Eye of Newt (A Short Story) Read online

  Eye of Newt

  By

  Kimberly Kinrade

  &

  Dmytry Karpov

  Eye of Newt

  By Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov

  Published by Daring Books

  Copyright 2012 Daring Books

  You may not use, reproduce, or transmit in any manner, any part of this book without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews. All rights are reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.

  Eye of Newt

  That Morning

  Hands like vellum caressed Annabel’s face. "I will return tomorrow." His smile made her turn away to hide the revulsion of his touch. If only he never came back—then this place would be bearable.

  A cold wind blew through the room, pushing crumpled papers off the wooden desk and unto the red carpet. Annabel picked them up, and the cold touched her spine. Stupid window. She went over to the white walls and closed it. Metal bars peered at her through the glass.

  She spoke to him without turning her head, a practiced obsequiousness in her voice. “My love, while you are gone, may I have visitors?”

  Newt chuckled and stroked his straw thin beard. Barely anything remained of his gray hair, unlike his overgrown eyebrows. “Why do you need those? Have I not enough books to keep you company?”

  Dozens of shelves loomed over the fireplace. They went all the way up to the ceiling, so high Annabel couldn’t reach many of the books. She stroked the leather spines of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth, her favorites. The schemes and plots made her grin.

  Annabel straightened her yellow dress and sat down under a painting of a ship in a storm. She would flatter the old creep. But she would do it with words alone. “Sometimes it is nice to have the company of people. And, without you, I get so lonely.”

  Newt patted the black eye patch over his eye. “I am always with you, my dear.” He turned toward the door.

  The whine slipped from her lips. “But I haven’t seen my friends for so long." She struggled to regain her submissive posture. "They are nothing compared to your company, but, maybe, they will make my longing for you more… bearable.”

  Newt scowled, and the wrinkles on his face drew together. His blue eye dulled and his pointy chin stretched tight. That face might have been handsome once, but now it turned to hate. “No.” His voice dropped low with barely concealed rage. “I am all you need. If you are not happy, we will discuss it when I return.”

  “Please, just this once. I’ll—”

  “No!” Newt walked across the room. His cane tapped on the floor. He reached Annabel and lifted her by the collar, tearing a whole through the flowers sewn into the cheerful fabric. “Who is it you want to see so badly? Who?” Spit sprayed from his purple lips. The smell of wine hit her. “Is it a man?”

  Annabel shook her head. She had driven him too far. Now, it would not end well. “No. I’m sorry. I will not ask again.”

  Newt sucked the air and growled. He let go of Annabel and slapped her across the face.

  Pain exploded in her cheek and she fell to the floor, sobbing. “I’m sorry… my love. I will entertain myself while you are gone. I will think of only you.”

  Newt nodded and strutted out of the house.

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Annabel rolled onto her back and screamed. Why must he always ruin everything? Why couldn’t she have ended up with someone else? Her father had insisted on Newt. “He is wealthy,” he said. “And you’ll have everything.” Annabel had no choice, and so she tried to believe.

  At first, she adored the necklaces and fancy dresses, the house and the garden. They were all so… new, so marvelous—like treasures a princess would have. But eventually, she began to want what she had left behind: gossiping with Mary, talking to her father, going to the marketplace and saying hi to the baker. Those simple moments, those moments and interactions she was denied. Because of this.

  She grabbed the golden necklace around her neck and pulled. It burned, a little at first, like hot water in a bath. Then it grew stronger, like holding your hand near fire. And then, then it turned to flames. Yes. Yes. Annabel let go and raised her arms. Red lines engraved her palms.

  And she laughed.

  He’d told her it wouldn’t come off as long as she lived. Still giggling, she toyed with the chain. It didn’t hurt, if she didn’t pull. But it kept her here: this little thing. At its end hung an eye, and, always, it stared at her.

  That Evening

  “How did you get in?” Annabel stood on the balcony. Her red scarf rippled in the wind.

  Footsteps behind her. “I do what I’m paid to. You don’t want to know how.”

  Annabel didn’t turn. She couldn’t let the eye see him. “Did you get my message?”

  “Yes. How did you get the boy to deliver it?”

  The garden below brought the smell of roses. Annabel leaned on the stone railing. Its bumps pricked her soft hands. “He’s a farmer’s son. He visits me at the gate every night… if it’s safe.”

  “You’re fortunate.”

  Annabel flicked her necklace. “I wish I was.”

  “Shall we start?”

  “Yes.” Annabel turned and put the scarf over the necklace. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. Maybe…

  The dark room held only a bed and a chair in front of a mirror. The man before her wore a black coat, had thick black hair and eyebrows. His sharp chin fit perfectly with his slim face, and his blue eyes reflected stars. A handsome face. Her breaths became shallow with the possibility of desire.

