Lost in Shadows Read online

  Table of Contents

  Lost in Shadows

  Copyright

  Also by Courtney Shockey

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Acknowledgements

  Read on

  COPYRIGHT © 2016 Courtney Shockey

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced to a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner of the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, singers, actors, lyrics, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Also by Courtney Shockey

  Selene’s Pass Trilogy

  The Cover of Love

  The Shadow of Hope

  The Memories of Joy

  (Coming Soon)

  Nightmares

  Children of Darkness

  Children of Darkness: Genesis

  (Coming soon)

  Children of Darkness: Progeny

  (Coming soon)

  Other Books By The Author

  Lost in Shadows

  (Hearts and Daggers Anthology, releasing as standalone)

  “No…run, baby…” I mumbled as I tossed and turned in bed. Images of the love of my life running through a dense forest blurred in my head. He was drenched in sweat with a look of pure terror etched on his face, chased by a beautiful, sleek panther.

  My legs were stuck in quicksand some distance ahead of him. I was useless; unable to help him in any way. I watched in horror as the magnificent beast behind him pounced. The next few seconds stretched on for hours. I saw the bunched muscles in its legs release as it flew high in the air.

  A vibrating snarl cut through the air as its mouth opened, claws extended, and Malcolm’s eyes squeezed shut. Sharp teeth clamped onto his shoulder and deadly paws wrapped around his body. He yelled as they tumbled to the ground.

  My torso shot off the bed as his screams echoed in my head. Chest heaving with labored breath, I searched the room for any sign of him. My heart hammered through my ribs, and I disentangled my sweaty limbs from the sheets and jumped from the bed. My head pounded, my skull threatening to crack open when I flicked the lights on.

  My brain screamed at me to remember something, but processing that was useless. My body, heart, and soul were frightened to the point of panic. My feet slapped against the ceramic tiles through the house in search of him.

  My eyes caught sight of the calendar on the wall; big, red letters scrawled on the bottom of the month and a circle wrapped around them. He’s overseas. He’s helping make a difference for a small troubled town in this big world. He’ll be home soon.

  My knees buckled as relief swept through me. I grabbed the counter for support and sought a glass. I filled it with water before downing the contents. My head hung over the sink as I fought for control of my erratic breathing. I needed to hear his voice. He was the only one who could calm me down when my emotions got the best of me.

  With hurried strides I made my way to the bedroom to get my phone from the night stand. I lifted it to my ear after pressing a series of buttons and listened to the ringing on the other end. He’s not answering. Is he okay? Why does he have to be gone from me for so long?

  “Good morning, my lovely Jasmine,” he said.

  The breath I’d been holding whooshed from my lungs at the sound of him. “Malcolm, thank God you’re okay.” I rubbed a hand down my face as tears stung my eyes.

  “Another bad dream?” He sounded concerned and warmth instantly filled my heart.

  “Yes. I miss you so much, baby. I know it’s for a good cause and everything, but this is the longest you’ve been away,” I whined. I hated whining, but I felt so raw from the vivid, horrible dream. There was nothing I wanted more than him home and holding me.

  He chuckled lightly, sending butterflies off low in my body. Jesus, I miss this man. “It’s not much longer now and I’ll be there, holding you. I miss you too, my heart. I have the date circled on my calendar,” he said. I heard rustling on the other end and wondered if I interrupted his work. “Nineteen days until I get on the plane.”

  “And I’ll be here waiting for you to land. I’m sorry, sweetheart. Did I interrupt anything? I just needed to hear you, and I didn’t think to text first to see if you were busy,” I blabbered on.

  He laughed again. “No, you didn’t interrupt anything. The rain is pretty bad today and is keeping everyone away for the time being. I’m just glad I still have signal in this monsoon.”

  “That bad, huh?” My poor fiancé. I would keep him dry and warm. I closed my eyes as the image of us wrapped around each other formed in in my mind.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty bad. But, did I just hear you sigh? I know what kind of sigh that was. What are you thinking about?” He practically purred on the other end.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I giggled and the panic that consumed me only moments before was now a distant memory. “Tell me about your day.” I turned on the bathroom light and filled the tub with water and rose oils. Meanwhile, Malcolm told me about his day and what he looked forward to most when he would finally come home.

  I set the phone on the counter and stripped off my sweat-soaked clothes, tossing them into the hamper. With him on speaker phone, I sank into the sweet smelling water until every inch of me was submerged. I broke the surface and heard soft chuckles.

  “Do you have enough WiFi to video chat?” My mind raced with wicked thoughts while my sensitive body prickled with awareness.

  “I’m sorry, my beauty, but with the rain come tents full of people. No privacy here,” he whispered.

  My lips curved into a sad smile. “It’s okay, my beast. It would only be a tease, anyway. Besides, there would be way too much for people to see over there. I don’t have any bubbles in this bath so you can see everything...”

  He cursed. “What were you saying about teasing? Because behind my eyelids, I can see everything,” he ground out. I could picture his jaw clenching and his head dropping back as he closed his eyes. It fueled my desire.

