COLD EYES
Hearts & Minds Trilogy
Book 3
by
Penny BroJacquie
*
COLD EYES
Copyright ©2019 Penny BroJacquie
All Rights Reserved
Editing: Learning To Fly
Cover Art: Cosmic Cream
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Cold Eyes (Hearts and Minds Trilogy, #3)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
PENNY BROJACQUIE’S BOOKS
Acknowledgments
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In loving memory of my Facebook friend, Gina Fox
CHAPTER ONE
*
Everything was so peaceful there. Time ran very slow and there was a deafening quietness that was only broken by birds chirping and singing.
I was having a picnic on a green hill looking over Eilean Donan, a small tidal island where three sea lochs met. A picturesque castle dominated the island and a footbridge connected the island to the mainland. Eilean Donan was only five minutes walking time away from the small cottage that had been my home for the last couple of months.
I was living in Dornie, a small former fishing village in the western Highlands of Scotland. It was such a small village that, alongside some village homes, it only hosted one tiny shop, two hotels, and a pub. Living there couldn’t compare to life in London and Paris, and I just had started to cope with it.
It had been seven years since I moved to Paris, a young inexperienced girl from Idaho with a dream to become a world known pâtissière. Then Alexandre LeBlanc came into my life, along with his rival vampires, and we moved to London to live in safety. There, my dream came true when I opened my own pastry shop and I found success as a pastry chef. Then, shit happened again, and we decided to move to rural Scotland to live quietly and peacefully under the protection of his family. So far, our life had been quiet and uneventful, however, that had started to become an issue. It was too quiet and too peaceful. Not to mention that I hadn’t met Alexandre’s family yet. It was like I had been convicted to live the rest of my life in a bubble.
“Centuries ago, there was an ancient legend about the powerful creature that will appear in our world and will bridge the differences between vampires and humans. That creature was called the Hybrid,” Alexandre had once told me. I was supposed to be that Hybrid. Besides my hair turning silver from chestnut within a few minutes, I didn’t have much evidence that I was indeed the Hybrid. Oh, I had also killed a mighty vampire using some kind of superpower, but I believed that was the result of a magic dagger and a mysterious ring I wore. Because if I had been the powerful Hybrid, I wouldn’t be unable to protect myself.
“You’re wearing the Malkvien ring and you are holding my hand which has the Claitleeff ring on. The creature which you just killed has left behind the Bariah ring. When Trenefor’s edge penetrated the Bariah’s body, you connected to the power of three supreme ancient clans. I’ve seen many portraits depicting the Hybrid. It had long silver hair, just like you,” Alexandre had told me, convinced of my supernatural nature.
I had recalled that scene in mind over and over again. I had plenty of free time and so little to do, anyway. I was tired; tired of boredom, tired of being afraid. It was time to go back to the village, but it was still too early to go back home. So, I decided to have a pint at the local pub.
The tiny place was crowded, full of thirsty tourists, but I was lucky enough to find a place to sit. It was time to start playing my favorite game; reading the minds of people who were complete strangers to me. There were so many inner voices that I could target in my playing game. I decided to start with the young waiter’s mind. “Halò àlainn,” I read his thought and felt flattered by the compliment. “Smile if you want to have sex with me,” the young man’s voice echoed loudly in my mind.
I didn’t want to have sex with him, of course, but I was really tempted to smile just to enjoy his confused face. However, I had to stand still and patient, as if I hadn’t listened to the words that had formed in his mind. I couldn’t let him know that I had read his mind, I shouldn’t publicly reveal that I was a telepath. That was a “no-no”.
Alexandre was adamant; no one should know, or I would be in life-threatening danger. I didn’t believe him, to be honest. I thought that he was exaggerating. I had always been ashamed for being able to read everybody’s mind and when I had finally come to terms with it and had embraced that unique ability I was gifted with, I was forbidden to let anyone know. Forbidden. That was the keyword. It was a word I had always hated. I hated restrictions. I hated being on a restricted diet; that’s why I became a pastry chef. I hated places available only to authorized persons; that’s why I became a P.I.’s assistant and I learned how to break in locked places. I hated being in locked places; that’s why I learned how to break free. I hated to love with restrictions; that’s why I fell in love with a vampire.
I loved reading the thoughts of everyone around me. It made me feel less lonely in a foreign country with no friends and no social life. When I was a toddler, I used to hide into closets and cupboards to protect myself from the voices that were trying to invade my mind. Now, I knew how to cope with that special ability of mine and I was capable of filtering the voices that would sneak into my mind. And it was so fun. Only if you know what there is in someone’s mind, you can really know what kind of person they really are, with all their flaws and virtues. Everyone is weird within and no one is as proper as they would like to appear.
“Do you want me to help you with the menu?” the young waiter asked me.
