Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1)
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Authors: John Corwin
Tags: #magic, #vampires, #paranormal romance, #overworld, #Paranormal, #Romance, #Fantasy, #action
Possessed by You
An Overworld Novel
John Corwin
Copyright © 2015 by John Corwin.
Digital eBook Edition.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
LICENSE NOTES
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Table of Contents
Possessed By You (Overworld Underground, #1)
To my wonderful support group:
Alana Rock
Karen Stansbury
My amazing editors:
Annetta Ribken
Jennifer Wingard
My awesome cover artist:
Regina Wamba
Thanks so much for all your help and input!
Books by John Corwin:
The Overworld Chronicles:
Overworld Underground:
Possessed By You
Overworld Arcanum:
Conrad Edison and the Living Curse
Stand Alone Novels:
No Darker Fate
The Next Thing I Knew
Outsourced
Seventh
WHAT YOU SEE IS A LIE
"As I walked further into the alley, a chill that had nothing to do with the night air crystalized like frost beneath my skin. Isabel was kind of tall for a girl, but there was no mistaking Stephen's taller frame. I grabbed Izzy's arm and jerked her into the light. She slumped to the ground sideways, her dark hair spilling across the alley floor.
The other figure stepped into the dim light. Stephen smiled, and licked blood from his lips."
Emily Glass thought a move to Atlanta was just what she needed to jump start a new life. But after her roommate and best friend is attacked by a man with superhuman strength, she discovers an underworld to Atlanta she never expected.
Recruited by a strange organization with an enigmatic agenda to help apprehend the attacker, she soon finds herself doing strange side jobs for them. To make things more complicated, the boss at her day job expresses romantic interest. Despite her misgivings, she finds him irresistible and senses that, like Atlanta, there may be a lot more to the man than what she sees on the surface.
Unfortunately, there are secret organizations that know his true nature and will stop at nothing to capture him and destroy everything they have.
Chapter 1
My first night out in a new city, and I already had a stalker.
"Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?" Isabel asked, looking back the way I had.
"The guy from Sutra is following us."
"The really cute one?" She stopped and started to turn toward our follower.
I gripped her arm. "What are you doing?"
A confused look spread over her face. "Well, I was going to have a talk with him, but I don't see him."
She was right, I realized when I took a quick glance back. Aside from a couple of drunk girls wearing ridiculously short skirts and a scattering of other people, I didn't see Mr. Cute-n-Creepy. "Huh," I said. "Weird. I totally could have sworn—"
"You need to loosen up, girl! Drink more," Isabel said in a stern voice. She hooked her arm through mine and dragged me into Gronsky's Pub. "This is my fave place, and it's my duty as your sister to introduce you to one of the seven wonders of Atlanta."
I gave the establishment a dubious look. A large oak door garnished with countless bottle caps sat in the façade of a brick building with dirty windows. It looked like an old, abandoned warehouse. Compared to the other nightclubs on the strip, it seemed terribly out of place. "This establishment looks a bit dodgy. Why don't we go to Floppers instead?" I looked further down the street and saw a happy crowd of well-to-do people our age laughing and chatting on the balcony of the other club.
Isabel sighed. "It's too crowded. Besides, I want to catch up with my little sis, not yell over all the noise."
Technically, Isabel and I weren't related. She just took the whole sorority sisters thing way too seriously. Despite her stuck-up attitude toward those without a Kappa Beta Gamma pedigree, and her obsession with buying purses that cost more than my car, we'd become as close as sisters during high school and been flat mates at university.
"Isn't this place a little poor for your tastes?" I said as she pulled me through the door.
She laughed. "I think you'll be surprised."
And I was. The lacquered floors, tasteful art, and rustic design of the interior stood in direct contradiction to the grimy outside. They even had purse hooks at the bar. "Okay, so it's kinda nice," I said, trying not to give her too much satisfaction.
The grin on her face told me I'd failed.
We took the last two seats at the bar. Most of the tables teemed with happy drinking people. I wanted to be happy like them, really I did. Maybe it
was
time to cut loose.
"Please tell me you're not brooding again," Isabel said. She raised a hand and got the bartender's attention.
