A Paranormal Easter: 14 Paranormal & Fantasy Romance Novellas

by Tiffany Carby

  “We’re three brothers who want to reclaim their family home, and put the past to rest, nothing more, so I’d like to make an offer. I understand the town holds the annual Easter egg hunt in this park.” Murmurs rippled the crowd as the further reaching implications of the fire occurred to them. “If it’s all right with Madam Mayor, my brothers and I would like to offer the Everwood Estate for this year’s event.”

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Penelope’s voice cut through the heightened voices, several whom appeared to disagree. “And for any of you thinking of avoiding this year’s event before any of you don your airs of self-righteousness and judge these boys on hearsay and innuendo, might I remind you... nobody is innocent. None of us are the people we portray ourselves to be. All of us are hiding secrets, and the fear of having them revealed is the reason you elect me mayor repeatedly because I know them all. If any of you can claim to be innocent of any sin then by all means, stay home. As for the rest of you, innocent victims suffer hatred and violence every day through ignorance and fear. Consider the lesson you are teaching your children, and then picture them being subjected to that same ignorant persecution.” Penelope turned take Kyler’s hand. “Thank you for your most gracious offer, it’s far more than this town deserves. Personally, I’m thrilled for the opportunity to glimpse the mysterious Everwood. It feels I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.”

  Kyler bowed his head. “Everwood welcomes you, all of you.”

  Selene looped her arm through his. “I’ll be there.” She looked back to Ana.

  “Well, I’ll be there. Someone’s gotta bring the coffee.”

  “Mummy, are we going too?”

  Michelle Andrews glanced between her daughter’s face and the blackened building in the distance. She crossed the space to stand in front of Selene. “You were there for my daughter when I couldn’t be, both of you.” She hugged Selene and Ana then turned to Kyler and held out her hand. “Michelle Andrews. I don’t know if the stories are true, but if you had anything to do with saving my daughter tonight, then for me that’s all that matters. We’d love to accept your invitation.”

  “Kyler Everwood, glad to have you join us.”

  Kyan leaned in when Michelle moved away. “Bro, do you have any idea what you’ve signed us up for?”

  At that moment Kyler didn’t care. No one had come at them with pitchforks and he had Selene tucked tight against him, nothing else mattered. He shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. Right now I vote we all go home.”

  Selene held out her free hand to Ana. “Come on.”

  Ana protested. “No, you go. I’ll be fine—”

  “Simon says, shut up and get your butt over here, Miss Ana.”

  Only the women laughed at the inside joke. “Well, if Simon says, who am I to argue.” Ana put her hand in Selene’s and whispered. “Thank you.”

  She squeezed Ana’s hand. “Anytime.”

  Neither woman protested when Kyllian steered the SUV back to the Everwood Estate. He uttered ‘Welcome to Everwood’ and disappeared into the manor.

  “Man of few words, your brother. Are you sure being here is okay?”

  Kyan offered Ana his hand to help her from the SUV. “It’s fine. Kyllian doesn’t do well with crowds. I imagine he needs a timeout. Nothing personal, I promise.”

  Ana jumped and looked around as she passed through the protective wards at the front door.

  For Selene, the sensation seemed somehow… familiar. She glanced sideways at Kyler who sighed. “We should talk.”

  “Why don’t I show Ana, somewhere she can clean up while you do that? But don’t keep her too long, brother. I still need to check her out.”

  With Ana trailing after Kyan, Kyler led Selene out through the side door into the garden. She let go of his hand assessing everything she saw. “I’ve been here before, haven’t I?” Kyler nodded and a chill raced along her spine. “So it wasn’t a dream?”

  Kyler held her gaze as he shook his head. “No.”

  She’d already known the answer but hearing him admit aloud sent her mind spinning. “The wolves, Julius, they chased me and I fell, and—” her eyes widened. “Holy shit—I died, I—”

  Her distress propelled Kyler forward. “Yes. No. Almost.”

  “Which one was it, Kyler?”

