by S. E. Smith
Carly looked up when a fat raindrop landed on her cheek. Almost in tears, she focused on the trail in front of her when another drop hit her on the end of her nose. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by an earth-shaking roll of thunder.
“Really? You think I’m enjoying this so much you wanted to add to the fun? You could have waited, you know. I’m almost half way back. Just another hour… or two,” Carly argued with the sky. She was rewarded with three more large drops and a heavy mist approaching at a rapid clip. “Great! Thank you so very much… not! I hope you are having fun because I have to tell you that this really sucks big time. I HATE EXERCISING!”
Of course, arguing with the sky wasn’t something most sane people did, but it made Carly feel a little bit better. She cringed when a bolt of lightning struck close enough that she thought her hair was standing on end. Okay, maybe the sky gods were listening and they were not entertained by her yelling at them.
Picking up speed, Carly tried to half walk, half jog along the uneven trail. She smothered a cry when another bolt of lightning struck. Didn’t the weather know that it was just supposed to rain, not have a full-fledged electrical storm? She should have checked the weather forecast before she got out of her car.
“Shouldn’t the ranger have insisted that no one go hiking? He frigging knew there was a storm coming. Isn’t it his duty to help protect idiots like me from themselves?” Carly cursed under her breath.
She jolted to a stop when a small group of rocks tumbled onto the trail ahead of her. Then the rain started coming down in thicker sheets, drenching her. She pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head, cursing again when it caught on her backpack. She needed to find a safe place to weather the storm. A loud cracking sound made her look up. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw a leaning tree sway dangerously toward her. Small rocks rained down around her, hitting her shoulders.
Carly jumped closer to the rock face and was surprised when she noticed a dark crevice running vertically from the ground to almost a half meter over her head that appeared to be a very narrow entrance to a cave. Perhaps her luck was changing. It might not be the local hotel, but it was better than getting struck by lightning or crushed by falling trees and rocks.
Carly squeezed into the narrow crack in the rock face and released a frustrated groan. Why couldn’t the stupid opening be just a few centimeters wider? It wasn't until she was halfway in the crevice that the sudden image of horrible, scary bugs flared in her mind. She really hoped there weren’t any spiders, snakes, or other creepy crawly things in the dark recesses.
A flash of lightning and the crackle in the air had her frantically sucking in her stomach so she could slip inside. Of course, she became stuck. Wiggling back and forth, she added a few loud curses to go with the new bruises she was adding to her collection before she popped through the opening into inky blackness.
She turned and grabbed a branch just outside the opening; then wildly waved the damp branch around, hoping against hope that it was enough to chase off any of the nasty gremlins and their sticky webs that might be lurking near the entrance. The rain picked up even more, pouring down the side of the mountain until the entrance looked more like the back of a waterfall. Carly hiccupped in the dark.
“This is why I hate to exercise,” she groaned with a shiver.
Turning away from the wall of water, she absently waved the branch with her left hand while she reached for her cell phone with her right. She tried sliding it to unlock the screen and cursed loudly when it didn’t work. She slid the thin branch between her dirty, jean-clad knees and used her right index finger to open the flashlight option on her cell phone. Slowly shining the light along the walls and floor, she looked around the narrow cave.
“I told Jenny this would be the death of me. Archaeologists are going to find my mummified body a thousand years from now and say ‘Yep, this is a perfect example of Darwin in action’,” she muttered in her best ‘learned scientist’ voice. She stared at the walls with growing dread, certain that she could see them moving with all kinds of deadly bugs determined to suck her dry. “Forget being mummified. I’m going to be picked clean to the bone!” She took a breath, then her lips quirked up. “I guess that is one way to lose some weight.”
Jenny Ackerly, her best friend and roommate, had laughed earlier this morning when Carly had dramatically foretold her own death by exercise. Well, Jenny wouldn’t be laughing when Carly went missing.
Carly vowed she would come back from the dead just to point out to Jenny that hiking was not for everyone. Of course, she would also have to admit that Jenny was right. After all, Jenny had been the one to point out that Carly sucked at exercising and would be better off – and much safer – to just buy the gym membership.
“Okay, it wasn’t really a hike, so much as a stroll, but it still counts,” Carly told the dark walls in defiance. “The state should have put up better signs and they need to hire rangers who tell you that you’re stupid if you ignore them when they say a storm is coming.”
Carly tilted her head when she thought she caught a glimpse of light coming from the back of the cave. Her mind swept through all the possibilities. What if there was a serial killer waiting for her, or a vampire, or a… she slammed the door shut on her wild, out of control imagination when the sudden vision of the walking dead appeared in her mind. Drawing in a shaky breath, she swore she would never attend Horror Night at the local college ever again.
“Or horror movies,” Carly whispered, her hand beginning to shake. “No more Saturday night horror movie marathons. God! Why did I have to go on an alien binge this last weekend?”
Swallowing, Carly felt herself drawn to the warmth and light coming from the back of the cave like a bug to a bug zapper. Unable to resist, she stepped closer on trembling legs. The walls and floor of the cave were smoothing out the farther she walked.
