Gathering Storm Read online

  Gathering Storm

  Gathering Storm

  Jess Parry

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  Gathering Storm

  Copyright © 2012 Jess Parry

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 10: 148100641X

  ISBN-13: 978-1481006415

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  1

  Chapter 1

  2

  Chapter 2

  3

  Chapter 3

  4

  Chapter 4

  5

  Chapter 5

  6

  Chapter 6

  7

  Chapter 7

  8

  Chapter 8

  9

  Chapter 9

  10

  Chapter 10

  11

  Chapter 11

  12

  Chapter 12

  13

  Chapter 13

  14

  Chapter 14

  15

  Chapter 15

  16

  Chapter 16

  17

  Chapter 17

  18

  Chapter 18

  19

  Chapter 19

  20

  Chapter 20

  21

  Chapter 21

  22

  Chapter 22

  23

  Chapter 23

  Acknowledgments

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  Gathering Storm

  - 3 -

  Gathering Storm

  Prologue

  Year - 1612

  Thunder rumbled effortlessly as lightening splintered inside the rising storm clouds emerging in the moonless night sky. Waves furiously crashed onto the shore below the darkened cliffs as he stood proudly alone. The lightning flashes were casting an eerie glow onto the path before Siobhan. Running as fast she could, she knew she had to make it to the top of the cliffs. Taking a greedy breath of air into her burning lungs, she quickly glanced up to see one shadowed figure standing with arms stretched to the heavens. The longing in his voice stabbed her, but the words were carried away from her. Stealing her gaze back to the path, a thunderous clap of thunder boomed over Siobhan. Stumbling, she felt the earth below her bare feet shaking. Her eyes widened as the path before her split widening as it reached its way to the top where her beloved stood. Grey smoke billowed from the gaping crack at the top as it began to take shape. An acrid smell mixed with the salty sea air filling her senses, fear gripping her heart tighter, something was terribly wrong.

  Running faster, her stomach clenched as she came to a standstill, the shape had formed into a tall shadow looming over her beloved. Frozen in terror, Siobhan watched as the shadow filled into her worst nightmare. The demon was taller than her beloved; his broad chiseled chest glistening in the night air, as billows of steam rose around him. Hair black as coal blew freely in the wind; she gasped at the beauty the demons held. Taking her beloveds hand the demon turned towards Siobhan, eyes gleaming brightly as the stars overhead. The demon began wickedly laughing, as he felt Siobhan’s fear enveloping him.

  “What have you done!” she screamed at her beloved as he slowly turned to gaze at her.

  Eyes widening as she looked into the shocked face of her beloved. Those beautiful gray eyes that had always been watching her with longing were gone. Inside the pain laced expression, there was now one blue, one green. A fleeting look of sorrow crossed her beloveds face before he doubled in pain. Waves of unseen blows racked against his body as he fell to the ground writhing.

  Wild laughter reverberated through the dizzying wind whipping around Siobhan. Through tear filled eyes, she raised her gaze up at the ominous being suddenly hovering beside her. His laughter leisurely rose to a seductive whisper in her ears. She watched his now blood red eyes brightening as his smile grew showing rows of sharp white teeth. The beauty of his features lost the moment his smile twisted with the evil within.

  “He has made his choice, eternity to bring the truth back to you, lifetimes of love to lose and gain. Your memories are fleeting, but a touch will one day bring them back. If your love is as true as he said” The demon’s voice seductively replied to Siobhan.

  “I have done this to keep us together” Siobhan’s beloved screamed between the blows reaching out blindly for her. Clasping her hand, Siobhan felt the world around her begin to shimmer with forbidden power. Squeezing her beloved’s hand she whispered a prayer to the gods to help them.

  “This is not what I asked for!” Her beloved screamed angrily at the demon standing beside Siobhan.

  “Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences for your request boy?” the demon’s voice rose above the raging wind. “You sealed your fate when you called me”

  The demon raised his hand, snapping his fingers loudly as he then pointed to Siobhan. Silence fell around them as lightning burst from the clouds above striking Siobhan in the heart.

  Excruciating pain beyond Siobhan’s belief ran through her body to the ground below. Sudden coldness enclosed around her brought a welcome relief from the searing heat burning its way out from her heart. Stumbling closer to the edge of the cliff, Siobhan gazed longingly at the sea swirling beneath her. The shadowy water caressed the rocks below, its warmth beckoning for her in its deep depths to let go, to lose herself in its darkness. It called to her, achingly inviting her to crawl into its shelter.

  Taking one last look at her beloved, the love in her eyes sent a single tear spilling over, tracing a trail of light down her cheek. Her beloved eyes widened as her hand went limp in his strong grip, his mouth opening to a silent scream.

  “I’ll always remember” she whispered as the wind slowly lifted her up and out into the open air above the pitch-black water below the cliff.

