Trouble no. 2 RavenCroft Collection

Uh, oh.

That can’t be good.

We have an extremely emotionally stunted man who is inexperienced where women are concerned and who hasn’t had a date with one since sweet little Stacey Lynn died fourteen years before.

We also have a drop dead gorgeous woman who thinks she’s escaped the clutches of a stalker who, in fact, managed to chase her all the way from Dalton, Massachusetts to spike her drink with ecstasy.

Clearly, this is a recipe for disaster.

But the real question here is this. Was the stalker intending for Sareena to be taken home by someone else? Kalabernus, for example?

Somehow I have the feeling that stalker of hers screwed up. What do you think? And what do you think this guy is going to do upon realizing that Kalabernus is making off with his woman?

I can’t imagine anything good is going to come of any of this but you’re sure to find out soon enough. Until then, what I should probably clarify for you, is that this poor woman, Sareena Davis, has been trying to gain freedom from her stalker for over five years now. After what happened to her old roommate back in Massachusetts about a month ago, fear propelled her to make some drastic decisions, and thereby changes, in her life. One of which was moving cross country to Loveland, Colorado from her life-long home with little to no warning to anyone.

You might be wondering, why Colorado?

That’s answered easily enough.

You see, up to that point, Sareena’s entire life had been on the East Coast. She was born there, raised there, and buried her sister then later her parents there. She even went to college there. But…

…one of her college friends was from Loveland, Colorado which is a fact only a handful of people knew. And Sareena had been smart enough to stay in touch with Angela Powers periodically over the years. So, when Sareena first thought to escape her stalker, she joked with Angela during one of her weekly phone conversations about pitching a tent in Angela’s back yard. From there the idea bloomed and a plan was hatched. Problem was, as much as Sareena tried to keep everyone from suspecting her plan and where she was going, somehow the stalker got tipped off.

Boy, was he mad when he found out.

What do you think such a terrible, sick, and twisted individual does when they get mad?

Stir up ‘trouble,’ of course.

And we most definitely have some ‘trouble’ brewing.

Cause our stalker left the bar without Sareena Davis at his side as he’d originally planned after seeing her leave with Kalabernus. So naturally this guy is mad as…

Well… I think you know where I’m going with that. You feel free to fill in the blank as you see fit because the author doesn’t want me swearing in this here book of hers. Sheesh!

Anyway, as I was saying, the stalker is livid beyond reason. It doesn’t help that he has a bunch of shadows messing with his head either. One thing is for sure, things are about to get messy because he already knows where Kalabernus is being directed to take her. What he doesn’t fully understand yet, is who owns it.

Hhhmmm. Now, why would that matter?

Incidentally, I feel I should probably warn you that we’re about to get into some pretty inappropriate behavior here. And you’ll likely find that this seems to become a running theme within the many stories of the RavenCroft family. Understand, I am by no means attempting to perpetuate bad behavior by sharing these series of events. What I am trying to do is point out that nowadays, people tend to create some pretty challenging situations for each other to have to attempt to overcome. I think you’ll find that most people have a questionable past in one form or another and that there are very few, if any, people out there without secrets whose life is completely without sin. Sorry folks, no better way of putting it than that.

The RavenCroft’s are not bad people. What they are, however, is human, and therefore, often flawed in their thinking and actions. What soon becomes clear is that Kalabernus and even Sareena, for that matter, are particularly screwed up. In large part as the result of outside influences such as, I don’t know, maybe a stalker and shadowy demonic creatures? I would imagine you’ll start to understand better why this is, as the story progresses, so please be patient and wade past anything you might find a bit offensive. Because the actions of the individuals involved are more than just questionable. In fact, they’re morally wrong. But to understand how and why they find themselves in so much ‘trouble,’ you need to have a bit of background. And some of it is likely going to be a little hard for some of you to swallow.

But then again, life is often a lot messier than what we’d like it to be. Wouldn’t you agree?

Kalabernus promptly took off from Shenanigan’s in the general direction Sareena pointed him. By then she was acting giddy and playful so it was a bit of a challenge for him to get her to tell him where he needed to go from there. After several minutes of prodding, he finally managed to learn the exact location and address of her home. He nearly skidded off the road in surprise when he discovered where she lived.

