Series Title: The Secrets Saga
Author: Angee Taylor
Genre: Paranormal Romance/mystery
Journey: The Beginning
Blurb
Journey is a prequel to the Secrets Saga books, Hidden Secrets and Deadly Secrets. In this novella you learn some of the life history of Rose, Cortne and Aj. We also see a glimpse of the beginning of their friendship.
Rose
How do you explain to a family that you lost their dead loved one? Especially, when said family is standing right behind you? To all the patients at work, she appears to have everything going for her. Beauty and brains, should make for an easy life right. Well they would never guess the strong confident nurse they have taking care of them is abused every day at home.
Patients predicting their own death and foretelling a future she doesn’t want to believe. Does she stay or let the predicted future come to life. Why does she leave her family? Why doesn’t she tell anyone what she is when she finds out?
Cortne and Aj
What have they seen that make them accept the things that come to pass?
The Three of Them
What trials have they gone through that bind them? What have they seen that make them accept all that happens to each of them.
We take a glance back at snapshots of their lives to see if it can help us understand them any better.
Excerpt
At nine that night, I carried the sleeping boy to his bed and headed towards mine. It had been a long week, I may just sleep all night and day. I crawled into my bed, and turned the lamp off. The darkness of the room made me uncomfortable for some reason. I dozed off anyway, at some point in the night something woke me up.
To this day, I don’t know what. My room was glowing red. All the curtains were closed and lights were off. Even the door was closed. The air felt heavy, I felt threatened. My heart raced, my breathing was labored; I had broken out in a sweat. What was this? I spoke out loud, following my gut. “This is my house and you are not welcome here. Leave here and leave all in this place alone,” I said through closed eyes, afraid of what I may see in the red glow. The heaviness slowly lifted but I didn’t open my eyes until the next morning. Josh didn’t mention it to me and I damn sure wasn’t going to scare him.
Later that day I took my horse out for a ride through the woods. The sun was so damn bright my sunglasses just weren’t helping. My eyes felt like someone had lit a match and thrown into each of them. Hence, the ride in the woods, it was shadier.
After about an hour of riding straight into the depths of the forest, I turned my horse around and began making my way out. I had ridden in these woods for most of my childhood. I knew every inch of them. I rounded the big oak to see a man standing there. He startled me, I almost yelled but remained calm. “Hi, are you lost?”
“No, I’m not lost I came to see you."
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Hidden Secrets
Blurb
Rose has been struggling for years to find out about the mysterious illness that’s killing her. She’s decided to end her life after one last trip to the French Quarter…Her plans go awry when the sexy Caleb Glasson, who carries a dark secret, saunters into her life. She discovers that she’s not what she appears to be, to rest of the world. The only man that can unlock that secret is dead at Caleb’s hand. The most startling epiphany is that she has latent powers that will emerge in a haunting thrilling story that will answer all of her questions.
Excerpt
What a sight, she thought they were in violation of every vampire lore out there. They were awake during the day, driving a convertible with the roof down, enjoying the sunshine through their dark glasses, of course. The wind made conversation hard and she was grateful. She didn’t know what to say and didn’t know if she could stand to hear what he had to say. The car ride would only last so long. She had to pull herself together. By the time they arrived at the airport, she had reined her emotions in and was ready for anything he could throw at her. Thanks to private airports and no security, she had been able to keep her knives. As they boarded the plane Caleb asked, “Where to? The pilot needs to know where he can file a flight plan.”
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Deadly Secrets
BLURB
The wedding was supposed to stop the endless stream of death threats. It seems someone didn’t get the message. As the family struggles to find the person or persons sending the threats, they face problem after problem. Rose is developing new powers so fast she's having a difficult time keeping up with them. New family members have been discovered that were erased from the family history. There is even possibly a betrayal from within their own family. Whom can Rose and Caleb trust? Who is out to kill them? Will they figure it out in time to save themselves and their family? Or will they discover the truth too late to save everyone they love?
EXCERPT
***Rose***
I crouched there looking down, sliding my tongue over my unsheathed fangs, which pricked it, and allowing the precious blood to seep into my mouth. Tasting the sweet taste of the iron rich liquid, my thirst spiked. The raw desire of hunger ate at me, like a wild animal chewing on a bone.
This wasn’t about hunger though, it was anger, and it was about protecting my family. Hearing Caleb and the others beating at the door, knowing I only had minutes before someone got the doors open. Looking deep in myself, breathing deeply I released the leash I kept on my powers. I felt them slam into me, for once the feel of thousands of bolts of lightning hitting me made me feel powerful, it wasn’t painful this time.
***Collin***
I stood still watching my sister-in-law. I had no idea what she was up to. I’d heard she had a protective streak and was very lethal when she wanted to be. Even though I couldn’t see this slip of a woman being lethal, I’d wait and see. I was caught off guard by what I saw with my own eyes.
The books went to flying off the shelves all around my library. Furniture began floating. The fireplace was erupting with flames all the while my little sister-in-law was still crouched looking down at the floor. Books that were flying off the shelves finally took on an ordered chaos as they were circling around and over me. Trying to get out of the room, I found I was fixed in place.
