A Paranormal Easter: 14 Paranormal & Fantasy Romance Novellas

by Tiffany Carby

  “So that rabbit was you,” Peregrine ground out and sank his dirty fingers into Adelaide’s hair. “I should have snapped your neck while I had the chance.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to Perry-boy,” Dylan said with an air of confidence while his heart was racing seeing Adelaide struggling against the man. The gasp of pain as Peregrine yanked on her hair was enough to send fury surging through his veins. “I was about to flay your hand open. Plus Addy broke your wrist, so you really wouldn’t have stood a chance.” He glared at the man after tearing his eyes away from his heart. “Let her go, this is between us, Peregrine.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll have some fun with her first. I have been waiting a long time to get my hands on her.” Peregrine looked down to Adelaide before his fingers reached over to run over her bottom lip.

  What she did next left Dylan swelling with pride. Just when Peregrine’s fingers touched her lip, Adelaide bit down hard. Get away Addy, come on. She darted away from him, offering Dylan some comfort. After he turned his attention to the now cursing man, Dylan leapt forward as Peregrine was trying to recover and tackled the man farther away from her. Rage filled his chest while his fists rained down on the man. He could not contain the anger while the sight of Peregrine touching her replayed in his head.

  Peregrine struggled to grab Dylan’s wrists. When he could not stop the blows, Peregrine found the spot where the man’s leg had been broken weeks ago and grabbed hard.

  Dylan howled in pain and leapt from the man only to be crashed into again. This time he was pinned to the ground and Peregrine’s fists landed blow after blow.

  It was all happening so fast Adelaide barely had time to recover before they had already swapped places. She looked over and her heart broke at the site of Dylan pinned down. Shift already! The obstinate look of determination not to shift was clearly worn on his face while he shoved the man off of himself and leapt to his feet. Blood ran from his mouth and she could already see the bruising on his cheek. It made her blood boil in a way she had never expected to.

  She set her jaw and ran to the edge of the field while the other two continued their fight. “Come on, where are you?? I left you here before just last winter. Don’t tell me you’ve rotted already,” she shouted while she searched for the thick branch she had dragged out of the middle of the field last fall. “Come ON!” Stamping her foot to the ground, she saw a small movement out of the corner of her eye. “There you are!”

  Adelaide grabbed the branch and ran back to the two men then waited for her opening. She simply wanted to get Peregrine off of Dylan. It was obvious Dylan’s leg was on fire. White lines creased his beautiful face while he struggled with the much larger man above him. Dylan managed to get back to his feet, however instantly Peregrine had pinned Dylan to the ground again with a lucky blow to the back of his head. Her heart broke when she saw those stunning chocolate eyes close and his body go limp. NO! Shit. Do it now Addy.

  Adelaide ran behind Peregrine and brought the thick branch down over the back of his head with a sickening crack. The branch shattered leaving her cursing herself. Better his attention on me at the moment. The thought ran unbidden through her head. A scowl came across her face as Peregrine rose to his feet and towered over her.

  “Now that we are alone,” he muttered while panting and grabbed her by the back of the head. His fingers yanked her hair hard when he pulled her tight against him.

  Adelaide nearly vomited at the smell of him. “Have you not showered in weeks, Perry?” She glared up at him as he yanked her hair again in an effort to draw a yelp of agony from her.

  “Of course I have, Pet. But now that I’ve won, you might just get to shower while I watch—if I decide to let you,” he smirked down to her through the blood and cuts covered his face. Peregrine yanked her hair as he jerked her face to his.

  She refused to give in to the pain and simply glared at him while her fingers reached for her pocket. After the last time Peregrine had shown up, she had went out and bought a knife for protection at Dylan’s insistence. Be strong, Addy. Anxiety at what she was about to do sat high in her chest—however she knew her aim had to be precise. If you don’t, he’ll kill Dylan and you’ll be a slave, raped every day the rest of her life.

  Dylan’s soft moan when he began to came to melted away any fear she had. She wrapped her hand around the handle of the knife as she anticipated Peregrine kissing her. Seconds seemed to turn into minutes while she waited for him to become enthralled with her apparent acceptance of his touch. Truth be told she wanted to expel everything in her body right there. His touch made her skin crawl in a way she had never expected.

  She made sure Peregrine’s eyes were closed and she returned his kiss with counterfeit gusto before removing the knife from her pocket. Ensuring it did not touch him, she ran her hands up the large man’s chest. When she reached his neck, she paused, a brief moment of uncertainty filled her and panic rode her hard—until the sight of his hand around Dylan’s neck flashed in her mind.

  Adelaide set her jaw and shoved the knife deep into Peregrine’s neck twisting it after the hilt touched his skin. A gasp of pain left her throat when his fingers tightened in her hair just before he reached up in shock to pull the knife from his throat. The second he removed it from his body, Adelaide became covered in his blood. It spurted over her face and down her dress as he stood over her, his shock filled eyes staring into hers while the life drained from them.

  “You will never have me, Peregrine,” she growled. She shoved the man back away from her and watched him fall to the ground before his blood stained the grass around him. Doubling over the second the life flickered from Peregrine’s eyes, Adelaide heaved until there was nothing left.

