Living in the Past Read online

  Living in the Past

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: Gabriel, Volume 1

  W.J. May

  Published by Dark Shadow Publishing, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  LIVING IN THE PAST

  First edition. July 15, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 W.J. May.

  ISBN: 978-1386390954

  Written by W.J. May.

  Also by W.J. May

  Bit-Lit Series

  Lost Vampire

  Cost of Blood

  Price of Death

  Blood Red Series

  Courage Runs Red

  The Night Watch

  Marked by Courage

  Forever Night

  Daughters of Darkness: Victoria's Journey

  Victoria

  Huntress

  Coveted (A Vampire & Paranormal Romance)

  Twisted

  Hidden Secrets Saga

  Seventh Mark - Part 1

  Seventh Mark - Part 2

  Marked By Destiny

  Compelled

  Fate's Intervention

  Chosen Three

  The Hidden Secrets Saga:The Complete Series

  Paranormal Huntress Series

  Never Look Back

  Coven Master (Coming Soon)

  Prophecy Series

  Only the Beginning

  White Winter (Coming Soon)

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan

  Rae of Hope

  Dark Nebula

  House of Cards

  Royal Tea

  Under Fire

  End in Sight

  Hidden Darkness

  Twisted Together

  Mark of Fate

  Strength & Power

  Last One Standing

  Rae of Light

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan Box Set Books # 1 - 6

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: Gabriel

  Living in the Past

  Present For Today (Coming Soon)

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan Prequel

  Christmas Before the Magic

  Question the Darkness

  Into the Darkness

  Fight the Darkness

  Alone in the Darkness

  Lost in Darkness

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan Prequel Series Books #1-3

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan Sequel

  A Matter of Time

  Time Piece

  Second Chance

  Glitch in Time

  Our Time

  Precious Time

  The Hidden Secrets Saga

  Seventh Mark (part 1 & 2)

  The Senseless Series

  Radium Halos

  Radium Halos - Part 2

  Nonsense

  Standalone

  Shadow of Doubt (Part 1 & 2)

  Five Shades of Fantasy

  Shadow of Doubt - Part 2

  Four and a Half Shades of Fantasy

  Dream Fighter

  What Creeps in the Night

  Forest of the Forbidden

  HuNted

  Arcane Forest: A Fantasy Anthology

  Ancient Blood of the Vampire and Werewolf

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: Gabriel

  Living in the Past

  Book 1

  By W.J. May

  Copyright 2017 by W.J. May

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright 2017 by W.J. May

  Cover design by: Book Cover by Design

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  Have You Read the C.o.K Prequel Series?

  A Sub-Series of the Chronicles of Kerrigan.

  A prequel on how Simon Kerrigan met Beth!!

  Download for FREE

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: PREQUEL –

  Christmas Before the Magic

  Question the Darkness

  Into the Darkness

  Fight the Darkness

  Alone the Darkness

  Lost the Darkness

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan

  Book I - Rae of Hope is FREE!

  Book Trailer:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gILAwXxx8MU

  Book II - Dark Nebula

  Book Trailer:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca24STi_bFM

  Book III - House of Cards

  Book IV - Royal Tea

  Book V - Under Fire

  Book VI - End in Sight

  Book VII – Hidden Darkness

  Book VIII – Twisted Together

  Book IX – Mark of Fate

  Book X – Strength & Power

  Book XI – Last One Standing

  Book XII – Rae of Light

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan SEQUEL

  Matter of Time

  Time Piece

  Second Chance

  Glitch in Time

  Our Time

  Precious Time

  Don’t want the Chronicles of Kerrigan to be over yet?

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: Gabriel

  COMING 2017

  Find W.J. May

  Website:

  http://www.wanitamay.yolasite.com

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-WJ-May-FAN-PAGE/141170442608149

  Newsletter:

  SIGN UP FOR W.J. May's Newsletter to find out about new releases, updates, cover reveals and even freebies!

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  LIVING IN THE PAST - Blurb:

  How can you build a future when part of you is trapped in the past?

  Gabriel Alden’s problems were supposed to be over. The man who’d enslaved him had been destroyed. The girl he was supposed to kill had become his saving grace. And the people he’d been sent to infiltrate had ended up as family.

