Addiction

by Angela McPherson

  My heart danced, and my insides jumped. His eyes misted, but he didn't bother to hide his emotions. I balled my hands to keep still, waiting for him to finish.

  "I love you and miss you every day. I'd listen to your old messages every night just to hear your voice so I could go to sleep. I fight to keep from rushing to your house. But I've waited enough. I'm done with waiting."

  Tears filled my eyes, and my heart hurt, like it was breaking all over again. God, this was my fault. I had to make him stay. My throat squeezed tight, and before I could clear the ache long enough to speak, Tristan pulled me to him.

  I fisted the front of his shirt and sobbed. He continued to hold me in a tight embrace until I was able to control my tears. His hands rubbed my back, reassuring me he was there.

  Once I was able to rein in my crying, he pulled away. Tristan cupped my face and gazed at me with such tender, honest love swimming in his eyes. My heart swelled.

  "I'm going to give you your Christmas present, but I need you to hear me." The corner of his mouth lifted in a small grin.

  Not trusting my voice, I nodded.

  "Okay." He knelt in front of me and pulled out a blue box from his jean pocket. At least I think the box was blue. I couldn't see too well from the new onset of tears. My legs wobbled, but I made sure to stay upright.

  "Elle, I know I should have talked to you about your sister."

  I interrupted. "Tristan, it's okay."

  He reached up, covering my mouth with his hand. I glared back with a teasing grin behind his hand.

  "I'm running this show, not you. Got it?"

  Only when I nodded did he free my mouth. I wiped my eyes, hoping to keep them dry until Tristan finished.

  "You're my best friend. I need you. I love you, and you, Elle Marie Richards, need and love me just as much. You are a stubborn pain in my ass."

  Um, this took a different route than expected. I frowned.

  He opened the blue box and inside rested a red lifesaver. Was he asking me to marry him or save him?

  "You're my life. Without you I'm lost." Tears shined in his eyes, a few escaping down his cheeks.

  I cupped his face between my hands, brushing the wetness away with my thumbs.

  "When you left town after Heather's funeral, I couldn't function. My dad told me to have faith, and I do. I have faith in us. I have to because I don't know how to survive if you're not with me."

  The entire time I was finding myself, I never stopped to think what Tristan was going though. I shook my head, ashamed at how selfish I'd been. How blind I was not see he was suffering just as much. "I'm so sorry I shut you out. I love you so much it hurts."

  Tristan grabbed my hands and stood. Pulling me close, he leaned down, and said, "Elle Marie Richards, I promise to marry you one day." He cocked his brow. "Do you promise to say yes?"

  I smiled, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer, my world finally piecing itself back together again. "Yes." I pressed my lips to his, and then backing away said, "If you're lucky."

  Watch for Book 3, Interception, coming soon!

  Did you enjoy Addiction?

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  Read on for a preview of Hope's Decree!

  Addiction is a threat that not only the addict faces, but those who love and care for them, as well. Treatment centers are stationed all over to provide help to those suffering with their addiction. For more information regarding rehabilitation centers, support groups, check out http://www.recovery.org to learn more.

  When everything else is lost, there is always hope.

  Click cover to buy!

  YA Paranormal Romance

  While most teens want an epic senior year, Trinity Whitebone hoped for a normal one. Being seventeen was hard enough. Having the emotions of everyone around you in your head made life more than a little difficult.

  Until Blain Heros enrolled.

  He screamed hot-god in jeans with just his walk. His intense stare warmed her skin like a thousand suns. Unfortunately, his interest in her seemed to run from blazing to freezing in the span of moments and left her nothing but confused. She could deal with things not being normal, but when life goes from strange to dangerous…

  Trinity is the direct descendant of Pandora and fated to rectify the terrors released into the world by her curious ancestor. With powers she didn't know existed and abilities she never wanted, Trinity tries to walk away from everything her life had become. She thought she could turn her back on her fate, until a band of rogue immortals discover who she is and will do whatever it takes to control her powers. Trinity is left with one decision…Embrace fate or die trying.

