THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) (2 page)

ONE

“It’s been
weeks. She should be awake by now.”

“She’s
repairing herself. A wound like that is no easy thing.”

“But she’s
immortal! How long does it take for one of you to heal? My God, Lucian, you
should be shot!”

“Ah, now
we are getting somewhere! Anyone possess a firearm?”

“Shut up,
Seth! You’re not helping anything.”

“Thank
you, Ann.”

“Screw
you, Lucian! Honestly, you
should
be shot, after all, this whole thing
is
your fault!”

“Yes it
is, and I am curious, Lucian. When you sent the magic into my beloved, did you
mean to blow out the back of her skull? Lucky for you, you stupid bastard, she
is hard to kill.”

“Let it
go. I swear, reminding me every single chance you get is making you sound like
a senile, old man. Oh,
wait
, how old are you again?”

“You wish
to fight? I would love to suck you dry, but ‘idiot’ always upsets my stomach.”

“Come at
me again, you son of a bitch, and I swear I’ll make you bleed for a second time.”

“You never
touched me. Stop trying to take credit for a wound you had nothing to do with.
Concentrate on taking credit for hurting Grace. At least at that you were
successful.”

“Fuck you,
Seth! You know I never wanted to hurt her!
God
, people, you have to
understand that I didn’t know it was her.”

“It is the
only reason you still live. You may be immortal now, but imagine how fun it
will be to exist without your limbs?”

“Die off,
hybrid.
I’m only sorry it wasn’t
you
walking through that door.”

“Hybrid?
Oh, aren’t we the pot calling the kettle black? And I must say, if it was me
walking through that door, your sad attempt at attack would have been useless
with my teeth in your neck.”

“None of
this is helping, my friends.”

“Nothing
is helping! Fat lot of good your healing has done. Why isn’t she better yet?”

“Calm
yourself, Jamie. She will be well. She is strong.”

“You don’t
know that for sure,
none
of you do.”

“Oh, sweet
girl, I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t say that at all.”

That
voice. It’s always whispering, always comforting me. The others are nothing.
Just painful sounds. But
he
is near. Outside of my mind, his voice is much deeper,
yet no less soothing. I want to see but I’m too afraid to open my eyes. I try
to squint. The light hurts, makes my stomach roll. I want to vomit.  

“This can’t
continue. We have to try to heal her again. Please, Gavyn, one more time?”

“She isn’t
responding, Ann. Just give it time.”

“
Fuck
time, Gavyn. Don’t you understand that I have a life waiting at home? A child! We
have to try to do more to bring her out of this. I can’t watch my best friend
day after day while my child sits in another realm. If I leave one, the other
suffers. This cannot continue. And look at you two. Seth? Lucian? You’re both
Madea now, how come you’re not using your magic to snap her out of this? God,
you all are so fucking
useless
!”

“Ann, my
love. Our baby is in wonderful hands.”

“They’re
not
my
hands, Tobias. You can’t say you feel alright about this. Grace
should come back with us. The only one helping is Gavyn, anyway! She would
recover much faster with us.”

“She is
staying put!”

“You have
no
say, Seth!”

“It
distresses me to threaten you, but
try
me.”

“Please!”
I forced the air from my lungs with all of my strength. My head was pounding to
the beat of my heart. “If the pain doesn’t kill me, the noise in this room
will.” With all of my efforts, my voice was nothing more than a whisper. The
light sliced into my head as the voices around me ceased.

The pounding
increased as I slowly moved to sit up. I looked up and froze at the picture in front
of me. So many faces and not one of them spoke.

Where am
I?

“Oh my
God, Gracie, you’re awake!” I was engulfed in slender arms. Tears soaked me as
she squeezed. She was crying and sniffing and mumbling something into my hair.
I stiffened my limbs as she gripped tighter. She smelled like the outdoors. Her
skin was warm and soft as she pulled away, her hair stuck to her cheek from
pressing her tear-streaked face to mine. I wiped my face where hers had been.

“O… kay…?”
I lowered my brows in confusion.

“Gracie,
I’m so happy you’re alright! God, we’ve been so worried about you. It was
terrible, you looked dead!” Her face fell as her eyes met mine and her hand
flew up to grip her chest. “What’s wrong?”

My stomach
swirled as I watched her mouth move, she sucked in some air, obviously
preparing to barrel on with her chatter.

What’s
happening?

I felt
dizzy and hot all at once.

“Please,
just stop,” I begged, scooting back.

I braced
my hands on the mattress and adjusted. Dizziness rolled through my head and I
closed my eyes and tried to slowly breathe away the nausea. I could feel the
woman’s heat, she was too close. I shifted to put some distance between us. She
was a wreck, and as sweet as her concern was, I really just wanted her to go
away.