  “Everything? Can you see the little design I did for you?” I held in the laugh threatening to bubble out as I looked down at my bare, smooth skin.

  He growled and I sucked in a breath. I forgot what that sound could do to me. I heard him shuffling around on the other end of the line and my body grew taught with anticipation. Curiosity had my ear straining to hear the sounds on the other end of the line clearly so my mind could picture exactly what he was doing. A few seconds of intense listening later I still had no idea what was going on.

  “Malcolm? What are you doing?” I nibbled on my nail as I waited for his response.

  “Hold on, my beauty,” he rumbled.

  Voices in the background grew louder until they were all shouting. My hand clenched on the phone as my stomach tightened. “Malcolm, what’s going on? Why is everyone yelling?”

  “I’m not sure, my beauty. I need to get off the phone so I can understand them. I’ll call you back shortly. I love you,” he said quickly. His breathing changed from heavy with passion to sharp and unsteady with some unknown emotion.

&n
bsp; “I love you, too, my beast. Be safe and please call me back,” I rushed out.

  “I will,” he replied then ended the call.

  The bath water was cooling and a shiver rolled through me. I looked around the bathroom, while my mind attempted to process what I heard over the phone. My body trembled, but not from the cold. It could be anything or nothing. Stop panicking and get out of the tub.

  I looked at my phone and noticed quite some time had passed since I woke up from the horrible dream. I stepped out of the tub and grabbed the plush towel from the handle on the wall. After I dried my body, I wrapped the robe around me and turned on the blow dryer.

  Quick glances at my phone let me know Malcolm had not called me back. Keep getting ready. He’ll call you as soon as he can. I nodded at my reflection and turned the doorknob to my closet off from the master bath. With winter in full swing, I pulled on my favorite, warm outfit; my black sweater with emerald, swirling designs and emerald tank top.

  My mind couldn’t take the silence anymore, so I touched a few icons on my phone until the sound of violins filled the room. I brushed my teeth then applied makeup, peeking at my phone constantly. Makeup finished, I brushed my hair and smoothed serum down the strands to keep frizz away.

  With one last look in the mirror to check myself over, I exited the room and zoomed down the stairs. I entered the garage through the door at the bottom of the stairs and pressed the key against the wall, starting the car to warm it up. Once I was back to the main level, I popped a bagel in the toaster and made a cup of coffee. My jacket fit perfectly over my arms, cinched at the waist, and flared over my hips. I spread strawberry cream cheese over the crisp bagel and bit into it. With my nerves being so fragile this morning, I couldn’t savor the deliciously simple meal. I scarfed it down and left the house with no message from my beast.

  I pushed the button on my steering wheel for voice command and called him again. No ring this time. His voicemail message played through the speakers of my car as I parked in the lot next to the designer cupcake shop I owned. The beep bounced around in the small space. “Hey, my beast. I just wanted to check on you because I haven’t heard back yet. I love you. Call me soon.”

  I ended the call and stuffed my hands into the waiting leather gloves hidden in my jacket pocket, tightened the scarf around my neck, and slipped out into the harsh wind. My hair whipped in all directions as I ran to the door. Unlocking it had never taken so long, but I finally got it open after four attempts. I quickly shut the door behind me and ran over to the thermostat to crank up the heat.

  “Let’s get this distraction going,” I said aloud. My inventory list of flavors was sitting on my desk from yesterday and I checked it over, making note of what to bake first.

  I mixed batters, baked, and decorated for three hours before I unlocked the front door. The top hits played through the speakers softly as I set up the last display on the counter. I checked my phone and sighed as no notifications popped up on the screen. A woman walked through the door with a smile. And the day begins.

  The day flew by in a blur and before I knew it, evening had settled. In the back of the store, I was taking inventory of ingredients and supplies when the bell chimed. I walked to the front, finishing the notes, and set the clipboard by the cash register. I looked up and saw Malcolm’s mother in front of me.

  “Hey, Nancy. How are you?” I asked as I came around the counter and gave her a big hug.

  She squeezed me for a moment then released me. “I’m alright. Carl’s knee is giving him problems again so he stayed at home. I’m running the errands today.” She rolled her eyes and I laughed.

  “Well, at least you don’t have to lug him around in the cold. I’ll bring over the peppermint oil if you ran out,” I offered. Carl, Malcolm’s father, thought he was still a young buck and did any active thing he could to prove it. Sadly, his muscles and bones couldn’t keep up all the time.

  Nancy laughed softly and patted my elbow. “Sweet girl. I just picked some up at the store, but thank you for that. Only a few days left until Malcolm comes home! How is he? I missed his call yesterday and he hasn’t called today.”

  The smile that had spread across my face instantly disappeared at the mention of him. I still hadn’t heard anything from him, but I didn’t want to worry her. “I spoke to him this morning. It was raining really hard all day so the reception was poor. Maybe he’ll be able to call us tomorrow or something.”

