by K. Aten
Also by K. Aten:
THE ARROW OF ARTEMIS SERIES
The Fletcher
The Archer
The Sagittarius
THE BLOOD RESONANCE SERIES
Running From Forever
THE MYSTERY OF THE MAKERS SERIES
The Sovereign of Psiere
OTHER TITLES
Rules of the Road
Waking the Dreamer
Burn It Down
Embracing Forever:
Book Two in the
Blood Resonance series
K. Aten
Mystic Books
by Regal Crest
Copyright © 2019 by K. Aten
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The characters, incidents and dialogue herein are fictional and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-61929-424-0
eISBN 978–1-61929-425-7
First Edition 2019
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover design by AcornGraphics
Published by:
Regal Crest Enterprises
Find us on the World Wide Web at
http://www.regalcrest.biz
Published in the United States of America
Acknowledgments
I’m sending a huge thanks to Micheala, who puts up with my excessive comma usage, bad grammar, “fatty” prose, my love of the word “just,” and last minute cleaning of house on my manuscripts. I want to thank Regal Crest Enterprises, Cathy, and Patty for putting up with my excessive questions, and for supporting me in this journey. Thanks to Kari for not reading this book (because vampires just don’t do it for me) but still encouraging me every step of the way. Lastly I want to say thank you to Ted, because even though you didn’t care for this series you still read the books and helped me bring the best novel forward with each one.
Dedication
This is the third novel I wrote after being bitten by the bug back in 2015. I wrote Embracing Forever after someone commented online that my stuff was good and I should write a sequel to show a potential publisher I had longevity with my writing. She went by the name Nicole and worked with me back and forth until the book was complete. When I faltered after comparing myself to another great writer, she reassured me that I didn’t have to be the same as my idols to also be great. It was my first experience with a beta reader and I’m so glad it was positive. Though I wasn’t convinced I could actually get published until I got a huge shove from my current beta reader, Ted.
This book is dedicated to those people who shove you, show you, and guide you when you most need it. For writers it can be a friend, a spouse, beta reader, or a random fan online. Listen to them. If they don’t give up on you then you shouldn’t give up on yourself.
“Every writer has their own gifts. It is when we go outside of ourselves and start comparing is when we do an injustice to us and the other writer. Kelly you are very talented and I believe you have a specific gift. Winter (Pennington) has hers, as I do. First take the time to learn your craft.” ~ Snl aka Nicole
Chapter One
SARAH COLBY SAT on a stool, bellied up to the kitchen counter in her sister’s house. Technically it was her house too but she didn’t consider it as such. She had only stayed with Annie for about eight months when she had returned to Columbus the previous year. During that time, Annie’s girlfriend had moved in and Sarah moved out to live with her own girlfriend. No, it wasn’t her house but it was another home to her. Sarah and her sister, Annie, had always been close, despite their ten-year age gap. But after the death of their parents eight years before, their bond changed and grew even deeper. Perhaps it was the shared tragedy they had both experienced, or because they were forced into more of a parent/child relationship, but responsibility and grief had forced Sarah into a role she neither wanted nor was prepared for. Still, she managed because there was no other option where Annie was concerned.
When Sarah left to travel the country and play her own music, it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Besides the fear of venturing out into the unknown and living off her own skill and talents, there was also the fear of leaving Annie behind. But Annie survived and so had she. The singer smiled as her sister droned on about one of the regulars at the bar she managed. They sat opposite each other at the counter with two matching glasses of milk and a half-eaten package of cookies between them. The two women had looked similar for years but when Sarah finally cut her long hair down to shoulder length like Annie’s, they looked more like fraternal twins than siblings with a large age gap between.
At first glance Sarah seemed the more striking of the two with her rare green eyes. But Annie, being all of twenty-three years old, had youth and a gorgeous smile to offset her average hazel peepers. The cookie chat was a tradition that began long before the death of their parents. Each time Sarah came home from college, they would retreat to Annie’s room to gossip about school, girls, and music. Their bond survived everything life had thrown at them, starting with their parent’s death. And right now they seemed normal, laughing and giggling at each other’s stories. Their choice to ignore the patiently begging husky at their feet was completely human, if a bit heartless. But they were not normal. The past year of their lives had shown both that not only were the monsters real, sometimes you loved them.
Duke sighed and rested his head on Annie’s thigh. Feeling sorry for the pathetic canine, she got up and got a treat from the cupboard. Sarah shook her head and smiled. “You’re going to spoil him.”
Annie scoffed. “Right. And Keller doesn’t have half a dozen different kinds of treats in the cupboard next to her wine fridge?”
Sarah laughed knowing her sister was right and continued her story. “So anyways, we had to do a lot of explaining to the instructor when I accidentally threw Keller halfway across the room.”
The younger woman looked confused. “I don’t understand, you two are ridiculously strong. Why the sudden need to take kickboxing? When did you even decide this anyway?”
