by Laura Lee
“Like Naela?” The ground was shaking again but he stopped it just as easily as the first time. It was really bugging me that I’d had no idea he could do that before now.
“Why not Naela? She’s smart and kind and let’s not forget, hot as fuck. She’s gotten better with age.”
“How nice for her,” I deadpanned.
He shrugged. “I’m certainly not complaining.”
I clenched my fists. “Oh, screw you, Vance!”
“You have no right to be angry!”
“I know I don’t!” I beat on his chest. “But I can’t help it!”
He trapped my hands against his body. “Dammit, Karli! Stop it! You made your choice. And it wasn’t me!”
I pushed away from him. “That’s not true! I chose you first! But then Maria fucked it all up!” The wind picked up drastically and started blowing leaves all around.
He laughed without humor. “So, Leo is just a consolation prize, huh?”
The air stopped blowing. “What? No!”
He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking confused. You can’t have it both ways!”
“I know I can’t!”
Dark clouds rolled in at a frightening pace and started pelting us with rain.
Vance looked up at the sky. “Would you knock that shit off?”
I smoothed wet hair away from my face. “I’m not doing that!”
“Oh, Jesus! You don’t even realize you’re causing it?” He chanted something in Latin again but the rain didn’t stop.
I jutted my chin. “Told you it wasn’t me.”
He looked worried. “Karli, yes, it is. It’s pouring off of you. Make it stop.”
“I’m not doing anything!”
The wind started gusting again, blowing the rain sideways. Vance was chanting in Latin and throwing fairy dust everywhere. “Fuck! I can’t make it stop!” He turned towards me and his mouth fell open. “Oh, shit, what’s happening to you?”
“What are you talking abou—" I fell to the ground screaming as pain ricocheted through my skull. I was on my hands and knees, panting and clawing the dirt as the pressure increased.
Vance ran towards me and dropped to his knees. “Karli, stay with me. We need to get help.”
Where would I go, I thought. I tried saying that aloud but I couldn’t form the words.
He tried scooping me up but backed away as soon as he touched me. “What’s happening? You’re burning up!”
I cried out and fell flat on my face into the mud. I curled into a fetal position and shook violently as visions flashed through my head in rapid succession. I was in a forest, this forest, surrounded by brutally savaged bodies. In the next moment, Connor was standing over me, with fangs extended, ruby red eyes lusting for my blood. The third flicker showed Maria, stunning as always, ripping out Naela’s throat with her fangs. Deafening screams surrounded me.
I covered my ears and groaned. “Make them stop. Please make them stop screaming.”
Vance pulled my hands away from my head as he flipped me onto my back. My fingers were coated in blood. What the hell?
“What screams? Never mind, honey, just hold on. I’m going to fix this.” I saw a blue light glowing as my eyelids fluttered. I think he was trying to heal me but I couldn’t be sure; the fog was getting thicker. “It’s not working. Dammit!”
I forced my eyes to remain on his ruggedly beautiful face. “What’s happening to me?”
He blinked through his tears. “I don’t know.”
A peaceful vision swam through my mind. I was in a pond with Vance. I knew that pond. It was the same one we’d made love in during that dream I’d once had.
I smiled. “It’s okay, Vance. The pain stopped. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I just need to sleep.”
His eyes widened. “What? No! Stay with me. Do not close your eyes!” He grabbed my face and held me in place. “Do you hear me? Do not close your eyes!”
I tried to listen. I really did. But my eyes rolled back anyway.
“Fuck!” He shook me. “Karli, snap out of it! Look at me! Goddammit! What the hell is going on?” He shook me harder, making my teeth clack together. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!”
And…fade to black.
Did you enjoy Finding Faerie? Please help recommend it to others by leaving a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. They really do make a difference!
Other works by Laura Lee
Pixie Dust (Karli Lane #1)
Vampires, Warlocks, and Exes ~ Oh My! (Karli Lane #2)
My Fairy Lady (A Karli Lane companion novella)
Taming the Bull (Erotic romance short story)
Deal Breakers (Coming summer 2015!)
I promised my husband, Tad, that I would FINALLY list him first, so here you go, honey! Happy now? Seriously though, I couldn’t have done this without you. Your unwavering support and encouragement has helped me make such positive and monumental changes in my life. For that, I cannot possibly thank you enough. You are truly the greatest man I’ve ever known and I’m honored to be your partner in crime. I feel so fortunate that you wake up every day and choose me.
To my children, Kaitlynn and Carter: I never truly understood what unconditional love was until I had you. You enrich my life on such a profound level and you make me so proud each and every day. I love you to infinity plus infinity!
To my friend/critique partner/cover designer/fellow author, Jen (JL) Durfey: Your input throughout this story has been invaluable. Your selflessness knows no bounds and I’m so grateful that you’re in my life. This was a tough year for me and you made it a little easier by being there when I needed a sounding board. You’re a brilliant artist and I will happily pimp your books or designs at OMK Creations in any way possible! Now stop reading this and get back to writing—I need more stories!
To my beta readers, Jamie Clark-Frost and “Princess” Catania: Thank you for loving to read as much as I do and allowing me to bounce ideas off of you throughout the writing process. I love getting lost in fictional worlds with you!
To my editor, Erin Potter: Thank you once again, for helping me create a finished product with the utmost professionalism. Hopefully I didn’t make your job too hard this time around! If anyone needs an editor, talk to this lady at Shamrock Editing. She’s an absolute joy to work with!
To all the bloggers and reviewers: Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to share your opinions with others. You make it possible for indie authors like me to make a career doing what we love!
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to all of my readers. I started this journey four years ago because I could no longer ignore the stories in my head that were dying to get out. Back then, I had a “day job” and could only write during the evenings after putting my kids to bed. Three and a half years later, I was able to walk away from a seventeen-year career and become a full time writer. I am truly living the dream now and for that, you have my undying gratitude. The great Stephen King once said, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” I promise you that I will work as hard as I possibly can to produce stories for you that reinforce that. Now that I’m doing this full time, you won’t have to wait so long in between!
Laura Lee is the author of the bestselling Karli Lane series as well as the upcoming Dealing With Love series. She is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America focusing on paranormal, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance.
Laura’s passion has always been storytelling. She spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. She won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again!
Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury’s c
hocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she’s not writing or watching HGTV, she’s reading anything she can get her hands on. She’s a sucker for spicy romances, especially those involving vampires or cowboys!
For more information, check out her website at:www.lauraleebooks.com or find her on Facebook!