Turning the corner, she stopped in surprise when she saw the light was coming from a glowing torch in a sconce attached to the wall. Further down the passage, she saw an arched doorway. It reminded her of old castles, like the one out of the Dracula movie she had watched the night before.
“Carly, you really, really need to get a better taste in movies!” she growled to herself in annoyance. “Romantic comedies are good. Animated cartoons are even better.”
She released a long breath and glanced down at the phone in her hand. She didn’t need the flashlight anymore. Swiping her finger across the screen, she turned it off. There was no sense in wasting the power on her phone now that she had the light of the torch. Plus, she needed to conserve the power so she could call the ranger and admit that she needed help – a lot of it.
Fascinated by the beauty of the elaborately carved stone that formed the walls and floor, she soon became lost in the twists and turns as she followed the passageway. A magnificently carved entrance held her spellbound. The pillars were carved into the shape of dragons.
“Oh, oh, oh! I love dragons!” Carly breathed, hurrying forward to run her hands over the beautiful sculptures.
Her mind swirled in awe. If there had been any way she could slip the huge dragons into her backpack, she would have done it in a heartbeat. Her bedroom was covered in dragon figurines and medieval castles. Carly lovingly ran her hands over the rough stone belly of one of the dragons.
“Wow! This is just… Wow! Who would have thought to put something like this here? I’ve never seen this part of the park before, that’s for sure!” she breathed out in excitement.
Turning her head, she gazed through the entrance, expecting an amusement ride attendant to be greeting her. Since when did the state parks get into the theme park business? Hell, how could they have built this without her knowing anything about it? She worked at the bank, for crying out loud. If anything happened in town, the first place to learn about it was at Barb’s Hair-n-Care; the second place was at the walk-in clinic; and the third was at Bank of the West where she worked. All gossip went through those three venue
s.
Carly’s hand flew to her mouth to hide her gasp when she stepped through a curved archway into the massive chamber. Rivers and mountains of gold and jewels glimmered in the faint light. She didn’t know if they were real or not. They looked like it, but she wasn’t an expert.
Despite the beauty of the glittering treasure, the gold wasn’t what caught and held her attention. No, her attention was caught by the truly magnificent form half buried at the bottom of the mountain of gold and jewels.
The statue of a brilliant, midnight black dragon lay curled up in sleep. The unbelievable detail of the creature held her mesmerized. If there was one major thing Carly had a weakness for, it was dragons. She absolutely adored the mythical creatures. She had collected them, painted them, and dreamed of them ever since she could remember. She was so bad about it that Jenny liked to tease her. Jenny often said that the only way she would ever find a man she could love was if he was part dragon. Carly completely agreed.
She swallowed and slowly descended the steps. Her feet slid and she wobbled, trying to keep her balance when the pile of gold shifted. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was dreaming or had died and gone to her own version of heaven. If so, she was ready to move in.
“It sure beats the hell out of being mummified or gnawed on by bugs like a starving dog at a barbecue,” she observed.
Halfway down, she fell. The pile of coins shifted under her and she was pulled down to the bottom of the mountain. Her eyes widened and she leaned back a little to try to keep from tumbling over. Digging in her heels, she braced them against the base of the half buried platform, stopping her descent. Carly lay stunned for a moment, staring up at the dragon curled in peaceful slumber.
He’s so beautiful, she thought in awe.
Her eyes glowed with delight as she ran her gaze over the silky scales covering his head. His brow was high, with two large ridges curving around his eyes. Thick, long lashes lay against the smooth, black scales like twin crescent moons. A series of ridges ran down his face to the narrow tip that made up his nose.
He looked… real. She knew it was impossible, but he looked like he was warm and soft. Standing up, she bent forward and climbed up onto the steps. She had to use her hands to help steady herself against the loose debris scattered across the steps. Once she was at the top of the platform, she stood for a second, just staring at the creature in fascination.
Carly rubbed her right hand along her damp jeans before lifting it to run her fingers gently along one of the ridges of his brow. She gasped softly when she felt the warmth of the dragon’s scales beneath her touch. Shock coursed through her when the dragon’s eyelashes rose to reveal dark, sapphire blue eyes with a glitter of gold sparkling in them. She swayed when she felt more than heard a strangely accented voice whisper.
“Choose your treasure carefully, thief,” the soft, honey-rich voice stated.
Her hand fell to her side and she stumbled back a step in shock when the dragon’s mouth moved as he spoke. Carly decided she must have died in the storm after all. Her trembling legs refused to support her. She sank down onto the pile of coins. Her lips parted, her gaze lifting to maintain eye contact when the dragon raised his massive head.
Carly fell back when the dragon stretched his neck in her direction. She could feel his warm breath sweep over her. A soft moan escaped her, echoing in the large cavern. The warm air of his breath surrounded her, melting the bone-chilling cold that had encased her body from her rain-dampened clothing.
