by KL Donn
She had the baby just a few weeks ago! A sweet little boy they named Axel. He’s just adorable, and Keeley is such a perfect mother. My brothers are worry warts, though. They won’t let her do anything until the doctor clears her. I think she’s going crazy.
Emily, Dane, and Coop are getting married in two months. She’s asked Keels and me to stand up for her. She glows with happiness nowadays, and so do her men so I understand.
My men? Well, they’re amazing. They bought up the land the cabin was on when it went up for auction two months ago. They’re working to have it turned into an animal sanctuary. They told me something good should come of it. I wholeheartedly agree.
It took me a long time to understand I didn’t deserve what was done to me. That it wasn’t anyone’s fault but my captors. Some days I doubt that, but it doesn’t take long for my men to reel me in. They take such wonderful care of me, never letting my doubts sit in my mind for long before they give me hell.
I’ve experienced so much with them in the last year that even before the trauma, I never dreamed would happen. They treat me like a queen. It took us all a little while to grow used to living together but since then things have been almost magical. There're times where I think we’re too happy, and that something’s going to come crashing down and ruin it all. I try not to let it get me down, but I know I can always talk to them when the fear pops up.
They’ve gone to work with Nate and Ty at Maxwell Secures. They wanted out of the danger of being spies (or so they say), but they needed to do something. I think they like it. Sometimes they still seem bored, though.
That’ll change in about eight months. ;)
Strength and sunshine,
Kennedy Black (< --- That will never get old!)
P.S I almost forgot! I heard from Deedee yesterday! She’s coming to visit and says she has a surprise!
The End
Other Books in the Series
Keeley’s Fight
http://amzn.to/1SmMBz4
Emily’s Protectors
http://amzn.to/1SmMDqM
Meet the author
Krystal is a 29-year-old stay at home mom of 4 children, 3 boys, and 1 girl, she has a love for reading that she shares with them anyway she can. Her daughter is forever asking her to write a children’s book just for her, that she might consider. She has been with her hubby, Steve, for 11 years, happily married for 9 of them. She was first an avid reader, then an enthusiastic blogger, and has now finally had her dreams come true and become a writer. More often than not she can be found at home with her family, reading, writing, or scrapbooking. She is a coffee addict, book-aholic, and loves to hear from her fans.
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Playlist
Sshhh I have 2! One for writing Kennedy and one for editing!
Writing
http://tinyurl.com/zdmdue7
Editing
http://tinyurl.com/gwtkrfa
Coming Soon
Dominic & Deedee’s story!
Prologue
Deidre ~ 6 years old
“…And they lived happily ever after.” Watching her Mam put away her favorite fairy tale, Deidre was left with one burning question.
“Then what happened Mam?”
“Well dear, he treated her like a queen. Made her every dream come true. They had beautiful children and grandchildren.” Her Mam told her in her thick Irish accent. It was something Deidre always envied, because she herself was just plain jane like the boys at school always teased her.
“Mam?” She asked quietly.
“Yes Deidre?”
“Did you get your happy ever after?”
Her Mam was one of the most beautiful people she knew, with hair as red as fire, eyes so green they matched their grass and they always shone with happiness when she looked at Deidre, so she didn’t understand the sad light that entered them.
“In a way I suppose I did Dee. I have you and that’s happy enough for me.” Her smile was stunning, and pulled her own to match.
“Maureen!” The anger in her Da’s voice had her cringing as he yelled for her Mam. Even at her young age she knew he’d been at the bottle again.
“Off to bed with you A stor,” she told her, covering her with her blankets. Turning on her fairy light so it looked as if they flew along her roof.
Together they said their own silly goodnight, “Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter. Lullabies, dreams and love ever after. Poems and songs with pipes and drums. A thousand welcomes when your dreams come.”
“G’night Mam,” she whispered sleepily.
A kiss on her head was her only response, before sleep took her to her dreams.
***
When Deidre awoke the following morning she knew almost immediately that something was wrong. Her Mam normally had her fairy curtains open as soon as the sun arose, today they were still closed. Quietly rising from bed, she tiptoed to her door. Pressing her ear to it she listened closely for movement.
Not hearing anything she slowly opened it, peaking out she saw the hallway empty. Walking on eggshells so as not to wake her Da, she crept down the stairs, going to the kitchen to see if her Mam was making breakfast.
