Paranormal Anthology With a TWIST (7 page)

I must’ve fallen asleep. Jonah shifting beneath me and kissing my
forehead woke me. My eyes fluttered open just as he picked me up and began
carrying me down the hall.

I can walk, Jonah
, I thought as I
looked up at his devastatingly handsome face. I could definitely get used to
being under this man.

No need to walk when
I can just as easily carry you
, he projected back, smiling down at me as he
read my thoughts and turned sideways to enter my room.

Gently, Jonah set me down on my bed and snuck in beside me, lacing
his fingers through mine, and lazily stroking the top of my hand with his
thumb. I was now wide-awake as a large bass drum took up residence in my chest,
robbing me of air, and making me nervous as hell.

After about five minutes of innocent hand-holding and
not-so-innocent thought swapping, I decided I wanted to go farther. Now that I
had a taste of Jonah, I was starving for more.

Bravely, I sat up and positioned myself over this gorgeous man,
straddling his hips. Bracing my elbows on either side of his head, I hovered
mere centimeters away from his lips, daring him to close the gap.

A sexy-ass grin crept up onto his face.

Digging his fingers into my hips, he lunged forward and took
control of my mouth. His taste exploded onto my tongue and sent flurries of
pleasure cascading through my body.

His strong hands began their ascent. Slowly lifting my tank top,
his fingers caressed the sides of my back and continued to make their way up.

After grinding my hips and chest into him for a few minutes, he
stealthily rolled us both over so he was now on top.

Damn. And I thought Jonah looked good beneath me. He looked even
more exquisite hovering over me with his strong weight between my legs. The
solid muscles of his arms pressed through the t-shirt he wore, making me want
to rip it off and toss it across the room.

God, I want you
, I unintentionally
projected. I wasn’t embarrassed though. I was thankful of the honesty our
telepathic abilities bestowed upon us.

I want you too,
Ella. I want you more than my next breath.

With our foreheads pressed together, we were both panting, unable
to catch our breath between passionate kisses.

Suddenly, my mom’s voice cut through both our thoughts, as loud as
if she were in the same room with us shouting next to the bed.

Ella! Oh, Ella,
please tell me you can hear me. I need you to come back to me.
My mom’s words were
a desperate plea, as if it were her last hope to communicate.

As soon as her voice echoed through my head, Jonah jerked his head
up and looked around the room.

“Jonah, are you ok?” I asked out loud, worried he may have heard
her.

“I did hear her, Ella. She said she needs you to come back to her.
Back where?” he asked, sounding perplexed.

“How can you hear my mother’s voice? I thought her voice was just
a dream. A figment of my imagination. My memories.”

Jonah shook his head as he said, “I don’t know how or why, but she
is definitely communicating with you, Ella.”

We both sat still, Jonah still hovering over me, positioned
between my legs as I gripped his strong biceps with my fingernails. After
several minutes of waiting, staring, and exchanging thoughts, we didn’t hear
any more from my mother. Writing it off as a fluke, I smiled up at him and
brought my head off the pillow to meet his lips.

Just as my lips pressed against his warm, soft skin, I heard her
again. This time, even stronger.

Ella. I can sense
you. I know you’re there. Wake up!

I looked at Jonah and his lips were moving with the words my
mother was saying.

“Jonah, that’s not funny,” I scolded as I started to push him off
me. The fact he would make fun of this situation was infuriating.

His lips began to move again with my mother’s words.
Wake up for me, darling. Things have been so
lonely without you. Come now. Wake up. Wake up!

I shook my head and backed away from him, frantically crawling
backwards until I ran into the headboard. I felt the tears threatening to brim
my eyelids, but the sharp prick of tears was nothing compared to the confusion
that wracked my brain.

I felt my body slip, free-falling through blackness. You know
those dreams where you feel like the bed is tipping backwards and you’re
sliding precariously close to the edge, ready to fall with the slightest
breath? Well, I had already plunged into the darkness below. I couldn’t
actually feel anything. I could only sense I was falling, like you would
imagine wind ripping through your hair and weightlessness overtaking your senses.

Wanting to see Jonah’s face again, I desperately tried to think of
him, worried this whole thing was just another meditation experiment gone bad.

The feeling of falling into a never-ending abyss suddenly came to
a halt. Not so much with a jolt or any sense I had landed, but just the feeling
that it was done, that my mind had imagined the falling and I was secured
snugly in my bed.

Faintly, I heard the sounds of machines beeping. Cold, sterile air
coated my sensitive skin, giving me goose bumps all over my body. The smell of
disinfectant assaulted my nostrils, making me very aware my Jonah was nowhere
near.

I felt a warm, soft hand stroke my forehead as I attempted to open
my eyes. I winced at the pain brought on by the barrage of bright lights above
me. My eyes were coated with the stickiness you feel when you’ve been asleep
for too long and my vision was covered in a thick haze.

“My Ella. Oh God, Ella. You’re here!” I heard my mother’s voice
shriek through obvious strained tears. The sound of her high-pitched excitement
made me jump.

I slowly turned my head and tried to focus on my mother’s face.
She was really here? But how?

“You’re in the hospital baby. It’s ok. Don’t cry,” she assured me
as she continued petting my forehead. Was I crying? Of course I was. The one
person I wanted as much as my mother was no longer next to me.
He said he wouldn’t leave.

I felt like I wanted to talk, wanted to ask what the hell was
going on. But I couldn’t. My voice just would not work.

My entire body ached. Every muscle felt weak and horribly painful.
Almost like I had a full body charlie-horse doing spasms under my skin.