  “When you wandered beyond the wards unescorted, and unprotected, Julius’ bloodlust went into overdrive. He’d drained you to the point of death, but in his frenzy, he’d also given you his venom. If you had died, you would have awakened as a vampire.” He gathered Selene into his arms as her knees threatened to collapse beneath her. “But I couldn’t let that happen. Losing you would have been bad enough, but for someone so pure to come back as one of them, would have been wrong, so I sucked his venom from your blood.”

  Selene put her hand on her neck. “I remember. But I also remember dying. The white light appeared and everything, so how is it I’m still here?”

  Kyler released her from his embrace. “You were on the brink of death and I couldn’t lose you. I made a selfish choice, and I can only hope one day you will forgive me.”

  Memories flashed through her mind.

  “You can’t do this. Not with her.”

  “It will never be anyone, but her. I’ve waited one hundred years to find her, and I’ll wait for one hundred more if I have to. I will never love another but her.”

  “Liar. You said it was me, you promised, me.”

  “No, you chose me because you thought I would be the easiest to manipulate, but it will never happen. Never. I will never bond with you.”

  “We… bonded? I don’t understand. What does that mean?”

  “I bound your life, hoping to bring you back.”

  “Well, that explains the memory of plummeting back to Earth. You saved me.“

  Kyler shook his head. “I saved your life, yes, but in doing so, I’ve also cursed you and in that respect, I am no better than Julius.”

  “You saved my life. How is that possibly a curse?”

  “You don’t understand. A blood bond isn’t like your human marriages. There is no undoing a blood bond, no option for divorce. A blood bond is for life. It ties your life, your soul to another person. For the rest of your life, you’re always aware of them, even when they aren’t around. You will share their emotions, good and bad, know their thoughts, sometimes even share their skills, which is fine for a bond made between two consenting parties, but even then many never make the choice. Only those who believe beyond a shadow of a doubt they’re destined to spend eternity together ever go through with it.

  “We’ve known each other a few months, yet we can’t go two weeks without something wanting to tear us apart, and now I’ve taken away any chance of you ever being free to seek a relationship with anyone else. My bonding with you was a selfish choice. I did it knowing I could lose you once you learned the truth because I couldn’t live in a world without you in it. But if I had to, I’d make the same choice, every time.”

  Selene took her time responding. “Believe it or not, I’m not mad at you, Kyler, I’m grateful. First, that you didn’t let Julius turn me into a vampire, and second for saving my life. In these past few months, you’ve shown me how much my fears have held me back from actually living my life. It would have sucked to realise that only to die before doing anything about it.”

  “But the bond—”

  “The bonding thing will take more time. I understand one doesn’t exist without the other, so I can’t thank you for saving my life and then get pissed about how you did it.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “That makes three times you’ve saved my life now, and as grateful as I am, I need to stop landing myself in situations where you need to do that.”

  “No matter how many times I have to do it, I’ll save you, Selene. Every time.”

  Unable to resist, Selene reached up on tiptoes and brushed a gentle kiss against his lips. “And on that note, I need to go. Any second now, the a
drenalin will wear off and everything will come crashing down on me. There’s every chance I’ll fall apart and I’d rather not be out here when that happens. Tonight was bad enough for me, I can only imagine what Ana went through. I need to be there for her.”

  He offered no protest. “Let me show you the way.”

  Kyan waylaid them on the stairs. He placed a hand on her back to assess her airways. Satisfied she’d suffered no serious damage, he handed something to help her sleep, and let them pass.

  Outside Ana’s room, Kyler kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” He disappeared before she could respond.

  Inside, she found Ana standing in front of the mirror. “That’s pretty.”

  Ana wore a floor-length nightgown of pale pink silk, with a ruched bodice, delicate spaghetti straps and an empire waistline. Sewn across the waistline, a row of tiny pearls. A similar style gown, in ivory, lay on the bed.

