I feel the warmth of Nate’s hand on mine.
“I wasn’t going to let him take you, Jes. If I went with Ezra, I knew that you would find us because of our link.”
I ask, “Where are you?”
Ezra answers, “We’re on the other side of the black hole. When we passed beyond event horizon of the wormhole, the pull was quick and strong. Then, there was a bright, blinding flash of light. The light faded, revealing a place much like our world.”
Nate interrupts, “It is exactly like our world. It’s identical from what we can tell so far.”
I recall the team’s discussion with Adam Claiborne about what is beyond the black hole. The soulless.
Fear burns my chest as I ask, “Are you safe? Have you seen anyone?”
Ezra and Nate look at each other.
Ezra responds, “Yes, but we have not interacted with them. They appear to be human, but we aren’t taking any chances by communicating with them. I’m sure they already know we’re here.”
Nate hastily reaches for my hand and pulls it into his chest. “Tell the others everything we have told you!”
Nate and Ezra start to fade, slowly becoming transparent.
My voice is urgent. “Wait, what’s going on?”
Nate whispers, “You need to—”
Then, Xander’s quiet voice takes over. “Wake up, Jes.”
A cool cloth is on my forehead, making my eyes flutter open.
I’m in the same room as the dream I just had. I try to sit up fast, but my muscles feel like overcooked noodles. I lower myself back to the bed, still feeling too weak.
Xander takes hold of my hand. His voice is low and gentle. “Monica gave you a heavy sedative after…” Xander pauses, running his hand over my cheek. “You were hysterical, and we needed to calm you down to get you out of there. It was too dangerous to stay any longer, so Monica injected you, and I carried you out. You’ve been out for two days. You need to get some food in your stomach.”
Xander’s tender sentiments give me the impression that he hasn’t left my side over the past two days.
His eyebrow raises as he says, “Damn straight! I’m not about to leave you for a second. No one is going to take care of you like I will.” Xander takes the cloth on my forehead and softly wipes one side of my face and then the other.
Just before he pulls back, I touch his hand and hold it tight. “Thank you, Xander, for taking care of me.”
Xander leans onto the bed and kisses my forehead. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I will care for you for as long as you let me, Jes.”
His words remind me of what Nate used to say to me. Nate said that he would always protect me. I drop my gaze as I remember the dream I just had.
Xander reaches for my hand and interlocks our fingers. He looks conflicted all of a sudden. “I have to tell you something.”
I ask, “What happened?”
He tightens his hand on mine. “No, it’s nothing bad. I just don’t know if it was real.”
I shift a little. Trying to ease his mind, I bring my other hand to rest on both of ours. I softly say, “Hey, tell me.”
Xander breathes in and out deeply. “Nate came to me in a dream last night…I think. I mean, it felt real. It felt like it did with Sam, so I guess it was real…right?”
I nod my head. “Yes, it was real.” This was Xander’s first dream contact experience with Nate. It makes sense that he visited us both since he is linked to both Xander and me.
I try to sit up. Xander helps me, only leaving a small distance between us. It’s surreal that just minutes ago in my dream Nate sat right where Xander is sitting now.
When I speak, my mouth quivers uncontrollably as my voice shakes. “Nate came to me last night, too. Ezra was with him. They made it there alive, Xander.”
Xander looks down at our hands, and then he squeezes tightly. He stares back up at me with pure determination, and then he speaks to me with such conviction. “Whatever it takes, Jes! If you and I have to run to hell and back to get them, we will!”
I urgently ask, “Have you told the others?”
Xander shakes his head. “No, I came straight to your room when I woke up.”
I start to scoot off the edge of the bed.
Xander grabs a hold of my arm. “Wait, what are you doing?”
I look at him like he’s crazy for even asking me that. “Going to tell the others! We need to figure out how to get to them!”
Xander forces me to sit back down on the bed. He holds me by my shoulders. Warning me in his cute but serious way, he says, “I will get the others. You stay put. You are still weak.”
