by Lisa Bilbrey
Forgotten Awakenings
Book Two in the Awakenings Series
Copyright © Lisa Bilbrey, 2016
All rights reserved. Published by Lisa Bilbrey 2016.
Kindle Edition, License Notes
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This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental
Cover design by: JC Clarke
Acknowledgements:
To my wonderful husband, Chan, who gives me the strength and encouragement to keep writing, to hone my craft, and the love of a lifetime. You are my everything, and I’m lucky to have you.
To my children: Cooper, Alexander, and Sophia. You’ve given me the confidence to stay true to myself and let my voice be heard. You’re my inspiration for a better future.
To my mom and dad, thank you for boasting about me. I love you, and I’m so thankful for everything that you’ve done for me and my family.
Michelle Blansett, you are always there when I need someone to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off, and I can’t thank you enough for your friendship.
To Kerry Fuglsang, Leigh Warner, Tina McDonald, Sarah Carroll, and Rhonda Erikson, thank you for being my fans, no matter what I’m dealing with. You’re rock stars!
Elizabeth Lawrence, R. E. Hargrave, and M.B. Feeney, your constant support means so much to me, and I am honored to be able to say that I know you. You’re amazing authors, whom I adore.
JC Clarke, thank you for the beautiful artwork.
(Inspirational Quote from reader)
Prelude
Elle couldn’t keep from smiling as she strolled across the parking lot, tugging her jacket tighter around her. The sparkling diamond ring on her left hand was a constant reminder of her lovers, whom she’d left in their bed. It hadn’t been easy for her to leave them, either. Especially since they were naked and warm, and she wanted to feel them inside her again, taste them on her tongue, to be reminded that they wanted her to be their wife.
“Damn it, Elle,” she chastised herself. “Stop thinking of sex.”
She laughed, knowing how ridiculous she sounded, trying to talk herself out of thinking about her lovers. Next thing she knew, she’d be in the midst of an argument with herself.
The floor was empty as she stepped off the elevator and made her way down to the office. The last place she’d wanted to be the morning after getting engaged was at work, but in their mad rush to get home the night before and get ready for their date with Callum and Derek, Elle had left her phone charger on her desk, so she decided to come get it before stopping by and picking up some coffee and donuts for her lovers.
Elle unlocked the door to her office and rushed inside, picking up the cord off her desk. Turning around, she gasped when she saw Trixie Maxwell leaning against the doorjamb, her head lobbed against the dark frame, while a shiny pistol was clutched in her other hand.
The blond-haired, blue-eyed woman looked horrible, like she was just coming off a three-day drinking binder. Her hair was knotted and messy, tangled with dirt and grime. Her clothes were covered in filth, and looked to be at least three sizes too big. However, it was her eyes that had Elle nervous. There was a crazy look to them, like someone who had spent too many nights staring at the moon.
“What are you doing here?” Elle asked.
They hadn’t seen or heard from Trixie since Samuel fired her after she all but accused him of handing Sadie and Elle their jobs because they were sleeping with his son.
“Do you know how hard it is to find a job when every time they check with my previous employers, all they hear is that I’m a bitch?” Trixie mumbled, the gun tapping against the side of her leg. She pushed herself off the doorframe. “That I’m unprofessional? Me! Isn’t that just fucking insane?” She laughed, though there was nothing humorous at the moment. “You fuck his son, and Samuel practically worships you, but I’m unprofessional.”
“I’m sorry that you’ve been having problems finding a new job,” Elle started, slowly trying to inch her way around her desk so she could call for help. “Maybe I can make some calls? Or … um … You know what? I’ll talk to Samuel. See if he’ll hire you back here.”
Trixie angled her head to the side. “I don’t need a goddamn thing from you, whore. You came in here, spreading your legs like a little slut. I’ve lost everything because of you.” Pausing, she raised her arm, pointing the gun right at Elle. “All I want is for you to die.”
“No, wait,” Elle cried, putting both hands up in front of her, but it was too late.
A sharp crack echoed around the room, and Elle felt a sharp pain slice through her leg. Screams vibrated, and she crumbled to the ground. As the darkness wrapped around Elle like a warm blanket, she watched in horror as Trixie walked up to her, pointed the gun at her chest once again, and pulled the trigger.
One
Elle Reid stood in front of the oak cheval mirror that stood in the corner of the room, looking at her nude body. The last few months had changed her body in numerous ways. She was thinner, paler, scarred, damaged; the marks of a crazy, psychotic bitch, who blamed Elle for everything horrible that had happened to her.
Two bullets — one just under her right breast and the other in the middle of her left leg. That’s all it had taken to destroy her, leave her weak and useless. Just two little bullets.
“Are you just going to stand there looking all sexy? Because I won’t complain as long as I get to keep watching.”
Elle shifted her eyes up, looking at Sadie Williams through the mirror. Leaning against the doorjamb, she cradled a cup of hot tea in one hand, while the other rested on the small baby bump between her hips.
