Heaven and hell, p.19
Heaven & Hell, page 19
part #7 of The Gallows Series Series
“Oh, that,” Teri said, glancing her over. “How’s that going?”
She knew Suze had abstained from practicing magic to avoid ruining her position as a white magic witch. As far as magic was concerned, she may as well be human.
“It’s not,” Suze said, with a sigh. “I can’t do it. I know Pen isn’t obeying her orders. We can’t have two black witches in the triangle.”
Teri wasn’t surprised. “Does that really even matter?”
“It matters to me,” Suze snapped.
Of course it did. Teri sighed. Suze was far too tightly wound for her own good. “So, since the prophecy looks like it’s actually coming true this time wouldn’t now be a good time to…”
“I’m not talking about that,” Suze snapped, as if she knew where Teri was going with her line of enquiry.
“Fair enough,” Teri said, with a shrug. She glanced over at the bar. The half-fey bar tender with short pink hair was talking with a guy, flirting, it would seem. Sawyer was popular at Haven. She was also really into Suze, but her repressed white witch friend was still in a state of denial. It was too bad. Sawyer was about the only person she could think of who could actually make Suze loosen up.
Teri finished up her fifth drink. She took out her lipstick and reapplied it while Suze turned her gaze on her barely touched wine. The guy who’d been checking her out at the bar was standing at their table when Teri glanced up to see what was blocking the light from the dance floor. He was tall and built. She smiled in spite of herself when he gazed down at her.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, clearing his throat. “Want to dance?”
His shifty glances betrayed his nerves and endeared him to her, but she still wasn’t sure about doing anything tonight with a new guy. And this one was as fresh as they came. He definitely wasn’t someone she’d seen around.
“Okay,” she was surprised to hear herself say.
He offered his hand and she took it, standing up and letting him lead her to the dance floor without a glance at Suze. She knew her friend would only complain at being left to her own devices while Teri got off with some random guy.
He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pulled her in close, smiling as he slowly moved her around. She tried to smile back but her face froze. His warm body pressed close to hers felt too intense. All she could think about was Roman. She knew their relationship was impossible, but she wasn’t ready to let it go. She broke away from the mystery man, shaking her head.
“Sorry, I can’t…”
She walked back to Suze and sank her last mudslide in one deft movement. She put the glass down and shrugged at her friend.
“I have to go.” She grabbed her jacket and headed out, checking her phone and wondering if Shaun would still be up this late. After a second’s hesitation, she decided not to bother him, stuffing the phone back into her pocket and zipping it closed.
The slush on the ground made walking slightly hazardous, but she didn’t have anyone to hang on to so she adopted her patented quick, short pace and got moving. It was freezing out, but the walk warmed her up within a few minutes. The sounds of shuffling behind her made her tense up as she walked. She rushed as fast as she dared across the icy entrance to her street, not risking slowing down to look behind.
“Teri,” a man’s voice cut through the night.
She broke into a run, skidding and sliding but not stopping.
“Shit,” she hissed as she fumbled to get out her key.
“You can’t run,” her pursuer told her.
She turned at the sound of keys rattling. The keys she couldn’t find were in the hand of the random guy she’d danced with. She swallowed. “Who the hell are you?”
He smiled. “I’m guessing you won’t buy that I’m the man of your dreams.”
“Get real, creeper. Who sent you?” As if she couldn’t work it out. She frowned at him, backing away.
“Let’s just say I was sent to collect you,” he said, coming closer slowly. “I tried to make it easy on you, but you just had to play hard to get.”
She could see what he was now; his eyes weren’t a deep, dark brown at all, they were emerald green. His thoughts weren’t broadcasting openly, but she could hear them if she tried. She concentrated as he moved closer. He was Darklands. But he’d come through a mirror. Obviously, she thought, rolling her eyes at herself. If he’d been a spirit she wouldn’t have been able to see him and neither would anyone else, he had to have come through a mirror. He smirked as she backed into her own front door. He was going to take her to the Darklands. Adrian had sent him.
Fear froze her in place. What it meant that he’d sent for her chilled her to the bone. Adrian still wanted to use her to open the gates.
“Shit…” She fumbled to get her phone.
He reached out and grabbed hold of her wrist. A flush of desire rushed through her body, making her shake and shudder. When he pressed against her she didn’t push him away. She knew where he wanted to take her and a thrill ran through her at the thought of it. He pressed his lips to hers and she let the feeling take her over. She’d finally be where everyone she loved already was. It didn’t matter why he was going to take her there. She’d figure an escape out once they arrived.
