Daunted: The Past Has Its Own Way of Haunting You.

By Shirley Lee

Helene Graal grew up in a small neighborhood, and even though she lost her father at four, shes never viewed her life as anything but ordinary.
But as she approaches eighteen, thats about to change. Secrets emerge and threaten to sweep her back to where she truly belongsthe Lair. Caught in between fantasy and reality, Helene truly thinks shes losing her mind. Her mother introduces her to Hunter, a dangerously sexy angel that Helene would be honored to killeven if it means she has to die first. Frustrated that her mother insists she stay with Hunter, Helene is driven to her wits end on the night she learns the bizarre and horrible truth.
Her mother was once an angel who had her wings clipped eighteen years agoand who still has the Grail hidden away. On that same night, her mother disappears, and the Grail is still nowhere to be found. Stunned, Helene finds herself caught in an ancient contest between the fallens and the angels. Now shes the only hope to find the cup that holds the key to immortality.
As time goes by, she realizes that things have their own way of hiding secrets, and nothing seems to be clear. Each answer only creates more questions, and the story Hunter is feeding her doesnt feel simple anymore.
First they came for her mother, and now theyre after Helene. Whats a girl to do? Go with her instincts or an angel she cant trust?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Aug 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482832945

Shirley Lee

Shirley Lee’s lifelong love affair with words began in childhood, when she took many adventures among the books carefully stored on wooden shelves. As a young adult, Shirley still enjoys regular ephemeral escapes from reality, both in reading the work of others and in creating her own.

Book preview

Chapter 1

You don’t need that, Mom said, tugging at the hem of my dress to pull it lower.

It’s a party, I said as she twirled me around to inspect me one last time. The dress was a deep shade of red, close to a bloody crimson, with a black rose sewed to the top corner.

It’s not a bachelorette party, Mom countered and pulled my jet-black hair to one side. There, you look better now, she said and gave me a too-tight smile. Off you go.

I walked down the stairs with my mom trailing behind me. She was cooing over the fact that my heels were too high and the edge my dress was slowly making its way up to my butt. I pulled it down and concentrated on just walking.

Keep in mind, sweetie, you should come home before midnight, she reminded me for the hundredth time. It’s your birthday, and I don’t want to ruin your fun time. But please come home before midnight, and don’t talk to any strange men.

Mom, I said, rolling my eyes as I twisted the doorknob. I’m eighteen now.

Yes, I know, but eighteen is the time, she said. Her eyes were filled with worry, and her hands started to shake.

Are you okay? I asked, suddenly afraid of my mom’s reaction.

Helene, just know that every girl has her guardian angel, and on her eighteenth birthday, it’s either she’ll see him or lose him. In this case, a guardian angel is not something you should be messing with. You will only lose yourself or have yourself killed if you talk to them. If you see one, don’t act like it, she said with a calm voice and as much composure as possible.

Mom, I don’t understand, I said, scrunching my eyebrows up into tiny waves of confusion and fear.

Helene, listen to me. I know what I’m talking about. The world out there is a very scary world, and sometimes the things you think are holy don’t always come out the same. She grabbed both of my shoulders so tightly it hurt. Come home before midnight, and don’t talk to anyone you find out of the norm. She lowered her voice until it was a faint whisper.

Mom, I don’t get it, I said. Part of me thought that my mother was insane, and the other part of me—the sensual one—told me to believe in every single word she said.

You don’t have to get it. God, just how I wish you will never have to get it, but please, please be careful, she said, and with one last worried look, she pushed me out of the door and shut it as soon as possible as if any delay would result in her changing her mind.

Jenna had her car parked beside the lane, and when she spotted me, she waved me over. Music was blasting at full volume from her speakers, and once she saw the green on my face, her face contorted into a look of plain concern.

What’s up? she asked after she turned the volume down so that I could hear her.

Nothing, I said, shrugging it off, thinking back to what my mother had said. She was acting weird, and she seemed to be so out of control. My mother was never out of control.

