As he stood next to the bed, contemplating the value of two hours of sleep, a sparkle caught his eye. The trickle of sunlight was dancing crazily along the baseboard near his closet, tossing a spray of colors onto the hardwood. He walked back over there and bent down. Oh yeah, the necklace. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket when he was undressing. He picked it up and held it so that a narrow stream of light passed directly through the stone. Immediately, his bedroom wall was covered with a million miniature rainbows. Huh. Maybe the thing was a real diamond. He decided not to “get rid of it”, as Angel had insisted, but instead, to hang on to it, if for no other reason than he would love to shove it down Carlo’s throat should he ever have the misfortune of seeing the little creep again.
Enrique closed his fist over the stone and then closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, in and out, per Angel’s careful instruction. Her voice played in his head, “Staying in control of those raging emotions is the key to being an effective Defender,” or so she never stopped reminding him. When he had successfully quashed the animalistic urge, he carried the necklace over to his dresser and dropped it into a pretty blown-glass keepsake dish that one of the kids at the farm had made for him. Then he stumbled back to the bed and flopped onto it, staring at the ceiling.
# # #
In a different part of town, another man was staring at his ceiling.
Lightly sweating and with his heart still racing, Archer Orucov threw back the covers and sat up on the side of his bed. He’d tried everything, from sleeping pills to acupuncture to herbal teas, but the one thing he could never shake were his nightmares. They’d be gone for months at a time, and then, bam, out of the blue, they’d return to torture him yet again. Although this time, he suspected it was hardly out of the blue. Obviously, coming so close to having Elodie had stirred the pot. Those haunting images of her mother’s face, terror and tears, shock and horror, would come rushing into his dreams and rattle him to his core. He just wanted to remember her as she once was—sensual and playful and so, so keen of mind.
He slid his hand across his balding crown, and then, not wanting to wake Kumika, he picked up his silken robe and slipped out into the sitting room. He fastened the sash around his waist as he walked over to the first set of French doors. Drawing back the curtains, he stepped out onto the narrow balcony. The sun was just coming up over the Tidal Basin, and the cherry blossoms, in full bloom, were spectacular against the pink and purple sky. Whatever else one might say about Washington, D.C., it was a well-planned city, and from the right places, there were breathtaking views. The Tai Pan Suite on the twelfth floor of the Mandarin Hotel was one of those places.
Archer sucked the chilly morning air into his lungs. It was powerful, powerful enough to clear out those cobwebs and allow him to focus on the future. A younger man might have been distressed by how things had turned out, but not Archer. With maturity had come the gifts of wisdom and patience. These were not genetic Gifts, like his scientific genius, but rather, gifts that came only through life experience—the good and the bad. He had made mistakes in his youth, the kind of rash decisions that one can only regret and hope to learn from, and never expect to be forgiven. But those mistakes had been invaluable; from them, he had learned that everything happens for a reason. Every misstep is a chance for improvement. Every failure is an opportunity. And so it would be this time.
Elodie was no one’s plaything. She was not an oaf to be outwitted, nor a possession to be taken by brute force. He should have seen that. His experiences with her mother should have taught him that. He felt foolish for not applying those early lessons with the child. No, if he wanted Elodie in his life, if he wanted to make her part of his world, or—dare he think it?—an heir to his throne, then he needed an altogether different approach. Elodie would have to want it for herself. She would have to be made to understand how powerful she was, and all that she could do with that power. This was Archer’s task, this was what he needed to be planning: to bring the gift of desire to his little freckle-faced prodigy.
“Archer? Where are you?”
Kumika’s voice drifted out through the open balcony doors, bringing him back to reality. He stepped back inside and closed the doors. “Here I am, my dear. I was just getting a little fresh air. I hope I didn’t wake you.” He walked back into the bedroom and stood next to the bed.
She slid herself toward the middle of the bed, inviting him in. “You had the doors open? No wonder it’s so cold in here.” She propped herself up on one elbow and reached for him with the other arm. “Come back to bed and warm me up.”
He took her hand, but resisted her pull. “Kumi, I have so much to do today, so much to plan. And we’re supposed to pick up Aiden—”
She looked up at him with her signature black-eyed stare and pouted, “But, Archer, you’ve been a madman all week. You need to relax and have some fun. Even Genghis Khan took a day off now and then.”
