I'd Rather Burn (The Legend of Mortem Book 1) Read online

  I’d Rather Burn

  The Legend of Mortem - Book 1

  By J.L. Weir

  Published by Scarlet Lantern Publishing

  Copyright © 2021 by

  J.L. Weir & Scarlet Lantern Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language.

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Other Titles by J.L. Weir

  Other Titles by J.L. Weir

  The Legend of Mortem

  - Paranormal, Mates / Reverse Harem Romances -

  I'd Rather Burn

  Bound in Darkness

  The Legend of Mortem Book 3 - Coming Soon!

  The Legend of Mortem Book 4 - Coming Soon!

  CHAPTER 1

  His body was solid and heavy as he lay on top of hers; he felt familiar, but not human. He slid his hand up her thigh and he gently pushed her bent knee to the side, settling himself further between her legs. Every touch of his brought about a lingering, erotic desire. The heat of his tongue left hers as he pulled back and gazed into her eyes. There was a devoid look of desperation behind his coal black pupils; he looked as lost as she felt.

  A chill suddenly swirled around them and his burning, amber eyes slowly faded into the darkness. The warmth of their intertwined bodies began to give way to a cool detachment. She desperately tried to hang onto him and as they grasped each other’s forearms, he whiffed into a smoky haze. The blackness devoured his silhouette. He was slowly becoming an obscure, fuzzy memory. As he disappeared into the darkness, she found herself standing alone in a blackened wasteland filled with demonic whispers.

  A vague voice called her name. Each time she heard the voice call out, it seemed to grow further and further out of her grasp. The ground beneath her feet gave way with each step. The decaying vegetation that was barely visible, was vanishing into the dismal landscape. She felt as if she was trying to run through a murky bog; with each step denied, she was pulled back to the gluttonous ground. The suction under her feet made it difficult to pick up one foot at a time, rendering her helpless to gain any momentum. The more effort she exerted, the more her body fought against her. The only sound was that of her own footsteps, neither slow nor quick. She looked down and saw nothing but the gliding, featureless fog. There was a familiar stench that wafted through the air, searing her nostrils; it always smelled like rotting flesh. She had no idea where she was, lost in a place that seemed old and otherworldly. It was a place of death and decay. Nebulous, waves of mist drifted aimlessly, engulfing her and the vastness of the obscure wasteland.

  Once again she heard the faintest of voices calling out in subdued, muffled tones, echoing from all directions. She tried to run but couldn’t. Something else was also there, whispering words in a language she couldn’t comprehend. She could feel it watching her from off in the distance. Whatever it was, it was there to take her life and all that she possessed.

  The alarm went off at eight a.m., frightening Jadis awake. She fumbled for her phone, trying to stop the obnoxious beeping. She rolled onto her back, feeling haunted by an inner anxiety.

  It's just a dream, she told herself as she reached for her dogs. Just knowing their health had been declining for some time now she was thankful they were there at all. Moca, who was ten, had quietly, passed away in her sleep a few weeks ago. She knew Sativa and Tyrian, who were now eleven years old, would also be leaving her sooner than later due to their failing health. She had put off taking them to the vet for a week. She dreaded the only other alternative and hadn’t been able to bring herself to take them in.

  She needed to wake up and wipe the nightmare from her mind. The sunlight was gleaming through the crack in her curtains and the familiar sounds of the jubilant birds singing outside her window brought her a sense of peace and calm. Sativa and Tyrian were now nose-to-nose with her with wagging tales and wet kisses, eagerly awaiting breakfast.

  After feeding them and grabbing a couple pieces of toast for herself, they made their way outside. The trees towered above her, standing tall and strong. The landscape was dense and the smell of fresh pine was pure and clean. The only sounds that penetrated the silence were the rustling of the leaves, the multitude of songbirds, and the occasional chirping of a chipmunk looking for handouts.

  Jadis currently lived in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and owned both the home and surrounding acreage, which had been passed down by her ancestors. She lived a solitary life with the exception of her sisters, Skye and Ivory, who also owned homes not too far from her. They were only a year apart in age; Jadis was a year older than Ivory and two years older than Skye. They chose to live their lives in the shadows since they weren’t mortal, at least not in the literal sense. They possessed the ability to communicate on a paranormal level and more times than not they found out things they didn’t want or need to know.

  It wasn't until the last few months that things had begun to change. Not that her life had been smooth by any means. She had a past. It was long and complicated, neither ordinary nor mundane.

  Over the last six months, a strange and eerie presence had begun appearing in the surrounding woods. Nightmares and terrible visions continued to plague her. The stench, the eyes, the death… it always began with her being stalked, subdued, and finally, silenced. It defeated her in the end.

  Jadis could never decipher enough to ascertain what it was. Nevertheless, it was unquestionably nerve-racking even though she had yet to encounter the haunting phantom.

