Adrianna's Storm Read online

  Adrianna’s Storm

  The Blessed Five

  Book One

  by Sasha Parker

  © Copyright June 2013 JK Publishing, Inc.

  All cover art and logo © Copyright June 2013 by JK Publishing, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Caroline Kirby

  Artwork by JK Publishing, Inc.

  Published by JK Publishing, Inc.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook 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 are 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 this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales are entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  JK Publishing website: www.jkpublishingbooks.com

  JK Publishing bookstore: www.shop.jkpublishingbooks.com

  Synopsis

  Adrianna "Ari" Kirkpatrick is an up and coming professional stylist. She is becoming successful in her own right after years of striving to be noticed. Her life is coming together and she is happy. When she goes home for a family celebration, she learns she has a different path to follow. Her family history gives her something she never knew existed. Power. An incredible power that comes from a long line of wiccans.

  Reilly and Lachlan Parsons are Guardians for the Wiccan Council. They have been summoned to protect the eldest of the Blessed Five. They arrive to find plans for a celebration in full swing and a sinister plot forming against the Kirkpatrick family. The men are shocked to realize that Ari is their match. Can they protect her and convince her of their love? Will the three of them be able to defeat the evil that is threatening them? Magick swirls all around them as the Blessed Five begin the stand against evil in this series which follows five sisters who battle together to save not only their clan but the magical world as well.

  Dedication

  To my loving family and best friend, without you, none of this would have been possible.

  Thank you for all your support.

  I would love to hear from you!

  Contact me at Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sasha.Parker.9212

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats

  Excerpt from Tyrant's Keep

  Excerpt from Meridian Warriors: Xander and Des

  Excerpt from Perfect Reflection

  Prologue

  Erin Kirkpatrick smiled as she changed into her wetsuit. She had read the report on her desk that Kiwi, their newest mommy dolphin, had indeed given birth to a healthy baby boy the night before. She decided to go see her first and check on the newborn. It was days like this that being a Marine Biologist paid off for her, because she had her dream job working for SeaWorld in Florida, and she got to be where she really wanted to be, with the animals.

  She exited the employee building and then decided she would walk instead of taking her assigned golf cart. It was a beautiful day and the exercise would do her good. She headed straight to the birthing tanks as Kiwi and her baby had their first checkup with the staff veterinarian. Erin was pleased they were both doing so well. She told the vet she wanted checkups weekly for the first month just to be sure they stayed that way. Living in captivity could take a toll on some wild animals but Kiwi, sadly, couldn't go back to the wild with her injuries. She had been hit by a fishing trawler, the damage too extensive.

  She headed to her second stop of the day, which was checking on Horace, an elephant walrus who had been turning away his food. Erin grinned as she was passing the shark tanks, she did not envy Danny, the other biologist who had drawn the short straw to deal with the sharks that day. She looked around, didn't see anyone there, and figured they had probably gone to get their food since it was close to feeding time.

  Out of nowhere, someone grabbed her from behind and threw a cloth bag over her head. Then she was lifted and the next thing she knew she was airborne. She was so shocked over being grabbed that she had yet to scream. Just as she opened her mouth to do just that, she hit the water. Her hands came up to pull the bag off her head and saw that she had been thrown in the shark tank. She immediately stopped her struggles and slowly put her right hand on her utility belt. It had an emergency alarm for situations like this and she activated it. Then she drew the small stunner out in case any of the sharks got too close. She could hear some of them thrashing about and cringed at the thought of what could happen. She closed her eyes to calm herself and prayed help would come.

  Danny must have come out of the food shack just after she had been thrown in because she could hear him shouting for help as he leaned over to pull her out of the water. She remained stiff, bobbing, until he cleared her of the tank and then her body turned to jello as she was sat down on the concrete. She was thoroughly shaken that someone would want to hurt her. She allowed her co-worker to help her to his cart and as he drove her back to the head offices, she could only think about her family. She was so happy to be going home for her little sister's birthday soon. She could definitely do with a break.

