by M. Clarke
Hearing nothing but my heart thumping like it was going to jump out of my chest, as every second moved toward that one-minute mark, I dragged my hands through my hair, and tried to calm my nerves. Tapping my feet while sitting on the toilet lid, I wondered if enough time had passed. I forgot to bring a timer with me, so I started counting in my head.
Suddenly, my muscles were tighter, my lungs were constricting, and I was having a difficult time breathing. I had never been this nervous in my entire life, except for when I thought Max was going to leave me, but this was different. This could be a life-changing moment. Not just mine, but Max’s, his family, my family, our friends…the list went on and on. All sorts of thoughts were spinning in my head, even before knowing the results.
Figuring it was about time, though I had lost count a while ago, I picked up the stick with my trembling hand…I saw the first line…then….
I swung the door open. “Becky….”
AN EXCERPT FROM PRETTY LITTLE DREAMS
by Jennifer Miller
Pretty Little Lies, Book 2
The room I’m being kept in isn’t bad. We are in some house in the middle of nowhere, as far as I can tell. I’m in a room that has the bare necessities. A large bed and a dresser, there is also an attached bathroom, but it too has the bare minimum. There isn’t even a mirror. I can, however, see where the wall paint changes color, indicating that at one time, a large one had hung above the sink. I wonder if Deacon removed it, and if so, when that was. How long had he been planning this? Each time Deacon leaves me alone, which isn’t often, he locks me inside the bedroom. Sometimes I hear him talking to someone through the door. There was a time when I wasn’t sure if he had someone helping him or if he was talking on the phone. I think back to the time when I found out the answer to that question.
Rolling out of bed, Deacon pulls on a pair of pants. “I will be back. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“Be back? What do you mean? Where are you going?”
“Aw, isn’t that sweet? Are you concerned about me? Are you going to miss me, princess?” he asks, walking over to my side of the bed.
“No. I don’t care where you go. I’m just surprised you would leave me alone.”
An angry look flashes across his face and he leans over me, grasping my wrists hard, holding them up near my shoulders. I turn my face to the side trying to avoid him. “You better start caring, princess, or you aren’t going to like what happens.” Then he moves his hands to the side of my face, forcing me to face him again. He kisses me hard on the lips.
As soon as he lets go of me, I wipe my face with the back of my hand. He laughs as he walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Throwing the covers back, I run to the door and press my ear against it – all I hear is murmuring on the other side. He must be on the phone again. It isn’t long before I hear a hard slam which I assume is a door closing. I think I’m alone; this could be my only chance for a while.
I run to the sliding balcony doors and creep out onto the balcony. This is the first chance I’ve had to come out and take in my surroundings. Deacon told me when he locked me in this room that we are in the middle of nowhere and I could yell and scream as much as I want – no one will hear.
Looking around, I see he was telling the truth. There doesn’t appear to be anything for miles. I’m too high up to jump down and tying my sheets together would be useless; I couldn't even reasonably reach the ground.
Frantically, I start running around the room, looking for something, anything, to use as a weapon. I search the dresser, the top of the closet, under the bed, the bathroom cabinets. “Dammit.” I can't find anything.
Running back to the bed, I rip the sheet from it and wrap it around my hand. Heading to the balcony doors, I brace myself. If I can manage to shatter the door, I can use the glass as a weapon. Please let this work. I take my fist and slam it against the door as hard as I can. I scream. Not even a scratch and all I managed to do was hurt my hand. In anger, I beat against the door over and over until I’m a heap on the floor. I pull my hand out of the sheet and glance at it. It’s beginning to swell, but I hardly feel it.
There’s nothing here. Nothing. Feeling defeated, I walk back out onto the balcony and decide it’s worth a try, no matter what Deacon said.
“HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE! HELP ME!” What do I have to lose? Maybe I will luck out and someone is around.
I wait a moment and then try again.