The day before they’d watched a cooking show about American southern foods and her Mam had decided today they’d try making biscuits and sausage gravy. She was so excited to try something new, and thought they’d be doing it together. But once she arrived to the kitchen her Mam wasn’t there.
Deciding perhaps she was tired from fighting with her Da last night, that maybe she would get things prepared for when her Mam came down.
She went to the small fridge in the corner and started pulling the ingredients out that they’d bought the day before. She pulled out the fresh rolls, that just had to go in the oven and the sausage roll that would need to be cooked. Next she grabbed some fruit, because her Mam always liked to make sure she ate healthy. Even though she’d prefer to have sweet icing on her biscuits. She knew the fruit would make her happy.
Sitting on the stool that was just a tad too high for her to reach the floor, she crossed her hands and lay her head on them looking at all the food she’d brought out to cook. Excitement buzzed through her veins as she patiently waited…
And waited…
And waited…
Jumping up with a huff, she looked to the stairs asking no one in particular, “Where is me Mam?”
Having lost her short will to wait she started going back upstairs calling, “Mam? Are you up?” Still no response, “Mam, I have everything ready!” She sign-songed hoping to rouse her.
When she heard rustling coming from the direction of her parent’s room, she started to feel excited again. Hoping her Mam had only over slept, she rushed to the door and waited for it to open. Quietly knocking she whispered, “Mam are you up?”
When she heard a low moan, she started to worry. Opening the door slowly so as not to make any noise, she peaked inside. The room was a mess! Holy cow, her Mam was never that messy. She often joked she had OCD; whatever that was. The fact Deidre could see spilt make up across her vanity, worried her.
Stepping further into the room, she was shocked to see her Mam lying in bed with her face full of bruises, blood caked on the side of her mouth, and a black eye.
“Mam!” She cried, rushing over quickly, careful n
ot to touch her.
Running her fingers gently across her hair, her eyes started to slowly flutter open, “Oh A stor, what are ye doing in here?” Her Mam asked her, her voice cracking painfully.
“What happened Mam?” She begged to know, tears coursing down her cheeks.
“Nothing my sweet Stor, back to bed with ya.”
“But Mam, it tis’ morning,” she was confused now. Surely she knew it was the morning. That the sun was high in the sky now.
“Oh dear,” she whispered sounding scared. Deidre watched as an emotion she couldn’t identify entered her Mam’s eyes. It worried her in a way she didn’t fully understand, and a horrifying idea occurred to her.
“Mam? Did Da smack you?”
“Nah dear, let’s get you some food.” As her Mam started to sit up, Deidre watched her with what her Da called an eagle eye. She watched every wince, every sharp inhale of breath.
Backing away, still holding her hand, she watched as her Mam limped to the toilet. “Mam?” She asked before she could close the door, “Do you need a doctor?”
“I’ll be fine child, go, I’ll be down in a we bit.” She instructed.
She waited for a few minutes after the shower kicked on, wanting to make sure her Mam would be ok by herself.
Slowly walking back to the kitchen, she was startled when she ran into a hard body. Looking up she saw her Da, a cruel smirk on his face. He always seemed angry but never had he put fear in her the way he was as he stared down at her young face.
“What happened to Mam?” She asked him, her voice slightly shaky.
A cruel smile spread across his lips as he began cracking his knuckles, “Nothing for you to worry about kid,” he told her. But her eyes were glued to his hands.
Cracked.
Bloody.
Bruised.
“You hit Mam?” She asked him angrily.
“Sod off, you little shit,” he told her with so much hate. Hate directed at her. She was at a loss. Too shocked to know what to say. To do.
Her Da had never been the warmest man, but he’d certainly never been mean to her. Not like that.
“Da?” She whispered. Her upset clear as a bell in her voice. He just watched as the tears dripped down her cheeks slowly.
“You got something to say?” He snarled.
She started to back away from him. The anger in his eyes clear as day. She didn’t understand what was wrong with him. Hearing a noise from behind her, she looked back to see her Mam coming down the stairs slowly, with a small limp holding her side.
When she finally saw them at the bottom she rushed down, putting her own body in front of Deidre’s. Protecting her. She was so confused.
“You best teach that bastard child some manners, Maureen.” He growled as he grabbed her Mam’s arms make her cry out in pain.
“Stop it Da! Stop, you’re hurting her!” She cried, pulling on her Mam’s shirt.
“Shut up brat!” He screamed at her.
“Bradshaw! You can’t speak to her that way.”