I roll my eyes jokingly and mumble, “Sir, yes, sir!”
He starts walking backward toward the door with his eyes still on me. Xander points his finger at me, looking me up and down. “I mean it. Don’t move.” His delightfully earnest face fades into an adorable smile. Xander winks at me, and then he rushes out the door.
While I wait for the team, I consider how traversing between universes to save my partner and my father while protecting our world and the human race compares to against running to hell and back.
I shake my head and chortle at the situations I have accepted as normal in the past year.
One thing is for certain. I will not abandon my purpose as a guardian, partner, or daughter. What does that entail? I have to adapt and learn the ways of this new world I live in. I need to evolve with this world enough to snuff out the enemy and stop humanity from deteriorating. I must survive the invasions and attacks from beyond in order to save our humanity and world before we are lost.
Saving Nate and my father, Ezra, will not be easy. Balthazar and Sebastian will be instrumental to the pursuit. I will not relent once we have harnessed the capabilities to save them. I will not let their sacrifice be in vain. I will bring them home.
I glance across the room, and a white gift bag with royal blue tissue billowing out of the top catches my eye. I slowly stand from the bed. My legs feel stiff and a little weak. Until I feel like I can let go and cross on my own, I make sure to hold on to the bed as I move toward the other side of the room.
There is a small card dangling from the gift bag. I turn over the card and read it.
Will you take care of them while I am gone?
There is only one man that says that phrase—Ezra. I close my eyes, trying to figure out how he was able to leave this for me. Who did he contact other than me? I haphazardly pull the tissue paper from the bag. I reach down and feel something solid. I look down into the bag and slowly lift the illuminated gel-filled ant farm, making sure not to disturb the inhabitants. The little black ants are busy tunneling, exploring, and creating their own stories within their world.
I hold them up to my eye level, and I whisper, “I promise I will.”
Please continue reading for a sneak peek of Book 3 in the Piercing the Fold series, Ascending the Veil.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thanks to God for blessing me with family, friends, and mentors that have encouraged me and supported my dreams throughout my life. They have come at various stages of my childhood and adulthood. The timing of their intervention was always miraculous. Those “angels” need to know that the wisdom they passed on stuck with me persistently and would not let me quit. It was that wisdom that encouraged me to write, publish, and promote Piercing the Fold: Book1 and Surfacing the Rim: Piercing the Fold Book 2.
Much love to my husband and children who were and are my endless cheerleading squad. Husband, thank you for understanding the need for take-out on more occasions than not due to my need to finish writing “one more chapter honey.” I love you Greg Kimball.
To my three blessings, my children. Thank you for telling mommy to never give up! It not only has given me strength, but has helped me realize that I have taught you the true meaning of never giving up through my example! Win for mommy!
To Dawn Miller for being one of the those “angels” that interve
ned at a very poignant time in my writing process of this series. I clearly remember chatting with you about my idea of writing this series while picking up our kiddos at school. You gave me the initial encouragement and wisdom I needed to not just consider it a pipe dream. Rather, a dream that I could make happen. Thank you for staying on me girl.
To Jessica Baker-Bridgers for encouraging me to develop a team of Piercing the Fold series lovers and supporters. You were so right. And, I have met the most amazing women, men, and fellow writers because of it. Jessica Baker-Bridgers, Bev Rowden, Justine Vandale, Dawn Miller, Loni Flowers, Shanna Roberson, Karen Seager-Everett, Sabrina Ford, Heather Gunter, Kendall McCubbin, Kathy Ree, Alyssa Susanna, Kelly Nagy, Trudy Powers, Becky Hinrickson Juelfs, Penelope Anne Bartotto, Anna Estep, Sarah Hayden Davey, Natasha Hope Vahora, Tammy DeMan Zoch, Joseph Gelinas, Book Chatter Cath, Zee Hayat, Tarnya Rutheford, Tami Hill, Jennifer Campbell Bailey, Brandy Thornton, Kc Sprayberry, Jessica Lamb, Whitney Bear.