The woman he was driving home had apparently rented his cabin from his father by way of the rental agency. Kalabernus was pleased to be taking her home to where he still deemed as his home, even though he no longer actually lived there. The conversation on the drive there had been light but fun, leaving him marginally hopeful that he might be invited in for a cup of coffee. She seemed awfully nice and he couldn’t help but be reminded of sweet Stacey Lynn. His heart tugged at the memory and his attention was drawn back to the road. He was determined to get her home safely.

After pulling in the drive and parking near the garage, he walked her to her door and assisted her into the house when she kept stumbling on her heeled boots. Asking him to stay for a bit, Sareena giggled while twirling about the living room, declaring happily that she was free. Chuckling at her behavior and unsure what to do next he’d simply watched her as she struggled out of her coat. Her jean jacket sleeve became stuck on her arm and she laughed, throwing her arm out toward him.

“It’s stuck!” Sareena said, her eyes blinking slowly. “Help,” she pleaded, giving the appearance of helplessness. She gazed up at him imploringly and he found he couldn’t resist. Grinning, his fingers wrapped around her arm and he gently plied the jacket off the rest of the way.

Staggering away, still wearing her heeled boots, she headed toward the patio. Kalabernus chuckled. She’d admitted in the vehicle on the way home that she wasn’t normally prone to wearing footwear with heels but she’d seen the boots in the store window and had fallen in love. Clearly, she needed more practice walking in them.

“Where are you going?”

“Hot tub. Join me!” she called back.

Not fully aware of what she was doing and feeling very relaxed, she began to strip as she walked away. Humming softly, she threw her shirt aside and began unbuckling her belt buckle.

Kalabernus’s jaw dropped. Was it possible this woman wanted him to stay with her; as in sleep with her?

Hesitant, he followed her and stood in the patio doorway, astonished to see she’d completely undressed. Initially, he turned to leave, thinking he shouldn’t be seeing her like this. His back to her, he pinched his eyes closed in frustration, the sight of her body imprinted upon his eyelids. Sweat beaded upon his brow as he turned back and caught the full view of her once again. She stood unabashedly in the hot tub, gazing out onto the lawn through the patio doors. He wiped at his forehead feverishly, having become uncomfortably warm at the sight of her. She was very pleasing to the eye. He supposed were he a better man that he should look away rather than drink his fill of her with his eyes. Kalabernus wrongfully rationalized his behavior away with the thought that if he were the sort to see and hear demons then he wasn’t ever meant to be a good man at all.

His reaction to her bared state was immediate and he struggled to tame his inner turmoil. It had obviously been way too long since he’d been with a woman. But then, because most women were afraid of him, he’d only ever had one sexual experience in his lifetime. And that foray had ended horribly. So he’d taken his father’s words about intimacy and marriage to heart and decided it was best to abstain from such activity. Truthfully, he craved more of an emotional level of relationship than a purely physical one. But he was a man after all and her beauty was quite evident.

Watching her for a little while from a distance couldn’t hurt anything, he thought, so he stood, leaning against the door jamb, appreciating the sight of her as she sat in the tub.

Kalabernus wasn’t stupid. He sensed the woman might be a little tipsy and knew he had no business messing with her if she was. She clearly wasn’t in her right mind now. If she were, she’d likely be running from him, screaming.

Eyes glazing over as he admired her beauty, Kalabernus suddenly realized her head was lolling back against the edge of the tub precariously. He straightened, sensing something was wrong as several shadows erupted unexpectedly from the corners of the patio. She seemed to be having difficulty keeping her eyes open. An alarm went off in his head when he saw her head sliding down into the water.

“She’s not your concern!” he heard a dark spirit hissing as Kalabernus took off toward the hot tub. His sure-footed steps across the patio were swift and quiet. The cool night air drifting in through the open patio window began to clear the fantasies from his head. With each frantic step toward her, he could see her eyes growing heavier until finally they lost their battle and closed over those pretty gray eyes. Panic seized him as he watched the back of her head slide into the water.

“What’s one more woman?” the shadow Zalman croaked next to his ear as he plunged into the water.

“Let her go, Kalabernus!” the dark spirit called Fallon spoke as it soared over his head and around him, as though attempting to bar him from the woman. Lifting her head up by her neck with his right hand Kalabernus placed his left arm under her knees and lifted her up out of the water. Her weight in his arms surprised him slightly. She’d appeared lighter than what she was, not that it was an issue. He was a very strong man and could still easily carry her.

