2-IN-1
SURVIVOR PLANET
&
SURVIVOR PLANET II
by
Juliet Cardin
TORRID BOOKS
www.torridbooks.com
Published by
TORRID BOOKS
www.torridbooks.com
An Imprint of Whiskey Creek Press LLC
Copyright © 2015 by Juliet Cardin
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
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ISBN: 978-1-63355-798-7
Printed in the United States of America
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
THE TULPA KNIGHT
The Tulpa Knight was a sweet read. I really enjoyed the easy flow to the story and its characters. Kallie is a strong woman who finally realizes just what true love is. Jamie is a great man who finds a way to gain back what he looses. The love and the emotions that grow between Kallie and Jamie are a wonderful read. Juliet Cardin makes us once again want to believe in the magic of true love and what it can do. If you enjoy a quick and romantic read this is a book that you should not miss.
~ Got Romance Reviews
SOLAR SLICK
I would recommend this novella to those who enjoy sci-fi erotica/romance. It’s an enjoyable read, which is highly entertaining and full of intrigue. More books are sure to be in the future, and I for one am looking forward to them!
5/5 flaming hearts for hotness.
~ sslyblog.wordpress.com
Other Books by Author Available at Torrid Books:
www.torridbooks.com
Planet sEx
Divisive Dome
Observation Deck
Across the Distance
Male Order Alien
Solar Slick
Galaxy Glitch
Step in Time
The Tulpa Knight
Survivor Planet
Help, I've Been Abducted by an Alien!
SURVIVOR PLANET
by
Juliet Cardin
Chapter 1
He was going to kill me.
If he found me, I was dead meat. Carnage would be my new middle name. Handsome as Kale was to the outside world, I’d seen him for the monster he truly was. He’d end me now. Snap my neck and burn my bones. Dead girls told no tales.
Though my limbs screamed in agony, I pushed onward. At least I wasn’t freezing my ass off anymore. My legs slipped and scraped for traction against slick rock while my hands clung to fistfuls of moss. I finally got a toehold and lurched myself up onto the ledge of the steep rock face. I lay still for a moment, sucking in deep breaths of crisp northern air before staggering to my feet.
Exhaustion.
Pure, unconstrained, bone-jarring exhaustion filled every pore of my body from my head down to my well-worn hiking boots. It’d be worth it, though. From here I was able to see the entire lake and surrounding cottages—prime vantage point for rat patrol. Aubrey Lake was horseshoe shaped with a point jutting out brazenly right in the centre. It was there my cottage sat, sticking out like a sore thumb. Stupidly, I’d thought coming here would be safe. But no, he’d arrived after noon, just when I’d begun to relax. He’d been here only once before, at the end of last summer over eight months ago. It was a six-hour drive just to reach town, then zigzagging roads, corkscrew turns, and a practically hidden turn-off to the lake. Surely he wouldn’t remember the route?
He’d found me anyway.
After all, Tenacity was his middle name.
I took in the sight of the thick forest below, just beginning to turn green with new spring leaves. All was silent, even the birds, as if the entire forest was holding its breath and watching me. As comforting as the expanse of nature felt, I knew it was a lie. Danger lurked everywhere. None so much as my bent-on-killing-me boyfriend. I needed time to sit and think, time to regroup and plan, if my next move was not to be my last. And this place, though high and away, was not it. Far below at the water’s edge my bright yellow canoe rested. A glaring beacon giving my location away. I comforted myself with the knowledge that, unless he stole one, it was the only boat available. To get to me he’d have to hike down the road and up the trail to reach this location. If I wanted the advantage of a lead, I needed to move. Now.
I gave the area another careful look, and moved on. The forest behind me stretched out for miles, you could get lost in it for days, which was exactly what I intended to do. I had a pretty good sense of direction, so when enough time passed that Kale grew bored and hopefully went home, I’d emerge. Until then, I’d live off the land. How difficult could it be?
There was a cave way in the back forty I’d hiked to on many occasions with my aunt and uncle—God rest their souls. Uncle Mick had dragged me from one end of the eternal forest to the other since they’d bought this place seventeen years ago. I’d been three at the time and rambunctious as hell. The perfect hiking partner for my childless guardians. How I wished Mick were here now. He’d punch Kale in his perfectly rugged face and then kick his gorgeous ass all the way back to Havelton—our hometown. What a fool I’d been not to see the ugliness beneath Kale’s striking shell. At least, not till it was too late.
A drop of sweat ran down my back and I could feel moisture gathering in my armpits. A few days out here with no amenities and Kale would probably run in the opposite direction if he did find me. I stopped for a moment when the trail began to wane. I was at the halfway point. It got a bit dicey from here. The logical part of my brain always questioned my direction, while my gut usually assured me to trust my instincts. I’d never gotten lost yet. And yeah, I’d come up here alone before. Last summer, in fact. Right before I happened to meet ‘Mr. Wonderful’. Sucker that I’d been, I couldn’t wait to rush him up here and show him the glorious north. I’d been all about sharing back then. Full of happily ever-afters, rainbows, kittens, and riding off into sunsets. What a dolt. Being orphaned once more, just a couple months before we met, I’d jumped into a relationship with an older man with both feet.