The fireplace calmed down, the furniture sat back on the floor. I was still fixed in place unable to move and books still circled around and over me. Looking at Rose she was still crouched, never looking up.
When she did what I saw startled me.
Standing slowly, she walked to me. Caleb was beating on the metal door that stood between him and his wife.
As she approached me I guess the fear in my eyes made Rose smile. “You see now I’m no child for you to mess with. You ever kidnap me again, it won’t matter who you’re related to. I’ll kill you and won’t tell them you’re a good guy.”
“Why are your eye’s…That’s not normal.” My voice quivered with the fear, no terror I felt.
“It doesn’t matter. All that does matter is you realize that those people behind that door are mine. I love each and every one of them. If you do anything to harm them, I won’t show you mercy. Vampire or not I can kill you. You may have gotten the drop on me once and drugged me. That was the only time it will ever happen. You better be truthful in all dealing with us or you will see what all isn’t normal about me.”
Waving her hand, the entire room returned to perfection. I shook my head half in shock but completely terrified of her.
Rose looked down, blinking a few times. When she looked at me again all traces of the person she had been seconds earlier was gone.
“Open that door for me, if you don’t mind.” Rose all but ordered it.
“Sure thing Rose.” I did so as fast as I could. I didn’t want to be in a room with her alone any longer than I had to. As the door opened, her family rushed out all speaking at once.
“What happened? What was all that noise? Is everything okay?”
Smiling at her beloved family then turning to look at me before she spoke, “Everything is just fine. Isn’t it Collin?”
“It’s great.” I gave my best smile, even though I was scared at the moment.
Caleb looked around the room, looking for some indication at what had happened. He found none. “Rose let’s go to bed.”
“I’m past ready. I hope the bed is a soft one, after being on that hard silver table for a few days.” Rose said as she walked down the hall towards the bedrooms.
As she walked through the door it closed behind her. I sat on the floor. It had been all the years of training to look tough that had kept me from doing just this earlier. I would not show fear.
Secrets Revealed
Blurb
Rose is tired of her and her family being hunted, so she decides to do the hunting herself and takes Cortne along with her. They end up taking a few detours along the way, learning more about Rose’s past and her family. Does being a Sun Witch add more problems to her life or does it make it easier? Facing severe fatigue and needing to feed frequently makes the hunt more difficult. They already found the traitor in the family, or did they? Is everyone who they appear to be? Has her family been honest with her? Has she been honest with herself? Are friends truly friends or are they enemies lying in wait?
Excerpt
Cortne
“Cool tats!” I almost yelled when I saw the tats on the upper portions of both of Rose’s arms.
“What tats?”
“The eclipses on each of your arms, they are mirror images of each other.”
“They marked me…” I heard Rose whisper.
“What? Who?”
“Nevermind, we have to set up a meeting with Drake.”
“I’m already on it. I called while you were still in bed. We have a meeting at four this afternoon. That gives you two hours to get your shit together. Whatever happened earlier you need to get your mind wrapped around it.”
“My mind is around it. I’m just tired. Maybe I will nap for a bit.” She snapped.
She turned and headed inside, leaving me alone on the balcony. My mind drifted to Sean. It had been months since I’d seen him. I’d kept our separation from Rose by lying to my best friend. I saw the love her and Caleb had. I wanted that, but Sean just couldn’t accept me being a wolf. He’d tried, he really had. I’d planned to tell Rose the divorce was final on our girls’ day. That plan had gone to hell.
I really needed to talk about this with someone, but Rose had too much on her plate now. She would be pissed when she found out I’ve been keeping this from her. I called Aj. Her voice filled with laughter as she answered the phone.
Author Bio
I was born in Houston, Texas in 1977, to an interesting family. My mother and father separated when I was young. I lived with my mother who later remarried a wonderful man, who had a huge impact on me as I grew up. I have always had a love of reading, mostly paranormal. As a child, I would sneak up at late night, when my mom thought I was sleeping, to read. We moved around a lot, eventually settling in Deep East Texas. I married at a young age and eventually divorced. I have raised my now 16 year old son alone. I work full time as a pre-hospital nurse and sometimes see things that would make the rest of you have nightmares. On other days, I'm blessed to see miracles. These things are what drive me to write.
I describes my job as- “I fight to save people’s lives. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win. It's the emotional roller coaster of that job, which leads me to writing. I'm able to put those emotions into my characters and let them out of my heart and soul.”
In 2006, I was diagnosed with a rare disease, shortly after that I was told I would be on full disability in five years and most likely to be dead in ten. I've fought to live a normal life every day since and I'm beating those odds. I work at a demanding job, I'm a single mom, care for an elderly mother, and two hyperactive dogs.
On April 17, 2013 I faced another challenge in my life when my home was destroyed in the explosion in West, TX. I lost many friends and almost everything I own. Once again I have fought to get through it and I'm finally starting to feel normal again.
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