by Willow Rose
"Wait," I said.
Duncan saw her too. "You can't be serious?"
I sighed. People inside the tent were starting to wake up, and we could hear their screams as they realized what was going on. "She's my grandmother. I can't just leave her here."
He exhaled. "All right."
I opened the door. "Grandma. Over here!"
She stopped and stared at me. For a minute or so, our eyes locked, and I knew she wasn't going to come. She shook her head.
"Sorry, kiddo. I've got to get out of here. See you another day, okay?"
I exhaled deeply, then nodded as I watched her run for her Volkswagen Bus and get in.
"See you another day, Grams," I said while I watched the minivan rush away, tires screeching.
I got back into the limo, and we drove off, just as Jayden and Ruelle slowly woke up. They looked at us, confused.
"What the heck…?" Jayden asked and tried to sit up, but his head hurt, so he laid back down. "Why…? What are we…?" he stared at Duncan. "Why are we in his car? So he can show off?"
"There was an incident at the circus," I said and exchanged a look with Duncan.
Duncan took over. "Some of the animals escaped, and we had to get away really fast. You hurt your head. You both did."
Jayden looked confused. "Really?”
I looked out the window and back at the circus, where people were now running out of all the entrances and exits.
"Yeah, you can probably read about it in the news tomorrow," I said. "I have a feeling it might be a big story in the coming days."
I exhaled and looked at Jayden. "There is something you need to know."
"What?" he asked.
It absolutely broke my heart, and I could hardly get the words across my lips.
"Mr. Aran…he…he…Logan was there and he…"
Jayden's face suddenly grew very awake. He bolted upright. "What? He what?"
I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Duncan's. He took over.
"He's dead. Logan was killed by the spider-guy."
It was unbearable. Looking at Jayden as the realization sunk in was heartbreaking.
"He…what? How? Logan?"
I nodded and grabbed Jayden's hand in mine. "Yes, Logan. He's gone, Jayden."
Chapter Fifty-Three
Amy put them both down in the park by the lake. She didn't want to fly into the neighborhood and risk being seen. She put Jazmine and Kipp down, just as she turned back to her human shape and fell to the grass, face first.
"I've got to get better at this part," she grumbled and got up on her knees.
"Thank you," Jazmine said.
"I'm sorry…for what happened to Logan," Amy said with a deep sigh. "It's all my fault…I should never have…I led Mr. Aran right into the tent, but I didn't know. I didn't know where I was or what was going on or that you would all be there…I was just trying to get away from him, and now I’ve destroyed everything, and Jayden lost his brother."
Kipp kneeled next to her. "How is that all your fault?"
"And you…" Amy said. "Why would you first tell on me and then save me? It makes no sense."
Kipp wrinkled his forehead. "I never…I never told on you."
"But…I saw you…with Mr. Aran. You were talking, and you were pointing at my house."
Kipp laughed. "We were talking about the weather. He was going for a walk and asked me if I knew if it was going to rain. I was telling him there were clouds coming from the north, then pointed above your house where the clouds were. I told him he had about half an hour before it would hit around here. I am somewhat of a weather-nerd."
Amy sniffled, confused. "So…so you didn't tell him about me being…what I am?"
"No! I would never." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Amy…I’m like you."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll show you," he said and walked to the lake. He reached his hand out and lifted it. Underneath it, a small wave of water lifted itself up and followed his every move. Then he let it go, and the water splashed back down. He turned and looked at Amy.
"I'm magic too. Like you."
Amy couldn't believe her own eyes. "Really?"
He nodded eagerly. "Yes. I can even make it spin, see?" he turned his hand in circles, and the water lifted up, then started to spin into a whirlwind, a waterspout. Amy stared at it, flabbergasted.
"That's pretty cool," Jazmine said.
He let go of the waterspout, and the water returned to the lake with a loud splash.
"So, now do you understand? I am hiding too. Just like you guys."
"But…what are you?" Jazmine asked. "I mean, I’m a witch, and she's a dragon, but what are you?"
Kipp smiled. "Splash water on me and I'll let you know."
Jazmine grabbed some water from the lake and splashed it on Kipp. A bright light lit up in the darkness, and he grew a tail. A fish's tail.
Amy's eyes became wide. "You're…you're…a…mermaid?"
"I prefer merman, but yes. That is what I am."
Chapter Fifty-Four
We drove up into our street. Jayden was sobbing loudly, Ruelle comforting him, holding him in her arms. I still felt heartbroken for him. I knew he had his quarrels with his brother, but still. Family was family, and a brother was an important part of your life, no matter how crazy or moronic he was. I knew that from my own experience.
The limo stopped in front of our house and, as I walked out, I spotted Jayden's parents inside our house, sitting at our dining table.
Talking to my parents?
Jayden spotted them too and came up behind me.
"What's going on?" I asked.
I heard a light gasp from Jayden's throat and turned to look at him. He didn't have to say anything. I knew already.
"The girl, the one who got you in trouble, it was me, right? And now they're telling my parents?"
Jayden sighed. "I’m afraid so."
