Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (192 page)

"Thank you, Cody. For helping her and
believing in her."

Not used to compliments, Cody felt
something uncomfortable crawl across his skin. He turned away
mumbling, "No problem."

He headed back to the sick room to
check on Tessa and Jared.

***

Tessa couldn’t sleep. She kept
thinking about needles and tubing and blood. So much blood. Once,
she’d opened her eyes thinking she’d heard Jared and had sat up,
but there hadn’t appeared to be any change in him. After a moment,
she lay back down. The room was otherwise empty. Her friends and
family stood just around the corner. She could hear their voices, a
distant murmur, but normal sounding.

Everything was fine.

She yawned. Grabbing up the folded
blanket off the end of the bed, she threw it across her legs and
pulled it up to her shoulders. Her clothing pulled every time she
tried to get comfy.

This time when she closed her eyes,
she slept.

Once again she dreamed. She dreamed
of her blanket being pulled back. Of a needle being slipped into
her arm and of a piece of tubing being attached. She stretched out
her arm and the tubing dangled down on the bed. Drip, drip, drip
went the drugs into her veins. Her dreams took her deeper and
deeper.

***

Cody
rounded the open doorway and found Jared sleeping, if that’s what
you called sleeping – more like being comatose – on the one bed on
the right. He walked over to him and stared down at the slack face.
So this was Tessa’s
friend
. His
competition.

He straightened and snorted. This
sack of meat was no competition for him. Disgusted and more than a
little concerned that he’d even had that thought, he turned around
to search for Tessa. Only she wasn’t there.

Hadn’t her mom said she come in to
lie down? Tessa had already proven she didn’t take orders well.
Puzzled, he walked down the center aisle. At the end of the room he
turned around and walked back. As he approached Jared again, he
frowned. One bed had a blanket tossed to the floor. A series of
indents showed on the sheets of the still-made bed.

Just then, Rhia came in.

"Where did you say Tessa was?" Cody
asked her, an inkling of worry attaching itself to his
spine.

"In here." She stopped, put her hands
on her hips, frowned and looked around. "She was right there on
that bed beside you. I saw her just a moment ago. She didn't go
past me. We've been standing here at the doorway the whole
time."

Cody pointed to the blanket on the
floor. "Was this here before?"

She shook her head slowly. "No." She
hurried over. "She was lying here with the blanket pulled up to her
shoulders." She walked to the front of the bed. "Where is
she?"

Bending down, Cody picked up a
plastic tip. Like the kind that protected the end of a needle.
Worry turned to fear. "Look what I found."

Rhia stared at it uncomprehendingly.
Then her eyes widened, fear turning them to dark obsidian. "Please
no."

Cody stared at the piece of plastic,
unable to look away. Just the thought of a needle being used on
Tessa made his heart pound in fear. Who knew what they'd do to
her?

"Dear God, I hope not," he whispered.
He spun around. At the back was a door. They'd checked it earlier.
He thought it was just a supply cupboard. But it was the only other
way for Tessa to have left this room…willingly, or not. He raced
toward it, calling over his shoulder, "Go get the
others."

"Oh, my God!" Rhia raced out to get
help.

***

Tessa opened her eyes. The first
thing she saw was the tube in her arm. She frowned, blinked several
times to clear her vision and then reached for the tubing. Her hand
touched the needle taped to her wrist – her eyes widened in
comprehension. She tried to close her fingers around the needle, to
pull it free. Her fingers didn't want to work.

Drugs dripped steadily into her arm.
Pulling at her, drawing her down, deeper and deeper.

Oh, dear God, no!

She screamed – endlessly –
soundlessly – in her mind.

About the
author:

Dale Mayer is a prolific
multi-published writer. She's best known for her Psychic Visions
series. Besides her romantic suspense/thrillers, Dale also writes
paranormal romance and crossover young adult books in several
different genres. To go with her fiction, she also writes
nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume
writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. All her
books are available in digital and print formats.

