Forbidden Love, J.M.Hurley [thriller book recommendations TXT] 📗

he hoped and prayed that the pack would go hunting soon.Tori lie still for a moment, contemplating whether she should open her eyes or continue to stay frozen.

“We’re alone,” Randy said finally once he was positive the pack was out of hearing distance.

“Thank God,” Tori said with a gasp as her eyes popped open and she began tugging at the metal chains around her waist.

“Can you get these off of me?!” Tori exclaimed as the metal dug tighter into her stone like flesh.

“No, only Ted has the key, but I can pull you out of them,” Randy said as he walked over and bent down next to her. Sliding Tori’s shoes off, Randy grinned up at her.

“This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” she asked as he hooked his arms around her waist. Randy didn’t answer but instead tightened his grip on her torso. Wincing from the applied pressure, Tori held her breath as Randy began to back up, her feet slipping smoothly through the metal shackles on her ankles. Randy paused to stretch his arms out before tightening his grip once more.

“Yes, this is going to hurt,” he said with a sigh and didn’t give Tori a chance to grasp what he’d said as he began pulling her forcefully backwards. Tori gasped and grunted as the unusually sharp metal cut into her normally impenetrable skin, making her flesh burn like fire wherever it’s icy chains touched her.
Finally, Randy managed to pull her up and out of the retched chains and set her down on the cold stone floor.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he wiped his hand across his sweating brows.

“Why did they cut me?” she asked as she rubbed her raw, torn, stomach, the flesh red and oozing where the chains had touched her. Randy raised his eyebrows at her and walked over slowing to her side.

“Those chains are the least of your worries,” he said with a sigh as he began to pull the bottom of her top up. Slapping his hands away, Tori spat at him.

“How dare you! You, you pig!” she searched for the right words as she covered her chest with her arms.
Randy rolled his eyes and let a laugh escape his lips.

“You think this is funny, pervert?” she asked as she stood her ground and glared at him, “just because you helped me out doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass for that last little trick.” Randy’s grin faded as he shook his head back and forth.

“Would you calm down? I was only going to check your stab wound,” he insisted and Tori’s fluttering heart gave a jump.

“That’s right, they stabbed me…” she whispered absentmindedly as she pulled up her shirt and examined her torso wound. “How did I survive?” she asked in a hushed tone as she ran her fingers along the healing lines where the stake had pierced her ribcage just hours earlier.

“They must’ve had bad aim,” Randy said with a shrug as he picked up a pack from the stone floor and swung it over his shoulders.

“No, I’m positive it hit my heart. It must’ve! I was unconscious, and the only thing that can cause a thing like that to happen to a vampire is a stake to the heart,” Tori motioned to her already healing stomach as if this were proof.

Randy sighed and turned to face her, “Does it matter? I mean, you’re alive now and that’s all that counts.” Sighing, Tori gave a defeated nod and began to follow him out of the cave.

When they reached at the edge of the cave’s shade Tori felt an odd prickling sensation begin to take over her arms. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just odd, so she dismissed it with a shrug and continued to walk forward into the bright forest. Light trickled through the tree tops, sending down beams of bright, white light. They hit Tori’s skin with the intensity of a knife and Tori screamed. Gripping her burning arms, she dropped to the ground in pain. Randy frantically looked about their surroundings, hoping none of the wolves had hear her scream, before scooping Tori up into his arms and carrying her back into the shelter of the cave.

“What the hell just happened?!” Randy exclaimed as he bent down next to the sobbing Tori, “can’t you walk in the Sun?” Tori nodded weakly as she rubbed her still red arms.

“We’ve never had a problem with it before, we always just thought it was a myth, a stupid legend,” she replied as she leaned back against the cool walls of the cave to relieve her throbbing back.

“Well looks like it’s a problem now,” Randy said as he dug in his pack and retrieved a first aid kit. Opening it, he pulled out a burn ointment bottle and smeared the sticky contents over her aching arms and back.

“How am I going to escape?” Tori asked as once Randy was done applying the medicine.

“You’ll escape tonight, once the sun has set,” he said and Tori looked up at him with questioning eyes.

“Well what are we supposed to do until then?” she asked though she already knew the answer.

“Until then, we wait, and hope to God that we aren’t discovered…For both of our lives sake.” His last words made Tori shiver as she remembered the terrible ripping feeling of werewolf claws against her porcelain skin. Making a promise to herself, Tori stared up at the suddenly ominous looking Sun, I will not die tonight, and neither will Randy. No, tonight, if confronted, we will fight, and we won’t stop until we’ve won.