  He signaled her to come closer. She did. He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. Her heart quickened. Her skin grew hot. His rough hands slid up to her neck.

  And broke it.

  All went dark.

  That Night

  Annabel gasped as if waking from a nightmare. The man came into focus over her.

  “It is done,” he said.

  Her hand went to the necklace… it wasn’t there. Yes. Finally, but where…. At her side lay the golden chain and uncovered eye. She stood up, pushed the man aside, and threw the eye out the balcony.

  The door slammed open.

  “How dare you?” Newt stood in the doorway. His red coat puffed up just like his sweat-drenched face.

  “I am no longer yours.” Annabel raised her arms and exposed her throat, now free of his ever-watchful eye.

  The man who had freed her had disappeared.

  “What did you do?” Newt walked up to her, almost tripped over his cane. “I saw the necklace slip off of you. What did you do with it?”

  Annabel laughed. Oh, how she had waited for this moment. For years, she had planned her words. “I have left it. Like I am leaving you.”

  “No.” Newt clutched her neck and squeezed. The air ripped from her chest and returned in trickles. He pushed her to the floor and got on top of her.

  How had he returned so quickly? How long had she been out? No. This wasn’t supposed to happen now. Not now.

  Newt’s grip loosened as he breathed harder.

  “I’m sorr—” Annabel stopped. She wasn’t sorry. She was furious. Furious at him for stealing her life. And she was done acting.

  Yelling, she grabbed his face and dug her nails into his skin. Blood dripped from his eyes like tears.

  Newt screamed and pulled her arms away. Filled with air, she pushed him to the floor. He started to stand, but she dug a heel into his chest. She knelt over him and pushed on his throat with her new strength.

  “You ke
pt me here like one of your precious ornaments. Now join them. You’ll have everything… ” she mimicked her father, and then added, “and you’ll be all alone.”

  She pushed harder, and Newt’s limbs collapsed.

  He lay there like a dead insect: thin, small, and twisted oddly. What had she ever been afraid of? She knelt and pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. The scent of his blood stirred her new hungers. She flicked her tongue at his chest, like a kitten sipping milk for the first time. Her stomach clenched, the vile flavor of his essence tainting her. Even his blood tasted foul.

  She laughed, wiped her red hands on her dress, and walked out. She walked past locked doors and barred windows. She walked past the garden and out the gate. She walked home, grinning all the way—the night alive with flavors. Her second chance at life an intoxicating elixir.

  ***

  Back at the mansion, the man in black emerged from the shadows. He stood over Newt’s body and shook his head. “When will you learn? You should have treated my mother better. You should have treated her,” he pointed at the door, “better. Then maybe, she wouldn’t have killed you. You have everything. Don’t waste it.”

  He leaned into the man and pulled out a knife. As he cut his wrist, he put it over the dead man’s throat. Let him have one more chance.

  ***

  If you enjoyed Kimberly Kinrade's writing, consider subscribing to her short story site called A Gathering of Tales, and get the first look at short stories and bonus content written by her and her husband, Dmytry Karpov. Fans of the Seduced Saga and the Forbidden Trilogy will be excited to know that they will get emails of short stories within those worlds, with exciting adventures of their favorite characters. By signing up, you'll get EVERY short story she and her husband write, before it's published anywhere else, for only pennies on the dollar. Check it out today and sign up at A Gathering of Tales.

  If you enjoyed Eye of Newt, check out other work by this author:

  Available NOW!

  Those inside are special, gifted with unique abilities, abilities that make them dangerous to the outside world. Since childhood, they're trained to control their powers, to show restraint, and to defend themselves. For years they practice, honing their gifts for one purpose: to be rented out to the highest bidder as a spy, to be used as a weapon against others.

  Sam never questions her role at the secret organization dubbed Rent-A-Kid.

  Until she meets Drake.

  She reads minds.

  He controls minds.

  Together, they might get out alive.

  THIS SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDES:

  *Award-Winning Book #1 - Forbidden Mind

  *Book #2 - Forbidden Fire

  *Book #3 - Forbidden Life

  *In-Depth Q&A with Author Kimberly Kinrade

  *Extensive Bonus Content (Available ONLY in this Special Edition)

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  Excerpt:

  This was the moment. Our first meeting. What if the chemistry we had in our minds didn't translate to our bodies? What if he looked at me and ran away?

  Ana, reading my mind, tugged me to the door with a motherly smile. My heart clenched at the thought that Lucy and Luke should have basked in that smile over the last eighteen years. The injustice of it all renewed my motivation.

  She opened the door and Drake stepped forward, and for that moment, the world stopped spinning and time stood still.

  In my imagination, he hadn't been so tall. Tall and muscular. His blond-highlighted hair lay casually messy, and his crystal blue eyes held me in a long stare. He'd found a way to shave, and the chiseled strength of his jaw made my knees weak.

  When he smiled, warmth filled my stomach.

