by Various
Lucas was gone…in her heart she knew it, and she had already started to die.
“Shhh…” Luke whispered as they mounted the stairs.
She scrubbed the tears away from her face and sucked in a breath, stilling the gasping sobs that had started to rack her body. CJ wasn’t going to let Davenport see her like this. He’d see it as fear, not grief, not pain.
The house was oppressively silent as they went through the door and CJ flinched at the sound of Luke closing the door behind them.
Get out of my house…
The malevolent voice filled the air and Luke’s mouth curled in a mean smile as he shook his head. Holding firm to CJ’s hand, he said levelly, “Davenport, you bastard, it’s my house. It was always mine. You take your dead carcass out and be done with it.”
It is mine.
She’s mine. I’ve been torturing the little bitch since she was a child. I’ll torture her until she’s old and gray, and do the same in her next life.
125
Shiloh Walker
CJ snorted. “A little girl is much easier to scare than I am. Do your worst.”
Oh, I will. And I’ll take him away from you again.
The power in the house started to converge in one spot, swirling and tightening and blurring together as the windows rattled and doors began to slam. High-pitched, otherworldly shrieks rent the air and CJ clapped her hands over her ears, but Luke just stood there, hands loose and ready at his sides, as he waited.
Waited for what?
What was going on?
Everything went black inside the house. In full daylight. When the darkness finally lifted, some thick fog obscured everything and CJ could barely see Luke. Reaching for him, she felt his hand meeting hers and he moved her, nudging her back against the grand stairwell. “Stay here, love. Promise? This has to be mine this time,” he murmured against her mouth.
“What’s going—?”
A laugh filled the hall, low, evil, familiar. And real…
As the fog drifted slightly clearer, a man’s form was visible as he moved closer. Tall, stocky, with the long sideburns and slicked-back hairstyle from the 1840s. He wore his long coat open over a half-unbuttoned shirt, and breeches tucked into black knee-high boots that had a shine that became more and more apparent as he sauntered closer.
“Remember me, Katherine?” he drawled in a thick Southern voice. A cruel, cold voice that made her skin shudder and crawl.
Dear God in Heaven, she prayed silently as her knees threatened to give. Give me strength.
Yes, she remembered him. Completely. He had terrorized a girl of eighteen whose only experience with men had been with a man who had loved her, who was gentle and considerate and patient. Davenport had pinned her against walls, pinched her roughly, forced her to her knees and shoved her face against his crotch while telling her he’d like to use his slave’s crop on her back.
He had paced outside her room for hours on end when she locked herself inside, and once had even busted the door down when Alice hadn’t been home. Davenport had totally and completely terrorized her, until she jumped at her own shadow.
The night Collin Lucas returned, Davenport had pinned her down in the library and ripped her clothes off, tying her with strips from her petticoat, holding her down with his boot on her belly. As he fell down atop her, that was when Alice came in the room, her eyes wide with fright, fear, and shock.
CJ thought she could still feel the cold splash of brandy as it struck her face, splattered her arms tied to the legs of a chair, the stinging little bites of glass that flew from the leaded crystal, and Davenport’s furious roar.
“She’s afraid…I can feel it,” he rumbled, laughing.
126
Ghost of a Chance
With a smile, CJ opened her eyes. “You were kept from me twice, and both times by a woman. What makes you think you can win this time?”
The tinkling sound of a woman’s laughter filled the air as Luke smiled at CJ.
Davenport hissed at her. “Bitch!”
The men lunged, Davenport for Luke. But Luke went for the old, gleaming sword that hung over the coat tree in the hall, the one Collin’s great-grandfather had carried in the Revolutionary War. Whirling on his heel, he stepped forward and plunged the sword hilt deep into Davenport’s chest. No heart beat there, but as the sharp tip penetrated, a sickly foul light emerged and Davenport started to shudder and scream.
