He furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you sure you're all right? Why are you wet?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Have a great day."
"Do you want me to let him know you're here?"
I shook my head. "No." I needed to control his mind, but he wouldn't actually make eye contact with me. He needed to forget what I looked like. "I think I have something in my eye. Can you look?"
He looked up toward one of the windows on the second floor. "Matt, darling!" he yelled. "Come out here!"
That wasn't going well. "Can you look at my eye?"
"Matt, honey! Get out here!"
It wasn't worth it. He was going to draw attention from the entire neighborhood. It was actually a good thing that I was drenched, because I looked a lot different from normal. "I need to go."
"Are you sure? You seem to really need help."
"Nope. I'm fine. Thanks for your help." I stepped away.
"Matt, sweetie!"
I took a deep breath, and ran toward the house at top speed. I turned around to look at the guy hollering, and he looked thoroughly confused. As far as he could tell, I had disappeared into thin air. I slid through the wall and heard Matt heading my way. I stepped in front of him.
"What? How did you get in here? Did—?"
"Oh, shut up." I ran at him, biting into his neck.
He let out a scream, but stopped as my venom reached his system. I was full and didn't want any more blood. He was still alive, so I snapped his neck. I threw him to the ground, disgusted. I had let him and the other cowards off too easy. The next ones would die in a fielding, letting the elements get to them. Or maybe I would call some werewolves for help. Getting ripped to shreds by wolves would be fitting for them.
The lock clicked and the first guy came in. He looked at Matt lying at my feet. He put his hands over his mouth. "Did you do this to him?" Finally, eye contact.
I narrowed my eyes, staring him down until his pupils shrank. "You never saw me. I was never here."
"I never saw you."
"Good. Now have a seat. Call the authorities in about an hour. Got it?"
He sat without a word. That would have to be good enough. I ran out the door, closing it behind me.
When I got back to the castle, Cliff and Alrekur were both waiting for me, looking irritated.
Alrekur stood taller, looking pissed off. "Where have you been? And why the bloody hell are you soaking wet? Is that chlorine?"
I ignored him and looked at Cliff. "Didn't you get my note? I had an errand that I needed to attend."
"What did you do? We keep getting calls about the human rulers. Three of the key leaders in the fieldings have been found dead. Do you know anything about that?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? They haven't found the other ones yet, I take it."
Cliff and Alrekur stared at me.
Alrekur shook his head. "They're already talking about putting an end to the fieldings. The human leaders are all freaking out. You made your message loud and clear."
"Good. Then I might not have to take care of the remaining leaders. My parents have been avenged, and no one else will have to endure another fielding."
Cliff wrapped an arm around me. "Let's get you cleaned up. We have no reason to worry about you taking off again?"
"Not if they're calling off the fieldings."
Hidden Intentions
The story of Hidden Intentions is Clara and William's. It also offers insight into how the human war began.
Excerpt
The clouds below reflected the sun against the blue sky. It was a beautiful sight, and Clara Erikson didn't want to take her attention away from it. She was aware of the flight attendant announcing that they were getting close to Sea-Tac, but she wanted to stay above the clouds for as long as possible.
Something brushed against her back. She turned around, her eyes adjusting to the darkened inside of the plane. After blinking a few times, she smiled seeing her long-term boyfriend, William Lennox, sleeping next to her. It had been a long flight, and he had been awake most of the night, packing after a grueling week of finals.
Clara reached over and adjusted his blanket around him. He scratched his nose, almost hitting her in the process. She kissed his hand before setting it on his lap. He looked so peaceful, she wanted to climb into his seat and snuggle up next to him. The first class seats were big, but not that big.
She turned her attention back to the clouds for a little while. That was a sight she could never get tired of seeing. If she could find a way to have a home above the clouds, she would make it happen.
Her neck warned her of impending soreness, so she brought her attention back inside the plane. Another announcement: They had a half an hour until they would land. After spending so much time in the air, taking as few connecting flights from the UK as possible, thirty minutes didn't sound so long.
Picking up her Kindle, Clara thought about what to read. She was always in the middle of a couple of books, if not more. She was a sucker for free books, and her full device was proof of that. Looking at the three books staring at her from the screen, she chose one of her favorite indie authors.
Just as she was settling into a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies bleeding rainbows, something bumped her arm. She looked over to see William rolling around—as much as he could, buckled into the seat. She put her Kindle next to her, and then fixed his blanket again. It was stuck under him, so she gave it a fast yank and it pulled free.
A little box fell from his pocket. She froze. That looked like a box from a jewelry store. It was the perfect size for a ring. She looked around to see if anyone else had seen it fall.
Clara held her breath. Should she stuff it back in his pocket, pretending that she hadn't seen it? Or should she take a peek inside?
William said something, and she looked up, feeling guilty. He was mumbling in his sleep. A sigh of relief escaped.
She looked back to the box. One little peek wouldn't hurt, would it? No one could put on a surprised face better than her, so he would never know if she saw it. She looked around to make sure no one else was watching, and then she looked back to him.
"William," she whispered, barely audible. "Are you awake?"
He didn't move.
"Do you mind if I look at the box?"
No response.
Click here for purchase links.
Other books by Stacy Claflin
The Transformed Series
Fallen (Prequel)
Deception (#1)
Betrayal (#2)
Forgotten (#3)
Silent Bite (#3.5)
Ascension (#4)
Duplicity (#5)
A Long Time Coming (Short Story)
Taken (Novella)
Hidden Intentions (novel)
Transformed Stories Coming Soon:
Book #6
Saved by a Vampire (novel)
Sweet Desire (novel)
Other books
Gone series (Coming Sept 2014)
Chasing Mercy
Searching for Mercy
Secret of the Cure (Kindle Worlds short story)
Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.
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Author's Note
Thanks so much for reading this boxed set! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have loved writing it. I've grown to love the characters with each new book, and they have filled me with ideas for so many more books.
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I've spent many hours writing, re-writing, and editing this work. I even put together a team who has helped me with the editing process. As it is impossible to find every single error, if you find any, please contact me t
hrough my website and let me know so that I can fix them for future editions.
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About the Author
Stacy Claflin lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their two boys and their dog. Stacy has been writing short stories and novels since she was about nine years old.
Her favorite genre, to read and write, is young adult paranormal romance. When she isn't writing, she loves spending time with her friends and family. She runs a home-based preschool and also educates her children from home.
You can connect with her at:
StacyClaflin.com/
Facebook.com/stacy.claflin.author
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The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 115