  Kira Kirkpatrick studied the tektite she held in her hand. She was excited to see that it lacked any microlites to confirm it was authentic. She couldn't wait to get it back to her lab, but first she needed to log it in. She carefully wrapped it and placed it in the pouch that hung from her utility belt. Then she checked the site to ensure she was the only one left and began to crawl out of the cave-like structure she was in.

  She had been on this dig for a month in Kuala Lumpur and had finally found something of interest. Tektite was natural glass that formed from terrestrial debris ejected during extraterrestrial impacts. In other words, it came from outer space. She knew her colleagues would be pleased with this find. This may be able to get her tenure with the University and then maybe she could settle down.

  As she was crawling out of the small tunnel to the surface, there was a deafening noise and she realized it was caving in. She instinctively backed up and then realized that if she didn't try to jump, she would be buried alive. She dove for the only exit and landed with her upper half sticking out. Some workmen shouted for help as they pulled her the rest of the way out before the rest of the tunnel could come down.

  She sat there panting, trying to figure out what had happened and realized this incident could only be deliberate. She saw where one of the two by fours that had been holding up the entrance had been cut. Everyone knew she was the only one left in the "hole" this afternoon. Someone want
ed her dead. Fear sliced through her as she looked around at the faces surrounding her that she had been working with for a month. Her attacker could be among them. She needed to get away. Thank God, she was going home next week for her sister's birthday.

  Sheela Kirkpatrick tied her long, blonde hair into a bun and secured it with scrunchie. She headed out of her trailer onto the set of the latest movie she was working on. It was an action thriller with some big names in it and she had to make sure everything was perfect. She was one of the best, up and coming, stunt women in the business. Her partner and mentor, Jim, met her at the Harley to check it over. He told her everything else had been checked by their crew and was ready to go. She was going to ride the motorcycle at high speed down a crowded street and zip between cars, only to have to jump one at the end to elude the police that were chasing her. She had done dozens of these scenes before and this was a piece of cake.

  She placed the helmet on her head and checked the chinstrap as she tightened it. Then started up the Harley and felt it rumble beneath her. It was a thing of beauty and she loved having all that power under her. She put it in gear and slowly drove the route she would take at high speeds for a final run through. When she was satisfied, she gave a thumbs-up to Jim and the director as they began to set up the shot. As she sat there waiting for the directors "action" she thought about home. She couldn't wait to see her sisters—it had been a while. The movie would be wrapping in about a couple of weeks, barring any issues. She was thinking that maybe she would leave early for her trip home and surprise everyone.

  The director gave the go and she sped off. She kept accelerating and then began to weave in and out of the cars, remembering to look behind her a couple of times as if she was being chased. They would add the police cars in later. She saw the jump coming up ahead and gunned it one more time as she hit the ramp. Her jump was flawless, landing on the other side with a finesse few could pull off. She grinned knowing Jim would be proud of her. She went to apply the brake and slow down when she realized the brake didn't grab as it should.

  She looked ahead of her and knew she was in trouble. There was a crowd that had formed to watch the filming and if she didn't do something, she would slam into them at a high rate of speed. She glanced to her left and right to see where she could crash because there was no other option. She was going to crash. She saw to her right they had set up the airbag for the building jump and turned into it. The people around it saw her and got out of the way. She plowed into the bag, unfortunately hitting the corner instead of head on. It slowed her down, but she hit the corner of the building and was knocked off the bike.

  As she lay there, hearing people yell for EMTs and rushing to her, she knew she was hurt and that it was bad. The only thought she had was of her sisters. As she began to see black spots in her vision, she knew she was going to pass out. Her last thought was that nothing would stop her from going home.

  Calli Kirkpatrick left her econ class, hoping to get some study time in before her last exam. She sprinted across campus and checked her watch. She had a couple of hours and decided to grab a coffee from the outside vendor before going to the library. She got her favorite, a five shot ice latte, and then turned to go. As she headed to the front of the library, she felt as if someone was watching her. She looked around at all the people in the quad and knew it would be impossible to see anyone looking directly at her.

  She had been dating an older man, who she thought was a great guy. She knew from taking that Psych class that she probable had daddy issues, but she had liked him. He was mature, knowledgeable, and worldly. She didn't like dating guys her age, they were still boys thinking with only one muscle, and it wasn't their brains. This man was also British and his accent was sexy. She loved the Irish brogue but hearing that British accent gave her tingles. Unfortunately, she'd had to break up with him recently.

