Two Books in One - Ominous Love and Paradox - The Angels Are Here Read online

  Ominous Love

  Book One

  A novel by

  Patricia Puddle

  Copyright © 2012 Patricia Puddle.

  First Edition

  Cover Design: Patti Roberts

  Patricia Puddle on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-Puddle/181142218596903

  All rights reserved, including the rights to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This book contains sex scenes and violence and is aimed at adults and older teens: (New Adults). It is not recommended for younger teens or children.

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to my sweetheart, the teenage boy I married, my best friend and husband, whose endless support and encouragement has helped me to learn what I never learned at school. Thank you for doing all the cooking so I could write this book, honey.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  A huge thank you to Patti Robert for creating my wonderful book covers for my Ominous Series. You’re awesome, Patti, and the banners and posters are fabulous. Plus you’re always only a moment away whenever I need your advice. I’m truly lucky to have met you.

  A special thank you to my critique readers and my Facebook friends.

  To my mother for her encouragement and promotion of my books, my father for giving me the confidence to follow my dream, my children for the inspiration, my family and friends, thank you for all the encouragement and support, and to my dear daughter-in-law who was the first to read this story and love it.

  To everyone that has read my books, thank you so much. You make it all worthwhile and I’m truly grateful.

  Chapter One

  Five minutes in Tom’s car and I’m a nervous wreck. Why on earth is he driving so fast when we can hardly see out the windscreen? As I hang onto my seatbelt, he swerves around a steep bend, the headlights cutting through the fog like a knife.

  I glare at him. “Tom, slow down.”

  “It’s okay, babe, I’m used to driving in the valley at night.”

  A movement in the bushes catches my eye, then something leaps onto the road in front of us. “Look out,” I yell.

  He hits the brakes, just missing a kangaroo by inches. “Shit, that was close.”

  I blow out a big breath. “Yeah, too close.”

  “Don’t panic, Elle, I missed it, didn’t I. Anyway, we’re here now.” He turns into a driveway and parks his Ford next to a decrepit, two-storey house.

  I peer out the window. “You live here? In Creep Valley?”

  “It’s Creed Valley.”

  “Yeah, but everyone calls it Creep Valley.”

  “You shouldn’t listen to old rumours, Elle.” He jumps out of the car and runs around to open my door. “Come on, you can relax now.”

  Stepping into the cold damp air, I glance around. Though the house is old, the garden has neat flowerbeds and the path to the front door is peppered with tiny coloured solar lights. The full moon is shining through the mist above a large lagoon at the side of the house. I shudder at the eeriness of it.

  Tom takes my hand. “Beautiful here, isn’t it?”

  I give him a sarcastic smile. “Maybe in the daytime.”

  He steers me towards a bush track at the side of the pond. “Let’s go for a stroll in the forest. It’s magic at night.”

  I jerk away from him. “No way. You’re just trying to creep me out.”

  “Don’t tell me you believe in those silly folklores about sightings in the woods.”

  “No, but I’m not going in there. I’m freezing.”

  “Come here, Elle, I’ll warm you.” He pulls me towards him and holds me in a bear hug. “You know I'll protect you from werewolves.”

  I jab him in the belly. “You're the only wolf around here, so who’s going to protect me from you?”

  “Aw, don't be like that, babe.” Brushing his lips across mine, he murmurs into my mouth. “You know you love it when I kiss you.”

  I lean into his black leather jacket and inhale his pungent cologne, but as I close my eyes, an owl hoots from a nearby tree, startling me out of the moment.

  “Come on, I’ll take you indoors where it’s warmer.” He leads me up the driveway to the porch, but after unlocking the door, he yanks me inside and pins me against the wall. “Now, I've got you.”

  My heart jumps and I push at his chest. “Stop it,” I whisper. “Your mother will see us.”

  He grins, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “She can’t, she’s not here.”

  “What?” I scowl. “But you invited me here to meet her.”

  Bending over, he kisses my cheek. “You're so adoringly gullible, Eloise.”

  I squint at him. “You mean you tricked me?”