“I should have cut out your heart the night you laid hands on my women…my bride and my mother.” Luke moved up to the convulsing, shuddering beast that was slowing collapsing in on itself and he whispered softly, “You never had a chance this time around. Not a ghost of a chance.”
Within seconds, Davenport’s body and soul were gone. The darkness inside the house completely faded, leaving the sword lying on the floor, gleaming, untouched. As Luke knelt to lift it up, the music of his mother laughing filled the house again, and a warm spring breeze rushed through it.
“Oh, Collin Lucas. My boy…my baby…” a woman murmured, her voice low and husky.
“Mama,” Luke said, his voice thick, rough with tears. He stared into one room, the ladies’ sitting room, and started to walk in there, as CJ waited.
“Precious boy. You did well. You did well…thank you for letting me go,” she murmured, folding her presence around him and holding him tight before she, too, started to fade away.
“Wait!”
Laughingly, she asked, “Haven’t we all waited enough?”
Turning, he met CJ’s eyes. “Hell, yeah.”
And then he reached for her.
127
About the author:
They always say to tell a little about yourself! I was born in Kentucky and have been reading avidly since I was six. At twelve, I discovered how much fun it was to write when I took a book that didn’t end the way it should have ended, and I rewrote it.
I've been writing since then.
About me now... hmm... I've been married since I was 19 to my high school sweetheart and we live in the midwest. Recently I made the plunge and turned to writing full-time and am looking for a part-time job so I can devote more time to my family—two adorable children who are growing way too fast, and my husband who doesn't see enough of me...
Shiloh welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1337 Commerce Drive, Suite 13, Stow OH 44224.
Also by Shiloh Walker:
Coming In Last
Every Last Fantasy
Firewalkers: Dreamer
Her Best Friend’s Lover
Her Wildest Dreams
His Christmas Cara
Make Me Believe
Mythe & Magick
Mythe: Vampire
Once Upon A Midnight Blue
Silk Scarves and Seduction
The Dragon’s Warrior
The Hunters: Delcan and Tori
The Hunters: Eli and Sarel
The Hunters: Jonathan and Lori
Touch of Gypsy Fire
Voyeur
Whipped Cream and Handcuffs
PAST RUNNING
Mlyn Hurn
Past Running
Chapter One
Aeryn looked back at the six people following her. She knew they trusted her, and that she was familiar with where they were going. Aeryn could see it in their eyes that their faith and hope rested with her. She took a deep breath, her eyes squinting to see better in the darkness.
A voice, a few feet behind her, spoke harshly a moment later. “Damn it! Do you even know where we are, Aeryn?”
Aeryn didn’t look at the speaker, but her spine stiffened at his brash demands. “If you think you can do better, then you get up here and lead the way!” She heard the women gasp in surprise at her words and tone. They probably thought she was crazy talking back to this man, who held a gun on them and had threatened many things, least of which was killing them.
Aeryn continued on, knowing the man wouldn’t an
swer her. He was lost without her, and he knew it. His two cohorts probably weren’t aware of it yet, but for sure, Craig had no idea where they were. And Aeryn knew he had no idea on how to get out of town without being spotted. So she kept on walking.
* * * * *
About an hour later, Jenny cried out from near the rear of the procession. They all stopped as the teenaged girl hobbled along a few more steps. She needed water and Aeryn’s sister, Elyse, passed her the water jug she was carrying. Jenny lived with Elyse, since her parents had died a few years earlier. The man walking at the rear near Jenny offered his arm for her to lean on, but he did it softly, so his cousin Craig wouldn’t hear him.
Aeryn quickly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention forward. “We’ll be out of the caverns soon.”
Aeryn felt Craig’s angry glare land on her. She had felt the heat in his gaze the first time he saw her. His desire was blatant, no doubt made worse while he stewed in prison.
“So get going, damn it!”
She held his stare, fighting the urge to snap back angrily, like she used to do when he made comments like that. She’d learned that such behavior only egged him on. No doubt he didn’t like this cold, controlled woman that she’d become over the last five years.
