"Now would be the perfect time for you to do your favorite trick, Marigold," Theadora hissed as she suddenly appeared at Esmund's feet.
In the blink of an eye, Marigold stood directly in front of The Matron; her head cocked to the side and her hair floating around her as it had been when she'd first met Esmund.
The Matron's face remained hidden in impenetrable shadow, but she quickly stepped away from Marigold and started chanting as she swirled her hands in an intricate pattern.
Sparks burst to life and danced in the air directly in front of her. The unbearable pressure in Esmund's chest ceased, and his lungs expanded as he coughed and took a large gasp of air. His strength slowly returned, and he rolled to his knees, preparing for the next wave of her attack. "Where's Elsie and Nora?"
"Dealing with Montclair," Dorathea patted his shoulder, "don't worry dear, they'll be here momentarily." She moved her hand down his arm, squeezing each swell of muscle until Theadora slapped her hand away.
Marigold skipped back a few paces and winked at Esmund, "Ready?"
"Just get to it already," Theadora groaned, "I'll never understand why you have to be so cryptically dramatic in everything you do."
"How else are you to know when I'm about to do something spectacular?" she sang with a smile, holding her hands straight above her head. Heavy clouds formed overhead within seconds, and the air became noticeably wet until droplets of water budded along the walls and furniture.
The Matron's chanting increased, and sparks quickly swirled and formed into a massive fireball that grew in size until it illuminated the entire room. Whether from the effects of the water weakening her power or the light of the fireball, the shadows hiding The Matron's identity lessened and showed she had an uncanny resemblance to Piper.
Was it just another trick of the evil witch? He highly doubted it, but it could be possible. Marigold told him not to believe what he saw within Briarwood, but that was before rain fell in a torrential downpour from the walls and ceiling. The fireball sputtered, and the shadows around The Matron's face shifted again, altering her identity.
He blinked, convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him, but a minute later, she caught his gaze and winked. Esmund snarled as rage poured through his veins.
"What is that I see in your eyes, Esmund?" Piper laughed, "You think I've betrayed you, is that it?" Her mouth curled in a sneer, "It's a feeling I know all too well."
"We trusted you!" He roared.
"Yes, fools that you were," She mocked, "I've always known I was born for the stage, and these last few days were my best performance. Why even I was moved to tears on several occasions," she winked, and her lips bent into a cruel smile, "as you'll recall."
"You lied to us! Everything you said was tailored to manipulate us."
"No," She blasted him backward with a gust of energy, slamming him into the wall, "everything I told you was the truth...I simply left out a few minor details."
"Minor details?" Esmund scoffed, pushing away from the wall. "I doubt you even had a son, let alone one you accidentally killed."
"How dare you speak of him!" Piper screeched. She picked up a chair and threw it at him. "You have no right."
Theadora and Dorathea deflected the chair, slamming it against the opposite wall as they took up position in front of Esmund and swung their arms forward as they shot electric-blue bolts of energy in rapid succession at Piper, knocking her off-balance.
It was like watching a massive lightning storm brighten the room in hectic bursts of blinding light. Each bolt singed and sizzled upon contact, leaving burning embers and scorch marks on Piper's skin and clothing.
Esmund winced and pushed away from the wall to join the attack, but Marigold pulled him back and shook her head, "Let them have their bit of fun, dearie; the evil witch has had this coming to her for decades."
As the fight continued and water began to rain down and drench all within the room, Piper curled her body forward to absorb the shock of each bolt and threw two fireballs toward the twins.
When they fizzled out before hitting her targets, she shrieked and tried again, but the sparks failed to grow into anything more intimidating than a sputtering flame.
Piper growled in frustration, focusing solely on her dwindling ability to conjure a fireball. Regardless of her frenzied chanting, the fireball gave one last crackling pop before extinguishing it altogether.
The shadows hiding Piper vanished, exposing her identity with every flash of light from the electric bolts. Piper's lips curled in a snarl as she set her eyes on Marigold and lunged out with her claw-like fingers. "You witch. I knew I should have killed you years ago!"