  So why, when everyone else had found their happily-ever-after, was Gabriel still out in the cold?

  Dark memories, hidden shadows, and secrets too terrible to imagine haunt his every breath, chasing after him as he races around the globe, searching for the truth.

  Can he ever truly escape his past? Will he ever have a shot at a future? How far can you run before your ghosts finally catch up with you?

  One thing is certain: Gabriel’s problems a
re just getting started...

  Contents

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: PREQUEL

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan SEQUEL

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan: Gabriel

  Find W.J. May

  LIVING IN THE PAST - Blurb:

  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

  Present For Today Blurb:

  The Chronicles of Kerrigan

  More books by W.J. May

  Coming Soon:

  TUDOR COMPARISON:

  Chapter 1

  Gabriel Alden silently stared at the ceiling, watching as the golden sunset cast long shadows along the wall. It was getting late. Probably around six, or maybe even seven in the evening now. However, one good thing about never having a place to be was that you were never in a hurry. His bright eyes locked onto the progression of the sun, following in a slow arc as it leisurely made its way across the room.

  The air was thick and warm, scented with the intoxicating fragrance of the thousand climbing flowers that lined the streets of Prague. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment as it washed over him.

  I was right to come here. This is the place. I can feel it.

  An angry vibration on the table shattered his peaceful meditation, yanking him back to the present with a gasp of surprise. He cast a quick glance at the naked woman sleeping beside him before reaching towards his phone, the damp sheets twisting around his waist as he grabbed it off the bedside table.

  One look at the screen, and his shoulders fell with a tired sigh. Rae.

  Rae Kerrigan had texted him every week since he’d left. Each message more anxious than the last.

  Gabriel, where are you? The least you could do is call. Or text. I’ll take a message.

  Seriously. We’re getting really worried.

  Okay, fine. ME. I’m getting worried.

  All right, Alden! Enough is enough. If you won’t write back to me, then at least write back to your sister. She’s driving everyone over here crazy worrying about you.

  Devon says you probably fell off a boat and got eaten by alligators somewhere in the Amazon. He doesn’t seem too broken up about it.

  Gabriel actually chuckled at the last one. No, he didn’t think Devon would be too broken up about it. Not considering how long Gabriel had been after his girl.

  A faint smile flashed across his face as his fingers hovered over the keys. Wondering what to write back.

  But a second later, he set the phone back down on the table.

  What would he say? The best he could hope to do was a lie, and he didn’t like to do that.

  Not to Rae.

  There was a soft rustling of fabric beside him, and he quickly lay back down. Watching as the bewitching woman beside him slowly opened her eyes.

  “Good morning,” he said softly, knowing full well it was evening. “You slept a long time.”

  With good reason. Their antics last night had continued into the early hours of the morning. And then a lot longer after that.

  She gazed up at him with a sleepy smile before deliberately tossing the sheets off her naked body, letting him feast his eyes. He chuckled appreciatively, then trailed a finger down the line of her stomach. Her skin was smooth. Warm. Wanting.

  “You did not sleep?”

  The hand disappeared. So did the smile that had come with it.

  “No,” he said shortly, rolling onto his back. “No sleep.”

  The sheets rustled again as she lay on his chest, tracing the tip of her finger along his lips before stretching up to give him a kiss. He returned it robotically. Routinely. His mind a million miles away. But his lips still twitched up into the obligatory grin when she pulled away.

  “You make me breakfast?”

  A short laugh burst out of him, warming his eyes with a genuine smile. His arms wrapped around her back, holding her tight to his skin.

  “Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” She shrugged coyly, and he laughed again. “I like you far too much to subject you to my cooking.”

  What was her name again? Eva? Ava? It was something short.

  She nodded slowly, bowing her head to kiss his tan skin before gazing back up with a tentative smile. “Then, maybe...we do other things?”

  Gabriel exhaled slowly, gazing at her in the golden light. He was neither particularly excited nor particularly inclined, but she was kind, and sweet, and warm. Just like the last girl had been. And the girl before that. And the girl before that.

  To be honest, he had woken up in so many beds these last few months he was having trouble keeping track...

  “You ever been to England?” he asked, feeling suddenly homesick.

