“Yes, Duke,” Stefano said, bowing to him. He trotted off down the path toward the house, his duties clear. Marcus turned on his heel, moving down the path toward town.
Michael and Damien strolled up the path, both howling with laughter. “Okay, okay, but the food was good!” Damien said.
“Yes, but the clientele was scary!” Michael joked.
“I admit, some of them were intimidating…”
“Intimidating? Man, I am glad the standards of hygiene have risen astronomically by our time!”
Damien laughed again. “Yeah, I agree one hundred percent. Well, it was still nice to experience a real 1791 restaurant.”
“It’ll be good to experience our normal time. Hey, let’s hit the café in town when we get back.”
“Oh, that sounds great, yes! I am dying for those fries again!”
The two continued along the path, discussing their plans once they returned to their time. They approached the woods, entering the tree line. The trees hid the other individual coming down the path toward them. The two parties almost collided before noticing each other’s presence.
“Whoa, sorry, we didn’t…” Damien’s voice trailed off as his eyes went wide with shock.
“Well, if it isn’t the Carlyles, Celine’s two troublesome, meddling little friends,” Marcus said, his lips curling into a smile. “How fortuitous for me to run into you like this. I don’t suppose you have my book with you?”
“No, we gave your book to…” Damien began, ferocity entering his voice, when Michael interrupted him.
“We don’t. Now, if you’ll excuse us…”
“Perhaps you’d like to share the location of the painting you stole from me?” Marcus paused, waiting for a response. He received none. “Nothing to say? Well, no matter, I’m sure I can elicit a response. I can be very persuasive.” He lifted his hand in front of him, preparing to strike Michael and Damien.
Damien cringed, tensing his muscles, preparing for the blow. Michael shut his eyes, sure this was the end for them. A fireball whizzed past them, striking not them but Marcus’ arm, knocking his aim away from them. Damien stared in the direction the missile came from, trying to discern the source. Celine raced toward them. She positioned herself between them and Marcus.
Marcus closed his eyes for a moment in annoyance. “Celine, stand aside, I have unfinished business with the Carlyles.”
“I will not. You have no business with them. I will not allow you to harm them.”
“Celine, I am growing weary of your games today. Stand aside, I do not want to harm you.”
Celine responded by stamping her foot on the ground and curling her fists into balls, her jaw set in determination. The ground shook, and the skies darkened. Thunder boomed overhead and lightening danced in the sky.
“Oh, how adorable! But I regret to inform you I am unfazed by your show of force. It’s rather like watching a child have a tantrum. Now stand aside, Celine, this is your last warning!”
“Michael, Damien,” she shouted, “RUN!” Michael and Damien sprinted down the path, heading toward the cliff. Damien risked a glance over his shoulder. Celine and Marcus were locked in a lightening battle, each of them hurling a continual assault against the other.
Celine shrieked, breaking off the attack and deflecting his to a nearby tree. It smoked and singed from the blast it received. Celine launched another attack. Marcus fired back, deflecting it. The battle lasted a few more rounds before it ended.
“Stop, Celine,” Marcus said. “You’ll only hurt yourself.”
Celine narrowed her eyes at him. “I doubt that, Marcus.”
“You can’t win!”
“Neither can you,” Celine told him. Their powers were too evenly matched for one of them to win a battle of this nature outright.
“Don’t be so sure, my dear.”
“Leave my friends and family alone, Marcus.”
“I will do what I must, I will possess what is mine.”
Celine glared at him. “I am not yours,” she spat at him before turning and storming off.
Celine hurried through the woods toward the cliffs. She hoped Michael and Damien were waiting in the meeting spot she set forth in her note. They could waste no time in returning them to the future.
Celine emerged from the woods, hastening toward the cliff. “Michael! Damien!” she called.
The men emerged from the cave leading to the beach. “Here!” Damien called. “Celine, are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Are you both all right? Are you hurt?”
“We’re fine. Thanks for the save!” Michael said.
She nodded. “We must return you to your time. We mustn’t delay. Come,” she said, leading them a safe distance from the cliffs.
“Will you be all right, Celine?”
“I will, we leave tonight.”
“Where will you go?
“My husband has made arrangements for us to stay with his friends in Scotland, a small town called Dunhaven.”
“Good luck, Celine. I hope you are safe there.”
“I assume the painting is safe?” she asked as they positioned themselves.
“It is, it’s safe. It’s hidden, but in the house,” Damien said.
“That’s enough for me. Thank you. I’ll never forget what you’ve done to help us. Now you must go. Are you ready?”
Both men nodded. Celine returned the gesture, placing her arms in front of her and squeezing her eyes shut. Within moments, the winds picked up, and a twinkling began in front of them. Seconds later, the portal was open. Michael and Damien raced through.
They stumbled a few moments in complete darkness before their eyes adjusted. They gaped around, unsure of their location. They stood nearby on the cliffs. Damien glanced in the direction of the house. He smacked Michael in the chest, pointing ahead. “Look!” he exclaimed. “Car lights on the road!”
