Resurrection
Resurrection
Vesturon Series
A.M. Hargrove
Resurrection Book 2 of The Guardians of Vesturon Series
Published by A.M. Hargrove at Smashwords
Copyright © 2012 A.M. Hargrove
All Rights Reserved
No part of the book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system without the prior written permission of the Author. You must not circulate this book in any format. Thank you for respecting the rights of the Author.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the Author’s overactive imagination. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Reviews
“
I loved the first book (
Survival
) in this series and the second one definitely did not disappoint. Maddie and Rayn have to get through a lot in this book, and they make many new discoveries, but with each hardship their characters develop. Their growth is what makes this book so great! Overall it’s an awesome read and I can’t wait for more books in this series!”
—Tess M. Watson
My Pathway to Books
www.tessmw.blogspot.com
“
A.M. Hargrove has written another gem. A superb read, fast-paced, with sub-plots that combine well and a flowing story line.
If you are looking for a solid adventure and lots of action, look no further.
I am anxiously hoping for a third book in this series and would like to read more about the stories behind Ryan’s family.”
—Laura Thomas
Laura’s Ramblins and Reviews
www.fuonlyknew.wordpress.com
“
A. M. Hargrove is a very special author who is able to meld the crossing of genres (contemporary, paranormal, science fiction, and more) and make the consequent product not only work, but endear itself to the hearts of readers. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think this is your usual genre of choice (there’s such a blend of genres here almost any reader is going to love it). Unless you don’t enjoy fast-paced, priceless reads, you’re going to want this as a keeper. Now go and get
Resurrection
(and
Survival
) and don’t delay.”
—Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes
Mallory Heart Reviews
www.archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritings.blogspot.com
“
I full out loved this book... It was impossible for me to stop reading because the story was just too enthralling. I can’t wait to sink my literary teeth into more of the world that Hargrove has created for us with these books. I absolutely recommend that you get out there and find yourselves some copies of these books. You will fall in love when you read
Survival
and then
Resurrection
will rock your world!”
—Meghan Gale
Owl Read It
www.owl-read-it.blogspot.com
“
Resurrection
, Book 2 of The Guardians of Vesturon is definitely a must-read if you have read the first book,
Survival
. Book 1 left a cliffhanger which made me crave for more! This is a series I want to continue. Cheers for A.M. Hargrove and the The Guardians of Vesturon series. Can I have more please?”
—Michelle Chew
Michelle Chew Writes
www.michellechewwrites.blogspot.com
Find more reviews on
www.goodreads.com/amhargrove1
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family for supporting me throughout this venture. I couldn’t have done it without them, especially my husband. I’d also like to thank my friends and the other readers that read
Survival
and were patient for
Resurrection
to come out. Without those kinds of fans and their encouragement,
Resurrection
would never have made it from my head to my Mac.
I owe a gigantic special thank you to Brian Rathbone, author of the amazing Godslands Series, who literally held my hand and taught me everything about the Twitter world, the self-publishing world, and everything else I needed to know about the the cyber world! I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my beta readers Terri Thomas, Tana Troniak and Alexia Smit for giving me their honest opinions and suggestions. Thanks ladies for keeping me in line. And thank you Jenn Nunez, who not only is my editor, but who fell in love with The Guardians before she took on that overwhelming task. And yes, there is a last but not least here: I couldn’t have done any of this without the BGC girls at Goodreads. Here’s to you ladies—Tana, Terri, Ruth, Janelle, Nicole, Alana, Karla, Midu, Diana, Juls, Heather, Jennifer, Maghon, Gin, Karen and Nikki!
For more information on
The Guardians of Vesturon
, please stalk me at
www.facebook.com/guardiansofvesturon
For Tac (since you felt left out of
Survival
and yes, in my next book, I will name a villain after you), for McIntyre (because I modeled Maddie’s singing ability after yours), and for Henry (just because).
Contents
Excerpts from
by Janelle Stalder
and
by John Corwin
~ Maddie’s Rescue ~
Maddie distinctly heard her father telling her, “Maddie, you must decide what you want to do. You may come with us, or you may return to your other place. You can’t delay any longer. If you don’t decide soon, the decision will be made for you, and there will be no turning back. But, if you want my opinion, I think it would be a wiser choice if you went back. Rayn is waiting for you, as well as his family. You also have your destiny to claim. There are great things awaiting you.”
“But, Dad, I want to do both…stay here with you and Mom, and go back to Rayn.”
“I know you do, but you must choose one or the other. You can’t have both. Besides, there is much for you to do in your world. There will be time for us later.”
Maddie sensed she was floating somewhere between her world and the world of the afterlife…pre-heaven, if you will. She had to decide quickly, before the choice would be made for her.
