Naughty Haunts
Eleven Spooky Love Stories
Pre-order the E-book:
Available for download September 2nd
Blurb:
A once-a-year visit to her lover may be enough to hold his demons at bay, but it can’t cure Alana’s loneliness on the other 364 days of the year.
Genre/Theme:
Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifter, Speculative Fiction
Copyright © Charlotte Boyett-Compo, 2016
Chapter One
Spanish moss hung from the
darkened shoulders of the live oaks like the scraggly haircuts of withered old
men. It swung violently in the wind and dripped icy water upon on the woman darting
through the grove. Lightning stitched through the sodden midnight sky and lit
the overhead branches in a strange, eerie blue-gray light. Underfoot, the
ground was slippery and pitted with mud puddles from the rain. The air was
filled with the scent of decaying leaves and something more sinister. The smell
pebbled her skin with chill bumps, caused her shoulders to tense beneath the
heavy raincoat she wore. She dared not stop but could not prevent herself from
whipping her head around from time to time to make sure she wasn’t being
followed.
Her destination was the
Thibodeaux Plantation a half mile beyond. There—within the decaying walls of
the old mansion and away from prying eyes—she would meet her lover. The portal
would open at midnight and last until first light. It was imperative she get
there on time, for her moments with him only came once a year on All Hallow’s
Eve. Then that doorway between the realms opened. When specters and haunts and
all manner of supernatural beings could cross over. Some good; most bad. To
those who feared the spectral visitors, her lover was considered among the
latter. There were among the human population a few who would destroy him if
they could, so making sure no one was trailing her was vitally important.
She stopped to catch her
breath and to surreptitiously look around her for just such a person. Drawing
the raincoat tighter around her neck, clamping her teeth together to prevent
them from chattering from the cold, she pressed against the rough bark of an
oak tree and peered through the downpour. Nothing moved and she heard nothing
save the falling of the rain upon the saturated ground. Nevertheless she held
still to survey the forest surrounding her—keeping her ears cocked for any
sound that did not belong. She kept her eyes peeled for any movement among the
skeletal bones of the dark trees. Once satisfied she was alone in her trek, she
pushed away from the tree to set out again—lowering her head against the cold
invasion of the raindrops.
As she neared the boundary where
forest gave way to a clearing dotted with overgrown weeds and crumbling
outbuildings, she could hear the Kinchafoonee Creek rushing over downed trees
and rocks. The smell of the water was pungent and brought with it that evil
stench that had been plaguing her since she first entered the pine grove. She
frowned deeply at that scent, for it spoke of things she hoped she would not
encounter this night. Things best left buried deep beneath the Georgia red
clay. In the distance, a lone hound bayed dissonantly and the hair on her arms
stirred.
The portal was opening as the
clock ticked toward the witching hour. Things
were beginning to slip through. They would be floating around the old
plantation house. Lurking among the pines. Slithering over the wet ground to
ooze their way into the rotting foundation. Wafting through the cracks in the
windows and flowing down the crumbling chimneys. Clawing at the floorboards.
Suddenly, lightning shrieked
like a banshee across the firmament. The sky pulsed ghostly gray in its wake
and the ground shook as the bolt struck somewhere to the south of where she
ran. Something had come out of the
clouds. She sensed it, felt a spectral finger scrape down her spine and knew
she had to hurry.
He would be there waiting for
her with his arms open wide. He would keep the evil that now shadowed her at
bay.
Tripping over the uneven
ground—her fingers growing numb from clutching so fiercely at the closing of
her raincoat—she could not stop the whimper of fear from escaping her throat.
The malevolence was quick on her heels and closing fast. She had to reach the
relative safety of the plantation before it reached out its wicked talons to
grab her.
Hurry, Alana.
It was his soft, deep voice
she heard in her mind. She could feel his worry, his unease.
Quickly, my love. He is gaining on you!
“Who is he? What
is he?” she asked aloud as thunder rolled brutally overhead.
Evil incarnate
came the answer.
Great story and style.
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