I looked
at the room through squinted eyes. Silent faces gazed. Alarm gripped me. Silver-colored
eyes shone in the light of the room. Sparkling, bronze orbs glinted through
dark lashes. Yellow hair, impossibly long, flowed from the head of a man so
breathtakingly beautiful, I wanted to weep. I gripped the sheet in my fists as
panic chilled my blood to ice. More faces, too unreal to be called human,
crowded the room.

 I
scrambled off the bed, instantly the floor began to dance under my feet.

“
What
are you people?” I gasped and clung desperately onto the bedpost.

“What the
hell did you do, Lucian?” a small blonde woman shouted, and I flinched and took
a small step backward.

“Grace,
please tell us you jest.”

My stomach
spun into knots at the sound of that name. I knew they were addressing me,
but
I didn’t know that name
.

Fear
squeezed my lungs as the room burst into chaos. I stepped back. Eyes followed
me as if I were some damaged child they all feared for. I gazed at their faces.

Fear.

Concern.

Guilt
!

It was all
there.

Something
was seriously wrong. Where the fuck was I? I looked at my trembling hands. They
were slender and whiter than the gown I wore. I glanced up again, frowning as
everyone spoke at once.

My eyes
moved to the corner of the room.

One man
stood apart. His face was different. He didn’t show alarm, or concern, or any
shards of guilt. His lips smiled. A small smile. One of amusement not fear. As
if my confusion and distress were entertaining and of no real concern. But his
eyes, they told another story, and I found myself stepping away as I glimpsed
the intent in his gaze.

As golden
and light as his perfection shone, I sensed an unfathomable darkness in him.

“Stay
away.” I held out my hand and took another small step back. I was trapped.

Run.
They’ll stop you. Lock you up.

I spun, my
stomach lurching as
his
voice rang in my head. The crowd slowly closed
in. I was being flanked. They neared me in slow, almost unperceivable steps. They
muttered to each other as if I was deaf.

I was
losing my mind. Nothing made sense as my sanity warred with my reason.

There’s
no time. You have to get away. Run!

Sharp pain
sliced through my skull and I reached up, fisting my hands in my hair. My
fingers tangled around a rough cloth and I yanked it off, wincing as it dragged
across my scalp.

They were
monsters.

Yes,
they want to hurt you. They did this to you. You must go!

A chill
raced across my skin. Fear begged them to stop. I had to get out of here,
now!
As soon as the thought formed, their movements stopped. They were frozen
where they stood. I straightened, stunned.

Oh, God! I
stumbled backward, reaching blindly for the door as the macabre scene in front
of me stood frozen in time. I held my breath, fear and shock stuck in my throat,
blocking the scream that wanted to escape. What the fuck had happened?

Get me
out of here!

TWO

The cold
sliced through my skin, sticking its icy blades deep into my bones. The gown I
wore was so thin, I might as well have been naked. I stood, trembling, by the
fast-moving river. I was lost. Panic sought to take over, but I forced my mind
to calm. I needed to think. I had no idea who or where I was.

I looked
around.

How the
hell did I get here?

I stared
at the river, trying in vain to remember something,
anything,
about
myself. Nothing was coming to me.

A voice
spun me around. A man was there, his face was covered with a thick, filthy
beard. He shivered as he snuggled his dog closer to his chest. He struggled to
pull the thin jacket he wore further across the scrawny animal’s body.

His eyes
met mine. Overwhelming sadness struck me so hard that I staggered back. I froze
in confusion. It was impossible, I
felt
his emotions. I shivered and
took another step back. How was this happening?

My vision
blurred as my eyes filled with tears. I looked around at the narrow shoreline.
The water pulled at glassy shards of ice, sliding them off of thin twigs as it
flowed past us to bubble over large rocks. Trash and weeds swept by, pulled
away from the bank by the current. The water looked deep, no doubt fueled by
the melting ice. The thin line of trees did nothing to hide the bustling
streets around us.

Great
, I thought,
this
river flows smack dab in the middle of a busy city.

I looked
back at the homeless man. He was fluffing newspapers, trying to make a bed for
his poor dog. I jerked, suddenly angry. Surviving on a frozen riverbank was no
way for a human to exist.

My fingers
were going numb from the cold, and I blew into my cupped hands. Leaning against
a thick tree, I closed my eyes and tried to sort out what was stumbling blindly
around in my head. I blew out another breath and tried to center myself.

I had so
many questions and no answers. Who was I? What was happening? I felt like I was
walking in some kind of disjointed dream. I shivered again, my mind drifted as
I fought the cold.

