by W. J. May
The air was thick and warm, scented with the intoxicating fragrance of the thousand climbing flowers that lined the streets of Prague. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes for a moment as it washed over him.
I was right to come here. This is the place. I can feel it.
An angry vibration on the table shattered his peaceful meditation—yanking him back to the present with a gasp of surprise. He cast a quick glance at the naked woman sleeping beside him before reaching towards it—the damp sheets twisting around his waist as he grabbed it off the bedside table.
One look at the screen, and his shoulders fell with a tired sigh. Rae Kerrigan had texted him every week since he’d left. Each one was more anxious than the last.
Gabriel, where the hell are you? The least you could do is call.
Seriously. We’re getting really worried.
Okay, fine. ME. I’m getting worried.
Alright, Alden—enough is enough. If you won’t write back to me, then at least write back to your sister. She’s driving everyone over here crazy worrying about you.
Devon says you probably fell off a boat and got eaten by alligators somewhere in the Amazon. He doesn’t seem too broken up about it.
Gabriel actually had to smile at that last one. No, he didn’t think Devon would be too broken up about it. Not considering how long Gabriel had been after his girl.
A faint smile flashed across his face as his fingers hovered over the keys. Wondering what to write back. But a second later, he set the phone back down on the table.
What would he say? The best he could hope to do was a lie—and he didn’t like to do that.
Not to Rae.
There was a soft rustling of fabric beside him, and he quickly lay back down. Watching as the bewitching woman beside him slowly opened her eyes.
“Good morning,” he said softly. “You slept a long time.”
With good reason. Their antics the night before had continued into the early hours of the morning. And then a little longer after that.
She gazed up at him with a sleepy smile before deliberately tossing the sheets off her naked body—letting him feast his eyes. He chuckled appreciatively, then trailed a finger down the line of her stomach. Her skin was smooth. Warm. Wanting.
“You did not sleep?”
The hand disappeared. So did the smile that had come with it.
“No,” he said shortly, rolling onto his back. “No sleep.”
The sheets rustled again as she climbed onto his chest, tracing the tip of her finger along his lips before stretching up to give him a kiss. He did so robotically. Routinely. His mind was a million miles away. But his lips still twitched up into the obligatory grin when she pulled away.
“You make me breakfast?”
A short laugh burst out of him, warming his eyes with a genuine smile. His arms wrapped around her back, holding her tight to his skin.
“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” She shrugged coyly, and he laughed again. “I like you far too much to subject you to my cooking.”
What was her name again? Eva? Ava? It was something short.
She nodded slowly, bowing her head to kiss his tan skin, gazing back up with a tentative smile. “Then, maybe…we do other things?”
Gabriel exhaled slowly, gazing at her in the golden light. He was neither particularly excited nor particularly inclined—but she was kind, and sweet, and warm. Just like the last girl had been. And the girl before that. And the girl before that.
To be honest, he had woken up in so many beds these last few months he was having trouble keeping track…
“You ever been to England?” he asked, feeling suddenly homesick.
He spoke in quiet English, grateful that she could understand. His Czech wasn’t what it used to be. She glanced up at him, then shook her head—returning her lips to his skin.
“It’s beautiful,” he continued softly, staring up at the ceiling as she wrapped her legs around his waist—pulling herself up to straddle him. “Colder than here. But beautiful.”
Her hair spilled down her shoulders as she trailed her fingers up his chest.
“London is crazy this time of year.” A sudden smile flashed across his face as he remembered. “I actually have some friends who are—”
“You want to go to London?” she interrupted sharply. “Or you want to be here with me?”
He fell instantly silent, staring up at her in surprise, a little grin creeping up the side of her face. In a flash, he flipped them both over. Landing on top of her, he pinned her arms firmly above her head.
“Like I said, you’re a demanding little thing…”
He lowered his lips to hers, but a second before they could touch a deafening bang shook the door in its frame. They pulled apart at once, staring with wide eyes. For a split second, all was quiet. Then the door rattled again—sending little bits of plaster shaking off the frame.
Gabriel sprang to his feet, searching desperately for his pants as twenty years of predatory instincts kicked into place. The shirt was forgotten, but there was a knife in the inner pocket of his coat. A second later, it was in his hands as he waited in the center of the room.
“Stay there,” he murmured, eyes dilating as they locked on the handle. “Just stay where you are—cover your eyes.”
“What?!”
The blankets flew off in a mad scramble as the woman without a name leapt to her feet and raced to the floor in front of him—steadying his hand.
