Arawn was the first to break his gaze from the sky. He looked pleased. Maybe he hadn’t sensed her. Carman and her sons brought their sunken eyes down and they looked around as if they had lost something. Arawn continued to stare off into the distance.
“It looks like we have a guest,” he said, raising his voice so Gabrielle could hear him perfectly. She remained absolutely still, frozen in her terror. “If you wanted to be part of the meeting, little birdie, you should’ve brought snacks, it's rude to show up to a party empty handed,” Arawn teased as if he were a parent that caught their child spying from the top of the stairs. Gabrielle didn’t budge.
Arawn took another deep whiff of the air, as if he were trying to taste her through smell. “Gabrielle! Come out, come out wherever you are,” Arawn sneered as he broke his vague expression and locked eyes with her.
Though the darkness hid her from sight, she knew this was not a lucky gaze. Arawn was looking directly at her. Gabrielle could see her heartbeat around the edges of her vision and she could hear every breath. It was like time had slowed to a crawl.
She kept her eyes fixated on her target, trying to decide whether to attack, stay hidden or run. The hollow sockets that posed as eyes of Carman and her sons all eventually found her, and yet no one moved.
RUN!
Gabrielle didn’t wait for them to move first, she sprang from her kneeling position and began running in the opposite direction. A piercing howl erupted from behind her, and then spread so it was coming from all directions. The hunt had begun, and in these woods, there was only one prey.
Looking back to confirm she was being pursued was too terrifying an option. Instead, Gabrielle concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.
She gave everything she had to pump her legs and put her that much further from Arawn.
The lively air filled her lungs and stung her face as she ran and an empowering sensation came over her. She felt the bracelet warm on her wrist and she stole a second to glance down at its now glowing beauty.
RUN.
She ran faster than she thought possible, the trees speeding by her in a blur.
JUMP.
When she jumped, she jumped higher than she was tall. The bracelet was working its magic, making her stronger and faster so she could stand a chance against the monsters that chased her. She swung her arms at her sides, pushing herself faster and faster. The vicious sounds behind her weren’t going away, but they weren’t getting any closer either.
After what seemed like forever, the sounds of her pursuers began to drift farther and farther away. Afraid that if she stopped, the hounds would catch up, Gabrielle pushed her body to keep running.
Her lungs began to burn and her legs started to waiver. Her running slowed to a jog and then her jog slowed to a fast walk. Breaking through a tree line, Gabrielle found herself in another clearing. As she looked around, Gabrielle’s eyes landed on something that caused her to question everything.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gabrielle stared for a moment, unsure if what she was seeing was real. The dense wilderness opened into a wide grove. Thick moss covered most of the surfaces in the woods and it slipped away, turning into luscious grass.
Dew still glistened in the light of the stars and the moon, it was as though she was seeing a dream, and everything she believed to be real, wasn’t. The world around her fell away and she couldn’t hear anything except her own quick breathing.
Gabrielle stood staring at a small house, alone in the center of the clearing. This home was familiar to her. This was her home.
Memories came flooding back into her mind. A young Gabrielle sitting on the couch in her father’s study while he acted out the various tales in his books, her mother laughing as Gabrielle bounced with excitement.
There was so much love in that memory, she couldn't believe those times were in her past. This was no longer the home where a happy family lived; this was the home she’d abandoned.
Tears welled in her eyes and she broke from her stance and ran to the house with all the speed she could muster. Her lungs stung as she took panicked breaths, but she ignored the pain. The closer she got to her home, the more everything else fell away and she could only think of one thing. Mom.
It didn’t matter why she was seeing her house or that it couldn’t possibly be there. All that mattered was she was home and her mother would be inside waiting for her.
She came to a halt at the base of the porch steps. Gabrielle gazed at her childhood home admiring the beaten brick of the walls, the cracked olive green paint on the shutters and the unkempt plants sitting on the porch.
The chair was still there from where the officer sat outside waiting for her mother to get home all those years ago. The questions she had been avoiding came screaming to her mind. Why is it here? This has to be a trap, right?
For a moment Gabrielle was rendered immobile. All she could do was stare at the wooden door, lost in concern. A shuffle articulated from the tree line behind her, but in the dim light she couldn’t see into the trees from where she stood.
Bolting up the stairs to the porch, Gabrielle threw herself into her front door. As she turned the handle, another wave of cautious despondency rushed over her. She paused and opened the door, listening for any signs of life on the other side. Yellow light and warm air swept over her.
Another shuffle came from the distance. With a fleeting swipe, her hands slid over the silver bracelet, searching for any immediate sign of danger. It was still just as warm as it had been the moment she’d stumbled upon the meeting.
“I’ll be fine. This is my home…” Gabrielle reasoned with herself before whisking inside and closing the door. Immediately, both from muscle memory and to be sure no one was following her; Gabrielle threw the deadbolt on the door.
She then placed her head on the warm wood and sucked in a lung full of air. The smell of her birthday dinner mixed with lavender filled her heart with longing and she had to resist the urge to break down and cry. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed her mom and her home until now.