And it freaked me out that she was.

Chapter 2

Jenna and I sat in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the drive, her speakers blaring the Rolling Stones.

Girl, I’m not trying to discourage you, but your face looks like it has been through a lot of suffering, she said, turning to face me.

Nothing really, I replied, but my lips felt numb as I spoke. I couldn’t think of anything but my mother’s words.

The party we’re going to is hosted by a really rich and hot guy from our school. He offered to turn this finals party into your birthday party, so I think he’s interested, she said, trying to engage me into conversation.

I’m not, I said.

Stop replying to me with two-word answers, she said. But when you see him, I bet you’ll change your mind. A smile tugged at her lips, showing off her set of blinding white teeth.

Whatever, I replied.

When she finally stopped her car in front of a house with Christmas lights strung around it and drunk blonde girls making their way to the front yard, I tried to compose myself.

Helene! Jenna said a little too loudly, tapping me on the shoulder, trying to pull me back from my wild thoughts.

Throughout the drive my mind was on autopilot, flying back to the scene where my mother had freaked over an ordinary party. The things she said just didn’t make sense. It felt like a story being pulled right out of some children’s storybook, those with guardian angels and tooth fairies to look after your pretty much screwed-up life. But then again, my mother had never looked so serious before, and her eyes never trembled when she spoke. This time they did.

Knock it off, Jenna said, tapping me harder this time, and I jumped, quickly smiling to cover up the blank look on my face. Tonight would be a fun night, a promising night even, and all I wanted was a night to celebrate my eighteenth birthday.

But my strings of hope were snapped, broken like ten thousand rocks sinking into my chest, when I saw him staring at me from the birch trees scattered all over the front yard of the mansion. I blinked once, and he was gone. But the unearthly blueness of his eyes was unmistakable.

Let’s go, Jenna said, shoving her door open. I stared at the spot where the boy appeared and disappeared, feeling my face become ashen, and as time hurled itself forward and people streamed by me, I felt frozen and detached from it all.

Okay, I finally said. My fingers struggled to grasp the handle correctly. Every single inch of the house oozed danger.

Hurry! she said as she helped me out.

The moment I shut the passenger door, I saw a tall, brown-haired boy in a white tee, his muscular arms and chest molded tightly against the shirt.

This must be Helene, he said, but my eyes flitted to where the blue-eyed boy had stood. Happy birthday, he said and air-kissed me on both cheeks. He handed Jenna a red cup, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and started leading me into the terrace of his house.

What’s wrong with you? Jenna asked in hushed voice. You seem so not you.

Maybe it’s because I’m feeling like I should go home, I said. It felt like I was being watched.

What? she said, and her eyes shot wide. You can’t be serious.

Jen, I think I’m seeing things I’m not supposed to, and I’m freaking out right now. My mother told me something incredibly crazy before I left my front door, and I’m feeling paranoid right now, I said as the owner of the house came back with another red cup. He gave it to me and settled down beside me.

Like you said, you’re just being paranoid, Jenna said, shutting me off completely.

I feel like I’ve been watched, I said. She looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. Maybe I had, but there was no way for me to miss those blue eyes.

Ladies, how about we’ll play a game? the rich boy said. Let’s start with an introduction. He grinned, and my heart lurched a few inches up as he looked at me. I’m Fredrick, but people call me Fred anyways, he said and then sipped from his red cup.

I guess you already know my name, and so does Jenna, I said matter-of-factly and took a swig from my cup. The taste of beer slipped down my throat like a too-thick snake covered in bitter poison.

All right, let’s see. It’s nine now, so let’s have some fun. The dance floor is in the living room. With his hand holding the cup, he pointed to the house.

Let’s go, Helene, Jenna said. She set my cup on the tiny coffee table and linked my arm through hers. We walked arm in arm into the house, and we were immediately enclosed in a room full of people dancing to the rhythm of some techno music.

