Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

the room. “Emma is beautiful.”
    A general murmur of consensus rang through the group. Being between two ecstatic parents and a contented baby put me in the perfect Bermuda triangle of love. Everything seemed perfect until Attila the Hun came back.
    “Visiting hours are now over,” Atilla said in a gruff voice. “My patients need their rest.”
    I rolled my eyes, said a quick goodbye, and waited for my family in the hall. I wanted to text Nicholas and tell him the good news anyway. I’d been keeping our relationship a secret from my family. Nicholas believed, even though I wore a vampire-thwarting talisman, anyone I loved could still be in danger of retribution since Nicholas was a hated vampire slayer. Luckily, and completely puzzling to us, none of the leaches had returned after the last attack. Whether Nicholas’ reputation preceded him or they were off wreaking havoc on easier targets, we didn’t know. Even still, he wanted to be extra careful.
    Within two seconds his reply text came back.
    - Congrats. Leaving soon? <
    - Yes. 30 mins. 3
    - Great. Sleep tight.
    I bit my lip to stop the huge grin from forming upon my lips. Sleep tight didn’t mean good night; it was code for us to meet outside my bedroom window on the roof ledge later, something we did almost every night. The < from his text and the 3 from mine represented a heart when put together, reminding us of the one I’d carved into a piece of symbolic wood that brought us together, but broke when I carved it, both of us keeping a half. For sometime, I’d suspected my dad frequently checked my text messages online, so we’d resorted to code.
    I read his messages several times before deleting them—another precaution I decided to take after the last attack. If another vampire ever stole my phone again, they’d never know who I consorted with.
    I rested my head on the back of the seat during the drive home, relieved to finally be free from the birthing tormentors. Dad and Luke wordlessly sat in the front, all of us emanating a tired peace. I held the talisman that hung around my neck, anxious to get home for my good-night kiss. Our nightly roof-top meetings were risky, but I was confident that I would feel if someone had awakened, and was close enough to catch us.
    Dad parked in the garage and I feigned needing something out of my car so I could see if Nicholas was here yet. The crisp night air refreshed my tired senses as I walked across the dewy grass. Once I rounded the corner, I felt a tiny bit disappointed when I discovered he hadn’t arrived. I wondered what might be taking him so long when my phone vibrated.
    -Give me 20. <
    -3
    I grinned as my heart beat a little faster, knowing the wait was only 20 minutes more. Maybe he had a surprise for me.
    Just before I opened the front door to go inside, I noticed movement in the shrubs next to the porch swing. I knew it had to be an animal, since I couldn’t sense any human emotion.
    “Aladdin, is that you?” I whispered, keeping my distance, worried to get too close in case it was a raccoon. I squinted to see evidence of our tuxedo cat, Aladdin, when another cat appeared—pure black with icy blue eyes.
    One I knew. One that wasn’t really a cat.
    I froze.
    “She’s back.”

    To keep reading, visit, The Sapphire Talisman, Book Two.

She wanted her life to change … he wanted his to stay the same. Enjoy an excerpt from Everblue, book one in Mer Tales by Brenda Pandos.

Everblue Excerpt
    Read a bonus excerpt from Everblue, book one of Mer Tales.

    1
    ASH

    “So, tell me everything, Ash.” Tatiana stretched out on her blanket in rapt attention. Her toes—complete with ruby-red polish—were out of her flip-flops and curled into the sand as if it was summer, though the chill of March lingered in the air and patches of snow dotted the coastline.
    “Nothing exciting happened today.” I shivered in my jacket, sitting on a nearby boulder with my arms looped around my folded legs to keep warm. “I swear.”
    “I’ll be the judge of that.”
    Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her bask in a little bit of sunlight and wait in anticipation while the icy water lapped the beach just beyond us. Daily we did this—the drama report from South Tahoe High. Her home-schooled existence left little to no excitement, which meant I couldn’t start talking about anything else until I’d dished out every dirty detail from my craptastic day.
    “Fine.” I rolled my eyes.
    After I filled her in on