  Read on for a peek at the first chapter!

  Chapter 1

  Memories

  I stood barefoot in an open field surrounded by thickened fog. Wonderful. I could only imagine what my hair must look like. Probably a big mass of crazy. Aside from standing in a field, something seemed off, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what. I just didn't feel anything.

  I couldn't feel anything.

  My whole freakish life I'd desperately wanted to shut out the surge of emotions I often felt from others. But this empty vacancy was out of place and wrong.

  Off to my right, something flickered. I turned to look and in the distance, a flash of light caught my attention. I watched, transfixed as it expanded and molded into the solid figure of a man. Curiosity or stupidity–not sure which–drew me toward him. With each step, my insides stirred; a desperate need beckoning me.

  I made it close enough to see his coal black hair and broad shoulders then his image blurred and disappeared. Maybe I should have run, or at least tried, but an inexplicable force held me still. Now he stood behind me. I tensed as his massive arms wrapped around my waist.

  His hold liberated my mind from the numbing loss of feelings, and fear pressed against me. Within him, profound fragments of greed and hate surged. But it's what those demented feelings led to that frightened me. A siege of war and bloodshed unlike the world has ever known.

  Fear and terror spread through me like fire. I began to shake and my stomach rolled with nausea. His unbreakable hold suffocated the light inside of me and the darkness emerged.

  My inner darkness and destruction had always warred with the light. The balance, however, hadn't been tested since I was a little girl.

  "Join me," he whispered in my ear. The sticky heat of his words tickled my neck.

  His arms loosened, allowing me to turn and face him. A horrible mistake. Our eyes met and hell ripped through my heart as I peered into the abyss. His eyes showed no color, only screaming souls begging for release.

  His calculating thoughts bounced chaotically in my mind as I struggled to overcome his darkness. My heart pounded against my chest and sweat slid down my forehead, dripping into my eyes. The sting of salt burned and I tightly squeezed them shut.

  My breaths quickly turned into suffocating pants and my body vibrated. His unspoken words increased, slithering in my mind, urging me to give in to his darkness. My fear morphed, crippling my ability to think clearly as I drowned in my own personal hell.

  His chest shook with deep rolling laughter against me. My body turned sluggish as my will to fight quickly slipped away.

  Desperately I grasped for a shred of hope, straining to maintain my long held balance between light and dark. In the last seconds before my will disintegrated, a gleaming stream of white light forced its way through my body. Soothing like a salve, my fear dwindled. The brilliant streams surrounded me, filling me with strength and peace.

  The man's arms fell and he stumbled, withering on the ground. His voice became an echo of agonizing screams and then everything vanished.

  I woke gasping for air. My frantic pulse throbbed in my ears. I scanned my room, finding comfort in the familiar: my clock radio on the nightstand, the piles of books and papers scattered in a mess on my desk, and clothes cluttered on the floor. With everything in place, my gasps began
to even, slowing the rapid beating of my pulse.

  The nightmare eerily reminded me of the ones I had as a child. I fell into the oblivion, lost in a sea of darkness and death where time had no meaning. Night after night I'd lay my head on my pillow and fall into a world of darkness, caught in a tug-of-war between light and dark, each side waiting for the other to weaken. Tonight they had come back, and just like then, it terrified me.

  Through my window the silvery moon sat high in the blackened sky. The glowing numbers on my alarm clock next to my bed revealed the early hour.

  With a shaky sigh, I sank into my feather pillow and focused on my breathing, straining to feel normal.

  Finally, I fell into an undisturbed, peaceful sleep.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Usually, I'd ignore the insidious blaring of my alarm clock, preferring to sleep as late as possible, but not this morning. Today my alarm had me up, ready, and out of bed early. I sat alone at the kitchen table eating my favorite cereal, attempting to wake up enough so I could start my English assignment due at the end of the year.

