Midnight Surrender: A Paranormal Romance Anthology by Alyssa Rose Ivy, Airicka Phoenix, Shannon Dermott, Charlotte Abel, Kelly D. Cooper, Laura A. H. Elliott, Amy M. Jones, Kris Kendall Page B
Authors: Alyssa Rose Ivy, Airicka Phoenix, Shannon Dermott, Charlotte Abel, Kelly D. Cooper, Laura A. H. Elliott, Amy M. Jones, Kris Kendall
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, vampire, teen, love, witch, demon, angel, psychic, Soul, succubus, mage, teenage
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beating.
Bile roiled in the pit of my stomach. Cold sweat gelled on my spine, pooled beneath my arms and slicked the plastic clutched desperately to my ear—dialing… dialing… dialing. My grasp trembled.
Please God… please…
“ This damn well better be good!” A female voice lanced through the rope tethering my tongue to the roof of my mouth.
Even though I’d memorized everything on the card, I glanced at it. I wet my dry, stiff lips. “I’m Tessa Haines. I’m looking for Kieran. Is he—?”
There was a grunt, the rustle of fabric, the squeak of a bed frame, and I winced. My eyes darted to the clock above the stove — 11 a.m. — an acceptable time to call a person on a weekday… wasn’t it?
“ I didn’t sign up for this shit…,” the woman griped, sounding unusually distant from the receiver as if she were carrying it away from her. “Kieran… Kieran! Some girl’s on the phone!”
The phone struck something. It sounded muffled. There was more rustling, more squeaking, an exchange of words too far away to be heard and then… the voice.
It was male, thick with sleep and power. It sliced through the line separating us with a husky moan that rocked me to the core. I momentarily forgot where I was or why I was even holding the phone. That single guttural sound caressed the walls of my skull, rich and smooth like melted chocolate, and I wanted to drown in it. I wanted to bathe in it, sleep and die in it. I wanted to close my eyes and beg him to do it again.
“ Hello?” So beautiful. So… hot! God how could a single voice be so dangerous?
Words I’d learned from infancy melted away and poured from my ears. I couldn’t even remember my own name.
“ Hello?” Bed springs jingled. Sheets whispered, and I had an unexpected image of pale skin, cut and carved from ivory into defined lines of muscle, broad shoulders, tapered waist, gorgeous abs and bulging biceps draped lazily by yards of silk. “If you’re wondering, the answer is yes!” his voice dropped to a torturous purr. “I am naked.”
The phone struck the linoleum with a deafening clutter and spiraled under the table.
I was swearing and diving in after it before it even had a chance to stop spinning. I prayed it hadn’t hung up. I prayed it had.
“ Hello?” My voice hitched, torn from my lungs, breathy and anxious.
“ There you are.” The words were low… dreamy, edged with amusement.
The floor was a melted pool of lava and I was sinking fast. “I—I’m sorry. I…”
His chuckle reverberated through my soul. “No worries. I get that reaction a lot. What’s your name?”
This is a bad idea! The voice in my head cautioned. A better solution would have been to hang up, burn the card and scatter the ashes.
“ Tessa,” I heard myself whisper, hypnotized — could a person even be hypnotized over the phone? I shook myself free of the spell he’d woven around me like a shroud. “Tessa Haines. I—I got your number from my neighbor, Tammy Lachey. She said you could help me.”
There were several minutes of agonizing silence so sharp I felt it poking holes in my resolve. I wondered if he’d forgotten; if I’d made a mistake. If this had all been a waste of time.
“ There’s a coffee shop between Alice and Dunbar. Do you know it?”
“ No,” I whispered, my heart cracking loudly in my chest. “But I’ll find it.”
“ Meet me there tonight at nine,” he paused, then finished with, “Be sure this is what you want, Tessa. Be very sure.” With his warning hot in my ear, the line went dead.
