by Mina Carter
She went over to the register to start closing it out when the buzzer for the door sounded. She smiled and looked up, expecting to see Sebastian. Instead, there was a man in a tan coat outside. "Are you closed?" he asked loudly through the glass. He had a thick southern accent.
Laurel hadn't finished everything for the night, but it was only a couple of minutes until closing and letting in a stranger while she was alone in the store didn't sound like a good idea. She nodded to the man to indicate that the store was indeed closed.
He looked disappointed. "I need a gift for my niece. Are you open tomorrow?"
The store was closed on Sundays. Laurel frowned. "No."
"Could I just come in real quick and pick out something for my niece?" the man asked.
Laurel stared at the man. He had a large nose and a mustache. A beanie hid any trace of his hair. She didn't recognize him, but he looked harmless enough. The fact that Sebastian would be showing up any second made her reach for the button to buzz the man in.
"Thank you, ma'am," he said as he walked in.
"No problem. Is there anything in particular I can help you find?" Laurel asked, hoping to hurry the sale along.
"Well, like I said, I need a gift for my niece."
"How old is she?"
"Eight."
Laurel led the way over to the kid section of the store that contained various books and toys. "I'm sure you'll be able to find something here."
"Okay. Thank you."
She left him alone in the aisle and returned the cash register. Her eyes darted up to the clock. Only a minute had passed. She anxiously stared outside and waited for Sebastian's car to pull up to the curb.
"Do you own this bookstore?" the man asked.
Laurel swung around and saw the man standing a few feet away. He didn't have anything in his hands. She hoped he wasn't going to take all night to find a gift. "Yes, I'm the owner," she answered.
"Well, I just can't seem to find anything," he said. "But then again I really didn't come for a present for my niece."
There was something about the tone of his voice that seemed almost menacing, and Laurel found her fingers fumbling for the phone under the counter. "What did you come for then?" she asked, although she wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer.
"Well, I came for you, Jane," he said, his southern accent slowly fading away as he spoke. He reached up and peeled away the large prosthetic nose and mustache. "Or is it Laurel now?" he asked.
Panic ran through her as the man's true identity was revealed when he stripped away the disguise. "Matt," Laurel whispered. A chill reached deep within her, bringing a shiver to the surface. She picked up the phone and started to dial Sebastian's number. Before she could push the final digit, Matt had his hands around her neck.
"I should have made sure you were dead the first time!" he yelled. His hazel eyes were wide with anger.
Laurel stared up at the ceiling as her peripheral vision began to turn black. When she was to the point of almost passing out, Matt released her. She gasped to put air back into her lungs and collapsed into his arms. "You're not going to die that easily," he said, lifting her up over his shoulder.
She was vaguely aware of him carrying her out of the store. He threw her into the backseat of his car, and then the car was speeding away from town. Laurel coughed and wheezed, trying to catch her breath from the attack. She grabbed the headrest and pulled herself up in the seat. Two bright headlights were shining into the rear window, and she knew it was Sebastian.
Matt's eyes darted to the rearview mirror. "Damn it," he murmured under his breath. He slammed his foot down on the accelerator, and the car took off toward the mountain road where Laurel and Sebastian had shared their first kiss.
The car barely made the sharp turns as it fishtailed and scraped along the guardrails on its ascent. Sebastian's headlights trailed behind, and fear ran through Laurel. He wasn't going to make it in time.
At the crest, Matt stopped the car in the pull-off spot. He killed the engine and jumped out of the car.
The back door opened, and Laurel kicked and screamed as Matt reached for her. She needed to kill time until Sebastian caught up. He would be able to save her.
Matt pulled a knife from his pocket and swung it towards her. It made contact with her forearm, cutting a deep gash into her flesh. "Get out or I'll kill you now!" he screamed.
Her entire arm was covered in blood in a matter of seconds. Matt grasped her and roughly yanked her out of the car. He pulled her to him with her back against his chest and held a knife to her throat. He slowly backed up to the edge of a steep drop off, stepping beyond the safety barriers.