  A shockwave of last night's sleep-induced terror suddenly flooded my head like a tsunami.

  The provoked memory sent a chill down my spine. Thankfully, my parents had left for work already. I needed the empty space to help calm the impending doom of what might be coming next. Why, after all these years, did I have a nightmare?

  When I graduated high school this year, I'd planned to go to college and major in English Literature. However, after last night's nightmare, an unsettling weariness came over me. Now, the prospect of going off to college felt like a bridge collapsing from under my feet. I wanted a normal life, but normal was as foreign to me as a super bowl ring was to Tony Romo.

  As a kid, I'd wake up from the same nightmare; the details never changed. I'd given up trying to understand why I dreamt the same dream, with the same man who tried to kill me. But last night's dream was different. The dream, the nightmare, felt more dark and evil than ever before.

  Around the time my nightmares began, somehow I'd been dementedly blessed with an unstable ability to feel the emotions of those around me. Cool? Not so much. I had no control over what emotions come through or by whom. They just sucked me in like a black hole. Even crazier, over time my ability had grown stronger.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  On the drive to school I tried locking away my fear, but the effort appeared to be useless. My childhood fear had returned, and more vengeful the second time around. Anxiety from the unknown stirred within, nearly consuming me. But this time, would I have the strength to fight it?

  Pulling into the school parking lot, I whipped my vintage red convertible VW bug easily into my usual spot. Grabbing my bag, I opened the door and got hit with the cool, late September wind on my face. In the packed parking lot, students waited until the last minute before going to class. I dodged the group to my right where Courtney and her clique of snobby followers stood.

  Growing up, Courtney and I used to hang out at each other's houses, but not anymore. As soon as Courtney made head cheerleader back in junior high, she kicked me out of their group. Apart from Garrett and sometimes Trevor, she and her groupies gave my head a constant ache.

  I ignored the verbal humiliation, but unfortunately their constant distasteful emotions came through all too clear, buzzing like bees inside my head. Thankfully, with years of practice I'd been able to keep my reaction to the assault of emotions masked from my family and friends.

  As I made my way around another cluster of students, I found my two best friends, Crystal and Keri, deep in conversation. Keri's hands flew in the air while she talked to Crystal. Keri spotted me, and waved me over, an animated expression radiating from her face.

  "Trinity, you will not believe what just happened." Keri's hazel eyes shined with excitement.

  "Okay. So what happened?"

  "Garrett just asked me to the Greek God and Goddess Ball." Keri squealed her delight.

  "Wow, that's great." Keri's good news cheered me up. Just what I needed.

  "It's about time. You two have toyed with each other long enough." Crystal's mouth formed into that famously sly grin of hers.

  "I know, right? So what do you think?" Keri folded her arms across her chest, waiting for my reply.

  "I just told you what I thought." I wondered if her excitement had completely overwhelmed her brain.

  "No silly, about the ball. You two have to be there. I can't go with Courtney and the others. There's no telling what they'll say or do. You know how they are." She rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, I knew all too well what she'd meant.

  Keri's excitement was infectious even without sensing her emotions. "Okay, I'm in. We have to go shopping though. Crystal, what about you?" I presented her with my best puppy dog face, hoping to convince her.

  "Ugh, you know I hate school crap. I'll have to wear a dress. I mean, I thought prom would be bad enough, and now this, too? And don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, Trinity," Crystal replied sharply. Her irritation spilled out like an overfilled glass. I worked to keep my face even, not wanting to reveal the way her onslaught of heated emotions affected me.

  Keri's look, on the other hand, turned jaded. "You know this is our senior year. We don't ever go to any school stuff because you have this high and mighty outlook on everything. You could at least sacrifice your opinion of two dances for goodness sakes." Keri's breath came out in a huff of frustration.