“Yeah!” Michael said. “We’re back! Haha! We’re back!” Michael clapped him on the back.
“Come on! Let’s go tell everyone we were successful in retrieving the painting!”
“Yeah and get into some normal clothes!” Michael said.
“Race you?”
“You’re on!” Michael said.
The two men raced to the house, Michael beat Damien, reaching the house first. Out of breath, they plowed through the door, excited to see everyone. The house was quiet.
“Celine? Gray?” Damien shouted.
“Hello?” Michael yelled.
“HELLO?” Damien tried again. “Where is everyone?”
“No idea. Celine? Anyone?” Michael tried again.
“It’s not that late, they can’t be in bed.”
“Guess we better have a look around. Maybe we can change clothes, too. I’m excited to share the good news with everyone, but first I want out of these clothes.”
“Agreed. We can check Celine and Gray’s suite as soon as we’ve changed.”
They wandered through the house, not finding anyone. They changed clothes, meeting back in the hallway outside their rooms. Damien knocked at the door leading to Celine and Gray’s suite. There was no answer.
“Where could they be?” Damien said, scratching his head in confusion.
“No idea, but I’m getting creeped out by this.”
“Me too. Perhaps we should try Alexander’s?”
“Good idea,” Michael agreed.
They made their way downstairs to the foyer. As they reached the entryway, Gray and Alexander came through the door.
“Oh, wow, whew!” Damien said, relief obvious in his voice. “Man, are we glad to see you! We’ve been searching the house.”
“Michael, Damien, you’re back,” Gray said.
“Yes, we are,” Michael said.
“Did you recover the painting?”
“We did,” Damien beamed.
“Well, where is it?” Gray asked.
Damien motioned for them to follow. He led them to an unused wing of the house, g
rabbing a pair of flashlights from a nearby cupboard. After a few minutes of navigating the dark halls, they arrived outside of a room, now being used for storage.
Entering the room, Damien lead them straight to the far wall. He focused his light on a painting.
“What the hell is that?” Gray asked. “That’s not Celine’s painting!”
“No, it’s Ships in the Harbor,” Michael said as Damien began pulling the painting from the wall. “I remembered seeing it here when we were exploring the house with the kids.”
“Ships in the Harbor? The painting that hung in the entryway instead of Celine’s?” Alexander asked.
“Not instead of, in addition to,” Damien revealed. He swung the painting around with Michael’s help. Together, the two of them pulled the second painting free from the first.
As the second canvas came free, they turned it around.
“And there she is!” Damien announced.
“Celine’s portrait, it’s been here the entire time!” Alexander declared.
Damien grinned at him. “Yep. At least… it is now. Or was it always here? I’m not totally sure how this time travel stuff works.” Damien scratched his head, pondering his own questions.
Gray sighed with relief. “Well, one thing solved. At least we have a piece of Celine back,” he said, stalking away from them.
“Yep, she’s back!” Damien exclaimed. “By the way, where’s the real deal? I can’t wait to see the expression on her face when she sees her painting!”
Gray said nothing. Alexander stared at the ground.
“Ah, guys? Celine? Where is she? I’m sure she’s dying to hear the news,” Damien said. Gray glanced to Alexander.
“Does someone want to clue us in? What’s with the secret glances?” Michael asked.
“I’m afraid we have some rather bad news,” Alexander said.
“Bad news?” Michael asked, growing concerned.
“There’s no easy way to say this,” Alexander said, trying to temper the news.
“Where is Celine?” Damien insisted.
“She’s gone,” Gray said.
“What? Gone? Gone where? For how long?” Damien rapidly fired questions at them.
“No one knows the answers to those questions,” Alexander said.
“What do you mean? What are you saying?” Damien questioned.
Gray answered, “I’m saying no one has seen or heard from her in almost a week. She hasn’t called, she hasn’t texted, she hasn’t come home. No one can find her, it’s like she’s disappeared. She’s gone.”
Epilogue
Celine opened her eyes, stretching and breathing a deep inhale. Despite it being morning, the stars still lit the sky, twinkling far above her.
“Good morning, Celine,” Marcus voiced through the small grating in the door. Celine sighed, not answering. “I assume you are aware your painting is back in the Buckleys’ possession?”
Celine pondered for a moment. Yes, that was what had awoken her. A flood of new memories rushed into her brain. She recalled Michael and Damien helping her retrieve the painting from Marcus, their daring plan, creating her mimic, her performance at her sister’s, a standoff between her and Marcus, and the subsequent fallout as she and Gray left Bucksville to travel abroad. Mixed in with those memories was a brief conversation before she had opened a time portal for her two friends in which they told her the painting was secure. She didn’t have all the details, but they had assured her this was the case.
Celine smiled to herself. “I wouldn’t be too euphoric, darling. They have your portrait, but I possess the real thing. Tell me,” he continued, “what made you send them back to 1791? How did you determine that was when I stole it?”
Celine stood, brushing herself off and approached the door. “Damien tracked it down. So he was right, huh?”
“Ah, yes, dear Damien. That boy is a bit too clever for his own good,” Marcus mused aloud.
