My Kinky Valentine: Volume 2 - In Spirit

by Liz Gavin

  Morris knelt down, put his fingers to his partner’s neck, and checked his pulse. It felt slow and weak. His breathing was labored, too. He stood up and reached for his radio to call dispatch, when he heard a faint rustle of leaves coming from somewhere behind him. As he turned around, Morris felt a sharp pain in his lower belly.

  He looked down to find a double-edged knife lodged there. He looked up just in time to see O’Hallon’s sneer as he knocked Morris out with a punch to his right temple. He fell to the ground and blacked out.

  When Murphy got to Keira and Declan’s bedroom, she was relieved to find them still packing. She hesitated at the door for a second because she didn’t want to alarm them, although she knew they shouldn’t waste any precious time.

  “Keira, we must go. Now.”

  “We’ve just finished packing our stuff,” she answered without looking up at Katherine as she struggled with the suitcase zipper.

  “Let me do that, love,” Declan offered, taking her place.

  “Isn’t he adorable?” Keira taunted him, looking up at Katherine for support. Her smile vanished at the sight of Murphy’s gun. “What’s going on, Kate?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What happened, Murphy?” Declan demanded. “Why are you here with that gun?”

  The gardaí stood at the door watching the corridor and glaring at them as if cross they weren’t doing what she told them to do. “We’ve got to go. Now. Kerry is missing. I told Morris to go out and look for him. I came in here to check on you guys. We can’t waste time. Come with me. You’d better …”

  She never finished her sentence.

  A shot rang out and Murphy fell to the floor of the corridor. Keira jumped forward to go to her, but Declan’s strong hand grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back. He stepped in front of her, and before she could say or do anything, Paul O’Hallon appeared at the door, blocking their only way out.

  “Missed me, gorgeous?” he addressed Keira, but aimed his gun at Declan. “Let go of her, Slane. Nobody else needs to get hurt.”

  “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

  “That’s a bold statement. You shouldn’t underestimate her feelings for me. Now, get your hands off her and let her come to me.”

  “You’ll have to shoot me first.”

  “That won’t be a problem.” He aimed at Declan’s head and cocked the gun.

  “Declan, please, don’t do anything. He will shoot you.” Keira moved to stand between the two men and faced Declan. “But, he won’t hurt me. Please, let me go.”

  “I’ve told you a million times, Keira, that I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll not let this vermin take you anywhere.”

  “Baby, please, let me go. I’ll find a way to come back to you. I promise. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of me.”

  “No way. You can ask me anything, love—just don’t ask me to give up on you.”

  “I’m not asking you that. I’m asking you to have faith in me, in us.”

  Keira and Declan locked eyes, filled with conflicting emotions. His dark green gaze was full of determination and anger, while her blue eyes brimmed with tears, and her face screwed up into a mask of anguish.

  With their feelings and senses so invested in their momentary battle of wills, Declan and Keira didn’t notice O’Hallon moving inside the room, until he grabbed her upper arm and yanked her away from Declan’s grasp.

  “You heard her begging you to let her go with me. Keira belongs with me. You should have learned that by now, Slane. You took her away from me against her will.” Loathing and spite glinted in his hard eyes as he pulled the trigger without batting an eyelash.

  “No!” Keira’s cry of desperation rang through the room, along with the blast from the gun.

  Declan fell to the floor with a hand pressed to his stomach, where a stain of dark red spread across his shirt. Keira launched herself at Paul, screaming like an ancient warrior woman.

  Deep hurt and churning hatred consumed her, but also gave her an unexpected strength to punch his chest and arms. Caught by surprise, Paul moved backwards a couple of steps. She followed him, sank her nails into the soft flesh below his eyes, and scratched at his face, hearing the gratifying sound of his high-pitched yelp of pain.

  “You son of a bitch! Why did you shoot him? You didn’t need to do that.”

  “Keira, I did that for us.”

  “I’ll kill you for that.”

