by Amber Lynn
Book three of the Avery Clavens series
Amber Lynn
Copyright ? 2012 Amber Lynn
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.
Author's note
Work is hard, distractions are plentiful, and time is short
So at this point in the story there are two groups of people. The ones who hated the twist in the last book and those who loved it. I've seen notes from both camps letting me know there isn't a lot of in between. In the first book, I wasn't sure if I was creative enough to pull off a paranormal series. I'd read so many over the years that I thought all the ideas were taken.
I've realized as time has gone on that I'm not as limited as I thought. Even when creatures of the night or gods and goddesses have other stories about them, there are always different adventures they can take. That's one of the things I've grown to love about writing; the possibilities are literally endless. If you give two people a subject matter and tell them to write a story, chances are there won't be a thing other than the original subject that is the same about the stories.
For Avery and her friends, the things that go bump in the night are just starting to come out of the woodwork. She's getting some of her memories back, and there are more to come, big ones. The real world takes the backburner in this adventure as Avery finds out how different the world really is.
I hope you enjoy this little tale. The fun is about to begin.
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Amber
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
CHAPTER 1
Save the drama for your mamma
I hummed along to a country song about a guy being a total loser as I assaulted a punching bag. I'd been at it for a while and the end of this song seemed like a good enough place to stop. With one last punch, I ended the abuse and snatched a towel that was hanging nearby. I loved having a gym in my house. Nobody was around to witness my violent streak.
"You sing like an angel," Nate said, letting me know he was in the room. As far as Nate was concerned, I could do no wrong, so even though I sounded like a frog, he thought it was beautiful.
"Yeah, a tone deaf angel," I said, grabbing some water from the mini fridge I'd insisted be installed. "We've been idle for a while now; do you have any word on our next assignment?"
As I started chugging the water he said, "Sure do. We have to go to Vegas to try to work ourselves into an underground fight club, where they do fights to the death. You get to go undercover as a stripper." Too bad he wasn't standing closer, because he would've gotten a shower as I spitted up a mouthful of water.
"You're either joking or looking to be kicked where the sun don't shine. I'll give you five seconds to make a decision on which it will be."
I took menacing steps towards him, not necessarily staring at my intended objective, but looking in the general vicinity. His family jewels tended to get threatened at least once a week it seemed. They were an easy target, and I figured he'd had enough fun with them over the years.
"Avery, it was a joke and you know it. Don't you dare kick me there. I'm sure one of these days you'll actually want to make sure it works." His hands moved to try to protect himself.
"Rumor has it you've already used it enough," I said with an evil glint still in my eye.
Supposedly, we had five kids together. I didn't really remember them, only little bits and pieces I'd seen in visions. I definitely didn't remember any moments of conception. I was slowly getting my memories back, but I made sure to eject from a vision if things started getting freaky between Nate and I.
Apparently that used to happen a lot. Since it hadn't happened in the present time, I preferred not getting to know Nate when I couldn't control the situation. Nate was ever so helpful when it came to suggesting how we could remedy my inexperience, but so far I'd held strong.
"That's kind of what I came down here to talk to you about."
"What, having sex? The answer is still no. I think you can wait a while longer before the relationship moves in that direction. It's only been a month since I accepted your proposal," I said, sticking to my guns. The man may be drop dead gorgeous, but I had to try to have some dignity in the relationship.
"Not sex. Jeez is that all you ever have on your mind? I just got a call from Sophia, our oldest daughter."
Before he could go any further I interrupted. "Do I finally get to meet her? I've seen her a couple times in visions, but she was never an adult."
"Not just yet. She called to say our youngest daughter, who's currently named Elizabeth in case you've forgotten, missed a meeting that they have every year to catch up with each other. She's worried because she hasn't been able to get a hold of her all week."
"I'm guessing from the worry that this isn't something Elizabeth usually does. What did Sophia want us to do?" I asked.