Kale was supposed to save me. Supposed to be my knight in shining armor. My hero. And he had been. For six glorious months he’d been the most incredible catch on Earth.
Then everything went to shit.
All of a sudden his personality seemed to punch into overdrive. He questioned everything I did and everywhere I went. I had no family and he didn’t want me to have any friends either. Not that I had many. I’m kind of a recluse by nature. We lived together in his apartment by that time. A small two bedroom in a high-rise—the seventh floor to be exact. I got to see how far up we were quite intimately when he grabbed my hair and bent me backward over the railing. Then there was the time he punched a hole through the wall right beside my head.
Good times.
I suppose I should have taken these little hints to be signs of bigger things to come, but no. Fool that I’d been I’d made excuses. He’d had a hard day at work. He was tired. He was sick. He was under pressure. I wasn’t doing enough to he
lp out financially. I didn’t clean the apartment well enough. I wasn’t attentive enough. Things will be better tomorrow...You know, the regular bullshit we tell ourselves to sleep at night.
Last week was the last straw...
I heard the snap of a branch.
“Mandy?” His voice washed over me like a cold shower, and goose bumps spread across my arms despite the sweat covering my skin.
Damn it to hell, would I never escape?
Slowly I turned around. His face blurred for a moment and instead of seeing Kale—brutal and beautiful—I saw two men in white jumpsuits. The one in the front held up his hands and moved forward on cautious feet as if I were a woodland creature he was trying not to spook.
“Everything’s all right, Amanda. You’re safe now. Just come back with Danny and me and you’ll see.”
“Danny?” My eyes flashed to the other man who stared back at me with a bit of a smirk.
“Yes, you remember Danny, don’t you? And me? Come on now, sweetheart, we’re friends, remember?”
My mind jolted and flashes of my past began to return, running through my head like a bad movie. “Jack?” Yes, that was his name. I’m pretty sure it was.
“Yes, it’s Jack. See, you do remember.” Closer he came, stalking me until he was only a few feet away. Despite our proximity, he didn’t reach out to touch me.
Reality pecked away at me until the blurry line between fact and fiction began to clear. I looked down at my feet and noticed I wore white running shoes. What the hell? Where were my boots? The trees around me were suddenly lush and green and the air was warm—almost too warm. It was spring, wasn’t it? Why was everything suddenly different? I held up my arms in front of me. Bare. I should be cold, but I wasn’t. My clothes, not jeans and a long sleeved cotton shirt and a jacket, but a plain white gown reaching just above my knees.
“Jack?” He took my hand when I reached out. I clung to him shamelessly. “What’s happening to me?”
Laughter sounded. Danny was shaking his head and I heard him mutter the word, ‘Loon’.
Jack turned and hissed something at him while putting a comforting arm around my shoulder. He pivoted and began to lead me down the pathway in the direction I’d just come. I froze. “No! Kale, he’s coming. He’ll get me.”
More laughter from Danny. “Not likely, doll,” he said. I didn’t like his voice. It was harsh like Kale’s.
“Mandy, no one’s gonna get you,” Jack assured me. “Kale is in your mind, remember? He’s not real. We talked about this last week.”
Not real? What’d he mean? Of course Kale was real. I knew everything about him. How his hair felt when I ran my fingers through it. How he smelled like Old Spice and something rugged. I knew how his hands felt on my body when he made love to me. I knew how the sound of his voice, when raised in anger, made me cringe and shake with fear. The sound of his taunting laughter was what made me run away. Yes, I remember now. I’d heard it all around me. He’d been coming to get me and he would hurt me again. He always hurt me. And nobody believed me. No one helped me. So I had to run, had to save myself...
The pieces came to me like a broken puzzle trying to put itself back together. I’d been outside in the yard with the others. My mind had been clear and calm so they’d left me alone to wander. At the edge of the forest I’d seen the hole in the fence. The others sat on benches or played with dolls. One of them was arguing with an attendant—Daisy Mellville—that was her name. She was a troublemaker and I didn’t like her. Peering over my shoulder I saw more attendants in the yard rush up and try to calm her. It was then that Kale’s voice and cruel laughter came to me. Loud and mean. Even though I covered my ears with my hands, still I could hear it. Ignore it. I’d tried. Really, I did. Even hummed a little, and began reciting the six wives of Henry the Eighth, but nothing worked.
The hole in the fence yawned wide like a big cavern, beckoning me, lulling me with safety...and escape. What choice did I have but to take it? It was either run, or wait for Kale to come and get me. So I did what I had to do.
I ran.
Chapter 2
Jack continued to guide me down the pathway. After a few minutes he released me and took up the lead. I plodded along obediently. Danny walked behind us, and self-consciously I felt his eyes upon me. My gaze took in the beautiful August day. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, insects buzzed and critters crept. Why I’d thought it was spring was another item to add to my already long list of mysteries.