“HELP! I’VE BEEN KIDNAPPED. SOMEONE HEL…”
Suddenly, I am grabbed from behind and dragged into the bedroom and thrown on the bed like a rag doll. I try to roll onto my back but instead a weight settles on my back, and my face gets shoved into the mattress.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch.”
The voice is not Deacon’s. I freeze as shock runs through my body from head to toe, paralyzing me in fear.
“Lover boy isn’t here to save you. It might be worth facing his anger to shut you up permanently.”
I don’t speak. I’m afraid to move. Who is this man? He moves off me so he can roughly flip me over. I stare up into his hard eyes. He’s not an attractive man. Light hair, pointy nose, and lips so thin they’re hardly there at all. He has a scar that runs from the tip of his eyebrow to the middle of his cheek. “Leave me alone.”
“I don’t think I will… what does he call you? Princess? I don’t think I will, princess.” He says mockingly. Then, to my horror he runs his hand down the front of my body, squeezing my breasts painfully and then gripping my hip. His breathing starts quickening.
“No, please don’t touch me.”
“That’s right, beg, you bitch. Next time you will think twice about breaking the rules and trying to yell for help.”
Oh God. He’s going to hurt me, or worse. I do the only thing I can. I start struggling. I kick my legs like a three-year-old having a tantrum. I throw my head back and forth and get one of my hands loose and scrape my nails down the front of his face. “Let go of me!” I scream.
He roars in pain and touches the side of his face where I scratched him. The next thing I know I feel a hard smack on the top of my head. I see stars and I panic, afraid of what he will do to me when I can’t defend myself. Just as I start to lose consciousness, I hear Deacon yell, “WHAT THE FUCK?!” Against my will, I succumb to the darkness enveloping me.
My eyes well up from that awful memory. I remember when I came to, Deacon was angry. “You don’t have to worry about Ronnie, princess, I took care of him. He will think twice about ever touching you again,” he said while stroking my face. My head hurt too much for me to react to his touch, until I realized I’m completely naked. I ran to the bathroom heaving into the toilet, not sure if I was sick due to the ache in my head – did I have a concussion? - or the fear coursing through me as I had no clue how I had ended up naked or what, if anything, had happened in addition to what I could recall.
Deacon distracts me from my thoughts when he yanks open the closet door and grabs a box I’ve never seen before from the top of the closet. He turns towards me, and throws the box on the bed. “You will wear this to dinner tonight.”
Opening the box, I pull out a slinky black dress that I can already tell will barely cover my body. “I’m not wearing that.”
“Oh, yes you are, princess. We are going to have a nice, romantic meal, and you are going to wear that dress.”
“I’m not dressing up for you, Deacon.”
Faster than I can blink, Deacon is on me. I shrink back as much as I can, trying to avoid his nakedness from touching mine. Grasping me by the top of my arms, Deacon’s face is mere inches from mine, “You will wear the fucking dress, Olivia. This is not up for discussion.” As he speaks each word, he shakes me and squeezes me tighter, making me cry out in pain.
“Deacon! You’re hurting me.”
“Stop making me hurt you. Do you think I like this? Do you think I want to hurt you? Why do you keep making me hurt you? Just do what I t
ell you to do and we will be fine. I’ve told you over and over again that this is our future. You and me, princess. Once you accept that, the happier you’ll be.”
“Okay. Okay, Deacon.” I force the words out of my mouth because it is the exact opposite of what I want. I’ve learned the hard way what happens when I don’t keep my mouth shut or if I don't say or do what he wants.
“Good. I will be back later. Make sure you are dressed and ready.” And with that, he grabs some clothes off the floor and leaves the room.
A TEASER FROM MY CLARITY
by M. Clarke/Mary Ting
Coming May 12, 2014
TOLD FROM ALEXANDRIA’S & ELIJAH’S POV
When we got home, I thought Lexy would have left, but she stayed. I headed straight for the bathroom to take care of my wound. Lexy followed behind me and leaned against the door.
“Sorry, Alex. I shouldn’t have brought you there. I thought it would help get your mind off your dad.” Her tone was apologetic at first, and then it became filled with excitement. “But wasn’t it fun?”
