Forever and Beyond
Read Forever and Beyond Online
Authors: Jayde Scott
Ancient Legends
Book Five
JAYDE SCOTT
Kindle edition
ISBN: 9781476469379
©Copyright 2012
The right of
Jayde
Scott to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the author, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
A Job From Hell
Beelzebub Girl
Voodoo Kiss
Dead And Beyond
Forever And Beyond
Shadow Blood
Other titles by
Jayde
Scott
The Divorce Club
Black Wood (A Witch Rising Trilogy)
Born to Spy
First and foremost my gratitude goes out to my spouse for the immense support, endless love and for being my soul mate even during a writer’s dark and not so proud moments. I appreciate each and every second we get to spend together and hope our love will last for eternity.
Thank you to my kitties, who gift me with tons of laughter each and every day.
A huge thank you to my editor, Shannon, for all her input and long hours. Thank you also to my critique partners and fellow authors, and in particular Christine Peebles.
And, last but not least, a huge thanks to all my wonderful readers. This book wouldn’t exist without your encouragement and Facebook messages.
As courage imperils life, fear protects it — Leonardo Da Vinci
The Swiss Alps - 5 a.m.
In the snowy mountains of Switzerland there is a tiny village called
Winterheim
. Not many tourists find their way here because thick blankets of snow and blizzard-like winds make an ascent almost impossible, which suits the villagers just fine. They are private people, even hostile to visitors, if you will—protective of a secret
Winterheim
has been hiding for years: a tiny bakery named Magic Cupcakes.
Legend says the bakery is the home of the most powerful Seer that shall ever be born, the one that will decide over the fate of the world. The coming bloodshed will claim many lives. It will be a war of destruction and reorder, of domination and submission, and hunting humans will become a sport if the wrong court wins. And so the Seer must be protected at all costs. But how do you protect someone who was never meant to be born?
***
Even though dawn had yet to shoo away the impenetrable darkness of the mountains, inside Magic Cupcakes, eighteen-year-old Patricia had been awake for at least an hour, doing what she always did day in, day out: bake another tray of delicious hot buns, muffins, and cookies. She pushed a stray strand of her red, curly hair out of her tired eyes and sprinkled powder sugar on top of the strawberry tarts that always sold out within a few minutes after opening shop for the day, then hurried to get the cinnamon bread out of the oven before it turned dry.
Something prickled the nape of her neck. Irritated, she stepped aside, thinking it was her cat, Prince Rasputin. He was always up to no good when it came to snatching a bit of food, but Patricia had no time for the Hell demon’s shenanigans. The tingling sensation returned, followed by something hot pressing against her skin and sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. Now,
that
she couldn’t attribute to a mischievous cat. She smiled and turned to meet Kieran’s experienced lips. He wrapped his arms around her chubby waist and pulled her into his strong arms, their mouths connecting in a long and deep kiss. Eventually, she pulled away, breathless, and trailed her fingers through his shaggy, dark hair as she heaved a long sigh.
“You
gotta
go already?”
He nodded, gravely. The golden glow of the flames burning inside the stoves caught in his impossibly blue gaze. “I do, pumpkin. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“When are you going to tell them?” She snuggled against his broad chest, her soft body melting into his, and inhaled deeply, as though to etch his scent forever in her mind.
“As soon as everything’s sorted out in
Morganefaire
,” Kieran said. “Until then you stay here, safe.”
“Be careful,” she said, marveling at how strong he seemed and how much she loved being near him.
“I will.” As he turned away from her, ready to leave her world, a sense of urgency grabbed hold of her heart. As a Seer, she could foretell the future, just not her own and that of her soul mate. That bothered her more than the curse dangling like a Damocles sword over her head.
***
City of
Morganefaire
- 3 a.m.
The church bell rang three times, signaling a full hour. Maya Mallory drew a long breath as she hurried her pace past the closed windowpanes to the high gates stretching against the canvass of the night. The travellers would be arriving soon and she wanted to be ready to greet them, show them to their quarters, and fetch them whatever they needed. Where she came from, being late wasn’t an option.
The cold night air whipped her dark, straight hair against her skin; her charcoal gray dress clung to her thin body as she pushed her way forward against the biting wind. Eventually, she reached the south gate—an imposing structure made of stone and enforced by magic—and peered through the tiny opening into the darkness extending beyond the city. The unpaved street with tall trees to both sides seemed deserted, the dust settled. Then again, the group of vampires surely wouldn’t arrive by foot. According to various ancient legends, they could shift from one location to another in the blink of an eye. At twenty-two summers old, Maya was too young to have seen it with her own eyes or even meet a vampire in person, but she believed the stories. In fact, she had been looking forward to this moment ever since she entered the Academy of Witchcraft. The fact that her hard work had paid off and she was entrusted with the honor to finally meet a creature of the night filled her with both anticipation and terror. Were they as beautiful yet terrible as legend said? She sure hoped so.
With a soft groan, she grabbed hold of the heavy iron bolt latch and opened the gate half a foot to peer into the night. The flickering torch barely reached the impenetrable darkness stretching over the nearby bushes and past the tall trees and high mountains surrounding
Morganefaire
. Maya swallowed hard to stifle the sudden sense of uneasiness settling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t like a witch to fear the darkness, and yet she couldn’t help herself. Her hand wandered to the dagger bound to her waist, her strong fingers clasping the hard leather tight as she peered up to the moon hidden behind thick clouds. Only a few hours until dawn. They had to be here any minute because everyone knew vampires couldn’t travel in broad daylight…unless the rumors were true and the clan leader, Aidan McAllister, the first vampire ever to walk the surface of the earth with no fear of the sun and no need for blood would be honoring them with his visit.
A chilly wind ruffled the nearby bushes, jerking Maya out of her thoughts. She rubbed her palms together to keep her fingers warm, and focused on her surroundings again. Nothing stirred. No sign of any approaching visitor. Aidan was known for his punctuality. Her nerves unsettled her. She took a hesitant step forward and scanned the area for the umpteenth time.
Still nothing stirred.
She heaved a big sigh and stepped back when movement to her right caught her attention. Startled, she unconsciously pressed a hand against her racing heart and called out as her gaze tried to see beyond the dark veil of the night. “Hello?” She listened for any sign of life. The night remained as silent as a tomb.
Eerily silent.
It wasn’t natural. Usually, you could at least hear the buzzing sound of fireflies or the wind’s howling through the trees.
Maya held her breath until her lungs hurt from the lack of oxygen. A minute passed. Then another. When nothing happened, Maya breathed out, realizing her jumpiness was unfounded. She knew there was nothing to worry about.
Morganefaire
was safer than any other place in the world…or as safe as it could be for a witch.
A sudden movement in the bushes startled Maya. She turned her head sharply as something hard swung at her, hitting her hard in the back, knocking the oxygen out of her lungs. Gasping for air, she tumbled forward as she turned to look at her attacker. In the few seconds she had left, she realized it was a tall figure with a long cape and a black hood covering most of his face. Someone shorter and of a more delicate frame—probably female—stood a step behind him, next to a third hooded person.