Linked (15 page)
Authors: Hope Welsh
Tags: #good vs evil, #romance, #contemmporary, #romantic suspense, #occult, #ghost, #paranormal, #prophecy
The Evil One watched from outside
the window of the small blue house. They believed him dead. His fury at being
bested by a shifter and a human would not be diminished until he’d destroyed
them all.
This time, he wouldn’t be held
for thousands of years. This time, he’d be free very soon. When the child was born,
he would be free. For now, it took all his abilities just to watch them. It
infuriated him that they had won the battle. Of course, they didn’t realize he
was not defeated. Why could the humans not understand that he would never be
destroyed? They would learn, though.
He’d made a small miscalculation
when he’d battled with them before. Next time, he would be ready. He’d bide his
time and regain his strength. When next they met again, he would show no mercy.
All of humankind would bow before him. He would once more take his rightful
place.
CHAPTER ONE
She was going to die. Kari Davis
knew it as well as she knew her name.
Less than an hour ago, she’d been
terrified that she would be killed—now, it appeared Mother Nature was calling
dibs. What did it matter? Dead was dead. At least the storm wouldn’t go out if
its way to make sure her death was as painful as possible.
A light snow had turned into a
whiteout. Visibility was nearly non-existent. She couldn’t tell for sure that
she was even on the road. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that
her knuckles were cramping.
“Calm down,” she muttered. The
last twenty-four hours had been a living nightmare—she hadn’t thought things
could get any worse, but of course, they had. The snow had begun slowly, and
then built gradually. The radio was warning motorists to stay off the roads.
If only she could. Pulling over
wasn’t an option. Not if she wanted to live. She tried to relax her death grip
on the steering wheel.
Before she could take her next
breath, the car started careening out of control. Immediately she took her foot
off the gas pedal, instinctively remembering her driver’s education course from
years before.
She felt herself spinning and
released an involuntary scream. She couldn’t see anything but white. She didn’t
know how to drive in this kind of weather. All she could do is hold on. Was she
supposed to put on the brakes? Straighten the wheel? God, help me, she thought
wildly. She just couldn’t remember.
As if in answer to her prayer,
the car began to slow, then finally came to a halt. Her hands were shaking
badly as she relaxed her grip on the wheel. What was she supposed to do now?
She didn’t know if she was headed in the same direction or not. For that
matter, she didn’t even know if she was still on the road or if she’d ended up
on the side of the road.
It wasn’t until then that she
realized the car had died. She turned the key in the ignition, but it wouldn’t
start. She pumped the gas and tried again. Nothing. “Damn it!”
Here she sat, in the middle of
nowhere with a dead car and the blizzard from hell blowing outside. There was
no one to call; by now, Derrick would have convinced everyone that she was
crazy—or worse, a murderer. She had no idea who she could trust, so had just
run—into the worst storm in Oklahoma history, apparently.
Her eyes burned as she considered
her situation. Dead car. Middle of the night. Storm of the century. With a
muttered curse, she tried once more to start the car. Still nothing. There was
nothing she could do.
Her eye caught on the book lying
on the seat next to her. With an almost hysterical laugh, she picked it up. At
least I won’t be bored, she thought wildly, and tossed the book aside.
Kari considered getting out of
the car and trying to walk—but didn’t—at least not yet. She’d read somewhere
that you were supposed to stay with a stranded vehicle. Right now, though, she
wanted away.
Would she rather freeze in a car
or let Derrick and his henchmen find her? What did it matter? she thought yet
again. At least with the cold, she’d just fall asleep. She had little doubt
that if Derrick got a hold of her that her death would be far different. She
shivered, both from cold and from reaction. There was nothing she could do. If
a car didn’t come along soon—she’d freeze before Derrick had a chance to find
her.
She didn’t have any clue at all
where she was. Somewhere between Oklahoma City and Shawnee. Now, though, she
didn’t even know which direction was which.
Cautiously, she opened the door
and stepped out of the car. It was too dark to see anything much, but at least
it looked like the car was on the edge of the road. At least some poor soul
wouldn’t plow into her car. Freezing, she climbed back into the car.
Damn
it! Just a little luck would be nice. Someone will stop. Someone safe.
She wanted to live! Not that it
mattered one iota what she wanted.
She’d run from Derrick as fast
and as far as she could—only to put herself more at risk.
It wasn’t supposed to snow like
this here! She was sitting on some road in the middle of central Oklahoma. She cursed her own stupidity for getting off the freeway. At least there, someone
would have spotted her—even just a cop doing patrols.
But here, no one would find her.
She hadn’t seen one car the entire time she’d been on the road—and that had
been when she could see the road. Now, she had no certain idea where the road
even was. With a tired sigh, she leaned back and closed her eyes. At least she
had a flashlight, and wasn’t in total darkness. She guessed that was some small
consolation. Part of her wanted to grab the hammer in the backseat and bash
something, but of course, she didn’t do that. As it was, she was freezing. As
satisfying as breaking a window might be, it would also make her freeze a lot
quicker. Suddenly, she was tired. Just a little sleep. She’d been running on
adrenaline for hours. It had easily been twenty-four hours since she’d slept.
She’d sleep a few hours until
morning. Maybe someone would come by once the sun was out. Surely at least some
road crews would be out trying to clear the major roads.
With that thought, she remembered
she’d avoided the major roads. She wasn’t anywhere near a major road right now.
That likely had as much to do with her not seeing another car for hours as the
storm did.
Someone had to live around here
somewhere—but even as she had the thought, she couldn’t stop the pessimistic
thought that she wouldn’t be waking up. Even with her coat on, she was already
freezing. Her hands felt like blocks of ice. The radio had said the temperature
was in the single digits. She was more than sure the chill factor was much
colder than that. Maybe if she layered her clothes? Would it matter? Probably
not, she decided gloomily. She’d be likely frozen by morning.
I’ve always been addicted to
stories with a happy ending. Whether I’m writing fantasy, romantic suspense,
paranormal or urban fantasy, my books will always have that Happily Ever After.
I’ve been writing as long as I
can remember. I wrote my first play in the third grade. My school put it on at
Christmas time. I was furious with my sister for getting married that night. I
missed my own play.
Over the course of time, I’ve
worked in several careers. I was a police officer, an EMT, and a teacher. I
even worked as a journalist/photographer for a small-town newspaper. I’ve lived
all over the US and Canada. I’m a born wanderer. When I can’t travel in real
life, I travel in my books. I hope you enjoy the trip.
My website has links to my other
book that’s currently out. More to come. You can also reach me at any of the
below locations:
Twitter
@hopewelsh
Current Releases
Forbidden
& Once Bitten: An Anthology
Coming Soon
Holding The Link (Prophecy Book Two)