New Revelations: Second Sight Book Two
A Novel by Heather Topham Wood
NEW REVELATIONS: SECOND SIGHT BOOK TWO
Copyright: Heather Topham Wood
Published: October 9, 2012
The right of Heather Topham Wood to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Dedication
To Grandma,
My inspiration—
A day doesn’t go by when I don’t miss you.
Prologue
Blood blanketed Kate’s body. It soaked through her tank top and turned the formerly tan shirt a deep shade of crimson. She had lost consciousness for an undetermined amount of time and knew she probably only had minutes left until she blacked out again.
Panic was setting in, she pushed it away. Her chest wound was bleeding the most. She attempted to use her hands to put pressure on it. Maybe if she could slow down the bleeding, she would have half a chance. She tried not to think about the possibility of her attacker returning to make sure the job was finished. Kate hoped the sound of the car pulling into the driveway had scared him off.
The car door. Someone had arrived at the house before she passed out, she realized with a start. She had thought it was her mother, but she would have found Kate by now. As she tried to focus on her surroundings, she could barely make out a muffled voice calling her name from outside of the house.
Kate tried to respond, tears from the pain ran down her cheeks. The fear of death seemed to be holding her frozen. Her screams sounded like whimpers and there would be no way the sound would travel to her potential savior from her huddled form on the kitchen floor all the way through the front door. Her own blood was choking her and the hopelessness of her situation threatened her grip on sanity. Kate was a pop culture fanatic—she knew that in the movies blood gushing out of the mouth usually meant the character was a goner.
Kate summoned the last of the strength in her broken body and attempted to crawl through the darkness towards the front of the house. The kitchen floor was sticky with a mixture of blood and the Diet Coke she had dropped earlier. Her entire body cried out with each movement she made, but she forced herself to go farther. It felt like miles as she traveled only inches and she prayed that whoever was knocking at the door would not give up and leave.
Kate made it as far as the doorway separating the hallway and kitchen. Her body collapsed and she whined as she realized that she was only a few feet from the front door. The doorbell rang again and the injustice of her predicament set in. She was going to bleed out all over her mother’s Persian carpet and wait alone while the life slowly seeped out of her. Help was within reach, but still so far away. This was never the way she imagined she would die.
Chapter One
Kate Edwards looked at her boyfriend Jared Corbett across the table as he silently devoured the Thai food she brought over. Boyfriend, she almost giggled at the distinction. Who would have thought the weird psychic girl who could easily spend days on end in her pajamas would be dating a gorgeous detective seven years older than she?
It had been four weeks since the ill-fated night of her cousin Jessica’s wedding. The novelty of being together still hadn’t worn off and Kate knew she was falling hard for Jared. She loved spending time with him and was shocked at the fact that he seemed to reciprocate the feeling. Her trust issues were still there, clawing at the edges of her psyche, but Jared seemed intent on pacifying her fear of being hurt. He was living and breathing proof that good guys actually existed and weren’t mythical creatures found only in fairy tales.
Since the Cori Preston abduction case was over and done with, Jared returned to his normal detective duties and she started the fall semester at her local community college. Since her resolution to try and have a normal social life last month, she had enrolled in classes held on campus instead of continuing to take courses online.
When Jared wasn’t working, they usually spent time at his apartment. A typical night might involve them watching a movie and her praying she didn’t stain his white leather couch while snacking on chocolate ice cream. Jared actually enjoyed eating dinner at her house as well, but Kate preferred to forgo her mother’s prying eyes in case she was in the mood to get romantic with her new boyfriend. There was just one thing standing in the way of Kate’s perpetual blissful state.
“Kate, why are you staring at me? You have a glazed look in your eyes and to be honest, it’s kind of creeping me out.” Jared’s gray eyes locked onto her from across his kitchen table. Unconsciously, she wiped at her mouth, hoping he hadn’t caught her drooling.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about the surprise I have for you.” She tried her hand at her most seductive sounding voice. She was new to this whole dating thing and hoped she didn’t sound like she was trying too hard.
A slight smile played on his lips. “I’m hoping it’s not like the last surprise you had for me.”
The smug look on his handsome face made her want to throw her plate of food at him. She visualized lo mein noodles becoming tangled in his inky black hair. “Do you have to keep bringing that up?” Kate demanded. “When I brought the kitten back, the people at the shelter were looking at me as though I were mentally incompetent.”
A pet adoption stand had been set up at her campus a couple of weeks ago. Seeing the adorable kittens and puppies inspired her to adopt one for Jared. Jared was her first boyfriend in two years and she wanted to buy him a present that would hint at the fact she hoped they would be together for a long time. Her mother would never allow any kind of pet in her impeccable colonial home, but she figured Jared would be keen to give a little kitten a home. He was all by himself and she could help him care for it. How was she supposed to know he was allergic to cats?
Her light brown waves fell across her eyes as she shook her thoughts away. Kate pretended he hadn’t mentioned it. “Anyway, I’ll get my bag and show you.”
