First Look at Book 3
Hi everyone! I promised to have a peek at book 3 up so I am living up to that promise. It is still early in the revision/editing process but I wanted to give my readers a little peek. I hope you enjoy it, although fair warning - it does refer to events in Book 2!
I had explained to Mary Anne and Jeffrey about seeing Gregory again, and they had accepted my account warily. I did not tell them about the voices or dreams. Having attempted to tell Samuel about it several times, I had learned to keep the information between Kali and me. All three of them believed my sanity is fragile at best, although I suspected Samuel thought I was completely insane now.
Mary Anne and I talked regularly, while Jeffrey still only spoke a few words to me. Actually, it was she who was teaching me Italian. I found out quickly that no one in Florence spoke English. Actually, they thought anything English was pretty much venom.
Matthew still wasn’t living with us. About a year ago he started coming by occasionally, but it was only to see Samuel, and they left soon after he arrived. I never tried to get close, fearing what reaction I might receive from him, especially considering that we were still connected through the ka-tet.
Yes, that’s right. Five years later, members not speaking to each other, and the ka-tet still holds. I am sure Matthew’s thrilled; considering anytime he was at the villa his thoughts were shielded. I could still pick up a stray emotion sometimes. If I really wanted to I probably could read some of his thoughts or track him with the ka-tet, but that hardly seemed worth the trouble. Really, how could I damn him for not wanting to deal with me after what I had done?
Samuel’s and my relationship had continued to deteriorate at an almost alarming rate. When we arrived five years ago, he would still carry on a halfway decent conversation with me. Now though, he would barely say five words to me. He would have been the logical choice to teach me and the children Italian, except that Samuel had stubbornly refused. Like Matthew, he was still connected to the rest of us through the ka-tet, although it was hard to believe sometimes. Matthew shielded his thoughts quite well, Samuel shielded perfectly. Thoughts, emotions, everything. Actually, it wasn’t just me he did not talk to; he had withdrawn from everyone but Matthew.
Tonight, I sat in my room as I usually did nowadays; staring at a wilted white rose I had placed on the table a few days ago. It was my tribute to my soulmate Adam, the anniversary of his death having passed seemingly unnoticed by anyone but me. With a sigh, I wiped a few tears from my cheek. I missed him terribly, although I questioned if I had any right to mourn after the destruction I had caused. For the millionth time in five years, I wondered why the ka-tet was still intact and why I was still alive.
A soft knock startled me out of my maelstrom of dark thoughts. It seemed to echo through the empty villa. Nobody was home tonight. They had all left shortly after sunset, separately. Other than Stephen who was going to a tavern, I had no idea where any of them went. I was not privy to that information anymore.
“Julia? Are you awake?”
“Yes,” I answered as I recognized Kali’s voice. She was now fifteen and had turned into a slender pretty young woman. Neither I nor the others quite knew what to think of her because, despite her age, she seemed more like our equal in both maturity and to a lesser degree, in power.
My door opened slightly and Kali slipped inside, carefully closing it behind her. She turned to me, studied the rose on my end table, and sat down on my bed. “How are you feeling?”
I glanced at her from the chair in front of the table. “I’m alive,” I answered with a sigh.
She smoothed the skirts of her simple black dress and said, “Thinking of Adam again, I see.”
A couple yellowish petals came off in my hand as I shrugged. There was no point in answering her, she already knew. “What do you want, Kali?” I questioned tiredly.
“Have you had any other dreams? Or have you heard the voices again?”
I closed my eyes and thought, There’s the Kali I know. All business when what I really want is a friend. “No, Kali. There have been no dreams or voices. At least, not dreams like that.”
“Have you had any strange dreams lately?”
Turning in my chair, I glared into her gray eyes. “I have only had dreams about my own foolhardiness. I can assure you that I am perfectly sane at the moment.”
“I never said you were not sane, Julia.”
“You are the only one,” I mumbled as I watched her. She was still, her hands clasped in her lap. She smiled slightly, her posture relaxed as she regarded me in turn.
“Have you tried to explain the dreams and voices to one of the other vampires?”
“You know I have. Samuel only thinks I am crazier afterwards.”
“Have you ever considered that you are trying to explain it to the wrong person?”
“I am quite certain Mary Anne and Jeffrey would be inclined to agree with Samuel if I try,” I replied and picked up the half-dead rose again. My thoughts drifted back to the last time I remembered being happy, the last time Adam and I had danced together at the White Hart Inn. If I closed my eyes, I could almost feel his hands on mine.
“Julia?” I looked blankly at Kali as I realized I had missed what else she had said entirely. “What if you tried?”
“Tried what? I am sorry, my mind was somewhere else,” I replied.
Kali frowned slightly. “What if you tried talking to Matthew about it?”
Studying her face, I waited for the laugh, a trace of a smile to show she was jesting. The expression on her face remained solemn, the frown deepening. Good Lord, the girl was serious. And they think I am the insane one.
