Romancing the Paranormal

by Stephanie Rowe

  Groa lifted the tusk wand and pointed it toward me. “Now I am going to insert just the very tip. Just relax, it won’t hurt.”

  “Hah, I’ve heard that before!” I joked and gave Brad a playful little punch on his muscular arm. Groa lowered the wand and placed it on my chest. She mumbled her magic Norse verses until the tip shimmered and then turned translucent. She was right, I didn’t feel a thing when it dipped inside of me. When she lifted it back up, the beautiful ring that Brad had chosen to propose to me with slid down the tusk.

  “There. It’s done, sorcerer. Now call off your magic bong beasts.”

  “I will, but don’t even think about coming after us. The dragon, Erik, and…DUCK!”

  “We didn’t bring any ducks. Not a one, Marie.” I pointed out.

  Groa agreed with me. “Yes. What duck?”

  “Augh. No. Not the quack, quack—” Marie’s explanation was cut short by a horrendous crash that split the air. And it damn near split my head when a frightening fusillade of splinters, shards, and fragments of the temple wall flew around like a swarm of locusts.

  “Oh! Duck!” I realized what she meant.

  “No! Ship!” Brad yelled.

  “Huh, wha—?” I couldn’t keep up.

  The dragon-head prow of the long-ship busted through the temple and the entire craft shot over our heads. A cloud of debris rained down on us. Unfazed by punching through the first wall, the ship hit the opposite side of the room.

  With an equally violent crash, the ship knocked out the wall and skidded to a stop in the snowy field. “Oh my God!” I ran to the scene of the wreck, certain I’d find the mangled corpses of my friends.

  We were all shocked when Max, Millie, Wills, and Kate stood up. “Wow! Wow, wow, aaaanndd wow. That totally blew my mind, man.” Max looked himself over. “I still have everything attached. You all right, Millie? You guys all right?”

  A round of high fives and cheers among the crazy crew told me that they all survived. Marie was already yelling from behind. “Run! Everyone, grab the ship and push! Groa is coming after us.” We all obliged her command and ran to the ship and shoved it forward. As soon as the hulking parade float started to shift loose, we were helped onboard by the Sasquatch sailors. The final force needed to propel us forward was provided by Olaf. He bolted from the destroyed temple and leapt into the air. His huge body slid across the deck and the reckless ride started once again.

  Randy patted Olaf and said something to the dragon. “Look what Olaf snagged!” Randy proudly raised the long tusk wand. My ring had stayed on it throughout the entire disaster.

  Brad removed the ring from the wand and placed it where it belonged, on my finger.

  When you catch a lucky break, you never know whether it was purely luck, or if in fact it was something that fate threw your way at the last second in order to keep your destiny in line with the great cosmic wheel. None of that mattered to any of us when we all caught a wonderfully lucky break. The portal reappeared on the bottom of the mountain and the ship flew through it.

  We landed with a sliding splash in Bayou Lafourche. “The only thing that could have worked out better is if we would have landed closer to that old dock there.” Wanda remarked.

  “That’s my place! I’ve got this.” I picked up Max’s huge bong and examined it. Amid his continual reminders of its fragility and priceless value, I leaned over the side and splashed it on the surface. “Becky! Here girl!”

  The water swirled. She was close. “Becky, come on, baby.” Her neck arched up and her tongue licked my face. “Phew! Slimy kiss. Give us a push to the dock.” I pointed to the dilapidated pile of boards that hung from the shore. Rebecca effortlessly pushed us alongside the dock and we disembarked. Olaf had no desire to leave. It occurred to me that perhaps he and Rebecca had never met. They rubbed noses and necks. Olaf’s tail twitched in a weird cat-like way.

  “See that, Gertie? A Monster meet-up.” Randy observed.

  “Love at first fright.” Brad joked.

  I laughed, but not so much at the cheesy jokes. No, I was laughing with the joy of seeing those beautiful creatures finding love so unexpectedly.

  “It’s too bad that Viking guy stayed behind. I never got the chance to thank him for trying to help us out.” Brad said thoughtfully. “Although, I don’t think we need another Viking visitor anytime soon.”

  Randy picked up the bong from the deck. “It’s been one hell of an adventure, kids. I think I’ll take this baby inside and fire it up…you know, just to make sure nothing happened to it. Max would be heartbroken.”

  “And I’m going over to the shed to find some rope so we can tie this ship up before it drifts away and causes more problems. You want to go for a walk, Gertie?”

  “No. I’ll wait here for you. I’ll watch our new couple. They are just so sweet on each other.”

  It wasn’t long before Brad came up from behind and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned back against his strong body. “Gertie,” he whispered in my ear and kissed my neck. “I want you.”

  “Here? On the Viking ship?”

  “Yes. I cannot wait.” He pulled me tight against his body and I felt the unmistakable hardness of his erection. I closed my eyes and became lost in his kisses. It was as if every touch was perfect and he knew exactly what turned me on. “Gertie, I want nothing more than to pleasure you in every way.”

