On a Black Horse: An Apocalyptic Paranormal Romance (Revelations Book 3)

by Monica Corwin

  ON A BLACK HORSE

  AN APOCALYPTIC PARANORMAL ROMANCE

  MONICA CORWIN

  CONTENTS

  .

  Revelations

  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

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Dear Reader

  Acknowledgments

  .

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by Monica Corwin

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-1-5080-4298-3

  Created with Vellum

  Click to claim a FREE copy of King Takes Queen: an Arthurian Time Travel Romance.

  * * *

  For Todd Skaggs. A wonderful friend and fellow human that inspires me everyday.

  REVELATIONS

  The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse –

  * * *

  Cloris – Horsemen of Death

  When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

  * * *

  Katherine – Horsemen of Famine

  When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come and see." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and don't damage the oil and the wine."

  * * *

  Scarlet – Horsemen of War

  When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

  * * *

  Bianca – Horsemen of Conquest.

  Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come and see." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

  Chapter 1

  For centuries, cobblestone streets fascinated her. Katherine loved the stretch of old road a mile from her hotel. Each click and creak of shoes smacking against the rough surface usually made her smile, but not today. The moment she woke up with a text from her friend, and fellow horseman, Bianca, Katherine carried a weight in her chest. The message had been a simple: I miss you, come home.

  Bianca's betrayal no longer upset her. Even more so that it wasn’t even a real betrayal. Enchantments can’t be held against a person, and Katherine didn’t. The idea of going home, to live in her big house, alone, kept her from hopping on a plane and returning to New York. She scuffed her feet on the cobblestones all the way up the alley, all the while clutching her umbrella. She hadn’t needed it yet but any moment the sky would open up. The scent of rain followed her through her meanderings for the last mile. As if summoned by her mind the first drop smacked her cheek, followed quickly by a series of others. She opened the umbrella to shield herself from the downpour but almost as fast noticed a homeless man huddling under a cardboard box. She had a place to sleep tonight and that meant he would receive the umbrella.

  Walking up to him slowly so as to not spook him, she wrapped the old man’s hand around the wood handle. He smiled at her, a wan parting of lips and blackened teeth, and it hurt her heart to turn away. She’d bring him food in the morning if he remained in the same spot when she ventured on another walk. Or at the very least bribe a bellman to do it for her.

  The grey front of the building appeared as she rounded a corner. In response she lifted her chin, pasted on a smile, and headed inside. Luckily, the front desk and lounge areas sat empty, so she made quick tracks to her room and shut herself in with her roiling emotions. A fireplace sat on the wall opposite her bed, someone came in to light it while she’d been out. The warmth began to sink into her wet clothes. She flopped onto the floral duvet and stared up at the ceiling.

  Home. She never imagined she would consider a place home. The little coffee shop her and Bianca put so much work, and love, into was it. She missed the warm lingering aroma of coffee and the way her hair smelled of it for days at time. More so, Cardiff seemed quiet compared to the constant hiss of the espresso maker at the shop. Not to mention the chop chop chop of the bean grinder as it portioned ground coffee beans. Rolling over to stare at the wall, Katherine let out a long sigh and repositioned her ponytail so it didn’t press uncomfortably against her forearm as she curled up on the coverlet.

  Three weeks. She left exactly 22 days and fourteen hours ago, and it felt like an eternity. Bianca texted every day with an apology written in a different language. She explained via a long and tearful voicemail what happened in Fairy almost a month ago. Katherine didn’t blame her, but it didn’t make the memory of it any less painful. She offered so much of herself constantly. As a result, Katherine had no idea how to take care of herself.

  The trip to Cardiff was supposed to rectify that, and allow her time to figure out what she needed to be happy. To learn how to live her life on the terms of caring for simply herself. It may have worked if Katherine didn’t see and feel people in need at every turn. Everyone thought her inordinately kind, what they didn’t know is she had no choice. She closed her eyes against the memories, a thousand years old now. Bored, half-alive, using her powers to cause harm. She jerked herself from the memory before it moved toward the eventual punishment.

  On her second day in town, she allowed herself an indulgence. She’d grabbed food from a cart on the corner. Having never eaten in public she concealed herself to the best of her ability, but she caught the eye of a beggar looking wane. Instead of eating the meal herself she passed it to him. Everyday a new attempt at turning a new leaf, and each day a failure.