I sighed anxiously. "I guess it's all over then."
Jayden shook his head. "It might not be over just yet. If my parents had told them what they came to say, they wouldn't still be sitting around the table; they would be yelling at one another by now."
He had a point. Maybe they hadn't told them yet? I followed him inside as he burst in through the door and rushed toward them. Our parents looked at us, startled.
"Jayden? What are you doing here?" his mother asked. "In Robyn's house of all places?"
"There's no time for all that. It's Logan," he said, panting. "Something happened. Something terrible."
Jayden's parents rose to their feet. "Logan? What? What happened? Jayden, tell us?"
"Come with me," Jayden said, his voice trembling. "We have to hurry. I'll explain on the way."
My mom stood up. "But…Claire…what about…?"
Claire turned around. "Later, Camille. This is urgent. We'll have to continue this talk later. This is my son."
"But…can't you just…"
"Camille!" My dad said. "Imagine if it was Adrian."
My mom swallowed, then nodded. "Of course."
Jayden left with his parents, and I closed the door behind them, worried how his parents were going to take this and how it was going to change Jayden's life.
"I should take Ruelle home," Duncan said with a polite bow. He grabbed my hand and kissed it on top.
I walked him out.
"Thank you," I whispered and stood on my tippy toes and kissed his cheek. He smiled shyly.
"It never gets boring with you, does it?"
I smiled, tired. "I am the sprinkles on your strawberry ice cream, remember?"
"How could I ever forget?" he said and returned my kiss on the cheek.
A second later, he was gone, and for the first time, I was actually sad to see him go.
The next day, Logan's death and the chaos at the circus with all the escaped animals were all over the news with Mr. Aran in front telling people it was the monster that had caused the havoc, making the animals stampede and kill
ing two of the clowns. He was even showing pictures of the dead wolf, declaring to the world, that the beast is dead. The monster has finally been killed.
That same night, my parents held a meeting downstairs with Jayden's and Amy's parents along with Jazmine's mother. Sitting on top of the stairs, I heard them plan in detail how they were going to kill Mr. Aran.
There were still four months to the Halloween Block-party.
Afterword
Dear Reader,
* * *
Thank you for purchasing the next three books in The Vampires of Shadow Hills Series. I hope you enjoyed reading this story. I had tons of fun writing it. If you feel like you have many unanswered questions, that is only natural. These three books continues the story of the teenagers and their strange parents living in Shadow Hills. I have this feeling that this will be a long series.
If you continue, I have attached a short excerpt from my fairytale A Song for a Gypsy.
* * *
Take Care,
* * *
Willow
Books by the Author
Paranormal Romance/Suspense/Fantasy/Sci-fi Novels:
Flesh and Blood - Grab your copy today
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Better Not Cry (Rebekka Franck #8) - Grab your copy today
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About the Author
The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 50 novels. She writes Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting page-turners with twists you won't see coming.
Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 20 of ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada.
She has sold more than two million books.
Willow lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Song for a Gypsy
Excerpt
For a special sneak peak of Willow Rose's Bestselling Fairytale Song for a Gypsy turn to the next page.
Chapter One
THE GIRL IN THE BASKET
They came in the middle of the night. It was during the war, the Second World War that is, and therefore they had to travel in the dark in order not to be seen. It was somewhere in the mountains of southern Germany called Bayern, in a small town called Lindenmühle, not far from the border with Austria.
No one on the nice street of Reidenburgerstrasse would ever have imagined such a thing happening in their part of town, and especially not the couple in number sixteen.
Mr. and Mrs. Schneider were sound asleep in their house, and certainly not suspecting anyone to approach their door in the middle of the night, placing a basket with a little baby girl sleeping in it on their doorstep. And certainly they would never im
agine someone would leave her there for them to find with only a small note as explanation saying:
Her name is Sara; please take good care of her.
* * *
Lindenmühle was a very small town with only three hundred twenty-one inhabitants and, indeed, a place where news would travel faster than the speed of light (especially if that chubby lady, Mrs. Müller, in number thirteen got a hold of it). Mr. and Mrs. Schneider knew that and they always kept their secrets to themselves. Not that they had many, but they did have one they never shared with anyone on the street.
They wanted so badly to have a child, but hadn’t succeeded yet. Not that there was anything wrong with either of them, their doctor assured them.
“Maybe it’s just the war,” he said.
So he suggested they wait until the war was over—which he meant was not going to be long. Now they had waited for three years and the war had no end in sight.
They both longed for a child that seemed to never come, both of them in very different ways. She would talk about it constantly, while he would listen as the husband and caretaker he was, but he would never utter a word or complain himself. He was simply not brought up that way. It was not suitable for a man of his position.
Instead, he had his own little ritual. Every morning, before Mr. Schneider went off to work at the train station in Lindenmühle, he would stop for exactly four and a half minutes at the door leading into the room that was meant for their future baby. He would open the door and look at the empty crib and the rocking chair in the corner, and he would imagine his baby lying in the crib or his wife sitting in the rocking chair, singing to the baby until it fell asleep.