The Scarlett Legacy (Woodland Creek)(2)

Growing up in Paris had exposed her to so much beauty and culture, but this little town had grown on her. Something in the soil, trees, and air called to her. She’d never leave this magical place.

The day she had met Wes had been one of the greatest days of her life. She was all too eager to move to America with him and live in his beautiful mansion in the countryside. The reality was a bit different than what she’d imagined, but Wes was still the love of her life.

She looked down at her cell phone when a call came in.

Wes’ face appeared on her screen. Like Clark Kent he wore dark glasses, had dark hair and blue eyes. He was her perfect match. He happened to have the power to hurt her if she disobeyed him. Ironic that she married a man even more dangerous than her father had been.

But Wesley wasn’t any normal man, and a wizard’s love was a dangerous love.

“Hi,” she said, keeping her voice light and cheerful.

“Is it done?”

“It’s done.”

There was a moment of silence. Olivia’s shoulders tensed.

“Good,” he said. “What are you up to now?”

“I thought I’d go to the gym for some yoga.”

“Good,” Wes said. “I don’t want you to miss your class. We will celebrate our success tonight.”

“That would be lovely.”

“We will go to the Italian place in New Town that you like.”

“Thank you. I’ll wear the black dress you like.”

“I love you, Olivia.”

A tear stung her eyes. Only he could make her feel such strong emotions at hearing those words. Perhaps it was because Wes was the only person to ever say them to her.

“I love you too.”

“Olivia,” Wes said.

She wiped her eyes. “Yes?”

“You did a good thing today.”

“I know,” she said, both keeping their statements vague in case their phone calls were being screened and recorded. It wouldn’t be the first time the Scarlett family had been put under surveillance.

“Drive safely.”

“I will.”

They hung up and Olivia continued down the country road. The sun began to rise. It cast a stunning orange and red glow on the trees whose leaves had been transformed by autumn and stretched high toward the sky.

She bit her bottom lip as it began to tremble. She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. If she was going to cry she’d better do it now.

Wes didn’t respond well to tears. He never seemed to know what to do when people let their emotions show. She suspected he’d learned that from his father, Edward. It wasn’t Wes’ fault that his father had been into illegal activity. Cleaning up Edward’s mess seemed to rule both of their lives.

For him she’d poisoned the most powerful crime boss in Woodland Creek.

Now we wait, Olivia thought.

Would this end the war between the Prince family and the Scarlett’s?





BLOOD DRIPPED from his fingers.

Her blood.

At least Evie thought it was her blood. She couldn’t be sure, because this was a dream.

Evie clutched her wounded ribs and tried to scramble away. Her mind raced with spells and incantations that could save her life.

She couldn’t speak. It was as if her mouth had been sewn closed.

Parker was in bed with her. She screamed inside her head, praying he would wake her up. Evie knew her attempts to communicate were useless. It had never worked before. And so, her body remained paralyzed as she endured the agony of a premonition.

Evie gasped for breath as she crawled backward.

The man that stood before her was tall and beautiful. An eagle tattoo stretched up his neck to his chin.

Her dream man.

Literally.

She’d had this same dream every night since her father died. This was the first time the green-eyed stranger with the red hair had appeared in this dream.

She just couldn’t tell if he was there to help or harm her.

Her eyes pleaded when her voice would not come when called.

He just stood there, and stared at her. She wished she could make out the features of his face.

She tensed when he knelt down before her, smoke filling the dark basement around them.

You’re not supposed to feel pain in a dream but Evie could feel everything. To her it was more than a dream. Having the ability to tell the future through dreams was her curse. Not only did her premonitions scare the crap out of her, but when within them she could feel physical pain, and that stab wound stung like hell.

This was hell that she was living in. Forced to recount the horrible death her father had suffered, Evie now knew what it was like to be stabbed to death.

Daddy, she thought. The sadness overcame her, crippling her.

What she couldn’t understand was why her father wasn’t strong enough to defend himself. He was a wizard, a powerful one.

Hugh Prince shouldn’t have been able to defeat him. The stranger in her dream knew the answer.

Who are you?

Evie mouthed the question when her voice still wouldn’t come.

Instead of words, music notes floated from his mouth and into the air, and he transformed into a creature she’d never seen in real life before, a creature from myths and legends.

A Gryphon.