Sebastian's car skidded in the gravel and came to a rest. Within seconds, he was out of the car and standing a few feet away from them.
"Don't come any closer. I'll slice through her neck!" Matt yelled.
Sebastian put his hands up defensively. "Let Laurel go. Kill me," he pleaded. "Kill me instead."
Matt let out a guttural laugh. "Kill you? I've seen what you can do. I don't know what the hell you are, but you're not human."
"You're right," Sebastian said. "So let her go, or I'll kill you so slowly you'll be begging for death."
Matt pulled Laurel closer to the edge. "I don't think you're in a position to bargain."
Sebastian took a step closer.
Matt pushed the knife further into Laurel's throat, and she could feel a trickle of blood run down her neck. "Matt, don't do this," she whispered.
"Laurel, I just want you to know that I love you," Matt said. He took another step, and then they were falling backwards.
Laurel closed her eyes as she felt gravity pulling her down the side of the mountain. But then she felt a strong hand grabbing her hand and pulling her away from Matt's grasp.
"No!" Matt screamed as he continued his descent alone.
Sebastian held onto Laurel's hand and said, "I've got you. I'm not letting you go." He quickly pulled her up and into his arms.
"Sebastian," she gasped. He had saved her life once again. Tears streamed down her face, as she held onto him harder than she ever had before.
Matt's screams continued until finally they were silenced. He was dead.
* * *
Laurel watched the nurse put a fresh bandage over the stitches on her arm. The wound on her throat had been superficial and only required cleaning. Detective Robbins stood a few feet away in the emergency room. "They're going to send a search party tomorrow to look for the body." He closed the folder in his hand. "I think I pretty much got everything I need for my report." He looked up at Laurel. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are quite the fighter, Ms. Parker."
She smiled a small smile. "Thank you for everything, detective."
He nodded his head and left the room.
Laurel's gaze rested upon Sebastian in the corner of the room. His eyes looked dark. She knew seeing and smelling her blood wasn't easy for him. When the nurse was finished and had left the room, Sebastian was at Laurel's side in a split-second. He cupped her face in his large hands and gazed into her eyes. "How many times can I almost lose you?" he asked, sighing.
"I hope that was the last one," she remarked.
He kissed her forehead. "It was," he promised.
Sebastian stepped back from her, and the doctor entered the room a moment later. "Well, Ms. Parker, you are free to go." He handed her a piece of paper. "Discharge instructions," the doctor explained.
Laurel stood and walked out of the hospital with Sebastian at her side. "Let's go home," he whispered in her ear. As they walked to the car, Laurel slowed her step and lingered behind. Sebastian turned and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go home."
"Do you want to go to the store?"
She shook her head. "So many bad things have happened to me in this town," she whispered. "It's just not home to me anymore." She walked up to him. "You're my home. I just want to be with you."
He pulled
her in close and kissed the top of her head. "Then let's leave this all behind and see the world."
Laurel felt a sense of relief at his words. The stress and misery seemed to leave her body immediately. "Really?"
"Yes. I will take you wherever you want to go. And if you ever want to come back, we can do that too. I just want you to be happy."
"But what about my store? I can't just close it and leave Ashley without a job."
A wide smile spread across his face. "I know exactly what you should do."
* * *
Laurel could barely contain her excitement as she led Ashley from her house and towards the store. Ashley had a blindfold over her eyes. "I really want to know what this is about," Ashley said, nervously.
"I promise you will love it," Laurel said. Behind them trailed Sebastian and Ashley's husband Gavin. Laurel had told Gavin about the entire plan and had sworn him to secrecy.
Laurel stopped Ashley in front of the store. "Okay. You can look."
Ashley ripped off the blindfold and stared straight ahead. "Okay. It's the store. It looks exactly the same," she said.
"Look up," Sebastian suggested.