  The wailing sound of pain surrounded her fall as she watched her beloved struck by lightning; she yearned to reach out to him, to comfort, to hold him one last time. Darkness encircled her like a blanket willing her to close her eyes, to sleep. The fight to stay awake left her as she took one last breath, closing her eyes falling through the cold sea below…

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  Gathering Storm

  1 CHAPTER ONE

  (Present Day)

  The classroom was packed with students eagerly discussing what they were going to do over the summer. Girls checking their makeup as they giggled over something their friends mentioned. The boys were stretching out their lanky bodies in the constriction of the small school desks. Mr. Lockler had opened the old pane windows in the little room. The light summer breeze couldn’t stifle the humidity from the afternoon sun beating down into the cramped room. The school had been built before the thought of global warming and the third floor was always the hottest in the summer from the warmer air rising from the cooler floors below.

  Looking at the clock Siobhan watched as the big hand seemed to freeze from its movement to mark the next minutes pass. Sighing, she looked over as Jason lounged in his seat, his legs stretched out impossibly long and laughed as the guy next to him mumbled something before turning to glance in her direction. Shaking his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, his face turned to her direction a smirk formed on his pretty face. His brown eyes, the color of latte, twinkled mischievously at her. She looked away feeling the heat of a blush warming her cheeks. Instead of wondering what Jason, her boyfriend, was currently saying to his buddy, she looked out the window into the clear blue sky. She closed eyes, silently wishing the bell for last period would ring ending class. She longed to begin her summer. Siobhan planned to leave early tomorrow and head to her grandparents farm, as she did at the start of every summer. This was just the first year, she could drive there, rather than take the train. Her mother hadn’t been keen on her going this year, b
ut considering Siobhan made straight A’s, always kept her curfew and for all intents and purposes was the perfect child, Siobhan thought she had won the battle rather well.

  Tilting her head in the direction of light beaming through the class window, feeling it’s warmth on her face, she tuned out the chatter of her classmates. She brought up the memory of her grandparents standing on the porch of their farm house, smiling and holding hands. Her grandfather, with his crooked grin and laughing brown eyes, his olive skin tanned from years of working in the sun. The wrinkles that only really showed on his face when he smiled, Siobhan smiled sweetly at the image in her mind. He was ageless until his smile brought out every laugh line in his weathered face. At seventy, he didn’t look a day over fifty with his strong Italian heritage. Her grandmother was tiny in every sense of the word and would always say it was the Irish in her. She always said she was small from all the fairy blood running in her family. She had the bluest eyes that were always shining with a hint of feistiness. Siobhan could only recall that when her grandmother spoke of her daughter, Siobhan’s mother, that a hint of sadness would cloud those luminous eyes.

  She wanted to be at her grandparent’s farm as quickly as possible, to her that was home with its rolling hills of wheat. In the west woods she would spend hours in the nooks of a great oak tree daydreaming of the fairies that lived in the trees. She loved watching her grandparent’s walk the fields hand in hand discussing the crops. Hearing her grandfather’s bellowing laugh from something her grandmother had said. The way she would catch the look of love they gave each other. To Siobhan that was pure heaven. She treasured waking up in her room there, with the windows open, listening to the cows mooing, birds chirping and one of the five dogs that had wandered onto the farm barking for attention.

  She liked Chicago; with all the chaos and shows, the old world architecture of the city. The blare of horns from cars filled with people hustling from one place to another. The city had a constant hum of existence that never slumbered. There was always a block party, baseball game in the park, but at night and early morning, she always felt closed in with the noise that traveled into her room. Some evenings she would sit out in the backyard of her parent’s brownstone and try to see the stars, but the city lights constantly kept them just out of view.

  She wondered sometimes, why her mother was so bent on getting out of the small town she grew up in to come here. She knew it was because of her father, but really could you love someone so much, that you would give up the only place you have ever known for them?

  Her parents had met in college, during her mother’s senior year; they had fallen madly in love. Her father had been finishing his residency at the local hospital there. He had proposed the day of her mother’s graduation, then whisked her back here to his home after their honeymoon a few weeks later. Her mother had embraced being the doctor’s wife with vigor seeming to forget she was a farmer’s daughter. Her parent’s loved each other in their own way, but it wasn’t the warm love she saw in her grandparent’s.

  That was the love she hoped to know one day. A love that was home to her…

  Siobhan’s mother never spoke much about growing up on the farm, other than making noise about the smells from all the animals or that there was never anything to do. The one thing that always struck Siobhan was that her mother named her after a distant relative, Siobhan McAllister. Siobhan was a name that was never really used in the family since it was often told that girls in the family named Siobhan were always wild and died young. Her mother always said that name popped into her head after thirteen hours of labor, then remembering how Siobhan was the name of the stubborn women in the family, she felt that name was meant to be hers…

  The shrill sound of the last bell was met by whoops and hollers as the kids grabbed their bags rushing for the door. Sighing, Siobhan reached down, grabbed her bag rose out of the cramped chair walking slowly toward the door. Stopping at Mr. Lockler’s desk, she noted the ruffled papers scattered across his desk, as he hastily tried to shuffle them into some semblance of order.