When he moved back with a self-satisfied smirk on his face, she knew he’d brought her to the Darklands. He took her hand, muttering something about humans being easy. She ignored the comment as he led her towards Adrian’s castle. Determination set in as she yanked her hand out of his grasp. He glanced at her and she stared at him through narrowed eyes.
“I have ways to force you to come with me. You know that.” He sounded bored.
Teri held back the impulse to hit him. Even if she hurt him, he could do far worse to her with a much lighter touch. She didn’t want to provoke him.
“Do I look like I’m running away?” She shook her head and moved on towards the castle, forcing him to catch her up.
Chances were good that she could get out of Adrian’s clutches even if she walked right into them. She had friends here, and they’d know when she crossed the barrier into the Darklands. Roman had set something up after the last time Adrian had tried to capture her.
It terrified her to think about what Adrian planned to do, but she had to trust that she would find a way out of this. The gates were supposed to open, but she didn’t think she was the key. She folded her arms. God, she hoped she wasn’t the key. She gazed at the smoggy green sky and she knew one thing for sure. Suze was right, the prophecy was coming true.
Also by Sharon Stevenson
The Gallows Novels:
Blood Bound
Demon Divided
Fate Fallen
Curse Corrupted
Hell Halved
Spirit Splintered
Heaven & Hell
Reality Ruptured (coming soon)
Prophecy Passed (coming soon)
Box Sets:
The Gallows Novels Books 1-3
The Gallows Novels Books 4-6
Short works in the Gallows series:
Back from the Dark (novella, best read after Fate Fallen)
Double Dare (newsletter exclusive short story, set before Blood Bound)
False Front (newsletter exclusive short story, set before Blood Bound)
Shadows Grove (newsletter exclusive short story, best read after Spirit Splintered)
The Raised Series:
Dead Man Running
Death Magic Rules
Restless Spirits
Limitless Magic (coming soon)
Short works in the Raised series:
Walking Away (novella, coming soon)
The Shady Arcade Trilogy:
Amnesia Bites
Sweet Oblivion (coming soon)
Beyond Shadows (coming soon)
At Hell’s Gates Anthologies:
At Hell’s Gates: Existing Worlds (Gallows short story: Welcome to Hell)
At Hell’s Gates: Origins of Evil (stand alone horror short: Forget Me Never)
At Hell’s Gates: Bound by Blood (stand alone horror short: Monster)
Standalone Paranormal Romances:
Heart (Saint’s Grove Series, book 10 of 12)
Twisted Magic (Gallows World Standalone)
Forthcoming works:
The Gallows Novels, Raised and Shady Arcade series are expected to be completed by the end of 2017. Release dates for the remaining books are still to be announced.
Sign up to Sharon’s newsletter to be the first to know about release dates and new works:
http://sharonstevensonauthor.com/newsletter/
Acknowledgements
I want to thank everyone who waited so patiently for this book. It was a longer wait than expected but I hope it satisfied in the end. If you didn’t see the post on my website or in my newsletter about the way books seven and eight were split and are wondering what happened to Shaun in this book, Heaven & Hell was written the way it was to tell Sarah’s story, while Reality Ruptured follows Shaun, Teri, and the Fey princess storyline. I can also confirm that the final book, Prophecy Passed, brings everyone back together again!
I need to give a shout out and big thank you to my beta readers: Jennifer, Heidi, Wanda, Anne, and Ola. You are all awesome and helped me to polish this story up.
I don’t always write dedications, but I am forever thankful for my amazing, supportive family.
About the Author
Sharon Stevenson lives in Scotland with her husband. She spends her spare time creating entertaining fantasy worlds full of strange creatures and unconventional characters. The Amazon bestselling Gallows series follows twin demon trackers Shaun & Sarah Gallows through fictional Scottish towns as they come up against various supernatural threats, while their biggest problems are caused by their own personal demons. The Raised series is a magical take on zombies, set in Edinburgh & Las Vegas, and following the after death adventures of twenty-three-year-old Pete and his friends.
Want to keep up to date with Sharon’s latest releases, receive three exclusive short stories, and find out about subscriber only offers and giveaways?
Just sign up here:
http://sharonstevensonauthor.com/newsletter
Sharon Stevenson, Heaven & Hell
