A Secret Fate Read online

  A Secret Fate

  Whisper Cape [3]

  Susan Griscom

  Amber Glow Books (2013)

  * * *

  Rating: ★★★★☆

  Tags: Literature & Fiction, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Thrillers, Suspense, Romance, Paranormal

  The third book in the steamy Whisper Cape Trilogy

  "Well, fate was cruel, wasn't it?"

  Cael and Addison’s fate has taken an unexpected turn.

  Gerry, Addie and Cael almost captured Careen’s murderer only to lose Cael in the battle—a battle that nearly cost him his life. But despite his survival, he faces a new challenge, thanks to Gerry's handiwork: will Cael remember Addie or is their love lost with him?

  Addie’s family and friends think she should keep the relationship a secret from Cael so he isn't forced into feelings he can't remember. Just what she needs, more secrets and on top of everything else, someone stole the crystal. How is she supposed to get over the loss of her lover, a lover she'd barely had for only a few short months and deal with the secret of the lost crystal at the same time?

  Aiden wants nothing more than to help Addie overcome her grief and get over Cael. Or is that all he wants? What happens when too many people know the secret and someone slips up?

  A Whisper Cape Novel

  Book Three

  by

  SUSAN GRISCOM

  Amber Glow Books

  The Whisper Cape Series

  Whisper Cape, Book 1

  Reflections, Book 2

  A Secret Fate, Book 3

  Also by Susan Griscom

  Allusive Aftershock (A young adult novel, 2013)

  Brief Interludes (A collection of short stories with a twist)

  Erotic Interludes (An anthology by S.M. Griscom & Anabel Blue)

  The Fawn coming Spring 2014 (New Adult Contemporary)

  PRAISE FOR WHISPER CAPE, BOOK 1

  “Phenomenal Book!!! Top Pick Review. Sometimes you just know when a book will be great.

  …one of the best debuts I have ever read. Every page keeps you on the edge of your seat. You get lots of action, more action, hot romantic scenes and more action. If you love mysteries, romance and paranormals…this book is for you.?”

  - Night Owl Reviews

  “The premise is fresh, the characters relatable, the plot intense, the romance steamy … what more could you want? Cael, the hunky hero of our story (and yes, I’m not afraid to admit I have a serious reader crush on Cael!) 5 Skulls and would recommend it to all Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Suspense, and even Romantic Suspense lovers.”

  - Literal Addiction Paranormal Book Club

  “Sizzling Hot! This fantastic debut novel by Susan Griscom is hard, almost impossible to put down. The characters she has created are ah-may-zing and you can relate to them, even the ones with the supernatural powers. This story can and will take you on a sensual and yet, suspenseful ride of your life … this book will deliver some delicious scenes that will make your temperature run hot!”

  - Read Between The Lines Reviews

  “This story will capture your heart and keep you turning the pages until the very end. It's packed with sensual romance and suspense with a great story line that keeps moving. I would love to have that fireball power Addie has to toast some bad guys."

  - My Secret Romance

  “Come Fly with me. A compelling mix of love, paranormal power and long kept secrets that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Well done!”

  - Beacon Street Books Reviews

  “This book had a delightful range of characters that you can easily fall in love with. I really enjoyed reading this book. I hope the next one is just as good.”

  - Close Encounters of the Night Kind

  “…couldn’t read this fast enough because real life got in the way, but let me tell you, if I could have avoided things like taking care of kids, laundry, and dishes, I would have probably read this book in less than 24 hours. Beware Regan, you have a new stalker!”

  - Redheads Review It Better

  “This was a fun paranormal romance, with a nice balance of action and suspense and two very interesting protagonists that will have you turning the pages to see what happens next.”

  - Carabosse’s Library

  PRAISE FOR REFLECTIONS, WHISPER CAPE, BOOK 2

  Beyond Excellent...BRILLIANT!

  From the moment I started reading this book I fell hopelessly in love.

  THIS BOOK KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF!

  - S. Solis – My Secret Romance

  REFLECTIONS does not disappoint! This second book chronicles the challenges faced by this loving couple--a mystery from Gerry's past, a supernatural stalker and a shocking murder--all while they try to sort out their evolving feelings and future. Previously loved characters Addie & Cael are around to join in all the fun!

  - Beacon Street Books Reviews

  Just another average day in Whisper Cape? I don't think so!

  There's nothing average about some of the inhabitants in Whisper Cape, like that adorable and dynamic duo, Addie and Cael, the starring cast from book one in the Whisper Cape Series. To my delight, Ms. Griscom jumped right back into the magical action that began in book one and took off running with another sensual, paranormal suspense so well, it made me smile with joy.

  - Susan Ricci, Best Selling author of Dinosaurs and Cherry Stems

  You will not be disappointed though. Susan will leave you begging for more. I will say that I loved the brief short time we spent in Scotland. It was beautifully written.