  Frantic, she looked around the room in search of something to hit him with, and missed his next movement. Sharp pain shot through her left temple when he hit her with the grip of his gun. Her sight turned hazy and she stumbled forward towards Paul. When he stretched his hands to hold her and stop her fall, she panicked.

  “Stay away from me, you sick son of a bitch.”

  Keira couldn’t stomach his hands on her again. She stepped backwards, away from Paul, trying to escape. She lost her footing with her sudden movement, fell backwards, and hit the back of her head on the ground with a loud crack.

  “Declan …”

  His name was the last softly whispered word on Keira’s lips before a silent darkness filled her mind and she lost consciousness.

  Declan’s head felt fuzzy. Excruciating pain gripped his abdomen and clogged his brain, and allowed him to remember only bits and pieces, regardless of how hard he tried—gardai Murphy showing up, O’Hallon snatching Keira from his hands, then shooting him.

  After he had fallen to the ground, he’d blacked out. When he woke up, he didn’t know how long he had lain on the floor. Blood oozed out of the bullet wound, while crippling pain seared him when he made even the smallest movement.

  He tried to shout for help, but his voice had deserted him. He moved his head, looking for Keira, and found her lying on the floor close to him. He felt utterly powerless when he heard the gut-wrenching sounds of bones breaking as O’Hallon continued to batter her already immobile body—just like he had felt when he was a child. He made a super-human effort to stretch his arm and reach them. He needed to stop the bastard, he needed to help her, but unbearable pain paralyzed him.

  “Stop! You’re killing her!” were the words he tried to shout, but no sound came out of his mouth.

  He rolled onto his back. More blood oozed from his wound. Dizzy, sick to his stomach, and angry at himself for not being able to stop O’Hallon, he felt he had failed Keira. Just like he’d failed his mother as a kid. He couldn’t live with himself if something happened to Keira because of him. He took a deep breath, bracing himself to try to move, but a sharp stab of pain pierced his chest, and he lost consciousness again.

  When Declan opened his eyes again, he didn’t know how much time had passed. The house was deadly quiet. O’Hallon was nowhere to be seen. Sluggish, Declan crawled forward and sat up beside Keira. He could barely breathe, due to the effort to move and the loss of blood, but he pulled her lifeless body onto his lap and held her close. He hugged her tight against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, which was covered in blood, and cried like he hadn’t cried since he was a little boy. He felt like he was six again.

  “Please, please, don’t leave me, Keira.”

  His sobs filled the air. He balled his hands into fists, frustrated because Keira didn’t respond. He couldn’t face the evidence that she wasn’t able to answer him.

  “This is my fault, too. He wouldn’t have killed you, if I had let you go with him.”

  He sat there, rocking back and forth for a long time, hanging on to her as if he could bring her back by sheer power of will. The thought that she was gone forever caused such burning pain in his chest, much stronger than the one from the bullet. He couldn’t breathe.

  “Please, don’t go. I can’t bear it if you leave me, too.”

  “I didn’t want to leave you, but I had to go, sweetie. I wouldn’t have left you, if there were any other way. Please, stop crying.” Keira’s voice sounded different. It seemed there was some kind of echo, like two people talked at th
e same time.

  A soft hand rested on his shoulder. Declan looked up and couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “Mom? Is that really you? How? What happened? What are you doing here?”

  “I came because you needed me, son. In fact, I’ve never really left you. You just couldn’t see me.”

  He looked down to find Keira’s body had disappeared. His mother stood in front of him. It was hard for him to look at her without squinting his eyes against the bright light radiating from her. She held out her hand and pulled him up.

  “How is it possible? You’re dead. It was my fault, too. I couldn’t help you and you died. Just like Keira.”

  “Anything is possible here. Don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, son. I didn’t die because you couldn’t help me. And neither did Keira.”

  “I saw it. I stood there and watched father kill you. How isn’t that my fault?”