  “Whoa! Hold it right there.” I spun around. “You’re the satyr! No wonder you are suddenly talking so weird.” This time Vasili looked exactly like Brad, except there were a few remnants of the Viking’s red hair on his bare chest. And he was stark naked. “You were the huge Viking on our journey?”

  “Yes. Of course. It was all part of Marie’s plan. She had done her research on Groa and found out that Groa had killed her husband, Erik. Bringing a vengeful Erik back from the dead to confront Groa was a pretty good plan. The only problem was resurrecting Erik. That’s where I came in. Marie told Wanda to take me with her through the portal. Once we got there, Wanda had a fantasy of a Viking named Erik and I shifted into that character for her.”

  “I wonder why Marie didn’t tell us.” I was thinking out loud and didn’t actually expect an explanation from Vasili.

  “Wanda and Marie didn’t want anyone else to know that I was the Viking because they were convinced one of you would let the cat out of the bag.”

  “In any case, if you really want to stay on the plantation, there will be some rules. I forbid you from shifting into Brad’s form ever again.”

  He came closer to me. “But I don’t understand. You were the one that called me to come to you. Right here. On this dock. You recited an ancient spell. You even confirmed it by using another spell under Jupiter and the full moon.”

  “No, that was just a poem and any likeness to some spell was a complete coincidence. So I retract my spell. I don’t want any satyr to seduce me. How’s that?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not staying. However, I’m only a spell away. Perhaps I could join you and Brad. Imagine having two Brads at once.”

  “Uh…um, well…it is an intriguing concept, but I have my hands full with him, as you probably know.” My eyes wandered down Brad’s twin body. “I suppose you never know. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind. So, thank you and have a nice day.”

  Vasili shrunk down into his goat form and wandered away.

  “Hey, Gertie. Everything all right?”

  “Couldn’t be better.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Brad whispered and then he kissed me. The way only Brad can kiss me.

  Chapter Twenty One

  In Conclusion

  Magic seems to know exactly what we need, and it somehow comes into our lives by accident. I once asked Marie to explain why our magic finds us and not the other way around. She said it finds us because we will it to happen. Our desires and wishes can be so strong, our own pure willpower can create an opportunity, a chance, or solution to present itself. A grimoire, a potion, a book of spells, or
even a witch’s cat will be there when you need it.

  Reciting part of my poem wasn’t really a spell like the satyr told me. I thought about what I read to Rebecca. It may sound strange, but when I wrote that poem, I unwittingly wrote my own deep desires. And to think I was only writing about a poor chicken who tried to fly. In fact, I was that bird. I had been hoping for a day when Brad and I would be together. Without having that certainty, I have to admit I was still holding back my heart, just a bit, from Brad. Like the bird, I was fluttering. A long distance relationship with no promise that I would be anything more was holding me down to Earth. Well, I suppose that would be gravity doing the holding, but you know what I mean. That poem and my wish upon a planet sent some magic my way in the form of a satyr. Somehow or another, it all worked out and two weeks later, Brad is fully moved in. I finally have that Eventually I needed so badly, and it’s our future wedding date. That I can deal with.

  Randy finally confided in me who his hidden fantasy was. A guy named Gary and he owns a bookstore for rare and antique books in New Orleans. Needless to say, it’s very popular among witches. We are always on the hunt for spell-books. At the time of the satyr’s visit, Randy had not even hinted to Gary that he was interested, hence his desire to keep it a secret. Since then, Gary and Randy have been going out quite often and I’m happy for him. Randy is one of my best friends and also my family, the brother I always wanted.

  Down in the bayou, Olaf has moved into a new nest with Rebecca. From the nightly noises, I’d say that we should be seeing some interesting hatchlings before long. Rebecca has even learned to get up on land, just like a seal.

  Wills and Kate are still here and working hard on their speech lessons. The progress is slow but steady. They’ve been having a lot of fun playing on the Viking ship with Max’s bong. I still haven’t figured out what that thing is for.

  And as for Esmeralda, Randy told me why she seemed to be particularly grouchy after the satyr’s arrival. Apparently the satyr found her to be “unseduceable”. Esmeralda is perhaps too dominant for her own good and all she wanted was to be swept off her feet, but only for one night and on her terms. I came up with an idea to give her the weekend she desired. I called my friend Leigh and asked her to use her literal witchcraft for a favor. She wrote a short, hot romance story about a tycoon named Vasili who completely swept a witch named Esmeralda off her feet over a weekend long fling. She called the story Harpooned by the Tycoon. I bet it’ll be a best seller someday.

  Marie has been busy attempting to uncover all of the magic held in Groa’s narwhal tusk wand. We spent some time discussing Leigh’s wedding plans and the medieval spell-book of legendary creatures. I have a lot of plans for that book.

  And I think I know what Marie meant about the sword of Damocles hanging over me. It’s not about power, responsibility, or accountability. No, I think it means that no matter what you do, there is always a risk—a sword hanging over you. I mean everyone has a sword hanging over them. We can be afraid of it, stay safe and not accomplish anything, or we can get rid of that sword. And the only way to do that is to let that sucker fall. Take a few chances, live courageously, and enjoy life.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Melanie James is the internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen books. She grew up in western Pennsylvania before heading off to Chicago seeking new adventures. She found that life in a big city was fun for a while and even met the love of her life there. Melanie quickly tired of hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle and settled down with her one true love in northeast Wisconsin.