Carly raised her hand as the dark head drew nearer. She tenderly ran her fingers along one nostril, tracing the outline in gentle exploration. She didn’t notice his long, sharp teeth. Her gaze was focused on where her fingers followed the vivid contours of a scale. The warmth of his breath heated her blood with strength and hope instead of fear.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, Carly slowly rose to her feet again. She lifted her head to gaze into the brilliant eyes of the dragon watching her with an intense expression. She didn’t think, she just whispered the first words that came to her mind.
“Can I choose you?” she asked in a barely audible voice.
The Dragon’s Treasure
Sample of Tink’s Neverland
Synopsis:
Discover new worlds, new species, and the hilarity that can ensue when Tink, an eternally optimistic, quirky, small town mechanic meets J’kar, a serious Prime warrior from a far-off galaxy who is used to being in control.
Jasmine “Tinker” Bell has always had a love for life, looking forward to any new adventure that happens to come along. When a friend’s experiment creates a portal to another world, she finds herself immersed in far more adventure than she ever dreamed!
J’kar ’Tag Krell Manok had given up hope of ever finding his bond mate. Then a pint-size female unlike anything he has ever seen suddenly appears on his spaceship to save the life of his brother during an attack. When she is taken from him just as suddenly, he will do anything to get her back.
Read on for three full chapters of Tink’s Neverland!
Chapter 1
“Hey, Tink, you were great tonight,” yelled one of the guys who had been trying to get Jasmine “Tinker” Bell’s attention all night.
There was a full house tonight at the local brewery called Purple Haze, where they made and sold all types of homemade beers and specialty dishes. It was a well-known college hangout and a great place to get picked up if that was what you were looking for.
The two guys walking away had been the two most aggressive in trying to get Tink’s attention. Tink made it a rule not to pick up anyone from the bar. She had bad enough luck with guys without having to add any other liabilities to her choices.
Tink raised her hand and gave an offhanded thanks before turning the opposite way. She and her band mates closed the brewery down tonight. At two o’clock in the morning, the only lights shining were the streetlights and occasional headlights from a car leaving the place, but she wasn’t worried.
The small college town of Calais, Maine was one of the safest in the country. Even if it wasn’t, anyone who had heard of Jasmine “Tinker” Bell knew better than to mess with the pint-size spitfire if they didn’t want a wrench upside their head. At five feet, four inches and one hundred ten pounds of toned muscle, Tink was known for her sense of humor and easy personality.
But when riled, she could take down even the toughest of mechanics in the town thanks to her mom’s determination that all her girls learn to defend themselves, even if it meant fighting dirty—which Tink had been known to do on occasion. Besides, if she wasn’t able to do it, then one of her two sisters or eleven fellow mechanics around town would do the job, and there wouldn’t be much left for the cops to pick up. Life was good as far as Tink was concerned, and she enjoyed it to the fullest.
Softly humming one of the songs she had played, she hung the guitar case over her shoulder and tightened the tool belt around her small waist. She’d promised her best friend, Cosmos, she would stop by the lab in the warehouse where they lived to look at a generator he needed her to work on. She’d picked up her tool belt from work to bring home with her earlier since she needed some of the special tools she had machined for the job. She loved working on some of the things Cosmos created, almost as much as she loved the big guy himself.
Cosmos might have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but it didn’t show. Cosmos’ parents made a mint off different patents they developed, and Cosmos was just like them. He’d had his doctorate by the time he was twenty-two and had bought the old warehouse near the river as a lab and house.
While many considered him a nerd, Cosmos didn’t follow the typical description of one. He was six foot two with wide shoulders, long light-brown hair, and hazel eyes. The kind of eyes a girl could drown in—any girl except Tink, that was. She and Cosmos had developed a kinship more like siblings. So, when Tink’s family passed through the town, she’d decided it was time to try out her wings and moved into the top f
loor of the warehouse while Cosmos took the first and second floors as his own.
Tink’s family was as different as Cosmos’, which was probably why they gravitated to each other. Tink grew up traveling the country in a forty-foot motor home. Her parents, Angus and Tilly Bell, were the best parents any girl could have, and they had three children all living, learning, and growing in a mobile home with ten wheels that took them all over the country.
Tink’s father, Angus, was a well-known science fiction writer. He was one of the few authors who was not only very talented, but also very prolific and profitable. They could have lived on his income alone. He often stated his ideas came from his family and all the mischief they got into.
Her mom, a petite spitfire like her three daughters, was hell on wheels—literally. An accomplished mechanic who grew up working in her grandfather’s garage in a small town in Oklahoma, she loved to tinker on any type of engine. She was constantly upgrading the RV to greater power. She was also a computer geek who loved to design and develop software that engineering firms around the world used in developing power for all types of buildings. This skill provided a comfortable living, and she shared all her wonderful knowledge and skills with her daughters.
While all the traveling was great, when the family had pulled into the local campground for the summer when Tink was eighteen, Tink knew she was ready to stop moving. Tink met a group of boys camping nearby and fell in love with the quiet one out of the bunch, in a totally platonic way. The awkward boy had been Cosmos, and they had become best pals. When her parents determined it was time to head to the next great adventure, Tink decided to stay.