  - Read Between The Lines Reviews

  Reflections was another fabulous installment in the Whisper Cape series - suspenseful, romantic, full of heart, and that ending... It couldn't have left me wanting the next book more than it did.

  - Literal Addiction

  Another amazingly written story by Susan Griscom. I loved the first book in this series and love Reflections just as much, if not more. This book is full of drama and suspense like no other, it’s not you're average paranormal read, it’s got so much more.

  - Lady Amber's Reviews

  Published in the United States by Amber Glow Books.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  A SECRET FATE is a work of fiction. All characters and incidents contained in this work are the creation of the author and are meant in no way to represent any persons living or deceased.

  Copyright © 2013 by Susan Griscom

  Amber Glow Books

  AmberGlowBooks.com

  www.susangriscom.com

  Cover designed by Susan Griscom

  ISBN-13: 978-0615899503 (Paperback)

  ISBN-10: 0615899501

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ~~ Dedication ~~

  Prologue

  “A scene from “Reflections”

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24
/>   Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  ~~Acknowledgments ~~

  About The Author

  ~~ Dedication ~~

  To Cael and Addie—you were with me in the beginning through this wonderful journey and you will be forever in my soul with all the others to come.

  “Memory is all we are. Moments and feelings, captured in amber, strung on filaments of reason. Take a man’s memories and you take all of him. Chip away a memory at a time and you destroy him as surely as if you hammered nail after nail through his skull.”

  - Mark Lawrence, King of Thorns

  Prologue

  “A scene from “Reflections”

  The reception was in full swing. The band played almost nonstop. Gerry and Maia danced. Gerry danced with Addie, then with Siana. He even danced with little Breena. He was a dancing fool, he laughed to himself. Life could not get any better. Gerry caught sight of Cael sitting alone typing something into his cell phone and walked to him. Pulling the nearby wooden chair closer, he sat beside him. “So, when are you and my niece going to tie the knot?”

  Cael didn’t even look at him but seemed lost in his own thoughts as he fiddled with the device. Setting the phone down, he picked up his glass and downed the contents. “Sorry, just changing Maia’s last name in my phone,” he said with a smile. “As for your question, now, that depends.”

  “On?”

  “On how soon we can recover from this one and ask all these fine people to go through another ceremony.”

  “Don’t forget the wedding gifts.” Gerry laughed as he gestured toward the table hidden under swarms of presents. “They’ll need time to recoup the money in their bank accounts. Tell me something, soon to be nephew of mine.”

  “Oh, you like that, don’t you?” Cael said, grinning. “Make you feel like a big man?”

  “The biggest,” Gerry smirked. “Now that we got that out of the way, tell me. What went on with Careen’s autopsy? What is it Chief Thompson wants to talk to me about that made you and Duane smirk?”

  Cael laughed and shook his head. “You’re not going to believe it.”

  “Try me.”

  Cael picked up the bottle of whiskey and poured a generous two fingers in two of the glasses sitting on the table. “Let’s have another shot first. You’re going to need it.”

  They each picked up a glass. “Slainté, Gerry said and downed the golden brown liquid in one gulp. “Now spill.”

  “Okay. So, it’s no secret how Careen felt about you, right?”

  Gerry nodded.

  “Well, she was, let’s say, a huge fan of yours.” Cael’s eyebrows rose with the word huge.

  “So?”

  “Well, apparently, Careen fancied tattoos. In particular, a tattoo of the face of the man she loved.”

  Gerry eyes almost popped out of their socket as he blinked. “What the fuck?”

  “Right here on her stomach.” Cael made a circle with his hands over his own belly. “The tattoo artist did a fantastic job. The resemblance was quite remarkable.” He laughed and patted Gerry on the shoulder.

  “Christ. She had my goddamned face tattooed on her stomach?”

  Chuckling uncontrollably, Cael added, “The artist even had you smiling.” Gerry shoved him, knocking him off balance and Cael almost fell off his chair in hysterics.

  Just then, Finn walked over. “Oh hey, Finn,” Cael said, still laughing. “How are you these days?”

  “You think it’s funny?” Finn said, slurring the word “funny” so that it sounded like “finny.” It was obvious the guy was smashed and Gerry cringed, realizing he’d over heard their conversation.

  “You think it’s a big joke that my girlfriend had this bastard’s face tattooed on her stomach?”

  “Uh … well ...” Cael coughed and damned if he didn’t look like he was trying his best to wipe off that smirk. “No. Not funny.”

  “No, Finn. It isn’t funny.” Gerry stood put his hand on Finn’s shoulder and led him away from Cael. “Not funny at all.” Sad, Gerry thought.

  Finn wrestled his shoulder free from Gerry’s grip. “Don’t fuck with me, Gerry. Why in God’s name should you get to be happy? Huh? Tell me! Why?”

  “Listen, man, you’ve had a few too many. How about we get you home? I know it’s been a rough week and being here must be hard,” Gerry said.