  “Well, not exactly,” he says, unbuttoning my jacket. “She’ll be home in a few hours.”

  “A few hours?” I slap his hand away and glance at my watch. “It’s eight o’clock already and I have to be home by nine.”

  “That’s okay, I’ll drive you. Just tell your folks you had dinner at my place.”

  “I can’t. My parents have gone away and they’re phoning me at nine.”

  “Can’t they call your cell?”

  I shake my head, wondering how he can be so dense. “No. They don’t want me out late while they’re away, stupid. That’s why they’re calling on the house phone—to check up on me. It was hard enough convincing them to let me stay on my own for two weeks.”

  His eyes grow wide. “You’re home alone for two weeks?”

  “Yeah, but they only agreed because I got that job at the pet shop.”

  “Okay, let’s watch a movie, and if my mother’s not here by eight-thirty, I’ll drive you home.”

  Taking my hand, he escorts me up a rickety staircase and into a room. When he turns on the light, my stomach flips. Crap. It’s his bedroom. I glance nervously at the closed door. “Why don't we watch it downstairs?”

  He takes my bag and dumps it on the floor. “Because there's more privacy in here if my mother turns up.”

  I bite my lip. “What will she think if she finds me in your room?”

  “Don't worry, babe, she won’t be home for hours. Anyway, we’ll hear her car pull up.” He shrugs out of his jacket, then helps me off with mine. After hanging them over a chair, he sits on his double bed and pulls me onto his lap. “It's a pity you start work on Monday. You'll miss out on our two-week break from school.”

  Gazing into his cheeky brown eyes, I brush his hair from his forehead. “I'm not going back to school. My job is permanent.”

  “Shucks, now I’ll never get to see you. I guess we’ll have to make up for it tonight.” He lifts me onto the bed and lies across me, crushing my ribs.

  Oh cripes. I should push him off, but he’s looking at me so lovingly and my heart is pounding. As his lips meet mine, I wrap my arms around his neck and close my eyes, but instead of his usual soft kiss, he’s pressing down hard and kissing me feverishly. His teeth are cutting into my lip and I can hardly breathe. As I turn to gasp for air, he grabs my chin and kisses me harder. I’ve had enough. Shoving him away, I try to wriggle from under him. “Stop it, Tom.”

  Ignoring me, he pulls me back. Then as he holds my gaze, he shoves his hands under my jumper and fumbles with the fastener on my bra.


  I move his arms away. “Don't,” I murmur.

  “Oh, come on, babe,” he says huskily. “You know you like it.”

  My pulse quickens and I press at the firm muscles on his chest. “Get off me, you idiot.”

  He stares down at me. “Jeez, you look hot when you're worked up.”

  “Well, you don't, so get off me.”

  His brown eyes gleaming, he thrusts his fingers through my hair and kisses me again. His tongue is in my mouth and I’m suffocating. I press my lips together and pound on his shoulders with my fists. He breaks away and looks at me. “Come on, Elle, you want this as much as I do.”

  “Want what?” I say. “That wasn't very romantic.”

  “Aww, you know I love you, and all that,” he whispers, kissing my neck.

  I twist away from him, then I sit up and kick him with my foot. “No I don’t. You only say it when you want something. And what’s with ‘all that’? You mean, ‘all that romantic bullshit’, don’t you?”

  He takes hold of my hand. “Come on, Elle, we’ve only got an hour or two. Don’t waste it. I promise to behave.”

  With a big sigh, I lay back on the pillow. “Well, put a movie on, then.”

  He leans across me and kisses my cheek, then he groans and his eyes glaze over. Suddenly he’s on top of me again, squashing me into the mattress and pulling at my clothes. I grapple with his hands, but he overpowers me and yanks my jumper over my head. I elbow him in the ribs, but as I wriggle from beneath him, he drags my skirt down. As I try to hitch it back up, he wrenches it from me, sending me toppling onto the carpet.

  “Your promises suck,” I yell, leaping to my feet. “What is wrong with you? Give me my clothes back.”

  “Come and get them.” He grins wickedly and stuffs them under his quilt.