  Dylan opened his eyes to complete silence. He sat up with a groan and held his head. The last thing he remembered was Peregrine catching the back of his head before everything went black. Dylan looked to his right and the sight was one he was not prepared for. Peregrine’s body lay there with a knife between it and a doubled over, blood soaked Adelaide. He only watched her for a moment—tears streaming down her face and gasping for breath—before he leapt to his feet and ran over to her.

  “Addy,” he whispered before he scrambled to her and wrapped her in his arms. She did not speak and simply turned to him burying her face in his chest sobbing. He knew she loathed violence and Dylan did everything he could to shield her from it. Yet as she released the emotion he knew consumed her, he found himself proud of her for defending herself. “Shhh, Love. It’s over now,” he murmured and pressed a kiss to her hair. He did not know how long he sat holding her, however the tears eventually subsided. Gently tipping her face to his, he smiled down to her. “You did good, Addy girl.”

  “I couldn’t let him hurt you—or me—anymore. I just couldn’t,” she choked out between gasps of breath before several more tears cleaned the majority of Peregrine’s blood from her face.

  Dylan smiled sadly. “I know, Addy. You did what you had to do to defend yourself, defend me.” He reached over, grabbed his shirt to clean the remaining blood from her face, and kept her wrapped against him. “It’s over, Adelaide. It’s okay now.”

  “But what happens now? Won’t I be thrown in jail? Or worse you? What happens to your shop? What happens to us?” Panic filled her voice as the coil wound again.

  He could feel her mind racing and kissed her deeply, interrupting the spiral instantly feeling her relax in his arms. Dylan smiled against her lips and broke the kiss but kept her lips against his. “Adelaide, trust me when I say nothing is going to happen. Dad knows full well what he’s been doing to you, I’ve told him about all I’m aware of. He won’t let anything happen to either of us. And if someone has to pay for Peregrine, then I am not letting you do it. We will tell them I did it.”

  “But—“

  “No buts, Addy girl. If there’s even a remote chance you are carrying our child, I refuse to stand by and watch you go through that from outside the bars,” he brushed ano
ther kiss across her lips and squeezed her to him. Dylan had to smile because he could feel the deep blush against his chest. “C’mon, we need to let Dad know what happened.” He released her long enough to get his pants and shoes on before scooping her up in his arms. She nestled against his chest as he turned to head to his father’s house.

  9

  1 YEAR LATER

  “I hate this stupid holiday,” Dylan complained and watched his wife move about their home. “They act like rabbits are supposed to shit out eggs made of toys and chocolate. Do you realize how painful that would be on your system?” He withered inwardly at the thought.

  Adelaide laughed and shook her head while picking up their son. “You know, it’s almost like they don’t realize you’re a rabbit and how offensive that is to your sensitive tastes.” Sarcasm colored her words.

  “They take over our field and litter it with candy and toy-filled eggs!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. The holiday was definitely his least favorite. Many townsfolk expected to see the mahogany rabbit every year—and this year was no different. No one truly knew how the rabbit made it there, but if he didn’t show up the town would be disappointed. Many had become superstitious about it bringing good fortune to the town. “And they all molest me!” Adelaide’s loud laugh at his protests filled his heart.

  “You enjoy the petting and attention, Dylan. Don’t even try to wriggle your way around that one,” she teased.

  He glowered in mock annoyance. “That may be so. But there are certain places even a bunny doesn’t want to be touched.” He glanced over to her. “Or looked at. You thought I’d forget how embarrassing that was.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head with another smile. “Whatever, Dylan. You can keep up with that line of shit until your dying breath, and I’ll never believe you. You trot around naked like nothing is wrong—not that I’m complaining, mind you. I am quite all right seeing you naked under the sun.”

  Dylan laughed, unable to help himself. He purposely stayed naked because he knew she enjoyed it. “You know with Ryan here now, I’m not sure how much longer that can go on.”

  “Oh, bullshit, Dylan. If he can shift like you, I want him to be as proud of himself as you are. There’s no reason to shame him for being naked. He doesn't have anything I haven't seen before.” Then, she moved over to him and placed her lips next to his ear. “I just may have ridden one once or twice before, too.” She stood up and continued, “So, I don't think I'll be scandalized by a couple naked men running around our house.”

  A howl of laughter left his chest. “Fine, fine! You win!” He wrapped her up in his arms and planted a kiss on her while she held their son. “I guess it’s time to go shit out some eggs, huh,” he murmured against her lips.

  “The townsfolk depend on the mahogany rabbit. Go fulfill their superstitious tendencies, and I’ll make sure you get to cuddle with us in my lap.” She brushed a kiss across his lips and eased from his arms. “And maybe more later if you’re a good little rabbit and can go the whole day without biting someone this time.” She smirked over her shoulder at him, giving him the look that he absolutely adored.

  Dylan shook his head and took one more kiss before heading to their field. He shifted and did his due diligence. However, it wasn’t long before his heart soared just at seeing her join the crowd with their son. He hopped over to them and nuzzled her foot before she rewarded him by picking him up, as well. He fit himself between Adelaide and Ryan, and a sense of completion overcame him in a way he never thought possible.

