“Yep, really. Unless you don’t want to marry me.”
“I do, but…”
“But what. Listen Archer. I don’t have any prospects. I don’t even really look. I only have the bookstore. I do understand that you are going to live forever. Maybe at some point, we could discuss the possibility of turning me. I’m not sure it sounds like a pleasant idea but maybe it’ll grow on me. All I mean is that if I’m already dead, then they would never have any reason to want to kill me right?”
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” This conversation was going much better than Archer had envisioned.
“Didn’t you ever think that you might want to marry for love some day?”
“I suppose you could call me old fashioned, but my grandparents didn’t marry for love. Her mom made her marry my grandpa because he had more money than them and they couldn’t take care of her anymore. They eventually grew to love each other and maybe we will too. And if last night is any indication of how life with you could be, well holy hell let’s give it a whirl.”
“Mia, I have never met anyone that is as upbeat and unaffected as you, even when faced with a possible death sentence.”
“I get that you’re dead, or the undead, or whatever we’re supposed to call it but you seem to do pretty well.”
“It gets lonely.”
“Not while you have me.”
She showered him with her infectious smile and he felt that things might just turn out alright. And for now, he could just keep that one clause of the old order’s deal out of the picture. Especially if she thought she might want to be turned someday anyway. He had til Halloween next year so he’d cross that bridge when he had to.
Coming Soon
Drawn Together,
An Immortal Lust Trilogy #2
Britt Landry had everything she ever wanted; all life could offer. The perfect job, the perfect fiancé, and her dream home. Until one night, someone or something, took it all from her, changing her into something she didn’t understand. Now she was left to pick up the pieces.
Where to find Krista
Krista is always thrilled to hear from readers so please find her at any of
the following locations:
www.KristaAmes.com
www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/kristaames
www.facebook.com/kristaamsauthor
www.pinterest.com/kristaames
www.instagram.com/kristakames/
email at: [email protected]
Other titles by Krista Ames
Recon Strong (The Elite 1) (Omega Team Novella)
Neighborhood Watch (The Watchers 1) (Phoenix Agency Novella)
Mine for the Taking (Lone Wolves 1) (Paranormal Dating Agency Novella)
Bearly Sassy (Bearly Tolerable 1) (Sassy Ever After Novella)
Whiskey’s Sweet Revenge (Horse Country 1)
Love Takes the Cake (Cooking Up Love 1)
Her Fate, His Mate (Wolves of Windsor Woods 1)
Fighting Fate (Wolves of Windsor Woods 2)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Krista Ames is an International #1 best-selling author of contemporary
romance, including several sub genres. Western Romance is her
failsafe and she loves a man in uniform.
Born and raised in Indiana, she is now a Northern Lower Michigan transplant
and married to the love of her life. They have 4 children and a few fur babies. She is a full-time stay-at-home mom and pursues her writing career when she’s not chasing kids, cooking, or doing laundry.
She finds her inspiration in the love of her family and binge watching romantic
and scary movies.
Persephone’s Raven: A Halloween Tale By Mara Amberly
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
Copyright © Mara Amberly 2020
Proofread by Pair of Nines Publishing, LLC
Cover by Sapphire X Designs
Image Content © dvargg/Depositphotos.com, Digital Curio/Etsy.com, deviney/Daz3d Marketplace
This story is written primarily in Australian English.
Book Blurb
I always believed mythology to be stories from the past, but what if they're prophecies... and now they're coming true?
I didn't want to take my little sister trick-or-treating on Halloween night, but I'm glad I did.
I'm surprised to meet a handsome stranger with an otherworldly air in the shadows. At first he intimidates me, but when our paths cross again at a masquerade party, I have the chance to get to know him. I find him captivating, but I doubt his claims that his name is Hades—the name belonging to the Greek God of the Underworld. After all, what are the chances it's his real name, God or not, when my name is Persephone—the same as Hades' mythological queen?
What's he going to say next? That he's the real Greek God of the Underworld? That we're destined to be together? It seems more likely he's trying to win me over, and yet, I want to get to know him better. I'm drawn to him more than other men; the difference is like night and day.
I'll give him a chance, but I don't believe he's the real Hades or that we have a special destiny. Of course, I've been known to be wrong.
Prologue
Night had fallen, bringing with it a scattering of stars and a breeze that stirred the trees outside my window. It was Halloween night and it carried an otherworldly sense of promise, as though there was magic in the air. Little did I know it then, but there was.
I wasn’t expecting much; I’d been told to take Deanna, my little sister, trick-or-treating. I would’ve preferred to go to the Samhain ball, but it had been cancelled. I still hoped the organisers might find a way to run it, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I couldn’t have imagined the events of the night would lead me on a path to love, magic and divinity.
