A Year of You

A Year of You

By

A. D. Roland

A Year of You

© 2012 A. D. Roland

“Rain” © Breaking Benjamin

The right of A. D. Roland to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Other books by A. D. Roland:

Winterborn

Plagued by vivid, violent hallucinations, a recovering drug addict desperately seeks the truth. Are her waking nightmares a product of her self-medicating, or dire supernatural warnings?
Tamsyn Hallert, an artist, exists in a vicious circle of addiction and recovery, fueled by her husband Sean’s long-time secret affair. The affair ended in his lover's bizarre suicide, but not before she left a surprise on Tam and Sean’s doorstep—Kevin, the son Sean never knew he had. 
Sean moves them to the country, to his familial home near the crumbling Wraithborne Estate, the massive old house with a terrible mythos. The twisted attempt to save their marriage only makes matters worse as Sean’s obsession with his dead lover deepens, and Tam’s grip on reality grows more tenuous. A horrific plot to summon the dark spirits that possess the Estate comes to light, with Tam, Sean, and Kevin in the center of it all. Will Tam be able to save her family, or will the lure of the spirits’ promises be too strong to resist?

Dark Consort

Ruler of a withering kingdom, Ceron has come to terms with the fact that the only way to save his country is to carry on with one of his ancestors' worst traditions--the kidnapping and sacrifice of a mage to revive the dying magic of Aichinn. Through his short reign, he's fought hard to bury his hateful legacy and create a new, peaceful rule. The demons that have plagued his bloodline, however, have other plans. Vile plans. They want blood and war, death and destruction. Even as he fights them, tooth and nail, he realizes he can't fight them forever. 
Kaeda just can't get it right. A healer mage in the lush, bountiful Northlands, no matter of training seems to awaken more than a trickle of her magic. When the mysterious visitor from a southern state offers her an escape from the looming banishment, she takes him up without a second thought. Unfortunately, the stranger isn't who he says he is. 
He's the dreaded King of Nightmare and Shadow, the Lord of the Goblins, the Dark King Ceron. And he wants her. Despite being kidnapped, imprisoned, and deceived, Kaeda discovers she's meant for so much more than what Ceron intends. The very land of Aichinn embraces her, and her natural abilities flood forth. The dying kingdom has a chance to live again. With the awakening of the land's magic, Ceron's demons rise in full force, determined to wield the burgeoning power as their own. 
Kaeda is Ceron's only chance to save Aichinn--if he doesn't destroy her first.

Reader beware!

The following novel contains scenes that could be considered triggers.
A Year of You
is about a woman’s struggle with a past that includes child abuse and rape. There are situations in the book where the heroine is subject to abuse of various natures. It is
not
glorified or portrayed gratuitously in anyway--it is a natural part of the story as an obstacle Mattie must overcome.

Thanks to Stella Price for reminding me how awesome this book was, way back when, and how amazing it
could
be. A huge thank-you to the original readers of
A Year of You--
I really hope you like this updated version.

CHAPTER ONE             

CHAPTER TWO             

CHAPTER THREE             

CHAPTER FOUR             

CHAPTER FIVE             

CHAPTER SIX             

CHAPTER SEVEN             

CHAPTER EIGHT             

CHAPTER NINE             

CHAPTER TEN             

CHAPTER ELEVEN             

CHAPTER TWELVE             

CHAPTER THIRTEEN             

CHAPTER FOURTEEN             

CHAPTER FIFTEEN             

CHAPTER SIXTEEN             

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN             

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN             

CHAPTER NINETEEN             

CHAPTER TWENTY             

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE             

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO             

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE             

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR             

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE             

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX             

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN             

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT             

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE             

CHAPTER THIRTY             

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE             

Chapter One

“This isn’t going to work.”

“Relax, Mattie.” Kirkland ran his hands through his short, perfectly-rumpled hair, utterly at ease. Mattie resisted the urge to smack the asshole up-side his supermodel-pretty head.

