Haunting Desire

Table of Contents

 

 

“A complex, mysterious, and very satisfying story!”

 

“An intriguing, highly absorbing book that sucked me in and didn’t let me go until its amazing conclusion. I was completely swept away by the mystery, the magical ambience, the vivid setting, and the chilling and original plot. A highly recommended must-read!”

 

 

“A dark and passionate romance with the literary brilliance of
The Time Traveler’s Wife.
”

 

“Erin Quinn weaves a mystical tale of intrigue and seduction . . . The imagery is breathtaking and the prose is beautiful and authentic . . . You live the story, not just read it.”

 

“Celtic fans will enjoy this trip into the Irish mists, which had plenty of legends and mystical visions. While the ghosts, evil books, and inherited capabilities are pretty standard, the way Quinn weaves them together is clever.”

 

“A complex story with lifelike characters, seductive passion, and . . . a wonderful dash of magical mystery. Vivid and breathtaking . . .
Haunting Beauty
is a book that you won’t want to put down and leaves you breathless for more. The twists and turns Ms. Quinn throws you throughout the story suck you right in, right until the very end.”

 

“An intricately woven story where each day is touched by magic . . . Filled with fascinating characters, wonderful detail, and the beautiful scenery of Ireland. Readers will be drawn in right from the start. I would recommend this book to fans of paranormal romance that enjoy mystical elements and edge-of-your-seat suspense.”

 

HAUNTING BEAUTY
HAUNTING WARRIOR
HAUNTING DESIRE

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does Not have any control over and does Not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

Copyright © 2011 by Erin Grady.

Excerpt from
Haunting Embrace
by Erin Quinn copyright © by Erin Grady.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do Not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. BERKLEY
^®
SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / April 2011

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Quinn, Erin, 1963—

Haunting desire / Erin Quinn.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-47898-1

I. Title.

PS3617.U5635H’.6—dc22

2010054168

 

 

It’s a serious thing when an author can’t find the words to express something, but I find myself in that boat as I try to thank Kate Seaver for all of her hard work in getting this book from my head to your hands. Special thanks also go to Paige Wheeler, who reminded me that breathing is never a bad thing and should be done in times of crisis.

Lynn Coulter and Kathryne Kennedy delivered insight, feedback, and a whole lot of TLC while I wrote this book. I am so lucky to have you for friends and I hope you know how much I appreciate all you do. Caroline Curran came through once more with words of wisdom on all things Irish. Any mistakes in that area are my own. Special thanks to Rebecca Goude Johnson, Julie Mahler, and Jodie Springer for their wonderful proofreading skills and feedback.

And I could not have survived this past year without the love and support of my family. My husband, daughters, and Mom and Dad—I thank you from the top, bottom, and gooey middle of my heart.

N
OTHING was going the way Shealy had planned.

“Dad, be reasonable. I just—”

“
Reasonable
?” Donnell O’Leary demanded, his face turning an alarming shade of red.

They’d just finished dinner and were leaving the restaurant as he spoke, his outburst drawing the eyes of the other patrons. Shealy had known her dad wouldn’t be happy about her plans, but she hadn’t anticipated this. She eyed his coloring with dismay. He’d already had one heart attack—she didn’t want to give him another.

“I’ve told you this before, Shealy,” he said in a tight, angry voice. “There is nothing for you in Ireland.
Not one bleeding thing.
No reason to go back. Ever.”

“I want to visit Mom’s grave,” she said calmly. “And I don’t understand why that should upset you.”

“Why would you care about seeing her grave?” he exclaimed, as if the idea were too bizarre to contemplate. “She’s not even in it.”

For a moment, his words robbed her of a response. She knew her mother’s body wasn’t in the grave—after the awful automobile accident, her body had never been found. But seven years had passed since her death, and Shealy needed closure that still hadn’t come. It was so unlike her father, so insensitive of him not to understand that. She’d been in the hospital when they’d held the funeral services, and then her dad had packed them up and moved them to Arizona. She’d never even
seen
the place where her mother rested, in spirit if not in body.

But she didn’t want to explain to him why she was so determined to go there now. She couldn’t talk about the nightmares that chased her through the restless dark. Nightmares about her mother—horrible, gruesome dreams that told her that the time had come to face everything she’d tried to forget. She needed to move on and that meant going back first.

“It’s not safe there,” her father stubbornly continued as she stepped into the warm night air outside of the restaurant.

“Safe? Dad, Ireland is ten times safer than Phoenix. Their crime rate—”

“It’s not safe for
you
, Shealy.”

The sharpness of his tone held a bite that stopped her on the shadowed blacktop. Somewhere in the back of her mind a strange tickling sensation began, creeping down her spine, making her skin pucker despite the summer heat that still held tight to the evening.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. “Why wouldn’t it be safe for me?”

He avoided her eyes. “There are things you don’t know, Shealy.”

“So enlighten me.”

“Things that should not be talked about, not in the open. Not at all.”

Ah.
Inside, she gave a sigh of relief and a mental eye roll as understanding hit her. For a minute there, he’d actually rattled her.

Donnell O’Leary was a conspiracy theorist to the depths of his wee Irish soul. He had issues and opinions about everything from underworld religion to common traffic laws. No doubt next he planned to spout about the Troubles or the Government or, God forbid, the Protestants.

“Dad, let’s try to stay within the bounds of reality. I’m talking about a trip to a civilized country. Two weeks in the land of green and blarney. I’m not headed for Juárez, for God’s sake. I’ll be back before you even know I’m gone. I’ve already got my ticket. I’m going.”

Donnell grabbed her arm as she moved past him and jerked her around to face him with a sudden violence that shocked her into silence. “Do you think I took you away from there on a whim? Do you think I’d have ripped us both up by the roots if I’d had a choice?”

For a moment, she could only stare at him, noting his color, the spark in his eyes that almost looked like panic. Frowning, she said, “You told me we moved because of the doctors. The specialists at Mayo Clinic that Dr. Campbell wanted me to see.”