Stepping on the sidewalk, Victoria took a deep breath of fresh, southern air. This was her first day outside since the ice storm had hit Tabor Ridge. Smiling, she lifted her arms upward, stretching them as far as they could go. She didn’t mind that the cold air burned her nose or that it stung her eyes. Happiness made her light on her feet. Feeling hope for the first time in weeks, she was glad to finally be out of her efficiency. Since arriving, she had spent the last few days watching TV, reading books, watching the ice storm from her window, and devising a plan to locate her father. According to her mother’s notes, this small town was his birthplace.
Walking along the idyllic street outside her motel, she felt warm vibes from the picturesque town. She stopped in front of a building, which emanated wonderful smells. Looking up, she saw it was some sort of eatery named McGrady’s. An eatery usually had a lot of people. People who may have knew her father.
Shading her eyes from the sun, she peered through the glass and saw a bar with several patrons and a spacious dining area with customers filling several tables. Music was playing and the place seemed to hum with energy. Gathering courage, she walked in, determined to find out if anyone knew or remembered Samuel T. Duma, Afterward, she would find the nearest grocery store and buy a local tabloid newspaper.
She quietly closed the door behind her and turned around to silence. Gulping, she looked around and met stares from the now unsmiling patronsShe quickly sidled up to the bar and slid onto the first empty stool she saw. Picking up a menu with sweaty palms, she examined its contents, aware of the curious stares pointed at her back.
“What can I get ya?”
Opening her mouth to say she needed a few more minutes, she peered over the menu and the words stuck in her throat. The menacing glare of the bartender made her say the first thing that came to mind.
“I’ll have a hamburger all the way with fries and a Pepsi.”
With a grunt the bartender snatched the menu out of her hands and walked away.
What was that all about?
Turning her head slightly, she gave a sigh of relief. The restaurant had become lively again. The customers were once again laughing, talking, and eating. Sitting quietly, she listened to the hum of conversations around her while discreetly scanning the crowd for a friendly face. Deciding no-one had the open, welcoming countenance she sought, she turned back around just as a waitress placed her food in
front of her.“Anything else, honey?”
Encouraged by the waitress’s warm tone, she decided to go for it. Maybe she was imagining all those hostile stares.
“Do you know a man by the name of Samuel T. Duma?”
“Samuel T. Who?” came the confused response?
“Samuel T. Duma,” Victoria repeated. “I heard he’s from this area?”
Her question was met with a skeptical look.
“Ain’t no one like that ever been around here.” The waitress turned around as if looking for someone.
“Hold on, let me ask Pierre.”
Victoria watched in horror as the waitress went to the bartender with the murderous glare and pointed in her direction. She heard the waitress say “Looking for some dude with a weird name.” Her horror grew as she watched the waitress walk over to several more people loudly asking the same question while pointing in her direction: “You guys heard of a Samuel T. Duka?”
Embarrassed beyond belief, she quickly turned her attention back to her food and took a bite of the sloppy burger, trying to appear oblivious to the scene.
She was almost done forcing it down when the waitress returned.
“Honey, I done asked everybody, and nobody here knows no Samuel Duka.”
“Samuel T. Duma.”
“Who you say again?”
Shaking her head in frustration, she mumbled “Nevermind” and stood up, searching for a 20-dollar bill to pay for the food. Finding it, she handed it to the waitress and exited the restaurant as quickly as her legs could take her, not even waiting for her change.
Barely refraining from slamming McGrady’s door, Victoria decided to head to the corner store she had noticed earlier. After being stared at like a space cadet, she was actually looking forward to going in the corner store down the street and picking up the tabloid papers. She wanted to read about the strange stories of the area. By strange she meant vampire sightings, UFO sightings, or any instances of unusual
occurrences. Picking her way down the ice-slicked sidewalk, Victoria carefully watched her steps. All she needed to top today was to slip and end up in the hospital. Crossing the street, she headed for Uncle Ray’s Corner Store. A bell tinkled as she entered. The store was definitely southern. It seemed Uncle Ray’s soldeverything and anything he could cram into his small store. She searched for a newspaper display, scanning over the five rows of junk food, can sodas, and pickled pork products before landing on the magazine and newspaper stand by the small soda fountain. Walking toward it, she scanned the contents on the shelves. Reaching the magazines and newspapers, she picked one up and started skimming it.“Rattlesnake Man Spotted Near Tabor River,” sounded promising so she tucked it beneath the her arm under the watchful eye of the scruffy old man behind the soda fountain, who was watching her as if she were a pink-haired, prison tattooed punk, not a normal woman. Ignoring his beady stare, she continued to scan the newspapers for interesting articles.
“Three-year-old Talks to Wolves,” appeared out of the ordinary, so she added that to the first. While paying for her papers, she studied the old man and, after meeting his baleful stare, decided against asking him if he knew of her father.
