"And you're only telling me about this now?"Becca looked fit to be tied as they stood outside the diner while Rachel was on her break.
Business was indeed slow. For the entire morning, they'd served three customers and the heaviness in her heart, at the prospect of possibly losing her job, just added to all the stress she was under. And now this.
"Becca, come on. You know as well as I do, that spirits aren’t always the most reliable source of information. And if there was indeed a Sister Evangeline, bent on coming after me, why hasn't she?"
Becca scoffed, pouting and twirling her dark curls. A habit from childhood she never quite shook.
"We also know, that when they issue dire warnings, sometimes they come true. Have you been back to the asylum again?"
"No, "Rachel answered, averting her eyes. "I haven't had the time. "
Which was a complete lie of course. Now that her work schedule
Rachel pulled her white sweater over her head, casting a quick glance at the clock. Just before eight and the night was already pitch dark. She really didn't feel like going up to the asylum, not after the way Galen called her out earlier, but for the sake of the little boy, she knew she had no choice.This was what she did, what she had been doing for most of her life. Helping those in need to find peace and that little boy was definitely due for some. Whoever this Sister Evangeline was, she had to find a way to stop her, before she hurt her or anyone else. And to do that, she would have to risk running into her wolf.My wolf, what a joke, she chided herself. As if he'd declared his undying love and not merely flirted with her.It was jarring, the way he crawled under her skin. It wasn't just that he was so damned sexy, but also the gentle way he had about him. A quiet strength, the outcome of a fragile and perhap
Rachel walked up the steps, leading to the asylum's front door. The screams were so much louder now. She walked through the door, people rushed past her, a nurse and a doctor. They were running toward the room opposite the nurse's station on the ground floor. Another piercing scream disturbed the silence and Rachel turned toward the room, opening the door when she reached it."Just one more push. . . that's right Allison. . . just one more!"she heard the doctor say. She looked toward the bed, at the young girl, no more than fourteen, with her legs raised, her face a mask of pain and terror."Such is the price of sin and a whore's ways. "Rachel searched the room, to see where the voice was coming from. Behind the door,a nun, her voice stern and authoritative.With an almighty scream, the girl pushed one last time and the sound of a baby, its f
In a flash she was against him. He pinned her arms behind her back, the firm yet gentle grip of his hands causing her breath to catch in her throat. She was pressed against him, feeling every delicious inch of his body against hers. He bent his head down, inhaling the scent of her hair, his lips gently nibbling on her ear.Rachel found herself quivering inside as she inhaled his freshly showered scent while his lips trailed wanton fire down her neck. She heard his raspy intake of breath as his eyes met hers. There was no turning back from this moment."I'd rather be cuffing you to my bed,"he said huskily. "But only of your own free will."His mouth came down on hers, the gentle pressure of his kiss opening her lips, allowing his tongue to probe her mouth in fast, snake like movements. She leaned in, until it seemed their bodies were one, surrendering to his kiss. Slowly, achingly, he pulled away from her, releasing her a
Her flashlight cast a solitary glow in the darkness as she pushed open the front door to the asylum. Everything was quiet and literally not a soul was in sight. The nurses' station, the one she'd seen in her vision, stood as a grim reminder of the past. How long had the asylum been out of commission?For as long as she could remember, at least.As teenagers, her mother brought her and Becca up here, countless times to hone their craft. Both of them had crossed over their first spirits in this very building, under Liz Banning's watchful eye.Her mother told them back then, that the asylum was not merely used for the mentally disturbed, but at times for the homeless and destitute as well, specifically orphans. Perhaps the souls of those very orphans were the ones being used by Sister Evangeline, in her quest to return to this reality.But why would she want to do that?What kept her restless spirit bound to
"Rachel?"For a moment, Galen felt alarmed. Perhaps she'd fled after their tryst, but then he noticed her purse and cellphone were still on the nightstand. He breathed deeply in relief. She didn't buck and run. Which could mean only one thing. This was more than a one-night stand and she felt the same way about him, as he did about her.He sat up in bed, looking around the cabin. She must have gone up to the asylum. Crossing over the dead was her thing, as being a shifter was his.Galen smiled in the darkness, reliving their encounter in his mind. Of all the women he'd known in his life, none of them affected him as much as Rachel. The sheets were still drenched with the evidence of their passion, but it was so much more than sex. Something about her, brought out a side of him he never knew he had. He would gladly give up his life to protect her and it would all be worthwhile. This must be how Jax felt about M
Two males, one female. The air of hostility surrounding them, was suffocating. They were here to fight, circling all his ways of escape. Female center, the two males angling towards the edges of the porch. All three were grey, with the same distinct black markings on their muzzles. Siblings, no less. Galen centered his concentration as the female shifted into her human form, his muscles tense with the urgency to shift. He could feel his incisors lengthening and his spinal cord straining against his flesh. His every instinct was to attack, before being attacked.The girl before him now, couldn't have been more than twenty. She observed him at an angle, in a crouching position, ready to shift if need be. Her body was covered in tattoos, or as Gustav would have said, her tramp stamps, Galen reflected grimly."What do you want?"Galen asked, his gaze darting towards the snarling wolves on either side of him. They were
When Galen saw the two grey blurs, suddenly coming from either side, he leapt forward at such a speed that he knocked Nora to the ground. In one swift roll, his wolf was free. As the first grey wolf pounced, Galen jumped, aiming for its throat. He caught it, tasting blood as his opponent gave a silent whimper as his life left his body.The golden-brown wolf was in a fury as the second wolf pounced, knocking him down. From the corner of his eye, Galen saw the girl shift into her wolf as her brother's teeth ripped into his flesh. He howled, realising he had the size advantage, drawing strength from his core.Turning his neck at an angle, Galen grabbed a hold of the smaller wolf's front paw, his vice like jaws, biting down until he felt bone crush in his mouth. With a savage growl, Galen was on all fours as the wolf lay next to him, yelping in agony. Before he could finish his opponent, Nora came like a flash, snapping and snarling, throwin
"No!"The piercing scream, from the dark spectre of Sister Evangeline, caused Rachel to sink down against the door, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. Never had she known such fear in the presence of the dead. Is this how she would die?At the hands of darkness, seeking to destroy her?Her head spun, feeling the evil emanating from the spirit before her.Her throat felt constricted, dear God, where was Galen?And then she heard it, an almighty growl coming from the other side of the door. She closed her eyes, sliding away from it, when she heard him, throwing his weight against it.Looking up, she saw Sister Evangeline rising from the rocking chair."We shall meet again, Rachel,and when we do,you won’t be so lucky,"she said ominously, before vanishing, leaving no trace that she'd been there.The wooden door shattered as Galen came through it. Rachel