***

Slap! Mystica sighed as another tree branch whipped her sore forehead; her boots crunching in the dry leafs as she ducked under more branches. She wanted to turn back, to go home and curl up next to Anne Marie, to embrace the new relationship with her sister, to go shopping with Mark. More than anything, to go back to easy, somewhat normal life, but she knew there was one thing that she wouldn’t, couldn’t, change, Daniel. He was a part of her now, though a dangerous one at that, and it was he who kept her tromping through the depths of unknown, the thought of hearing his voice.

Perhaps he doesn’t even like you

, she thought to herself, but quickly pushed the thought from her mind, she couldn’t bear to think of that alternative. Pushing faster and farther through the woods, Mystica began to grow worried. Gripping the silver knife in her hand tighter, she paused to catch her breath. Opening her pack, she retrieved a packet of blood and ripped the top open with her extended fangs. As soon as the sweet iron tasting liquid hit her tongue, she was instantly rejuvenated. Taking one more sip before closing the pack up, she wiped her mouth clean and pulled the pony on her head tighter.

***

Daniel continued stare off into the woods at the place where he’d last seen Dakota, hoping that’d she’d make it out okay, but knowing she could take care of herself. Finally, after a mere few hours, he turned and began to walk back to the camp site when something caught his eye. A flash of hair, so blonde and fair that it was nearly white, swam into his field of vision. Thinking it was Dakota he kept walking then came to an abrupt halt, Dakota’s hair is longer than that, he stated silently. Turning slowly and walking silently, he snuck over closer to her. Mystica, he smiled as her name passed his mind, happy that with Ted gone he could finally give in to his obsession once more.

She pulled a pack of what looked like blood out of her backpack and took a long sip, Daniel wasn’t sure why, though he should be disgusted, he wasn’t, no, just simply fascinated.

“What does it taste like?” he asked before he could stop himself and suddenly wished he hadn’t spoken. Mystica whipped around and flashed her deadly gray eyes to meet his, at which they softened.

“You scared me,” she said quietly then, moving slowly, she lowered her guard and walked over to his side. Standing next to him, she was nearly a foot shorter and in comparison looked as fragile as a doll, but Daniel knew not to underestimate her, the Evan’s girls were about as innocent and helpless as a fierce jungle cat.

“You surprised me,” Mystica said again as she walked in slow careful circles, surrounding him like prey.

“No, you came looking for me,” he replied and Mystica stopped her pacing momentarily to stare at him, a smile playing on her lips.

“Where are the rest of the wolves?” she asked after pausing, and continued her long strides.

“Hunting, my guess is that they won’t be back for another two days or so,” Daniel responded and Mystica smiled.

“Look, I came here for one thing, and that’s to find my friend Tori,” Mystica replied and Daniel chuckled under his breath and took a step closer to her, grasping her arm so that she stopped pacing.

“Is that really all you came for?” he asked, his cinnamon sweet breath drowned her senses and made her knees wobble slightly.

“Yes, that’s all,” she whispered after some hesitation and Daniel nodded and dropped his arm.

“Well then, follow me; we can go scope out the campsite, see if we can find any clues.” Mystica nodded to show she understood and quickly followed behind him, all the while rethinking her last answer, and hoping she got another chance to answer differently.


Chapter 8

“So where is she again?” Blaze crossed his muscle enhanced arms as he stared intently at Mark.
Mark laughed nervously and gave a weak smile, “I already told you, Mystica just left for coffee, she’ll be back any minute.” Blaze resisted the urge to scream at Mark as he gave him a smile so fake that he, himself, didn’t believe it.

“Look, we both know I’m waiting till she gets back, so you might as well tell me the truth now and save us both a hassle,” Blaze sighed out of frustration as he slammed his fists down on the wooden table causing it to shake uncontrollably.

“I’ve told you the truth already,” Mark said stubbornly as he plopped back down on Mystica’s bed.

“Can’t I leave for my date already?” Mark asked in a whining tone once an unchanging ten minutes passed.

Blaze chuckled and shook his head, “I already told you, we’re both stuck here until she comes home, and since she’s getting coffee, that should be any minute, right?”

Mark sighed and nodded tiredly, “Right.” Anne Marie could be heard in the dining room, clanging pots around and fixing something for Grace, his spirits hopeful, Mark headed out of the bedroom and approached the young toddler.

“Hi Gracie!” he said with a start as he bent down and picked her up. “I have a surprise for you,” he whispered into her ear and Grace giggled with joy.

“A Surprise for me, what surprise?!” she giggled with excitement as she played with the ends of Mark’s hair.

“Well, it’s a big one, but in order for me to show you it, you have to convince the adults to let us go play,” Mark whispered and