  Sighing again, she sat up and glanced at her laptop on the desk in the corner. She’d been working on plans for redesigning the top floor of her house, as Bianca didn’t live there anymore, so Katherine didn’t need the extra bedroom suite.

  The plans were not on the screen, but the credits of a movie she bought the previous night. She’d paused it and forgot to close it. It was a silly romantic comedy, and Katherine was surprised how much she enjoyed it. Katherine didn’t really like romantic movies. Romance novels, however, were a different story. A stack of them sat next to the computer. She brought her favorite ones to Europe, each had softened corners from repeated reading. Romance had become unavoidable around her friends lately, and she was the only single girl left of the horseman. Not that Hades and Cloris would ever marry m
arried. Well, as far as she knew.

  A giggle rose… and pressed out of her mouth as the image struck her. Who would perform their marriage ceremony? Do you Death take the King of the Underworld to be your lawfully wedded husband? She laughed again, and it felt good to release some of her pent up emotions. She’d have to mention the scene to Tyr when she returned home. He’d laugh thinking about it, too.

  A sharp knock broke her probable descent into madness, and she sat up. No one knocked on her door. She froze, barely breathing, and waited. Maybe it was housekeeping. Glancing down, she peered into her trashcan. Nope, empty. Trash was the only cleaning she didn’t do herself. They’d already taken it. So who could be knocking?

  Another loud rap rap rap against the wood. Katherine remained frozen and waited. No one knew her location, so anyone knocking at her door would be mistaken or pose a threat.

  A few moments passed without another knock, and Katherine sagged in relief. The fighting had taken its toll on her. She could officially declare herself paranoid. She hated the idea of killing anyone, even if they meant to do her harm. Ok, well in such an extraordinary circumstance she would defend herself, but she wouldn’t enjoy the killing like Bianca or Scarlet. As the Horseman of Famine, war wasn’t in her blood.

  The phone on her bedside table rang and Katherine glanced down at it, cringing back. Someone was intent on reaching her. She slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. No texts, no calls, nothing. Everyone who might be desperate to contact her had her number and would call.

  The phone continued to ring and Katherine warred with herself on answering it. A phone couldn’t hurt her, so what would be the harm in picking it up? As she reached out, it stopped its blaring assault to her eardrums, and she sat back on the bed waiting for it to ring again.

  The silence pressed in heavily and again she sagged in relief at the lack of sound. Why was a phone call making her so jumpy? She was a Horseman of the Apocalypse, for crying out loud. She shook her head and glanced behind her out the window. The sun was setting which meant dinner would be soon. She hated eating, but it was expected, so she grabbed her purse and headed down to the lobby. They served dinner in the dining room off the lounge area, and Katherine appreciated she didn’t have to traipse all over town to find food. By the time she found it, she’d likely say forget it and go home, or give it away on the walk back. She sat at a small table in the corner and faced away from the people entering. It wasn’t long before a waiter brought water and some stew. The sight of it made her miss home and cooking for her friends, but the smell of it turned her stomach.

  She ate as fast as possible, scarfing down the hot liquid before dashing back to her room. She wanted to avoid the owner drawing her into conversation, as he’d attempted for the last five nights in a row. Her older appearance usually allowed her to hide amongst her friends, who appeared younger, twenty something to her thirty-five. Fate dealt cruel hands, Katherine was just thankful she wasn’t mistaken for a teenager like Bianca. Katherine would take the lack of carding and the cougar epithet any day over that.

  She squeezed past others heading in for dinner and jogged upward until she crested the narrow two flights of stairs to her room. When she approached the door, she noticed it sat ajar, but only enough that no one would notice unless they were going to open it. Katherine’s adrenaline shot into overdrive, and she took a few calming breaths. Whoever wanted to find her wasn’t above breaking and entering. They must be desperate. She pushed the door open until it hit the wall behind and then she peered into the growing darkness. “If there is someone in here, show yourself now and save us both some trouble. I assure you… I won’t be the one limping away.”

  A soft chuckle escaped from inside, and Katherine squinted in an attempt to locate the source. It was unlikely the person had a gun, even if she could die of a gunshot wound. But what ate at her was the quality the darkness in the room began to take on after her entrance, a darkness more than darkness.

  “Really, just come out. I won’t hurt you if you leave now and be on your way.”

  A familiar male voice answered. “I have no intention of hurting you.”