“What are you doing?!” she demanded in a panicked hiss. “That is my husband. You aim to kill him?”
The knife lowered an inch.
“Your…husband?”
Her eyes widened desperately as she stared at the blade. She was only slightly more comforted when he slipped it back into his pocket. “Yes—my husband. I told you last night I was married. Zenaty—married.”
Gabriel’s handsome face blanked.
“I thought zenaty meant: I’m single and my place is just at the end of the block.”
I’ve got to brush up on this damn language.
“No!” she shrieked as the door shook again. One more hard knock, and it was coming down. “You’ve got to get out of here! Quick!” A blast of warm air hit his face as she opened the window—cocking her head towards the three-story drop below.
For a second, all he did was stare. Then the door shuddered again, and a slow smile crept up the side of his face. A husband. Given the sorts of problems he was used to dealing with, a disgruntled husband was relatively normal.
“Well, my love, it seems I’ve overstayed my welcome.” He gave her a roguish kiss before leaping up into the window. “My best regards to your husband.”
He leapt into the air just as the door banged open. Just in time to see the reddened face of what had to be the biggest, angriest man he’d ever seen. He landed with a thud on a fire escape two floors below, then leapt the rest of the way down.
The second he landed on the cobblestone the man appeared above him. Leaning over the balcony and screaming a litany of oaths so dark, an old woman in an apartment across the street closed the shutters. Gabriel squinted up at him, shielding his eyes against the setting sun.
“That word, I did know…”
A ceramic flower pot shattered on the wall above his head, and he took off sprinting down the street. Wishing he’d taken that extra second to find his shoes.
Please, let the psychic not be seeing his. Julian, keep your eyes to yourself.
He didn’t stop running until he’d reached the main city square. By the time he did, the sun had already slipped below the horizon. He slowed to a gradual stop, glancing warily around him, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. A pair of women walking past giggled and waved, and he abruptly remembered that in addition to having lost his shoes he had also forgotten his shirt.
“Fucking fantastic.”
He glanced around again, looking for a store that might still be open, when a sudden vibration buzzed the p
ocket of his jeans. A ringtone was soon to follow. “God Bless the Queen.”
His eyes closed in a pained grimace before he reached down to answer. No way to put it off any longer. And no reason to glance at the screen. He already knew who was calling.
“Rae, now’s not really the best time.”
There was a slight pause. Followed by an explosion.
“Gabriel!” She was shocked, angry, and delighted—all at the same time. “I can’t believe you actually picked up! I was getting ready to leave you another message!”
“Well, we can always try that instead—”
“Gabriel—where the hell are you? When are you coming home?”
He stifled a sigh. Hearing her voice hurt more than he thought it would.
And home was kind of a relative term at the moment.
“You know, Kerrigan, the point of these existential expeditions is to get some time by yourself. To clear your head, and try to find a new perspective. Alone. Undisturbed.” He paused, glancing sideways at the phone. “Did I mention alone?”
Was that part getting through to her? Probably not.
“When are you coming home?” she said again. The same words that Angel hounded him with every day. “Things are—and I miss—tried to tell you—”
“Rae?” He glanced down at the phone, then held it back to his ear. “Rae, the line’s breaking up.”
There was crackling pause.
“Gabriel, the line’s breaking up.”
He rubbed his eyes wearily, trying to stave off the beginnings of a hangover.
“Yeah, gorgeous—I kind of want it to.”
“What was that?” Her voice sounded a world away. Much farther than just the hundreds of miles he’d put between them. “Gabriel, I can’t hear you, so just promise me you’re okay.”
“Yeah, I’m okay—”
“Just say that you’re okay, otherwise I’m coming to get you.”
“Rae, for the last time. I swear to you, I’m—”
The line went dead.
“—fine.”
He slowly pulled the phone away from his face, and stared down at the darkened screen. His frantic pacing had taken him away from the main roads of the city. To a little side street that overlooked the bustle and noise, without really being a part of it.
“I’m fine,” he said again, standing in the center of the deserted street. No one was there to hear him. Everyone he cared about in the entire world was miles away. “…fine.”
The sounds of raucous laughter filtered into the alley, punctuated with the cloying smell of alcohol. He gazed for a moment in its general direction before the combination pulled him forward towards yet another bar. The streetlamps came on, and silver moonlight danced bright upon the wet cobblestones as he walked back out onto the street.
Prague did two things well. Bars and women. The rest didn’t matter, because you’d never remember it when you woke up.