When Sadie’s green eyes drifted down the length of her body, Elle felt her skin warm, as it always had when her lover looked at her. For too many years, she had pretended that Sadie was just her best friend and occasional lover, but the red-headed woman had always been more — so much more. She was the first love of her life, her anchor every time life came barreling toward her at full steam like a freight train.
“Maybe,” Elle replied with a sigh as she grabbed the blue robe laying on the bed and slipped her arms through and covering her body. Then, wrapping her fingers around the top of her cane, which was made of thick maple and had a green marble handle, she turned to Sadie. “I was just getting in the shower.”
Sadie smirked. “Want company?”
Elle smiled, shifting her focus to Sadie’s wet hair. “You’ve already showered.”
“So?” she asked, toying with the tie on her own ivory robe. “I’m feeling very dirty, baby.”
Elle bit her lip and tightened her grip on her cane as she hobbled across the room to the bathroom. “I’ll be quick.”
“Elle,” Sadie said, and when Elle looked over at her, she added, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
And she did. With all of her heart, she was in love with the woman leanin
g against the doorway, but turning away from her, Elle walked into the bathroom and closed the door. While she let the water warm up, she stripped off her robe and placed it on the vanity and once again looked down at the scars on her chest and leg.
A fractured femur and deep tissue infection had set her rehabilitation back several weeks. Add in the punctured lung and cracked rib, and it was clear that Elle had struggled to heal from violent attack she’d endured at the hands of Trixie Maxwell.
And why? Because she’d been selfish. She’d taken lovers that Trixie wanted for herself. And because Samuel had seen something in her and Sadie’s work that he felt was worth keeping around.
Elle pushed away from the vanity and pulled the shower curtain back, carefully stepped into the shower, and leaned her cane against the wall just outside of the stall. She turned her face into the water, allowing the fervid water to wash over her. Once more, she wished she’d never gone to the office that morning.
—FA—
“Are you ready?” Callum Davis asked, and Elle looked over her shoulder at him. He stood in the doorway to the bathroom, watching as she put on her make-up.
The smile on his face had her trembling, though she wasn’t scared. Not of him, or Sadie, or Derek even. They’d been her safe haven, her protective circle against a world that was out to get her. Or at least, that’s how she’d felt. She’d allowed herself to be happy, to want more from life than a secret relationship with her best friend, and it had almost cost her everything.
“We’re going to be late,” he added with a smirk.
Elle nodded, and looked back at the mirror, trying hard to not let her aggravation show. She hadn’t wanted to go out tonight, but Samuel and Lydia had insisted they come over for dinner, saying they hadn’t seen her in too long. They hadn’t seen her because she hadn’t wanted them to. She didn’t want anyone to look at her, to see the broken, shattered woman who was barely hanging on to her sanity.
“Just need to put on my shoes,” she said, once more gripping her cane. When she turned back to Callum, she saw that he had his hand reached out toward her. Sliding her fingers across his palm, she allowed him to lead her out of the bathroom and over to the bed.
“Which ones do you want?” he asked, turning toward the closet.
“My running shoes, I suppose,” she replied. “They’re the only ones that don’t make my leg hurt. More than normal, at least.”
Callum didn’t say anything as he turned and walked into the closet, coming back out a moment later with a pair of black and pink shoes in his hands. He knelt down in front of her and grabbed her right foot, gliding his fingers across the sole of her foot.
“Stop!” She laughed, unable to keep the giggles from tumbling from between her lips; he knew she was ticklish.
“Don’t want to,” he teased, tightening his hold on her foot and grabbing the white socks on the bed. “I like hearing you laugh. Haven’t heard it enough lately.”
Elle frowned. “I know.”
Once Callum had both socks and shoes on, he pushed himself up onto his knees and slid his hands around her hips, curving around her ass. Automatically, Elle placed her hands on his shoulders.
“I know you don’t want to go out tonight, but you can’t stay locked up in the house, either. It’s time to start living again.”
Elle nodded, knowing that he was right, but he didn’t understand. Nobody understood how scared she felt all the time, terrified of what would happen if she put herself out there again.
The police had been searching for Trixie, but they still hadn’t captured her, which meant she could still come back and finish Elle off. Kill her once and for all and take her lovers for herself. Elle knew her lovers wouldn’t go willingly, and the thought of what that crazy bitch would do to them had her screaming inside.
“Hey, look at me,” Callum ordered, and Elle shifted her attention to him. “We’re going to keep you safe. I promise.”
“I believe you,” she lied. She believed that he would try, that he and Derek and Sadie would do everything they could to keep her safe, but she wasn’t naïve. If Trixie was determined to end her life, she would find a way.
“Hmm,” he hummed, before standing up and helping Elle to her feet. Once she had her cane, the two of them made their way out of the bedroom and downstairs to where their lovers waited.