My name is Persephone, like the Goddess from Greek mythology; only in my case it was Persephone Williams. I liked to hope my mother wasn’t inviting trouble, naming me that! I’d turned nineteen over the summer, and I realised each year how different life felt, but in other ways it practically stayed the same. I still lived at home with my parents, so they had expectations from me, like caring for my sister. Deanna was nine, going on ten. She was a wonderful sister, but that didn’t mean I wanted to take her trick-or-treating. I wanted my own plans to go ahead.
Deanna was also much more into Halloween than me, especially the trappings like costumes and genuinely spooky phenomena. I didn’t particularly like horror movies, and wasn’t overly fond of the dark. I could rationalise that fear of darkness came from not knowing what could be out there, but silencing my instincts was another matter entirely. The town we lived in, Havenford, felt like home because I’d lived there most of my life and Deanna had lived there all of hers, but at times it could still feel spooky.
Chapter One
There was a loud bang and a bright flash as the fireworks exploded, sending a shower of golden sparks above my neighbour’s backyard. Terry cheered while his younger brothers stood around watching and admiring their handiwork.
I waited by our driveway. Deanna had told me she’d be right out, and she wasn’t, but that was more than likely because our mother would be giving her the safety lecture. Don’t wander off. Don’t talk to strangers if your sister isn’t there. Don’t eat any of the candy until you’re back home and we’ve had the chance to examine it.
A lot had changed since I was a kid. I didn’t used to get the talk, but sometimes I wondered if the world had changed as much as it had seemed to. I only had to wait a minute or two before Deanna opened the door and hurried down the stairs. She had a big, floppy witch’s hat on and a black cloak. It looked more adorable than scary, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that. She had a little plastic cauldron with a handle to collect her candy in, and she was ready; I could tell.
“I thought you were going to wear a costume,” she said as she glanced at my dress.
It was the most princess-like
dress I owned, only it was red. I liked to think of it as an evening dress with a ballet skirt, but it wasn’t exactly a costume.
“For me, this is a costume,” I told her.
“What are you then?” she asked with genuine curiosity.
It took me a moment to think of something. “You could say I’m a superhero in a very cool dress.”
She sighed softly. “Let’s go get some candy.”
I frowned at her, but I was in a better mood than that. I could tell she was excited about trick-or-treating, and I didn’t want to spoil it.
“Which way would you like to go?” I asked, glancing up and down the street.
We knew some people living in each direction, but some of our neighbours were strangers to us.
“Hmm, let’s go that way,” she said, pointing down the street.
If you walked far enough, there was a small supermarket, a post office and a coffee shop down there, but they would be closed now.
“Sure, that way is fine,” I said, and we set off. I noticed there were a few other trick-or-treaters around. Suzy, an old friend of Deanna’s, was across the street; they gave each other a wave but didn’t stop to talk. We started with the next door neighbour’s house.
Terry and the others were still out in the yard.
“Trick or treat,” Deanna exclaimed.
“Treat!” he said. “If you go to the door, my mother has some candy, but Ian ate the best stuff.”
Deanna frowned but went on to the door, while I stood around, talking with the boys. “Where did you get the fireworks?” I asked. It looked like they’d used up the only ones they had.
“My father bought them over the border. So you’re doing a candy sweep?”
“Pretty much,” I replied. “Deanna enjoys it, and I’ll eat some of it too. Not going to go yourself?”
“We already did. We got in early,” Nathan said.
“You should go the other way. There’s a haunted house up there on the hill,” Ian informed me.
“Oh yeah, how do you know it’s haunted?”
“It’s just a rumour, but Ciara—she’s this girl I know—claimed she saw a woman in one of the windows. She disappeared—just like that, so she thinks it might be a ghost. The house is deserted.”
“That’s interesting. Which house is it?” I asked.
“It’s the one with ivy and roses climbing out the front. Ehh, I don’t know the number, but it has a huge yard, about twice the size of the other houses.”
“I think I know the one,” I said. I’d driven past it a number of times, but hadn’t stopped for a closer look. It was run down and seemingly deserted; I wondered if squatters might be living in it, and if they could be who Ciara had seen.
I didn’t like the idea of putting Deanna at risk, but maybe I’d give the door a knock later just to see if anyone answered.
Deanna returned quickly, and I was happy to see her mini-cauldron had some candy in it already. They looked like chewy caramels covered in orange and red foil wrappers. Deanna seemed happy with her haul, and that was the important thing.
“I’m told there’s a haunted house up the hill, if you want to go the other way instead and have a look at it,” I said.
“That sounds interesting, but I want to go this way first,” she said, pointing in the direction we were headed.
“So this way, then that way?” I asked, knowing I had a lot of walking ahead of me.
“Yes,” she said, smiling up at me. “That way we can get all the candy we can as well.”
I couldn’t fault her thinking, though I groaned that it would take so long. It wasn’t like my own plans hadn’t been cancelled, though, so I stifled a sigh and we walked on in pursuit of more candy.