  My blood boiling, I snatch his iPad from his desk and run to the open window. As I dangle it outside, I smile. “Give me my clothes or I'll drop your precious iPad on the concrete driveway.”

  His eyes grow wide. “Don’t be stupid, babe.” He leaps off the bed and moves towards me. “Hand it over.”

  I jiggle it. “Come any closer and it goes to God.”

  He gulps, his Adam's apple moving in his throat. “Please, Elle. Don't drop it.”

  Holding my other hand out, I wriggle my fingers. “Give me my clothes, then.”

  “Okay,” he yells, but as he shoves his arm under his covers, he looks me up-and-down.

  I lean further out the window. “Do you have to perv on me?”

  “Oh, come on, Elle.” He passes me my clothes, but before I have a chance to give him the iPad, a loud bang comes from the next room.

  We both freeze.

  Holy crap. It must be his mother and she’ll think I’m a tart. After tossing the iPad on the rug, I run around in a circle, looking for somewhere to hide. As Tom peers out the door, I pull my clothes on, then sit on the bed and try to look normal.

  “Shit,” yells Tom, running out into the hallway.

  I grab my coat and bag and follow him.

  The window on the landing is broken and shards of glass are scattered all over the carpet. Bending over, Tom picks something up and laughs. “It's just a cricket ball, but it scared the crap out of me. I thought we'd been busted.”

  I shrug into my jacket. “What do you mean, we?”

  He wraps his arms around my waist and gives me his doe-eyed look. “I’m sorry, babe, I don't know what came over me. Honestly.”

  “You’re full of shit,” I say, pushing him away. “You’re a jerk, so don’t try your ‘sorry babe’ crap on me.” I thunder down the stairs and slam out the door. No way am I letting him drive me home. Who knows what he’d do. I hurry out the driveway and onto the foggy street. Great, now I have to walk up a steep hill on a cold damp night.

  Tom leans out of his bedroom window and hollers, “Elle, wait. I'll take you home.”

  I give him the finger, then take off running. When I hear the slam of his front door, I run even faster. No way am I getting in his car. As I look for somewhere to hide, a bus rumbles up the street. Hoping I’ll be spotted in the fog, I stand in the middle of the road and wave my arms about. Luckily, the driver spots me and pulls up at the side of the road. I hurry up the steps and pay my fare, then I sit in the back seat and peer out the window.

  Tom is sprinting towards the moving bus, but as it speeds up, he stops and stands with his hands on his hips. I give him the finger again, then as he disappears into the fog, I see my reflection in the window and cringe. My hair is a tangled mess, thanks to him. As I comb it, I start thinking about the cricket ball and wonder who would be playing cricket on a night like this. It's too foggy too see anything, even in the oval with the spotlights on. I scowl. Maybe someone threw it at the house on purpose, but why? Surely no one could have known what Tom was doing? Unless he told one of his friends what he had planned. I scowl. What a jerk he’s turning out to be.

  Chewing the inside of my cheek, I glance at my watch. Crap. It's already 9:00 pm. My stomach churns. Hopefully, I'll get home before my mother calls. When the driver pulls up at my stop, I grab my bag and hurry down the steps onto the dark street. The fog is so thick I can hardly see in front of me. Shivering, I dash behind the bus and run across the road.

  Holy shit! The headlights of a vehicle are coming straight at me. As I leap away, a loud whoosh whizzes past me, clipping the heel of my shoe. Praying not to die, I fall in a heap on the concrete footpath and the contents of my bag spill out. Crap. My shin hurts like hell, but I don’t seem to have any broken bones. As I shove my things back into my purse, I take short raspy breaths as I start to hyperventilate. Some night this is turning out to be.

  It’s my own fault for trusting Tom. He’s becoming a right pain lately. I scramble to my feet and look up and down the misty road. The bus has long gone and so has the car that hit me. The street is deathly quiet and the only light is coming from a nearby house. I feel sick. I nearly lost my life at sixteen. How could I have been so stupid—to run out into dense mist without listening for cars? My heart thumping, I gaze up and though I can't see the sky, I thank my lucky stars that I'm still here on earth.