  The aroma of the fresh pine and fragrant flowers were always drowned out by the same pungent scent of rotting flesh in its presence. Her dogs also sensed it; their acute sense of smell could detect the faintest of odors. Whenever there was a shift in the energy, the hair on the napes of their neck raised and they would release a guttural growl and short barks of warning towards their invisible intruder. The wave of elaborate warning calls from the surrounding wildlife never went unnoticed. As the calls of warning ceased, a hushed, eerie silence would fall over the area and the wildlife would begin moving away from the approaching threat, slowly retreating into the forest.

  Two days ago Sativa and Tyrian had passed and for the first time she felt alone and isolated. She longed for the sounds of their exuberant, rough housing. The house was now muted and still. Only echoes of all twelve feet trotting behind her remained. Shortly thereafter, she decided to stay with her sister Ivory for a while. She had an uneasy feeling she couldn’t shake, and she knew something was amiss. She began packing a bag with every intention of putting some distance between herself and the negative energy. After having her dogs by her side as her loyal protectors and companions, her paranoia set in and she was having a hard time staying there alone, especially at night.

  One evening before she left for her sister’s house, she was heading to bed when out of the corner of her eye she
caught a dark veil slowly move towards her expansive living room window. Her heart lurched and she stopped dead in her tracks. Whatever it was that she didn't want to believe existed, the thing from her nightmares, suddenly appeared on her porch. It was glaring back at her and there was a cruelty wrapped within its odd shaped, slate grey eyes. She stood frozen in place; suddenly it vanished, but nonetheless, she knew she had to get the hell out and fast! It shouldn't exist, and yet, there it was.

  She grabbed the partially packed bag, her purse, her phone and ran into the garage. She lunged into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut. She was not about to try to find out what the hell this thing was by herself.

  She anxiously hit the button on her garage door opener that was attached to her visor and her hands clenched around the steering wheel. Her heart stumbled over its own rhythm as she sat with tunnel vision waiting for the garage door to finally open. She knew her car was nothing more than an illusion of security.

  She was fully expecting to see whatever it was, standing on the other side of the garage door. It slowly rose, revealing the darkness a bit at a time, and to her relief, there wasn't anything there. She then heard a bloodcurdling, hellish screech off in the distance. She knew a sound like that did not come from anything living in the forest. Her foot hit the gas like a lead weight as she sped out of the garage in reverse. She cranked the wheel, threw the car into drive and took off down the old dirt road. Kicking up a cloud of dust and debris from beneath her spinning tires, she headed straight for the highway below.

  The next thing she knew the screeching of her tires, crunching metal and waterfall of glass shattered the intense silence. Her hands were still wrapped around the steering wheel when she felt a wave of warm liquid running down her face. She lay motionless in the front seat, barely conscious and disoriented. Shock and fear filled her mind and the pain from her body being jerked around inside the car was excruciating. She reached up to see where the blood was coming from and felt a large gash in her forehead. She began coughing from the smell of smoke, gasoline, and dust which filled her lungs, making it difficult to breathe. She could hear the raging water from the river below, not far from where her car had apparently tumbled down the embankment, lodging itself amongst the pine trees. She found herself trapped within the mangled wreckage. The windshield had imploded, and the steering wheel and dashboard had been compacted together. She tried to slip out, but the seatbelt was still attached. As she fumbled to unlatch it, she suddenly heard a warm voice call out to her.

  "Hey there, I've got you. You’re going to be okay," he said calmly.

  The stranger pulled her from the wreckage with such ease, it was as if she hadn’t been trapped at all. She wasn’t sure how he was carrying her through the rocky, mountainous terrain. As disillusioned as she was, she couldn’t help but fix her eyes on his.

  The stranger had the most mysterious eyes; black as coal, yet cat-like. As gentle as he was, she couldn’t deny how powerful he seemed to be. She felt both oddly at ease and on alert at the same time. She thought it was strange that she couldn’t hear the crunching of the ground or snapping of the brush under the weight of his steps.

  All she could feel besides the pain was the rain’s relentless, chaotic drops hitting her face. It was cold, and she began to shiver. She was trying to reach out to see exactly who was helping her and where they were headed. Each time she tried to reach out, the throbbing pain in her head took over, her vision blurred, and everything began to fade.

  Jadis woke up the next morning only to find herself lying in someone else’s bedroom. The bed was large and extravagant with a solid wood frame that was hand-carved and engraved with impeccable detail. Shapely raised panels in the headboard and footboard had also been hand-carved, both bearing an intricate design.

  She didn’t recognize the writing carved into the leaves on all four of the posts on which it stood. She laid in-between the silken sheets, feeling the irresistibly soft duvet against her skin. Her head rested on a plush, velvet pillow, the warmth of the bed enveloping her.

