by Anne B. Cole
With help from ancestral spirits Roxana and Katarina, Sam and Gretta travel back into the past in search of answers to the mysteries behind the ring’s final curse. Faced with challenges of faith, trust, and forgiveness, Sam and Gretta prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Prologue
Destiny
Thunder rumbled. Raindrops speckled the sidewalk. Wet splotches evaporated within seconds in the heat of late August. Adjusting his grip on the dagger, a homeless man concealed it within the folds of his new jacket.
He understood his assignment.
The giver of the jacket had relayed instructions without words. Failure to complete the task, not an option.
His gaze left the courthouse doors and landed upon a dirty toe poking out of his tattered sneakers. He tightened his fingers on the jeweled handle of the dagger. With his free hand, he patted the wad of bills in his jacket pocket.
“A bottle of gin, the good stuff. Plenty left over for new shoes. Maybe a pair of socks,” he mumbled, contemplating which he’d buy first.
The click and scrape of the courthouse door caught his attention. A young couple exited the building, hand in hand. Their continued happiness depended on his success.
Cut them.
The two crossed the manicured lawn, heading to a bench.
“Young. In love. Oblivious. Your destiny is in my hands.” He stood, determined to follow instructions without question.
He hesitated as they sat on the bench and admired their rings. She giggled as he trailed a finger from her ring to her cheek. Chaste kisses evolved into a tangle of arms and legs. Completely absorbed in each other, he prepared for the attack.
Sinking into the spongy grass with silent footsteps, cool dew saturated his feet.
Cut them.
He adjusted his grip, curling his fingers around the jeweled handle.
One slash will cut both.
The powerful need to complete the task commanded his unwavering concentration. Lines between right and wrong had shifted. With eyes fixed on the couple, he quickened his pace.
Lightning streaked, followed by a thunderous clap. Startled, the girl broke off their passionate embrace and gazed at the darkened skies.
He paused his approach when the young man encircled protective arms around her. She wriggled and nestled against his chest.
“Tomorrow, you’ll be safe,” she sighed.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be Sam and Gretta Daggett and I will never, ever let you out of my sight again.” The young man kissed the top of her head.
Just a few more feet.
He shifted his course in order to approach from behind. With a single flick of the wrist, his task would be accomplished.
Good over evil.
To connect with Anne and watch for updates on her final novel in The Souls Trilogy, Souls Endure, check out her website and sign up to follow her blog at www.annebcole.com
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Also from Anne B. Cole and Soul Mate Publishing:
SOULS ENTWINED
When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives—or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse.
Available now on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/qe84d62