Marigold yelped and vanished.
Esmund glanced at his brothers, hoping they were free from their unseen bonds, but they could not move. It would appear their survival and the successful outcome would depend on him and the aid the women were able to give. His stomach twisted and churned until he feared he'd be sick.
He wiped the rain out of his eyes and squared his shoulders. Now was his chance. Esmund removed a berry from his tin and crushed it between his teeth. The second the bitter juice washed down his throat, muscles and veins bulged and grew with increased power as his senses sharpened and colors became muted.
Theadora and Dorathea strengthened their attack, pummeling Piper with electricity and driving her to her knees.
"Is this any way to repay my years of generosity? I took you in when you had nowhere else to go; I saved you!" Fury turned her face into a hideous mask as the bodice of her gown burst into flame before the downpour extinguished it.
Piper thrust her arms forward, propelling the twins apart, and slammed them into a wall. "ENOUGH!" She staggered to her feet, slipping on the wet floor as she advanced on their stunned forms. "You two have inconvenienced me for too long."
Theadora covered her dazed sister with her body and vanished just as Piper slashed her claws where they'd stood huddled.
A low growl escaped Esmund's throat seconds before his muscles bunched and propelled him through the air, eager to tear Piper apart and exact his revenge for her brutal treatment against Elsie and his father. But, no matter how valiantly he tried to gain the advantage against her, she managed to evade him.
All of a sudden, the room plunged into unnatural darkness. Esmund roared his fury and lunged toward where she'd last been. His fingers brushed against the skin of her neck before she darted away at an inhumane speed.
Thinking fast, Esmund spun on his heel, swung around with his fist, and grunted in pleasure when it connected solidly with flesh. However, from the shouted expletive that followed immediately after, Gunnar was the one who got smashed in the face, not Piper.
She laughed, "You clowns."
Gunnar growled.
When the swishing of skirts drew close, Esmund twirled around and lashed out with his foot in a wide arc. A feminine scream rent the air as a body crashed to the floor amid the sounds of splintering wood and shattering glass.
"Marigold, was that you?" Theadora whispered.
A soft, feminine groan was the only answer.
"Oh, dear," Piper laughed. "It seems the angry bull has leveled poor sweet water sprite; perhaps you would appreciate some illumination?" The room suddenly flashed with a blinding white light and dropped them all to their knees. "So sorry, I just seem to go from one extreme to the next...this should be better now."
Her voice flowed around the room, making it impossible to pinpoint her exact location. One of the women screamed, and another shouted as Ulric and Gunnar growled, and a heated scuffle ensued.
Esmund opened his eyes to a dim, candle-lit room but could still not see much of his surroundings. He blinked several times and crouched low before noticing Theadora and Dorathea huddled protectively around a bleeding Ingrid. Gunnar had a berserked Ulric in a chokehold, only feet away from the women. A second later, Esmund finally caught sight of Piper. Knowing he had to act quickly before she changed the game on them again, he leaped through the air, ready to tear her apart the moment he laid his hands on her.
Her neck was so thin it would take minimal force to snap, and success would be his. His fingers clenched around her slim throat, squeezed, and the muscles and tendons began to give way.
His chest swelled with giddy excitement at realizing they would be free of her. It was almost too good to be true. Her eyes widened in surprise and locked with his as he growled and squeezed harder, pleased when tendons began to snap beneath his fingers. But a chilling smile bent her lips seconds before she flung him across the room.
Piper's wet hair swirled around her like wildfire as she advanced upon him, flinging away Marigold when she dared rush to his aid. "I should think by now you would have realized you are no match for me, Esmund."
She chanted a string of foreign words, causing a strange, howling wind to whip around the room with extreme force and hold him in place, driving the air from his lungs. Ribs snapped and remained broken from the unrelenting pressure. "I am not the pitiful, broken girl you believed me to be. I am more powerful than any Berserker, and with Elsie's death, I will become unstoppable."