The beats made my head pulse, and the bodies pressing against me were too much for me to be comfortable. Cheap disco lights had been mounted to the ceiling at the last minute, and the DJ was some high school kid with an Apple laptop. Jenna wasted no time at all by grabbing a couple schoolmates to dance with us. Her choice of boys was so Jenna. They had to be blond or brunette with muscular arms and a secure spot on the football team.

What’s your name? the brunette boy shouted over the music. He pressed his body close to mine as he swayed his hips to the rhythm.

Helene, I said. The movements of his hips against mine were so mesmerizing that I almost forgot to keep my attention on full alert.

You’re the birthday girl? he asked.

Yeah, I said. People were making a huge deal out of my birthday, and I was a little flattered by the fact that Fredrick would actually change his house party to my birthday party.

Happy birthday, beautiful, he said, his face dangerously close. Every instinct in my body told me to push him away, but somehow the heat felt nice. Everything felt perfect. I was eighteen, and I should have been losing my virginity just like how my friends had already lost theirs. But I just couldn’t let myself think about it. Maybe I wasn’t ready.

Thanks, I said. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jenna slipping away with the blond guy, climbing the stairs to the second floor. I stared after them and scrunched my eyebrows up in suspicion.

Why are you frowning? he asked, his breath tickling the side of my neck.

Nothing, I said. What’s your name? I asked, carefully steering the conversation into the other direction.

Call me Erik, he said. "With a K."

All right, Erik, I said as I turned around to face him. What about you and I—

Standing right behind Erik was the boy I had seen just mere moments ago, his blue eyes staring into mine like electricity buzzing under a pool of clear water.

What about what? Erik asked, calling me back to reality. My body stopped moving at once, and all I could do was stare at the boy standing right in front of my eyes. Could this be what Mother was warning me about?

Erik, could you please bring me some drinks? I asked without averting my eyes.

Sure, he said and then turned to leave. Oh, and I like your tats. My fingers automatically flew to the side of my neck, where my mother had pierced my skin with ink and formed the pattern of a crucifix.

Thanks, I said. By that time the music had blended into a soft but danceable track, and I found myself staring at the boy. When I made sure Erik was out of hearing range, I opened my mouth to speak. Who are you? I asked, and his expression was one mixed with shock and amusement.

You should know, he said and turned to leave. Something bulky was hidden underneath the back of his jacket, or it might just have been a trick of light.

I looked up at the top of the staircase and saw another figure standing there, watching me. He was wearing the same black jacket, and I couldn’t help but shiver. Fear prickled my skin with gooseflesh as I made my way to Erik, who was returning to the dance floor with two red cups.

You look freaked, he said, but I smiled it off.

Nah, I’m fine, I said. Do you have a phone by any chance? I asked. I thought that I should call my mother and tell her what I’d seen.

Oh yeah, he said. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Samsung.

Thanks, I said.

Not so soon, he said. I suppose every request comes with a price. He tapped the side of his cheek.

Fine, just one, I said and pecked a kiss on the side of his cheek.

There, he said and passed me the phone. I frantically typed in my mother’s phone number.

I let the phone ring endlessly against my ear, and as the seconds passed, fear gnawed at my heart. Mother never missed a phone call. Hi, this is Tariel. Please leave your name and phone number so that I can reach you later.

My heart dropped all the way to the bottom of my feet when I heard her voice mail.

Chapter 3

I sat uncomfortably on a chair close to a wall. Erik left his phone with me just in case my mother decided to call back.

I’ll be by the kitchen if you decide to find me, he said, and then he left just like that.

Jenna walked down the stairs with the blond guy, a huge smile plastered to her face as she made her way to me. She kissed the guy on the lips before she left him and came to sit by my side.

How are you enjoying your party so far? she asked.

I’m worried about my mom. She didn’t pick up her phone, I said.

Come on. It’s just a phone call. She’s probably in the bathroom or something.