While Jared watched her across the room, Kate hurriedly grabbed her handbag from the couch in the living room and made her way back into the kitchen. Pulling out her toothbrush from the bowels of her pocketbook, she called, “Surprise!”
He tapped a finger against his sexy lips. “You bought me a new toothbrush? I haven’t heard any bad breath complaints from you.”
“Very funny. I figured we could have a sleepover—I brought some very cute PJs too,” she said enthusiastically. Noticing his grimace, she groaned and collapsed back into her chair. Her hazel eyes glanced sideways towards him. “Why do you not seem enthused?”
“Kate, we talked about this…” his deep baritone trailed off as he gave her an indulgent look.
Cringing at his tone, she sighed heavily. Jared’s damn nobility made her want to strangle him at times. His parents had died when Jared was seven and he was raised by his aunt. Although she appreciated his Aunt Lizzie teaching him to treat women with respect, she wouldn’t mind him losing control now and again. Their kisses were passionate and filled her with longing. She had tried to tempt him more than once to whisk her off to the master bedroom at the rear of the apartment. Each time, Jared had suggested they hold off from getting intimate until the ti
me was right.
“I know, but we’ve been dating for almost a month. Shouldn’t you be spending every free moment you have trying to get into my pants? Not warding off my sexual advances,” she retorted.
He pushed away his plate of food and rested his elbows on the table. He leaned towards her as he spoke. “I’m tempted constantly, believe me. But how can I drop you off at your mother’s house the next morning? She likes me and I want to keep it that way.”
“Jared, I’m not a teenager. I’m twenty-one and I just happen to still live at home. But if it’s that big of a deal, I don’t have to sleep over. We’re alone right now, what’s stopping you?” Kate challenged.
If she was truly honest with herself, she was exaggerating her sexual bravery. The thought of sleeping with him both excited and terrified Kate. Her one sexual experience had been less than stellar and then ended with the guy dumping her the next day. A few months later, she was in a coma and awoke as the town freak. Even if she had wanted to date, she doubted anyone would’ve wanted to be seen in public with her.
“You’ve been telling me how much you hated your one and only time and how you wanted the next time to be special,” he reminded her. If Jared continued to listen to half the nonsense she was prone to spewing, Kate thought, she was going to definitely be more careful about what she said around him. His eyes were stormy as he demanded, “What? Am I going to have my way with you and then kick you out afterwards?”
Kate felt a little fluttery at his suggestion of having his way with her and decided to ignore the rest of his commentary. Jared looked particularly attractive that evening with his black t-shirt perfectly molded to his muscular form and his boxers poking out of his low-rise jeans. As she imagined the many different ways she’d like him to have his way with her, she felt a blush creep to her face. Her hormones were definitely spinning out of control and she was getting frustrated that her super hot boyfriend was not willing to do anything about it. Looking up at him, she gave into a sly smile. The desire was clear on his face.
Jared’s tall frame lifted out of the chair and he momentarily turned away from her. Taking a deep breath, he faced her. “You’re testing my self-control here, Kate. Each time you give me that look, it gets harder for me to keep my hands off of you.”
“Then why are we waiting? It will be special this time because it will be with you, Jared,” she said softly and walked over to him. She had worn her flats over to his apartment which made him a good head taller than her. One of the things she liked about Jared is that his tall and muscular build pretty much guaranteed he would always outweigh her. Even on the days after she went on a fast food bender and had to break out the fat jeans.
He reached out his hand and cupped her cheek gently. “When the time is right, it’ll happen,” he promised. “It’s not only about logistics. I did just get out of a three year relationship with Nikki.”
The mere mention of his ex-girlfriend’s name enraged her. Nikki had made Kate’s life hell after she suspected something could be going on between her and Jared. “You have the nerve to mention that she-devil in my presence,” she breathed. Nikki’s name was like a cool balm to the heat she had been feelings towards Jared. Kate wanted to be mature when he spoke about his ex and show that she didn’t feel threatened. However, she didn’t only dislike the girl, but had a deep-seated fear that Jared would one day return to her manicured clutches.
Kate removed his hand from her cheek. “You know what? I just lost my appetite. If you don’t mind—I’d like you to take me home.” The fact that he had driven her over didn’t allow her the privilege to storm out on him.
Jared reached for her, but she jerked away. He flinched at her reaction. “Don’t get angry with me. Let’s just talk about this…”
She cut him off, “Are you going to drive me or am I walking home?”
After a long sigh, he grabbed his keys and followed her out of his apartment. Entering his black BMW, she restrained herself from slamming his car door. She understood some of the points Jared was making, but she didn’t like how his rejection made her feel. Now she was embarrassed for throwing herself at him when he clearly didn’t want to take things to that level.
Their disagreement made Kate further question whether he really wanted to be with her or not. They had been thrown into an extreme situation together last month and maybe the intensity of the kidnapping case was what drew them together. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, maybe a relationship between them was destined to fail.
