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"...The story itself has a little bit of everything; mystery and intrigue, action and adventure, sexual chemistry and sweet romance, not to mention a kick-butt spooky location. Once again Sam Cheever's witty tone and quirky characters give readers a quick and lively caper. This is one that I will read and enjoy over and over again." ~ Got Romance Reviews
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The cat yowled its dismay as Bella turned around and started climbing
toward the third floor. When she reached the third floor landing she stopped,
gasping in horror. Condensation rose from the handle of the door leading into
the hallway.
It was covered in frost.
Bella closed her eyes and swore. Pulling the sleeve of her sweater over
her hand she reached to grab the handle, expecting a spark when she touched the
frosty metal. Spirits always left behind electrical energy. People like Bella
were sensitive to it.
The handle sparked and Bella jerked but held on, turning it quickly and
entering the hall.
The hallway was cold and darker than usual. Her foot crunched on broken
glass as she stepped through the door. She realized the light fixture above the
door was broken. A soft, spitting sound made her jump. The wires from the
fixture were exposed and arcing, like the fixture had been ripped right off the
ceiling.
Fammy yowled on the other side of the door and Bella opened it,
grabbing her up before she could cut her paws on the glass. The rotund feline
complained loudly and tried to squirm away. Bella set her down a few feet away
from the glass. “Stay away from this glass or you’re gonna have sore paws,
cranky kitty.”
Fammy yowled snottily and stalked down the hallway, her tail snapping
with irritation. Bella’s vision improved enough to allow her to see dim shapes
in the pitch black space. She followed Fammy’s whipping tail toward the end of
the hall, where the shadows deepened to pure black and the air was meat locker
cold.
Fammy stopped suddenly and hissed, her tail going rigid and her fur
standing up on end. Bella’s skin prickled and she broke out all over in a cold
sweat.
No! Stop him, please!
The disembodied voice slammed through Bella’s head and she gasped,
pitching sideways and hitting the wall hard. She caught herself and managed to
stay upright, leaning heavily against the wall.
Down by her feet, Fammy expanded to twice her normal size, her fur
standing on end with alarm. Winding frantically against Bella’s calves, the
rotund feline hissed and spit in warning against whatever stalked them. Bella
tried to focus enough to see what lurked in the shadows, but she couldn’t shake
the cold, mind numbing fog that had slammed over her. A frigid breeze, thick
with a sickly sweet smell, whipped past her, and icy fingers trailed across her
skin. Bella snatched her arm away and screamed. The ground shifted beneath her
feet and her knees buckled, her eyes rolling back in her head.
Fammy had gone quiet. The lack of sound ominous.
Bella fought the unconsciousness that pulled at her. She was vaguely
aware of a deep, concerned voice and a pair of strong arms wrapping her up in
blessed heat. That was the last thing her mind registered as the jagged edges
of her consciousness spliced her mind. Shutting out the physical world, and
casting her harshly into her nightmares.