I couldn't wait until the day I had my memory back, then I would know the personalities of my children and not have to rely on what Nate told me. I figured as a woman I would see things just a little bit different than him.
"No, Elizabeth wouldn't have missed their special day. Sophia was hoping we'd go check on Elizabeth in person, since we're a little closer than she is."
"I'm guessing she doesn't just live over in Jersey. How far are we talking and is travelling on two wheels a possibility?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
"Elizabeth has been living in Alaska for the past ten years."
"Did we raise a deranged child? Why in the world would she be living in that cold climate? It's bad enough we live in New York. We're born of fire, we really should be in a warm climate, even if my pasty skin can't handle direct sunlight," I rambled on, thinking just how far away Alaska was from us. I'd made one roundtrip on a plane and I was still not comfortable flying. ?
"You're a phoenix, Avery. You really need to get over this fear. Once I think you're ready to change forms, you're going to be able to fly yourself," he said as he reached out to touch my cheek. "We have to move around every twenty years or so as it is. That is fifty times in one of our lifetimes. It tends to mean we have to relocate to other countries every once in a while."
"Yeah, and I keep being told by you and Rick that I'll love flying. I don't believe I'll have a problem with that in phoenix form, because I'll be under my own power. If the plane starts rapidly losing altitude I can't exactly fix that problem. I haven't stored up enough courage to go get my pilot's license."
Technically, with the telekinesis ability I recently picked up, I might have been able to just stop the plane in midair, but my biggest test subject for movement had been a hundred and eighty pound man. I didn't know if my mind could handle a whole jet.
"Avery, she's our daughter and we need to go find out what happened to her," Nate said
with authority.
"I never said I wouldn't go. In fact, I can't wait to finally meet one of our children, but you're crazy if you expect me not to complain about having to fly. When do you want to leave?"
"I have to make a few calls and make sure Rick can get away, but I'm thinking this evening would be best. Sophia was freaking out and that has me worried. No one has the powers you used to have, but I've always trusted the female intuition around me," he replied as he led me into the living room.
"Is there even a flight available with that little notice? It isn't just a flight to Boston or Chicago," I said as I plopped down on the couch.
"That's one of the calls I was going to make. I was going to see if Frannie would let us use her jet. I'm pretty sure her and Gary are currently in town, so it shouldn't be in use. She didn't mention any unplanned trips to you, did she?" He took out his phone and started scrolling through the numbers.
"No unplanned trips, but they're going to need it in two weeks for their honeymoon. How long do you think we'll be gone? Maybe I can get out of being her maid of honor," I said hopefully.
Frannie was my best friend, and I loved her almost like a sister, but the orange dresses she'd picked out for the wedding party made me look like a dreamsicle. I'd gone as far as to tell her I'd rather show up naked than wear the hideous color.
To that, she laughed and told me she'd trust my opinion more if I wore something other than jeans and geeky t-shirts. I'd been looking for a way out of the wedding ever since, and a new best friend.
"I'm hoping Elizabeth is there waiting for us, so we can make it a short trip. Even if she isn't, I don't think it will take two weeks to track her down. It's really too bad that your amplified telepathic calls don't work both ways. If they did, I could just have you try to contact her now and see if you get a response."
"I think I have to have a connection with the person for that to work and with the current state of my memories, I don't know that it'd work. Where exactly in Alaska does she live?" I asked.
"You'll love this. Her last known location was Eek, Alaska where she was working as a doctor for the small city," he said, chuckling at the city's name.
"Are you serious? That's a horrible name for a town. You mentioned Rick coming with us and I know Vinnie isn't going to let me go without him tagging along. Who's going to take care of Romeo and Juliet?" I asked.
"Yeah, thankfully Vinnie got his new skin done in record time. It's a little creepy how lifelike it is though. Why did he have to make himself look like an actor anyway? I thought the idea of the new skin was to make people not stare at him."
