Romance in Moonspell

by Jesica Coulter Smith

  Holding her close, he kissed her hungrily.

  “I love you, Jax,” she said softly.

  “I love you, too, my mate, more than I can ever say. I can’t think of an eloquent way to put this, so I’ll just say it. You’re my everything, Reika. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you and go to sleep every night with you in my arms. Nothing will bring me greater joy than starting a family with you some day. Without you, I’m nothing.”

  She smiled. “I think that was rather eloquent. And just so you know I feel the same way. I don’t know what I did without you. Now that you’re part of my life, I can’t imagine going a single day without you.”

  Jax kissed her again, then rose to dispose of the condom. When he returned to the bed, he gathered her in his arms. His life was as close to perfect as it would ever get, and he owed it all to Reika. Thank God for her rotten luck with potions. If it hadn’t been for that first call to her house, they might have never met, and that would’ve been a tragedy. It might be his job to put out fires, but Reika had started a fire within him that he never wanted to extinguish. His love for her would burn like the brightest star from now until eternity.

  Twisted Fate

  Jessica Coulter Smith

  Sentenced to life in a mental hospital, Lacey spends eight years planning her escape. Once she’s on the run, she doesn’t want to stop, but a bit of car trouble, and quite a bit of walking, lands her in the town of Moonspell. Get a job, get some cash and get out. That’s what she plans, anyway. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans.

  Draco Coldstorm can tell the new waitress at the Big Bear Diner is hiding something; he just isn’t sure what it is. And since he works for the fire department and not the police department, it isn’t his job to figure it out. She may look sweet and innocent with those big blue eyes of hers, but deep down he knows she’s trouble with a capital T. But there is something alluring about Lacey, something that calls to him. From the moment he lays eyes on her, the heart he’d thought long dead starts beating again. Not only has Draco the man noticed Lacey, his sleeping dragon is very aware of her as well.

  Chapter One

  Lacey Edwards scrambled over the fence, wincing as the barbs tore at her hospital-issued clothing and dug into her sensitive, sweat-slicked skin. She’d awoken in the middle of the night to find her roommate murdered, stabbed repeatedly in the chest, her blood sprayed on the walls and soaking the sheets. That same blood was smeared on Lacey’s clothes and the bloody knife, the hilt of which was curled in her hand. No matter what anyone said, she knew she didn’t do it. She might have questioned what happened to land her in the Dekatur Hospital, but this time she was of sound mind and knew there was no way in hell she’d harmed Alicia. Someone had framed her.

  Landing on the ground with a thud, she gasped as pain shot up her ankles and legs, but she didn’t pause. Taking a much-needed breath, she launched herself down the hill, running for all she was worth. She heard the dogs baying in the distance and knew they were on her trail already. Her absence hadn’t gone unnoticed and it had been sheer dumb luck that she’d managed to escape. If Nurse Simpson hadn’t taken a liking to her, there was no way she’d have made it out of there. Thankfully, the elderly nurse had taken one look at the incriminating scene and had helped Lacey out of the building. Once outside, she’d been on her own.

  The dogs howled again, this time sounding even closer. Her arms pumped and her breath came out in pants as she made a mad dash for the parking lot nearby. She knew no one would help her, but maybe she’d find a car she could borrow. All right, so borrow wasn’t the right term, precisely, but she was desperate.

  Trying one car after another, she finally found a late model sedan with unlocked doors. Climbing inside, she slammed the door shut and frantically began searching for a key. When she flipped the visor down, the keys fell into her lap. It almost seemed too easy, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she eased out of the parking lot and pulled onto the street, heading away from the hospital and toward freedom.

  She drove for hours before finally feeling moderately safe. Safe enough to pull over and find a change of clothes. She popped the trunk of the car and rummaged around to see what she could find. There was a pair of jeans and a tee that were a little big, but would work in a pinch. Crawling into the backseat, she changed quickly and tossed her bloodstained clothes out the window. Yes, it would give them a clue as to what direction she took, but she didn’t plan to stay in North Carolina for much longer. She was going through Georgia, into Alabama and straight on through. She’d drive all the way to California if that’s what it took. L.A. sounded rather attractive.

  Gripping the steering wheel, she aimed the car west and pressed the pedal as far as she dared. It wouldn’t do to get caught speeding, but she wanted to put as many miles between her and the Dekatur Hospital as possible. The sooner she left the state, the better.

  * * *

  Lacey walked the last two miles into Moonspell, Alabama, a rural town in the southern part of the state. The car she’d “borrowed” two states ago had broken down about two miles back and she’d been on foot ever since, with nary a car in sight. The bag slung over her shoulder was starting to weigh her down. Her entire body ached, especially her feet. But no matter how far she had to walk, she was determined she wouldn’t be found.