This was one of those dive bars. The kind the good people of the Czech Republic kept purposely off the maps to keep tourists from wandering inside. He stared up at the flickering neon light for a moment, listening to the mayhem raging on behind the walls before his shoulders fell with a little sigh.
Then the door pushed open, and he slipped inside without another word. Vanishing into the darkness. Hoping to soon find himself at the bottom of a bottle.
Chasing after that ever-elusive ‘fine.’
COMING JULY 15th
PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711995DD
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Book I - Rae of Hope is FREE!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1NNFR0
Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gILAwXxx8MU
Book II - Dark Nebula
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B46UWNO
Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca24STi_bFM
Book III - House of Cards
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LPIAFL0
Book IV - Royal Tea
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SGIN35W
Book V - Under Fire
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Book VI - End in Sight
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015HGNL0C
Book VII – Hidden Darkness
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Book VIII – Twisted Together
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BPSQZFY
Book IX – Mark of Fate
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C4TYUZU
Book X – Strength & Power
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CK8MBRE
Book XI – Last One Standing
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DYFPVAG
BOOK XII – Rae of Light
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F5MXY7S
PREQUEL –
Christmas Before the Magic
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0195ZSB3I
Question the Darkness
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GNLNVRS
Into the Darkness
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HSJ7V9S
Fight the Darkness
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HSJ7V9S
Alone the Darkness
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L1AIW9I
Lost the Darkness
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/
SEQUEL –
Matter of Time
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYOY2BX
Time Piece
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCJA4GF
Second Chance
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2VS501
Glitch in Time
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NC06FTP
Our Time
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBBYKY5
Precious Time
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XYPG79V
More books by W.J. May
Hidden Secrets Saga:
Download Seventh Mark part 1 For FREE
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Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_vVYC1gvo
Like most teenagers, Rouge is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. With little knowledge about her past, she has questions but has never tried to find the answers. Everything changes when she befriends a strangely intoxicating family. Siblings Grace and Michael, appear to have secrets which seem connected to Rouge. Her hunch is confirmed when a horrible incident occurs at an outdoor party. Rouge may be the only one who can find the answer.
An ancient journal, a Sioghra necklace and a special mark force life-altering decisions for a girl who grew up unprepared to fight for her life or others.
All secrets have a cost and Rouge's determination to find the truth can only lead to trouble…or something even more sinister.
RADIUM HALOS - THE SENSELESS SERIES
Book 1 is FREE: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFSS4ES
Everyone needs to be a hero at one point in their life.
The small town of Elliot Lake will never be the same again.
Caught in a sudden thunderstorm, Zoe, a high school senior from Elliot Lake, and five of her friends take shelter in an abandoned uranium mine. Over the next few days, Zoe's hearing sharpens drastically, beyond what any normal human being can detect. She tells her friends, only to learn that four others have an increased sense as well. Only Kieran, the new boy from Scotland, isn't affected.
Fashioning themselves into superheroes, the group tries to stop the strange occurrences happening in their little town. Muggings, break-ins, disappearances, and murder begin to hit too close to home. It leads the team to think someone knows about their secret - someone who wants them all dead.
An incredulous group of heroes. A traitor in the midst. Some dreams are written in blood.
Courage
Runs Red
The Blood Red Series
Book 1 is FREE
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VC8HSFE
What if courage was your only option?
When Kallie lands a college interview with the city's new hot-shot police officer, she has no idea everything in her life is about to change. The detective is young, handsome and seems to have an unnatural ability to stop the increasing local crime rate. Detective Liam's particular interest in Kallie sends her heart and head stumbling over each other.
When a raging blood feud between vampires spills into her home, Kallie gets caught in the middle. Torn between love and family loyalty she must find the courage to fight what she fears the most and possibly risk everything, even if it means dying for those she loves.
Daughter of Darkness
Victoria
Only Death Could Stop Her Now
The Daughters of Darkness is a series of female heroines who may or may not know each other, but all have the same father, Vlad Montour.
Victoria is a Hunter Vampire
Coming Soon:
TUDOR COMPARISON:
Aumbry House --A recess to hold sacred vessels, often found in castle chapels.
Aumbry House was considered very special to hold the female students - their sacred vessels (especially Rae Kerrigan).
Joist House -- A timber stretched from wall-to-wall to support floorboards.
Joist House was considered a building of support where the male students could support and help each other.
Oratory --A private chapel in a house.
Private education room in the school where the students were able to practice their gifting and improve their skills. Also used as a banquet - dance hall when needed.