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m ready to order. A sticky toffee pudding,” I replied, and I sensed him caressing my boobs with his eyes while his thoughts were mostly concentrated on how he could get me to stand up so he could check my butt too.
“Forget that, I’m not going to the loo,” I said out loud as I handed him back the menu and I was amused by the mixed expression of confusion and shock got quickly painted on his face.
After the young waiter went away, I looked around to get a better view of the crowded place.
“I’m going ta skelp yer wee behind!”
A cold male voice intruded into my calm mind and made my hair stand on end.
“What’s that with my butt today,” I thought as I looked around to locate where that cold voice had come from. I scanned everyone’s brain, but I was unable to locate the man whose voice sounded unwelcomed into my mind. That was weird. It had never happened to me before.
The male voice insisted. I turned around, and then I saw him
.
He was sitting at a table close to the main entrance, dressed in black, pale skin, and piercing eyes. I froze. Something was wrong about him. It was like there was nothing beyond his face, like there was nothing inside of him; like he had no soul. It wasn’t the first time I met a soulless creature. I instantly knew that he was the danger I had been trying to avoid the last two months. It was because of creatures like him that I had been living in solitude all that time.
I grabbed my bag and rushed to get out of the pub. However, I had to pass by him to get to the door. I took a deep breath and I started walking. I was just a few steps away from the door, when he grabbed my hand. A shiver went down my spine. His hand was cold as charity, no feeling had been transferred to me through his fingers.
Terrified, I tried to free my hand from his tight grasp. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor made him turn his head and lose his grip, giving me the chance to draw my hand away. Much to my relief, the young waiter started walking toward us with a questioning look on his face. I freed my hand from his grasp and ran toward the exit. Panic-stricken, I pushed the door and got out.
The last time I had met a person whose mind I wasn’t able to get into, it had ended badly.
With shaking hands, I pulled my phone out of my purse. I removed a curl off my sweaty forehead, and I dialed Alexandre’s number. But before he answered, everything went black around me and I felt like I was diving in a black hole.
CHAPTER TWO
*
Wet soil pressing into my body was the first thing I felt when I woke up. Mud mixed with dried leaves, damp with morning dew, covered my body. I tried to open my eyes and a soft light blinded my body. I moved my legs abruptly and an eerie rustling broke the silence.
Where the fuck was I?
I propped my body up on my arms and raised my torso with difficulty. Anxiety, panic, and fear flooded every molecule of my body. I had never been so frightened before. How did I get here? What had happened to me? Was I hurt? Was I bleeding? Had I been assaulted? I didn’t know. I couldn’t remember. Nothing made sense and I felt so dizzy.
I wrapped my arms around my body and then groped my legs in search of any wounds or injuries. Everything seemed to be fine, no bleeding, no bruises. Suddenly, my fingers got numb. “I’m having a panic attack,” I thought and shook my hands and slapped my cheeks to calm down.
“I need to stand up,” I told myself as I placed my palms into a thick layer of dried leaves on the damp ground. I took a deep breath and I put all my effort to support my body weight with my arms. I exhaled with relief when my muscles obeyed what her mind commanded. I quickly stood up on my feet and took a look around. I was in a forest. Breath bated I took a step forward. Dry leaves crunched underneath my feet and a couple of birds fluttered away from their nest, frightened by the noise. There was no one around. It was only me and the forest.
“But which forest?” I muttered to myself.
The sun had begun to set and I had to get out of there. I had to get back to my car, back to my home. I started walking fast, not knowing where I was heading. I was nimbly descending a steep talus slope when the sound of a twig breaking made me lose my balance. I fell down and started rolling down the steep hill. Sharp rocks and broken twigs scratched my bared arms. Hot air ebbed and flowed in waves over her back. Was it the air? Was it someone’s breath? My backpack, with my camera inside, slipped from my hands. When the painful descent stopped, I looked back, searching for my belongings. I collected my backpack and, breathless, I ran towards the clearing that had suddenly appeared ahead.
Thunder echoed in the distance and lightning flashed. The skies opened and a stream of rain started splattering hard. I raised my bag over my head like an umbrella and I started running towards the clearing. And then I saw it.
A medieval castle was standing at the end of the clearing, ivy-covered and proud like a Scottish man. The autumn foliage formed a yellowish umbrella with purple touches above its entrance. The rain trickled down the back of my neck and my clothes were soaked. I had to protect myself from the thunderstorm. I ran towards the entrance which stood between two large impressive stained-glass windows. The castle looked empty; however, it didn’t seem abandoned. Carefully, I pushed the heavy wooden door and it cracked open to a large dim chamber.
I looked through the open door and the first thing I saw was a wrought iron lantern over the entrance to a stairwell. Like something was calling me inside, I headed to the staircase and began ascending timidly. The dim light from the starry sky passing through the skylight above the stairs lit the balustrade which was decorated with little angel cupids holding bows with arrows. The end of the staircase led to a long hallway. I open the first lancet arch door at my right, and I ended up in another hallway with an arched stained-glass window between two ogive doors.