  She couldn’t help but wonder how she was going to take care of herself now that she was completely on her own. She’d never held down a job before, hadn’t had the opportunity to get one. For that matter, she’d only driven a handful of times before her mad escape. This was all so new to her, and rather terrifying. Here she was, twenty-four, with no one to rely on but herself, no one to care whether or not she was hurt or lost or just plain scared out of her wits. Even worse, she was without her medication and had no way to obtain any. Things were only going to go from bad to worse, but the important thing was that she was finally free. If she hadn’t run away, she might not have ever left that horrid place.

  It felt like she’d been walking forever. Her feet were aching and a cramp was building in her side, but finally lights began to emerge up ahead. The small town came into view, and with it, she hoped, her salvation. She had very little money, but hopefully she could find a job and a place to stay for the night. Her stomach rumbled and she amended that to food first, shelter second, and job third.

  By the time she’d passed the grocery store, bank, feed store, and handful of other shops, she was ready to drop. Thankfully, the diner was right in front of her. Thanks to the previous owner of the vehicle she’d been driving, she had about fifty dollars. In the scheme of things, it wasn’t a lot of money, but she should have enough to get her through tomorrow -- she hoped. Big Bear Diner was in bold print across the front window. It seemed pretty busy, but she hoped she could find a table.

  When she stepped inside, it felt as if everyone stopped and stared, and perhaps they did, at least a little. In such a small town, visitors were probably few and far between, especially ones looking as bedraggled as she felt. Even though it was early September, it was still hotter than hell outside during the day, and she’d been roasting for more than an hour. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her appearance was unusual to say the least. Her hair was so blonde it was nearly white, her eyes such a pale blue that more than one person had called her “creepy.”

  Ducking her head, she hurried to a table in the corner and sat, placing her bag at her feet. She met the gazes of the curious locals, and most looked away almost immediately. A few continued to stare, clearly wondering where she’d come from and what she was doing in their small town. She looked around, thinking that now would be a good time to have a menu to peruse. Anything to occupy her hands and give her something to hide behind.

  As if reading her thoughts, a waitress appeared with a laminated sheet in hand. If she’d hoped for one of those nice foldout menus, she was out of luck. It seemed everything fit on
one sheet, front and back. A large grizzly with a fish in its mouth graced the top of the page with Big Bear Diner printed just under it. She didn’t have a lot of money, so she looked for the cheapest thing aside from a salad. She needed some real food after living off junk food for the past forty-eight hours.

  The waitress returned with a glass of water and her order pad in hand.

  “Do you know what you want or would you like a little more time?”

  Lacey read the young girl’s nametag. Josie. “I think I’m ready to order, Josie. I’ll just have the special and some sweet tea.”

  Josie jotted down the order and gave her a smile when she took the menu away.

  “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new in town?”

  Lacey squeezed her hands together in her lap. “I’m just passing through. Thought I might stay the night though.”

  “I’m sure the Starlight Motel just down Main Street will have a vacancy.”

  “Thanks, Josie. I appreciate that.”

  The young girl nodded and moved away.

  Well, her immediate needs were met. A meal and a place to stay, assuming the motel had a vacancy. In the morning, she’d look for a job. Maybe the diner was hiring. She’d never waited tables before, or done anything else, but it couldn’t be all that difficult. She could write down someone’s order just as easily as Josie could, right?

  The bell over the door jingled and a man in uniform walked in, the light blue of his shirt stretched tight over a broad chest and arms that looked big enough to crush her. She hunched down in her seat, wanting to make herself invisible. Lacey had no doubt that the Dekatur Hospital, a place for the mentally ill, had already notified the authorities that she was missing. It was doubtful they had a current photo of her, but it would be recent enough that she needed to worry. And then there was the car. She’d lifted it from a long-term parking lot near the hospital two days ago. It was only a matter of time before someone reported it as stolen. True, someone had been stupid enough to leave the keys in it, but it was stolen just the same.

  She watched as the officer took a seat on a stool at the bar and glanced around the diner. His gaze settled on her and he smiled. She gave him a hesitant smile in response, hoping he’d forget all about her once he looked away. If she’d had more money, she would’ve purchased a wig after escaping to hide her unusual hair.

  The officer turned back toward the counter and she breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps a bit prematurely. He picked up his cup of coffee and headed her way. Stopping by her table, he nodded at the empty chair in front of her.

  “Mind if I sit?” he asked.

  If she said yes, he’d either think she was just being rude or hiding something, and she couldn’t afford for him to think either thing. She had no recourse but to let him sit and hope that nothing bad came of it.

  “No, please join me.”

  “I’m Chief Hale. Just thought I’d welcome you to our small town.”

  “Thank you, Chief. I only just arrived, but Moonspell seems like a nice place.”

  He nodded. “It is. We have a close-knit community here. Were you thinking of relocating?”

  “Oh, no. I’m just stopping over for a day or two. Maybe a week, tops. I was thinking about getting a job just long enough to earn some bus money.”

  “Aren’t too many jobs open around here. You say you only need it for a week?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, I bet we could talk Mavis into hiring you for such a short time. Breakfast and lunch are always busy in the diner.”

  “That would be really nice.”

