The Gifted 2: Passions Aflame
Ryan and Jeremy Jones have searched since their teens to understand how, together, they’d been able to make magic happen. As adults they've created and host a television show, Supernaturals Among Us: Yes or No. On their way to a meeting with a medium, they end up in a small southern town and encounter Meghan Clark. The moment they see her they not only want her, they know she holds the answers they crave.
One of The Gifted, Meghan was conned shortly after arriving from the homeland. "Once burned, twice shy" sums her up to a T. Still, she’s looking forward to meeting her forever mates, two men she hopes will love her and accept her as she is. But never in her wildest dreams would she have cast Ryan and Jeremy in those roles.
The men aren’t sure they buy that forever-mate thing, but they sure as hell are determined to keep Meghan safe when two murderous warlocks target their woman.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal
Length: 47,220 words
THE GIFTED 2:
PASSIONS AFLAME
Cara Covington
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
THE GIFTED 2: PASSIONS AFLAME
Copyright © 2015 by Cara Covington
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-012-8
First E-book Publication: January 2016
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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DEDICATION
As always, to my husband, David. I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for your love and support over 43 years and counting.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to extend a huge thank you to my readers. Every day I hear from some of you, and it simply makes my heart full, knowing you like what I do. Thank you for reading, and for taking the time to write me! I am especially grateful to my street team, The Lusty Ladies. You are some of the most wonderful folks I have ever met. You encourage me and honor me. I’m forever grateful for all y’all.
To my awesome beta reader, Angie Buchanan Jones, thank you for all you’ve done to make this trilogy shine. Angie, your insights and suggestions were pure treasures to me—which is the perfect word to describe you, period.
Thanks to Bea of A Better Way To Write, for being a wonderful PA and helping me to keep the main thing, the main thing. Bea, I couldn’t do all that I do without you doing all that you do!
Last but certainly not least, thank you to all the very talented and professional people at Siren-BookStrand. Each and every one of these men and women work hard to make us authors look good. And a huge thanks to my publisher, Amanda Hilton, for once again saying “yes!”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
About the Author
THE GIFTED 2:
PASSIONS AFLAME
CARA COVINGTON
Copyright © 2016
Prologue
June 1995
Ryan Jones cast a sideways glance at his best friend—his brother. Every year since they were eight, June had been both a good month, and a bad one. Good, of course, because it was the end of school but bad, too. With the middle of June—which would be tomorrow, actually—came a horrible anniversary for Jeremy.
At the ripe old age of fourteen, Ryan figured there were two ways to keep a guy’s spirits up under such circumstances. Since there weren’t any chicks in this part of rural Indiana, the next best thing was fishing.
“Man, I love Saturdays, don’t you, Jer?” It had been his idea for them to go fishing today, to take his brother’s mind off things. He was glad that Mom and Dad had said yes. Of course they’d had to do their chores first. That had taken a good two hours. But the creek where they liked to fish was shaded and cool, and they could almost always get something to bring home for supper, no matter what time of day they went.
“They’re all right.” Jer met his gaze. “Look, Ry, I know why you’ve been so hyper today. And it’s okay. You don’t have to be.”
Ryan stopped walking and faced his best friend. “Fuck, man. I was hoping to keep your mind off things.”
“I know you were. And that’s cool. But I’m never going to forget. My mom and dad—they’re gone Ry, and they aren’t ever coming back. And I think...I think it’s good for me if I take one day a year and remember them. Remember more than just what happened to them in the end. I think it’s a good thing for me to do that.”
It didn’t happen often, but every once in a while, his folks would do something that made Ryan feel as if they didn’t have a clue what was going on with him. He hated that feeling.
He hated that Jer might be having that feeling now, with him.
“You’re right. So maybe tomorrow...maybe tomorrow we’ll...I don’t know, talk about it?”
“We could talk about it now.”
“Okay. Yeah. We could talk about it now.” And because he’d been the one to be in charge since forever, Ryan began. “I remember when your ma—your mam”—Ryan used the word Mrs. Smith had used for herself sometimes—“when she would make those chocolate chip cookies and the way she would always make two big ones at the end—one for each of us with extra chocolate in them.”
“And she’d get us out the ice cream and put some on each while they were still a little warm.” Jeremy smiled. “They were so good.”
“And the way your dad helped us build that tree fort over at your place? We were having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get ’er done, remember?”
Jeremy smiled. “Yeah. Then Dad went and got that genie boom from a friend of his, and he helped us build it.” Jeremy chuckled. “He even made us wear harnesses because we were a few feet off the ground.”
“He said it was so your mam wouldn’t worry.”
They fell silent for a moment. “I’m sorry they died.” He saw a look on Jeremy’s face. “I’m sorry that drunken asshole had to be driving that night and crashed into your car.”
“Yeah.” Jeremy inhaled. Ryan understood him well enough to know that usually, if Jeremy got sad remembering, he’d go off on his own. Likely so I won’t see him cry. But this time, he just let that tear fall. Ryan’s eyes itched at the back.
“But, Jer? I am very, very glad that you didn’t die, too.” Ryan saw a funny look cross Jeremy’s face. It wanted to make Ryan scream because he understood that look. Jeremy wasn’t glad he hadn’t died. A part of him wished he’d gone with his folks.
Ryan had no idea what to do about that, so he did the usual thing. He pushed it away.
After a moment, Jer met his gaze. “I know they’d be grateful that your folks took me in.”
“They were best friends, remember? Your mam and my mom. They grew up together.”
“Yeah, I remember that.”
“I know Mom and Dad never even thought twice about you coming to live with us, man. Not once.” Ryan thought he could offer his brother one more thing. “I heard my folks talking late one night after you came to live with us. Mom cried because she missed your mam so bad. But then she stopped and said it was like still having a piece of her there, with you in the house. That she could look at you and still see Erin’s light inside of you.”