In that split second, she knew what she must do. Rayn was waiting for her, and she couldn’t imagine any kind of life without him. She must return…
* * * * *
Maddie knew she was dying. Her life started to flash before her. She had visions of running down the soccer field, scoring a goal, eating her mother’s yummy, homemade, sticky cinnamon rolls, standing in her foyer listening to the police tell her father that her mother had been killed in a car accident. Each vision was disturbingly clear, as if it was happening again.
She saw with clarity her father in the hospital shortly after he had died. She desperately wanted to reach out and touch him. It brought back the memory of the pain of losing him. Her tears were freely flowing, and she didn’t try to stop them.
Next, came her visions of Cat and her other roommates at Western Carolina University, and finally, Rayn—tall, dark, and beautiful Rayn, her kind and loving soulmate.
Her thoughts of Rayn were all consuming. He was the one she opened her eyes to when she regained consciousness in the caves of the Nunne’hi, the Spirit People who brought her back to life after her first encounter with the psychopath. Rayn was the one whose beautiful eyes helped to comfort her. It was Rayn who brought meaning back into her life.
She saw him laughing while running with her and splashing in the ice-cold stream afterwards. Then, she felt his arms cradling her while he carried her to the healer on Vesturon after her injury. She saw them both at their favorite spot on the mountain, sitting by the campfire. Finally she felt his warm lips capture hers.
Next, her thoughts took her to the Compound of the Guardians in the mountains of North Carolina. It is there that she met and fell in love with Rayn’s siblings. Therron was tall, more so than even Rayn, and he had a head full of shaggy brown hair. He was handsome, but in a carefree, tousled way.
Rykerian, another brother, was the most handsome thing Maddie had ever seen. His hair was stunning; it had every color in it known to man. Copper, bronze, blond, sienna and chestnut—it shimmered and glistened and was utterly mesmerizing. Rykerian was amazingly beautiful.
Then, there was Tesslar. He wasn’t quite as tall as the others and was of a slighter build, but he, too, was handsome nonetheless. His eyes were vividly blue, like Rykerian’s, his hair was dark, and he had an easygoing nature that was captivating.
The youngest of the brothers was Xarrid. He didn’t care much for Maddie because he blamed her for Rayn’s imprisonment. He thought Rayn had used poor judgment and put the family at risk.
Lastly, the only female of the siblings was Sharra. She and Maddie had become best friends. They shared everything and were nearly inseparable. Sharra was the most beautiful girl Maddie had ever seen. She was tall and lean with long, silken, black hair and eyes so blue that they looked like the sky on a crisp autumn day. As an only child, Maddie was in heaven with her newfound family.
Her thoughts took her back to Rayn, her lifesaver. He came for her after her first injury. He risked everything in his world to see her whole again. Her mind drifted back to when she fell off the mountain trail, crushed her spine, and severed her spinal cord. Rayn rescued her then and later took her to Vesturon, his home planet, to be healed. She chuckled when she thought of how he told her he was an alien and how she thought he was trying to pull a fast one on her. But he hadn’t been kidding. He was from a different planet, and she had a healed spine to prove it.
They were meant to be together; they both knew it. She had suffered great guilt for what he had done for her. He was now trapped in a prison on Vesturon awaiting trial. He had done the unthinkable. He had broken one of their most sacred covenants by taking a human to Vesturon. It was strictly forbidden, but he did it anyway—for her! He loved her deeply and couldn’t bear to see her suffer through life as a paraplegic. He knew the consequences of his actions, and the worst part of it all was that he was to inherit his father’s kingdom as the Great Leader of Vesturon. Now, they were both hoping they wouldn’t make him spend the rest of his life imprisoned.
How had this happened to her? She was now at the mercy of Darryl Carter, a psychopath that wanted her dead. This was the second time he had abducted her. The first time culminated in her severed spinal cord, not to mention the other injuries she sustained when he shot her with his crossbow. Here she was again, literally nailed to the ground beneath her and the tree behind her. He had somehow captured her again and used his nasty weapon on her. The arrows went through her thigh and chest. He had beaten her mercilessly. She knew she had internal injuries from the pain she was experiencing. Her only hope now was that Rayn had heard her thoughts as she called out to him. Maddie knew it was her last straw.
The fact that her soul had returned here, to her body, lifted her spirits. She must fight and cling to life. She was tough; her past showed her that. She could do this!
Suddenly, she became cognizant that Rayn was around her. She felt his presence and started hearing his voice in her head. She heard him screaming for his brothers! She knew help was on the way. She could hear his thoughts!
She had her confirmation moments later. In the distance, she saw the balls of light flying toward her. Seconds later, two of Rayn’s brothers, Rykerian and Therron materialized in front of her. She would survive snd she would live to see Rayn again!