Sarah hummed under her breath and tried to come up with the words to explain something that had been a deeply personal decision. She knew she could talk to Annie about anything, but it was difficult to put her emotions and feelings into words unless it was through the medium of music. With music the expression of emotions and feelings came easily to her. Sarah wasn’t just a musician because she had a knack for playing. She was a musician because deep inside her there was a melody always waiting to come out. “Well…Keller and I did a lot of talking about it actually. She pointed out that all it takes is a gunshot to the head and it’s all over. After the freak that was running down people in the community last year, we just wanted to be as prepared for stuff as possible. As for when we decided all this, it was a couple months ago.” She cocked her head to the side, eyes unfocused in thought. “Maybe sometime around the middle of January. I think it was shortly after I asked Keller to marry me.”
Duke immediately went to work when the floor was covered in a fine spray of cookie crumbs. “Holy shit! What did you just say?” Annie stared at her commitment-phobic sister in shock.
Sarah’s eyes widened, realizing she had forgotten to pass on some important news to her little sis. So she did the only thing she could think of. She played dumb. “Um, the middle of January?” Annie slugged her in the arm so she elaborated. “So yeah, I kind of asked Keller to marry me.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? And you’re just now telling me months later? God, you’re such a clam sometimes, Sarah! Seriously, I
’m your damn sister and you never told me this.” Sarah shrugged contritely so Annie questioned her further. “Why? I mean first you were afraid to move in with her, and then you were hesitant to even call her your girlfriend.” She reached over and felt Sarah’s forehead. “Okay, who are you and what did you do with my sister?”
The older Colby gently slapped her hand away. “I guess it was finally time to admit everything I had been feeling. I want to spend all my days and nights with her. And our bond—” she searched for the words. “The bond between us keeps growing with every touch and look. It’s not just that she’s in my blood, she’s in my head, heart, and soul. And I wanted to show her how much she means to me by offering her the rest of my life.” When Annie stared at her like she’d grown another head, she added, “I know I’m not normally so sappy but, eh, it’s all true.” After admitting her feelings to Annie, she waited for panic to creep in. Sarah was used to keeping her emotions held tight inside. She had to put her own feelings and dreams on hold to raise a young woman who was grieving and rebellious, and after that it just became a habit. The singer found that life was a lot easier to deal with when she didn’t let her emotions dictate her behavior. Despite all the strangeness and drama of the past year, she thought her deepening emotional bond with Nobel Keller was by far the most frightening.
Annie sat back on her stool, cookies forgotten. It was rare that Sarah would speak so freely about what she was feeling. It was almost more shocking than hearing about the engagement. “No, I mean, wow. That’s, uh—that’s a really long time.” She picked up a cookie and tried to downplay her skepticism. “Are you sure? I mean, have you set a date or anything?”
Green eyes closed across the table and Sarah blew out a breath. She searched one last time for that familiar bit of emotional reticence but didn’t find it. When Sarah opened them again they were full of surety and she smiled at the younger woman. “Absolutely. And no, we haven’t set a date. It’s not like there’s a rush now is there?”
“Hmm, good point. So do you have a ring or anything?”
Sarah scratched idly at her temple. “Well…” Seeing the expectant look on her sister’s face, she reached into the left pocket of her jeans. The sound of the ring hitting the counter was similar to that of a nickel. Then she reached into her other pocket and withdrew its twin. Annie scooped up the one on the counter and peered at it. The ring was beautiful with a band that looked like intertwined vines and a setting that appeared as if little thorns were holding the stone in place. The only difference in the platinum rings was the ring size and the color of the gemstones. The smaller one was set with a gorgeous emerald, and the larger was set with the bluest of sapphires.
The younger woman’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You carry these in your pocket?” When her sister nodded, she yelled. “Are you insane? These must have cost a fortune!”
Sarah cracked up at Annie’s indignant expression. “Well, it’s not like I’m worried about getting robbed. And I just picked them up today. They are from some company out of New York, and I had to go sign for the package at the post office.”
Annie nodded. “Oh, that makes sense. So when are you going to give Keller’s to her? Does she know you bought rings?”
The older sister laughed again and put the rings back into her pockets. Then she reached over and tugged her curious sibling’s earlobe. It was a habit from youth that she’d never given up. “I haven’t told her yet, you nosey thing! And I don’t want anyone to spill the beans to her, okay?”
Annie laughed. “Okay, I got the message loud and clear. But you better do something horribly romantic! I could help you come up with a plan if you’re out of ideas.”
“Oh, I’m sure you could. However, I feel like this is something I have to do myself.”
Annie smiled fondly at her. “Well the rings are amazing, sis, so I think you’ll do fine.”
Sarah swallowed the emotions that her sister’s approval brought up. Not for the first or millionth time, she wished her parents were still alive. So many pivotal moments in the Colby sisters’ lives had been missed. But the Colby women were well on their way to making new families of their own.