“I’ve been lucky, even with my folks gone. I didn’t end up with strangers. And I’ve been thinking lately that maybe the best way I can honor my folks is to stop being such a hardass with yours.”
“They understand, Jer. They’ve always understood.” His parents had formally adopted Jeremy three years ago. And even though his mom and dad had both let Jeremy know he could call them that—mom and dad—they’d never pushed it.
“Yeah, but maybe it’s time I showed them that I understand, too.”
Ryan nodded. “I think they’d like that.”
Jer wiped his tears away. “Come on, let’s get this fish home.”
They continued on, just one small hill away from sight of the farmhouse that Ryan had lived in all his life. The land that had belonged to Jeremy’s folks, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, was a half-mile down the road. It didn’t take long for them to crest the hill. His dad was working in this very field, the tractor chugging out its smoke.
“Looks like he finally decided to yank out that old tree stump.” Jeremy grinned.
Ryan laughed. How long had his father cursed that stump in the middle of this field? He knew the man was getting ready to plant late corn here.
They kept walking, their eyes on his father. They watched the tractor pull ahead, and the chain go taut. It looked as if all forward progress stopped.
“Maybe he’s changed...no!” Ryan had a sense in his gut, a fear that exploded into reality.
As they watched, the front end of the tractor began to rise.
“Stop, Dad. Stop!” Ryan didn’t know if he shouted or whispered. But his father didn’t hear him. The front of the machine rose up higher and higher, and then the heavy machine began to tip back.
“No!”
Ryan dropped the bucket he’d been carrying. Jeremy had screamed with him, and they both raised their right hands, palms up toward the nearly overturned tractor. The sensation of something strong, almost electric, coming out of him and shooting toward his father made him gasp.
And the tractor that had been a second away from crushing Conrad Jones to death stopped moving and then gently, ever so gently, righted itself again.
He looked over at Jeremy and didn’t even have to ask, but he did. “Did you...did we?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what that was, but we sure as hell did. But maybe...”
“We’ll keep it to ourselves for now. Come on.”
They raced toward the tractor. Ryan’s dad was bent over the steering wheel, and Ryan knew the man had been badly shaken.
“Dad!”
His father, looking more upset than Ryan had ever seen him, met his gaze. Not one to show affection, he surprised Ryan and climbed down and gathered him and Jer into his arms.
He was shaking and crying and saying words of thanks to God. And when Ryan thought about how close he’d come to losing his father, he began to cry, too.
“You’re okay, Dad?” Jeremy asked.
Conrad Jones inhaled shakily. He raised his hand, his smile wobbly. He placed his hand on top of Jer’s head. “Yeah. I’m okay, son. Reckon we’re going to make your mom very happy tomorrow when we all accompany her to church.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said. He met Jer’s gaze and knew they’d have to talk later. For now, he just placed his hand on his dad’s shoulder. “I reckon we will.”
Chapter 1
July 2015
“You seriously haven’t ever watched that show? Not ever?”
“I seriously haven’t.” Meghan Clark smiled at her friend Kay Scott. Kay worked at the restaurant in the small country town of Paisley, North Carolina. They’d met five years before when Meghan had relocated herself from Indianapolis to Paisley. She’d purchased a small cottage on the edge of the rural community. The outside of the little house had reminded her of a fairy cottage, like the ones in the stories her mom used to tell her at bedtime.
The cottage, which had been vacant for a number of years, stood on a beautiful piece of property, had an outbuilding on it that she utilized as a “workshop,” and had been cheap as the dickens to buy.
And just because the locals believed the place was haunted.
Meghan smiled when she thought about that. She would have known if there were any ghosts in residence. She would have been able to tell if there had been violence done here. She didn’t know why others thought this pretty house had been haunted. She guessed that was a case of bad for them and good for her.
She fixed up the entire property just exactly the way she’d wanted it, a little at a time so no one would become suspicious. This tiny gazebo in the midst of her side yard had been irresistible. She’d fallen in love with it when she’d seen it in a magazine. It provided shade and protection from the bugs that always seemed to come out of the woods whenever she had company, which wasn’t really all that often.
The gazebo was perfect for when her friend Kay came over. If the weather was nice, it proved a wonderful place to sit and talk. Meghan had come to like sweet tea and always made sure she had some for
Kay’s visits.
“You should, you really should watch that show. The topics are fascinating, and those two studs who’re the hosts?” Kay fanned herself as if suddenly overheated. “They are seriously, seriously hot. I’m talking serious here. Both of them are tall, dark, and handsome.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I’m really not interested in a show about the supernatural. Especially one for which the sole purpose is proving the supernatural not only doesn’t exist but is even something to be ridiculed. That’s negative karma, as far as I’m concerned. I stay away from negative karma as much as I can. It’s toxic. I feel sorry for the poor souls who come under the scrutiny of those hosts—whether they’re hot or not.”
“But that isn’t what the show is about at all! They are earnestly looking for real supernatural events and people!” Kay’s face, always so easy to read, made Meghan wonder—just for a moment—if she’d been too quick to judge.
Of all the behavior she’d seen in this world, that was one she absolutely hated, and one she would hate to emulate—the rush to judgment. “I wonder what they’d do if they ever actually found any.”
“Hm. You know, I never once thought of that.” Kay looked at her glass of sweet tea. She looked up and met Meghan’s gaze. “But I can tell you they never ridicule anyone, even those who admit to having pretended to have ‘gifts’ for whatever reason.”
Meghan thought it was entirely possible Kay had let her fixation with the two hosts blind her to their true selves.
“Now I’m going to have that question buzzing around in my head all night. I wonder what they would do if they did discover someone who truly had abilities. I really never once considered that.”
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