by Cege Smith
The Shadows Trilogy
EDGE OF SHADOWS
SHADOWS DEEP
VEILED SHADOWS
by
Cege Smith
Copyright 2013 by Cege Smith
All rights reserved.
Ebook Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebookstore and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover by IndieDesignz
Other Books by Cege Smith:
THE BLOODTRUTH SERIES
Heiress of Lies
The Queen's Betrayal
Trials of Truth
A Heart’s Deceit
THE TWISTED SOULS SERIES
The Soul Garden
Twisted Souls
Soul Cycle
A Soul to Settle
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDGE OF SHADOWS (SHADOWS #1)
SHADOWS DEEP (SHADOWS #2)
VEILED SHADOWS (SHADOWS #3)
Edge of Shadows (Shadows #1)
By Cege Smith
Copyright 2011 Cege Smith
eBook Edition
Ebook Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebookstore and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
CHAPTER ONE
As she crossed the kitchen on her way to the back door, Ellie felt the slightest brush of cold air against the back of her neck as she passed the basement door which caused the hair on her arms to stand up. But the basement door is locked ran through her mind just as she felt hands connect with the back of her shoulders, giving her a hard shove. The boxes in her arms went flying.
She swung around just in time to see Jake barreling toward her. She skidded to the left but still caught the brunt force of his shoulder in her chest, knocking her off balance. Ellie went flying backwards and her head smacked the wooden kitchen cabinet just before her butt hit the linoleum floor. She immediately saw stars and reached to touch the back of her head. Her hand came away bloody.
Jake’s shadow fell over her and she yelled, not knowing any other way to try to break through the red aura that surrounded him, “Jesus Christ, Jake! I’m bleeding! What’s the matter with you?” She heard his sharp intake of breath and watched his aura turn pink.
“Ellie! Oh my god, Ellie. I’m so sorry!”
Her soon-to-be-ex-husband knelt down beside her and tried to pull her into his arms, but she pushed him away. As long as there was any tinge of red crackling in the air, she needed to be as far away from him as possible. She crawled across the floor as fast as she could manage and huddled in the far corner of the kitchen. She felt a stickiness run down the side of her neck and saw that she had left a small trail of blood in her wake.
She touched her scalp again gently. The whole back of her head felt like it was on fire, and she knew a monster headache was lurking on the horizon. Her collarbone, which had taken the direct hit from Jake’s shoulder, screamed its own chorus of pain. She looked over at Jake, who appeared frozen, hunched over the spot where she had fallen. His face was twisted in disbelief, which no doubt was a mirror image of her expression.
“Are you crazy? What were you trying to do, Jake, kill me? I should call the cops. Or you need to call your therapist. This is bad, Jake. This is really bad.”
The accusation hung in the air between them. Jake had never touched her in anger before. Ellie knew he had wanted to more than once during their heated arguments, but she never believed him capable of following through on it. Despite her tough words, she felt the cold chill of something else gnawing at her—fear. This was the first time in their relationship that she had ever been afraid he would physically harm her. Jake was usually content just doing things to himself.
Jake looked down at his hands, making fists and then letting them go. He started shaking his head and then he looked at her. His brown eyes were misty and the air around him was suddenly a deep black. Jake was completely lost.
“Ellie, I don’t know what happened. I’m so sorry. I just wanted you to stop. I didn’t want you to leave. I think we can fix this. It won’t ever happen again. I swear,” he said.
“You’re right, Jake. It won’t happen again,” she said. “You can’t make me stay here with you. This divorce is going to happen whether you want it or not. It’s not healthy for me to be around you like this.”
She held her breath as she saw tinges of red around him again, but then it faded. She let out a sigh of relief. Ellie couldn’t be responsible for Jake anymore. She was through feeling guilty for things that she couldn’t change.
Jake was a recovering alcoholic who had just started treatment when he and Ellie met. But Ellie learned too late that the alcohol was nothing but a symptom of much deeper issues. Jake drank to get away from something else, something that lurked deep inside him. That something had started surfacing with more regularity since he stopped seeing his therapist six months ago.
That was when Jake started drinking again. He fell off the wagon hard. Ellie cleaned up the pieces and tried her best to help him work through his issues. But after what she found in the basement, Ellie was forced to see that no matter what she did, it wasn’t going to be enough. That sobering realization came on the heels of knowing that she no longer loved Jake. As hard as she tried to ignore it, Jake had a dark side, one that he had hidden from her very well. This wasn’t the person she married and it wasn’t anyone that she wanted to be around anymore.
“Ellie, those other women didn’t mean a thing to me. I can’t believe you’d let something like that come between us, especially when you know how sorry I am,” Jake replied. “I just wanted you to stand still for two seconds and listen to me. It’s been really hard to get your attention lately.”