Annie picked up another cookie. “So, are there any other big announcements you need to tell me, or is that all?”
The older woman grabbed another cookie too. “Well, I spoke with the band I used to jam with way back when. I asked if they would play with me to record my newest album. They all agreed, and I already have time booked at Studio Seven. We are getting together next week to go over the songs and discuss arrangements.”
Annie raised an eyebrow. “The Standalones?” When Sarah nodded, she whistled. As the assistant manager in charge of Voodoo Pony, the live music side of The Merge, it was Annie’s job to find talented artists to fill their bi-monthly music gigs. The Sip and Chug music spotlight was still going strong after nearly a year and had gotten nothing but rave reviews. Sarah had been the first artist signed to play the series when she returned from the road the year before. Now that she’s releasing another album, Annie thought it may be time to bring her back for another gig. Instead of telling her sister that, all she said was, “Hmm…”
Sarah laughed and shoved her shoulder. “I know that look! You’re thinking now that I’m releasing another album, it may be time for me to play at The Merge again.”
The younger woman made a face. “I hate it when you know what I’m thinking. What are you doing, using your creepy mind powers?” She waggled her fingers in the air toward her sister, doing a poor imitation of a cartoon mind reader.
The singer had to take a quick swallow of her milk to avoid choking on her cookie. “Oh please, you’re an open book to me. I’ve known you since you were born, it’s not like it’s hard to figure out what your always scheming mind is thinking of.”
“Whatever! I’m just here to support you, like always. That way when you finally get picked up by a record label and hit the big time you can spread around your mountains of wealth!” She winked to show Sarah that she was just kidding. Annie was quiet for a few seconds and then remembered what she was going to ask Sarah. “Hey, can you do me a quick favor?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
The younger woman stood and walked to the counter next to the refrigerator. “I dropped some papers back behind the fridge and they wedged in the coils. I’m worried they could be a fire hazard. Can you move it out so I can get them?”
Sarah gave her a confused look. “Why don’t you just ask Jesse to do it when she gets home from work?”
Annie crossed her arms and a dark look came over her face. “Because she’s going to Louve’s farmhouse for training right after work. So she won’t be home until later, and I don’t think it’s safe to leave papers back there.”
The singer raised an eyebrow. “Okay, back up for a second. What has your panties in a bunch right now? Is it Jesse, Louve, or Jesse’s training?” While Sarah was speaking, she nonchalantly walked to the fridge and lifted it. Then she carefully backed away from the wall until Annie could retrieve the papers. Once the papers were in hand, Annie quickly moved out of the way so Sarah could put the fridge back.
“You’re such a show off!”
“And you’re avoiding the question!”
Annie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the counter. She sighed. “I’m not a fan at the way everything went down last year, and I’m still really pissed that Louve let Marcel stay on. He was responsible for Jesse getting hurt! On top of that, Jesse says one of Louve’s troupe has been coming on to her a lot. Her name is Marie, and Louve has them paired up for self-defense training because they’re about the same size. Apparently the chick is having a hard time understanding the word no.”
Sarah nodded in understanding. “Sounds like you’re the Colby with green eyes now!” At her sister’s scowl, she reassured her. “Seriously though, I get it. I’m really not happy about the Marcel situation either. Nor am I happy that another one of Louve’s people is
stirring the shit between you and Jesse. Do you want me to have a talk with her?”
“Who, Louve, Marie, or Jesse?”
The older sister laughed. “Well I’d speak with Louve first, and then probably have a few words with the bitch that’s been sniffing around your extremely loyal and devoted girlfriend.” Sarah gave her sister a significant look as she stressed the last five words.
Annie ran a hand through dark locks. “Yeah, yeah, I know she’s as loyal as can be. But I still don’t like it. Maybe I should have a few words with Marie. I already introduced myself once, so it’s not like she hasn’t seen firsthand that Jesse is taken. But she made some comment about me being weak. She seemed almost prejudiced against the fact that I’m normal.”
Sarah walked over and grabbed her arm, forgetting her own strength for a second. “Promise me you won’t confront her.”
Annie pulled her arm away. “Easy killer! And it’s really no big deal, Sarah. I just want to have a talk with her, that’s all.”
Sarah grabbed her carefully but firmly by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “No, promise me! Confrontation is what led to half this mess in the first place. Please, Annie, pinky swear you’ll stay away from her and that you won’t go over there without me or Keller. In return, we’ll stop in to see how Jesse is doing at her next training session this weekend. If we can’t put some fear into this Marie, I don’t know who can.”
Annie thought about it for a few seconds, then held her right pinky in the air. “Okay. But just a warning, she’s already been trying to get Jesse to go hunting with her in the woods behind the farmhouse. Apparently she brags at how the rush of bringing down game is almost sexual. She’s told Jesse in detail how it feels to have their warm blood sliding down your throat as their heart slows to a stop.” She shuddered at the thought of it.