Celine grew serious. “You stay away from Damien,” she threatened.
“Or what, my dear?” he said, staring at her. She glared at him. “Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head, I won’t lay a finger on your precious Damien. You know, my dear, I think you may be more protective of him than you are of your beloved Grayson.”
“I’m protective of all my family.”
“A fact I am well aware of.”
“How did you manage to go back to a time you already existed in?”
“Let’s not discuss the details, my dear, we must keep some secrets between us.”
Celine sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, does it? You only altered history for a brief time. It’s corrected now.”
“Gloat all you want, Celine, as I said before, they may have retrieved the painting, but I have the real thing.”
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Her painting is back, but Celine is gone! Curious to know what will become of Celine? Find out now in Book 3, Gone, by clicking here!
Like cozy mysteries? Check out the Cate Kensie Mystery series. Misty Scottish moors and a quirky castle. Read Cate’s first adventure, The Secret of Dunhaven Castle, by clicking here!
Ready for adventure? Travel the globe with Maggie Edwards in search of her kidnapped uncle and Cleopatra’s Tomb. Book one, Cleopatra’s Tomb, in the Maggie Edwards Adventure series is available now!
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading this book! Stolen Portrait Stolen Soul, like its predecessor, Shadows of the Past, was inspired by my love for the show Dark Shadows! While I’m not a first-generation fan of the show, I fell in love with it when my mother introduced it to me in my late teens. It left its mark on my heart and my imagination.
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I did writing it! If you loved it, please consider leaving a review and help get the book into the hands of other interested readers.
Shadow Slayers Book 3, Gone, is now available! Keep reading for a sneak peak of Gone!
All the best, Nellie
Gone Synopsis
The cell walls closed around her, and Celine tried not to scream. It wouldn’t matter if she did; no one would be able to hear her. No one would be able to save her now.
Trapped within an enchanted cell and hidden from the world, Celine Devereaux Buckley has nothing to do but ponder her fate. She should have been powerful enough to stop him, but when she was at her weakest, Duke Marcus Northcott finally captured her. Unsure of what wicked scheme he has planned for her and with no hope of being rescued, Celine knows that she will have to save herself if she wants to return home.
However, with her powers cut off and her cell enchanted to stop anyone from finding her, can she devise a way to make contact with her family? If she does, will doing so risk the life of someone she holds close to her heart?
Or will Celine find help from the most unexpected place?
Will Celine’s efforts only end in disastrous effects for her family? If it does, will she be able to undo the wrong she unknowingly caused and restore balance to the already fragile world?
Gone, book three of the Shadow Slayers Stories Series, takes readers on an emotional journey filled with triumph and heartbreak. Filled with mystery, danger, and magical realms unknown to readers before, prepare for Celine’s story to keep you enthralled until the very last page. Click here to read now!
Gone Excerpt
“What do you mean ‘gone?’” Damien questioned. He, Michael, Gray and Gray’s cousin, Alexander, stood in an unused room of the Buckley estate. He and Michael had just revealed the hidden location of Celine’s portrait. Stolen prior to the events that brought them to Bucksville, Maine, its theft prompted Gray to seek out his wife, Celine, twenty-five years after her disappearance. In a whirlwind chain of events, Damien’s cousin, Josie, learned she was a supernatural entity named Celine, married to Gray and alive since the late
1700s.
After learning the truth, Damien and Michael, who had known Celine as Josie, stayed with her in her old home, living amongst the Buckleys, some who were human, others who were not. Their lives were forever changed by their experiences with the supernatural, including their latest ventures, which involved time traveling to correct events of the past.
Together, Michael and Damien had secured Celine’s portrait in 1791 when it had been painted, then returned to the present time. When they returned, Gray had given them the incredible news that Celine had disappeared.
“I told you,” Gray answered. “No one has seen or heard from Celine in almost a week. Since the night she sent you back to 1791. She hasn’t called, texted, or come home. We can’t find her. She’s gone.”
Damien stalked a few steps away, disbelief on his face. Michael approached him, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder.
“I realize this is difficult to hear, Damien,” Alexander began, his British accent still strong despite the centuries of life in America.
“Difficult to hear?” Damien interrupted, incredulous at the comment. “Difficult to hear? No, difficult to hear is ‘you lost your job’ or ‘I’m leaving you for your brother.’ No, this isn’t difficult to hear this is… this is… incomprehensible!” Damien raked a shaky hand through his brown hair.
“Damien, please,” Alexander replied. “You’ve been through quite a bit. You’re tired and upset. Why don’t we…”
“Upset? You’re damn right I’m upset!”
“Hey, Damien,” Michael said, squeezing his shoulder. “We’ll find her, man. Let’s go grab a drink and discuss this.”
“Grab a drink? Are you serious? This isn’t a case of a lost set of keys or a misplaced article of clothing!” Damien retorted. “Celine is gone! For a week! We need to be out there searching for her, finding her!”
Stolen Portrait Stolen Soul: A Shadow Slayers Story (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 2) Page 30