Every breath he took was pure torture, which only escalated when a large club appeared in her hands out of thin air. Unadulterated hatred shone brightly in her gaze as she bashed it against his chest, crushing every bone in its path.
Had he not been berserked with the healing powers of the berry coursing through his veins, he would have been seconds away from death. As it was, the berry was struggling to heal him before she delivered another grievous wound.
Using all the strength he could muster, he ignored the agonizing pain flooding his body and reached for his berry tin, but a strangled scream tore from his lips when Piper knocked his hand away with the club and shattered the bones.
She carelessly threw the club over her shoulder and sauntered up to him. Her eyes glowed with unholy light as she dragged a claw-like fingernail down his cheek, "Things could have ended differently if only you had stayed away from El-"
Out of nowhere, a loud crack-boom rent the air as a bullet ricocheted off his chest and plinked against the wood floor. The wind died instantaneously, freeing Esmund from its hold. He gasped in a lungful of air and grimaced against the spasm of pain as shattered bones and torn muscles mended back into their proper place and form. Piper's mouth froze open on a harsh, coughing gasp as she stiffened, arched, and stumbled back. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she clutched her chest, and blood spewed from between her fingers, spilling onto the floor at her feet.
She collapsed, coughing up blood with each ragged breath, and looked at Ingrid, gasping, "You lied..." Her breath hitched once more before ending on a long hiss, and life drained from her eyes.
Esmund stared. Was she truly dead? He nudged her sharply in the ribs with the toe of his boot and watched her for several moments, waiting for it to be just another trick. But, there was no rise and fall of her chest or telltale beat of her heart to prove she was faking. Piper was dead; her reign of terror had come to a swift and surprising conclusion. Had Ingrid known all along how this would end and kept the knowledge to herself? He wanted to laugh.
Breathing out a sigh of relief as his body gradually returned to normal, he raised his eyes and caught the gaze of the woman who had saved their lives, where she stood at the opposite end of the room next to a bloodied Nora. Elsie took two steps forward, the smoking gun still aimed at the dead woman on the floor.
Nora hurried over to Gunnar's side and helped subdue Ulric as Elsie lowered the gun and gave Esmund a nervous smile. "I believe you'll agree after this whole ordeal, you really ought to start carrying a pistol or some sort of weapon with you."
"Only if you teach me to shoot," His heart thumped wildly within his chest, and blood quickened in his veins. The longer they remained apart, the more his arms ached to hold her. Incandescent joy filled him as he allowed his eyes to take in their fill of her. "Where'd you find the gun anyway?"
"Montclair," Elsie said with a shrug, "After Nora and the twins got through with him, I didn't think he'd mind me using it." She swallowed and pushed a thick lock of hair out of her eyes. Her chin wobbled, and tears glistened as she walked toward him. "I'm awfully glad you're impervious to bullets."
Esmund flashed his most dashing, dimpled grin and scooped her up in his arms, "Me too."
The gun fell from her fingers as she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed. Her hands caressed his cheek as a sigh escaped her lips. "If only I'd let Ulric kill her that night in the woods. None of this would have happened...your father wouldn't-"
Esmund shook his head and whispered, "It isn't your fault."
Love filled her gaze when it locked with his, and a deep sense of calm stole over him. The clock from the hall chimed, and as if on cue, Elsie leaned in and kissed him just as it struck two. He held her tightly to his chest and deepened the kiss. Coherent thoughts abandoned him until Gunnar yelled, "A little help would be appreciated!"
Esmund placed one last kiss to her mouth and lowered her to the floor before turning to where Gunnar fought to contain Ulric, who tried to strike Nora. "Why's he still berserkering when we aren't?"
"In case it's escaped your notice, he's not really in a conversing mood right now." Gunnar pulled further back until he was all but lying flat on the floor, tightening his hold around Ulric's throat and wrapping his ankles around Ulric's waist.