I blinked my
eyes as they watered and gazed back at the man. He was lying too close to the
flowing water, as if rolling into the turbulent river was of no more concern
than living his days on the shore.

I watched
him for a long time and then something strange happened. My eyes felt tired and
my vision blurred. As I focused, I somehow saw him in another life. He was once
a successful business owner. Construction. It fell on hard times and closed. He
lost everything including his young wife. She wasn’t a good person. No
children. No family. His friends were never real. His house was taken, his car
a short time after. No one would hire him.

If only…

Emotions
and confusion overwhelmed me. So many people had deserted him, left him to die
alone in the cold.

My
breathing hitched up and I was suddenly angry. But it was more than that. It
was like I felt responsible for his future because he was so punished in the
past. I clenched my fists. What the hell could I do?

The wind
kicked up, I felt my hair lift and dance in the breeze. It flipped into the air
in wild tangles and I spun, wrapping my hands around my head in an effort to
calm my wild tresses.

A loud cry
roared out and I froze.

The man
was standing up. He wore different clothes. His beard was gone. His dog barked
at me, pulling on the leather leash now gripped in the man’s hand.

My jaw
went slack with shock. I took a deep breath as the man reached into his pocket.
Howling, he pulled out a leather wallet and shrieked, “It’s back!”

I jumped.
Gripping my gown I stumbled backward as the man and his dog took off at a run.
Dodging the trees, they slowly fled from my sight.

What
just happened?

A frozen tear
ran along my cheek and I wiped it away and sniffed. I scanned the area again,
but there were no signs of him. I moved away in a daze. Something supernatural
had just happened to him and I was terrified that I had done it. I had no idea
how.

My feet
made heavy, crunching sounds as the thick soles of my boots champed into the
ice. The air was crisp and I pulled it in through my nose, letting it chill my
throat and numb my mind. My hands snuggled deeper into my pockets as I moved
further from the river, closer to the busy streets.

Grace?

I jerked
and skittered to the side of the road. What the hell? I closed my eyes and
tried to calm my nerves.

Where
are you, Grace?

I covered
my mouth, my body trembling.

“Who are
you?” I whispered as my limbs stiffened. I didn’t know this voice. I moved
close to one of the storefronts, out of the way of the passers-by. The windows
caught the last of the fading light, illuminating my reflection. My head swam
with what I had seen, what I had done.

“Please?”
I mumbled, looking around in horror. Then my reflection registered, and I knew
something was horribly wrong. Warm clothing covered me from head to toe and I
hadn’t even noticed. I was losing my mind. I threw my hands up to cover my
mouth, afraid to scream and draw attention.

Grace.
Please?

What do
you want?
I
let the thought escape and sucked in my breath.

Grace!  
The voice screamed into
my head.
You must listen, please! Come back to us. Lower your shields, we
can’t find you!

Oh my God,
I was insane! I felt the back of my head, it was still slightly tender and I
huddled into myself. I had suffered some sort of an injury, but what else was
wrong with me? I had to get off of the street.

I looked
at the people passing by. They had no interest in me. I was just another face
in the crowd. I needed a place to stay. I had to sleep.

The sun had
almost completely set as I walked down the crowded sidewalk. A large tour bus
pulled up beside one of the casinos and I ran to catch up. I had to get a room
and blending in with a large crowd of people seemed my best bet. Men and women
began to pile out of the bus. They were mostly seniors, all wearing matching
ball caps. I watched them closely as they collected their belongings and milled
around chatting. Once their luggage was unloaded, they slowly began to move
into the casino’s hotel lobby. I held my breath and watched as the last few
tourists entered.

I stepped
in with the last few stragglers, which gave me a chance to read the print on
their hats.
“Oldies and Goodies Senior Singles Tour.”
Wow, I felt a
little better. Striking up a conversation with one of these guys should be easy
enough. They had to be in town to have a good time and meet a few ladies. I was
young enough to be a granddaughter, but I doubted any of them would refuse a
little company. At least that was what I hoped.

I spotted
a handsome, silver-haired man holding a tiny dog. The dog was yipping and
wiggling like mad. I fluffed my hair and straightened my dress.

Oh,
God.

What the
hell? I was really wearing a dress. The blood drained from my face and the
floor danced up under my strappy, high heels. I swayed and felt my vision blur.

“Whoa,
hang on there, little lady.” Warm hands steadied my shoulders as my vision
cleared. “Let’s get you some water.” The person attached to the voice led me to
a chair and I quickly sat.

The dress
I wore was light and breezy. The heels were very thin and taller than I needed.
I leaned forward and placed my face in my hands.

