Couldn't Help Falling For You (Mortality Book 3)

It was a cool night when I opened my eyes, and clear. The moon in the distance was partially covered by clouds and slowly dipping towards the canyons and the sky was a carpet of stars. I swore and picked myself out of the dirt, brushing dust from my dress and tidying my hair as best as I could. Damn time travel! It crossed my mind to wonder when and where I was. The fact that my dress had now developed a corset that was restricting my ability to breathe gave me a pretty good impression. I knew I was in the past - that much was obvious. But how far back had I gone now?

A coyote howled in the distance, and cattle bawled. The road that I was on could hardly even be called that. Closer inspection revealed that it was a dirt track rutted by wagon wheels. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to time travel back anytime soon. It’s not as if I could do it by will or something insane like that. I went wherever the power chose for me to go. With a sigh I started walking straight on. That was Mom’s advice. When you don’t know where you are always go straight. I only hoped that I wouldn’t meet any Lycans. They’d be able to smell the Vampire blood in me and wouldn’t understand that I was a witch. I’d be dead before I ever got home.

The rhythmic beat of a horses hooves appeared behind me coming at a gallop and I dived off the track. Whether or not I wanted to come across a Lycan was one thing, but I didn’t want to be run over either. A black stallion charged past me, the man on his back clad all in black and leaning forward, urgently urging his mount on. I saw the silver glint of his spurs and of the pistol at his belt and then he was gone. Taking a deep breath, I walked back onto the trail. The horse came walking back, and a Vampire jumped off his back. His neat black clothes and hat were finely coated in dust. I couldn’t see his face because of the darkness, but I got an impression of burning blue eyes. Chances were that I wouldn’t know him even if I could make his features out.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” he drawled in a fine, rolling accent like Dad’s, “but are you a Witch?”

I nodded, wary not. “Yes, sir,” I said, for my mother had always taught me to be polite.

“Ma’am, would you please come with me? A friend of mine - you might know him - he was caught in a stampede. Do you think that you could do anything for him?” The note of worry that had crept into his tone gave me a chill. Something niggled at the back of my mind, something I felt sure that I should know about this night. But I brushed it off. It was probably nothing.

“Sure I will.” I knew that I was probably going to end up regretting this, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I said no. Besides, I might actually know him, if this guy’s accent was anything to go by. There were only three people I knew with an accent like that, Dad, his friend Jeremiah and the ghost of Dad’s first wife Penny. They’d grown up together in Wyoming-before-it-was-Wyoming.

The Vampire bowed to me, taking his hat off to show jet black hair. “Thank you very much, ma’am. I’m Cody Stephens.” He straightened up as a wave of nausea came over me. Cody Stephens? The Cody Stephens? This was worse than I’d thought. This was way worse than I’d thought.

The clouds moved from the moon and more light fell onto the road. Cody Stephens stiffened when he saw my face. His eyes widened as he looked me slowly up and down. What the Hell was his problem anyway?

It took him hardly a moment before he recovered and offered me his hand. I took it and smiled at him, despite the horrid feeling in my stomach. “Isabella Rhoads,” I introduced myself as. If he was the Cody Stephens that I was sure he was, then the name Cinderella Leigh wouldn’t exactly be unfamiliar to him. He’d probably still remember Dad’s little sister and it might only give him a heart attack, especially because I was supposedly so like her.

Cody reached out and took his horse by the reins. He still held my hand, and together we disappeared to a ranch. This place was a bustling hive of activity, despite the late hour. Or maybe because of it. One Vampire held a big buckskin stallion by the halter, while another worked on the stallions leg. Blood was soaking through the bandages already in place. Witch a jolt I recognized the horse as Dad’s Comanche. There was only one way that this night could get worse.