  The remaining furniture was as unique as the bed, dark and rustic, but was complemented with vibrant cushions and throws. The hues of the room were burnt oranges and reds, giving off a calm, warm feeling. Original oil paintings and antique mirrors hung on the walls. As old as the room seemed to be, it had been impeccably restored.

  She reached up and felt the dressing covering the wound on her forehead. There was still a buzzing in her brain, but the throbbing wasn’t as bad as she had remembered last night. She felt hungover, not from drinking but from the nightmares of the accident, along with the physical trauma that her body had suffered.

  Slowly and reluctantly, she sat up, finally looking down at herself. She was no longer wearing the clothes she had worn yesterday. Instead, she was wearing someone else’s cotton t-shirt, her underwear, and nothing else. She suddenly felt self-conscious and couldn’t help but to wonder who had gotten her out of her clothes in the first place. She also wanted to know how she had gotten there, where she was, and who it was that seemed to carry her so effortlessly across the rugged terrain.

  There was a sudden knock at the door snapping her out of her train of thought. She grabbed the corner of the duvet and pulled it up.

  "Come in," she said, sounding quieter than she’d intended.

  The door slowly opened, and the mystery man walked in. For whatever reason they way that he stood in the doorway staring at her made her feel self-conscious

  Jadis awkwardly stared back at the stranger. He is gorgeous, she thought. His sandy blonde hair was cut close to his scalp around his ears; the top pulled back into a perfectly messy, untamed hair do, tousled on top of his head. He was tall, at least 6’ 2" and in perfect physical shape. He was wearing a tight, navy blue t-shirt that hugged every muscle and a pair of loose-fitting jeans that hung on his hips.

  It’s definitely him. He must be the one that pulled her from the car last night. She could smell the familiarity and sense his energy.

  He stood quietly and stared at her. As he walked into the room, he was taken a-back by her beauty. He had only seen her from a distance prior to last night, and now that he was face to face with her, she was exquisite. She had strikingly soft features, perfect rose-colored lips, and her hair was the color of aged mahogany. The soft wavy strands tumbled gently down the sides of her face, spilling over her shoulders. Her eyes are something else all-together, he thought.

  "Good morning! How are you feeling?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence, not to mention his fixation.

  "Much better, thank you. I assume you're the one who pulled me from my car last night?"

  "Yes." He shut the door and walked over to the other side of the bed. He pulled open the large, cream-colored drapes, allowing the mid-morning light to shine in through the huge, floor to ceiling windows.

  "I’m Aiden Cirillo and you’re Jadis Arwen?"

  "Yes, how do you know my name?"

  He politely smiled and pointed to where her purse was sitting on top of the large, antique bureau at the opposite side of the room from where he was standing.

  "We looked last night to see if there was someone to call, but you only had your license in there."

  Jadis realized what she was being told made perfect sense. After all, she had left in such a hurry last night she hadn’t even had the chance to pack what she needed. Out of necessity and her panicking, she grabbed her partially packed duffle bag and took off so abruptly she left everything not within arm’s reach behind.

  He made a slight motion of his hand towards the other side of the room. "It's on the floor next to the dresser."

  Jadis blankly stared at him. Did he just read my thoughts? she wondered. Not to mention there was something strangely familiar about him. Was it his smell? His energy? It had been around her for a while now, and not just from last night after pulling her from the wreckage.

  "Yes, I read your thoughts. It’s a talent I possess…. I apologize, I didn't mean to intrude
sometimes I forget to turn it off," he added, with a warm smile.

  "No worries," she waved her hand in a gesture to let him know it was not a big deal. However, all her senses piqued at once. She knew she was not in the presence of a mere mortal and the sooner she got out of there, the better. She also had no desire to bring the horrific visions she had been having into his home.

  "Did you say we?" she questioned.

  "Yes, I live here with my brothers."

  "So last night... this," She pulled at the t-shirt, "did you...?"

  He chuckled, "As much as I would have liked to be the one to undress you it was my brother’s wife Madolyn who actually cleaned you up and helped you into one of my shirts."

  Jadis instantly felt more self-conscious than she had before. With his sudden and unexpected admission, she began to blush. She tried to hide it, but she knew the warmth radiating from her cheeks, along with their sudden rosiness, would undoubtedly give her away.

  "Oh… okay," was all she managed to mutter; her words lost in the warmth of her cheeks.

  Aiden chuckled and took a seat at the window. "You probably need to eat something. Why don’t you get dressed, I’ll wait.”

  Jadis casually slipped out from under the sheets, pulling the t-shirt down as far as she could, trying her best to be subtle. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked over, picked up her bag, and headed to the lavish bathroom adjoining the room. She softly closed the door behind her and her immediate thought was that she needed to call her sisters. More importantly, she needed to shield her mind from him. He had read my thoughts twice now as if it were nothing, she thought.

  She sat down on the luxurious alpaca rug. It was dark grey in color, soft underfoot and warmer than the onyx marble floor.