PINELIGHTforkindle

PINELIGHT
BOOK ONE

JILLIAN PEERY

JOIN THE ADVENTURE
www.jillianpeery.com

Copyright © 2011 by Jillian Peery
All Rights Reserved

Kindle Edition, License Notes

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2011 by Jillian Peery.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

To book a signing event, submit your request at
 
www.jillianpeery.com
.

Cover Art by Josh Longbrake.

First Printing: June, 2011.

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9837507-0-3
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-9837507-2-7

Printed in the United States of America

For my husband, Clint,

whose love and inspiration

made this dream a reality.

I love you.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

—Ephesians 6:12

PREFACE

Thirty-Seven Months Ago

Light from the flickering candles sent a stabbing pain through my eyes. The sound of crackling wood echoed through the hallway, and the bold aroma of smoke filled my lungs, causing me to feel nauseated. Pain was being released, and it was attacking my body. I felt it pounding in my head—a severe pain, the kind of pain that renders you helpless. It was hard to think.
How did I get here?
He had me pinned between his body and the cold stone of the wall. I blinked heavily as I tried to focus—to see into his dark eyes. My vision was distorted, and I felt strangely dizzy.

“Did you really think I wanted it to come to this? You just wouldn’t let go. I gave you every opportunity—every opportunity—to leave it all behind. Why couldn’t you let your love overcome your hate for me?” His jawline tightened when I didn’t respond. “Don’t pretend I mean nothing to you. You are tempted—I can feel it.”

I stared blankly in confusion. I didn’t know what to say.

“Well, there’s nothing you can do now. Your precious memories are slipping away. Your fate will be sealed tonight.” His voice was strong and angry, but his eyes seemed to reflect all the sadness in the world. Why was he yelling? I struggled to remember why he was angry. Thoughts and images were briefly appearing and disappearing, creating chaos in my mind.

He pushed me out of the lit hallway into a dark room. The blue glow of the moon seeped in through a window that was halfway tucked behind a torn curtain. Everything looked gray and grim in the moonlight. He forced my body backward onto a massive bed in the middle of the room and threw me to its silky surface. A chill came to my skin as his hand tightened around my neck.

“He wanted me to kill you, you know.”

He suddenly released his grip and stormed across the room, slamming a red door behind him. I heard the metal key grind as it turned inside the rusty lock of the door, sealing me within my prison.

“I can keep you safe.” His voice, now more controlled, sounded strangely anxious through the wooden cracks of the door.

The sound of pounding boots charging down the empty corridor echoed eerily through the room. There was another sharp, throbbing pain in my head.
How did this all begin? How did I get in this room?
Once again, confusion was settling in.

I carefully pulled myself to a sitting position, rubbing my pounding temple, dazed by the pain. As my eyes began to focus, I gradually became aware of a soft glow illuminating my clenched fist. I slowly unfolded each finger to reveal light emanating from a cross pendant—a pendant covered in wet blood.

Immediately, blurry images from earlier in the night flashed in my mind.

He was taking everything from me.

I frantically tied the loose ribbon of the pendant around my neck, jumped from the bed, and then rushed to the glazed window. The night sky illuminated the angry ocean as roaring waves from far below crashed and foamed around the boulders protecting the embankment of the castle. All was dark and ominous.

I knew I had to jump—it was the only way. My past would soon slip away, along with every recollection of anyone I had ever known. All of my loved ones—would be forgotten. Everything I believed in—would be lost. I would much rather plunge into the dark waters than fall victim to this malicious plan. I could never be his.

-1-

RED RIVER PARISH, LOUISIANA

Present Day

I watch as the seasons change. Leaves float in the sky and fall gracefully to the earth. I sit and wish that you were here with me. Night takes the day, and I can feel you near. I can’t see your face, but I know you are in my dreams. I hear you. I wait to find you, the one who haunts my soul. Where are you? Only the seasons ever change; leaves continue to fall and then rustle about the earth. Night continues to reign over me. Though the memories are lost, I know a part of you is still with me.