“I did have fun, Lexy,” I confirmed. I didn’t want her to feel bad for doing something thoughtful. “I’m glad you took me. I’ve never been to one of those before. It was exciting. But do the cops come every time?”
“No. Sometimes we get lucky. They change the location every time. The guys who were taking the money are the ones who arrange it all. Either someone ratted the location or the cops played a hunch this time. If you get caught, they’ll throw you in jail and let you out the next day.”
“How do you know?” I asked, pumping liquid soap in my hands, and then running them under the sink. Thankfully, I only had minor scratches.
Lexy gave me a sly smile and handed the towel to me. “Cause Jimmy got caught before.”
“Really?” I said, laughing as I hung the towel back on the rack. Our laughter was cut short when we went to the living room and saw Seth and Elijah walk through the door. Elijah was still huffing mad. His jaw muscles were tight and his lips were pressed in a thin line.
“Out!” Elijah was short and to the point. He made everyone jolt.
Thinking he meant me as well, I started heading to my room. I didn’t want to be around him either.
“Alex, where do you think you’re going?” he said softly, confusing me.
I stopped when he called my name. Without answering, I went to the kitchen instead and waited for him. I heard harsh whispers, as if they were arguing and didn’t want me to hear, but it didn’t last long.
“Good night, Alex. See you tomorrow at work,” Lexy said.
“Good night, Alex,” Seth said next. “Go easy on her.” I heard him say to Elijah. Why would he say that?
“Bye,” I said loudly without a thought to walk them out the door.
Feeling restless, my heart hammered faster as I took out the milk carton and a bag of chocolate chip cookies. It was late at night, but I just felt like having something. After pouring milk into the cup, I took out a cookie, as I watched Elijah walk in.
Though his shoulders were relaxed compared to a minute ago, I could see the worried look in his eyes, but not for long. “What are you doing,” he chuckled lightly, apparently finding humor in what I was doing.
“Dunking my cookie in my milk. Haven’t you ever done that before?”
“No.”
“Oh, then you’re missing out. Want some?” As I wondered if he would maintain his calmness, I took a bite.
“No thanks. Not right now. I’m not a big fan of milk.” He paused for a second, dragged his hair back with his fingers, and released a short, sharp sigh. “Look. I’m sorry I got angry earlier. It wasn’t toward you. It was toward the situation and Lexy. She shouldn’t have brought you there.”
After I swallowed, I retorted. “Why not? You’ve seen the crowd. Why can’t I be there?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me that question?” His face tilted, angling his brows at me, as if I should have known better. “Have I seen the crowd? Have you seen the crowd?” He blinked rapidly, rattling off his words, but his piercing, beautiful brown eyes and long lashes were distracting me. “There are gang members, gamblers, drug addicts, not to mention the cops.”
“I didn’t know about the cops, and who put you in charge of me anyway?” I challenged.
“I did.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me just because I’m Jimmy’s cousin. I wish everyone would stop doing that.” My tone went up a notch.
“That’s not the reason.”
“Then what is? Oh, and I didn’t see any gang members or drug addicts. Although I wouldn’t know what they look like.” I dunked the cookie again and took another bite.
“Exactly. And have you ever been in a jail before?”
“No.” Biting my cookie helped me deal with how he continued to distract me. Something about the way he was being so protective and how he was staring at my mouth, oozed sex appeal.
“Exactly.”
“Stop saying ‘exactly’. Have you?”
He didn’t answer. I’d guessed that was a yes, and before he could walk away from me, I pointed at him with the half eaten cookie in my hand as I asked another question. “How about the other students and your friends? They were all there too. Aren’t I good enough to be there?” I don’t know why, but anger boiled inside me.
“No…you’re not!” he stammered, startling me. As he took a step toward me, I backed away and bumped into the cabinet.
His words were like a dagger to my heart. He did not say that to me, making me feel worthless. How DARE he?