The backhanded compliment was enough to pull an uncharacteristic belly laugh out of Archer. “You flatter me, Kumika. But perhaps you’re right.” He dropped his robe to the floor and climbed in beside her. He ran his hand down the length of her angular frame, appreciating every inch of her taut flesh. “Perhaps today, we should stay inside and recharge our batteries.” He rolled onto his back and reached for the bedside phone. “I’ll call room service.”
“Not yet.” She crawled up on top of him, pulling his hand away from the phone. She pushed herself up so she was straddling him, then yanked the silky nightgown up over her head, tossing it back behind her somewhere.
Yes, Archer had learned many lessons in his life, and he knew the importance of heeding them. Not the least of these was that a strong leader surrounds himself with wise counsel. And another was that all work and no play made Archer Orucov a very dull man.
Author/Publisher
Message from the Author
Thank you for reading The Gifted Ones: A Reader. If you had fun getting to know this unusual group of people, and you’d like to read more adventures in the series, please pick up the second volume, which is due out in the third quarter of 2014. If you would like to be notified of new releases, please sign up here, and you will be the first to know when new episodes are available.
Also, if you enjoyed the book, please leave a review or tell your friends, or Facebook or Tweet about it. Reviews don’t have to be long, complex, or eloquent. Just give your honest, spur-of-the-moment reaction. Your review helps other readers find books they will enjoy.
If you’d like to learn more about me and my work, please visit my website, MariaRomana.com. You can also contact me directly through the contact page on the site.
About the Contributors
Story Author: Maria Elizabeth Romana has a background in research statistics, with experience in pyscho-social, pharmaceutical, and marketing research. She also spent six years as a volunteer and board member at the women’s center in Durham, NC. She has published articles on several websites and has two book series out. Her educational background includes degrees in mathematics and business. Maria lives in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina with her husband and two children.
Story Editor: Madeline P. Plimpton is managing editor of Research Triangle Publications in Research Triangle Park, NC. Maddie has over 30 years experience in writing, editing, and publishing in a variety of industries in North Carolina and Virginia. She currently lives in the Raleigh-Durham area with her husband of 30 years, and enjoys visits from her three grown children.
Publisher: Research Triangle Publications is a small, independent press, specializing in works by authors local to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. RT Pubs was formed in early 2010 as a wholly owned subsidiary of At Your Command Computing, Inc., a data analysis and software services company, established in 1995. The company currently has nine titles available, focusing on both fiction and non-fiction that reflects the scientific and analytic backdrop of this unique part of North Carolina. You can reach us through the
Research Triangle Publications website.
Continue on for a list of our current titles...
# # #
The Unbreakable Series
If you’re a fan of medical mysteries or romantic suspense novels, you will enjoy Maria Elizabeth Romana’s Unbreakable series, a 2010 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Award Winner, consisting of Little Miss Straight Lace, Little Girl Lost, and Daddy’s Little Girls.
Synopsis: When a dedicated researcher learns a bit too much about her client’s new drug, the horrors from her past seem destined to return. As her life begins to spin out of control, a dashing computer security expert arrives from South America and seems the perfect antidote. But is his sudden appearance just the happy coincidence it seems? Find out in this series of novels which combine romance, mystery, and suspense to take the reader on a roller coaster ride of murder, mayhem, sex, and drugs—of the pharmaceutical variety, of course—until the very last page.
“Romana’s characters are portrayed with skill, each is a credible person filled with foibles, warts and gaffes...the various twists and turns are handled with skill, are easily followed, and add depth and dimension often lacking in works provided by newer writers...Maria Romana’s Little Miss Straight Lace is a fast paced, keep ’em guessing and turning the page type read sure to intrigue readers who enjoy good writing, a bit of romance, a lot of action, and a downright good read.”
—Molly Martin, Midwest Book Review
Book Sample:
Josie pulled her laptop toward her, but peered out the corner of her eye. Damn it! They were sitting right up at the bar. Probably waiting for a table for dinner. Six o’clock, too. Why didn’t they make reservations? Losers. She watched Gary shift in his seat, opening his view to the room. Then, as he glanced around, acting casual, he caught her eye and grinned ever so slightly. A twinge poked in her belly. She quickly shifted her focus back to her laptop. Ignore him, Josie. Your club, your friends, not his.
“Jos!”
She looked up. It was Shawn, grinning from ear to ear. She grinned back. “So...did you work it out?”