  “Oh, no. I hope the rain isn’t too bad. Well, he is a doctor so they should have him in a safe place. I’m sure he’ll call as soon as he can. Alright, sweetie, I have to get out of here. I still have two more stops before I get to go home,” she said as she hugged me again.

  I held her tightly and smiled when we broke apart. “Thanks for stopping by! We’ll have to set something up soon so I can see both of you. Give me a call and let me know when you have a free day.”

  She cupped my cheek. “You’re such a sweet girl. I’ll call you soon. Love you,” she called over her shoulder as she opened the door and walked out.

  I locked the door behind her and finished my checklist of supplies and ingredients. The inventory count was done within a few minutes because most of the cupcakes were gone. There were a couple of flavors left, but overall, I was cleaned out. It had been a very busy day for me.

  I counted out the register and put the profit in the safe. Three envelopes were sitting in there. I really need to make a deposit drop, but it can wait until tomorrow. I closed the safe and put everything away. I didn’t open the store on Saturday or Sunday mornings so I would have time to run errands for the store. Emily Jones, my second in command, opened for me on those days. I gave her every other Friday off so she could have a life, and she never had to close the shop with me unless it was a really busy day.

  As I locked the door for the day and pressed the remote start, my phone rang in my pocket. Excitement blossomed in my stomach as I fumbled with my keys and phone in my gloved hands. I was so flustered that I didn’t even look before I answered it. “Malcolm! Oh my geez, I’ve been worried sick all day!”

  A small, female voice cleared its throat on the other end. “Not Malcolm, Jasmine. I’m sorry. I’m guessing you didn’t look at the caller ID before you answered,” Emily said.

  Disappointment crushed the fluttering in my stomach. I pushed the button to unlock the car door and slipped inside. “Sorry, Emily. What’s up?”

  “I was calling to check on you. I drove by earlier today and saw a line inside. You know you can call me if you need me, right?” I could hear the smile I’m sure was plastered on her face.

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t keep a grin from tugging at my lips. “I handled it pretty well, I think. You’ll have a lot of baking in the morning. Our inventory is almost depleted. I’ll have to get ingredients in the morning,” I said as I checked my watch. I have enough time to run by the pizza place and get coffee! Healthy, I know. I warmed my hands as the heated air blew through the vents of my car.

  She whistled into the phone. “Sounds like you were super busy today. Alright, I’ll make sure to be on time for once. Thanks for the chat. Bye, boss lady,” she laughed.

  “I knew I should’ve gotten those cameras installed. Then you wouldn’t be able to butter me up with pretty lies,” I giggled. “Have a great evening, girl.”

  I reversed the car from its spot, changed my mind about the pizza, and drove home. An empty feeling in my stomach made me uncomfortable the whole drive there. When I closed the garage and opened the door to the stairs, I heard the phone ringing. Who called the house phone anymore?

  I hurried up the stairs and answered the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hello, is this Jasmine Marlo?”

  “Yes...”

  A hand smoothed over my arm and down my thigh. “Wake up, my beauty.” His hands continued touching me softly, lovingly.

  That voice. I know that voice. Open your eyes! My mind screamed to wake up, but my eyes were stuck together. My eyebro
ws pulled together as I tried to open them again and again with no success. I brought a hand up and rubbed my fingers across the crease of my eye, feeling the crust sealing it together.

  Something warm and wet was being pressed against my other eye and I flinched. “Let me clean it for you.”

  My lip trembled as I waited for my eyes to be cleared enough to open them. When the warmth cleaned the gunk off one eye, I decided to wait patiently for the other to look at my beast.

  Once he was done with my eyes, he moved to my nose and around my mouth. “Am I that bad off?” My voice cracked and my throat was sore. What was wrong with me? Did I get sick?

  His soft chuckle rippled over my skin like water. “You’re the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, my beauty. Now, open your eyes.”

  Obeying his soft command, my lids fluttered open. Everything was blurry at first in the soft light of the bedside lamp, but a few seconds later I was able to focus. His bright green eyes, the color of emeralds, were dancing with joy. Luscious, full lips were curved into a beautiful smile. I reached up to touch that perfect face, needing to know it wasn’t a dream.

  My finger dipped into his dimple and I cried out, pulling him to me. Half words and cries of pure joy blubbered out incoherently as I kissed every part of his body I could reach. His lips did the same to my skin and our tears mingled together, smearing over each other.

  After what seemed like seconds, my alarm clock rang signaling four in the morning. My hand fumbled around on the side table until the sound was silenced. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and pressed against his chest. “You’re early, but I’m not complaining at all!”

  His laugh rattled my frame and I joined him. “I had to be here for Valentine’s Day.”

  Thank the heavens above for Valentine’s Day! “That’s not until tomorrow,” I responded.

  He shrugged and we both laughed. My hands traveled down his back, slowly taking everything in. His physique didn’t change a bit from the last time I had him in my arms. His shoulders were firm and ticked under my light touches. I could feel the dip of his spine through the shirt he wore, and I traced it from the base of his neck to the slight curve right above the hem of his boxer briefs.