I set the phone down on the counter with an unsteady hand and wondered what I’d gotten myself into, wondered if it was too late to take it back.
No. I couldn’t take it back. I couldn’t. I had to do this. Whatever he asked, whatever he wanted, I would pay it because I had no other choice. I was weak and desperate and willing to do anything—everything to save the only person who had ever meant anything to me.
My
Bile roiled in the pit of my stomach. Cold sweat gelled on my spine, pooled beneath my arms and slicked the plastic clutched desperately to my ear—dialing… dialing… dialing. My grasp trembled.
Please God… please…
“ This damn well better be good!” A female voice lanced through the rope tethering my tongue to the roof of my mouth.
Even though I’d memorized everything on the card, I glanced at it. I wet my dry, stiff lips. “I’m Tessa Haines. I’m looking for Kieran. Is he—?”
There was a grunt, the rustle of fabric, the squeak of a bed frame, and I winced. My eyes darted to the clock above the stove — 11 a.m. — an acceptable time to call a person on a weekday… wasn’t it?
“ I didn’t sign up for this shit…,” the woman griped, sounding unusually distant from the receiver as if she were carrying it away from her. “Kieran… Kieran! Some girl’s on the phone!”
The phone struck something. It sounded muffled. There was more rustling, more squeaking, an exchange of words too far away to be heard and then… the voice.
It was male, thick with sleep and power. It sliced through the line separating us with a husky moan that rocked me to the core. I momentarily forgot where I was or why I was even holding the phone. That single guttural sound caressed the walls of my skull, rich and smooth like melted chocolate, and I wanted to drown in it. I wanted to bathe in it, sleep and die in it. I wanted to close my eyes and beg him to do it again.
“ Hello?” So beautiful. So… hot! God how could a single voice be so dangerous?
Words I’d learned from infancy melted away and poured from my ears. I couldn’t even remember my own name.
“ Hello?” Bed springs jingled. Sheets whispered, and I had an unexpected image of pale skin, cut and carved from ivory into defined lines of muscle, broad shoulders, tapered waist, gorgeous abs and bulging biceps draped lazily by yards of silk. “If you’re wondering, the answer is yes!” his voice dropped to a torturous purr. “I am naked.”
The phone struck the linoleum with a deafening clutter and spiraled under the table.
I was swearing and diving in after it before it even had a chance to stop spinning. I prayed it hadn’t hung up. I prayed it had.
“ Hello?” My voice hitched, torn from my lungs, breathy and anxious.
“ There you are.” The words were low… dreamy, edged with amusement.
The floor was a melted pool of lava and I was sinking fast. “I—I’m sorry. I…”
His chuckle reverberated through my soul. “No worries. I get that reaction a lot. What’s your name?”
This is a bad idea! The voice in my head cautioned. A better solution would have been to hang up, burn the card and scatter the ashes.
“ Tessa,” I heard myself whisper, hypnotized — could a person even be hypnotized over the phone? I shook myself free of the spell he’d woven around me like a shroud. “Tessa Haines. I—I got your number from my neighbor, Tammy Lachey. She said you could help me.”
There were several minutes of agonizing silence so sharp I felt it poking holes in my resolve. I wondered if he’d forgotten; if I’d made a mistake. If this had all been a waste of time.
“ There’s a coffee shop between Alice and Dunbar. Do you know it?”
“ No,” I whispered, my heart cracking loudly in my chest. “But I’ll find it.”
“ Meet me there tonight at nine,” he paused, then finished with, “Be sure this is what you want, Tessa. Be very sure.” With his warning hot in my ear, the line went dead.
I set the phone down on the counter with an unsteady hand and wondered what I’d gotten myself into, wondered if it was too late to take it back.
No. I couldn’t take it back. I couldn’t. I had to do this. Whatever he asked, whatever he wanted, I would pay it because I had no other choice. I was weak and desperate and willing to do anything—everything to save the only person who had ever meant anything to me.
My
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