  He spoke in quiet English, grateful that she could understand. His Czech wasn’t what it used to be. She glanced up at him then shook her head, returning her lips to his skin.

  “It’s beautiful,” he continued softly, staring up at the ceiling as she wrapped her legs around his waist—pulling herself up to straddle him. “Colder than here. But beautiful.”

  Her hair spilled down her shoulders as she trailed her fingers up his chest.

  “London is crazy this time of year.” A sudden smile flashed across his face as he remembered. “I actually have some friends who are—”

  “You want to go to London?” she interrupted sharply, “or you want to be here with me?”

  He fell silent, staring down at her in surprise before a little grin crept up the side of her face. In a flash he flipped them both over, landing on top of her as he pinned her arms firmly above her head.

  “Like I said, you’re a demanding little thing...”

  He lowered his lips to hers, but a second before they could touch a deafening bang shook the door in its frame. They pulled apart at once, staring with wide eyes. For a split second, all was quiet. Then the door rattled again, sending little bits of plaster shaking off the frame.

  Gabriel sprang to his feet, searching desperately for his pants as twenty years of predatory instincts kicked into place. The shirt was forgotten, but he always kept a knife in the inner pocket of his coat. A second later, it was in his hands as he stood in the center of the room.

  “Stay there,” he murmured, eyes dilating as they locked on the handle. “Just stay where you are. Cover your eyes.”

  “Wait. What?!” The blankets flew off in a mad scramble as the woman without a name leapt to her feet and raced to the floor in front of him, steadying his hand.

  “Get back on the bed, woman!”

  “What are you doing?!” she demanded in a panicked hiss. “That is my husband.” She gasped for breath, oblivious to her nakedness. “You aim to kill him?”

  The knife lowered an inch. “Your...husband?”

  Her eyes widened desperately as she stared at the blade. She looked only slightly more comforted when he slipped it back into the back pocket of his jeans.

  “Yes. My husband. I told you last night I was married. Zenaty—married.”

  Gabriel’s handsome face blanked. “I thought zenaty meant I’m single and my place is just at the end of the block.” I’ve got to brush up on this damn language.

  “No!” she shrieked as the door shook again. One more hard knock, and it was coming down. “You’ve got to get out of here! Quick!” A blast of warm air hit his face as she opened the window—cocking her head towards the three-story drop below.

  For a second, all he did was stare. Then the door shuddered again, and a slow smile crept up the side of his face. A husband. Given the sorts of problems he was used to dealing with, a disgruntled husband was relatively normal. “Well, my love, it seems I’ve overstayed my welcome.” He gave her a
roguish kiss before leaping up into the frame. “My best regards to your husband.”

  He leapt into the air as the door banged open. Just in time to see the reddened face of what had to be the biggest, angriest man he’d ever seen. He landed with a thud on a fire escape two floors below before leaping the rest of the way down.

  The second he landed on the cobblestone, the man appeared above him. Leaning over the balcony and screaming a litany of oaths so dark, an old woman in an apartment across the street closed the shutters.

  Gabriel squinted up at him, shielding his eyes against the setting sun. “That word, I did know...”

  A ceramic flower pot shattered on the ground right beside him, and he took off sprinting down the street. Wishing he’d taken that extra second to find his shoes. And his shirt. And his bloody coat.

  Please, let the psychic not be seeing this. He grimaced and added another mental note, knowing his buddy probably wouldn’t hear him. Julian, keep your eyes to yourself.

  He didn’t stop running until he’d reached the main city square. By the time he did, the sun had already slipped below the horizon. He slowed to a gradual stop, glancing warily around him before putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. A pair of women walking past giggled and waved, and he smiled appreciatively at them, noticing them stare a little longer than necessary at his bare chest.

  “Freakin’ fantastic.”

  He glanced around again, looking for a store that might still be open before a sudden vibration buzzed the pocket of his jeans. A ringtone was soon to follow. God Save the Queen.

  His eyes closed in a pained grimace before he reached down to answer. No way to put it off any longer. And no reason to glance at the screen. He already knew who was calling.

  “Rae, now’s not really the best time.”

  There was a slight pause. Followed by an explosion.

  “Gabriel!” She sounded shocked, angry, and delighted—all at the same time. “I can’t believe you actually picked up! I was getting ready to leave you another message!”