After collecting the newspapers, she let the door slam behind her. To hell with politeness. What had started out as a promising day was deteriorating into a terrible she let her shades drop from the top of her head to her eye and started the trek back to her efficiency room.
Crossing the street, she entered the lobby and slid into the empty elevator before the doors shut. Exhaling, she rested against the cool elevator wall. She hoped she’d find out something, anything, soon. This trip was playing havoc with her small savings. Saving money had become a priority when her mother became terminally ill. Denying herself basic pleasures and necessary items like a car, new clothes, nights out-all for the quest to find her father and avenge her mother, had become a way of life for her. But avenge her, how? If her father was as she suspected, a supernatural being, what in the world was she going to do? There were several possibilities. One being exposing him to the world-but that may make the world look at her more closely, and she could possibly become a science experiment for some “mysterious government agency.” Or she could con him into forming a relationship with her, get money from him, then leave him without a word. But that wouldn’t make him suffer enough. If he could leave her mother without a thought, would he even be interested in forming a relationship with her? A daughter he didn’t even know about by a woman he’d abandoned without a second thought.
Victoria looked up as the elevator slowed and stopped. An older couple walked in. She watched the man press the fourth floor button. Sighing, she went back to her thoughts. The most satisfying plot she had in mind was to find a way to destroy him; either by killing him or destroying something or someone he held dear. The problem with that plan was her stomach got queasy just thinking about actually killing someone. Her mother lying deathlike in a hospital bed, frail and connected to IV’s, flashed in her mind. Her mother vomiting and wasting away throughout the long, torturous year. Shaking her head, Victoria took a deep breath, dispelling the painful memories. Her resolve strengthened. She would accomplish something even if it damned her soul. But first she had to find him. She’d figure the rest out later.
The elevator stopped, and she waited for the elderly couple to exit first. Counting to ten for patience, she slowly followed them out, then headed to her room. Opening the door, she stopped as a thought struck her. Her tattoo hadn’t burned since she’d entered North Carolina, and she hadn’t got another funny feeling since either. What was she missing?
Entering her apartment, she switched on the lights. Glancing around, her mood dipped further. While her small efficiency had everything she needed, it wasn’t home. A tiny kitchenette equipped with a stove, fridge and sink a bathroom, a bed, and an old, chipped brown dial console TV. She’d even splurged an extra twenty dollars a week for a room with a phone and a view of something besides the back of the next
building. She ran her fingers against the cool window glass as more depressing thoughts attacked. Maybe the search for Daddy Dearest was to find another sense of family, instead of revenge and retribution. A breakthrough had to come from somewhere soon. This past year, the quest to find her father, gain revenge for her mother, and find exactly who, or what, she was had become her whole life. Sighing, she stepped away from the window. Something had to come through. She had nothing else.***
I apologize for the delay! I can't believe it's been a year since I've posted. A lot has happened but needless to say I am back and the story will continue more regularly. My goal is finish posting Ivan's Betrayal for your enjoyment. Thank you readers for your patience :)
Smiling, Sarim hastened through the airport, glad the long, uneventful flight was over. Stopping mid stride, he sniffed the air, uncaring that he’d caused several people walking behind him to trip and drop their luggage. Yes, the scent was indeed strong in North Carolina. The blood connection he shared with the heir had led him there, and he could feel the heir’s presence. He, or she, was close at hand. Time was running out, and he could not afford to make any mistakes. His life and his position depended on it. Hands on his hips, he surveyed the airport, watching the humans walking about like cattle, distracted and completely unaware of what had just landed in their city. Feeling his fangs grow longer, he ran his tongue around them. A hand landed on his shoulder. “Abu, we must get you in a safe place. These humans are a distraction you do not need now.” Sarim stiffened at the reproach in Ivan’s tone. “I don’t need you telling me what I need to be doing,” he snapped. “Once again, yo
Sitting cross-legged on the hotel floor, Khafil closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The second his body had completely relaxed, he became mist. He traveled through the hotel room, under the door, then down the hall to the basement room Sarim occupied. Once there, he floated under Sarim’s door and materialized. Walking silently through the cold, dark room, he stopped beside Sarim’s bed, then placed a hand over Sarim’s forehead. Thoughts of the heir dominated Sarim’s thoughts. He wondered if it was male or female and if they would follow his plans willingly. Astrong thought made Khafil pause. Seemed Sarim had plans to make the heir agreeable. He would kidnap the heir, if it was female, holding her hostage in his quarters while getting another Taalib Duma to impregnate her. Taking a deep breath, Khafil forced himself to focus through the waves of repulsion coursing through his body. The bastard already had several Taalib Dumas in mind for the task. He was going to