His tone was contrite and calm, a complete 180 degrees from moments before. Ellie wasn’t sure which was more scary, an angry, out-of-control Jake, or this calm stranger who spoke to her logically without any real emotion in his voice. She almost snorted at how naïve he could be. Other women she could have dealt with, but she couldn’t deal with crazy. And she was pretty sure that Jake was going crazy.
Ellie knew from her childhood that the best defense was a good offense. She needed to appear strong and take control of the situation. She raised her voice. “If jumping me from behind is how you think you are going to get my attention, you need to work on finding another method of communication. We’ve been through this a hundred times, Jake. This isn’t working. It’s over.”
Using the wall as support, she pushed up to her feet. Immediately she felt dizzy, and when she wobbled just a bit, Jake stood and moved to help her. She held out her hand, the palm facing toward him.
“Stay away,” she said. She didn’t want to be anywhere near that black void that surrounded him. She was afraid it would swallow her whole. “Get away from me or I swear I’ll start screaming.”
“Ellie, don’t say that. I love you,” he said, but the plea didn’t reach his eyes. He kept his distance, but then got down on both knees and held his arms out. “I can’t live without you. Forgive me.”
“I am fairly certain you’ll manage
just fine,” Ellie said. She was watching him carefully. Suddenly the air seemed to wobble around him, and then streaks of purple and blue burst through the blackness. Jake began to weep.
She almost went to him then. She knew this was the real Jake, who she often thought was little more than a lost little boy battling demons that were too big for him to understand. Ellie had never been comfortable watching other people in pain. But the insistent throbbing inside her head kept reality in sharp focus, and she shoved the feeling of pity away.
“I’m going to get an attorney, Jake. I can’t do this with you anymore.”
She took a step toward the living room to put some more space between them. She wanted to make sure she had room to get away if he got angry again.
“Where are you going to go, Ellie? You don’t have anywhere to go. You’re nothing but an orphan. Somebody without a home,” he said. He looked at the ground but didn’t get up.
Ellie didn’t want to admit how hurtful his words were; Jake knew her trigger points well. She had friends that she considered family now, even though they had started out as employees. “Kevin said I can stay with him and Eric until I find a place. I’m taking Skipper with me,” she said, looking around for the little dog. The dachshund was nowhere to be seen. Smart dog.
With a heavy sigh, Jake rose to his feet. She gave him a minute to regain his composure. With his shoulders slumped and his downtrodden appearance, it looked like all the fight had gone right out of him. His dark hair was messy and had gotten long, and his clothes hung on his thin form. He was nothing more than a pale ghost of the attractive man she married eight years ago. His eyes focused on her, and then seemed to look right through her. Ellie felt the chills roll down her spine again. Who was he seeing when he looked at her like that?
“So you definitely want to go through with this?” he said. His voice was dull.
“Yes,” she said.
“There’s nothing I can say or do that is going to make you change your mind?”
Jake looked her squarely in the eye for just a moment, and she thought she saw a flash of the man she used to know inside, screaming for her help and understanding. Then it was gone, and he was looking past her again. Ellie fought the urge to glance over her shoulder.
“No, Jake. I’m sorry. I just don’t love you that way anymore,” Ellie said. What she didn’t say was that she wasn’t sure if she ever did. But that was her demon to work through. Eight years wasted for what? She wished she had a better answer.
Jake’s reply caught her by surprise. “I’ve got a lawyer,” he said evenly.
“What do you mean, Jake?”
“When you first started talking about this whole divorce thing I decided to talk to somebody too,” Jake said, his chin jutting.
She wasn’t imagining it. He was talking to the space behind her. She saw a flicker of something in his eyes as they briefly met hers again. It was like he was trying to say something else to her in that silent glance.
“Okay.” Ellie didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m not going to fight you on anything, Ellie. Since this was my house before, I figure I’ll keep it, especially since you are moving out anyway. Whatever you think is fair is fine with me. I don’t want to argue about anything,” Jake said. “You’re right; it’s probably time for you to go.”
Why was he suddenly so eager for her to leave? His aura hadn’t changed, but Ellie sensed an anxiousness beneath his words. What was he trying to tell her?
“What are you saying, Jake?” she asked. “I’m confused. Five minutes ago you barreled into me like a linebacker trying to get me to stay with you. Now you are telling me to go and that you want a divorce too?”
“I know you’ve got pretty much all your cash wrapped up in the shop. I don’t think either one of us can afford a big fancy lawyer. If we agree on everything, it should be pretty easy. We can just use this guy I know, and we’ll split the cost. Quick and painless, like the last eight years never happened, right?” Jake’s smile was haunting.
Ellie had to admit that the cost of the divorce was one reason she had held off as long as she had; it was an idea that had taken root and grown over the past year. Even before she knew about the cheating, it was obvious that she and Jake weren’t a good fit anymore. If Jake truly would agree to everything, doing it that way would be a lot less expensive. She just couldn’t shake the feeling, though, that there was suddenly more to the story than Jake was letting on.