Turning, she realized everything was just as she left it. She stumbled over her shoes she left by the door what seemed like centuries ago, the coats were on the coat rack, and the pile of clothes were still at the foot of the stairs.
Tears flowed from her eyes and Gabrielle looked around, desperate to find her mother. She took a couple of steps before she realized that if the house was as she had left it, then maybe something else was where she left it.
Long ago, Gabrielle had left her sleeping body alone on the couch of her father’s study. She last saw the image of herself deep in slumber within the fires of Alexandra’s loft, waiting for her mother to come home, or for her adventure to start.
“I wonder…” she said as she made her way over to the closed, sliding doors of her father’s study. Gabrielle pressed her hands on either door and just as she was about to throw them aside, she heard shuffling behind her.
She spun on her heels, fists clenched and poised in front of her chest expecting any number of horrors, but was surprised to find only the empty hallway behind her. Gabrielle paused for a moment. Her fists were at the ready, her mind alert and her breath even and steady.
The sound came again, this time like it was coming from the other side of the house. Gabrielle looked to her bracelet. She took a step towards the noise, keeping her fists up to convince whoever was there—and herself—that she knew self-defense.
“H-hello?” Her voice came out as the faintest of squeaks. Get it together Gabrielle! she thought as she took a large breath and held it for a moment. “Is there anyone there? Mom?” She made her way into the dining area.
Another sound assaulted the peaceful atmosphere of her home and Gabrielle realized the sounds were coming from the kitchen.
With the ginger footing of a cat, she crept through the dining area and hid around the corner from the kitchen. A stream of light from the open doorway cascaded across the vacant dining roo
m floor.
She took a deep breath, and with sweaty, clenched fists, she jumped from around the corner prepared to fight whatever was stalking her in her own home. She stood motionless in the doorway, arms up and hands shaky but ready to fight, yet unable to move. Gabrielle’s pounding heart stopped as she stood, staring at her mother.
Gabrielle’s mother was moving around the kitchen, cleaning up dishes and straightening items on the counter. Tears flushed her eyes and spilled over the edges, running down her cheeks and blurring the image of her mother. Gabrielle didn’t think she would ever see her again. Nothing else in the world mattered.
Realizing she was still poised to fight, Gabrielle broke her stance and ran over to her mother. Sobbing, she threw her arms out to embrace her, but to her surprise it was not a warm embrace she felt. A clouded chill passed through her body and Gabrielle fell to the floor.
Confused, she looked up at her mother, who continued with her tasks as if nothing happened. Gabrielle reached out to her feet as she placed bread into a cupboard. Like moving through smoke, her palm passed right through her mother’s foot and touched the cold floor below.
Gabrielle sat on the ground and sobbed even harder.
“Mom! Mom please look at me, please mommy.” The words came out garbled and Gabrielle took in a big breath. Her tears were so abundant she couldn’t see anything in front of her. She pawed at her face, but her hands were shaking so hard that she couldn't clear the tears from her eyes.
“M-MOMMY! Mommy, I need you! I’m scared and…" She trailed off, knowing it was hopeless. Her mother would never hear her. Gabrielle curled onto the floor of her kitchen and bawled while her mother continued to do the dishes only a few feet from where she lay. She didn’t care if she looked like a child. She was tired of being strong all the time and in this moment, all she wanted was her mom.
After a few moments, her bawling turned to sobbing and then her sobbing turned to bouts of hysterics followed by slow, even breathing. Gabrielle stood and screamed as loud as she could.
Her tears of sorrow turned to tears of anger, Gabrielle walked to the edge of the counter where her mother had placed a small pot and she threw it to the floor. Still, nothing happened. It was like Gabrielle was living in a memory she wasn’t part of.
She was broken. All this time, Gabrielle wanted nothing more than to be back home with her mother, and now it’s like she didn’t exist. Her mother finished her tasks and disappeared into the next room.
Gabrielle sat at the small table in the middle of the kitchen—the table where she celebrated her fifteenth birthday what seemed like ages ago, buried her face in her arms, and cried some more.
CLICK.
She raised her head and looked around the room. Nothing had changed, but the sound told her something was off. The bracelet heated on her wrist. Something was in the house. Gabrielle stood and looked around the room to see if she was being watched. The hairs on her arms stood at attention.
“Hello?” Her voice was cracked and sore from crying and she ran into the dining room. It was still empty. As fast as she could, Gabrielle ran into the foyer and ran to her father’s study. Before she could touch the doors, she saw something from the corner of her eye.
Her mother was standing at the top of the stairs. She was looking down the hallway, frozen in place with a look of sheer horror marring her once beautiful features.
The silver on Gabrielle’s wrist burned. The hairs on her arms stood as she made her way to the staircase and ascended the steps. With one step ahead of the other, the scene unfurled as if she were inside of a horror movie.
As Gabrielle reached the top of the stairs, she followed her mother’s line of sight to the other end of the long hallway.
At the opposite end of the rug were a set of four, massive paws. Gabrielle and her mother were looking down the nose of one of Arawn’s hounds.
