Series: Amelia (Ami) Jane Gray
Author: Darla Stone
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: September 23, 2020
Cover Design: Stargold Designs
Amelia (Ami) Jane Gray is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She and her friends Drew and Jackie, accompanied by Jackie’s cousin Sloane, set off on an adventure that will change their lives forever.
PROLOGUE
The forest blew by them. The pair were looking for an escape. Each was carrying an all to precious package. “We must hurry. This area is too exposed, and I think we were followed.” The male of the pair said fear lacing his voice.
“They mustn’t get them.” The woman exclaimed with just as much fear.
A soft cry came from the bundle she was carrying. “Shh, there, there, little one. It will be all right.” She was carrying an infant but not just any infant; the male and female were entrusted with a pair of children: one boy and one girl, both brother and sister to the other. An arrow suddenly flew by the male’s head.
“They’re here. We must hurry to the next tree line.” The male and female took off running, their cloaks flowing behind them like a superhero’s cape.
Neither was sure of how long they ran, only knowing that their one duty was to keep them safe. When they stopped again, they had entered a small town. It was early evening, and soon they would have the cover of darkness on their side. Until then, they would need to find shelter.
The couple came across an abandoned-looking house. The grass in the front was overgrown, and there were no signs of life inside. The couple moved around to the back of the house and made their way inside. Their observations of the dwelling were correct. It was truly abandoned.
“Why would anyone leave their home like this?” The woman asked with all seriousness and concern.
The furniture was still there, but the pieces held years of dust. Cobwebs hung from every corner, and even the air smelled old.
“I do not know, but we will need to stay here for now. When it is dark, we can move again.” He said to his female companion.
“I am not sure we have that long. The little ones will be hungry soon and will need to be fed,” the female commented.
“They will be alright. We will find the little one’s food as soon as we can.” He reassured her.
When night fell, the couple and their precious bundles left the shelter of the abandoned house. The air was cold and biting. They kept their young cargo out in this cold for very long wouldn’t be right. Swiftly they moved from shadow to shadow and came across a church with its parishioners departing through the front door.
“There, look there. A place of worship. We will find help there.” He said confidence brimming in his voice for the first time since having immerged from the forest earlier that day.
“Are you certain?” she asked nervously.
“Yes, the magic is guiding us there” was his reply, and they moved quickly toward the building.
They stopped at the bottom of the steps to the church. The priest at the top of the stairs looked down upon them. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair. His pure black shirt and white collar marked him as the man of God for this place of worship.
“May I help you, my children?” The priest asked the couple
“Are you the spiritual leader for this place of worship?” the man asked.
“Yes, my son, I am.” The priest replied with so much warmth and kindness that the mysterious couple still at the bottom of the steps visibly relaxed.
“Please, we need your help. May we come in?” the female asked pleadingly.
“Of course, this is a house of God. All are welcome here.” The priest made a gesture for them to move inside.
Once they were all inside and seated, the priest asked, “How may I help you?”
That was when the bundle the male was holding began to cry. He raised the child to his shoulder and began to pat it’s back in a soothing manner.
The priest’s eyes widened as he gazed upon the male’s hand. On his ring finger were an onyx and gold ring. Etched into the onyx was the image of a dragon. The priest uttered words he thought he would never say again.
“May the strength of the dragon find you and keep you safe.”
The male looked up into the priest’s eyes. “May the wings of the dragon bring you to your freedom.”
The man instantly replied, and he held out his hand palm side down. The priest grabbed his forearm, and the man gripped the priest’s flipping over his arm to look at the priest’s hand.
“By the order, how are you hear brother?” the male asked.
“That isn’t important now, what is important is why are you here?” It was the question the priest now raised. The male looked around the sanctuary.
“Is there a place more private that we may speak?” The male asked, and his urgency was not lost on the priest.
The priest nodded, “Yes, come. This way to my office.”
The pair hurried to follow the priest through the sanctuary. They entered the office to which the priest spoke of, and all took a seat. The mysterious male began his tale.
“They discovered who the little ones are. My mate and I will take the girl and raise her here, but the boy must be hidden. I have just enough magic left to place a spell upon him so that when the time is right, he will find her and be reunited. Until then, no one beyond the three of us must know where they are.” The male explained.
“And they could also use some nourishment.” He said as a side note, the bundle he carried became fussier.
“I can see that.” The priest said with a smile.
“Very well, give me a few moments. There is a small market next door. I will go and pick up some supplies and bring them back so these little ones can have a full belly.” The priest stood to leave but was stopped by the male.
“Brother, be careful, we may have been followed here. I do not wish harm to come to you.” The priest acknowledged his warning with a nod and left the room. The woman, still filled with worry and concern turned to her male counterpart.
“What is a member of the order doing here. How do we know we can trust him?” she asked again fear continued to lace her voice.
“Trust me, my darling, the magic drew us here. This is where we are supposed to be. We will have to blend into this world and raise the girl you hold in your arms as our own. The boy will be well hidden, and everything will be alright. Even now, she soothes herself with your medallion. Have faith, my love.” With the reassurance from her husband, the woman sat back in her seat, deciding to leave it in the fates’ hands. “Amelia, I always wanted to name a little girl Amelia.”