  About the Author

  C. Brady is a crazy and quirky free spirit hailing from the Miami Valley in Southwest Ohio. She consumes copious amounts of music, and can be found by following the bouncing glowing dot of the headset that has long since fused to her head—much to her husband’s chagrin. If you can’t find her there, look outside under the stars where she daydreams of times long past and worlds far away where vampires, dragons, werewolves, and demons roam.

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  The Spirit of Little Feather

  Judy Swinson

  1

  The Spirit of Little Feather

  My name is Maria. I was born and raised in a small town in Alabama. My Dad is a project manager for a power company and we move a lot, and I do mean a lot. I went to three high schools before the end of my junior year. I learned not to get too close or attached to friends because it hurt too bad to say goodbye.

  I have wonderful parents who adopted me when I was two years old. My parents had another child when I was ten, a child not adopted, like me. They said it was a miracle, I think it was a blessing, because although they love me, I know I am different, on the inside and the out. First, I have cold black hair and dark brown eyes with gold specks, my skin is olive. I am tall and thin. My Dad has curly brown hair and he’s a bit on the stout side, my Mom has red hair and some freckles. My little brother, Danny, has red hair and freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose. He is one cute kid. My parents love me but they don’t always understand my need or reason to want to know where I come from or who my parents may have been. My Mom is a saint, my best friend and she is more understanding of my reasons to find out who I am, but my Dad will not even discuss the subject.

  I have a secret and that secret also makes me different. It happened last year around Easter, when my church group sponsored the youth to go to Crystal River, Florida on a kayak and camping trip. Ellie is my best friend. She took me under her wing when I started this new school after Christmas. We also go to the same church. We talked about the trip and got permission from our parents to go.

  We left before the sun came up the Wednesday before Easter with the church van. There were twelve of us; Mike, the youth pastor and his wife, Connie, and another couple, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan who volunteer with our youth group, four boys and four girls. Our senior church pastor knew the individuals who owned a Christian camp ground near the river. We had been told it was a unique experience to camp there, a little bit of wilderness as there was no electricity, camp tenting only, and outhouses. Thankfully, there were showers. There was also a little camp store with bare necessities, probably chopped wood for camp fires, and hopefully supplies to make s’mores. The adults had brought three large coolers of food and several cases of water for our trip. They had also made arrangements to rent six two person kayaks and six two person pop up tents so it was important we had even numbers for our trip.

  The morning we left was a fury of excitement and giggles among the girls, especially me because this was my first experience camping or kayaking. I was so excited, and to be honest, I was surprised my parents had given me permission to go. They can be over protective, especially my Dad, but I am going to be eighteen in a few months so maybe they are trying to let go a little.

  Once we were settled in the van, most of us fell asleep listening to the hum of the engine, until the sun cast shadows on the window and warmed our faces. After stretching, I looked around and heard the adults talking softly and saw Mr. Sullivan flipping through a newspaper. I nudged Ellie and she opened one eye and just stared at me, then she giggled.

  When most everyone was awake, Pastor Mike exited the interstate and pulled the van to a stop in front of a little country convenience store connected to a gas station.

  “Okay, kids it’s time for a break, restrooms and stretch. We have about four more hours to drive before we reach Crystal River.” Pastor Mike ushered us off the van, reminding us not to go far, and to be back on the van in fifteen minutes.

  Back on the road we played the alphabet game to pass the time. Ellie said Angel, I said Batman all of us took a turn until the end of the alphabet, and then one of the boys suggested we play the same game, but use the name of a sports team. I started the game and said Astros, Josh said Braves, and Ellie said Cubs. This game didn�
�t last long because we got carried away with laughter when the boys knew team names, they just didn’t always know the alphabet order. There were some fun sucker punches to the boys, and they took the ribbing in good fun. This was a great group, giving each of us a chance to get to know each other better and bond. This was important to me, because we had only lived in Fairhope a couple of months and I was just starting to know some of the kids. We already had some common traits among us, we were all juniors at the same high school and our families all went to the same church. The boys were very nice and treated the girls with respect. I was enjoying myself and glad Ellie and I had come. I took a minute and thanked God for the experience.

  Several hours later, we stopped for lunch in a state park called Fanning Springs along Rt. 19 in Florida. The ranger allowed us to go to the picnic site without charge, probably because we were in a church van and there didn’t seem to be any other picnic groups at the park. He indicated most of the groups would be coming on Friday for the Easter week end and had rented the cabins months in advance.

  It was a beautiful park with spring waters, cabins and a number of trails, both long and short. We all decided after lunch we would take a short hike just to get some of the kinks out from sitting on the van for so long. I think it was more for the adults.

  It was wilderness and pure nature, the birds were singing, the squirrels were jumping from tree to tree and a light breeze was blowing through the branches casting shadows from the sun along our walk. I breathed in the smell of grass and blooming trees and a scent of lilac somewhere near. My appreciation of nature and all it had to offer was interrupted, when Pastor Mike’s voice called us back to the van to continue our trip.