The droop of Jack’s shoulders told me I’d led them on a merry chase. How much of it had been real I wasn’t sure. The canoe part was sketchy. Sure, I could paddle one well enough, so it could have happened. I’m sure I’d climbed the big rock face as well. My aching limbs gave testament to that little stunt. The cottage at the point had once belonged to my aunt and uncle, now it was held in trust for me, as was their entire estate, me being their only heir. They were dead and had been for much longer than a year, more like four. I’d been sixteen at the time. And since that time, when they’d found me rocking back and forth amongst the blood and guts, I’d been the youngest resident ensconced in the Lindove Asylum.
To this day I couldn’t tell you what happened. My only memory of the Event is that Uncle Mick and Aunt Erin and I had been sitting around the fireplace after eating dinner. All at once things had started to rattle like an earthquake, and then a bright white light blazed in through every window. After that, nothing. No memories. No anything. Not until I snapped out of my trance three days later and learned I was no longer at the cottage. I’d been bundled up and taken to the asylum.
They’d been kind to me at Lindove. They’d filled me in on the Event, gently and with a great deal of sympathy. Told me that someone must have killed my guardians and decided, for some unknown reason, to let me live. No one had been caught and punished for the crime. To this day the whole thing remains a mystery.
For the most part, I liked Lindove. It was situated in the small northern town of Graneden, not far from the cottage I’d loved so much. I felt safe there. Well, most of the time, that is. It was only when I had an Episode—became all weird and stuff—and people would look at me as if I was crazy, that I didn’t like it. Not that it happened often, but when it did...
We reached the rock face and Jack helped me climb back down. Behind me I could hear Danny doing a lot of swearing. He said “pain in the ass” several times and I knew he was talking about me. At the bottom of the hill rested the canoe, gently rocking against the shore in the lapping waves. So, I had taken it then. The poor guys had had to take the long way round to get me. No wonder Danny was annoyed. Jack maneuvered the canoe so he could sit in the back. Danny climbed in the front, and I sat in the middle. I didn’t get to paddle. Once across the lake we all got out and the men pulled the boat up onto the shore and tipped it over. I was pretty impressed I’d managed that feat all on my own. I guess fear was a pretty big motivator.
Since the Event, the huge, faceless man of my nightmares had haunted me mercilessly. First, only when I slept, but then, over the past eight months, he’d begun to appear when I was awake. Gradually, his face became clearer, until one day I could see him as well as I saw anyone else. The only problem was no one else ever saw him. He was real careful, see, only showing up in empty corridors or empty rooms and always when I was alone. It didn’t help that my mind got confused a lot. I’d thought naming him would be a good idea so he became Kale. Kale began visiting me so often that I’d begun to think of him as my boyfriend.
Call it wishful thinking, coping, or just plain crazy, but I invented an entirely new reality in which Kale and I had fallen madly in love and moved in together. Of course, he’d been insanely jealous over anyone else in my life—he loved me that much. In fact, he loved me so much he became obsessed with me. I’d never had a boyfriend, but I’d heard some of the older women in here talk about it. One of them had been so in love she’d actually tried to kill her boyfriend. None of them had had what you’d descr
ibe as a healthy relationship—at least, according to the doctors. Sometimes this fantasy life I’d created got confused with my real life. I got all mixed up with what was real and what was not. In the middle of the night I’d wake up in a cold sweat, sure that Kale was just outside my door. I can’t exactly remember when I’d started to be afraid of him. My fantasy had gotten out of control over the months and the more I imagined Kale loving me, the more I figured he’d become obsessed, and then violent. I hadn’t meant for things to become like this between us. It was just that, listening to the other patients, it seemed to me all relationships turned bad eventually.
Jack and Danny had parked the white van with the little dove emblem out front of the cottage. I kept my eyes focused on the dove while I walked, not daring to look at the cottage. Seeing it brought back painful memories and I wondered why I’d dared to come here. I got the creeps just being close to it.
“Should be home just in time for dinner,” Jack said. He smiled kindly at me and even winked as he pulled open the sliding door and ushered me inside. Danny jumped into the passenger seat in the front, and after Jack slid the door shut, he climbed behind the wheel of the van. From the backseat, through the windshield, I could see the cottage clear as day. I kept my eyes directed up over the roof at the sky. It’d begun to grow dim out since it was getting on in the year. No more bright sunshine till nine o’clock. Now it was practically full dark by eight. Dinner was always at six o’clock sharp so I knew it was getting late. Jack put the van into reverse and began to back up to curve around the driveway so he could straighten out the van and drive out. All of a sudden he slammed on the brakes.
“Damn!” he swore, which was out of character for him.
“What’s wrong now?” Danny demanded. I knew he didn’t like to miss meals, always being cranky before lunch and dinner. The small paunch of a stomach he sported had grown a good size over the years.
Survivor Planet Series 2-Book Box Set Page 1