With his hands planted on either side of the cabinet just inches away from my face, his body was way too close to mine. I couldn’t help but stare at the tattoo that curved as his muscles flexed. His broad shoulders and his hard, defined chest were too much for me to handle, especially recalling how he looked without a shirt on.
Blistering, heated energy ignited in the space between us. I was drowning into his smell…into him…into that cage he created around us, and I wanted to dive into his arms. Lowering his head and brushing his lips against my ear, accentuating one word at a time, he murmured. “You. Are. Better.” Then he paused. No movement…completely still.
I don’t know how long we stood like that because a second seemed like an eternity, and I had no control over what I was feeling at this moment. After a soft intake of breath, he continued. “I don’t know what I would have done if something were to happen to you.”
His words quickly soothed me, making me melt in awe. I tried not to choke on the chewed up cookies still in my mouth. I swear I felt the warmth of his breathe against my neck and I wanted so badly for him to devour me right there. The heated feeling got worse when I saw his lips heading toward mine with a slow hesitation. My heart went into overdrive as the room spun around me. We were now face-to-face as he stared into my eyes with want and need.
Never taking his eyes off me, he rested his hand on my shoulder, and then gingerly slid down my arm, giving me pleasurable tingles…EVERYWHERE. Afraid to move the tiniest of my muscles, I felt locked in place. I was enjoying him way too much and I didn’t want it to end. When he finally reached my hand, he pulled it up to his mouth and made the most pleasurable groan I’ve ever heard.
Looking exhausted and dazed, he shifted his eyes to the cookie in my hand, and mumbled slowly, “I think I’ll have that cookie now.”
Nothing registered until I saw his lips part, and my fingers disappeared in his mouth. OMG! My pulse skyrocketed, and I whimpered from the warmth of his tongue and the sensation that shot down my arm. My fingers were very wet sliding out of his mouth. I even felt the feather-light graze of his teeth; and I could swear every single muscle in my body became limp.
His jaw worked quickly, chewing. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. He made eating a cookie SO hot. After he swallowed, he turned the other way, picked up my cup of milk, and chugged down whatever was left.
Looking like he just couldn�
��t believe he drank milk, he placed the cup down. “Good night, Alex. Don’t ever go racing without me,” he ordered, and then he left.
What just happened? Milk and cookies will never be the same for me…EVER.
AN EXCERPT FROM
FROM GODS
by Mary Ting
Now Available
“Mason, MASON, MASON!” Skylar panicked.
“I know. Skylar, hold on tight. I’m going to brake.”
“But there are cars behind us.”
“We have no choice. Don’t worry. I got this.” Mason pushed down on the brake pedal forcefully. The car hydroplaned to the right. “Hold on.”
Skylar gripped the first thing she could place her hand on tightly. The water from the road jetted up into the air like in a water show, but the car kept gliding sideways, until finally it spun in a full circle and stopped. With no time to waste, Mason turned the car to the right and accelerated, hoping to dodge what was coming toward them.
Out of nowhere, a long piece of ice, taking the form of a spear, darted through the trucks’ tires and punctured some of them. More ice spears came soaring out of the rain, but this time, ten or more sphere-like ice balls followed, denting the sides of the trucks. One went through a windshield. With flat tires, the trucks now glided as if skating on ice, maneuvering from side to side.
“Did you do that?” Skylar asked excitedly.
“No. Must be Poseidon’s kids. Where the hell are they?” Mason spread his right arm in front of Skylar, as if to protect her. “Bend down, Sky.”
One of the trucks hit another and veered off, hitting yet another one. The crash caused the trucks to flip and tumble, heading straight for Mason’s car. With a look of shock, Skylar held her breath. With no time to move, think, or get out of the car, she closed her eyes and prepared for the crash.
Just seconds before impact, Mason’s car flew up into the air, over the trucks. Somehow, as if by magic, the water created a liquid bridge, guiding the car safely over, and then it thumped hard on the ground on the other side. Without looking back, Mason sped away as the sound of screeching brakes and metal hitting metal, blasted behind them.