"Is anyone bleeding?" Esmund asked as he glanced at everyone around the room. His eyes quickly landed on a wounded and bleeding Ingrid. Theadora, Dorathea, and Marigold were nowhere to be seen, leaving Ingrid unprotected and in harm's way. Blood poured down the side of her face from a gash near her right eye and stained her shoulder and gown. Sudden understanding dawned, and Esmund winced in regret. He'd caused this. It hadn't been Marigold he'd struck with his foot in the dark; it had been Ingrid.
Nora rushed to her aid, "I'll take care of her. You help Gunnar."
His shoulders slumped as he took a step toward her, "Damn, I'm sorry. I should have been more careful."
Ingrid met his gaze and gave a soft smile before turning her attention to Nora, holding a cloth to the wound. Nora clucked her tongue and shook her head as she looked over her shoulder at Esmund, "She's going to need stitches."
"Apologies and stitches," Gunnar grunted, "can wait for later."
"Do you want me to knock him out?" Esmund rested his fists on his hips and studied Ulric. He looked at Nora, "Maybe you should get her out of here, somewhere safe until he's back to normal?"
Nora helped Ingrid stand. "Is there an infirmary here or perhaps a healer who could help?"
Ingrid pressed the cloth to her wound and nodded but didn't move.
Gunnar groaned, the muscles and veins in his arms bulging and straining as Ulric tried wrestling free, "I'm not going to be able to hold him much longer."
Just as the words left Gunnar's lips, Ulric whipped his head back, smacked Gunnar in the face, wrenched free, and lunged toward Ingrid. Gunnar held a hand to his bloody nose and shouted to Nora, but before she could do more than punch Ulric in the face, he threw her out of the way and had Ingrid firmly in his grasp.
Within the next second, and to everyone's complete bewilderment, instead of tearing Ingrid apart as they'd feared, Ulric stared at her. A loud, rumbling purr filled the room—a sound Esmund had foolishly believed to be his own. In the next heartbeat, Ulric claimed Ingrid with a kiss full of such passion it brought a blush to Esmund's cheeks.
"I don't think I'm old enough to watch this," Esmund said in shock.
Gunnar and Nora laughed.
Elsie grinned and hid her face against Esmund's arm.
When they finally broke the kiss, Ingrid caressed Ulric's face and took several shallow breaths. When Ulric set her on the floor, she gasped and wriggled free of his hold, racing as fast as her limp would allow her out of the room.
Her fumbling steps sounded down the hallway and staircase before they faded and disappeared altogether. Should someone follow her? Esmund wondered. Clearly, she was in distress.
But no one moved; everyone stared at Ulric.
After a few minutes, Ulric cleared his throat before slowly turning to face them.
A well-deserved quip rushed to the tip of Esmund's tongue, but he held it back when he met Ulric's tormented gaze.
"What have I done?" he groaned and covered his face with his hands.
Elsie snickered, "It's no use pretending innocence. You did witness your brother claim me in much the same way, not...too...long ago." Her voice lowered to a whisper as Ulric leveled a heated glare on her. "Yes, I see now that was a rhetorical question."
Esmund winked at Elsie and bit back a grin as he shoved his hands in his pockets, crumpling paper beneath his left hand. Frowning, he pulled out the abused paper and grunted when he saw it was the drawing. He'd forgotten all about it in the excitement.
Ulric let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face and head. "I don't need this kind of problem in my life right now. I have those damn Angry Wolf imbeciles to deal with; why did my idiot Berserker have to go and complicate matters. I. Have. Work. To. Do!"
"Boy, he's in a snit," Gunnar snickered as he held a cloth under his nose and peered over Esmund's left shoulder. "What's that?"
Nora stood on tiptoes and gasped. "Why, it looks better than a photograph!"
Elsie was quiet for a moment before a smile bent her lips, "Isn't she a wonderful artist?"
"What are you four yammering on about?" Ulric grumbled. "Neeners, would you eat a damn berry before you have me going berserk again?"
Gunnar touched the skin under his nose and held up his fingers for Ulric to see, "Calm down, grouchy. I'd pass out if there were any blo-od..." he swayed as he looked at his fingers, muttering a curse as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the floor.