  "Oh, so now you think I'm too good for school crap? Is that it?" Crystal tapped her foot for show. Her irritation had begun to settle, replaced by guilt. As much as Crystal loved to party it up, she didn't associate herself with school functions. If she did, she caused some sort of trouble. However, at the moment, being a good friend won her over.

  "Okay you two, enough. Crystal, it is our senior year, and I think it would be a little, I don't know, fun. You know we've looked forward to this." I flashed an optimistic smile, teeth and all.

  "Okay fine, whatever," she said through gritted teeth.

  "About the shopping this weekend, I heard there's a cool new boutique in the mall?"

  "Oh, I have to fly to Phoenix this weekend to visit my dad. But I'll be back early Sunday, and we can go then." Keri clapped her hands, her brightly lit smile back on her face.

  "Sounds like a plan, don't you think?"

  "Whatever. Let's get to class before we're late." Keri and I silently stared back at her. Usually she'd beg us to skip class.

  Crystal rolled her eyes, and in a voice mimicking Keri, said, "Well it is our senior year, and since we're all about trying to "fit in" by going to stupid-ass dances, we might as well start by going to class."

  "Fine, but are you sure you're feeling okay?" Keri mockingly pressed the back of her hand to Crystal's forehead, and just like that, the tension died.

  Morning classes whizzed by as visions of the Greek God and Goddess Ball danced in my mind. I loved the idea of Greek gods and goddesses. As a little girl, my dad had taken me to the planetarium. His passion for astronomy and Greek Mythology rubbed off on me, and I too fell in love with the stars and their mythological stories. He'd retell me stories filled with eager excitement–as if he'd actually lived them himself–but I could never explain the hint of sadness in his eyes.

  When I took my seat, the bell rang and Mr. Elliot immediately jumped into his lecture on the human skeleton with warnings of a quiz Monday. Since my mom is a doctor, I made sure to take detailed notes, one bone at a time.

  After Anatomy and Physiology ended, I headed to meet Crystal and Keri by the benches outside the cafeteria. The sun blazed high in the sky, though a cool breeze lingered in the air, promising to transform the heated weather soon.

  "I wish the weather would stay warm enough to eat out here all year round. I hate eating inside," I said, sitting beside Crystal on the bench.

  "I know what you mean, jelly bean," Crystal said. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow since Keri here'll be in Phoenix with her dad."
<
br />   "I don't know. How about a movie?"

  I hoped she wouldn't bring up the college parties I heard her mentioning earlier. Once we entered high school, Crystal's flirtatious, carefree reputation earned her tons of party invites, which she totally indulged in. Keri, more than me, loved the ongoing parties, and jumped at the chance of meeting a new guy.

  As for myself, I always felt out of place, awkward and unsure of what to say, especially when guys talked to me. I'd blush, stumble over my words, and barely be able to form a complete sentence. More than that though, at parties the alcohol provoked people's emotions and their emotional shockwave gave me a major headache. I usually turned down most of the parties now. As nerdy as it may be, I'd rather hang out in my backyard with my telescope.

  "Aw, don't go see the new romantic comedy without me, you two," Keri whined, pulling me back to the conversation.

  "Hey, how about we see the new scary movie this weekend? I hear there's going to be some hot werewolves in this one." I remembered seeing the trailer for it last night.

  "Deal. I'm up for watching hot guys taking their shirts off for two hours," Crystal said, before taking half her Snickers bar down with one bite.

  I focused my attention on Keri, watching her closely. Holding my breath, I waited for her pent-up emotions to push through. "So, what plans do you have with your dad this weekend?"

  She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He probably wants me to meet his latest girlfriend or something." My tensed shoulders fell. Only a trace of her unsteady feelings made their presence known.

  "He's still out on the prowl? I can't believe someone hasn't snatched him up by now. He is totally yummy for an older guy–kind of like a George Clooney." Crystal closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

  "Crystal! That is way more disturbing than you know. I get it. You think my dad is good looking and all, but ew, gross." Crystal ignored her tirade.