  She couldn't explain it, but they had been out on a date at one of her favorite restaurants, Fagan was being so gallant. He was asking about her family, her sisters in particular. She had been overcome with this feeling and then she heard a voice whisper to her, "Don't give him anything..." She had actually looked around thinking that someone had spoken to her. Then she had returned her attention to Fagan, and his eyes had glowed red. She sat back abruptly and then blinked a few times, thinking she'd had too much wine.

  After that, it had gone downhill. She kept hearing the voice in her ear and Fagan's eyes had stopped glowing, but he kept probing her about her sisters. It was odd, he had never asked about them before. Of course, she had offered information, as her sisters were very important in her life. They were all she had, well, except for Mamo, their grandmother. She had actually told Fagan at dinner that she couldn't see him anymore, that it had been nice, but she was finishing school and had exams to study for that would take up her time. He had protested but she was firm.

  As she settled in the study room in the back of the library, she shrugged off thoughts of Fagan and their short relationship. Somehow she knew she was actually better off not being anywhere near him. How she knew that, she didn't know. She couldn't explain what had happened that night, but she was glad it did. If Fagan was bad news in some way, she didn't want to anything to do with him. She took out her books and got down to business. She had to pass this last exam and she was all done with school. Her sisters were going to be surprised and proud of her finishing early. Given the fact they would all be together soon for her birthday, she would wait and tell them in person. She couldn't wait to see them—they were her world.

  Chapter One

  Adrianna Kirkpatrick, Ari to her friends, blew out a frustrated breath as she grabbed her curling brush to fix the chaos of hair sitting in front of her. She had to make sure everything was perfect, as always, or her boss was going to flip out. After combing and teasing hair for four hours straight, Ari was getting tired. There were only two more days to go before Fashion Week would be over and then she would enjoy some down time.

  She looked around the room at all the beautiful models and felt frumpy. Her long, brown hair that fell to her waist was pulled back into a ponytail. She had the most unusual light brown eyes with little gold flecks in them. She had on jeans and a button down shirt that did not show off her figure. She was trim and as tall as some of the models there. Still, watching them walk around in the glamorous gowns had her feeling dowdy and lacking. It was because she was tired, she told herself and shook herself out of her self-imposed gloom. Julie would kill her if she screwed up.

  Ari worked for one of the most popular and well-known stylists in the country, Julie Cinnamon. Julie had several salons spread out all over the states, the main one, Spices, was located in New York City. That was where Ari had worked for the past four years and had proven herself to be very talented. She built a strong client base and, with Julie's tutelage, was going places. When Julie had been called to Los Angeles to repair damage to Madonna's do for the American Music Awards, Ari had been selected to replace her at New York's Fashion Week. It was a prestigious honor to bestow on Ari and she was grateful. She was just exhausted.

  There were so many models whose hair had to be perfectly coifed that she'd had to be backstage at four in the morning to start. Today she was doing the Calvin Klein showing. The day before she had done the Guess show, it had been amazing to meet Kate Moss, although she had brought her own stylist, of course. Now, Ari had to focus on what and who she was doing to finish before the show began.

  Ari stepped outside onto the sidewalk and tightened her coat around her. It was February in New York City and there was a light blanket of snow on the ground. She hoisted her bag, which held her prize tools of the trade, higher on her shoulder and began to walk out to the Porter who was hailing cabs for everyone. As she sat in the back of the cab heading back to her loft, she looked around at the busy sidewalks and streets. People were everywhere, walking, talking on cell phones, everyone busy, busy, busy. She took a deep relaxing breath and thought about getting home to a nice long ba
th and a glass of wine.

  Growing up had been a wonderful experience, until she had turned fifteen, and her parents had been killed in a car accident. Their family had lived in Dublin, Ireland, where her father had been the president of one of the largest banks in Ireland. Her mother coordinated all the events their father was expected to put on, such as parties for the board of directors and fundraisers for the various charities. She was also a stay-at-home mom who had five daughters to look after and a large home to keep organized. With the girls all two years apart, they were a handful.