  That voice. Katherine heard it before, but she couldn’t grasp it. She wracked her brain trying to remember. “Who are you? Why are you familiar to me?”

  Another chuckle. She stepped into the room further and shut the door. The room plunged into that deep dark, and Katherine blinked against it trying to adjust. She edged past the closed bathroom door eyeing it warily, before shuffling toward the bed. An arm clenched around her waist and another over her face. A sweet scent filled her mouth and nose before everything went dark.

  Chapter 2

  Arwan rolled over with a grimace. The pain spearing his side in white hot agony had spread from his hips all the way to his shoulder. He closed his eyes but behind his eyelids lay memories of snarling fangs and teeth ripping into his flesh. He opened them again, groggy from the lack of sleep. Baldir left for medicine two days ago, and Arwan wasn’t convinced he’d be alive when returned. He tried to sit up, slowly, carefully, but everything in him resisted the movement and he slumped back against the pillow. The notion of staying in bed another day disgusted him, but the rational part of his mind told him he needed time to rest and recuperate. He covered his face with his hands, the skin of his fingers and palms were cooler than his face and it soothed him. Although, he was sure he’d read somewhere that the discrepancy in temperature didn’t bode well. Fever, infection, there so many ways injuries could turn ugly.

  How did he get here? It was the question he asked himself over and over in his mind. How did he find himself embroiled in a fight with supernatural beings, and Gods, no less? The memory of biting and slashing returned and pushed it away. With a sigh, he reached to his bedside table and picked up The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. One of his favorites. Hugging the book close was enough of a comfort to allow him ease of mind. The book calmed him enough to open the cover. The familiar words greeted and cocooned him like old friends and the awareness of Arwan’s body lessened for the first time in days. He read until the flicker of the lamp on the bedside cast eerie light across the page. Pulling himself from the book required him to shake off the fictional world and focus on the present. The agony returned with reality. As he managed to sit fully up, intent on swinging his legs over the side of the bed to stand, the door in his little cabin burst open crashing against the wall behind it.

  For a moment Arwan merged with the haunting memories, and he found himself in the underworld ravaged by unidentifiable beasts of Fairy. Then the vision cleared and he focused to realize Baldir returned but not alone. He held a duffle bag in one hand, and his other clutching the form of a woman thrown across one shoulder, fireman style. Baldir bent and set the bag down before shifting the weight of the woman into both arms, and depositing her in an armchair near the fire.

  Momentarily stunned, Arwan gawked before recovering. “Who is that?”

  Baldir glanced at the sleeping woman before casting his fingers through his shaggy blond hair and then throwing it out like he completed a magic trick. “That is help.”

  Arwan doubted the ability of Baldir’s innocuous quarry. Even more so since Baldir now refused to meet his eyes. Another sign he hid something. “Does she have magical healing powers?”

  Baldir screwed his face in a look of contemplation. “I don’t believe so.”

  It sounded more like a question than a statement of fact. “Did she come with medicine, perhaps? Painkillers would do wonders right now.”

  Arwan canted to the right but Baldir reached him before he slumped over, and helped ease him back to center. Then took the seat on the bed beside him.

  “She doesn’t have painkillers but she is the most caring and gentle person I know. She will nurse you back to health. You have to admit I have a lousy bedside manner.”

  Arwan snorted, the pain radiating through him with the action. Baldir did make a terrible caregiver. The man had zero notion
of waking and sleeping hours, for a start. Arwan supposed it was a side effect of being a sun god. The man woke at the strangest times spouting complete gibberish only to fall back asleep again and remember nothing the next day.

  Baldir once told him he could divine the future and those dreams revealed the fate of the world. It’s why he slept as little as possible. The lack of sleep didn’t quell his charm, and Arwan loved that about his friend, despite their relationship forming under horrific circumstances.

  The woman shifted in the armchair and then rocketed to standing. She blinked at the fire and then around the room, spinning slowly, until her gaze locked on Baldir. “YOU! What the hell is wrong with you? How could you just abduct me like that? I have a cell phone. You could ask for anything and I would give it if it were in my power.”

  Arwan looked her over again from the soles of her scuffed up sneakers to the skinny jeans hugging the strong curve of her upper thighs and the purple tank top setting off the olive tone of her smooth skin. Something about her felt familiar, but through the pain he couldn’t grasp where he might have seen her before.