Hyacinth
HYACINTH
Book # 2 of the Svatura Series
by Abigail Owen
Copyright © 2013 by Abigail Owen
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN 978-0-9882272-1-7
DEDICATION
To Elayne:
Thank you for all your help and
putting up with my insanity.
To my returning readers:
Thank you for giving a brand new
author a chance and for all the support and encouragement you’ve given me since
the release of Blue Violet. Hyacinth is for you!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE
SAYING ABOUT BLUE VIOLET!
“This
urban fantasy has everything that good urban fantasy needs to have--whether for
adults or teens: a sacrificial, powerful Warrior protagonist who gets into
trouble because of personal integrity…, a loyal cadre of friends… who look out
for each other, strong villains who provide plenty of conflict for the
protagonist, and excellent fantasy world-building.”
-Kate
McMurry, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
“Young
and old alike will enjoy the magic, and the yearning of a special love shines a
light all its own. If you are a believer watch for this series to continue and
learn more about the
Svatura
and their lives and abilities as they find
the strength to move forward.”
-Leslie
Wright, TicToc Blog
“…Owen
paints a supernatural world with one of the strongest heroines I have ever read.”
- Adriana Garcia, She’s Got Books
On Her Mind Blog
“Enthralling.
That's all I have to say for Blue Violet. Abigail Owen bring us into a new
magical urban world that feel truly believable. Simply amazing.”
-Neysa
Kristanti, B.O.O.K.L.I.F.E. Blog
“'Blue
Violet' is the type of book that makes me want to press pause on the world
(wink wink!!), snuggle in a blanket and read it from start to finish.”
-Kirsty
Vizard, All In One Place Blog
“I
grew really attached to all the characters, and I love all of them… Honestly, I
just loved this book. I suggest you guys and gals check it out. It was a fast
read. I read it in a day because I was so hooked into the story.”
-Cara
Crabtree, Love, Peace, & Books Blog
“Ellie
is a heroine, leading her people, teaching them, and risking everything to save
them from destruction. I admire Ellie. She is exactly the kind of young woman
that can inspire teen readers to be self-confident and brave.”
-K.
Cunning, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
hyacinth:
dedicated to Apollo, loveliness,
sorrow
1
Selene jerked awake
and clutched the sweat-soaked bed sheets in her hands. Her breath came in
panting bursts, and her heart refused to slow its furious pounding. A low,
animalistic groan sounded from deep within. Moonlight slanted across her bed in
pale streamers, illuminating the darkness around her. But Selene could only see
the images that filled her mind in terror-filled flashes.
The nightmare had
started the same as all the others….
She was in her
wolf form. It always felt different to be wolf rather than human. Her eyesight
was enhanced. Her hearing was more sensitive, attuned to the sounds of the
night. And her point of view was lower to the ground.
In this dream she’d
been watching a house from the deep shadows of the woods. It was nighttime, and
with the lights on inside the house, she had easy views of the inhabitant – a
middle-aged woman who appeared to be alone. The urge to hurt that woman had overwhelmed
her, and she barely contained a snarl of aggression.
What is
happening to me?
Confusion swept through Selene. Her urge made absolutely no sense. She’d never
deliberately harmed another being in her life.
And then she’d
started to move, as though her body had a will of its own. She wasn’t in
control. The need to kill was dictating her actions now. Selene prowled over to
a small patio that extended from the back of the house. She stopped within feet
of the structure and crouched low in a pool of moonlight. Her white form
blended in perfectly, rendering her almost invisible.
And there she
waited. But Selene had no idea what she was waiting for exactly. It was as
though her dream-self had been here before… stalked this woman… and knew
something was about to happen….
Selene didn’t
recognize where she was. She was sure she’d never been to this place when she
was awake. What was she doing here? Panic was starting to set in. She could
feel it in the thumping of her heart. The adrenaline kicked in hard. Or maybe
it wasn’t panic. Maybe it was anticipation for the kill. Her thoughts were all tangled
up. What was wrong with her?
The fur on her
back bristled, and Selene realized that a moment of no return was fast
approaching. Her keen hearing picked up the soft tread of the woman inside the
house, and then she heard the click of the door handle. Her muscles coiled more
tightly, ready to pounce. The door opened, a ray of light from inside just missing
the spot where Selene was hidden, and the woman stepped out onto the patio.
