I'm back with another free short story for you all to read and enjoy! I actually quite like this one and I think that it may end up being part of a much longer story in the future. I hope that you are all doing well and staying safe. Enjoy! Next Drink is on Me
By Sheri Velarde Gwen slammed the whiskey in front of her as she waited for the bar to close to mortals and the real drinks to start flowing. “God I miss hunting. Stupid new laws.” She mumbled to herself. Truth be told, she missed a lot of things about the old days. Gwen longed for the shadows, for the friends that can only be made out of need and trust. Everything had become far too open and fake for her liking. Maybe she didn’t belong in this century, maybe she should take a long sleep and hope that when she woke up things had changed. As she sat there lost in her morose thoughts, she barely noticed someone sit down next to her. “You look like you could use another drink.” “Piss off.” Gwen said not even looking up. “Now is that anyway to greet an old friend?” Gwen turned and nearly fell off her stool, which only made the man sitting next to her laugh. “You’re still the only clumsy vampire that I have ever come across in all of my long years.” “Jacob! It’s been over a hundred years! What are you doing here in a secret vampire bar in Chicago of all places? Last I heard you would never leave Europe for the new world.” “It’s been closer to two hundred years actually and I said I’d never sail to the Americas, there is this thing called an airplane now and it makes travel much easier, not to mention quicker so that I can get back to my ancestral lands before I start to lose the magic of my blood.” Jacob signaled for the bartender to bring them more whiskey. “I still can’t believe it’s you. I haven’t seen anyone from our old crew since I came to America. You still haven’t answered what you are doing here.” Gwen said as she regained some of her senses. Jacob was actually here sitting in front of her after all this time. Once upon a time she had begged him to come with her, but he wouldn’t leave his homeland. He also wouldn’t go against his clan and have a romance with a night walker like her. Truth be told the man sitting next to her now was the reason she had never returned to Europe and her old friends. “Would you believe that the seer of my clan sent me here?” Jacob shrugged, though his eyes told that there was much more than he said. “That Cassandra pretender actually let you leave? Last I remember she tried to keep you on a short leash, mainly because she thought that if she threw herself at you enough that you two could pop out a couple of pups.” Gwen took another shot. “I can see that you have lost none of your bite over the years, still as snarky as ever. You know that could be why you are drinking alone in a bar, you send out unfriendly vibes.” Rolling her eyes, Gwen turned to look at him, “You used to find me friendly enough once upon a time, until the opinion of others swayed your way of thinking. Funny that your seer would send you to me of all people, she had to know that I lived here. So spill it, what are you doing here Jacob?” “Do you remember when I used to tell you the legends of the werewolves? Of how the magic in our blood has certain demands?” “Of course I do, we were just talking about how you can’t leave your homeland for long or you might start aging despite the magic of your kind. What of it? So you can travel more freely now with planes, what does that have to do you with showing up here after all this time? Just spit it out, you know I have no patience and it’s still an hour before my kind get the good stuff to drink and I’m getting crankier by the moment.” “Aren’t you at least a little happy to see me? You used to be quite fond of me, are you telling me all those feelings have disappeared?” Jacob reached out and brushed a finger down her cheek, sending a shiver throughout her body. “Please Jacob, tell me why you are here. I don’t like to be teased.” To her shock Jacob seemed to grow nervous, clearing his throat and shifting in his seat like he didn’t know what to say. “You see my kind, all shifters to be told, we are not meant to be solitary creatures.” “Yes, yes, you are pack creatures, will you please get to the point?” Gwen interrupted. “To truly be happy we need more than our pack, we need love to truly live.” Jacob lifted her chin so that she had to look at him. The look in his eyes, it couldn’t mean what she thought it did. “And what does this have to do with me?” Gwen gulped as she waited for his reply. “I think that you know what that means. I was wrong to let you go all those years ago, never has a werewolf found his match in a non-shifter, I deluded myself that I had to let you go in order to find the one I was meant to be with. As it turned out you and I were meant to be all along and I was an idiot to not see that.” He leaned closer, his voice now barely a whisper. “Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?” “You know that I have not truly felt alive since I left you.” Gwen whispered. Jacob frowned, “I will spend the rest of eternity making that you to you if you let me. I am sorrier than I can ever convey for hurting you, I…” Gwen leaned in and pressed her lips against his, “Next drink is on me.” Jacob smiled and kissed her back.