Nora knelt and wiped the blood away from his face before popping a berry in Gunnar's mouth. A few seconds later, Gunnar was awake, and by the time the berry had worn off, he was on his feet again.
"Better?" Ulric snapped.
Gunnar smiled, "Better than you right now, I imagine."
"Are you looking to get punched?"
Gunnar's grin widened, "If it'll make you feel better, sure."
Ulric grunted and shook his head as he took a deep breath, "Are you ever going to tell me what had the four of you so enthralled a moment ago?" He scowled at each of them and waited for a reply.
Nora and Gunnar both stared at Esmund and held unnaturally still. How would Ulric react when he saw the drawing? Esmund swallowed, stepped protectively in front of Elsie, and widened his stance in case fists went flying. Only then did he show him the drawing.
Ulric's scowl deepened into a heavy frown as he marched forward and snatched the paper from Esmund's hand. "Where did you get this?"
"In one of the rooms downstairs..."
"Like hell you did." He stared at it as though he could cause it to burst into flames with a glance. "Who did this?"
Esmund bit his tongue.
Gunnar and Nora shrugged, watching Ulric with a curious look on their faces.
Elsie shifted from foot to foot but held silent.
Ulric lifted his gaze from the drawing and settled it on Elsie. "Who drew this, Elsie? I know you know."
Elsie shrugged and fluttered her hands, "Well, yes, I do, but I think it's fair to mention that I know many things—a plethora of things, actually. And it's difficult to say with any exact certainty what it is I know that you know as well without going down a very long list of things that both you and I know."
Blood drained from Ulric's face, and his hand holding the drawing fell to his side, "It was Ingrid, wasn't it?"
Elsie swallowed. "If it makes you feel any better, this is one of the best drawings I've seen her do of you."
His eyes widened, "You mean there's more?"
She glanced at Esmund and nodded. "Of course, there's more. Didn't I say there were more?"
Ulric cursed and looked around the room, "Where'd she run off to?"
All four of them shrugged.
Ulric muttered a string of curses and jammed the drawing into his pocket as he marched out of the room.
Esmund glanced at Gunnar before firmly gripping Elsie's hand and followed Ulric, "Where are you going?"
Ulric made it partway down the staircase before stopping abruptly, taking a deep breath, and stating, "In case you've forgotten, we have less than eight weeks to track down the evil mastermind behind 'The Angry Wolf' and stop them from destroying the world."
Elsie gasped and took three steps forward. "But...what about Ingrid?"
Ulric's nostrils flared, "What about her?"
"Just because she ran away doesn't mean she literally ran away," she glanced back at Esmund before swallowing, "Maybe she forgot something in her room, o-or perhaps she did run away and is now in danger. Don't you want to find her and make sure-" she snapped her mouth shut and retreated to Esmund's side when Ulric's expression hardened.
"The woman has made it crystal clear she doesn't want me, and I'm sure as hell not going to go on some wild goose chase so that she can tell me that to my face." He continued down the staircase, "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Esmund shared a worried look with Gunnar before they slowly descended the stairs. He'd never seen Ulric in this state and had certainly never heard the raw vulnerability in his voice before. Without another word or glance to see if anyone followed behind him, Ulric left Briarwood, vaulted up onto Toots' back, and rode off into the cold winter night.
...Continued in Reckless Protector
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Other Titles by BC Yancey:
Lost and Found
Deciding to take her life into her own hands after her husband dies, Lillian Reid travels west, hoping for a new start. But then her train is hijacked by outlaws, and she's fighting to stay alive.
Two neglected children find her months later in Old West Montana Territory, and she's nursed back to health by handsome rancher Sawyer Weston. However, when secrets from Lillian's past threaten their new-found happiness, Lillian and Sawyer must fight for the love they've found or lose everything—including their lives.
Breathe Again
What will it take for two people to make amends and admit they're in love?