“They mustn’t get them.” The woman exclaimed with just as much fear.
A soft cry came from the bundle she was carrying. “Shh, there, there, little one. It will be all right.” She was carrying an infant but not just any infant; the male and female were entrusted with a pair of children: one boy and one girl, both brother and sister to the other. An arrow suddenly flew by the male’s head.
“They’re here. We must hurry to the next tree line.” The male and female took off running, their cloaks flowing behind them like a superhero’s cape.
Neither was sure of how long they ran, only knowing that their one duty was to keep them safe. When they stopped again, they had entered a small town. It was early evening, and soon they would have the cover of darkness on their side. Until then, they would need to find shelter.
The couple came across an abandoned-looking house. The grass in the front was overgrown, and there were no signs of life inside. The couple moved around to the back of the house and made their way inside. Their observations of the dwelling were correct. It was truly abandoned.
“Why would anyone leave their home like this?” The woman asked with all seriousness and concern.
The furniture was still there, but the pieces held years of dust. Cobwebs hung from every corner, and even the air smelled old.
“I do not know, but we will need to stay here for now. When it is dark, we can move again.” He said to his female companion.
“I am not sure we have that long. The little ones will be hungry soon and will need to be fed,” the female commented.
“They will be alright. We will find the little one’s food as soon as we can.” He reassured her.
When night fell, the couple and their precious bundles left the shelter of the abandoned house. The air was cold and biting. They kept their young cargo out in this cold for very long wouldn’t be right. Swiftly they moved from shadow to shadow and came across a church with its parishioners departing through the front door.
“There, look there. A place of worship. We will find help there.” He said confidence brimming in his voice for the first time since having immerged from the forest earlier that day.
“Are you certain?” she asked nervously.
“Yes, the magic is guiding us there” was his reply, and they moved quickly toward the building.
They stopped at the bottom of the steps to the church. The priest at the top of the stairs looked down upon them. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair. His pure black shirt and white collar marked him as the man of God for this place of worship.
“May I help you, my children?” The priest asked the couple
“Are you the spiritual leader for this place of worship?” the man asked.
“Yes, my son, I am.” The priest replied with so much warmth and kindness that the mysterious couple still at the bottom of the steps visibly relaxed.
“Please, we need your help. May we come in?” the female asked pleadingly.
“Of course, this is a house of God. All are welcome here.” The priest made a gesture for them to move inside.
Once they were all inside and seated, the priest asked, “How may I help you?”
That was when the bundle the male was holding began to cry. He raised the child to his shoulder and began to pat it’s back in a soothing manner.
The priest’s eyes widened as he gazed upon the male’s hand. On his ring finger were an onyx and gold ring. Etched into the onyx was the image of a dragon. The priest uttered words he thought he would never say again.
“May the strength of the dragon find you and keep you safe.”
The male looked up into the priest’s eyes. “May the wings of the dragon bring you to your freedom.”
The man instantly replied, and he held out his hand palm side down. The priest grabbed his forearm, and the man gripped the priest’s flipping over his arm to look at the priest’s hand.
“By the order, how are you hear brother?” the male asked.
“That isn’t important now, what is important is why are you here?” It was the question the priest now raised. The male looked around the sanctuary.
“Is there a place more private that we may speak?” The male asked, and his urgency was not lost on the priest.
The priest nodded, “Yes, come. This way to my office.”
The pair hurried to follow the priest through the sanctuary. They entered the office to which the priest spoke of, and all took a seat. The mysterious male began his tale.
“They discovered who the little ones are. My mate and I will take the girl and raise her here, but the boy must be hidden. I have just enough magic left to place a spell upon him so that when the time is right, he will find her and be reunited. Until then, no one beyond the three of us must know where they are.” The male explained.
“And they could also use some nourishment.” He said as a side note, the bundle he carried became fussier.
“I can see that.” The priest said with a smile.
“Very well, give me a few moments. There is a small market next door. I will go and pick up some supplies and bring them back so these little ones can have a full belly.” The priest stood to leave but was stopped by the male.
“Brother, be careful, we may have been followed here. I do not wish harm to come to you.” The priest acknowledged his warning with a nod and left the room. The woman, still filled with worry and concern turned to her male counterpart.
“What is a member of the order doing here. How do we know we can trust him?” she asked again fear continued to lace her voice.
“Trust me, my darling, the magic drew us here. This is where we are supposed to be. We will have to blend into this world and raise the girl you hold in your arms as our own. The boy will be well hidden, and everything will be alright. Even now, she soothes herself with your medallion. Have faith, my love.” With the reassurance from her husband, the woman sat back in her seat, deciding to leave it in the fates’ hands. “Amelia, I always wanted to name a little girl Amelia.”
Hello everyone, I would like to take a moment out to introduce myself. I am Darla A. Stone, Author of the Amelia Jane Gray series. Writing in the genre of Fiction and Romance has been a long time dream of mine. The first novella that I ever wrote was a single copy release and was specially written as a gift for a family member. With their support, along with the support of my loving husband, I took the plunge to become a published author. I am very excited to bring to you the worlds in which I have created.
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