To the book blogging and book reviewing community that embrace, support, and promote authors for no other reason except their love of books! You keep the reading community alive by spreading the word about books daily! Thank you!
To my publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly, along side of Hot Ink Press and Vamptasy Press; One House United...what an amazing family of authors! You have embraced me into the family with open arms and I am so happy to be a part of our publishing house!
To the fans of the Piercing the Fold series for loving the characters and wanting more! Much, much love to you! Writing this story for you has been a pure joy. You will never know how much your Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and Goodreads comments, messages, and reviews have meant to me. It still amazes me that this series has moved some of you to create your own Pinterest boards, graphics, dream casts, and jewelry. I am truly humbled by the inspirations this story has stirred within you.
Make sure and keep up with my projects, events, giveaways, upcoming releases, or just to chat on my wall by visiting and liking my website and social network pages. Would love to hear from you!
www.venessakimball.net
http://www.facebook.com/VenessaKimballAuthor
https://twitter.com/VenessaKimball
About the Author
In 2010, Venessa Kimball was struck by an idea, a story that needed telling. Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: Book 1, a mature young adult/ adult crossover, paranormal, science fiction series. July 2, 2012, Venessa Kimball independently published the first book in the Piercing the Fold series. Book 2, Surfacing the Rim, released March 14, 2013.
In August of 2013, Venessa joined the publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. The Piercing the Fold series will be re-published with them beginning with Piercing the Fold: Book 1 on September 3rd. Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 will be re-published on September 24th and Ascending the Veil: Book 3 will be released for the first time on October 18th. The final book in the series, Book 4 (Title TBD) will release in 2014.
As for the future, Venessa is already filling her Work-In-Progress folder. Two of her future projects are adult contemporary fiction and will reflect her diversity as a writer in other genres. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children, chauffeuring said children to extracurricular activities, catching a movie with her hubby, and staying up way too late reading and writing.
Sneak Peek of Book 3 in the Piercing the Fold series, Ascending the Veil: Book 3
Chapter 1
Jesca
Facility in Kyoto, Japan~
I turn the small, clear, rectangular world in my hands. Careful not to disturb the ants’ free will, their decisions, their distinct and individual purposes. The thick plastic of the container seems to protect them from what is going on out here. What if the thick plastic was thinned into a sheath-like veil? How safe would they be in their little world?
I feel a tear fall from my eyes and touch my lips. I quickly swipe my hand across my mouth and keep it there for a moment. I close my eyes and hold my breath to stop the anxiety from releasing. When the emotion passes, I carefully set down the small, plastic world; Ezra’s note still attached.
“Will you take care of them while I am gone?”
I breathe out slowly and keep my eyes on the note. Of course I will; there is no question about that. The real question is how would we get Ezra and Nate back from where ever they have gone? They should be in this facility with me right now, not sucked into a wormhole. If Nate would have just held onto Xander and I, they would be. But, no, Nate took control of the situation and sacrificed both him and Ezra; so stupid of him. I did not need saving. If he would have given me the chance, with Xander’s help we could have tossed Sam into the wormhole and sealed it. Our fellowship, the team, needs them here. The intersection happened, an invasion on our earth has taken place, and there is still more to come. We need Ezra’s strength, logic, and guidance right now more than ever, and Nate’s ability to heal others and his link with both Xander and me. Yeah, the link has caused tension between the three of us, but it has also made the abilities we adapted through the Copula. A flash of Nate cupping my chin in my dark room in the villa back in Florida telling me, “We are stronger together,” crosses my mind. My heart aches remembering the feel of his closeness, the smell of him as he comforted me during my nightmare; eucalyptus and mint was the scent. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I’m still pissed at him and as soon as I see him, I plan to let him know how stupid of a move that was to fall into that wormhole.