After the end of the American Civil War, Sterling Hawkins returns home to be near the woman he's secretly loved his entire life, Dorothy Humphreys. When a house fire traps a recently widowed Dorothy and her infant son, Sterling risks his life to save them. To gain forgiveness for wrongs committed fourteen years ago, Sterling must prove he won't risk losing his last chance to claim love and happiness meant to be theirs. He only hopes he isn't too late.
Reluctant Berserker: Isaacson Trilogy Book One
Gunnar Isaacson, a Berserker who faints at the sight of his own blood, works as a US Marshal in Old West Wyoming territory. Vowing his current assignment will be his last, Gunnar resigns, wanting nothing more than to live a quiet life away from death and destruction.
But one fateful train ride home brings him face-to-face with Nora, a captivating scarred beauty with mismatched eyes and indomitable spirit, and delivers tragedy to his door. Suddenly, Gunnar's thrown further into the life he wanted to leave behind. He's forced to deny or embrace who he is or risk watching loved ones die and losing his chance at claiming his 'true mate.'
Fearless Warrior: Isaacson Trilogy Book Two
If only life had background music. Maybe then, Esmund Isaacson, Berserker and US Marshal, would have known it would be wise to avoid Elsie Boynton. She appeared to be an ordinary and boring woman with a desperate request to rescue her friend. But what was supposed to be a simple rescue mission became precisely the opposite. Now, a woman Esmund would never have spared a second glance at has ensnared his heart while her secrets threaten to destroy everyone he loves.
Reckless Protector: Isaacson Trilogy Book Three
Ulric Isaacson, a Berserker and US Marshal, has always believed that everyone, except him, would live a full and happy life. And up until both his twin and his younger brother claimed their mates, he thought he was perfectly fine with his lot.
However, while on a daring rescue mission, Ulric meets Ingrid, a mysterious woman who sees the future, and claims her for his mate. But, instead of riding off into the Wyoming sunset with her, she runs away from him only to reappear in his life when he least expects it. With evil forces working against him, Ulric discovers he must challenge the gods if he hopes to spend his life with the woman who's healed his wounded heart and soul.
Through the Darkness
During World War I, Captain Everett Monterose, a disillusioned school teacher with a haunted past from small-town Idaho, wants a chance at happiness instead of continually being dished out misery.
But after he's severely wounded and temporarily blinded in battle, he's shipped back to America and faces living the rest of his life crippled. Until he meets Elyria Ormond, a blind woman volunteering at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC, offering compassion to soldiers on their deathbed.
Suddenly, both of their lives are forever changed, and dreams they'd long since given up on are within their reach. But Everett soon learns happiness is not a commodity to be bartered for with good deeds, and there is no escape from the many forms of misery.
The Witch and The Thief
Lachlan Shadowblade has one job, steal the Dragon Tooth Stone from the Deepwood Vault, a witch's bank notorious for being impenetrable to thieves. Born with magic in his veins, he's not the average thief and is moments away from success when the captivating Maera Maelstrom, one of the vault keepers, catches him.
Not once in her lonely existence, did Maera ever imagine how her life would be turned upside down when one of the most powerful magical artifacts is stolen right out from under her nose. Tasked with recovering the stone from the handsome thief to avoid a punishment worse than death, Maera embarks on a daring quest that sets events in motion that will forever intertwine her fate with Lachlan's and threaten both their lives.
Broken Wings
It's a fine line between murder and bounty hunting, and most days, Shepard Devereaux isn't sure which side he's on.
After his parents are killed in a freak wagon accident when he's seventeen, Shepard Devereaux is forced at gunpoint to abandon his younger brother, William, to their cruel uncle's care. Now a bounty hunter six years later, Shepard has saved enough money to rescue William, but within an hour of his return, his world is shattered.
When he's offered a chance to join a posse and hunt the outlaw responsible for his brother's downfall and the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart, Hazel Jones, Shepard sets out on a dangerous path of vengeance and justice.
Being born the illegitimate daughter of a famous prostitute and raised in a whorehouse, townsfolk have made it known all Hazel Jones' life that she is little better than a sweet roll covered in manure-all except for Shepard Devereaux, the boy her heart has been set on for the better part of her life.