Since I couldn’t make my voice work, I just stared at my beautiful
mother and let my mouth and mind form the words I couldn’t seem to say out
loud, “What happened?”

In an attempt to push away her uncontrollable sobs, my mom sucked
in a ragged breath and said, “You’ve been in a coma for six years, Ella.”

Purchase links
available on Rene’s website at
www.renefolsom.com

To my Dad, who'll always push aside everything to help me in my
time of need.

Michael Loring was born in Bristol, Connecticut, but has lived in
a variety of places such as Florida and Tennessee. He likes to think of himself
as an amateur Lycanthropologist, studying werewolves ever since he was eight
years old when he first saw
An American
Werewolf In London
. He currently resides back in his birthplace of
Connecticut with a house full of women who like to drive him up the wall until
he finishes his chores. Though they seem to avoid him during the night of the
full moon for some unexplainable reason…

Website:
www.michaelloring.com

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Dehumanized/273293846073390

Twitter:
www.twitter.com/MichaelLoring

Dehumanized:
www.amzn.com/0985848049

Her.

The decision had been made, and once made, there was no going
back. Never going back. But why would he go back anyway? What lay ahead was
much too sweet to pass up.

Robert stood in the shadows, leering out at the people that passed
by—who were laughing and enjoying their feeble existence. They passed by
him, sparing him merely a brief glance before returning to whatever idiotic discussions
they were sharing with their moronic friends; completely unaware as to what lay
in wait within the man lurking in the shadows.

He was dressed inconspicuously, not at all standing out—just
how he liked it. He was wearing a dark blue windbreaker with the zipper up all
the way, his faded black jeans hugging his legs rather tightly, gaining the
attention of a few of the young teenage girls that passed by. He gave a slight
grin in return to their stares, adding to his harmless act. He had the charm,
the good looks, and the wit to stay as far under the radar as possible. It had
served him well all these sinfully delicious years. He may only be
twenty-seven, but his count was higher than most forty year olds.

Seventeen.

A twisted smile found its way onto Robert’s face.

Her.

The woman was short, with raven-colored hair that fell just below
her chin in soft, silk-like strands. She was dressed in tight blue jeans, a
purple blouse covering her supple upper body in such a way that it complimented
her perky little breasts. She was lean, with square shoulders and a proud
stance. When he was done with her, that proud stance would turn into a slouch
and those lively eyes of hers would become dull with shame. She would become
another number, special number eighteen, just like the rest. She would be
nothing more than a number, nameless and without a soul. Once he was done with
her, he would move on to the next number, and then the next, and then the next…

She was the prey tonight. It was too late for her now. The decision
had been made and once made, there was no turning back.

In the midst of the carnival, the woman argued with what Robert
assumed to be her boyfriend. Some big jock dressed in a gray hoodie and cargos.
They appeared to be arguing over what prize to achieve from the shooting range.
The woman kept pointing to some large, fluffy bunny, while the boyfriend was
jabbing his thumb at a plush lion with a ruffled mane. The poor vendor looked
absolutely uncomfortable as she waited for the two to finish their bickering.
Robert chortled slightly at the sight of the lovely couple.

Soon they will be
broken, just like the others.

Robert would have his fun with the woman, and once he let her
go…the couple would deteriorate. The woman would never be able to expose herself
to another ever again—too ashamed of what happened—and the
boyfriend would eventually leave her to be with someone not as damaged. Robert
saw it all the time with his victims. He would watch from outside their bedroom
windows as they argued themselves into a pit they could never come out of
again. All thanks to the fun Robert oh-so-loved to have.

Robert reached up, perked the collar of his windbreaker, and
blended in with the crowd, moving like a snake towards the couple. He would
follow them, wait for his opening patiently, and then
strike
.

He weaved through the crowd until he was close enough to hear
their words. They were definitely arguing over what prize to win—the
bunny versus the lion. The woman seemed to be winning, as the look on the
boyfriend’s face was much more strained than her own. Eventually, the boyfriend
exclaimed loudly that she had indeed won and he yelled at the vendor to get the
bunny for the woman.

The poor little girl couldn’t grab it from the hook fast enough.

The boyfriend handed the bunny to his girlfriend and she instantly
went from argumentative to sweet as she clutched the stuffed rabbit to her
ample chest and cooed at it. She thanked her boyfriend—
Daniel she called him
—with a tone
coated in so much sugar even Robert had to blanch. However, the boyfriend said
nothing about it and just grumbled as they continued away from the
booth—Robert trailing a few feet behind.

Robert followed them for about half an hour before he overheard
the woman saying something about a campsite. So they were camping out in the
woods, huh? Robert couldn’t hold in the demented grin that split across his
cheeks. This woman was going to be the easiest catch of all...

Daniel-the-boyfriend took the rabbit and said he would meet her
there because the woman had to use the restroom. He complained that she took
too long for him to just wait outside. He said he’d get the fire going and see
her there. She nodded, gave him a quick peck, and they separated.

Not yet...

She went into the ladies room. Robert remained in the shadows,
ignoring the obvious opening. It was too public—anyone could walk in and
ruin the fun. Besides, Robert enjoyed the screaming, so he needed somewhere a
bit more...secluded.

After about ten minutes, the woman emerged from the restroom and
scanned the crowd quickly before setting off in the same direction
Daniel-the-boyfriend had gone before. Robert followed, careful not to make it
obvious he was tracking her. They passed by other young couples and playful
children as they paraded around with balloons and cotton candy. Robert smiled
at all the children as they ran past, even kneeling down to say hello to one
when the woman turned to look back in his direction. When she turned back, he
left the confused little girl alone and continued to stalk his prey.