  “Isn’t it?” Ana twisted back and forth, admiring it from every angle. “Kyan said they belonged to Celeste Everwood, the one that died? Anyhow, I thought it’d be weird wearing her stuff, but when I saw it, all I could think of was how sad to keep something so beautiful hidden away for so long.”

  Selene left Ana admiring her reflection and headed for the bathroom. When she returned, she found Ana curled up on one side of the king-sized bed.

  “Will it be weird for you if we share? I get that friends do this sometimes, but I’ve never done that before, so I get if that’s weird for you, and I’m sure—” she yawned. “Damn it. I thought the tea tasted funny. I told him--” Ana’s eyes drifted closed.

  Guess Ana wouldn’t need her after all.

  Fatigue swamped her the moment she climbed under the covers. As an extra precaution, Selene downed the vial Kyan had handed to her on the stairs. She needed to face what happened at some point, but not tonight. Tonight all she wanted… was sleep.

  13

  When an army of volunteers and vehicles arrived early the next morning, Selene, refreshed from a dreamless sleep, took charge with Ana.

  Kyllian excused himself, leaving Kyler and Kyan to do the heavy lifting.

  By early afternoon, the normally well-kept estate had transformed into an Easter wonderland.

  Clusters of picnic tables spread across the lawn, empty booths that vendors would tomorrow fill with various delights, stood nestled together near the manor.

  Over-sized cardboard cut-outs of rabbits, baskets and eggs gave everything a distinctly Easter atmosphere.

  And lastly, discretely positioned out of sight, but not out of reach, rows and rows of porta-loos, whose arrival brought a clear sense of relief to the brothers. The possibility of hundreds if not thousands of guests needing access to the manor’s bathrooms had clearly not crossed anyone’s mind.

  But perhaps most impressive, was the knowledge that several thousand chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies, now lay hidden throughout the extensive foliage.

  By tomorrow evening, the Estate’s grounds would look a little worse for wear.

  Kyan shrugged. “It’ll give Silas something to do.”

  Silas.

  The older man’s presence, at breakfast, had frozen her in place when she entered the room. He stared at her with apologetic eyes before making himself scarce for the rest of the day.

  Kyler had gently steered her to a quiet corner while she composed herself.

  Kyllian had joined them assuring her he’d taken every precaution to protect everyone attending the event. The previous evening he’d reinforced the rules they needed to abide by, and reminded them of the consequences for those who broke them.

  With the fate of Julius and the wolves freshly in their minds, it wasn’t a difficult task. Kyllian offered everyone a choice to leave or be incarcerated to those unable to comply, without judgement. A number had chosen to leave, with an equal number asking to stay. In addition, Kyllian had trusted men and women patrolling the perimeter as an extra precaution.

  Selene knew her own experience influenced her concerns, but she trusted Kyllian enough to put them aside.

  Both Selene and Ana decided to spend a second night at the manor. Kyler loaned them his SUV so they could collect fresh clothes, and Selene’s hand-painted eggs for the auction. Given the fire had destroyed both their vehicles, transportation would be difficult in the short term, at least for Ana.

  They shared a room once more preventing Selene from being tempted to share with Kyler. She missed the comfort of him sleeping beside her, the peace and contentment that filled her, lying in his arms. When the weekend was over, she’d figure out her thoughts on the whole bonding business.

  Everyone in the manor was up and moving at dawn on Easter Sunday.

  Selene returned from the bathroom to find Ana pawing through the wardrobe. She poked her head over Ana’s shoulder. “What are those?”

  “Kyan had them sent over with the nightgowns. I just tossed on my jeans when they appeared clean yesterday. Didn’t even remember to take a peek. Not sure skirts are my thing, but this—” she pulled out an ivory coloured top and burgundy corset, “this would look hot with my skinny black jeans, and black boots.” She held the top in front of her and spun around. “What do you reckon?”

  “Oh, nice. Very nice.” A full-length skirt, in a deep forest green, caught Selene’s eye. She grabbed an off the shoulder white peasant top, and a wide black leather belt that laced in a criss-cross pattern at the front, holding everything out to Ana. “How about this?”

