by V. Vaughn
She waves at me as I approach. “Kelsey!”
I take in the decor. Red checked linens cover the tables, and the waitress I notice is wearing a ruffled apron in a very old-fashioned style. When I get to Mom I lean down to kiss her cheek before I say, “This place is so cute.”
“I thought you’d like it.” She frowns for a second, and appears lost in thought. She says, “We can’t stay.”
“What? I just got here.”
Her chair scrapes against the wooden floor as she stands up quickly and grabs her purse. “We must go.”
Her behavior is strange, but she’s leaving so I follow her as she heads to the door. A waitress calls out, “Ma’am, you forgot your bill!”
My mother keeps walking as if she didn’t hear her. I call out, “Mom!” She turns to me. “Mom, you forgot to pay the check.”
She frowns in confusion. “Oh.” She reaches in her purse and pulls out her wallet as the waitress brings her the check. “Here. Keep the change.”
Mom hands the woman a twenty dollar bill, and the server says, “You only had a coffee. Are you sure?” But my mother is already pulling the door open, making it clear she’s done with the conversation.
I shrug and say to the waitress, “I guess it’s your lucky day.”
She smiles. “Guess so. Thanks.”
I race out of the cafe after my mother, and when I catch up to her I grab her arm. “Mom. What’s going on?”
“Kelsey.” Her voice is airy as if she’s lost in thought and her expression is almost dazed. I notice her pupils are dilated, and warning bells ring in my head. I’m not sure what’s going on, but something is not right with my mother. I wonder if her coffee was drugged.
“Mom. Where are you going?”
She pulls her arm from me. “We have to meet him.”
“Meet who?” Gravel crunches under the tires of a vehicle that pulls into the parking lot as we talk, and my mother smiles when she notices it. I glance over to see a white van. The kind of truck that makes me think abduction. As it heads toward us adrenaline explodes in my veins. Oh my god!
I grab Mom’s arm and squeeze hard enough to feel bone as I tug her toward the restaurant. Car doors click open, and feet pound quickly on the pavement as men run to us. I yell, “Help!” A guy grabs me, and his fingers dig into my flesh painfully as he yanks me away from my mother. I manage to get out “Somebody hel--” before a hand slaps over my mouth. I scratch at his skin and thrash as I try to escape, but this guy is strong, and my attempt is futile. A strong medicinal odor fills my nostrils as I realize the guy is holding a cloth to my face before I lose consciousness.
* * *
My head pounds with the worst hangover of my life, and when I groan the noise echoes. I blink to clear the fog in my brain as I try to focus on what I see. It’s dark and cold, and a steady drip of what I assume is water is the only sound I hear. The dank smell of earth is heavy in the moist air making me think I’m in a cave. When I sit up, a chain rattles and the noise hurts my head as I glance down to the metal cuffs that dig into my wrists. I notice my ankles are bound too, and as my eyes adjust to the darkness I discover I’m in a cage. Like an animal.
My heart rate increases as I recall I was taken from the parking lot of a restaurant. I glance around, but can barely make out anything beyond me in the faint light that filters down from above. Mom. Her behavior was odd, and it was as if someone else was telling her what to do. Was she possessed the way Nadia possessed Caitlyn?
I wrap my arms around my legs as I begin to shiver, and now desperation begins to seep in. Where am I, and who took me? And why? The bars of my cage are hard against my back as I lean on them, and hot tears roll down my face to drip off my chin. I’m still groggy and close my eyes to let sleep take over.
The loud thud of footsteps wakes me, and when I open my eyes I notice sunlight coming down from the ceiling in skinny ribbons. The brightness of a flashlight hurts my eyes, and I squint as I turn away. I’m surprised to hear a woman’s voice. “I’m going to open the cage to give you food. If you try anything, I won’t come back with more.”
“Why am I here?” I ask.
The woman doesn’t answer, and a key clanks against metal before the door in front of me squeaks open. I stay still, and a paper bag rustles before she drops it with a thud. A plastic water bottle lands next and rolls to a stop at my feet. The cage shudders when she slams the door shut as if she’s afraid I’ll attack her. I say, “Please. Is my mother okay?” She still doesn’t speak, and I cry when she begins to walk away. Any pride I might have is long gone, and now I beg. “Please, tell me what I did. Whatever it is, I’m so sorry! Let me fix this.” But her footsteps echo off the walls of the cave before a door slams in the distance.
* * *
Don’t miss an installment from V. Vaughn. Sign up for her newsletter, and be sure to hear about the release of Desired by the Bear Book 3.
The series that started it all - Called by the Bear:
Complete Complete Trilogy
Called by the Bear Book 1
Called by the Bear Book 2
Called by the Bear Book 3
Tempted by the Bear
Tempted by the Bear - Book 1
Tempted by the Bear - Book 2
Tempted by the Bear - Book 3
Tempted by the Bear - Complete Edition
Rocked by the Bear:
Andre
Adrian
Aleck
Aaron
Jared
Jax
Don’t miss the Winter Valley Wolves:
As bundles -
The Lindholms
The Wakefields
The Quinns
The Aliens have landed! Check out the Intergalactic Dating Agency with my Greenville Alien Mail Order Brides
Caiden
Hunter 10/27/16
Logan 11/17/16
Find out more about V. Vaughn at www.violetvaughn.com
About the Author
V. Vaughn lives in New Hampshire and spends winter weekends in the woods of Maine. She might have seen a bear, or two….
V. Vaughn also writes Contemporary Romance as Violet Vaughn. You can read more about her Snow-Kissed Romance series here.
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