“Fat witch! Only one thing they’re good for!” Zalman howled, cackling hoarsely. The shadows converged, floating eerily around him attempting to encase him in their essence.

“Enough!” Kalabernus shouted, growing tired of their incessant presence.

He stepped out of the tub and glanced down at the woman in his arms. Her face was flushed and her body felt hot and wet to the touch. Kalabernus didn’t even notice he was wet. He stood there for what seemed like an hour staring down at her soft wet body.

Boy, did she have curves.

Staring blatantly and openly upon her, he imagined what it might be like to be intimate with her. His breathing became ragged and he lost all train of thought. What was he doing with this naked woman in his arms?

He had to lay her down.

Check her pulse.

Make sure she was still alive. Her head had fallen into the water after all.

But in the short span of time, he thought this, her soft gray eyes flitted open.

Sareena gazed up at Kalabernus through foggy eyes. Even viewing him in her groggy state she could see he was the most mind numbingly gorgeous man she’d ever known. Raising her free arm, she cupped his jaw tenderly in her hand and sighed against him.

“Leave her.” This time, it was Veranke who spoke as he swirled in front of Kalabernus and took the shape of a faceless man. “There are other women more beautiful. Willing and ready to be…”

“I wonder what it is about her that is frightening you so.” Kalabernus cut the fowl creature off, mumbling loudly to himself. He chose instead to ignore the dark shape as he gazed upon her delicate features.

“Who are you talking to Kalabernus?” Sareena whispered softly, her thick voice sending a thrill down his spine. The movement of her lips drew his attention and his mind went numb.

“The shadows,” he responded without thinking.

“Yes, sometimes the shadows talk to me, too,” she said sadly, not fully aware of her state of undress. Her mind kept shifting in and out, as though in a half waking, half sleeping state.

Suddenly the shadows began swirling and whirling around the room, chattering incessantly as though frightened by something they’d seen. They pummeled around the patio as if they were being chased, stopping in the corners as though having been trapped there. Then without warning, they fled from the patio, soaring out into the moonlit sky. The behavior of the shadows did not faze Kalabernus, though he watched them closely till they disappeared. They were tricky blighters and tended to make their presence known quite unexpectedly.

Thankful for the reprieve, however, brief it might be, he found he was now able to give the woman in front of him his full attention.

“Let’s get you to bed.” He spoke softly, his crystal clear blue eyes mere slits as he adjusted her carefully in his arms to a more secure hold and carried her from the patio. He was unconcerned by the water dripping from them to the hardwood floor as he padded down the hallway. His hands trembled as he held her, wanting to do more than just carry her down the hall to her room - his old room. But he knew he couldn’t do anything more then put her to bed, that he didn’t dare go any further then plant an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

Nuzzling against his warmth Sareena sighed once again. “Yes, take me to bed Kalabernus.”

Her words halted him at the bedroom doorway. Staring down at her, their eyes met and held for the longest time.

Was she fully lucid?

She appeared to be.

Kalabernus spoke low, his tone gravelly from repressed need and indecision. His conscience was chipping away at him. “Are… are you sure?” Excitement was building within him as a surge of blood rushed to his ears and to his head, clouding his better judgment.

“Hhhmm. Yes,” she responded, feeling sleepy. She was unaware she was answering an entirely different question, though in the back of her mind something was nagging at her.

Kalabernus left the doorway, carried her to the bed, and lay her upon it. He shifted away as though to leave, but she held him in place with the gentle touch of her hand, not wanting to be alone yet. In Kalabernus’s mind, she appeared acquiescent of his presence, of his touch, and he wanted nothing more than to please her in that way if she was truly agreeable. Though he knew he shouldn’t.

But was she agreeable?

No.

He shook his head violently, attempting to gain some semblance of control. What was wrong with him? No, no, no. He needed to cover her and leave, allowing her to sleep in peace.

Breathing heavily, he felt her lean in awkwardly toward him in the same moment he attempted to lean toward her to cover her with blankets. His left cheek brushed lightly against the soft skin of her jaw and his breath wafted near her ear. The sudden burst of heat at her presence so close to him sent his face flaming as though on fire. A tingling sensation ran the length of his spine causing his body to shake as hers trembled and a soft sound escaped her throat. He watched for any sign of reticence on her part, his gaze never wavering from her mesmerizing silvery eyes as his lips bore upon hers tentatively at first, then more intimately.