  "Sam."

  That was it, just one word, but he made it sound like it held all the secrets of the universe. His voice was deeper, huskier, than it had been in my mind.

  "Drake, it's really you."

  He reached for my hand. "It's really me."

  When his skin touched mine, lightning danced between us. He pulled me close, breathing in the scent of me as our bodies touched. I nearly cried right there in his arms, just being held, feeling him. I never wanted to let go.

  But I had to.

  Get your copy of The Forbidden Trilogy today!

  Forbidden Mind (Forbidden, #1)

  Winner of the 2011 Forward National Literature Award

  She reads minds.

  He controls minds.

  Together, they might get out alive.

  Sam thinks she’s months away from freedom. After spending her life in a secret school, rented out to the rich and powerful as a paranormal spy, she is ready to head to college like any normal eighteen-year-old.

  Only Sam isn’t normal. She reads minds. And just before her big going-away party, she links to the mind of a young man who changes everything.

  Drake wasn’t raised as a ‘Rent-A-Kid.’ He was kidnapped and taken there by force. But his exceptional physical strength and powers of mind control make him very dangerous, especially to Sam.

  When they meet, Sam is forced to face the truth of her situation, and to acknowledge that not all is as it seems in her picture-perfect world. For what awaits her on her eighteenth birthday isn’t a trip to college, but an unexpected nightmare from which she may not be able to escape.

  To survive, they must work together.

  But will their powers be enough to save them before it’s too late?

  Also from Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov

  The Forbidden Saga

  Forbidden Mind (The Forbidden Trilogy, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade

  Forbidden Fire (The Forbidden Trilogy, #2) by Kimberly Kinrade

  Forbidden Life (The Forbidden Trilogy, #3) by Kimberly Kinrade

  The Forbidden Trilogy (Omnibus Edition) by Kimberly Kinrade

  Sunrise & Nightfall by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *

  The Hunter Riley Series

  The Black Thorn (Hunter Riley Series, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov

  Blood of the Fallen (The Fallen Trilogy, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *

  Tears of the Fallen (The Fallen Trilogy, #2) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *

  Flight of the Fallen (The Fallen Trilogy, #3) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *

  The Reluctant Familiar Series

  The Reluctant Familiar (The Reluctant Familiar, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade*

  The Egyptian Queen (Prequel) by Kimberly Kinrade*

  The Three Lost Kids Series

  Lexie World (The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy - Illustrated)

  Bella World (The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy - Illustrated)

  Maddie World (The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy - Illustrated)

  The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy

  The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse

  The Three Lost Kids & Cupid's Capture *

  * Coming Soon

  About the Authors

  Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. As a child, where others saw shapes in clouds, she saw words. But she was also an entrepreneur at heart. So when her business arrangement with the Tooth Fairy ended, she went pro by writing her fantastical stories and selling them to all her neighbors.

  Fast forward… um… many years and many college degrees later… and she is now a published author after a long career as a journalist and freelance writer.

  Though she has written in many genres and fields, she's most passionate about the world of the paranormal and fantasy where she writes award-winning books for children, teens and adults.

  When Kimberly's not writing, editing and writing some more, she runs Daring Books Design & Marketing with her husband.

  Kimberly lives with her three little girls who think they are princess ninjas with hid
den supernatural powers, her two dogs who think they are human, her two cats who think they are gods (and probably are) and the one man who is her husband, soul mate and writing and business partner—Dmytry Karpov.

  Find her at www.KimberlyKinrade.com

  On Twitter: @KimberlyKinrade

  On Facebook: /KimberlyKinrade

  And subscribe to her newsletter for special perks. For a fun fan-based experience, check out IPIAcademy.com and become an Agent-in-Training with International Paranormal Investigations.

  Dmytry Karpov heard the siren call of the muses at an early age and penned his first masterpiece when he was twelve-years-old. Okay, masterpiece may be stretching it, but he didn’t give up. At the ripe age of sixteen he began an epic fantasy that would someday leave all epic fantasies green with envy. It now sits on his computer, 80,000 words into it, and only one third complete. He might someday finish it.

  Fortunately, by the time he entered college, he learned the art of outlining, thus making the process of actually completing a novel much more likely. Words have always held the power to seduce him, which is why it’s no surprise that he’s now co-writing the Fallen Trilogy with his wife, Kimberly Kinrade, and also has a dark fantasy and epic fantasy burning a hole in his writer’s brain.

  Born in the Ukraine and raised in Canada, he now lives with his beautiful wife in the U.S. Northwest, where he tries to remember his Russian and his wife tries to remember her French and together they try to remember to feed their three daughters, two dogs and two kittens.

  Dmytry can be reached via email, Facebook; Twitter; Goodreads; and Google+. You can also learn more about him on his website: http://DmytryKarpov.com

  ~~~~~

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