Etta: The Gifted Chronicles, #0

By Amanda Lynn Petrin

All Loretta wants is to move to Paris, find love, and raise a house full of children. Preferably with someone kind, strong, and handsome. 

 

Everything changes when she is brutally murdered by someone she trusts, only to wake up the following day, unscathed.

 

As Loretta struggles to make sense of her new lease on life, she builds unexpected friendships and meets the man of her dreams...but none of it will mean anything if she can't stop the man who hurt her.

 

Etta is a prequel novella featuring characters from both the Owens Chronicles and Gifted Chronicles Series. Fans of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices will love this historical paranormal adventure!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amanda Lynn Petrin
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781989950043

Book preview

Chapter One

January 4th, 1843

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

---

Come on, littles ones, time for bed, I told my niece and nephew in as scary a voice as I could muster, chasing them down the hallway.

Can you tell us a story? Catherine asked, pouting her bottom lip so only a psychopath could deny her.

Of course, my love. Which one do you want? I covered them each with blankets, tucking the corners in so all you could see were their smiling faces and curly blond hair. They both took after their father’s fair features, rather than my family’s darker ones.

The story about the French Princess?

Which one? Billy asked. Most of my stories seemed to take place in Paris, and my niece loved princesses.

One where they live happily ever after, she decided.

What other stories are there? I smiled, gently tapping her nose with my finger, getting giggles in return.

Fun ones with knights and swords and magic, my nephew said excitedly.

I think I have just the thing, I assured them before getting comfortable on the bed between them. I told the tale of Princesse Sophie locked up in a tower, forced to do chores for her evil stepmother until one day a knight showed up, battled a terrible swamp monster, and married the Princesse. And they lived happily ever after, I told the sleeping forms on either side of me. I kissed their foreheads and found my heavily pregnant sister staring at me from the doorway.

You are so good with them. Georgina gave me a hug once I got close, grateful I saved her from yet another bedtime adventure.

They’re wonderful kids, I said, following her to the sitting room.

Most of the time, she agreed with a teasing smile. When are you running off to Paris? she asked, taking a seat in her rocking chair, rubbing her stomach in a consistent motion I don’t even think she was aware of.

I’ll stay until the baby’s born, and you’re back on your feet.

That’s what you said after Billy, she reminded me.

But then you had Catherine, I pointed out.

And you said the same thing when I was pregnant with her.

Yet again. I pointed to her stomach this time.

Lorie, I appreciate your help more than anything, and I don’t know what I would do without you, but someday I want to spoil your children the way you spoil mine. I don’t want to be the reason you never left Massachusetts.

Paris will still be there next year. I don’t want to be the reason you went mad and put your children up for adoption, I teased. I’m needed here.

I won’t argue the second part, but I will promise to ship them to you in Paris before I let anyone else have them.

I appreciate that. If French men are anything like the ones here, I’ll probably need the company.

There you go, closing yourself off before you’ve even met them. Might as well just stay here forever, she sighed, her rubbing more targeted now.

Another kick? I asked.

It’s like he’s trying to see if he can push his foot all the way through to the outside.

You should get to bed then. Hopefully he’ll sleep when you do, I urged, helping her to her feet.

Someday you’ll be the one who’s the size of a house, and you’ll see the baby never sleeps when you do, she argued.

I look forward to it, I told her in complete honesty. Men either saw me as Georgina’s little sister, or they didn’t see me at all, but children loved me. The dream of having my own children was the only thing keeping me from staying here forever with my sister’s family.

You should get some sleep as well, she called, already on her way to her bedroom.

I’ll just bring Bruno in, I assured her. Our family dog was getting on in age and mostly blind, which meant he sometimes needed a little help finding his way indoors at night.

Take my shawl, she decided, pointing to an emerald green fabric she had draped over a chair.

Yes, mother, I teased, rolling my eyes. Our parents died seven years ago, when I was only fourteen, so I moved in with my big sister and her new husband. I’ve tried my best to return the favor with her little ones, but she was taking care of me long before she took me in.

---

Bruno! I called, going straight to the garden, where he usually got into the tomato plants. It was colder than I expected, so I pulled Georgina’s shawl tighter around myself.

Bruno wasn’t in the back, or the front of our property. I couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but Bruno constantly made this very distinct wheezing noise that led me to worry how long he had left. He didn’t usually wander off, but he would sometimes chase squirrels if they were loud enough, and always went after the neighbor’s cat, who loved to antagonize him.

I went through our front gate and had just finished latching it when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder.

Chapter Two

G eorgina, the voice said before realizing it was me. You shouldn’t be out this late on your own, Lorie William warned. Relief flooded me as I recognized my brother-in-law. I could hear the drunkenness in his voice before I smelt the beer on his breath. He had taken to stopping by the tavern on his way home most nights, ever since Georgie got pregnant for a third time.

Bruno wandered off again, I explained. I shivered, even with the shawl. I hadn’t intended to be out this long, or I would have dressed more appropriately.

That dog of yours is always getting lost, he shook his head, losing his balance in the process.

Are you okay? I moved closer to help him steady himself. It wasn’t easy, considering he weighed twice as much as me, most of it muscle.

I am now, he assured me. Come to think of it, there was a dog in the alley over there. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but he did kind of look like Bruno.

I’ll go check it out. Thank you.

I took a step away, to see if he could stand without my help, but he held on.

I’ll help you. He gave me a drunken smile. You really shouldn’t be on your own, and I’m not sure I could make it home without you.

---

I couldn’t help but smile at his vulnerable honesty. He put his arm around me for stability, then guided me to an alley a few blocks away. I could hear a dog in the distance, but it sounded like a street mutt, not my old and weathered Bruno.

I don’t think he’s here anymore, I said when we got to the end of the alley, checking behind a trash bin, the only hiding place I could see.

No, I think we’re alone.

Something in the way he said it sent a chill up my spine that had nothing to do with the weather.

Let’s get you home, I decided, trying to shake away the feeling and get us out of there. The streets had been just as empty on our way over, but the alley felt ominous. Dangerous even. Maybe it was time Bruno became an indoor dog.

I think we’ve got a little time. William smiled like he saw nothing wrong with the dark alley. I could hear the noise from the tavern in the distance, but there was nothing more than back doors