  “You were six. You couldn’t do a thing. Besides, your father isn’t a murderer. You were too young to understand what was going on in our house. You’re an adult, now. You’ve got to forgive him. He needs you and your brothers.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t do that, mom. My brothers can’t, either. He killed you.”

  She lifted an almost transparent hand to tap his. There was so much love, so much compassion in her eyes, that he felt like those same emotions filled his body.

  “I’ve forgiven him, love. Why can’t you and your brothers do the same?”

  She paused and waited for his reply. When he didn’t say anything, she smiled.

  “Besides, nobody really dies. I mean, we cease to exist as corporeal beings, but we don’t cease to exist. In this sense, I’ve never abandoned you. I’m here now, aren’t I?”

  A thick white fog wrapped them up and cloaked everything else around them. He couldn’t see a thing.

  “Where are we?”

  “At the hospital. You’re undergoing surgery.”

  Iris Slane swept her hand in the air in front of them, the fog lifted, and Declan saw they were standing in the middle of a brightly lit room. A group of people worked around an operating table. He had to strain his neck to see over their shoulders. His body lay on the table. He didn’t question the fact he could see his own body a few feet away, but rather wondered about Keira.

  “Where’s Keira?”

  Iris didn’t answer. She preferred to hug her youngest son instead.

  “What happened to her, mom?”

  “It’s going to be all right, Declan.”

  “How can you say that? I saw her on the floor. Her face was covered in blood. Her body was battered. She wasn’t breathing.”

  “I know what you saw, dear. It’s difficult for you to understand it. You’ve got to have faith, son. You’ve got to believe your love is strong enough to lead her back to you.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that, mom. I’m so tired. I’m tired of everything.”

  “Don’t say that, love. You’re too young to say such a thing.”

  “Keira’s been through so much. Both of us have. I can’t take it anymore. I’m just so very tired.”

  “Don’t give up. You must fight back this weakness.”

  The monitor in the operation room sounded a high beep. Declan had flatlined. The doctors and nurses hurried around the operating table, trying to revive his motionless body.

  “Go back, Declan, and I promise I’ll find Keira,” her mother told him. “Know that I’ll always be by your side.”

  As the team shouted orders, he felt light-headed. At the same time, his mother seemed to get more ethereal, slowly vanishing in the air. All of a sudden, he couldn’t see her anymore, and everything turned quiet around him. All the pain had disappeared. He didn’t feel anything.

  Keira didn’t know how she had gotten to that beautiful garden. Color filled it and the flowers in bloom smelled delicious. Among the flowerbeds stood a tall, redheaded woman. Her expression looked serene and inviting. Keira knew her.

  “Who are you? I think I know you but I can’t remember. Do I know you?”

  “Not exactly. We’ve met before but I wouldn’t say you know me.”

  “I’ve seen you before. I don’t know where. I’ve been confused lately. I’m sorry.”

  “No need to apologize, child. You’ve been through a lot. I know it. I was there.”

  “Are you my mom? I can’t remember anything and it’s driving me mad. I hate this feeling of helplessness.”

  “I know what you mean, but I’m not your mother, Keira. I’m Iris Slane. Your mom is alive, you know. Your whole family is alive and they worry about you. They love you very much. Paul’s been telling you all kinds of lies, sweetie.”

  Keira felt relieved and anguished at the same time. Her family was safe and she wasn’t alone in the world. On the other hand, what kind of man was Paul? Why did he tell her such vicious lies? She couldn’t trust him.

  “You’re right to question him. He is a very dangerous and sick man.”

  “Can you read my mind?”

  “We can do anything here, child.” Iris smiled sweetly at somebody standing by her side. Keira couldn’t see the person. “I brought somebody to see you. He was about to give up because he thought you were dead. I had to promise him I’d find you to convince him to go back.”

  Keira’s heart skipped a few beats when she laid eyes on the gorgeous man beside Iris.

  “Declan!” She threw her arms around his neck, laughing and crying. “I know who you are. I know who I am, now, too.”