Gabrielle stepped sideways and positioned herself between her mother and the hound. She may not be able to touch her mom, but she sure as Hell could touch the hounds. The bracelet burned on her wrist, and Gabrielle stared at the creature with the same hatred that Arawn had for her.
The hound lowered its head and growled. Gabrielle lowered her gaze until she and the monster locked eyes.
It all happened in an instant. The mighty hound let out a ghostly howl that vibrated throughout the house and shook the window behind it. It lunged a half-step forward toward Gabrielle and her mother. Gabrielle flinched but then all she heard was a terrifying scream.
She broke the stare with the animal and turned to look behind her. Just as she turned around, her mother leaned backwards and lost her footing. She threw her arms out and Gabrielle reflexively reached for them, but they drifted through her mother's palms.
Her mother’s face contorted into a look of panic Gabrielle would never forget and then she fell backwards. Each hit from the steps tore through Gabrielle’s ears like thunder.
As her mother came to a stop at the base of the stairs, Gabrielle found that she could still hear screaming. This time, however, the screams were coming out of her own mouth.
The woman that birthed her, read her bedtime stories, the woman who had hugged her as she cried, now lay at the bottom of the stairs dead. Her limbs bent in unnatural angles and blank, lifeless eyes stared up at Gabrielle. Everything felt weak as shock coursed through her entire body.
“Mom?” As she looked at her mother’s empty eyes, a fire erupted from within Gabrielle’s soul. She felt her hands close into fists so tight she thought she could hear bones crack. With rage in her eyes, Gabrielle turned to face the hound.
It stood where she left it, still glaring at her, not wavering one step. Gabrielle felt her wrist vibrate. She remembered this feeling from when she was in the kitchen at Versailles. This was the sign that the bracelet would help her fight. Make her stronger and faster somehow.
She leaned forward and brought her head down, her eyes never leaving the crimson pits of the hound’s. A low growl rolled from its putrid mouth and at that moment Gabrielle charged.
She no longer feared that the creatures could hurt her. She no longer cared what could happen if the monster’s teeth sunk into her. All she wanted to do was hurt it. To hurt it like she’d been hurt. Like they’d all been hurt.
As Gabrielle neared the animal, it leapt into the air at her. The two collided in mid-stride and Gabrielle wrapped her arms around it. She slammed it into the wall, shattering the glass of the pictures of her family that hung there.
The hound bit down on her shoulder and Gabrielle let out a shriek as hot blood trickled down her arm. She brought her fist back and punched the creature as hard as she could, pulling the animal around so that it was back in the center of the hall.
Letting go, she kicked out and the hound screeched like a beaten puppy. She backed up a few feet, bringing her hands back up into fists and analyzing her next move.
“This one’s for my mom you stupid bitch,” she yelled as she ran at the monster. Only this time instead of hitting it, she grabbed it around the chest and continued forward.
After only a few steps, she heard glass shatter as the back of the animal met the window at the end of the hallway. Gabrielle let out her own ferocious scream and followed the animal through the window.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gabrielle jumped out of bed, heart pounding and screaming at the top of her lungs. She grasped at her chest as though she were still clutching the hound. The bright sun shining through the window stabbed at her eyes and silenced her screams.
She looked around and found she was back in her bedroom, though she didn’t remember going back to sleep. She didn’t remember making it back up to her room at all. The last thing she could recall was having tea, chatting with Morrigan and then saying goodnight.
The air in the room was hot and stale causing Gabrielle to feel like she couldn’t take in oxygen. Sweat covered her entire body making her uncomfortably sticky.
“It was only a dream.” The words came o
ut cracked and raspy and she smacked her lips together, trying to bring moisture back into her mouth. Gabrielle sat down on the edge of her bed thinking about her dream.
The nightmare was so realistic she could still feel the moss under her toes. The image of her mother’s lifeless body sprawled out on the floor was burned into her mind.
“It was only a dream,” she said again, trying to remind herself—or rather to convince herself—that her mother was alive and well back in their home in Envisage.
With every forceful thump, Gabrielle thought her heart would burst from her chest. She grabbed at her nightgown, the tightening on her lungs feeling like someone were sitting on her chest. Her breath quickened, the sound mimicking the wings of a humming bird. She was going to have a panic attack.
Gabrielle laid back onto the bed and closed her eyes once more. She focused on slowing her breathing. She concentrated on the sounds of the world surrounding her. Though she couldn't hear anything coming from inside the house, she could hear the faint commotions of people milling around outside.
Gabrielle’s breathing calmed, and the pressure left her chest. With cautious aspiration, she opened her eyes and pushed herself up to a seated position.
She brought herself to her feet, feeling them falter, and made her way to the window. Where the previous night she could only see her reflection staring back at her, a vast field now sat before her.
Several people were working on the field and a barn-type building sat on the opposite side of the property. Beyond the barn, the land was flat for as far as she could see and there weren't any other houses nearby. She stood for a moment, admiring the peaceful scene, grateful that she was awake and out of Arawn’s grasp.
Arawn had always been terrifying and unpleasant, but that place, those creatures, it was all something else. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than a dream.
The Gabrielle Series Boxed Set Page 30