“I don’t know, Jake. I don’t think that is a good idea,” she said, shaking her head. She was deeply unsettled that Jake wouldn’t meet her eyes. Something felt off.
Jake didn’t reply. Instead, he went over to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack. He grabbed one of the kitchen towels and wrapped the pack inside. He approached Ellie cautiously and stopped three feet away from her just as he saw that she was getting ready to backpedal. His eyes narrowed, but instead of saying anything he lifted the ice pack slowly so that it was between them.
“Peace, Ellie. Here. I’m really sorry that I hurt you. I’ll do it your way. Whatever you want, and maybe we can still be friends,” he said.
She grabbed the pack out of his hand and held it against the back of her head. The cool towel felt good against her swollen skin.
“I think you should go, Ellie. Tonight. Pack all your things and just go. And you’ll think about it, right? Sharing the cost? Making this easy on both of us?” Jake seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
Ellie couldn’t believe it. Jake was kicking her out. But that was what she wanted, so she couldn’t react the way that she suddenly felt. She was getting what she wanted, right? “I’ll think about it, but I’m not guaranteeing anything,” she finally said. Then she stepped back so that Jake would have a clear path to the door. She didn’t say anything else.
Jake sighed and walked to the door. He opened it and turned slightly. Ellie watched his eyes crawl up her form slowly and then settle on her face. Then his eyes shifted to that space behind her again. The black aura was back, and Ellie shivered.
“I do love you, Ellie,” he said. “I don’t know how to explain it to you, but just so you know, it wasn’t supposed to end like this.” Then he was gone.
As soon as she heard the truck’s engine start and rumble away Ellie’s composed facade crumbled. She spun around. There was nothing there, nothing but the door to the basement. She quickly crossed to the opposite wall and grabbed the phone. She dialed Kevin’s number and sighed in relief when he answered on the first ring.
“Kevin, can you come over? I think if I’m out tonight Jake won’t give me any more trouble.” She nodded to herself as she heard the affirmative response. But she never took her eyes off the basement door.
CHAPTER TWO
The house had been empty for years. The “For Sale” sign creaked in the slight breeze coming off the lake. Joe Klein put his hand on the signpost to stop the movement, purposely keeping his back to the house. Between the creaky sign and the empty house behind him he was getting the creeps. He glanced at his watch for the tenth time since arriving at the house and getting out of his car. It was six p.m., less than a minute since the last time he looked. He felt foolish waiting on the lawn, but there was no way in hell he was going near the house alone.
There was a chill in the air. It was a cool spring evening, and Joe wondered if there would be a late season snowstorm. Minnesota weather was unpredictable, especially during the transition between seasons. He just wanted to get this showing over with. If Joe was honest with himself, he was the least successful agent in his office, which is how he drew the short stick to show the place when the call for a showing came that afternoon.
The Bradford mansion had only been shown a handful of times in the last ten years. It was bank-owned. The last owner had disappeared under “mysterious circumstances.” If the expected expense of renovating the place didn’t turn potential buyers away, the history of the place usually did. Joe glanced at the house behind him and t
hen quickly looked back at the road. He felt like he was being watched, and goose bumps crawled up his arm.
Joe had grown up in the area, and he was intimately familiar with the stories that were whispered about the old Bradford mansion. He remembered riding past it on his bike with his buddies and being dared to go up and ring the doorbell. Joe had never been brave enough to do it. Even during the brief periods when the house had been occupied, it still had a high freaky factor. He was embarrassed that even now, in his mid-forties, the place still gave him the creeps.
He saw a car approach and breathed a sigh of relief as it slowed and turned into the circle driveway. The headlights illuminated the windows of the house as it pulled up the gentle slope of the driveway and stopped just shy of the path that led up to the front door. Over the roof of the car, he thought he saw a flicker of movement in the huge bay window that faced the front patio and his stomach did a flip-flop.
“You didn’t see anything. It’s all in your head,” he whispered to himself. He held back from making a sign of the cross. That would really give a bad first impression.
The car was a dark blue Jaguar with tinted windows. The driver’s window lowered two inches, and a slim hand emerged with the index finger straight up in the air. The fingernail was painted a deep red. Joe interpreted this as a sign that he was being told to wait and felt a tinge of annoyance. It was bad enough to be stuck with this assignment, but dealing with a rude client would make it even worse. He couldn’t see anything else in the darkened interior.
He shifted his feet slowly and rubbed the arms of his jacket, wishing he had thought to bring gloves. It seemed to be getting chillier by the minute. After what seemed like an eternity, the car door opened. A foot emerged, dressed in what he was sure was an expensive black leather heel. It was followed by a slim leg, and then the woman rose gracefully out of the car. Joe’s breath caught in his throat.