Ashley did as he said and gasped. The new shiny sign read: Ashley's Bookshop. Ashley turned to Laurel with her mouth wide open. Laurel cocked a brow. "You're speechless. I don't think that's ever happened before," she joked. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
A loud scream emitted from Ashley's mouth as she hugged Laurel. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"I'd say it's a good thing," Sebastian commented.
After a few minutes of screaming, hugging and jumping, Ashley finally calmed down. She turned to Laurel, and her face suddenly fell. "But what does this mean? Does this mean that you're leaving?"
Laurel nodded slowly. "I just need to get away from all this."
Ashley pulled her into a tight hug again. "Oh, I will miss you so much."
Laurel patted her back. "I'll miss you too. Try to stop me from coming back to visit." The two of them held each other and bawled like inconsolable babies.
"Girls," Gavin huffed. "First they are screaming and happy, and then two seconds later they are crying."
Sebastian shrugged. "Get used to it. You're married now."
Laurel broke the embrace and dashed the tears from her eyes. "We're leaving tonight."
"When are you coming back?"
"I'm not sure."
Ashley said, "Well, promise that you'll come back in seven months."
"Seven months," Laurel said, dumfounded.
Ashley patted her tummy, and Laurel realized that Ashley was expecting. She smiled ear to ear. "Congratulations!" She pulled Ashley in for a hug, and the tears began to flow once more.
"Oh, not again," Gavin said, and everyone laughed.
After the goodbyes were exchanged, Laurel and Sebastian walked back to his house. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"There's one more thing I want to do before we go."
* * *
Laurel stood over Jack's tombstone. "I gave Ashley the store. I know she will cherish it as much as I did." She glanced up at Sebastian, who stood by the car on the paved road atop the hill. She looked down once more. "I'm happy, Jack. I want you to know that. And I want to thank you for giving me a reason to fight and get better. And thank you for loving me." She smiled. "Sebastian and I are going to see the world. I'm excited for a new chapter in my life. I may never remember my past, but I can create a great future." She put her hand on the tombstone one last time. "Goodbye, Jack."
Laurel turned and walked up the hill to the car.
"Are you ready?" Sebastian asked.
Laurel nodded. "I'm ready." She smiled as Sebastian pulled her into his arms.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked. "Spain, Paris, Italy?"
"All of the above," she answered.
Sebastian grinned and held her close. "That sounds perfect."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angela is an author from a small town in Pennsylvania. She has always had a passion for writing and recently decided to pursue her lifelong dream. She currently lives in an even smaller town in Pennsylvania with her husband and her very spoiled Golden Retriever.
For more information about upcoming books from Angela, follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaSnyder or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AuthorAngelaS.
Exquisite Breath of Darkness
By
Candice Stauffer
Copyright © 2012 by Candice Stauffer
Edited by: Karen Babcock
Cover Artist: Kendra Egert
All rights reserved
Published in the United States of America
~ One ~
“C’MON, MIA. YOU pinky promised. How can I take you at your word if you go back on it? Do it for me. Do it for us.”
“No.”
“What future will we have if I can’t trust you? Just take one itsy bitsy taste.”
“Never.”
Reaching out as if to grab her, Joseph took a step closer. Mia swore under her breath and took two steps back. “Stay away from me with that slimy thing.” She had to find a way to make him back off, because there was no way she could overpower or outrun him. “It’s not happening.”
“I’ll make it super-easy for you. Just put the tip of it in your mouth.”
“Forget it!”
“I’m even willing to hold it for you.”
“If you want to torture someone, find someone else to suck on it.” Frowning, she stared down at the abominable weapon clutched in his fist, and then she looked up to meet his gaze. “I’m serious, Joseph. Put the damn thing away. I can’t believe you’re even touching it. I sure as hell don’t want the nasty thing in my mouth.”
“There’s nothing nasty about it,” he said. “It’s a magnificent, delicious gift from Mother Nature. And I’ve even heard it’s good for your immune system.”
