Firebird Rising: A romantic mafia fantasy (The Gray Dynasty Series Book 1) by A. S. Marshall

Author:A. S. Marshall [Marshall, A. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A. S. Marshall
Published: 2021-12-20T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Her shoes clacked against the cobblestones on an unnamed road in a town that reminded her of Lanton. It was late, and she had searched street after street for any sign of another person, but there wasn’t another living thing to be found. There were no flickering candles or the golden glow of electric bulbs coming from any window. Even more eerie, the streetlamps were dimmed, like the gas was running low.

Celia hurried down the lane, uncertain where she was going, but she had a strong sense that she needed to get there quickly. At the edge of her vision, a shadowy figure darted between the buildings. She spun around, but there was no one there.

“Hello?” she called, but no answer came, only the hollow echo of her own voice as it bounced through the empty lane.

Her heart started to thump, and her breathing quickened as she resumed making her way toward an unknown destination. She picked up her pace then heard the unmistakable thudding of boots behind her. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. She stopped in her tracks, dread bubbling within as she turned again.

“Who’s there?!” she cried, but again, only her mocking voice answered. Who’s there? Who’s there? Who’s there?

She spun around, and just as she was about to run, a heavy hand reached outward and covered her mouth, stifling her scream as it dragged her into the darkness.

Celia shot upright in bed, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Her racing breath began to slow as she took in her surroundings. A spacious, ornate room appeared before her. The walls were painted a calming periwinkle blue with glossy white trim and intricate wooden molding. She lay in a four-poster bed, cocooned within layers of thick, fluffy blankets. The fire that had been set last night was now smoldering.

She exhaled a soothing breath of relief, thankful that she was in her bedroom at Ravenswood. Pushing the blankets off, she got to her feet, her loose nightgown flowing about her legs as she walked. She picked up a face towel that’d been folded on her vanity and dabbed the sweat from her brow.

It’d been a while since she’d had any nightmare, and even then, she could trace it back to a late dinner or one too many sugary cocktails before bed. Grabbing hold of one of the bed posts, she sat lightly at the edge of the mattress, collecting her thoughts. The memory of the dream was now a blur, and she couldn’t piece together any meaningful details. All that lingered was the way it felt to be stalked by some unseen enemy. Wilson’s beady eyes stared back at her from within her mind, leaving her with an unsavory feeling.

A gentle knock sounded at the door. “Miss Celia?” The door creaked open, and she saw her maid, Penelope, peering into the room.

“You may come in, Penny.”

Penelope was in her late twenties and had been working at Ravenswood for the last ten years, primarily as Celia’s personal maid. Her temperate manner and sound sisterly advice had garnered her the additional position as Celia’s friend and ally.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.