Published Young Adult
books include:

Family Blood Ties
Series

Vampire in Denial

Vampire in Distress

Vampire in Design

Vampire in Deceit

Design Trilogy

Dangerous Designs

Deadly Designs

Darkest Designs

In Cassie's Corner

Gem Stone

Published Adult
Books:

Psychic Vision
Series:

Tuesday's Child

Hide'n Go Seek

Maddy's Floor

Garden of Sorrow

Knock, Knock…

Second Chances…at Love
Series

Second Chances

By Death Series

Touched by Death

Haunted by Death

Novellas/Short
Stories

It's a Dog's Life – romantic comedy
novella

Sian's Solution – a Family Blood Ties
short story (Sian and Taz's story)

Riana's Revenge – a fantasy short
story

Connect with Dale Mayer
Online:

Dale's
Website –
www.dalemayer.com

Sign up
for her newsletter -
www.dalemayer.com/blog

Twitter
–
http://twitter.com/#!/DaleMayer

Facebook
–
http://www.facebook.com/DaleMayer.author

Book 11
– W.J. May

Seventh Mark

Hidden
Secrets Saga

Part 1
of

Book
I

By

W. J.
May

Copyright
2013 by W.J. May

All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of
both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this
book.

This is
a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and
incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual person, living or
dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author
acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various
products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used
without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not
authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark
owners.

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2013 by W.J. May

Cover design by W.J. May

No part
of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in articles and reviews.

Website:
http://www.wanitamay.yolasite.com

Cover
design by: Patrick Griffith

Edits by: Regina Mitchell at
B&R
Publishing

The Hidden Secrets Saga

Book I –
Seventh Mark

Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_vVYC1gvo

Book II –
Pride and Passion
Coming 2014

Acknowledgments

To my
husband and kids – Love you and all our crazy ways. I wouldn’t
change it for anything!

Proper
thanks—with jumping up and down cheering, waving hands and shouting
at the top of my lungs needs to be sent out to:

Dawn
Dowdle, my amazing agent who is the agent above all agents. So
proud to be part of her team!

Patrick
Griffith, who blows my mind with his talent on creating covers.
Double thank you!

Chrissy
Peebles, for being such a great writing buddy and always available
and willing to help. Thank for you for pushing met to get this
story out, I’d have never done it without you.

Regina
Mitchell, a lovely editor who I have no idea how she finds the time
to edit so fast.

And
above all else, to my Lord and Saviour who gave me this wild
imagination.

Chapter 1

Ear buds stuffed in, I cranked the volume
on my iPod and clicked my exercise shuffle. I jogged down the
gravel driveway and turned to follow the last bit of sunset.
If only I could
draw or paint…

Crossing an intersection, I headed left
and let my legs carry me away from the small houses, run-down
yards, cracked door screens and broken-down cars into a block of
bigger houses. The lawns rolled further away from the sidewalk and
the houses grew farther apart.
Maybe one day I’ll buy a place like
this.
I
snorted at the thought.

Even though I’d never admit it to anyone,
a part of me is cursed. Like poison running through my veins, I’ve
always believed it would catch up with me.
I didn’t know the whys or hows, but
deep down it seemed inevitable.

Except
now fate intervened, and for once in my life, thank goodness. If it
hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here, in this awesome place on the other side
of the country. The whole curse thing was probably just in my
head.

I gazed straight in front, between the old
giant trees lining the roads. The jagged pink and white peaks
reflected snow from the remains of the setting sun made me
appreciate the beauty of nature.
West coast, oh yeah!
I smiled, unable to keep the
giddiness inside. I’d lived all my life in Niagara Falls, but
this—words couldn’t begin to describe this
beauty.

Inhaling
real fresh pine scent, not the kind from cleaning agents from the
past two days, I savoured the moment. If Family and Children
Services hadn’t approved Jim and Sally’s request, I wouldn’t be
seeing real mountains for the first time. As quick as the bubble
came up, it burst.

Next
January I’d be eighteen and no longer at the benefit of the
government. Jim and Sally were decent foster parents, but they also
made it clear they couldn’t afford to help me with college. I
quickened my pace. I didn’t want to think about where I might be in
a year.

You’ll be on your own…no family. Nothing.
Unwanted again.
The imaginary little devil on my left shoulder laughed at
me.

Music
shouted in my ear, “You’re supposed to be alone. Alone…lone…lone…”
I glanced at my left shoulder and pretended to flick the imaginary
devil off, nearly crashing into the old high-stoned wall lining the
neighborhood. Regaining my balance and focus, I pulled the iPod out
of my pocket and skipped to the next song.

Street lights flickered on. My eyes had
grown accustomed to the darkness without even letting my brain
know
.
I should turn
around before it’s completely black.
Didn’t want to be out on my own when I
barely knew the area.

A gap
ahead in the high wall caught my attention. Curiosity won. Instead
of heading back, I pushed forward. A public park entrance came into
view. Heavy black iron gates led me onto a smooth paved entrance. A
large raised garden split the road in two.