by K. Rosemonth
File Size: 1665 KB
Print Length: 226 pages
Publisher: World Castle Publishing, LLC (October 29, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
About the book:
Helen Knight, 32, dreams of a happy future, but after her mother's betrayal and her stepfather's abuse, she’s caught in the past. Then, she meets her roommate's cousin, Robert Seagrave. Helen falls in love with the charming, elusive novelist, but Rob holds a dark secret—he is under a family curse which chains him to the patriarch, Lord Gabriel. The malevolent Gabriel controls whatever Rob and his family can do. Love is forbidden. So she can have a future with Rob, Helen and Gabriel enter a dangerous game, and after she discovers the patriarch’s deadly secret, Helen may not have a future.
Excerpt
“I heard you want to know about my girl.” Elizabeth took down the photo with a golden frame. “This is my Melissa. She went missing last January. Nobody knows anything…at least that’s what the family tells me.” She stroked the frame and placed the picture on the coffee table as she sat next to Helen. “The story with my Melissa and our beloved patriarch goes way back. One day, when she was twelve, Melissa received a summons. Gabriel wanted to see her alone. When she came back,” Elizabeth paused, her mug shaking in her hand, “my girl told me he’d touched her.” Her eyes burned blue fire. “No one hurts my kids. I called the police and reported that bastard. Screw family loyalty, he touched my girl!” A haunted expression passed over her face. “They say under the curse if you go against the head, misfortune will befall you. A few days later, there was a fire in the bakery. James and I were working. He got out first. He thought I was still inside, and ran back in to save me. But I was already out, waiting for him. He didn’t make it.” She closed her eyes and swallowed. When she opened them, they were edged with red. “The report said it was an accident, but people in our community said it was the curse bringing this on my family because I had Gabriel arrested.” She picked up the photo. “I don’t think Melissa ever forgave herself for ‘killing Daddy’.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up these painful memories.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you’re here. My boy is in the hospital. If telling you everything about my girl will help him, then that’s what I’m going to do.” She took a sip of coffee and placed the mug on her knee. “My girl didn’t want to live under the curse that killed her father. She set out to break it. I warned her not to let any outsiders know, but she told her best friend Lauren. They worked together to try to end the spell. Gabriel found out and he ruined their friendship. I guess he thought Melissa would stop if she didn’t have a partner.”
“What made Gabriel so afraid he would do that to teenage girls?”
“Gabriel doesn’t need a reason. Look what he did to my boy. And all Francis did was stop him from beating on little Timothy.” She sighed. “Gabriel told me if I spoke about Melissa he’d take it out on Francis. But what more can he do to him?” She shook her head and turned away. When she faced Helen she seemed to have aged ten years in two minutes. “The truth is, I’m tired of this. I’m tired of not telling anyone anything.”
“Elizabeth, do you know where Melissa is?”
“I don’t know. The day she disappeared I got a call from her roommate Erica. Melissa wasn’t at home that morning and she didn’t show up for work. That wasn’t like her. Erica called the police.” She leaned forward, gripping her coffee cup with white knuckles. “I heard Melissa was at the manor the night before. I asked Gabriel about it, but he said it wasn’t true. Her car was found parked on the street by her apartment, so I don’t know how she would’ve gotten to the estate.” She shrugged. “Maybe he was telling the truth. No one in the family is telling me anything, and in our community it’s hard to know the truth from lies. That’s why I’m talking to you, Helen. You’re not bound to this curse or to Gabriel. You can show us the way out of this.” She touched Helen’s hand with cold fingers. “Help me, Helen. Find my girl. Save my boy.”
“I’ll do whatever I can, I promise.”
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