Summer's Curse

Summers Curse

By

Elaine Pierson

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2014 Elaine Pierson

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 ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, places and events portrayed in the novel are product of the author's imagination.

Books by Elaine Pierson

Lacey Hannigan Series

Growl

Change

Redemption

Shohala Falls Series

Shohala Falls (novella)

Bound by Secrets (Dec 2014)

Bound by Truth (May 2015)

Summer's Curse

Karen's Choice (Fall 2015)

To learn more about the author and upcoming books visit the author's website: www.elainepiersonbooks.com

Table of Contents

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

Epilogue

Prologue

Summer Morgan sat outside her log cabin style home in front of her easel with a paintbrush in one hand and her paint pallet in the other. It was the first week of October and the sun had already started to set even though it was only a little after six in the afternoon. The ground was covered with fallen leaves and there was a chill in the air.

Summer looked at the painting she had been working on most of the day. It was a picture of a big black wolf that she had seen several times over the last couple of weeks. He always sat in the same spot just inside the tree line in front of her house.

At first she had been afraid of him. Scared that he might try to hurt her or her family. But all he did was watch them. He never showed any aggression toward them and after a while, Summer and her husband, Daniel got used to seeing the wolf. He became sort of like a pet that they could admire from afar.

Even their two year old daughter, Abigail liked the wolf. She would often ask her mom if she could pet the big doggy. Summer would smile and gently deny her request even though she too would like to get close enough to the wolf to touch him. But as a veterinarian she knew that wasn't a good idea. She knew from experience that wild animals could be very dangerous and unpredictable. However, when it came to this particular wolf she wasn't completely sure he was a wild wolf and not one that had been raised by humans and then set free.

As she put the finishing touches on her painting, she heard a twig snap and glanced toward the woods to where the wolf usually stayed. To her surprise, he was there. And he was looking right at her. It always took her breath away to see such a magnificent creature watching her. She put her brush and paints down on a table beside her then glanced back at the wolf.

She was stunned when he stepped from the woods and started toward her. He had never come out of the woods before. As he cleared the bushes that stood in front of the trees and his entire body came into view, Summer gasped. She already knew that he was bigger than most wolves due to the size of his head, but she had no idea just how big he really was until he stepped out into the open. He was almost five feet tall and had to weigh at least two hundred pounds.

Summer stared at the wolf in awe. But when he continued to walk toward her, she began to panic. He was much bigger and no doubt stronger than she was and she didn't know what is intentions for coming out of the woods were.

She looked over her shoulder toward her house. Daniel was inside with Abby. She thought about screaming for him but didn't want to startle the wolf. She didn't know if it would frighten him away or make him attack. Her heart pounded in her chest as she slowly stood and stepped behind the chair she had been sitting in to put distance between herself and the wolf.

The wolf stopped a few feet in front of her. He tilted his head to the side and stared at her as if he were trying to understand her actions. He let out a noise that sounded like a snort and laid down on the ground in front of the chair and rested his head on his paws. He looked up at Summer. Her face was a mask of fear and awe at the same time. The wolf made a whimpering noise that sounded like that of a small puppy wanting attention.

Summer stared at the wolf. She felt uneasy and knew that she should call Daniel for help but there was something about the way the wolf looked at her that made her think he didn't want to hurt her. She looked into his eyes. They were the greenest she had ever seen and something about them seemed familiar.

The wolf whimpered again and for the first time since he stepped out of the woods, Summer noticed that he looked like he was in pain. His eyes looked sad. She glanced over to the house once more, unsure of her next move. When she looked back at the wolf and saw the pain on his face, she made up her mind.

Without a second thought, she ignored the rapid beating of her heart and picked up the chair in front of her and moved it to the side. She held her hands out in front of her to show that she wasn't going to hurt him and took a small step toward the wolf.

It's okay, boy she said in a soft voice. I'm not going to hurt you. And you're not going to hurt me either...now are you?

As if to answer her question, the wolf rolled over onto his back with his paws in the air. Startled by his action, Summer let out a small squeal before quickly composing herself. Then she slowly knelt down in front of him with her hand outstretched. The wolf rolled back onto his stomach and licked her hand.

Summer stiffened. She couldn't believe she was face to face with a wolf and he had actually licked her hand. The wolf took a step closer. Her heart rate increased but she remained perfectly still. The wolf leaned his head close to hers and licked the side of her face. She let out a nervous giggle and wiped her hand across her cheek. The urge to touch him gnawed at her but she resisted.

In one swift motion, the wolf plopped down beside her and put his head in her lap like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. Summer stared at him with wide eyes. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't as afraid of him anymore, but she was uncomfortable having him so close to her. He whimpered again and nudged her hand with his nose.

Summer lifted her hand and rested it on top of his head and slowly scratched him between the ears. The sound that came from him as she did so, was something Summer didn't expect. It wasn't an aggressive or threatening noise. It was more like a sound of pleasure, like the purring of a cat. It definitely didn't fit the animal in front of her. She smiled and continued to rub her hand through his fur, surprised by its thickness and softness.

It looks like I've made a new friend, huh? she said. The wolf lifted his head and licked her face again.

Just then, the front door of her cabin squeaked open and she heard footsteps pound across the porch.

Summer...don't move!

The wolf jumped up and growled. Summer looked toward the porch. Daniel was standing there with a horrified look on his face. His eyes were locked on the wolf.