“Better.” He plunked down in his seat and picked up his wine. “Guy was kissing my ass.” He tossed back the last of his glass. Josie leaned in to hear the scoop, but before Shawn could say any more, they were interrupted.
“Shawn, Josie, how are you two?”
Shawn answered for both of them, “Gary. Is there something we can do for you? Josie and I are in the middle of a very important meeting.”
Gary brushed the top of their empty wine bottle with his thumb. “Looks like it.” He turned to Josie. “Shawn tells me you’re just back from a little vacation with your boyfriend. I was kind of hoping I might get to meet him. Oscar says he’s a real swell guy. Nic, right? Not gone to South America again, is he?”
Pins and needles started pricking the back of her neck. Why was Gary asking about Nic? How was it he cared enough to remember Nic’s name and where he was from? An image flashed in her mind of the day at the airport, of Gary watching Nic load his bags in the trunk of the car. Was he going to do something to Nic? Try to get back at her by hurting him? Not while she was alive! Josie looked up and faced Goldman as she hadn’t before. Stupid sardonic grin. Ice cold green eyes—nothing like Daddy’s. She looked Gary in the eye and answered him, “None of your damn business.”
Both Shawn’s and Gary’s eyebrows shot up. After a second, Gary recovered and reached out toward her, running his finger along the top edge of her computer. “Well now, that wasn’t very friendly.”
Not very friendly, is she? Three guys standing around her and one behind—surrounded!
Huh? What was that? What was she thinking of? Josie felt the color draining from her face.
Before anyone could say anything else, Gina reappeared at the table. “Josie, hun, sorry to interrupt, but would you taste test these for me? New recipe I’m trying. It’s called chocolate covered golden hearts. See, it’s these little flaky pastries with a layer of...”
But Josie wasn’t listening. Chocolate covered golden hearts. Chocolate covered. Chocolate covers. Gold hearts. Josie could see it—a bed with a chocolate brown coverlet. Windows with chocolate brown drapes. A bathroom with chocolate brown towels. All with gold accents. Where? When? And Gary Goldman. Huh? Why was all this crap floating around in her head today?
“Josie? Will you, hun? Will you try them for me?”
She tried to focus on Gina’s face and her pretty red hair, but Gina was standing right next to Gary, who was still grinning his stupid grin and no doubt seeing the confusion on Josie’s face. The voices in the room were pulling away, sounding distant. Someone had lowered the lights. And turned up the thermostat.
“Jos, you okay?” Shawn’s voice.
“What is your name? Where do you live? Do you know who I am?” Gary’s voice. But the words didn’t match his lips. How was he asking that? Why was he asking that?
“Doctor, should I increase the dose now?” Gina’s voice. But her lips weren’t moving at all. And why would she call him doctor? Well, he was a doctor—of finance, right? But Gina didn’t know that.
The room was getting darker still, and the voices in it further and further away. Crap—she was losing it. No, no, no. Not now. Not right in front of world’s biggest jackass. Not right after she’d finally stood up to him. Josie pushed herself up from the table. Just need to get out of here, get some fresh air. She backed away from the table, knocking her chair down as she went, and ran toward the veranda door.
The Birds Christmas Carol
This illustrated edition of The Birds Christmas Carol is a remastering of the 1912 version of the timeless Christmas classic, originally written by Kate Douglas Wiggin in 1886. It tells the story of Carol Bird, a wealthy but sickly young girl, who decides to bring the joy of Christmas to a neighboring family with nine children who have very little but each other. Despite its serious undercurrents, the story is lively and even comedic at times, as Carol endeavors to pull the holiday celebration together from her sickbed, while the Ruggles children struggle to learn how to behave in “fine society”.
The ebook version of Birds contains more than 30 original illustrations by accomplished artist Katharine R. Wireman. The book’s text has also been modestly rewritten to eliminate antiquated terms and writing conventions, making it more accessible to young readers, while preserving the charm and flavor of Ms. Wiggin’s original tale. Children and adults alike will fall in love with this story and want to read it year after year.
Food, Glorious Food: The eBook Carb & Calorie Counter
Food, Glorious Food is a comprehensive guide to nutrient values for more than 12,000 natural, packaged, and restaurant foods. Unlike other food count books, however, the information has been specifically formatted for ebook readers. Rather than squeezing numbers into narrow rows and columns, each entry is presented in the familiar nutrition label format, with resizable font and reflowable text. The book is easily searchable with
The Gifted Ones: A Reader Page 20