It was a legitimate question, one I didn't have a great answer for. "He told me he picked him out from a top hundred sexist men list. Why he went for clone instead of just taking a few features, I don't know."
"I'm pretty sure I have a good idea, but it will only upset you."
"Half the things you say upset me. If you're worried about me being upset, maybe you should stop talking to me."
"Hey, I'm not the one who has a robot lusting after them. You know he chose that skin because he watches you pant at the screen whenever that actor is on it."
"That's a bunch of crap and you know it. I have you sitting next to me, why in the world would I need to pant over someone I'll never meet?"
"I know. I would say I'm irresistible, but you seem to be resisting just fine. Vinnie does like you more than a robot should a human. It's a little eerie to watch him stare at you."
"He's not that bad, and he only likes me because I treat him like a human instead of a machine. If it bothers you, I'll talk to him about making himself a robot girlfriend. Now, back to the dogs, what are we going to do with them while we're away? I really don't think we should take them to a boarding place. I would love to take them with us, but I'm afraid it will be too cold for them."
"No worries. One of the calls I'm making is to your parents. I'll have them stay over with Romeo and Juliet." He finally got me to stop talking long enough that he could make his calls.
While he was on the phone, I went to my room to pack. Let's see, what to take on a trip to Alaska. I headed for my dresser and grabbed the two pairs of long underwear I owned, plus all of my thickest socks. In the closet, I pulled out five pairs of jeans and most of my tops. Layers were going to be really important for me. I loaded everything in my suitcase, along with a few other necessities.
"That should do it," I said to myself.
"Are you going somewhere?" Vinnie asked from the doorway.
I wasn't expecting him, but I didn't startle from his voice. One would think a machine would make noise as it moved around, but Vinnie kept himself well oiled. He'd scared me enough the first days after he'd moved in that I'd gotten to the point where I expected him to start speaking all the time.
"Yes, we're going on a trip to Alaska just as soon as Nate secures us a plane and everyone is packed," I replied as I did a mental check to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.
"Does the 'we' include me?"
It was still a little odd to hear hope in a voice belonging to a robot. I hadn't looked into the code Vinnie had rewritten in his programming, but the original code didn't take his emotions to the places he was capable of going. It was harsher and didn't allow for subtle desires, which came like second nature to Vinnie.
"Yes, it includes you, so you better go get ready." ?
He left to pack without another word. With his new skin in place, I sometimes wondered why Vinnie stuck around. He was a super smart robot and could probably rule the world if he put his mind to it. I wondered what a certain brunette, chiseled A-list actor would think of his body double running for president. I pondered that until Nate came in to do his own packing.
It never failed with Nate. We'd lived in three separate places together and I always tried to keep our sleeping spaces separate, but eventually I found him sleeping next to me. It took him two days after moving into the mansion to crawl into bed after I'd fallen asleep one night. Before I knew it, his clothes had found places to hide in the room too.
"Everything's all set. Rick is packing, your parents are on their way and the jet is all gassed and ready to go," he said as he started throwing all his warm clothes into his bag.
"Good, Vinnie is getting ready too."
"Just so you aren't surprised, when I talked to Frannie, she decided her and Gary were going to tag along."
"You're kidding, right? Why in the world would Frannie want to go to a little town in Alaska?" That didn't sound like something that would appeal to her. I was sure they didn't have a shopping center there, and I doubted they had one of the coffee shops she couldn't live without.
"She hasn't been there before and evidently that's all that matters to her. I know it seems strange, but if something has happened to Elizabeth, having her and Gary there may be a good thing," he replied.
Gary was an attorney, so I could see how he might be handy, but Frannie didn't have any skills I could think of that would be helpful in the situation. Maybe the fact that she had a wardrobe suited for the Alaskan wilderness made her think it was finally time to use it.
"Okay, if you say so. Let's get this show on the road." I said, hauling my suitcase out of the room. I wasn't sure more company was going to be a smart idea with me on a plane, but I guessed we'd just have to see what happened.
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