I picked up a lit candlestick that was placed on top of a wooden table and I opened another door that led to a cold room with a few pieces of furniture, a burning fireplace to the left, and two stained glass windows on the right. After I closed the door behind me, I passed by a gothic window and looked outside. The moon had broken through the low clouds signaling the end of the rain. Holding the candlestick tightly, I turned the knob of the door on the left and pushed it timidly. A half-lit chamber was revealed behind the small opening. On the opposite wall, there was another door leading to a strong light source. As I was crossing the long chamber, I noticed an arched bookcase full of old books. Spider webs and dust covered the longer walls and thick oriental rug most of the wooden floor. An old leather sofa was placed in the center. Just like a firefly is attracted to the light on a dark night, I continued toward the door and the shining light.
“Well, well, well... The mouse fell into the trap,” the robust male voice I had heard at the pub echoed once more inside my mind and made me jump. I lifted the iron candlestick to shield myself and looked over to the leather sofa. In the dim light, the figure of a man running toward me was the last thing I saw before I passed out.
CHAPTER THREE
*
“What the fuck is that with me fainting?” I yelled at myself once I opened my eyes again. “And where the freaking fart am I now?”
It was a dungeon. I was locked in a freaking dungeon.
“Who locks people in dungeons? What year is it? What century?” I shouted but no answer came back.
Someone must have done that to me, but how did they manage to do it? I was supposed to be a telepath. I was supposed to read people’s minds. How did they come close to me and made me faint without me being aware of it happening? That had never happened before. Now it happened again, and it was so scary. Whoever had done that to me must have been very powerful. The thought made me feel frightened. Not because I was afraid to confront whoever was behind this attack, but mainly because I didn’t know what and who was behind it.
“Where is Alexandre when you need him the most?”
Alexandre knew more than he had revealed to me. He thought that this was the best way to protect me, but I was stronger than he thought I was. The lack of knowledge was killing me.
“Like literally?” I thought and I smirked.
I looked at the dungeon door. It was made of iron bars. “Some say the telepathic people have the power to bend iron bars with their mind,” I thought. “Maybe I can do that too. Or maybe I don’t, otherwise why would they lock me in a cell with iron bars as a door? Have they underestimated me? I don’t blame them. They tested me and I failed. They came close to me and I didn’t even sense them. They made me faint twice and I didn’t resist. So maybe they know better than Alexandre and me. But I won’t know if they’re right if I don’t try.”
I fixed my gaze on the center of the dungeon door. I focused so hard on the iron bars until my eyes started burning and I got a headache. And then the miracle happened. With a squeaking noise, the bars got bent and a large hole appeared in the middle of the door. It was time to leave that shithole like a boss.
“Believe in you
rself when no one believes in you,” I told myself as I rushed into the dim corridor.
Running like hell, I reached a stone staircase and started climbing fast. I didn’t stop running even when I entered a vast chamber empty of furniture. Carved wood columns were the only decoration. A heavy wooden chandelier with dozens of candles was hanging from the ceiling. A huge iron gate was visible in the distance.
“Freedom!” I yelled.
I raced in a frenzy toward the exit. I had to get out of that damn building. And then, I heard them.
A turmoil of thoughts suddenly erupted into my head, accompanied by a shrill sound that caused me so much pain that I unconsciously bent down, with the weight of my body collapsing onto my knees. I placed my hands on my ears in a desperate effort to block the horrific sound out of my mind, although I knew it would have little effect. It was like a vortex of thoughts was swirling in a mist of contradicting emotions. A strong wind blew abruptly behind my back and got my hair fly into the air. Beads of sweat poured over my forehead as I realized that Alexandre was in that castle and he was in trouble.
A loud “bang” made my heart race like a crazy horse. The entire castle was shaken, glasses were broken in an eerie crunching sound. Another loud “bang” was this time accompanied by Alexandre’s cry of pain.
“Alexandre!” I shouted and ran toward the chamber the noise was coming from. It was so dark that I couldn’t see much. I took a deep breath and rushed into the room that resembled a battleground. Alexandre and a woman I had never seen before were engaged in a life and death fight against a small group of male and female vampires.
A bright light flashed the space as Alexandre dragged his dagger out of his pocket to defend himself from a huge black-clad man’s knife attacks. Alexandre stayed still until his opponent got closer to him, and then with a quick move, he ducked and grasped him by the knees. Once Alexandre rammed his dagger into his opponent’s neck, the man’s body was scorched down and disintegrated into a pile of black ashes.
Cold Eyes: a paranormal mystery romance (Hearts and Minds Trilogy Book 3) Page 1