I matched her frown. “How much wine did you have tonight, Kali? You are either drunk or more delusional than I am.”
“Neither, I am afraid,” she answered.
I had explained to Mary Anne and Jeffrey about seeing Gregory again, and they had accepted my account warily. I did not tell them about the voices or dreams. Having attempted to tell Samuel about it several times, I had learned to keep the information between Kali and me. All three of them believed my sanity is fragile at best, although I suspected Samuel thought I was completely insane now.
Mary Anne and I talked regularly, while Jeffrey still only spoke a few words to me. Actually, it was she who was teaching me Italian. I found out quickly that no one in Florence spoke English. Actually, they thought anything English was pretty much venom.
Matthew still wasn’t living with us. About a year ago he started coming by occasionally, but it was only to see Samuel, and they left soon after he arrived. I never tried to get close, fearing what reaction I might receive from him, especially considering that we were still connected through the ka-tet.
Yes, that’s right. Five years later, members not speaking to each other, and the ka-tet still holds. I am sure Matthew’s thrilled; considering anytime he was at the villa his thoughts were shielded. I could still pick up a stray emotion sometimes. If I really wanted to I probably could read some of his thoughts or track him with the ka-tet, but that hardly seemed worth the trouble. Really, how could I damn him for not wanting to deal with me after what I had done?
Samuel’s and my relationship had continued to deteriorate at an almost alarming rate. When we arrived five years ago, he would still carry on a halfway decent conversation with me. Now though, he would barely say five words to me. He would have been the logical choice to teach me and the children Italian, except that Samuel had stubbornly refused. Like Matthew, he was still connected to the rest of us through the ka-tet, although it was hard to believe sometimes. Matthew shielded his thoughts quite well, Samuel shielded perfectly. Thoughts, emotions, everything. Actually, it wasn’t just me he did not talk to; he had withdrawn from everyone but Matthew.
Tonight, I sat in my room as I usually did nowadays; staring at a wilted white rose I had placed on the table a few days ago. It was my tribute to my soulmate Adam, the anniversary of his death having passed seemingly unnoticed by anyone but me. With a sigh, I wiped a few tears from my cheek. I missed him terribly, although I questioned if I had any right to mourn after the destruction I had caused. For the millionth time in five years, I wondered why the ka-tet was still intact and why I was still alive.
A soft knock startled me out of my maelstrom of dark thoughts. It seemed to echo through the empty villa. Nobody was home tonight. They had all left shortly after sunset, separately. Other than Stephen who was going to a tavern, I had no idea where any of them went. I was not privy to that information anymore.
“Julia? Are you awake?”
“Yes,” I answered as I recognized Kali’s voice. She was now fifteen and had turned into a slender pretty young woman. Neither I nor the others quite knew what to think of her because, despite her age, she seemed more like our equal in both maturity and to a lesser degree, in power.
My door opened slightly and Kali slipped inside, carefully closing it behind her. She turned to me, studied the rose on my end table, and sat down on my bed. “How are you feeling?”
I glanced at her from the chair in front of the table. “I’m alive,” I answered with a sigh.
She smoothed the skirts of her simple black dress and said, “Thinking of Adam again, I see.”
A couple yellowish petals came off in my hand as I shrugged. There was no point in answering her, she already knew. “What do you want, Kali?” I questioned tiredly.
“Have you had any other dreams? Or have you heard the voices again?”
I closed my eyes and thought, There’s the Kali I know. All business when what I really want is a friend. “No, Kali. There have been no dreams or voices. At least, not dreams like that.”
“Have you had any strange dreams lately?”
Turning in my chair, I glared into her gray eyes. “I have only had dreams about my own foolhardiness. I can assure you that I am perfectly sane at the moment.”
“I never said you were not sane, Julia.”
“You are the only one,” I mumbled as I watched her. She was still, her hands clasped in her lap. She smiled slightly, her posture relaxed as she regarded me in turn.
“Have you tried to explain the dreams and voices to one of the other vampires?”
“You know I have. Samuel only thinks I am crazier afterwards.”
“Have you ever considered that you are trying to explain it to the wrong person?”
“I am quite certain Mary Anne and Jeffrey would be inclined to agree with Samuel if I try,” I replied and picked up the half-dead rose again. My thoughts drifted back to the last time I remembered being happy, the last time Adam and I had danced together at the White Hart Inn. If I closed my eyes, I could almost feel his hands on mine.
“Julia?” I looked blankly at Kali as I realized I had missed what else she had said entirely. “What if you tried?”
“Tried what? I am sorry, my mind was somewhere else,” I replied.
Kali frowned slightly. “What if you tried talking to Matthew about it?”
Studying her face, I waited for the laugh, a trace of a smile to show she was jesting. The expression on her face remained solemn, the frown deepening. Good Lord, the girl was serious. And they think I am the insane one.
I matched her frown. “How much wine did you have tonight, Kali? You are either drunk or more delusional than I am.”
“Neither, I am afraid,” she answered.
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