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As promised, even if a little late, here is a free short story to help keep you entertained! Enjoy! A Night Away from the Ranch
By Sheri Velarde Karen walked into the barn and kicked the closest thing to the door, scattering a random can of tools across the floor and scaring the horses. Uttering some choice words, she bent down and began to pick up the mess she’d made. “Need some help with that?” A voice asked behind her, making her jump. Whirling around Karen looked up at her one and only ranch hand Clint standing in the doorway. She felt herself flush to be caught in such a moment of weakness. “No, I just knocked this over, I can clean it up. The work is done for the day, you can head to your cabin or do whatever you do on your off time.” Instead of nodding and moving on to let her continue her breakdown in private, Clint stood there, his too blue eyes boring into her. Karen squirmed, feeling as if he were looking into her very soul. Why had she hired such a man to work on her parents’ ranch with her? She courted trouble with a man like Clint and she knew it. “Tonight I want to take you into town. I think that we both could use a few drinks and a chance to blow off some steam.” Clint said, reaching out his hand to help her up from the ground. “The mess can wait until tomorrow.” As she began to protest Clint held up his hand, “Everything can wait until tomorrow. When is the last time that you left the ranch and had some fun?’ “Longer than I care to admit.” Karen answered, not daring to look directly at Clint. “Then come on, we’re going to have some fun tonight. You do know how to have fun right?” “I vaguely remember. I shouldn’t though. I am going to go over some things with my father, we need to sell off some assets before the bank comes a knocking. Then I promised my mother I would rearrange the living room. And of course…” Clint cut her off. “All of that can wait until tomorrow. You can’t sell anything tonight. Your father will still be here tomorrow and besides we both know he will follow your lead in business matters. The living room isn’t going anywhere. Tell your parents that you need a night off, I can almost guarantee that they’ll agree. Go take a shower and change and I’ll be at the main house to pick you up in an hour.” Before she could formulate more excuses not to go, Clint turned and walked towards his cabin. She stood there staring at his all too fine behind in his tight jeans before shaking herself out of her stupor and heading back to the house to get ready for her night away from the ranch. Exactly one hour later, Clint knocked on the door. He too had showered, put on some new jeans along with his nicest shirt. A man just shouldn’t look that good Karen thought to herself. “Ready?” He asked, his eyes giving her figure an appreciative scan. “Yes, I guess so.” Karen stammered, cursing herself for sounding like an unsure girl rather than the self-assured woman that she knew herself to be. It must be all the stress she had been under lately. It certainly had nothing to do with nerves about being alone in a non-work situation with the good looking cowboy she labored with every day. No, there was no way that she would fall for an employee, or anyone for that matter. She just couldn’t afford any romantic distractions at this point in her life. So why did her heart race at the thought of something akin to a date with Clint? The ride into town was a rather silent one. Clint seemed comfortable in the silence, though he kept sending sexy glances Karen’s way. Karen on the other hand found the quiet unnerving yet could not think of one thing non-work related to discuss. Clint had made it clear that he would not discuss the ranch tonight and which eliminated most of Karen’s topics for discussion. She really needed more of a life she decided. Before she knew it, Clint pulled off the highway and into a rather raucous looking bar. “Is this where you usually come on your off nights?” Karen asked as she looked at some of the scantily clad ladies heading into the building. She certainly didn’t fit in here. “Not usually, but there’s a great band playing here tonight and I hear that it’s a good place to dance. I also hear that they make strong drinks and I think that is just what you might need tonight.” Clint said as he took her hand and led the way in. They found a table and ordered some drinks, which Clint insisted on paying for despite her objections. “So tell me what it was like growing up with Vernon and Roberta as parents?” Clint asked, leaning back and looking at lease as he always did. “You want to talk about my childhood?” “Sure, why not? That is how you get to know one another better, asking questions.” Their drinks came and slowly Karen began to loosen up. Conversing got easier, she even found herself laughing and forgetting the ranch every now and then. She talked about herself, she learned more about Clint, she found that he was more than a bull rider turned ranch hand. Sure, he had some great stories about his time at rodeos, but there was so much more to him than she had ever allowed herself to know. Now she knew she was in trouble, she liked him too much. Then Clint asked her to dance. She flushed as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He smiled and stared down at her as he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Time slowed as he leaned down and kissed her, sealing their fate. Hey all! I hope that you are all doing as best can be expected in such crazy times. I have had a rough week, but am happy to say that I am finally back to writing! I have two horror anthologies that I plan on submitting to within the next month, which means I have two stories that need written. I have the ideas and have start each story and that feels great! I admit I have not been writing as much as I would like this year, but I feel like I might be coming out of my slump.