Jared remained silent as she stewed on the ride home. Franklin was small enough that it only took five minutes to travel between their homes. Living in the New Jersey suburbs also promised little traffic which Kate was thankful for at the moment. The sooner she could get some time to herself and sort out her mixed emotions, the better.
As he parked in front of her house, Kate reached for the door handle. He put a firm grip on her wrist to prevent her from leaving. She turned to face him and looked at him with irritation. She was about to protest, but the words became lodged in her throat at his contrite expression.
“Listen, I wanted it to be a surprise,” he emphasized before continuing, “but I actually have something planned.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been arranging a special night for us,” he explained. “You mean a lot to me and I want our first time together to be amazing.”
As Jared spoke, he used his fingers to trace small circles on her hand. It was strangely sensual and she felt hypnotized by his touch.
Kate loved Jared’s sweet side and instantly felt bad for overreacting. If he wanted to show her an amazing time, who was she to protest? “What kind of night? Is it soon?” she questioned eagerly.
He laughed and exited the car. Opening the passenger door, he lifted her up into a warm embrace. He had the ability to make her feel very feminine when he showered her with affection. Relaxing against his muscular chest, she tilted her head up to gaze at him. Moving her light brown locks away from her face with a sweep of his callused fingers, he peered down at her.
“I’d like to keep it a surprise if you don’t mind,” Jared said with a slight smirk playing at the edges of his lips. “And yes, it’s very soon. I’m not a saint, Kate.”
Kate gave a solemn nod and summoned up her most somber expression. “Ok, I accept your terms. But I’m warning you, all this build-up may end up blowing up in our face. I don’t have a tendency to do well under pressure.”
“Good thing we’ll have the whole night to try again and again until we get it right,” he whispered and then nibbled on her ear. She tried not to swoon as he moved his mouth to hers. He didn’t hold back on the intensity of the kiss as she concentrated on not letting her knees buckle out from under her. If he was able to do everything else as good as he kissed, Kate had no worries about their first time together.
It was agonizing to break away from the kiss. From his labored breathing, Kate presumed he was feeling the same way. Waiting until this romantic evening was going to be torture. She’d have to stay distracted in the meantime. Luckily, she had made it a priority to work on honing her psychic skills.
Kate leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his waist. The fight was already forgotten in her mind. She didn’t need sex to solidify her relationship with Jared. She had to just let go of her neuroses and take a more laidback approach to things. It seemed likely that Jared sympathized with her inexperience and was only making sure she didn’t have any regrets.
“Ok, you better go inside before I say to hell with it and throw you over my shoulder and bring you back to my place,” he grunted.
Kate chuckled. “Fine. But after that kiss I’m sure I’ll be having a vision about you this evening.” Preferably unclothed, she thought silently.
Chapter Two
The next afternoon Kate was enjoying a turkey sandwich at one of the outside tables at her college. The September weather had been gorgeous lately and sundresses and shorts were still worn
on a daily basis. The sunshine soaked into her delicate skin. Kate hoped being outdoors would help her maintain the tan she had held onto since Labor Day. Kate had spent the weekend at the shore with her father, Robert, who had moved about an hour away last year after her parents’ divorce. On the final day of their trip, he arranged a dinner for her to meet his girlfriend, Carly.
Surprisingly, Carly was a lot nicer than she expected. She didn’t come across as a dumb floozy who was the catalyst for the demise of her parents’ marriage. Although it pained her to be friendly to the woman due to loyalty to her mother, she couldn’t find a major fault with her. At the very least, maybe she could mellow her father out a little bit.
Focusing back on the present, Kate looked over the notes she had taken from her American Literature class. After a couple minutes of studying, she felt her mind wander. It was hard to concentrate while she was still in this new relationship stage with Jared. She couldn’t wait to head over to his apartment again tonight to see him. Maybe she would even attempt to cook for him to make up for last night.
Taking a highlighter to her notes, Kate stiffened as she felt eyes bore into her back. Slowly, turning around in her chair, she locked her gaze with a pair of dark unfamiliar eyes. In the few seconds that she allowed herself to stare back, Kate did a quick inventory of the man. He wore his brown hair very short and had it spiked in a sort of messy style that required lots of hair product. His hand grazed over the small amount of scruff he had growing on his chin. The movement lifted his arm and made visible to Kate the corner of a tattoo on his bicep.
The guy was about her age, but Kate did not recognize him from any of her classes. He seemed amused at something as he looked at her unabashedly. His stare did not waver when she turned to face him. Deciding to ignore him, she spun back around. Gathering up her things, she dumped out her trash without another glance in his direction and headed towards the parking lot. The papers had done a lot of coverage on her during the Cori Preston case and he probably recognized her from one of the photos that accompanied the articles. Her cell phone rang as she made the long trek across campus. Her best friend Julie Mitchell’s name appeared on screen.
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