“That … that thing is not a gift.” Her entire body shuddering in disgust, she pointed at it. “That is a grotesque example of Mother Nature’s sick, twisted sense of humor.” Pleased with her definition of it, she smiled. “And Mother Nature can kiss my ass. I don’t want it.”
He stared at her as if he were considering her words. Behind her back, she crossed her fingers. Then he smiled that sexy, naughty smile of his and opened his big, fat mouth to crush all hope of him being anything other than the wicked demon he was. “Do I get to watch?”
“I don’t get it. I’m actually shocked. I shouldn’t be. But I am.” She took a step toward him because she needed to get closer to rip him apart. Realizing too late she was doing exactly what he wanted her to do, she pounced on him, but he had her on her back, his muscular thighs straddling her belly, before she had any chance of inflicting a single wound on him.
“Be a big girl and open your mouth wide, Mia.”
“Get it out of my face!” She tried to smack it away but he moved it out of her reach. “It’s … ugh. Gross. It’s wet. Damn it, Joseph. Stop laughing at me. This is not funny.” Gagging and spitting, she wiped her tongue with the back of her hand. “It dripped in my mouth.”
“Then you know how yummy it is.”
“I’m going to puke.”
“A promise is a promise. I ate yours, and now you’re going to eat mine. Open wide.” She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to rub the nasty, stinky thing across her lips. “Just put the tip of it in your mouth.”
Covering her mouth, she turned her head to the side. “Get it the hell away from me, Joseph! It smells like rotten ass!”
“I’m tempted to ask, but I am not sure I want to know where you’ve been sniffing around,” he teased. “I just might get jealous.”
“Touch me with that thing once more, and I’m going to bite you.” Baring her teeth to reveal her determination, she glared up at him. “Hard. Real hard. And it’s going to hurt like hell.”
“I hope you do, and I hope it does.” He laughed out loud. “Say it again. I love it whe
n you talk dirty to me.”
Infuriated by his taunting, she started bucking and thrashing around, wildly flailing her arms and legs. Eventually she managed to get out from between his thighs, but it wasn’t much of a victory at all because he managed to out-maneuver her and get his body between her thighs. “Calm down, Mia. You’re going to get a rug burn if you don’t stop throwing a temper tantrum,” he warned. “And then I’m going to feel guilty. And a guilt-ridden conscience can be damaging to a demon’s soul. Don’t you care about the well-being of my self-esteem?”
“Nope. Not even a little bit.” She knew only one thing had any real hope of stopping him, but it was the one thing she couldn’t force herself to do. How did women force themselves to cry? “Why should I give a damn about your feelings? You don’t care about mine.” Changing tactics, she pulled her legs up and pressed her six-inch stiletto heels against his chest to push him back as she struggled to wiggle out from beneath him. “Get off!”
“Damn, Mia.” Grinning, he bent his head to look down at her heels digging into his chest. “You’re one extraordinarily flexible woman. I like it. Flexible is good. Real good.”
“I’m going to hurt you, Joseph. I’m not kidding. If you don’t get off me right now I’m going to kill you.”
“Stop acting like an overly dramatic, hormonal female.” He pulled her legs down and straddled her belly again. “I’m doing this for your own good. You’re going to fall in love with it. Just one more teeny tiny taste, and you’ll be addicted forever. Now stop clenching your jaw and open your mouth.”
When he put it too close to her lips she covered her mouth with her left hand. “You’re too heavy. I can’t breathe. Get off.”
“I plan to get off as soon as you wrap your lips around it.” He pulled her hand away from her mouth, so she covered it with her other hand.
“Knock it off, Joseph.” She smacked his hand when he reached for her hand again. “It isn’t happening.” Somehow he’d managed to get both of her hands in one of his and held them above her head. “It’s too … oh, damn it. Why can’t you just understand that it’s too much? I can’t do it.”