Derek Flores stood next to the front door with his arm wrapped around Sadie’s waist. The contrast of his rich, tan skin against Sadie’s pale, creamy flesh made them a unique couple, though everything about the relationship between the four of them was odd.
When Elle and Sadie met Derek and Callum almost a year ago, she hadn’t been prepared for how much her life would change, but it had in so many ways. Elle and Sadie had been struggling to get their business off the ground when they heard that Samuel Davis was opening his doors on a multi-million dollar account designing a new residential development dubbed Alvarez Park.
Elle had always been a fan of Samuel’s work and the two women jumped at the chance to present their ideas to him. He had seen something in their proposal that he liked and offered them a contract that was more than generous. That night, Elle and Sadie had gone dancing at Club Venom, their favorite club, and it was there that they met the men that would change their lives.
Derek and Callum had been watching them dance, watching as they touched and kissed without fear of how people would look at them. Neither Elle nor Sadie had been able to ‘come out of the closet’ about their attraction to one another, especially to their parents. But Derek and Callum had wanted them — both of them.
They bought the women a drink after bribing the bartender, and though neither Elle nor Sadie were the type to take men they’d just met back to their apartment for a night of sex, there was something different about Derek and Callum. For the first time in years, Elle had been able to let go of her fears and allowed herself to be happy.
She had spent two years hiding from the world after her ex-boyfriend tried to kill her. Sadie had been her one constant, the one part of her life that Elle knew would never change. But when she met Derek and Callum, she found herself needing more than just Sadie. She needed all of them, wanted them to be hers.
And they were.
The four of them had a strong connection, a bond that had gotten them through emotional confrontations with their parents, glares and snippy comments from their coworkers, and now, the violent attack from a crazed woman seeking revenge against Elle.
“I was starting to think you two had forgotten about us.” Derek shifted his eyes from Callum to Elle, his smile growing wider. “Be honest with me, beautiful. Did he have his way with you?”
“Maybe,” she murmured. “Are you jealous?”
“Hell yeah!” he boasted.
“Of being with me or him?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Both,” he said. “Always both.”
Elle bit her lip as she nodded. Derek and Callum had been nervous to take their relationship to the next level. Both men had admitted their attraction to one another, but making the decision to be lovers had not been an easy one to make. Even though they had taken their time, their passion was incredible and they inspired Elle to let go of her fears and finally allow herself to be loved.
And by doing so, she’d put herself in the pathway of a psychopath. Trixie Maxwell blamed Elle for ruining her life. After Elle’s relationship with Derek, Callum, and Sadie became public information, Gabriel Alvarez had taken his project away from Davis Architecture and Design, voiding Elle and Sadie’s contract with Samuel’s company. All thanks to Elle’s parents. Helina and James Reid hadn’t hidden their displeasure at discovering her relationship with her lovers.
However, Samuel refused to allow Elle and Sadie to end their working relationship, offering to buy their company and merge it in with his, giving the two of them, Derek, and Callum their own division to run. Trixie hadn’t been happy and called Elle a whore, who’d nearly destroyed the company. Samuel fired he
r, and for months they hadn’t heard from her. Not until four months ago on the eve of her engagement to the men and woman she loved.
“Elle,” Derek called, pulling her attention back to him.
“Huh?” she mumbled.
“I asked if you had everything,” he said.
“Um, yeah,” she replied, looking around. “I guess so.”
Though he nodded, Elle could tell that Derek wasn’t pleased with how distant she was, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t seem to shake the fear off her shoulders.
“Then, let’s get going,” Derek said, opening the front door and looking back at her.
Taking a deep breath, Elle walked out of the house, knowing they were waiting for her to make the first move. Callum brushed past her and down to the car, opening the front passenger door for her. Elle knew better than to argue with him. It was pointless, after all. Her leg ached too much for her to ride in the backseat, according to him at least. Just one more way that her weakness made her a victim.
Twenty minutes later, Callum parked his car next to his father’s luxurious SUV. Derek had her door open and was helping her out of the car before she could even blink. The moment his hand wrapped around hers, Elle felt her heart flutter the way it always did when he touched her. Shifting her eyes up to his, she felt her breath catch in her chest. He was peering down at her with so much intensity, it took all her control not to crumble into his arms and smother him with her love.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered, his voice husky and laced with longing.
“I won’t stop you.” The words had barely slipped off the tip of Elle’s tongue when she felt his mouth on hers, and his arms wrapped around her body.
“Oy, lovers,” Sadie called, pulling their attention to her and Callum, who were watching them with smirks. “As much as we’re enjoying the show, Samuel and Lydia are waiting for us. Let’s go.”
“Okay, okay,” Elle mumbled, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment.
When they walked into Samuel and Lydia’s house, they found the two sitting on the sofa, but it was clear to Elle that they were both anxious. The moment she saw Elle, Lydia Davis — a honey-blond haired woman with the widest, kindest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen — scrambled to her feet and rushed over to them.