Selene felt her
body spring into the air.
No! No! No!
She tried to
hold herself back, make herself stop. But it was no use.
Screams pierced
this night air, hurting Selene’s ears, as she slammed into the woman. Then
Selene sank her sharp teeth right into the back of the woman’s neck. Bones
crunched under the pressure of her jaws and the sharp, metallic taste of blood
surged into her mouth. The woman continued her screeching, thrashing around
hysterically under Selene’s deadly grasp. With a guttural growl, Selene clamped
down harder and then shook the woman like a rag doll. She felt the satisfying
crack when the woman’s neck snapped.
And then, just
as suddenly as the nightmare had started, darkness consumed her and she woke up
in her bedroom.
Selene let out a
small whimper as the sound of screams rang in her head. She clamped her hands
over her ears to try to silence the echoes of the nameless woman’s high-pitched
and terror-filled shrieks, and the terrible sound of her neck as it cracked in
her jaws. But it was useless.
With a gasp, Selene
lifted a trembling hand to her mouth.
No blood. Thank goodness
. It was just
another nightmare… although knowing that didn’t help much in the dead of the
night.
Usually it was
Selene who determined what dreams she entered. She could walk in and out of the
minds of any person she chose while they slept. But somehow she wasn’t in
control of entering this one. Or of her actions while she was in it. It felt more
as if she’d been physically yanked into the dream. That alone was cause for
alarm. What if someone was controlling her? Or, even worse, what if she were
actually killing people while she dreamt?
But what terrified
her most was the fact that this wasn’t the first time she’d had these nightmares.
They’d started coming more frequently lately.
And the victim’s
faces were never the same.
2
Selene
searched the archives in the enormous room that was stacked to the roof with
ancient, dust-covered books—a history of her people. She searched in a
desperate hope of finding some answers, and she always came to this room when
she was upset.
The
castle had been in her family since they’d had it built in 1208 A.D. It had
been over eight-hundred years since that time, and she found comfort in the
history this room represented. And she could use some comfort now. She hadn’t
been sleeping so well lately, and her heavy makeup barely disguised the dark circles
under her eyes.
No one knew
about her ability to enter dreams—no one except for Griffin and Ellie. Not even
Selene’s brother, Gideon, had discovered her secret. Her people, the Vyusher, a
tribe of metamorphs who shifted into wolves, had been led by her brother Gideon
before his fortunate demise. They had killed off most of Griffin and Ellie’s
family almost a century ago. Their tribe was called the
Darane Svatura
, a
gypsy term referring to magic and mythology. Before the Vyusher massacred them,
the
Svatura
had been the largest assemblage of people with extraordinary
abilities in existence. Only Griffin and his twin sister Ellie had survived the
attack against their clan. Selene used to visit Griffin in his dreams. But that
was before he knew who she was.
Well, he knows
now,
she reminded herself.
I’ve managed to stay away from him this past year.
Nothing’s changed.
Although that
wasn’t entirely true… the nightmares were new. And after the one last night,
she craved the feeling of security that
wrapped
around
her whenever she was near him, even if it were just in
her
mind.
“My Lady?”
Selene silently
groaned at the interruption. Pushing aside her thoughts, she turned to face
Oren, who stood respectfully in the doorway. Her face a perfect mask of
serenity, she folded her hands primly in her lap.
“Is it time?”
“They are ready
for you,” he confirmed. His gaze did not leave Selene’s face as he searched for
some clue as to why she’d requested the High Council of the Vyusher to be assembled.
But Selene had
long ago mastered the art of concealing her feelings. She’d had to. Her evil brother
had given her no choice. Even Oren, who was like a father to her, didn’t know her
true feelings most of the time.
Oren studied the
young woman he’d raised.
How our people look at her and see a cold,
emotionless figurehead is beyond me… regardless of the detached façade she
shows us all
.
How do they miss the fact that it’s not coldness, but
fragility? Perhaps they can’t see past her beauty.
Selene was lovely,
with her long silvery hair and her wide dove-grey eyes. By right of blood, she’d
inherited the burden of leading the Vyusher, a people who possessed
extraordinary powers. Her people were made even more incredible by the fact
that they were linked by a shared ability to morph into massive timber wolves.