Years later, one night after the outlaw Dynamite Fairleigh attacks her at The Lilypad brothel, Hazel flees, unknowingly setting in motion a heartbreaking chain of events that leads Shepard Devereaux back into her life.
But Hazel and Shepard soon learn Dynamite Fairleigh isn't the only threat they'll have to survive if they want a chance at a new life together.
Haunted Hearts
After losing three fiancés in tragic accidents over the past six years, Lady Elphi Matson knows three things for certain: heartache only maims its victim when it should kill, not all haunted places are crumbling castles, and without a doubt, she is cursed when it comes to falling in love.
Able to see ghosts since surviving a drowning accident at age nine, Lord Rufus Treadway works as a Private Investigator of the paranormal. So, when his closest friend Lord Roderick Matson pleads for help solving Elphi's curse, Rufus agrees to attend the Sanham séance, promising not to let Elphi know Roderick hired him and, for his own safety, not to fall in love with her. However, just like curses, some promises are meant to be broken.
The Edge of Hell
Mitchell Brothers Series Book One
Corporal Mae Stoker is no stranger to misery or surviving harsh conditions, especially after enlisting in the Union Army at the height of the American Civil War to avoid living with her aunt and uncle. But when she's wounded during the Battle of Lovejoy's Station, Captain Wolstan Mitchell discovers there's a female in the ranks and makes a rash decision to save her life, forever intertwining their fates.
After leaving Mae with his doctor uncle in nearby Jonesborough, Georgia, Wolstan is captured and imprisoned in Andersonville Prison for nine months. When he finally returns home to Chattanooga, Tennessee, he is a tormented shadow of the man he was before, unsure if the brokenness inside him can be or is even worth fixing—until learning love has the power to mend even the most shattered souls.
The Edge of Misery
Mitchell Brothers Series Book Two
If there's one thing Declan Mitchell learned from watching his mama almost die from the heartbreak of losing his daddy to a war nineteen years ago, it was that a great and powerful love delivered an equally devastating heartbreak and suffering-the kind he had every intention of avoiding like the bubonic plague. And until traveling west to Idaho Territory and coming face to face with the mismatch-eyed, auburn-haired beauty, Wren McCrawdon, he believed he might succeed in carrying out his plans of never marrying.
Molded by her traumatic journey west when she was twelve, twenty-four-year-old, accident-prone Wren McCrawdon's life on her family's ranch in Falcon Ridge, Idaho, is full of back-breaking work, beginning as dawn's first rays peek across the mountains and ending long after the sun sets when she can barely drag her weary bones up the stairs to her bedroom. But from the morning Declan Mitchell and his family arrive, her miserable existence becomes more bearable until tragedy strikes when all she sees are the harsh realities of loss and suffering.
Concerned for Wren's safety and remembering how bitter the edge of misery was after his daddy died-Declan discovers he's willing to do anything he can to take it away from her... even if it means a marriage of convenience is the only suitable solution. There are only two problems: first, it's already apparent he's following in his mama's footsteps toward eventual heartbreak, and second he somehow has to convince Wren to agree.
Buried Secrets
After a failed bank robbery in Bodie, California, Helena Barnett awakens buried alive without any memory of who she is or how she got there.
Haunted by the traumatic death of his mother when he was a teenager and his fiancé just three years ago, resurrectionist Oren Douglas keeps himself on the move to avoid the chance of forming emotional attachments. But his carefully structured life is derailed when he and his cousin, Casper, dig up their third and final corpse of the night in the Bodie Cemetery-only to discover she's still living.
After a doctor reveals Helena's shocking identity and past, Oren feels an overwhelming sense of responsibility to protect her. He invites her to live with him and his cousin in Sacramento and gives her a new name, hoping she can start a happier life.
But as Oren's web of lies unravels, they learn that some of Helena's buried secrets are deadlier than others. Together, they must fight not only for their chance at true love but also for their survival.