  “Have a good summer, Mr. Lockler; I have really enjoyed world studies this year”

  Looking up at her with his glasses slightly askew on his beak like nose, Mr. Lockler smiled at her.

  “You have been a wonderful student, Siobhan and I hope you have a pleasant summer as well.” Mr. Lockler hastily replied

  Turning, Siobhan headed for her locker, where she found her best friend Sarah leaning against the door as her head tilted up slightly smirking at Jason who was whispering something only they could hear. A slight feeling of agitation began to rise in Siobhan as she watched the closeness they seemed to always have with each other, but quickly shook it off.

  How could they not, the three of them have been together since kindergarten, they knew each other’s secrets, so why should she feel like the odd one out? Clearing her throat as she walked up to them Sarah jumped in a full circle throwing her arms around Siobhan.

  “We.are.free!” she screamed into Siobhan’s ear before planting a smacking kiss onto Siobhan’s cheek. Sarah quickly spun around to do the same to Jason. Laughing Siobhan pushed her friend out of the way as she opened her locker door.

  “What-oh-what are we going to do this summer?” Sarah sang “It’s our senior year Siobhan; we are totally going to rock this school year!” Twisting her hips around, Sarah giggled as she grabbed Jason’s arm to twirl her.

  “I don’t know about the two of you, but I am leaving in the morning for my grandparents” Siobhan said as she dug into her locker missing the smile on Jason’s face as he shook his head no to Sarah.

  “Oh, really, I thought you were spending the summer with me?” whined Sarah “You ALWAYS go down there for the summer; I thought this year would be different as it’s our senior year and all!”

  Rolling her eyes Siobhan looked up to Jason for some type of help, but he only shook his head.

  “Siobhan, I have to agree with Sarah on this, it’s our senior year and we should be together this summer.” Jason said as he continued to twirl Sarah around

  “Oh really… you aren’t going off to baseball camp for the first month of break like always?” Siobhan asked

  “No, I’m actually ditching it this year, which is ok with my parents, since I made the Dean’s list and brought our school back the championship win this year” he replied back coolly.

  Barking out a laugh, Sarah chimed in “I only made the dean’s list, but hey my parents are cool with me doing whatever so why can’t you just this once play nice with us?”

  Clearing his throat, Jason looked at the two girls in front of him “Hey I think we need to continue this outside as most of the school is empty except for us. Granted I like school, I’m ready to be out of this building” Turning he started walking to the exit as Sarah yanked Siobhan up, slammed her locker door, pulling her outside. Laughing Siobhan stumbled out of the doors into the blazing afternoon sun.

  “Holdup a minute guys!” Sarah called as Siobhan caught up to Jason circling her hand into his.

  Glancing over her shoulder, Siobhan watched as Sarah took her school uniform skirt, rolled it up two additional inches past her hips then unbuttoned her two top buttons tying her shirt at the base revealing her belly button ring.

  “Sarah, really we are going straight to my house, why are you doing that?” Siobhan scolded

  “Oh come on! Really, like you have to ask, girl I got it, I have to flaunt it! Not all of us have the captain of the baseball team for a boyfriend! So stick that lower lip right back into its place Becky” Sarah answered rolling her eyes while pulling her long blonde hair up into a twisted knot on her head.

  “You know I said I could hook you up with Derrick, he has been crushing on you for years Sarah” Jason chuckled as he squeezed Siobhan’s hand.

  “Ah…that’s so sweet, but Jason I want a M.A.N. not some boy, I mean Derrick is hot in his own right, but come on what would we have in common?” Sarah winked at Siobhan as she shifted
her shirt to reveal a little more cleavage. “So back to what I was saying about spending our summer together Siobhan, really I must put my foot down, I need my girl”

  “Sarah, I love you… I really do, but I love my grandparent’s more. I have already promised them I would leave first thing in the morning” Siobhan said through her teeth as she turned to look up at Jason. “Jason, come on you have to understand where I am coming from, you’ve met my grandparents when they came up to visit…”

  “I do, they are really a sweet couple, but Siobhan they have lived their lives, you need to spend time with us. The boyfriend who loves you like crazy, not to mention I’ll need your help to keep Sarah here from jumping on every M.A.N she meets.”

  Screeching loudly, Sarah rounded on Jason as she skipped past dropping a swift slap onto Jason’s shoulder that really was more out of love than anger as his comment.

  Siobhan felt the laughter bubbling out of her as she watched Jason scoop Sarah up tossing her over his should as the rounded the corner onto the quieter street that lead to her house.

  “I don’t know what you laughing about; you are supposed to be beating up your boy for picking me up!” Sarah squealed as Jason tickled her.

  “Better you than me, you’re my bestie and all, but I know how bad Jason can tickle! ” Siobhan choked out between her laughter

  “Damn straight you do!” Jason chortled as he dropped Sarah down to the ground.

  5

  Gathering Storm

  2 CHAPTER TWO