"What can I get for ya, Izzy?" He flashed a smile at her and reserved a nod for me.
"Alex, this is Emily. We went to school together."
He held out a hand, his grin revealing nice white teeth. "Great to meet you."
I could always appreciate someone with proper dental hygiene. I took his hand. He gave mine a wimpy little squeeze, as if he was afraid he'd hurt me or something. I gripped his hand tight and smiled at the slight widening of his eyes which told me he'd felt it.
"Pleased to meet you as well," I said.
He reclaimed his hand. "What kind of accent is that you have? Australian?"
Isabel leaned forward. "No, she's British. Isn't it just the neatest?"
"Oh bloody—" I stopped myself before finishing that very British statement. "Might I have a martini?"
"Make that two strawberry martinis, double vodka," Isabel said. "My girl just moved here, and we're celebrating."
"Sweet," Alex said. "Coming right up." He moved back down the bar to start on our drinks.
"Alex is great," Isabel said. "Me and some of the other girls come here a lot after work. We're getting together next week for Angela's birthday—oh, you're going to love Angela. She's Kappa Beta too, but from UGA, and she has great connections." She took in a breath. "Candy and Michelle are awesome too. Oh my God, you're going to love everyone, I just know it." She squeezed me in a hug. "I'm so glad you decided to move in with me! It'll be just like the old days."
"Yes, it'll be wonderful," I said, a headache already working its way down my forehead.
"Here you go, ladies." Alex set down our drinks.
"You are so fast," Isabel said, giving Alex a smile I'd seen before. A smile I knew all too well.
"No way," I said, after he'd moved on to help other patrons. "You slept with him?"
Isabel's eyes went wide. "How—oh God, Em, how did you—wait, it was the smile right? I did it again?"
"That and the dreamy look in your eyes." I repressed a sigh, thinking back to the one thing about Izzy that drove me crazy during our time as roommates. "Please tell me you've cut back on the men."
"I totally did, scout's honor and everything!" She held up her pinky finger and wiggled it.
I laughed. "Scout's honor, eh?" I sensed a slight chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. It was as if something reached through my skin and brushed against my very soul. A familiar face caught my eye and I froze. Light blue eyes stared back at me. With thick black hair hanging to his shoulders and pale but flawless skin, the guy was definitely cute despite the long sideburns. Okay, I had to admit he was gorgeous. He wore a black sport coat with expensive designer jeans and a blue oxford shirt, which showed he knew how to dress.
But none of that mattered. It was the same guy from Sutra. The same guy I felt certain had followed us here, because he looked too made up to be in this place. Granted, Isabel was wearing a nice dress, while I'd tossed on jeans, a T-shirt, and a nice sweater, so perhaps it was my dress code that wasn't quite up to snuff.
"It's him," Isabel said with a longing sigh. She turned to me and squealed. "I think he likes you!"
"He's creepy," I said, averting my eyes from the guy, and back to my drink. I took a long gulp, almost coughing it back out again. "Ugh, did you really have to ask for double vodka?" The cold sensation grew stronger, radiating against my back.
"Hello again," said a deep masculine voice behind us.
I jumped, nearly spilling my martini.
"Why hello you," Isabel said, one of her hands unconsciously brushing her long dark hair.
I turned and glared at the intruder. "Look, I'm really just catching up with my friend. Do you mind?"
Isabel's shoulders slumped a fraction, but she picked up on my girl code. "Maybe another time?"
The man smiled, revealing perfect rows of white teeth. "I never got the chance to introduce myself. I'm Stephen."
He had a strange accent, I noticed, though not a foreign one. More like his English was rusty or something. The coldness emanating from him made me want to shiver. It was a very strange vibe, one I'd felt when we'd encountered him earlier at Sutra. Only now was I beginning to realize it was something more than just a typical bad feeling about someone.
"I'm Isabel," my friend said, holding out her hand.
"That's great, Stephen." I pulled Isabel's outstretched hand down. "Now please, will you excuse us?"
Instead, he leaned toward me. His blue eyes seemed to darken. "We should get out of here," he said. His pupils dilated wide, and seemed to be trying to suck me into their depths. It seemed as though his voice echoed ever so slightly in my mind.