“Victoria?”“Yes?”“The next train doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning at 7:45.”“Okay.” What else could she say? It was her fault she’d missed the train.A few minutes later and she had new train ticket. “Hungry?” Ivan asked.“I’ve already eaten,” she answered, shaking her head. “If you can call processed meat with cheese from a can a Philly cheese steak?”“How about you join me while I eat? You might find something to nibble on.”Was it her imagination, or had he intended the sexual innuendo? Shrugging, she answered, “Sure!”“How about Luigi’s? It’s right across the street.”“Why not? I don’t have anywhere else I have to be, and I’d love to catch up with you.” Had she just said love? She glanced at his face, but he seemed intent on getting out of there.He grabbed her luggage and led her outside to his fancy car; his very new, obviously expensive car. He popped the trunk and placed her bags inside. He curled her arm inside his as they walked across to the street to Luigi’s. Once th
Sitting, Victoria took a few seconds to allow the last dredges of sleep to leave her brain. She still couldn’t believe she had changed her mind and had agreed to spend the night at Ivan’s. Once outside the parking garage, the cold air did the trick and she felt on high alert, although she remained quiet as she followed Ivan to his apartment. His place was nice, very nice, the ultimate bachelor pad. She followed him across a plush carpet to the living room where a fifty-inch flat screen televisiondominated the far wall. “Have a seat,” he said, nodding toward the sofa. “I’m going to put your luggage in the guest room.” He vanished down the hallway. She sat on the black sectional, then placed her purse on the glass table and surveyed the room. Paintings of all kinds decorated the other three walls. Some were modern with splashes of colors. Others landscapes, and the ones the wall closest to her were portraits. Her eyes rested on a rather formal picture drawing of a man who looked qui
Victoria felt warm all over. Not feverish warmth, but a warm, tingly sensation running up her arms, over her breasts, and down her legs. It felt like a hand skimming over her body, leaving delicious trails of heat wherever it went. Soft, firm lips pressed tender kisses alongside her neck. One kiss touched her tattoo. An explosive bolt of pleasure shot through her body, from her hair to the tips of her toes. She moaned. The kisses continued down her neck and along her throat. Hands massaged her breasts, and her nipples tightened. Then magical lips replaced the hands and suckled her breasts. She grasped and jumped as theunfamiliar sensations wreaked havoc on her body. She moaned again as teeth grazed her nipples and sucked gently. A warm, rough tongue traced her areola. She went mindless with pleasure. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into liquid brown intensity. “Ivan?” she whispered. She couldn’t believe her friend was responsible forthe pleasure coursing through
van opened his eyes as he receded from Victoria’s mind. He looked down at his hands, surprised to see they were shaking. Shock flowed through him. He could not believe what had just transpired between him and the woman in the next room. Their coupling had blown him apart. He had never in his life lost controlwith a female. He had always been in charge during issanvi, never breaking a sweat, demanding and totally in charge. He had lost himself in Victoria, unable to control his body. His manhood had acted like it had a mind of its own. It had to be the most mind-blowing experience in his life. That was only the issanvi. He dropped his head in his still-trembling hands. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact she was his mate, that fact revealed when he saw the unmistakable copper glow surrounding her body, then spotted the same copper glow surrounding his body as well. Why did Sarim’s daughter have to be his mate? But that was the least of his worries. He would be surprised if she
Zanhoden sat in the head seat at the empty Imvura Council table. He had a lot of things to think about since the meeting with his son. Revenge was so close he could taste its honey. He had waited so long, planned and plotted for decades to get to this point. The fact his soon-to-be daughter-in-law was a DaliliNakissa was an added bonus. Getting Sarim’s heir pregnant was a brilliant move, and even though he’d stressed to his son the importance of doing so, he was never sure Khafil would actually complete the task and certainly not on the first try. He reined his excitement in. First, it had to be determined she was impregnated. Then he would celebrate the success. But he knew if she wasn’t—which was highly unlikely—she would be soon. Zanhoden, couldn't wait to shove his success in that bastard Sarim's face. He had instilled a strong sense of duty in his son at a young age. Khafil was his only son and next in line for the Imvura Council leadership. Khafil was indeed his legacy. He unde
She had had the most amazing dream last night. She felt her cheeks grow warm just thinking about it. She lazily looked around the room. The sun was streaming through the blinds, lighting up the room. She sat up and looked at the clock. It was only 6:00 a.m. She still had a couple of hours to get up and shower in order to catch her train. She laid back down. She still had plenty of time to think about her delicious dream.In her dream, she and Ivan had made love. No, it went past simple love- making. They had burned up the sheets. She wasn’t that sexually experienced, but based on what she’d read in women’s magazines or seen on talk shows, sex like that was not an ordinary occurrence. It was what people strived for. In the dream, they’d set each other’s bodies on fire. Ivan had gotten so hot he glowed. She blushed again and wondered if she’d been glowing as well. She remembered vividly how her body had shaken with pleasure and how she’d screamed Ivan’s name.How would she able to look