Read Beyond Wild Imaginings Online
Authors: Brieanna Robertson
Beyond Wild Imaginings (25 page)
It had been an insane night full of reminiscing, stories, and laughter after all the shock and confusion had worn off. The Guardians did not want to return to their world yet, and Kelly could understand why. Therefore, there were bodies decorating her apartment floor.
All she could do was stare. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep. She didn’t dare close her eyes for fear he might disappear. It was a miracle that he was with her. More than a miracle. It was…magic. Magic could last forever, if one believed hard enough. She had believed. She had poured that belief into her writing. She had believed so hard that she had made others believe. Because of that belief, they all lived.
Garren’s eyes fluttered open as if he felt her watching him, and he frowned. “Little one,” he whispered. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, keeping her eyes on his face.
He reached out and touched her cheek. “You should sleep. It’s late. You need your rest.”
She felt the familiar sting of tears. “I can’t.”
He frowned. “Why?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m afraid.”
He lifted his head and moved closer to her. “Afraid?”
She nodded. “The last time I fell asleep with you, you…” She swallowed again. “When I woke up you were…” Her bottom lip trembled as she recalled the most horrendous day of her life. One tear escaped.
“Kelly,” he murmured. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Shhh.” He smoothed her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Listen to me now. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
She wrapped her arms tight around him and closed her eyes as she soaked in the heat of his smooth skin, the beat of his heart, the way his chest moved with his breath. “Never let me go,” she pleaded.
“Never.” His voice was a sinful caress. He lifted her lips to his. “Never.” He kissed her. “Never.” His lips descended again. “Never.”
Epilogue
Eight years later
Kelly hummed happily to herself as she headed into the kitchen for another cup of coffee. She had a new Lucienus book due into the editor in a few weeks, and she had been pulling all-nighters left and right to get it done on time. She didn’t mind, really. She loved escaping into their world.
She wandered past her daughter’s bedroom and frowned as she heard voices coming from inside. Her daughter’s and another, unmistakably female. “Hope?” she called. “Who are you talking to?” She swung the door open and started as her eyes fell on a tall, regal-looking cat-woman. She shook her head and tried again. All right, it was definitely half-cat, half-woman. Body of a woman, beautiful face, but definitely feline. She had pointed ears protruding out of a mass of dark blonde hair that fell down past her waist. She was wearing a red gown and walking upright. All Kelly could really do was stare.
“Mom!”
Kelly jumped and came out of her stupor. She turned her attention to her eight-year-old.
“You can’t just barge in like that!” Hope scolded. “You scared Katrina to death!” She put her hands on her hips and looked seriously affronted as her mane of black hair flew in every direction.
Kelly slid her gaze back to the cat-woman, who really appeared anything but frightened. She cleared her throat and looked back down at Hope. “Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were entertaining guests.” She squared her shoulders and approached the enormous feline. “It’s nice to meet you, Katrina. I’m Hope’s mom.”
Katrina smiled, and instead of taking Kelly’s outstretched hand, she put her hand over her heart and bowed at the waist.
Hope’s eyebrows shot up. “You can see her, Mom?”
Kelly gave her daughter a mischievous smile. “Of course I can.”
“It is a great honor to meet you, Mrs. Luce,” Katrina said.
Hope looked back and forth between Kelly and Katrina. “You know my mom?” she squeaked.
Katrina looked down at Hope with affection. “Everyone in my world knows your mother, Hope. She is very famous.”
Hope’s mouth formed into an
O
, and she looked up at Kelly. “Really?” she whispered.
Katrina nodded. “She saved our whole world once. None of us would exist without her. She is legendary.”
Kelly felt her cheeks turn pink. Okay, so the cat-lady was all right.
“Wow,” Hope murmured. She stared up at Kelly with wonder. “That is so cool, Mom.”
Kelly grinned and touched her daughter’s head affectionately. “One day, when you’re a little older, I’ll let you read all about it in my books.”
Hope’s face lit up. “Okay!”
Kelly smiled up at Katrina. “All right, you two have fun now.” She turned and felt pride fill her as Katrina bowed again. She closed Hope’s door and sighed, shaking her head.
“Beloved, what are you doing away from your computer?” Garren teased.
Kelly looked over at him. He leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe at the end of the hall, holding a steaming cup of coffee. She rolled her eyes in bliss. “Oh, you are a god!” she exclaimed. She took the coffee from him, leaned into him, and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Garren grinned and fingered one of her red pigtails. “The hairdo of the working woman.”
She giggled. “Least I’m out of my PJ’s.”
He glanced down at her. “And in sweat pants. Yes, that is a marked improvement.”
She gave a playful scowl and smacked him on the chest halfheartedly.
He chuckled. “I was going to go get some hoagies for lunch. You want anything?”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Garren. You’ve been eating hoagies for lunch every single day for eight years. Why not deviate?”
He shrugged. “Why mess with a good thing?”
She sighed and shook her head. Some things never changed. And she was grateful for that.
“What’s Hope up to?”
Kelly sipped her coffee and snuggled into her husband’s arms. “Playing with a giant cat-woman.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Cat-woman?”
Kelly nodded. “Named Katrina. She seemed nice.”
Garren shrugged. “The cat people are decent enough. It’s the shark people you have to worry about. I don’t know. There’s just something fishy about them.”
She rolled her eyes up to his, and his grin was silly and boyish. “Ugh.” She sighed. “You have been hanging out with Chad entirely too much.”
He chuckled. “So, now that Hope has a Creative Realm friend of her own, when are we going to tell her that her father used to be imaginary and that all of his friends are invisible?”
Laughter bubbled up inside of her. “When she’s a little older and knows not to tell her human friends. We don’t need them thinking she’s insane this early in life. It’ll come soon enough anyway.”
Garren moved away from the doorframe and pulled Kelly into the living room. “We ever going to tell her about these?” He slowly unfurled his gorgeous wings. “Or do you plan on keeping those all to yourself?” He flashed her a wicked smile.
She grinned and set her coffee down. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, fitting her body perfectly against his. “Mmm, I don’t know. I like having them be my secret fantasy.”
His laughter was warm and beautiful. He enfolded her in his arms and smiled down at her. “We have a strange life, little one.”
She nodded and rested her head against his chest. She sighed. “It’s perfect.”
“You think?”
She looked up at him and nodded.
He ran one finger down her jawline. “Why do you say so?”
She grinned. “Because.”
“Because why?”
She raised herself on her toes and kissed his sinful lips. “Because it’s magic.”
The End
About the Author
If someone were to ask me what I am, it could be summed up in one, simple word: Dreamer. Ever since I was a small child my imagination has run wild. I have been telling stories for as long as I can remember, creating grand worlds in my head and going on adventures that were invisible to others around me. Am I eccentric? Yes. Am I proud of that? Absolutely.
I write about the things that inspire me, both in this world and in realms only seen with the imagination. My heroines are sassy and strong. My heroes are sometimes shy. I have an obsession with music (and musicians) and a fascination with wings. I believe true love does exist, and sometimes it is found in the strangest, most unexpected places. I also believe that family and close friends are the glue that hold people together.
Above all things, I believe in being true to yourself and seizing the day. Life is an amazing gift. Make your experience as beautiful as you possibly can.
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