Someone took over the DJ’s table. I recognized the broad shoulders of the boy as he took a mic from under the table. Fredrick smiled in my direction, and I returned his with a forced one, stretching my lips to look as natural as I could.

Today is my dear friend Helene’s birthday, and if you all could raise your cups in a toast, we’ll wish her a very happy birthday and many more! His voice boomed from every speaker in the room, but all I could focus on was the screen of Erik’s phone.

People were cheering, and Jenna wrapped her arms around me in an embrace as she breathed the words, Happy birthday. The phone in my hands vibrated, and the dark screen illuminated with my mother’s phone number. It was now eleven, and I should be heading home very soon.

Mom! What were you doing? I blurted into the speaker, slowly weaving my way through the crowd.

Honey, listen. Don’t come home now. Whatever you do, don’t come home now, she said so quickly I had to strain my ears to hear.

Bitch, that’s not what I wanted you to say, a new voice said. It was masculine and rough. I stopped dead in my tracks.

Mom? I said. When there was no reply, I said louder, Mom!

Remember: stay where you are— she screamed as I heard something hard smash against her.

Mom! I shouted, but someone must have kicked the phone away from her. All that I could hear now were masculine voices from the other end of the line.

Feeling as if all the life had been sucked out of me, I ran back into the crowd and tried to find Erik so that I could return his phone and get the hell out of here and back to my mother.

When I entered the kitchen, a loud bang knocked me off my feet, and I fell face-first onto the floor. The fall was too sudden, and I didn’t have time to brace myself for the impact. My head knocked against the hard concrete with a crack, and pain jolted through me like lightning. The corners of my vision turned black, and I had to fight to get back onto my hands and feet. I crawled to the fridge and propped myself against the cold steel. People were screaming and running in all directions, and Erik was nowhere to be found. I panicked when I couldn’t find Jenna. She must be safe. She had to be.

A group of musclemen in black leather jackets stood in the doorway to the kitchen with swords and metal-spiked flails in their hands. There were six of them, and something hovered behind their backs in the midst of smoke—something like … wings. I gasped and mentally slapped my head for calling attention to myself. The smoke alarms went off, and water began to spray in all directions from the ceiling. I was drenched within seconds, and I shivered not from the cold but from fear.

Stay away from her, someone said, and the boy with blue eyes stood a few feet away from me, facing the men with weapons. I almost rolled my eyes at his stunt. Who could possibly take over six men with weapons using only his bare hands?

Looks like we’ve got companion, the man closest to us said. It seemed like he was the leader. I got a closer look at his wings and almost pulled the cross hanging from my neck to ward him off. They weren’t those fluffy angelic wings either. They had spikes and a velvety texture like a bat.

The blue-eyed boy took off his jacket, and from this angle, I could see a pair of wings molded against his back in a closed position. It wasn’t a trick of light. There was really something underneath that jacket. He pulled out a very fancy sword from a sheath tied to his belt.

Oh, so he’s hiding a weapon under his jacket too.

With a try me smile, he spread his wings out wide, and I stared with awe. The span of the wings was bigger than it seemed when the wings were folded, and they were a shade of red, a color I never imagined would look good on a pair of angel wings; however, it suited him perfectly.

Two men rushed down the stairs to join the red-winged one. I had seen one watching me from the stairs, and I didn’t know about the other one. Now it was three against six, and the chances of winning were still pretty slim. I tried to slip away, eyeing the door that led to the back garden. I tried to make a run for it, pushing myself from the fridge.

Stay where you are, the bat-winged man said, stopping me. Tell us where the grail is, and you’ll be free, he said to me.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, I said.

Ah, now that’s fun to watch. A tiny angel who is capable of lying, he said.

I’m not an angel, I said, my voice shaking on the way out.

A half-blood then? he said, his voice utterly familiar. No, it couldn’t be the one who took Mom. Or not. You shouldn’t be able to see us.

You are insane! I said. Where’s my mother? I demanded, surprised by the power in my