The door opens from behind me: Xander. Hastily, I block my thoughts from him and wipe any remaining tears from my face. If he catches a glimpse of me thinking of Nate, there will be questions, ones that I don’t want to answer, can’t answer actually. I don’t have answers for him as to why I feel slightly lost now that Ezra and Nate are gone; mostly Nate. I turn my body to face him as he approaches me. “The ant farm. Where did you get it?”
Xander looks at the tiny world and walks over to the table, places his hands on his knees and peers in at the little black organisms tunneling. “Balthazar and Angela got it in town.”
I was about to verbally assault the stupid act and demand to know who would put their lives in danger when Xander turns his head to me. “Ezra. In my dream, he told me to get the ant farm.”
It figures Ezra would do something like that. I shake my head and walk over to stand next to Xander.
Xander stands up straight. “Everyone thought I was crazy, ranting about how I needed them to go out and find an ant farm in the middle of an apocalypse. Ezra said you would know what it meant.”
My chest tightens imagining Ezra telling Xander about our bond over a tiny plastic world. I close my eyes and run my hands through my hair and hold the back of my neck.
Xander’s hand runs along my arm. “I’m sorry Jes. I told him that it might upset you. Here, I can take it out of the room.”
I open my eyes and release my hands from my neck letting my arms hang down by my side. Xander’s hand drops from mine. “No, it’s alright Xander. I just was thrown off when I saw it sitting here in my room with the note. I know why it is here.”
Xander crosses his arms over his chest. “Why? Ezra didn’t tell me.”
A knot forms in my throat now as I remember the first time I saw Ezra’s ant farm on campus in his office. “It is a reminder of the promise I have made to guard and protect this world, our world. When I first met him in Georgia, he had one in his office.”
I feel the pull of a smile on my face from the memory. God, it seems like that was so long ago, when it had only been a little over a year since the day I discovered my life was not ever going to be average by any means.
I rest my hand on my neck expecting to feel the chain holding my Copula medallion, the one Ezra gave me before we left Florida, but it wasn’t there. I turn and look back at the bedside table, h
oping to see it sitting there, but it’s not. “Where is it?”
Seeing the panic surfacing within me, Xander quickly reaches into his pocket and pulls it out for me to see. “It’s right here.” Xander comes closer with the medallion dangling from a copper chain and motions for me to let him put it on me. I turn around slowly and pull my hair to the side for him to fasten it back in place. I can’t help but be hypersensitive to Xander’s breath dancing on the back of my neck. “I took it off of you when I...when I got you into bed.”
Once it is secure, I turn back to face him. “Thank you.” Xander runs his hand through his hair and rests it on the back of his neck nervously. Wait, when he got me into bed? I look down at what I am wearing, a gauzy nightgown.
My expression must have alerted him to explain quickly. “Jes, I wouldn’t let anyone near you when we got here, not even Elisha and she was not happy about that by the way. Your clothes were a mess and I had to change you out of them.”
I feel the heat rise on my face and I freeze with panic. Dear God, Xander undressed me. The only word I can muster amidst my embarrassment is, “Oh.”
Xander’s eyes hold mine tenderly and as he moves closer to me my heart pounds beneath my chest. “I couldn’t leave your side Jes, not after what happened in the forest with Ezra and Nate.” Xander clears his throat and closes his eyes. Sensing his pain, I close the distance between us and run my hand along his arm. He opens his eyes and continues, “ Before they left, Nate told me to protect you.”
The image of Nate pulling Ezra from Sam, as Sam tried to pull Ezra into the wormhole flashes in my mind. Nate was anchored to Xander and I with one hand, and to Ezra with the other. A brief flash of Nate looking into Xander’s eyes as he held me to him. I heard his deep voice bellow, “Protect her!”
Xander shakes his head back and forth. “After seeing you that night, how you reacted after Nate released himself and Ezra into that wormhole, I couldn’t risk leaving your side. You broke Jesca. Monica sedated you for your safety and I carried you out of the forest. When we got back to the facility and you were still out, I was afraid to leave you.”
Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) Page 27