Who are
you?

Who am
I?

What
am I?

What’s
happening?

How the
hell did I get inside?

Where
did your damn, yippy dog go?

Thoughts
bumped into each other as I tried to comprehend what was happening to me. I was
in different clothes
again
. Shivering, I felt my head spin. It was some
kind of magic and I was terrified. Had anyone noticed the change?
Had
I
changed? Were the warm clothes and the white gown from earlier all an illusion?

I shivered
again, my teeth clicked together as I shuddered. Fear and cold overtook me.

“Well no
wonder you’re so cold. Were you outside in that little number? You’re likely to
catch your death,” the man scolded as he shoved a glass into my hands. “Now sip
this and I’ll get a boy to take you to your room. What’s your name, little
lady? Do you have your key?”

I felt the
blood slowly return to my face as I sipped the water. It was cold, but managed
to do the trick.

“Are you
booked here, darlin’? Is your key in your bag?” he repeated, concern further
wrinkling his already wrinkled brow.

I looked
at the man and smiled. He was one of the seniors. His blue hat was folded at
the bill and stuffed into his pocket. It stuck out as he knelt before me. He
had a kind face.

I cleared
my throat and smiled. “Um, I’m sorry. Um, my name…” I pretended to cough as I
scrambled to think of a name. I didn’t want to use Grace. Not until I knew what
was going on. “Um, my name is…uh,
Alice
.”

Yes, my
name is Alice, you wouldn’t happen to be the white rabbit?
I thought as he flashed
me an uncertain smile.

“Um,” I
put my hand on my forehead. “I can’t remember if I put my key in my bag or
not.” I tried to find something to say that sounded reasonable. My hands
trembled as I opened the tiny purse that sat inexplicably at my side. Sucking
in a slow breath, I looked into the bag. Inside was a thin wallet. I closed my
eyes and fought the urge to manically scream my head off. The leather was cool
as I opened it. Cards were lined up inside in neat little pockets.

I looked
down at the tiny plastic window.
Alice White
glared out at me. Oh, God,
what in hell was happening? It was my ID? I sighed and began pulling out
several other cards. The man’s eyes widened as I pulled out an
American
Express Black
. I felt a little faint. I continued to shuffle through the
credit cards and then my hand closed on the card that would open one of the
rooms. My eyes glazed over and I felt faint again. The man latched onto my arms
and yelled for a bellman.

I watched
as if from miles away as he placed all of the cards, but my room key, into my
bag and zipped it firmly closed. He looked at me with a sad expression as he
handed the card to the bellman.

“Take Miss
Alice to her room,” he commanded in a firm voice.

The
bellman took my hand, steadying me as I stood. I felt a little more secure
leaning on the young man beside me and I gave him a smile of gratitude. He was
a very pleasant-looking man in his early twenties, and had a confidence about
him that exuded absolute safety.  I took a deep breath and looked around. The
hotel lobby was beautiful, filled with light that sparkled like tiny stars off
of the polished surfaces.

 I turned
and smiled at the elder man who came to my rescue. “Thank you so much for your
help. One more second and I would have done a face plant in the middle of the
lobby. You saved me, how can I ever thank you?”

He
chuckled. “Well, the name’s Ronald and it was my pleasure. I’m sure happy I
could be of service. You go on now and get some rest.

“Okay,” I
nodded and turned, the bellman still anchored firmly by the arm, and we entered
the elevators.

“Are you
feeling better, Mrs. White?” the bellman asked politely.

“
What
?”
Shocked, I locked eyes with him.

“You’re
feeling better? I was told you almost fainted in the lobby. The Hotel Manager
himself alerted your husband.” 

“My
husband
?”
The cool metal of the support railing chilled my palm as panic curdled in my
belly. How could I have woken up in a strange place filled with sci-fi monsters,
then suddenly appear half naked and lost on the banks of a river, only to
stumble into the very hotel that I am sharing with my
husband?

“Husband?”
I whispered, utterly bewildered. “What’s your name?” My voice shook. I felt
close to tears.

He
frowned, his eyes widened. “
Peter
, Mrs. White. I’ve been assisting you
and Mr. White for a few weeks now.”

I swayed
and he gripped my arm. “Are you gonna be alright?” His voice rose with concern.

“Of
course, Peter. I’m just a little ill.”

What could
I do? Make a run for it? What the hell would that accomplish? I was tired,
hungry and apparently bug-fuck crazy.

“Are we
almost there? I’m feeling faint again.” I needed to sit.

“Yes,
Ma’am,” he said. “Next stop is the penthouse.”

Penthouse?