And as promised I hope to get a new short story up here each week, I am aiming for Fridays so please stayed tuned! I am on a sci-fi and horror kick lately, but if there is a particular genre of story you would like to see, please let me know in the comments. In the meantime, back to writing! Looking for some witchy reads to get you through these less than stellar times? Something sure to distract you from the world for a few hours while you read? Well check out The Witch of Indigo Bayou by one of my favorite indie authors, Leona Bushman. And if you want more there are two more books in the series for your reading pleasure! Link: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Indigo-Bayou-Lost-Book-ebook/dp/B07NJGTM3D/ After a lifetime of ignoring her magic, Melissa is now in danger from those who would like to steal it. Melissa discovers her magic is very real while hiking with her friend, Rachel. She sells everything and gives up her life as a stockbroker to live in solitude to practice and learn her magic. But real life keeps intruding. Then, one stormy night a month before Beltane, John arrives. Someone sends John to find her. He's a private investigator and very good at his job. But when he finds her, literal sparks fly. Next thing he knows, he's talking to cats and other animals, and they're talking back. If that isn't enough to believe in the magic, the spell she wove over him sure is. The heat between them is hotter than the Dismal Swamp in the Summer. They make plans for celebrating Beltane together, and he can't wait. However, as the time nears, he has to choose between his business and Melissa as the one who sent him to find her threatens him and the woman he's come to love. Whatever he does, he is afraid Melissa will die. How can he save her and their growing love? Series Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TJXPR96
Starting back in March when most of the world and the nation went into lock down, with many people losing income as well as dealing with a scary pandemic, I decided to start offering some of my books for free. These are the books that I can personally control on Amazon and offer for free for free. I have gone through my entire catalog that are eligible for free days and am happy to say that I have given over 600 books to the reading community over the past two and a half months! I hope that in some small way I made some people's days brighter and helped to distract them for a short amount of time during this unprecedented time of turmoil.
I want to thank each person who downloaded one or more of my books and I sincerely hope that they entertained you for a bit. This was my small way of giving back during trying times. I have used all my free promotion days for now over on Amazon, but should times continue to be tough I will try to do this again during the next few months. In the meantime I hope to continue to give back by maybe posting free short stories here on my blog weekly, a little something to still try to keep you entertained! Hey all, I put two new books up for free over the weekend but forgot to blog about it! So these books will be free today through Wednesday, May 6! These might be the last books that I can put up for free as I think I have gone through my catalog of books which are eligible to be free on Amazon. Each book can only be free once every three months, so I still have another month or so before I can start offering them free again. It's my hope that we are all back to at least a somewhat normal existence by then. Still if there are still lock downs and quarantines, then I will go back to trying to entertain others for free! In the meantime I might try to post some free short stories here on this blog as a way of still giving back!
And without further ado, the two free books for this week: The Discovery of a Lifetime: mybook.to/TheDiscoveryLifetimeLove at the Comic Con: mybook.to/LoveattheComicCon |
AuthorAuthor, artist, jewelry maker and all around creative person. I write in many genres and have a lot of fun doing so. Please take a look around and enjoy! Archives
January 2022
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