nervous. She wiped her hands on her skirt and laughed aloud in fear.
This time the box jumped.
“ Who's in there? ” Her voice came out in a squeak. She backed up to the door of the storage room.
“ Dear lady, please let me out. ”
An accented voice spoke the words. Am I losing my mind?
“ I'm not doing anything until you tell me who you are and what you're doing in a box. ” Ava moved like a cat across the room and picked up a huge knife she kept for work.
“ I am Count Dunning. I will explain everything if you would help me out of this box. ” His voice had a peculiar ring, and her fear only grew.
“ No way. I'm calling the police. ” She turned to find her cell phone on the worktable when he spoke again.
“ No. I mean you no harm. Please let me out and I'll explain everything. ”
Ava took a cautious step toward him. “ I have a knife and I'll use it if I need to. ”
“ Fine. Just let me out. It's stifling in here. I need to breathe the night air. ”
He definitely has an accent.
Ava considered for a moment. “ All right, but if you do anything, I'll cut you. ” She took the knife and made a long slit down the box, pulling it open. It had been taped up well, and it was a struggle. “ Wow. Somebody sealed you in here tight. ”
“ Yes, my friend Maura and her assistants helped. They did a thorough job. ”
After a few minutes, she got down to a shiny, black box. Her heart beat faster. The shape mimicked a coffin, but it couldn't be, could it?
“ Thank you a million times, dear lady. ” The muffled voice was closer now, and her heart thrummed in her chest.
“ I can't lift the box out of the package. You're too heavy, but oh —” she watched the lid of the coffin-like box rise by degrees.
“ I have my own lever inside. I just needed the other box opened. ”
Ava stared in shocked silence at the man who sat in the container. His hair flowed down his back like a river of obsidian on a moonlit night. His skin glowed, it was so fair it looked unreal. Changeable eyes like topazes stared back at her. He curled his lips, smiling in a challenge, and Ava gasped at the sharp incisors at the sides of his mouth.
“ What are you? ” she whispered, backing away, stumbling over a box in her haste.
“ Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. ” He stood, stepping out, and Ava admired his flowing white shirt complete with cravat and ruffled cuffs. Gray breeches and boots finished the look. He might have stepped out of the 1800s.
“ Don't come near me. ” Ava sidled around some more boxes.
“ I won't. I'll stand right here, but I am cold, tired and more than a little hungry and thirsty. ”
Light gleamed off of his sharp teeth.
“ Sounds like your problem, not mine. ” Ava stood at the door, ready to run.
“ Please, I beg of you, have pity on me. ” His voice grew soft and cunning, and Ava's heart smashed against her sternum.
“ What can I do for you? I don't even know you, and you aren't supposed to be inside a shipping box. ”
“ Maura sent me across the ocean — an ocean of time — to you because of your name. ”
“ What the hell are you talking about? And who is Maura? ”
“ She's a good friend — a bartender in the lower reaches. ” He laughed, and the sound was like a shriek from hell. “ Enough about that. Ava Allen? Isn't that your name? ” He smiled and stepped closer. She held up the knife, waving it, even though she was yards from him now.
“ Yes. How do you know my name? ”
“ I'm your lover, Gabriel Dunning. We were together in another life. ”
Chapter Two
“ Stay away from me! ” Ava yelled, turning the doorknob to leave.
“ No, please, listen. ” His voiced harbored a tone of longing, and she stopped in spite of her body
This time the box jumped.
“ Who's in there? ” Her voice came out in a squeak. She backed up to the door of the storage room.
“ Dear lady, please let me out. ”
An accented voice spoke the words. Am I losing my mind?
“ I'm not doing anything until you tell me who you are and what you're doing in a box. ” Ava moved like a cat across the room and picked up a huge knife she kept for work.
“ I am Count Dunning. I will explain everything if you would help me out of this box. ” His voice had a peculiar ring, and her fear only grew.
“ No way. I'm calling the police. ” She turned to find her cell phone on the worktable when he spoke again.
“ No. I mean you no harm. Please let me out and I'll explain everything. ”
Ava took a cautious step toward him. “ I have a knife and I'll use it if I need to. ”
“ Fine. Just let me out. It's stifling in here. I need to breathe the night air. ”
He definitely has an accent.
Ava considered for a moment. “ All right, but if you do anything, I'll cut you. ” She took the knife and made a long slit down the box, pulling it open. It had been taped up well, and it was a struggle. “ Wow. Somebody sealed you in here tight. ”
“ Yes, my friend Maura and her assistants helped. They did a thorough job. ”
After a few minutes, she got down to a shiny, black box. Her heart beat faster. The shape mimicked a coffin, but it couldn't be, could it?
“ Thank you a million times, dear lady. ” The muffled voice was closer now, and her heart thrummed in her chest.
“ I can't lift the box out of the package. You're too heavy, but oh —” she watched the lid of the coffin-like box rise by degrees.
“ I have my own lever inside. I just needed the other box opened. ”
Ava stared in shocked silence at the man who sat in the container. His hair flowed down his back like a river of obsidian on a moonlit night. His skin glowed, it was so fair it looked unreal. Changeable eyes like topazes stared back at her. He curled his lips, smiling in a challenge, and Ava gasped at the sharp incisors at the sides of his mouth.
“ What are you? ” she whispered, backing away, stumbling over a box in her haste.
“ Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. ” He stood, stepping out, and Ava admired his flowing white shirt complete with cravat and ruffled cuffs. Gray breeches and boots finished the look. He might have stepped out of the 1800s.
“ Don't come near me. ” Ava sidled around some more boxes.
“ I won't. I'll stand right here, but I am cold, tired and more than a little hungry and thirsty. ”
Light gleamed off of his sharp teeth.
“ Sounds like your problem, not mine. ” Ava stood at the door, ready to run.
“ Please, I beg of you, have pity on me. ” His voice grew soft and cunning, and Ava's heart smashed against her sternum.
“ What can I do for you? I don't even know you, and you aren't supposed to be inside a shipping box. ”
“ Maura sent me across the ocean — an ocean of time — to you because of your name. ”
“ What the hell are you talking about? And who is Maura? ”
“ She's a good friend — a bartender in the lower reaches. ” He laughed, and the sound was like a shriek from hell. “ Enough about that. Ava Allen? Isn't that your name? ” He smiled and stepped closer. She held up the knife, waving it, even though she was yards from him now.
“ Yes. How do you know my name? ”
“ I'm your lover, Gabriel Dunning. We were together in another life. ”
Chapter Two
“ Stay away from me! ” Ava yelled, turning the doorknob to leave.
“ No, please, listen. ” His voiced harbored a tone of longing, and she stopped in spite of her body
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