  Everything came back to her—emotions, people, facts, places, and feelings. Dizziness overcame her, but his strong arms around her narrow waist were all she needed to keep her safe.

  “I’ve got you, love. Nobody’s going to hurt you anymore. I’m here.”

  Declan kissed her hair, her moist face, and her mouth with so much love and tenderness. Their tears mingled as they kissed, as they whispered the sweetest words to each other, and the world around them ceased to exist.

  Intrigued by Declan and Keira’s story? There’s tons of steamy action in this romantic thriller, Liz Gavin’s second full-length novel. Get your copy of Luck of the Irish now or read it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

  Celtic Fire

  UPCOMING NEW NOVEL

  Rowen has sacrificed much in the name of the Great Goddess: family, dreams, and her eternal love. Now, the Lady of the Lake asks of Rowen yet another sacrifice. Only this time it may prove to be too much for her scarred heart. Can Rowen betray gentle, loving Caddaric, the soul mate who has been her haven for many lifetimes past? Can she trust Eochaid, a rude warrior who symbolizes everything she despises and hates? Will she fulfill her duties as High Priestess or will she abandoned her faith in the name of love?

  Sneak Peek

  CHAPTER 1

  It is the morning after Samhain and I lay in my bed, watching the beams in the ceiling of my room. The warmth of Caddaric’s body still lingers in my bed and I snuggle down under the bedclothes, inhaling deeply to fill my lungs with his sweet scent. I try to gather as many memories of his presence as possible. They’ll have to last for a whole year and I know they never do.

  The razor-sharp pain in my chest is too strong for me to bear it and I let a few silent tears trickle down my face. I fought them for the last 24 hours knowing they would win in the end. I can still hear Caddaric’s soft whispers as he told me this is the way things were meant to be; that we should honor the Goddess willingly and freely; that it is our duty and that our reward will be eternal bliss. I can’t muffle a soft sob. Knowing something is true does not make it any easier to bear.

  Every year I go through this same exact routine. On the day after Samhain, I manage to get up only in the afternoon. The villagers are simple folk who believe I need time to recuperate from all the exhausting activities of the previous day, like they do. Nobody knows the truth and they never shall.

  This thought brings me back to the present and to my duties. As High Priestess, I need
to lead my people in each one of their spiritual needs as well as many of their material ones. I struggle a bit more with my conscience before getting up and going about my day.

  No sooner do I step out of my hut and I’m surrounded by my neighbors. They are excited, talking at the same time, demanding my attention and blessings.

  “Good day, my lady. It is a beautiful one.”

  “Praised be the Goddess, madam. Samhain was a beautiful celebration yesterday.”

  “We’re expecting a peaceful winter, this year.”

  “Our harvest was the best one in ages. The Goddess must be very pleased with us, blessing us with such bounty.”

  They go on talking like that, walking by my side, in front of me and behind me, all the way until the edge of town. I nod and smile back at them because that is all they need me to do. It’s our little post-festival ritual. It doesn’t matter which festival we celebrate, my fellow villagers need reassurance that the latest edition has been the best in our History and that the Goddess will keep on blessing us for worshipping Her.

  “We are blessed people, indeed, my dearest neighbors. And we must keep doing our good work and following the Old Faith so that the Goddess does not turn away from us like She has done to those who have forsaken Her. We all heard the horrible stories which the travelers coming from the mainland bring us. The faithless warriors of the eagle attack and destroy towns, kill women and children, and take our young men for slaves. We need Her protection now, more than ever.”

  As I finish my little speech, we arrive at the entrance to the sacred oak grove and halt. I bid them farewell and they stay behind, as I proceed on my own. They know only the priests and the priestesses are allowed inside this sanctuary.

  Although my heart is heavy and my thoughts are gloomy, I take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand. I search for the sacred oak, the oldest tree in the grove. Finding it, I lie on the floor, face down, in front of the revered tree. Earth’s energy travels through my body, filling me up and making my skin tingle all over as I say my prayer.