  With a grateful spring in my step, I march down the tree-lined street to my home. It's hard to imagine that in a split second, I could have been a goner. Jeez. It doesn't bear thinking about. Now, I can handle anything, even being on my own in our creepy old house for a fortnight—though I didn’t like those strange noises on the roof last night.

  As I reach our gate, something swoops above me and lands in a nearby tree. Blimey. It must be a huge bird to make a flapping sound like that. I look up at the branches, but I can’t see anything. Grabbing my keys, I suddenly remember that it’s Friday the thirteenth and I chuckle into my hand. I know I’m superstitious, but there’s no wonder after what’s happened to me tonight. I’ll be glad when it’s midnight, then I’ll feel safe again.

  A twig snaps behind a bush and I jerk with fright. Shit. I’m turning into a nervous wreck. I bolt up the wooden steps to the porch, but when I jam my key into the lock, it won't turn. Darn it. Looking over my shoulder, I joggle it about until it finally clicks and the door opens. My hand still shaking, I switch on the light, chuck my bag on the rug and slam the door. What a scaredy cat I’m turning into. It was probably just a bandicoot or a bush rat foraging for food.

  Matilda meows, then saunters up to my leg and rubs against it. I pick her up and snuggle my face to her smoky black fur. “I'm glad you’re here to keep me company and protect me from bogeymen.” She leaps out of my arms and scoots to the kitchen, obviously wanting food.

  The phone rings and as I dash down the hall to answer it, I stumble over my bag. “H … hello,” I say, nearly dropping the handset.

  “Eloise, did you just get home?” asks my mother, suspiciously.

  “I tripped over my handbag,” I say, ignoring her question. “Are you at Nanna and Pop's already?”

  “Yes, we just arrived. How did your job at the pet sho
p go?”

  “Great. I had my trial today and I start on Monday.”

  “That's wonderful, love, but if it doesn't work out, let me know and I'll organise a plane ticket for you to join us.”

  I sigh. “Stop worrying, Mum. I'll be fine.”

  “Well, Dad and I do worry. We don't like you being on your own. Now, make sure you lock the doors and windows.”

  I roll my eyes. “Yes, Mum.”

  “Okay, I have to go now, but I'll call tomorrow. Goodbye, honey.”

  “Bye.” I hang up and leap in the air. “Yippee. I'm free for two glorious weeks. Now, I can have Brooke and Ruby over to stay. We can watch movies and play with our iPads all night long.” I skip to the kitchen and fill Matilda's bowl with cat mince. My stomach rumbles and I check the fridge for something to eat. Mm, Mum's cooked my favourite dinner—beef curry and rice. After warming it in the microwave, I sit at the kitchen table and ponder on the strange things that happened to me today. I might be lucky to be alive, but it’s no thanks to Tom. If he hadn’t turned weird on me, I would’ve let him drive me home.

  Shaking my head, I pick up my empty plate and take it to the sink. No wonder my parents worry so much. After tonight, I understand why, but if I tell them what happened, not only will they ban me from seeing Tom, they’ll have me on the next flight to Perth. Anyway, I'm so over Tom. He’s turned into a total ass.

  I take off to my bedroom to turn on my laptop. Tom's bound to have sent an email. Shoot. The server is down. No internet. Oh, well, maybe that's a good thing because I'm too tired to chat to my friends after my long day, and I'd only send Tom a nasty message. What a rat bag, and to think I liked him. Yawning, I kick my shoes off and take my stretchy animal-print pyjamas out of my drawer. As I walk towards the door to have a shower, a flash of lightning illuminates my room. Matilda bolts past my legs and stares at me, her fur standing on end. When a loud crack of thunder rattles the house, she scurries under the bed.

  I dash to the window and peer out. The fog has lifted and there's an amazing electrical storm flickering and zigzagging through the clouds. A lightning bolt flashes above the shed, illuminating the garden. Holy crap! Did I just see the shape of a man underneath the gum tree next to the house? Shoot. He seemed to be staring at me. Is someone stalking me?