In Isabelle’s Fall: When dreams haunt Cat she knows she has to go home, there she finds danger, magic, and love. Can she survive the danger to explore the love?

Isabelle’s Fall is a mystery by K. J. Dahlen

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Excerpt: Isabelle’s Fall

Deep into the night, the wind picked up carrying the message to those who could hear it. It traveled through time and space, but only a few could hear the sounds it made. Only a handful of those listening could hear and see what hummed along on the waves of the wind. It invaded at least one person’s dream and she didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to bear witness to this evil of man, yet she was caught up in its fury, a reluctant voyeur, whether she wished it or not.

She frowned in her sleep as images began flashing in her subconscious. Images of a place in a faraway land, yet the place she saw was one she’d been to before. She could see the moon lighting up a place not familiar to her.

The rolling hills were covered in sweet smelling heather, the clear waters of the river Ness rushed over the rocks on the bank, the stones of a ruin in another land and the dark outline of a castle sitting on a rise flitted through her mind. The strong smell of blood and heather filled her nostrils. She knew the land for she had been born there.

Cat Lamond struggled against the oncoming nightmare. This was the third terror dream in as many months and she knew how it would end.

Sweat and tears appeared on her face as she watched the knife come into view. He held the blade comfortably in his left hand. His hands were smeared with her blood, and she could hear her voice begging him to let her go. She didn’t want to die. There was a tearing sound echoing in her brain as he ripped through the clothing that hid her skin from him. He wanted nothing between them as he bared her chest. Before he could stop himself, the tip of the knife drew across the bottom of her ribcage, leaving a budding line of red. Blood welled and ran down her body, soaking the band of her jeans.

Cat heard her scream and she shivered in terror. She watched as his hand slipped inside the opening left by the knife. She felt as his hand searched for the prize he wanted. She felt his fingers close around the beating organ, ba boom, ba boom. She felt every heartbeat then she felt the beating heart slowing as his fingers grabbed hold. One last ba boom before his fingers ripped the heart out of her chest. One last scream cut off as her breath was forced from her lungs.

Everything was silent as he withdrew his hand. Blood stained his fingers as he brought her heart from her body. He glanced at her glazing eyes. Her face was frozen in terror and pain. He seemed to be almost dazed as if her pain and horror hadn’t touched him at all.

He quickly put the heart into a glass jar and tucked it carefully away. He cleaned the blade of the knife and slowly slid it into a handmade sheath. Placing both items into a leather backpack, the man walked over to an old truck parked in the bushes near the ruins of the church.

He went back to her and took her in his arms. He carried her over to the truck and laid her carefully in the back. There was a thick tarp on the floor, and he was careful in her placement. He couldn’t afford to get any blood in the bed of the truck.

Getting into the vehicle, he started the engine and pulled onto the road. Turning around he headed for Inverness. He would dump the body in a place where it would be found within a few hours.

He drove through the silent streets in the misting rain and eased into an alleyway. He was familiar with these streets and had driven in the dark, turning his headlights off as he entered the town. He didn’t want to attract attention, not now. Pulling in to the back of the butcher shop, he put the truck in park and opened his door. For a moment the interior light came on and he could see his own eyes in the rear view mirror. They were red rimmed and his skin was pale. He stared at them for a moment and the blue eyes staring back at him closed. Raising his hands, he rubbed the skin on his face. The healed burn mark on the right side gave his face a look of injury, but that had been a long time ago. He did have a few drops of blood on his skin. Grabbing the edge of his shirt, he wiped the dry blood off. Then without looking at the mirror again he got out of the truck and moved to the back.

He grabbed the edge of the tarp and pulled it toward him. Her arm slipped out of the canvas, and he quickly tucked it back in. He paused to search the area, just to make sure there weren’t any witnesses. When he found a clear path, he hoisted the bundle over his shoulders and began moving toward the wooded area at the end of the alley.

Once in the trees, he dumped the body on the cold damp ground. The canvas opened and her face was uncovered. Her skin was pale. Her eyes were open but glazed with death. Her lips were parted and blood drizzled from the corner of her mouth.

He stared at her for a moment but felt nothing as he pulled the canvas over her. He grabbed a few twigs and tried to cover her body, but to him, it made no difference. He didn’t really care if the police found her or not. There was no tie to him left alive anyway.

He went back to the truck. Starting the engine, he pulled back out onto the street. He made his way to the edge of town still without turning his vehicle lights on. Leaving the city behind him, he drove for another half hour before he pulled into a private drive. Bumping along, he pulled up to a house and shut the truck off. Four dogs came out of the blackness to greet him, and the front door opened revealing the shadow of a woman. He joined her and the door closed behind them.

ALSO BY K. J. DAHLEN

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BLURB

When Immortals, Bastian, Gunner and Jori gain access to a forbidden portal located on the planet Ky, they come to earth looking for the five pieces of an ancient magical Staff. Michael, working with Guardians from Ky, Willow, Echo and Talon, helps them track down pieces of the Staff before Bastian can find it. If Bastian finds all the pieces, he plans to take the Staff back to Ky. If he does that the Staff will destroy both Ky and Earth. Can Michael, Willow and her group stop Bastian from finding the Staff and returning to Ky?

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