  “Don’t tell me what’s hard. I’ll tell you what’s hard. Having the woman you love get her ex-boyfriend’s face permanently etched on her stomach, having her call out your name when we made love.” Gerry cringed at that thought and Finn continued, “Knowing she saw you when she closed her eyes whenever I kissed her. That’s what hard is, Gerry.”

  “I’m sorry, Finn. I had no idea,” Gerry said as he tried to comfort Finn with a touch to his arm.

  “Don’t touch me. Don’t fucking touch me.” Finn pulled his arm away and stumbled, but managed to catch himself before tumbling into Siana and Breena standing by the bar.

  “You!” An unfamiliar female voice shouted from across the room and Gerry turned, recognizing the woman as the one he saw in the cemetery the day of Careen’s funeral.

  “You killed my sister!” she screamed, pointing her finger at Finn.

  The music stopped and everyone stood around staring as Maia approached the woman. “Your sister? You’re Careen’s sister?” Maia asked.

  “No. I’m Tara’s sister, Kendra.”

  “Who is Tara?” Gerry asked.

  “His ex-girlfriend,” she supplied, still pointing at Finn. “You killed Tara, the same way you killed this Careen.”

  “You’re a crazy bitch,” Finn said, stumbling back as she approached him.

  “You murdered my sister and framed my boyfriend almost exactly like you did here with this woman. You’re not very creative. When I read about Careen Faraday’s murder and saw your name listed as her boyfriend, I knew right then you’d done it.”

  “No, you’re wrong. I didn’t. I didn’t mean to,” Finn stammered.

  “What?” Gerry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You didn’t mean to? Are you admitting to killing this woman’s sister … Tara?”

  “No. I … I …don’t know what I’m saying.” Sweat trickled down from Finn’s temple and he swiped at it then ran his hand over his mouth.

  “You killed her in cold blood. A week before you killed her she told me you two had been fighting. She told me how you beat her. God, I begged her to leave you, but she said she loved you, kept saying how you didn’t mean to hurt her. But you killed her. You got away with that one, but you slipped up on this one, didn’t you? You got careless and sloppy, trying to cover your tracks.”

  “No, it … it was an accident. Just like …”

  “You murdered Careen?” Gerry asked.

  “No, Gerry! I loved Careen. It nearly killed me inside when she died. It was an accident, I swear. We argued, she fell, her head … she fell sideways and hit her head on a chair. Her neck snapped. I … I panicked. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “I suppose it’s just a coincidence that Tara died of a broken neck too,” Kendra yelled.

  “No.” Finn pulled out a knife from inside his boot and grabbed Maia, pressing the blade against her throat. “I didn’t do it on purpose. You can’t get me for murder. I never meant to kill them.”

  Gerry took a step toward Finn and Maia.

  “Don’t come any closer, Ger, I’ll slice this knife right through her jugular. It won’t bother me one bit to do it. The love of my life is gone. I have no problem taking yours. Let me leave and I won’t hurt her.”

  “Finn, you don’t need to do this. You can leave, man. Just put the knife down. I won’t stop you, please just relea
se Maia.”

  “You stole my woman, so now I’m fucking taking yours. Why should you have your happily ever after? Huh? What makes you so damn special?”

  “I’m not, Finn. I’m not special.” Finn’s statements were becoming irrational and it was clear to Gerry that he was borderline certifiable. Gerry feared Finn was so distraught over what he’d done he just might do something drastic without even realizing it. “Please, Finn. Just put down the knife.” Finn’s grasp on the knife was strong and Gerry couldn’t get a grip on it through his telekinetic ability. There were too many people in the bar to risk yanking it out and having it stab someone by accident.

  “No. Come on darlin’, you and me are gonna have a party of our own.” Finn led Maia out the door. Gerry, Cael and Addie followed as Finn took Maia across the gravel parking lot and into the wooded area.

  “Breena, go back inside,” Gerry heard Addie yell as they followed Finn into the woods. Twenty yards into the forest, Finn stopped and turned toward Gerry. “You can’t have her. Not this time, Gerry.”

  Addie raised her hand and the knife went flying out of Finn’s hand and stuck in a tree ten feet away from Finn and Maia.

  “Good job.” Gerry nodded at her as he had been about to do the same thing.

  Finn shoved Maia away and pulled out a gun from the waist of his pants, pointing it at Gerry.

  Cael teleported behind Finn and wrestled him to the ground. Addie held up her hand and Breena gasped, “No, you can’t. You’ll hit Cael!” Breena ran closer to Cael and screamed, “The gun.”

  Cael and Finn struggled in a tangle on the ground, wet leaves sticking to their backs and arms as they slid around in the mud. Gerry held Addie back to keep her from joining the two men.

  “Gerry, can you get closer? Close enough to take away his memory?” Addie asked.

  “I can do it from here,” Gerry said.