Chapter Two
I’d expected to have achy feet by the time we reached the mystery house up the hill, but I was surprisingly comfortable. I’d set aside my pretty shoes in favour of well-worn sneakers instead; at least they were red. I knew it made it easier to leave in a hurry, but I had no intention of doing so unless I had to. I was sure I’d be fine, and Deanna would be as well.
The house was tall and large, practically towering over the houses beside it. It had two floors and an attic—there were attic windows that protruded from the front of the house like two sets of eyes. I hadn’t thought to ask about the window where Ciara saw the woman disappear, so I studied the windows for signs of life. I didn’t see anyone—the house was in darkness, and the front door and downstairs windows were boarded up. It seemed no one would’ve got in that way.
Ian had been right about the fact the yard was large. It had a low stone wall around it, with more ornate patterned stones around the top, but there was no gate. There was a break in the wall out the front that left the property open to the road. The gap was wider than the driveway, and meant anyone could walk in if they dared to. Ivy climbed up the front of the house, and there were red roses blooming. I knew some flowers closed at night, but the roses hadn’t. They seemed almost black in the darkness.
The yard was dark, but there was enough light from the moon and street lights to see by. The house appeared deserted, and like me, Deanna listened quietly.
“It doesn’t seem like anyone is in there,” she said, as she peered around the wall.
“I have an idea,” I said, as I glanced at her costume. “Can I borrow your witch’s hat?”
“Sure,” Deanna said, offering me the cauldron too.
I decided to leave that with her.
“Okay, you stay back but in sight of me. That way if there’s any trouble, we can get out of here fast.”
I heard a guttural croak off in the yard, and looked around. It wasn’t a crow; it had to be a raven, but it blended into the darkness so well I couldn’t find it. I hoped it wouldn’t attract attention.
“Do you think there will be trouble?” Deanna asked with a tone of uncertainty.
“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. I hope not,” I said. I wondered if I was doing the right thing, but I decided to take a chance on it.
My sister stayed by the wall, about ten metres behind me as I approached the door. It was thoroughly boarded up, and there was no doorbell that I could see.
I considered walking around the side of the house, but anyone could be hiding in the shadows, and I didn’t want to put Deanna at risk or let her out of my sight.
“You know, I think this is a bad idea,” I said, turning back to her.
“Are you being cowardly?” she asked me with a chuckle.
“No, I’m being responsible,” I exclaimed, but I didn’t think she believed me. “I’m not going round there, and I’m not leaving you alone out here either.”
“You could knock on the door, even a little bit,” she suggested.
“It’s not like they’re going to open it,” I replied. As I walked back to Deanna, I noticed movement in the darkness, and flinched.
“I don’t think anyone lives there anymore,” the voice replied. It belonged to a man; his tone was young but masculine.
It was a shock, because I didn’t think anyone else was there with us. I only got a hint of his silhouette when he stepped into a patch of light cast by the street light out front. He looked in his twenties, with collar-length dark hair. If it wasn’t black, then it was dark brown and close to it. He had dark eyes and handsome looks, and he wore jeans and a black jacket; it looked like denim. I couldn’t tell much else about him. I didn’t step closer, even though I would’ve liked to have got a better look at him.
“I think you might be right, and the house is empty. So what are you doing here?” I asked him, trying to make my question sound as casual as possible. I wasn’t sure I succeeded.
“You could say I keep watch on the house,” he replied.
That made me wonder why. Could he have lived next door? Was he standing in the dark before we’d arrived, or was there a gate we didn’t know about? His sudden appearance didn’t sit well with me, even though he intrigued me in other ways.
“I’m just taking my sister trick-or-treating,” I said. I hoped that would dismiss any worries he might have and we could leave. Under normal circumstances I would’ve been eager to talk to him more, but standing outside a possibly-haunted house at night was not one of those places. I was sure he’d understand; or at least, I hoped he would.
“Persephone,” Deanna murmured.
I glanced at her, wondering why she was trying to get my attention.
“Yes, of course, it’s Halloween,” the man replied, before Deanna could explain.
It was strange; it was as though he hadn’t known it was Halloween until I’d mentioned it. Maybe he just didn’t pay attention to the date?
“It was nice meeting you,” I said, giving him a brief smile. I took Deanna’s hand, guiding her out of the yard.
When we were out on the footpath, I looked back, and I couldn’t see him at all. I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye, and thought it came from one of the upper windows of the house.
“Persephone!” Deanna exclaimed.
She let go of my hand, but we kept on walking.
“What is it?” I asked her. It reminded me that she’d been trying to get my attention.
“You won’t believe me, but I saw something.”
“What makes you think I won’t believe you?” I asked. “Did you see the ghost?”
“No,” she replied, “but he was the raven. The raven became him.”
“Are you sure? Could you have seen the raven in the dark, and then he walked out from among the shadows?”
“That wasn’t what happened,” Deanna said. “He changed. I saw it.”
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