“Don’t tell me to relax, K.” She sighed and adjusted her slightly-too-snug skinny jeans one more time. “You’re not the one having to con a family into believing you’re a long-lost daughter.”

K shook her gently by the shoulders. “You
are
a long-lost daughter. Just not the one they’re looking for. The old woman
invited
you, babe.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your babe.”


K’s hand shot up and grabbed her throat. He held her tight, his fingertips digging in. Heart hammering, Mattie froze.

“You are mine, Mattie. You always will be.”
 He leaned close and forced a wet, tongue-heavy kiss against her lips. “You can run across the world, and I will still find you. You can’t hide from me, babe.” With his other hand, he squeezed her left breast painfully hard.

A family with a bunch of little kids walked past. The mother pushed her baby into a man’s arms and held her phone up. “Let her go, asshole, or I’m calling the cops!”

K dropped his hand and Mattie stepped back. The truck behind her left her with nowhere to go. The woman hadn’t moved from the end of the parking space. Her husband was already on the phone with somebody. Judging from his tone, Mattie guessed it was the airport police.

“You’re going to do this, Matilyn. You think I’m hurting you now or that I’ve hurt you before, it ain’t nothing compared to what I’m going to do if you screw this up.” He knocked her head back against the window of the truck. Stars spun in her eyes, and a headache flared up immediately.

“Make it easy for yourself. You go in there, find out what the old woman wants, and get my money. You’ve got enough on her
now
to get it all. I’m sure the newspapers are dying to hear about Ruth Ellen Carruther’s bastard granddaughter. Another chapter to the McKendrick saga.”

The only remaining daughter, Emeline
,
was a ‘victim’ of a leaked sex tape with a controversial hip-hop artist. Elaine, the McKendrick heir Mattie was supposed to be, had disappeared after her fifth birthday under suspicious circumstances. Karen McKendrick, Mattie’s mother, killed herself after a dramatic battle with brain cancer. James McKendrick, Karen’s husband--but not Mattie’s father--was in and out of the financial pages of the newspapers, a constant rotation between doing good and on the verge of getting arrested. A surprise heir would shake things up even more.

The
whoop
of a siren startled K. He let her go as a police officer climbed out of the car Mattie hadn’t even heard them drive up. The family moved on, but didn’t leave completely. Mattie grabbed her cheap duffel bag and backpack from the ground and fled across the four lanes separating the drop-off/pick-up area from the terminals, ignoring the calls of the cop. The regional airport was small, but large enough for two terminals and a separate building for conference rooms and rental car kiosks.

Once inside the airport she dove inside the biggest knot of people she could find. Towering Japanese kids in basketball uniforms stared at her with a mix of confusion, reproach, and anger. She hurried through and ducked into the nearest bathroom.

The last stall in the darkest corner was available. She locked the door and leaned against the cold tile wall.

“Oh, dear God,” she moaned into her cold hands. Tremors racked her body for a moment. “Get a grip, Mat. Just get a grip.”

She pulled the plane ticket out of the envelope and checked the departure time. She had about thirty minutes to check in, make it through security and to the terminal. She’d never make it if she huddled in the bathroom like a scared kid. Then K would really come down on her. She took a deep breath. K’s threats hung around her head like ghosts.

Mattie shoved the paper into her pocket and left the stall. She went to the sink and washed her hands, eyeing herself in the mirror. Her eyeliner and mascara smeared beneath her eyes, lending her the look of a goth raccoon. A wet paper towel fixed most of the damage. She reapplied her eyeliner, then the mascara.

You can do this. Get it done, and then you can disappear.

No. Molly. She couldn’t leave Molly. Cute, crazy, amazing Molly.

A spark of hatred strong enough to make her want to start crying again welled up. Fucking pedophile. K messed with her since Carmen, woman who’d raised her, married his father when she was just a little older than Molly was now. He was almost eighteen. Handsome. Charming. He paid attention to her. Gave her little presents and made her laugh. When his best friend Isabelle tormented her, he was the one to hug her and make her feel better.