-Clara

My fist clasped the crumpled piece of paper hidden tightly under my fingers. Trails of rain scattered sideways on the passenger window. I concentrated on the rain and the rapid flutter of the windshield wipers. I didn’t want to think about what was happening in the cab of the truck. I didn’t want to cry—not in front of him. The light tapping of raindrops steadily increased, much like the tension between us. I could feel him waiting for me to speak, but I was determined not to give him that satisfaction.

It was seventy-two degrees in Red River Parish, windy, and the clouds were releasing their dark gray fury across town. I had dressed appropriately for the dreary day, no doubt, but the dampness caused by the rain combined with the chill of the truck’s blasting air conditioner was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. Instead of powering down the air or closing the vents on the dash, I shoved my hands further into my jacket pockets and leaned toward the fogged window. I didn’t want him to know I was uncomfortable—I didn’t want him to know anything about how I felt.

The drive to Coushatta always seemed to stretch in bad weather. The small town of nearly three thousand townspeople rested along the north side of the Red River. I lived with my Aunt Alice on the gloomy southwest side, miles from everything in Louisiana, except for the town’s oldest cemetery. We had been the only living souls on this side of the parish, until a mortician and his son moved in to the vacant house at the cemetery. It was there in the quiet graveyard, under the frozen wings of stone angels, that I had met Erik.

My eyes darted over to him. The silence and our closeness made the truck seem stifling, and I found myself working harder to think, even to breathe. I couldn’t believe what he had done.

Erik usually had an alluring way about him, but that trance was broken now. His eyes were hidden by the dark shade of his sunglasses, like they usually were. But I knew he was stealing glances at me. Just like I was at him. His seemingly fixated stare on the road and tight grip on the steering wheel kept my mind wandering uneasily.
How could I have trusted him?
There was a knot of embarrassment forming in my stomach.

For the first time, I hated him. I hated everything about his perfect olive skin, his deep brown eyes, even his messy hair. I hated that, for the next ten minutes, I was stuck near him, with no way out. I wanted to be as far away from him as humanly possible.

“Clara,” he said in a charming voice, breaking the silence. “You can’t ignore me forever.”

I sighed, knowing this was partially true. Erik had an unexplainable aura that followed him everywhere, pulling everyone in—including me. There was no denying that. He knew he had this strange power over me, just like he did with everyone in the parish. But this time I saw past his charm, and I wasn’t going to let him pull me back in.

“It should be easy,” I snapped. I was surprised that my voice sounded strong and not shaky.

The cab of the truck was silent again, except for the hard tapping of the rain. The smooth lips I had once admired were now unnaturally pursed—he was undoubtedly searching for something to say.

“Easy. Really,” he murmured, but there was a hint of a question in his tone.

I wiggled down in my seat and looked to the passenger window. The blue glow of the sky struck across the wet glass, and for a moment I could see my reflection in the haze.

My skin looked even paler on dreary days like these, and my freckles darker, especially when my hair was down against my face. I ran my fingers through the auburn tangles and pushed them behind my ears. It didn’t seem to help my translucent reflection.

My eyes were still fixated on the window when we passed the sign that read: RED RIVER PARISH HIGH—Home of the Mighty Bulldogs. Through the veil of rain and gloom, our eerie Edwardian-style school sat somberly in the background, waiting for us to enter. At dawn and dusk, the light would hit the lines of the school, highlighting the beauty in its architecture. It was picturesque, but today, its beauty was masked with a gothic veil. Today everything was bleak.

The truck slowed as we took an easy turn into the back parking lot of the school, and then jolted when the wheels rolled over the first of the three familiar speed bumps. Erik immediately took a hard left, away from the school building, and slammed on the brakes. The truck came to a screeching halt under an isolated bald cypress tree that dripped with both rain and moss.