131
Mlyn Hurn
He looked back and yelled, “Step it up, damn it all, or we won’t make it out before dark.”
It was about twenty minutes later that Aeryn stepped out of the cold, dank cavern and felt the salty sea air stinging her pale cheeks. It felt like she had been leading the way through the caves for weeks and not just the last couple of hours. She moved away from the entrance and down onto the sandy beach that would soon be flooded by high tide.
She glanced to the left and saw the cabin impressively perched on the rocky promontory as it had been for decades. It took an hour to reach it by road, but she knew that Devlin McDonald would have the road blocked. And therefore the police, sheriff’s department and whoever else might be searching wouldn’t think of going to the cabin to check it out again.
Craig walked over to Aeryn. “Is the boat still moored on the other side of the rocks?” he asked her roughly, demandingly.
Aeryn nodded. “Unless it’s wrecked against the rocks, it will still be there. We better get moving, before the tide comes in and strands us down here. Come on everyone.” She turned and started up the sloping rocks towards the cabin. She imagined it would be dusty, but otherwise was stocked, as they had left it. At the side door, she knelt down and found the hidden key and slipped it into the lock. She opened the door and gestured for the others to go on in.
Craig walked past her first, making sure he brushed against her body intimately.
Aeryn looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. She replaced the key, and closing the door.
Craig spoke abruptly to his cousins, Tony and Mark. “Go through the cabin. Make sure all the shades and curtains are pulled down. I’ll go start the portable generator.”
Aeryn looked at her sister, Elyse. “Why don’t you have Jenny lie down for a bit on the sofa?”
Their cousin Sara stood nervously with her hands folded.
“Sara? Could you help me get a hot meal going in the kitchen? We’ll all feel better with some hot food in our bellies. Just call out if you can’t find something.” Aeryn started running the faucet to clear it of any rusty water. A few moments later she heard the generator start up, and soon the overhead fans started turning to circulate the air.
Craig reentered the house, telling Tony and Mark to come help him. “We need to check outside for any sign of light leaking. Last thing we need is for any passing cars, or helicopters, getting suspicious about a usually deserted cabin.”
As soon as they the door closed, Elyse hurried over to the small kitchen. “What are we going to do, Aeryn?”
Aeryn looked up from where she’d squatted to see what kind of canned goods had been left behind in one of the cupboards. “We’re at the cabin, that’s all I told them we would do.”
132
Past Running
Elyse looked frustrated. “I mean about tonight. They can’t leave until the tide is going out in the morning.”
Aeryn stood slowly. “Elyse, don’t jump your fences before you have to, okay? They haven’t hurt us, and I think if they can just get away as planned, they will leave us here.
It will take us a while to contact anyone once they’ve gone, and Craig knows that. By then, they should have reached Canadian waters.”
Sara looked doubtful. “I’ve been watching Craig. I don’t think it is going to be that easy, Aeryn.”
Aeryn didn’t look at her cousin. She instead lined up the cans she had figured they could use to make into some kind of supper. She had seen the desire in Craig’s eyes. She had felt his hands finding any excuse to touch her while they had been in the caverns.
But she wasn’t going to worry about tonight…not yet. Instead, she pointed to the breadmaker.
“Sara, you start the bread, and Elyse, you set the table.” Aeryn commanded the others without thought. Being the eldest, they were used to her telling them what to do and when. They seldom argued, being so close. Aeryn filled a pitcher with water and added some dry powder, making lemonade. She poured a glass and took it over to the seventeen-year-old Jenny.
“Drink this, Jenny. It has sugar in it and it will help you feel better.”
“Can I help in the kitchen, Aunt Aeryn?” The pretty, petite blonde asked nervously.
Aeryn shook her head. “You rest for a bit.” She started to move away when Jenny caught her hand.
“Aunt Aeryn, I know how you feel about Craig. If he demands…well, you know…
I’ll go with him, so you don’t have to.”
