandRita and say hello. I’d love to
chat with you and find out your favorite moments
or favorite quotes.
Hugs,
Rita & TJ
Acknowledgments
I wrote the first book in this series PLAYING
HOOKY as my “fun project.” TJ and I were working
on a YA story sequel to my short story FEATHER,
but it was excruciatingly painful. TJ wasn’t enjoying
writing YA, and we both found that the story never
really worked for us.
With parenting and homeschooling and other
responsibilities, TJ had less and less time to work
on our story, so I filled my time waiting for him with
something fun. This is why PLAYING HOOKY was
just a novella. A simple, fun story. My fun project.
Then I started working on the sequel (this book),
and TJ envied me because the story I was working
on was so much more interesting. I said, “All right.
Let’s scrap the sequel to FEATHER and work on this.
You can write Hunter’s perspective.”
BREAKING ANGELINA was going to be just a
novella as I still planned to keep with the simple,
fun stories idea. My first draft (before TJ joined the
effort) was 11K words. Then he turned everything
on its head and spun it around, and we discovered
a much deeper plot in the mix of this story.
Writing as a team has been quite an adventure.
Mixing our styles, building on each other’s ideas,
finding a groove that works for us. Cooking dinner
or driving in the car became plot discussion time,
and we’d often talk ourselves in circles planning all
the characters. But the experience has shown me
that I don’t ever want to write alone again.
This book took about six months to write, but
our first draft was really a third or fourth draft as
we would edit each other’s work as we went. Plus
at the same time, we also worked on the next book
TAKING CHANCES (which will be done in about a
month or so). While TJ worked on TC, I worked on
BA, and after about a week, we’d swap.
“Which one am I working on again?” was a
frequent question in our household.
Stay tuned for TAKING CHANCES. Jason and
Emma take up the story again as you find out what
happened to Jezebarra and Alistrad. Of course
behind everything, lurk the Usurper and the wraith
rune-dragons, each trying to manipulate the world
according to their own designs.
Thank you to my writing friends and beta-
readers. Because of you, my story has grown
better.
Thank you to my cover artist Regina Wamba
from Mae I Design and Photography. I couldn’t
imagine a more beautiful cover for this book.
I appreciate every one of my readers. You make
the pursuit of my dreams worthwhile.
Most importantly, I thank God for putting this
story in my heart and helping me write it.
About Rita and TJ Webb
Our adventure started with a camping trip and a
bottle of whiskey. Apparently Rita is a scary
monster, and TJ needed liquid courage to give her
that first kiss.
When not fighting over who gets to read our
favorite books first, we’re swapping kisses and
movie quotes in the kitchen.
Together, we home-school our three girls, who
keep us busy with art, science projects, books to
read, dance classes, and walks about the park.
Contact:
afantasyfiction.blogspot.com
goodreads.com/RitaWebb
goodreads.com/TJWebb
Facebook.com/TJandRita
Twitter @RitaJWebb
Other books by Rita & TJ Webb:
Paranormal Investigation Series
#1 Playing Hooky
#1.5 Breaking Angelina
#2 Taking Chances
Other books by Rita Webb:
Short Stories & Anthologies
Daughter of the Goddess
Feather
Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal
Unlocked: Ten “Key” Tales
Ménage à 20, Tales with a hook