  Josie stopped by with what Lacey assumed was the special for both of them. After setting down the hot plates, she hurried away, stopping at another table along the way to take someone’s order. The chief wasn’t kidding about the diner being busy. Every table in the place had filled since she’d entered about fifteen minutes ago.

  “You don’t have a problem working for a witch, do you?” he asked, his gaze steady on hers.

  She choked on the bite of food she’d just chewed and attempted to swallow. “Pardon?”

  “Mavis. She’s a witch. You won’t have a problem with that, right?”

  Lacey shook her head. “No, sir.”

  She’d heard of paranormals before, of course, but she’d never met one. Working for one certainly didn’t bother her any. But if there was a witch in Moonspell, she wondered what else resided in the small town. She’d heard of werewolves, vampires, witches, even fairies, but something told her there was much more out there than that. If she hadn’t been on the run, it might’ve been the kind of place she’d like to stay for a while, simply to appease her curiosity and lay low. She couldn’t remember the last time she didn’t have a set agenda. There was no one to order her around. No one to force her out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5:30 and into a tepid shower and no one to shove pills down her throat twice a day, and she was starting to like that a bit more with every minute that passed.

  As they ate, Hale studied her. His eyes raked her hair, her face and then further down. What was he doing? She steeled herself from fidgeting under his gaze, but she still became uncomfortable under his scrutiny. It took a great deal of effort on her part not to squirm in her seat, but she managed, just. The chief was a good-looking man, for someone older. Well, compared to her, anyway. If she had to guess, she’d put him in his late thirties to early forties.

  “You have a place to stay for the night?” he asked.

  “I was told the motel might have a vacancy.”

  “That it might. It’s gonna get expensive though if you stay for more than a night or two. I would imagine most of your tip money would go right back into lodging.”

  “I don’t really have any other option.”

  “Well, I hope everything works out for you. Where are you headed from here?”

  The man sure was nosy. Should she lie, throw him off her trail in case her picture crossed his desk in the near future? What if it was already there, just waiting to be discovered? She knew she was on borrowed time, but her hands were tied. Without money or transportation, there was little she could do but stay in Moonspell for a time.

  “I hadn’t really thought about it. I just know I’m headed west, but I don’t have an actual destination in mind.”

  He frowned. “Most people know where they’re going when they leave home.”

  “I guess you could say I’m exploring, going where the wind blows me.”

  “That’s kind of dangerous for a young woman on her own. Do your parents know where you are?”

  She bristled. “I’m twenty-four years old. I hardly think I need my parents’ permission to travel.”

  Not to mention, they thought she was safely tucked away in the hospital. They would be horrified to know she had escaped. Then again, they probably did know by now. Not once had they thought she was innocent. They’d been all too happy to have her locked up, knowing that she might never see the light of day ever again. What kind of parents did that to a sixteen-year-old girl? So much for love and trust.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you, you just seem younger is all.” He smiled. “You’ll be thankful for that one day.”

  She reached for her glass of water and realized her hand was shaking. Something told her it wasn’t from fright, even though her heart was pounding. She’d missed two days worth of pills and had a feeling things were only going to get worse. But it wasn’t like she could just walk into a pharmacy and ask for Depakote or lithium, or any of the other things she took.

  The police chief frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just missed a dose of my medication this afternoon is all. I’ll be fine once I take it.”

  He nodded to the bag at her feet. “Why don’t you go ahead and take it now? I’d imagine it would be better to take it with food.”

  “It’s um, empty. I have to call my pharmacy and see if they can transfer my prescription either here or wherever I end up.” She hop
ed the fib worked. Lord knew she was a horrible liar.

  “Better get it taken care of first thing in the morning. I don’t know what type of medication you’re on, but I’d imagine quitting cold turkey isn’t a good idea.”

  She nodded, hoping the conversation was at an end. This was the last man she wanted digging into her life. When they finished their meal and the checks arrived, he snagged hers before she could reach for it.

  “My treat, as a ‘welcome to Moonspell’ gift.” He smiled.

  “Thank you, but you don’t have to.”

  “I insist.”

  She gave him a hesitant smile and gathered her bag. Rising from her chair, she thanked him once more and beat a hasty retreat. The sooner she found the motel and got off the streets, the better. Out of sight, out of mind as the saying went. And she definitely wanted to be out of everyone’s mind. There was just one problem. Money, or rather, her lack thereof. Whether she liked it or not, she’d have to find a job of some sort, which meant she’d have to interact with the inhabitants of the town, and she ran the risk of exposure.

  When she reached the motel, a kindly old man was at the counter. He greeted her with a smile and took her cash in exchange for a room key. She gave him her name, and immediately wished she’d thought of using an alias. How stupid could she have been? Now she’d have no choice but to use her real name for the rest of her stay in Moonspell. She only hoped it didn’t come back around to bite her in the butt.

  After she’d settled in her room, she took a hot shower and put on some clean clothes. She had no way to wash the things she’d been wearing for the past two days and only had one more change of clothes, the last of the things she’d found in the car. She’d have to find a Laundromat or something soon.