Aeryn looked at her stepniece in stunned surprise. She knew exactly what Jenny meant, but was shocked at the offer. “Jenny, I don’t think—”
Jenny shook her head. “You know they will probably want to have sex with us.
Shit, Aunt Aeryn, they’ve been in prison, and are facing going back! I’m sure having sex is on their to-do list!”
Aeryn couldn’t stop the laugh that burst forth. Before she could reply, the door opened and the men came back in.
“Things look good outside,” Craig announced. He looked around, and then smiled when he saw the women had started to prepare some food without being told. “Tony!
You take the first watch.” He then walked over to Aeryn.
Aeryn stiffened as she heard Craig in the room. His voice was deep as he spoke softly, “I want to talk to you, Aeryn. Let’s go in the bedroom.”
Jenny moved to stand, but Aeryn pressed her back with her hand.
Craig grabbed her arm, halting her reply, and led her towards the bedroom. He pushed her inside and slammed the door shut.
133
Mlyn Hurn
Aeryn tripped across the floor rug, and fell onto the bed. As she flung her hair back, she heard the ominous turn of the key in the lock. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Craig was unbuttoning his shirt as he walked towards her.
Aeryn shifted on the bed, moving to the edge. “Craig, stop right there! I’m not sleeping with you!”
Craig smiled and removed his shirt, throwing it to the floor. “Damn straight!
Neither of us will be sleeping anytime soon. But you are going to let me fuck you, sweetheart, nine ways to Sunday, and just as many times as I please.”
Aeryn shook her head, refusing to show him her fear. “You might rape me, but I told you a long time ago that I’d never willingly let you touch me again.”
Craig kicked his shoes off and began unfastening his jeans, as if she hadn’t spoken.
“You are mine, Aeryn. You’ve been mine since the first time we slept together when we were seventeen. And even though we’re both ten years older, you still belong to me. I’m tempted to take you with me, even though you would slow us down. Do you realize that there hasn’t been a single night that I haven’t thought
about you? That I haven’t remembered how sweet and tight that cunt of yours is?”
His lip curled when she gasped at his crude words. He reached down and tore her T-shirt open, down the center. She had a front-hook bra on, and he quickly ripped the front catch open as well.
Aeryn reached up to push him away, but that only gave him the position he needed.
Craig moved one leg between hers, and holding her wrists, he fell forward where her body lay on the bed.
Aeryn was unable to use her legs to kick him, but she twisted and writhed furiously, hoping to dislodge him, anything.
He held her wrists easily. He held her eyes as he dragged her hands over her head, clutching them both with his left hand. His right hand was now free to move back down her body. He caressed her jaw, and down her neck. He paused with his hand resting flat on her breastbone. Slowly, he slid his hand to the side and dragged away the cloth concealing her firm, full breast.
Aeryn saw his eyes move down and knew he was looking at her body. She closed her eyes as she felt his fingers encircle her nipple, teasing it to taut distension. She didn’t want to be aroused by him. Her mind replayed what her rape counselor had told her about many rape victims being aroused during the act. This often led the woman to feel guilty, when in fact it was merely a response of nervous tissue to stimulation. It was out of her control, no matter what her brain might be saying. Now, here it was happening again! He had hurt her too many times, and too deeply. She couldn’t go back to that!
“Damn you, Craig! Stop this at once.” Aeryn struggled and strained against his grip.
134
Past Running
Craig lifted his head to meet her angry gaze. “You may have divorced me while I was in prison, Aeryn, but you are still my wife. Why do you think I came back here, of all places?”
Aeryn shook her head. “Craig, use your head and think. You can still get away—”
Craig laughed softly. “I will get away, and I will have the memory of fucking this lovely body of yours once more.” The sound of his zipper sliding down seemed loud in the quiet room. “Maybe you’ll get knocked up and have something to remember me by,” Craig told her hoarsely as he freed his raging hard-on. “Tell me how much you like to have your cunt dripping my cum. Remember how we used to fuck all day sometimes?”