Deidre watched in terror as her Da’s face went an ugly shade of red. “Mam?” She whispered in fear, just as her Da backhanded her Mam so hard she hit the floor in a cry of pain. “Mam!” She cried out again, dropping to her knee’s just as she felt a tug on her hair so sharp it felt like it was being ripped.
All of a sudden she was sailing through the air and hitting the just a couple of feet away. Dazed, she couldn’t move. Didn’t want to move. But she scurried back as pain assaulted her body when she heard heavy footsteps coming closer.
Closing her eyes tight she waited for what was to come. Hot breath in her face and hand gripping her chin so tight it hurt, with a demand, “Open your damn eyes.”
Looking up she shivered in fear as he told her, “Watch your fuckin’ mouth and mind your business.” At her nod, he instructed, “Clean her up, she looks like shit.” Before walking back out the front door with a slam.
***
Deidre ~ 12 years old
“Deidre Lynne O’Connor get your arse in this house now!” She winced as she heard her Da screaming for her as she was dropped off from school. Barely out of her friend, Jemma’s van when he started yelling at her.
Sighing she took her time walking up the steps to their semi-mansion, in the middle of Dublin. She hated this house. It reminded of the one from American Horror Story. It was spooky, and creaked when no one was home.
“Deidre!” Her Da screamed again. His voice was full of anger now. She wondered what bug crawled up his arse this time. Over the years since she was six years old, he’d been getting meaner and meaner. Until finally her mom had left when was eight.
Deidre didn’t blame her, not really. Her Da beat her nearly daily and when he’d started taking his meaty fists to her, her Mam had, had enough and finally left. She’d tried taking Deidre with her but her Da was a powerful man, and had run her Mam through the mud. Made her look like nothing but a drug addicted whore.
It couldn’t be further from the truth but her Da was a world class manipulator. She was eight so no matter how many times she’d tried to say no it was her Da that was the mean one. No one ever listened to her. So now four years later and she saw her Mam once a year on her birthday for a very short amount of time. But it was time that she treasured.
“Yes Da?” She asked as she walked inside. Stopping short when she a huge hulking man standing sentry at the bottom of the staircase and to the side of her Da’s study.
“Get in here,” he snapped from sad study.
“Please would ya come in here,” she mumbled in a low deep voice, wishing just once her Da would treat her like a person instead of a thing.
A snort as she passed The Hulk had her stopping short, and looking up into his stone cold face. But his eyes betrayed his amusement. A small smile graced her lips as she walked into the study before fixing her face into a blank stare.
Ember’s Burn
Annelise Reynolds
Prologue
Ember
I tried to scream, but couldn’t. “Not again, please not again!” My mind screamed the words my voice couldn’t over and over again.
My breathing was erratic and shallow. I couldn’t quite catch my breath as I relived the hell of my past. I could feel his hands all over me, again; grabbing me too tight, pinching my flesh and leaving his marks behind.
His rage was unleashed as he pounded my unyielding, weaker body. I tried to move, tried to fight with everything I had, but it wasn’t enough. My arms and legs were useless to me. When I tried to scream out, no sound was heard. I couldn’t speak around whatever he had gagging me. I fought him. Always fighting him. He loved to hear me scream, but this time for some reason, I couldn’t.
“Please, please,” I silently begged and pleaded with God, hoping he was there and would pull me out of this hell. “Please, just let me die!” I felt the tears flowing from my eyes, and then I felt the hand holding mine, rubbing tenderly across the back of my knuckles. The action didn’t match the torturous hell I was reliving.
I tried to open my eyes, but like the rest of my body refused to cooperate, so did my eyes. I felt myself waking up little by little becoming more and more aware of my surroundings. There was an annoying sound that was beeping loud and fast, too fast. The more I focused on it, it began to slow down and even out. I heard and became aware that someone was speaking to me softly. It was a man’s voice and so familiar. I knew that voice, it was one I’d heard a lot over the last eight months since my arrival in Belle. He was whispering words of assurance and comfort. ‘Shhh. You’re safe, honey. I’ve got you. Nobody’s going to hurt you again.’ The words so simple, yet, so soothing and reassuring.
“It’s not right”, my thoughts screamed at me. “Men aren’t to be trusted”, but for some reason, I wanted to trust this man and the words of comfort he was offering me. I held onto his voice as the darkness took over again. When it pulled me under, I saw him. The owner of that low voice that lulled me back into a calm
unconscious sleep. I was no longer in hell but still in the presence of a Demon.
