Midnight Surrender: A Paranormal Romance Anthology by Alyssa Rose Ivy, Airicka Phoenix, Shannon Dermott, Charlotte Abel, Kelly D. Cooper, Laura A. H. Elliott, Amy M. Jones, Kris Kendall Read Free Book Online

took another sip. Blue sat on one of those inflatable exercise balls and rocked back and forth as she talked about the coming ski season. Jonathan hadn’t quite finished the tea when his eyes drifted shut. He blinked them open and shook his head. Blue wasn’t kidding when she said the tea would help him relax. “What sort of plants did you say were in this?”
    “ I didn’t say.” Blue took the cup from his hand. A trail of pink light followed her every motion. “It’s a secret blend.”
    Jonathan had never experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, but he’d had enough super-powerful pain meds in the hospital to recognize the effect. “Did you use psychedelic mushrooms or something?”
    “ Listen to the sound of my voice. Let it carry you back to the day you lost your hand.”
    The smell of diesel, melting rubber and dust burned Jonathan’s sinuses. Searing pain shot from his missing left hand up the length of his arm. Every muscle in his upper body contracted. He arched his back, pulling his shoulders towards his ears.
    Blue’s voice sounded as if she were speaking from inside a tunnel. “Calm down. Go to a happier time. Relax. Breathe with me. In … out …”
    Jonathan didn’t want to go back to a happier time, he wanted to get the hell out of Blue’s creepy house. But thanks to her magic mushroom tea he could barely keep his eyes open, much less crawl out of the chair. He knew he was in trouble when he couldn’t force himself to breathe out of sync with Blue’s commands.
    “ Good job, Jonathan. Close your eyes. Let your mind wander, as you drift into the past. Where are you? What do you see, hear, smell…”
    “ Lasagna. I smell lasagna. Mom’s cooking it for Franklin.” The double-edged sword of grief and guilt plunged into Jonathan’s heart. He tried to ignore it, but it was buried to the hilt. He dug his fingers into the recliner’s arm rest and tried to open his eyes but they might as well have been glued shut.
    Blue’s monotone voice, soft as dandelion fluff, invaded Jonathan’s mind. “Relax. Let your emotions wash over you as you travel back in time. Embrace the pain, let it heal you.”
    “ No.” He’d had enough of the ‘whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ bullshit from the army shrinks.
    A rainbow of multi-colored lights exploded behind Jonathan’s eyelids as he floated on a patchouli scented cloud. “Whoa.”
    He heard an echo of quiet laughter, then watched in awe as sound waves rippled the air around him. And then he fell … spinning, turning, around and around … down … down … down.
    Jonathan’s bare feet sank into soft, warm carpet. What happened to his shoes? He opened his eyes and wiggled his toes. He recognized the royal blue pile of the area rug in front of Franklin’s bed immediately.
    “ What do you want, Jonathan?”
    “ Frankie?” Jonathan’s heart leapt into his throat. Franklin was alive — sitting at his desk, arms crossed over his chest, frowning. But he wasn’t frowning at Jonathan. He followed Franklin’s gaze and saw a younger version of himself. Unscarred. No prosthesis. Two hands.
    Jonathan ignored his doppelganger and wrapped his arms around Franklin. But they passed right through him, leaving behind a trail of blue and purple light. He might as well have been a ghost. Am I dead?
    The room slipped sideways. An invisible force pulled Jonathan forward and shoved him into his other younger body; his perfect body, with two hands.
    He wanted something … He wanted Franklin to do something …
     
    Jonathan ran his left hand over the shiny gold figure perched on top of Franklin’s latest trophy. It was almost as tall as he was.
    Franklin didn’t even look up. “Stop molesting my trophy and get out of my room.”
    Jonathan leaned over Franklin’s shoulder to see what he was reading. “Lord of the Rings? Again? Ya know, Bro, they made that into a movie. You don’t have to read it.”
    “ What do you want, Jonathan?”
    “ Can I