  Melanie has two kids, three step-kids, a beautiful daughter in-law, and the cutest grandbaby. She also has two dogs and two cats that often make appearances in her books.

  She loves to hear from her readers and fans. You can connect with her online:

  http://www.authormelaniejames.com

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  If you enjoyed reading Gertie’s Paranormal Plantation, She’d be eternally grateful if you’d let the world know!

  Review it.

  Tell other readers why you liked the book, or any of her books by leaving a review on your favorite ebook retailer, or your blogs. Reviews are of the utmost importance when it comes to distributors and retailers. They also help new readers make informed decisions when selecting a new book or author.

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  You can help others find this book by recommending it! It’s easy. Just tell them! Seriously! Social media is a great platform to spread the word in reader groups and discussion boards. If you love the books or leave a review, feel free to let her know at authormelaniejames@gmail.com so she can thank you with a personal email. Your support means more than you’ll ever know! Thank you!

  Want to know more about Leigh and her gang of magical misfits? Check out the Literal Leigh Romance Diaries.

  Return to Synopses

  Sonnet Vale

  Paranormal Hunter

  By

  Gena D. Lutz

  Sonnet Vale: Paranormal Hunter

  Copyright © 2015, Gena D. Lutz

  All Rights Reserved

  Published by Gena D. Lutz

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold 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. All characters and events in this story are fictitious. They are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, organizations, or persons is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without expressed written permission from the author.

  Cover Design by: Cora Graphics

  Editing by: Kitten Jackson - Kittie Kat Tales

  Books by Gena D. Lutz

  Prime Wolf Series

  Ember’s Curse

  Roxanne Desired

  Kris Chase Series

  Created Darkly

  Novellas

  Chasing Magic

  Sonnet Vale: Paranormal Hunter

  Contact the author:

  https://www.facebook.com/GenaDeeLutz

  https://twitter.com/GenaDLutz

  authorgenadlutz@weebly.com

  Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/1N1rf

  Chapter One

  Vanier, Alabama

  Parking lot behind the Gas & Go

  ***

  The vampire’s execution had been swift. His head fell to the ground, rolling cheek over forehead, to disappear underneath a nearby car.

  Sonnet Vale stared at the scene unfolding before her, but after only a few seconds, she had to turn her head away. She was unable to watch as her field partner, Emely Jordon, reared back and slashed a stake down into the headless vampire’s heart. That was the part of hunting she hated most, the bloody parts.

  Sonnet was a tracker, able to find any supernatural being from miles away, so she figured it a fair trade. She would find the monsters the team sent her and Emely after, and Emely would kill them. It was an unspoken agreement between the two, a habit that Sonnet gladly fell into.

  A rough shove from behind almost knocked Sonnet off of her feet. Her boots shuffled underneath her until she found her footing long enough to sidestep out of her partner’s reach.

  Emely’s sharp whisper made Sonnet flinch.

  “Pay attention, Vale. You’ll wish you had when it comes time for you to kill your own mark.” She looked Sonnet up and down and shook her head. “You look like a hundred miles of bad road.”

  Sonnet looked at herself and shrugged.

  “I barely had time to catch a few minutes of sleep after sparrin’ with Ryker and
then goin’ straight to weapons trainin’. So I could either sleep or shower before meetin’ you tonight. I didn’t have time for both.”

  “There’s no excuse for poor hygiene, Vale.”

  Sonnet twitched her nose, trying to catch any odors that might be wafting off her body. Other than the fact that she knew she could use a shower, she didn’t think she smelled that bad.

  “At least, I don’t stink.”

  Emely raised a tall brow. It was a dark arch that didn’t match her bleached-blonde short hair.

  “Says you.”

  As quick as a whip, Emely’s attention swung back to the decapitated vampire on the parking lot pavement. His pale body, which was covered in high-quality clothing, was jerking in short bursts, already attempting to regenerate itself.

  “Goddamit, I must’ve missed part of the sucker’s heart.”

  She quickly pulled a gun from a holster that was hidden behind her back, tucked under her royal blue lace tank. With a gleam in her eyes, she took aim. Three shots popped off, the bullets hitting the mangled vampire dead center in the heart. Emely let out a slow whistle before holstering her gun. She turned to Sonnet with a smile.

  “That should do it. Are you comin’ back to the Warehouse? Or will you be goin’ over to your good-for-nothin’ parents’ house for dinner tonight?”

  Emely’s cruel, but not inaccurate, words invaded Sonnet’s ears. She was used to Emely’s judgments against her parents but let each snide remark flake off her shoulders like dandruff. As cold hearted and crass as Emely could be, most of the time, she was also a great listener and a loyal friend. Because of those redeeming qualities, she was the only person Sonnet had ever confided in about her past—the only friend she’d ever let rifle through the skeletons in her closet.