Forsaken: A Fallen Siren Novella (18 page)
Read Forsaken: A Fallen Siren Novella Online
Authors: S.J. Harper
“You don’t even know him. You don’t even know me. I take it back. You’re not nice after all.” She turned around.
I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “So have dinner with me. Convince me that the two of you are perfect for one another and I’ll apologize.”
She turned her head slightly. “No.”
“Please? Look, I’d rather not beg, but I’m not above it. Agree or I’m going to have to fall onto my knees in supplication. It’s likely to be embarrassing for you and a bit humiliating for me but what the hell? You’re worth it.” I hitched up one leg of my trousers, preparing to kneel down.
“You don’t have to do that.” She reached for my elbow, preventing me from fully kneeling in front of her.
“Fantastic! So, how does Italian sound?”
“I’m not having dinner with you.”
“You agreed,” I pointed out. Looking around, I asked our fellow passengers, “Didn’t she consent?”
Four or five of them nodded.
“See?”
“Do you always get your way?”
I shrugged. “Pretty much.”
“Well, not tonight,” she declared as we pulled into her stop. “Mr.—”
“The name’s Wes.”
She moved to walk away. I reached out, just barely grazing the back of her hand with my fingertips. “And you are?”
“Katherine.” She turned to go, not looking back. Not until she got off, that is. Just as we pulled out she spun around. For the briefest of moments our eyes locked, then she was gone.
“Christ, you know how to pick them,” Eric said. “First Reese, now you’re dating a woman that’s engaged to someone else?”
“Katherine wouldn’t say we’re dating.”
“You were out together.”
“We had dinner and went to the theater.”
“And you were heading back to your place?”
“You make it sound sordid. It wasn’t like that. It isn’t like that. It’s complicated.”
“I can imagine having a girlfriend with a fiancé can get pretty complicated.”
I ignored his jibe and pressed on. “After that first day we kept bumping into one another on the Tube. She’d board at the same stop, like clockwork. We’d chitchat, that’s all.”
“Until?”
“The fourth day. It was raining outside and Katherine had forgotten her umbrella. She was drenched when she boarded. I tried to get her to take my mine so she wouldn’t catch her death, but the silly bint wouldn’t listen. I almost let her get away with it too. But just before the door closed, I ran out.”
“You walked her home.”
“We stopped for a cuppa just down the street from the flat where she’s staying. We were in the café for hours. Just as we were about leave, I got an emergency call, an admission. I left her with my brolly.”
“In exchange for her number?”
I shook my head. “No. Didn’t even ask as a matter of fact.”
“Wesley, wait!”
It was pouring rain. I’d walked only a few meters and already I was soaked. I turned back. Katherine was standing under the awning of the shop, umbrella open. She was holding it out to me.
“You forgot your umbrella!”
“You can give it back to me tomorrow.”
“What if I don’t see you tomorrow?”
The thought hadn’t occurred to me. I returned to the shelter of the awning, pulled out a business card and handed it to her.
“Call me,” I said, then I dashed off.
“And she called you?” asked Eric.
“Later that night, to thank me. Seemed like we talked forever, about everything and nothing. We really connected. You know?”
“Wes, you’re a shrink. You’re a professional listener. You connect with everyone.”
“Not like this. As we were about to hang up I noticed a pair of theater tickets sitting on my desk. I’ve yet to cancel my father’s box. I keep meaning to, just haven’t gotten ’round to it.”
“So you asked and she accepted.”
“Yeah. I’m telling you, Eric, the second I laid eyes on her I—”
“Does he know?”
“Does who know what?”
“Her fiancé. Has anyone called him about the accident?”
“Bollocks!”
“I take that as a no?”
“I called her mum. Maybe she called Damien?”
“That’s the fiancé?”
“Yeah.” I checked my watch. “It’s been a while since we spoke. Surely she’s called him by now.”
“One way to find out,” Eric replied. “Can I get you anything? I’m going to grab some coffee.”
“No thanks.” I pulled out Katherine’s mobile and rang Julia. There was no answer. Not at home and not on her mobile. So, I tried Damien.
He picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Damien?”
“Who’s calling?”
“This is Dr. Wesley Atherton. I’m calling from Saint Catherine’s Hospital, in London. I need to speak with Damien, it’s about his fiancée.”
“This is Damien. What’s wrong with Katherine? Is she sick?” He sounded appropriately concerned. He was probably a nice guy. I didn’t want him to be a nice guy.
“Who’s Katherine?” It was a woman’s voice.
“Shh,” Damien hissed. Muffled words were exchanged.
“Are you still there?” A bell was ringing in the background.
“Yes. Yes, I’m here.”
“Do you need to get that?”
“No. Go on.”
“There was a derailment late last night, near Camden Town. Katherine was on it and she sustained a head injury.”
“But she’s okay?”
The voices in the background were getting louder.
“She needed surgery. She’s stable now but—”
“Julia!”
“How dare you!” a woman shouted.
I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Don’t insult me, Damien. It’s exactly what it looks like! Christ, the girl answered the door wearing a sheet. Do you think I’m an idiot? Kate’s in the hospital and you’re—”
“We aren’t having this discussion now. Kate’s condition, it’s serious, Julia,” he said. “I have her doctor on the phone.”
“Give me that! Hello? This is Julia Lawson, Katherine’s mother.”
“Julia, it’s Wes. I tried calling you a few minutes ago to see if you’d spoken to Damien. When you didn’t answer I thought that maybe I’d better ring him.”
“I left my purse in the car when I ran up here. How’s Kate?”
“She made it through surgery just fine. She’s stable. They’ll be moving her up to intensive care soon.”
“Is she awake? Can I talk to her?”
“I’m afraid she’s still unconscious. But that’s nothing to be alarmed about at this point. Are you on your way to the airport?”
“Yes. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m coming with you,” Damien interjected. “It’ll just take me a few minutes to shower and pack.”
“Don’t bother,” I heard Julia say.
“You can’t stop me. You know she’d want me there.”
“She would want the man she thought you were there. But you’re not him. You’re not even close.” Then the line went dead.
About the Author
S. J. Harper
is the pen name for the writing team of
Samantha Sommersby
and
Jeanne C. Stein
, two friends who met at Comic- Con in San Diego and quickly bonded over a mutual love of good wine, edgy urban fantasy, and everything Joss Whedon.
Samantha Sommersby
left what she used to call her “real- life” day job in the psychiatric !eld to pursue writing full-time in 2007. She is the author of more than a dozen novels and novellas including the critically acclaimed
Forbidden
series. She currently lives with her husband and terrier pup, Olive, in a century-old Southern California Craftsman. Sam happily spends her days immersed in a world where vampires, werewolves, and demons are real, myths and legends are revered, magic is possible, and love still conquers all.
Jeanne Stein
is the national bestselling author of
The Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles
. She also has numerous short story credits, including most recently the novella
Blood Debt
from the
New York Times
bestselling anthology
Hexed
. Her series has been picked up in three foreign countries and her short stories published in collections here in the U.S. and the U.K. She lives in Denver, Colorado, where she finds gardening a challenge more daunting than navigating the world of mythical creatures.
For more information on other books by
S. J. Harper
, please visit their official website: SJHarper.me
Also By This Author
Captured
Cursed
Reckoning
Forsaken
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter One
Chapter Two