Across Everlasting

By Beth D. Carter

Kellen Tavist has had the same dream most of her life. A dream of battle. Of war. Of loss. During a Halloween séance, she and her friends try to conjure the spirit of a departed loved one. Instead, they conjure a ghost from Kellen’s past life.

Unnerved, Kellen’s life soon begins to unravel. Not only are her dreams growing stronger, but someone seems to want her dead. She turns to freelance journalist Raney Williams to help her figure out what she saw that warrants her silence.

The past and present are intertwined, and she can only have a future if she can figure out the conflicting feelings that have come across everlasting time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight
• Release date: Nov 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780369504623

Beth D. Carter

I like writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extrordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers. I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I love to hear from readers so I’ve made it really easy to find me on Facebook or Twitter. To subscribe to my newsletter, please visit my website: www.writtenbutterfly.com

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2021 Beth D. Carter

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0462-3

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Audrey Bobak

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

Thanks to Stacey at Evernight, my editor Audrey, my dear friend CR Moss and everyone else who helped bring this story to life.

The moment I met my husband Mike, I knew we were meant to be together. There was something about him that I recognized…something deep that called to me. He is my twin flame and my soul mate. And this story was written for him, even before I had found him.

ACROSS EVERLASTING

Beth D. Carter

Copyright © 2021

Prologue

Kellen tossed and turned, caught within the strange dream once again. Haunted by the specter of death, she struggled to wake. It didn’t visit often, but whenever her guard was down or she was too stressed, the dream never failed to intrude upon her subconscious.

Images flashed by, like a movie projector showing an old film on a white canvas. War. Fighting. Heartache and pain. A knight stood poised to protect her, and his presence filled her with love. She trusted him. An unbreakable bond existed between them. Yet the dark specter of death always turned the dream dark with unbearable pain. The vision of evil teased the edges of her dreams, and the bitter aftertaste left her unsettled even as the specifics drifted away upon wakefulness.

Suddenly, a bell broke through the mist. Kellen sat up in bed, twisting around to fumble for the phone but unable to find it. Swearing under her breath, she reached over and turned on the light. Her cell phone lay on her nightstand, but by the time she swiped the talk button, the call had already switched over to voicemail.

Grumbling to herself, Kellen rose from the bed and headed into the small kitchen, flipping on the light and squinting to read the recent call list. Unknown number.

Jerk, she mumbled, irritated.

A huge yawn hit her, and she sat her cell phone on the counter. She opened the refrigerator and retrieved the milk, letting the door swing shut as she grabbed a pan from the drain. Then she poured some milk into it and turned the flame on low before replacing the container back into the cold interior of the fridge.

As she waited for it to warm up, she tried to recall the dream. The memories had to be there, but every time she tried to reach for them, they vanished. Like blowing a dandelion into the wind. Frustration twisted in her gut, and she had to let it go. At least for now. After pouring the warmed milk into a mug, she headed out on her balcony.

The stillness of the night calmed her. The cool breeze blew away the last of the unpleasant dream. As she looked down at the apartment community, a man and woman kissing passionately caught her attention. The woman’s long silky blonde hair reminded Kellen of Veronica Lake’s beautiful profile. As the couple broke apart, Kellen thought the man looked slightly familiar but couldn’t place him. His tie hung loosely around his neck, as if he didn’t want to deal with it. They kissed again, and Kellen decided to give them their privacy. Just as she headed back into her apartment, a loud crash rang through the night, causing Kellen to turn toward the sound.

A cat darted away from an overturned trash can.

The man abruptly broke the kiss and looked as well, relaxing when he spotted the feline as well. For a split second, her gaze collided with his, and a dark, menacing type of frown came over his features. A little unsettled, Kellen hastened back into her apartment and closed the balcony door.

Shaking off the disturbing experience, she went back to bed.

The dream did not return that night.

Chapter One

Kellen walked into the breakroom early the next morning, trying hard not to yawn. She had tossed and turned the rest of the night, unable to fully rest.

Good morning, Annie greeted with a smile. She stood by the sink, munching on a muffin. I brewed some coffee.

"And the key word is brewed, Meredith said. She sat reading a newspaper. For some reason, she still liked the visceral feel of holding it. Use a lot of sugar."

Annie stuck out her tongue although Meredith hadn’t once looked up from her reading.

I know I’m new to this company, but you’ll soon come to love my coffee, Annie replied.

Kellen smiled and walked over to the cabinet to grab a mug. As she poured herself a cup, Annie bounced on her feet beside her. You’re still coming tomorrow night, right?

Kellen put the coffee pot back and turned to look at the small woman. Her long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she wore denim overalls, reminding Kellen of a farm girl. Annie had been working at the graphic design studio for only about a month, and every weekend, she always came up with some wacky idea to get together. Kellen raised her brow as she wracked her brain, trying to remember what she had agreed to.

Annie sighed.

Oh, you forgot too. It’s Halloween and I invited both of you to my house to celebrate, remember? Girls’ sleepover.

Kellen nodded and took a sip, almost gagging at the incredibly strong flavor. She set the cup down and carefully pushed it away. She caught Meredith’s smirk out of the corner of her eye.

No, I remember, Annie, she said. I’d just forgotten tomorrow is Halloween.

I was thinking we could have a horror theme, like spiritualistic scary night or something, Annie said so enthusiastically she bounced on her feet. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and I think it would be super fun to try to contact the spirit of a departed loved one.

Meredith laid down her tablet, leaned her elbow on the table, and rested her chin in her palm. The look on her face questioned Annie’s sanity.

You mean dead people? she asked sourly. They make movies about that type of stupidity, Annie.

We’re not going to be bringing forth a demon or a mass murderer, Annie replied as if talking to a child. Don’t be scared. It’s harmless fun.

Yeah, Kellen said, nodding. I think that’s what they say in the movies.

Has a young girl been murdered in your house and is still buried in the stone wall down in the basement? Meredith asked with narrowed eyes. Because that flick was just on television. Scared the bejesus out of me.

Not that I know of, Annie replied.

Ha! Neither did Kevin Bacon.

Kellen hid her smile by turning to dump the rest of her coffee into the