  Ana gave the outfit an appraising glance. “Yes. That top will go fabulously with your tan, and you pull off those long skirts in a way I never could. I approve.”

  They quickly donned their outfits and headed downstairs. Nerves fluttered in Selene’s stomach. The top’s designed called for a strapless bra which was something it hadn’t occurred to her to pack yesterday. Her choices were to wear her regular bra with the straps showing or go without one. Not giving herself a chance to chicken out, she’d tossed her bra on the bed and followed Ana out the door. A few months ago, the old Selene wouldn’t even be here, let alone going braless, which left her feeling naked and exposed. It may have been much, but it was a start.

  She doubted her decision the moment Kyler watched her enter the room. The nerves increased tenfold as he neared, his eyes raking over her body.

  “She’d have liked you.”

  Confusion replaces Selene’s her nerves. “Sorry?”

  Kyler reached out and stroked the fabric of her skirt. “My mother. I remember her wearing this same outfit as a child.”

  Selene’s hand flew up to cover her gaping mouth. “I’m so sorry. We didn’t even stop to consider how you might feel seeing—I’ll go change.”

  He grabbed her hand. “No, don’t. Kyan would never have taken them from storage if seeing them again was going be a problem. It seems fitting a small part of her will be here today as if everything has finally come full circle. Besides, the outfit is perfect for you.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Good call on the no bra, sweetheart. Proud of you.” He kissed her cheek and wandered off smiling, leaving Selene blushing from head to toe.

  Cheeky witch.

  “A little rabbit told me you all have something else you’d rather be doing, but first I have an important announcement to make”“ It was a testament to the power and respect Penelope Peterson commanded by how quickly the crowd quietened. “Now I had planned to hold the auction for the hand-painted eggs, painted by our own, Miss Selene Fischer, right before lunch.” Applause began, but Penelope waved it down. “Save it, folks, I haven’t gotten to the good bit yet. What I wanted to say is that as of a few minutes ago, I received a very generous bid of ten thousand dollars, for the entire collection, this year.”

  Had Kyler not been on hand to catch her, Selene may have fallen over in shock. Ten thousand? Last year’s three thousand dollar figure had blown away, but ten?

  She glanced at Kyler wide eyed and questioning, but he shook his head.

  “No
w, before anyone asks, the bidder has asked to remain anonymous, and you know me and secrets so don’t waste your time.” Nervous laughter rippled through the crowd. “But I’m required to ask, are there any advances on this offer?” Everyone fell silent once more. “Ten thousand going once. Ten thousand going twice. SOLD.”

  Nothing held back the applause this time. Around the crowd, people rose to their feet clapping and cheering. Penelope passed the microphone to Selene, who accepted it with shaking hands.

  “Wow. So I have to say, a huge thank you to our anonymous bidder, whoever you may be. Let me assure you your kind donation will go to help children who need it, just like I did, so again, thank you.” Applause rang out again and Selene took a deep breath. For someone who’d only regained her voice two weeks ago, she was making up for lost time. “Hello, everyone. Have you enjoyed your Easter breakfast?”

  A rousing cheer sounded through the crowd.

  “Well, that’s good, but I know the real reason you’re here. Simon says, hands up who’s ready to go find some Easter eggs?” A few hands went up. “What? Only five of you? Let’s try this again. Simon says, hands up who’s ready to find some Easter eggs?” Most hands shot up this time. Selene shot Kyan a sideways glance when his did too.

  “What? I like chocolate. Sue me.”

  She couldn’t argue. She’d eaten at least six hot cross buns already this morning. “Okay then, everyone got their Easter baskets?”

  “YES.”

  “Simon says, ready. Set. GO.”

  Chaos descended upon the Everwood Estate, as children squealed with delight racing in all directions, leaving parents trailing in their wake.

  Kyan stepped off the make-shift stage and held his hand out to Ana who feigned indifference. “What?”