Summer noticed the wolf's reaction to Daniel and quickly got to her feet. Daniel she said softly and tried to diffuse the situation. Go back inside...he's not going to hurt me.

Like hell. I'm not leaving you out here alone with that thing he yelled and looked around the porch for something to throw at the wolf. He grabbed a piece of firewood from beside the front door and hurled it across the yard.

The wolf dodged the wood and growled, then took a step toward the porch. Summer stepped in front of him to stop him from advancing toward Daniel.

It's okay, boy. Just go back to the woods she said. She felt silly for talking to a wolf, but for some reason she thought that he could understand her. Perhaps it was the intelligence she saw in his eyes.

The wolf stopped and looked at her for what seemed like an eternity, then whimpered and turned his attention back to Daniel, who was still standing on the porch with another piece of firewood in his hand. The wolf growled again.

Please Summer whispered as tears swelled in her eyes.

The wolf looked at her once more then darted toward the trees.

What the hell was that all about, Summer? Daniel asked as he leaned against the banister of the porch and glared at her.

Summer took a deep breath to calm her nerves then looked over at her husband. It was nothing she said, dismissively.

Don't tell me it was nothing. You were petting that wolf. Why did you let him get so close to you? He could have hurt you.

Summer walked up the steps of the porch and put her arms around Daniel to calm him down. It's okay, honey. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He was actually very gentle. I think he was just curious and wanted to see if I would hurt him. And I think the only reason he acted so aggressively was because you startled him by yelling.

Daniel looked at her incredulously. Are you kidding me? He's a wild animal and you're lucky I was here to scare him away. Promise me you won't ever let him get that close to you again.

If it'll make you feel better, I promise. But I think you're overreacting Summer said with a forced smile to hide how she really felt.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest. Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw that wolf so close to you? he whispered in her ear.

Summer lifted her head from his chest and gave him an apologetic smile. She was about to tell him how sorry she was for scaring him when she noticed Abby watching them for the doorway. Worried that she might have seen the whole scene with the wolf and was afraid, Summer hurried over to her and picked her up.

Hey, sweetie. Are you all ready to go to grandma's house for the weekend?

Abby smiled and nodded her head. She was a miniature version of her mother with her blond hair, fair skin and beautiful blue eyes. She held on to her pink stuffed bunny as Summer handed her over to Daniel and kissed her on the cheek. I'll go get your bag, sweetie.

Aren't you going with me to take her to my mom's? Daniel asked.

Um...I think I'll stay here. I need to take a shower and get ready. Karen and her latest boyfriend will be here in about an hour for dinner and I haven't even started cooking yet. You go ahead. Tell your mom I said hi and hurry back she said and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Daniel looked hesitant.

Summer put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. She knew he didn't want to leave her alone but she really needed some time to herself to process what had just happened. She was putting on a brave face for Daniel and Abby but inside she was a mess. She couldn't believe the danger she had put her family in by letting the wolf get so close to her. She knew better than to take unnecessary risks with her loved ones safety. What if she hadn't been able to make the wolf leave? What if he had actually attacked her? Or worse, what if he had attacked Daniel? The thought made her tremble involuntarily.

She forced a smile to her face. I'll be fine. Your mom has been waiting for this weekend with Abby for a while so don't keep her waiting.

Daniel looked toward the woods and was quiet for a minute. A look of deep thought covered his face. Okay. Just stay inside and if that wolf comes back, call Sheriff Davis. He'll know what to do.

Summer nodded her head in agreement even though she had no intention of calling the sheriff. I will. Now get going. It's getting dark and I'm sure Karen will be here soon.

She watched as Daniel and Abby got into their only car, a blue Ford Taurus and headed down the driveway through the woods. Daniel's mother only lived five miles away so she knew he'd be back quickly.

Relieved to have some time to herself, Summer turned to go inside but stopped when something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. There was movement in the woods in front of her house. Something streaked through the trees but she couldn't tell what it was. It moved too fast. She assumed it was a deer and went inside to start dinner.

She had just walked into the kitchen when she heard what sounded like a horn. She hurried back outside and looked toward the driveway. She lived less than a quarter of a mile from the highway and woods separated her house from the road. So it wasn't unusual for her to hear sounds of sirens passing by or cars honking at each other. But none of that had ever sounded as close as the horn that was echoing through the trees.

She stood on the porch for several minutes and waited for the horn to stop blowing. But it didn't. And the longer she stood there listening to it, the more uncomfortable she felt. She glanced around her yard and wished for the hundredth time that she had more than one car. It was already darker now than it had been ten minutes earlier and the idea of having to walk down the driveway to the highway was not something she wanted to do. But with the sound of the horn deafening her ears she couldn't help but think someone may be hurt or else they would have already disabled the horn.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time someone ran off the road and ended up in the woods. The main highway through Elliston was traveled constantly by truckers and vacationers who sometimes fell asleep at the wheel.

Resigned in her decision to see if anyone needed help, Summer stepped back inside and grabbed a flashlight then took off at a brisk walk down the driveway. As soon as she was out of sight of her house and deeper into the darkness of the woods, she began to second guess herself.

She was getting cold and even with the flashlight she could barely see ten feet in front of her. But the worst part was the feeling that she was being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and goose bumps rolled over her arms. She shined the light into the woods but didn't see anything. That should have reassured her, instead it made her even more worried.

Her heart clenched as an overwhelming fear suddenly consumed her. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. And the closer she got to the sound of the horn, the more afraid she became of what she was going to find.

She was almost to the highway when she stopped abruptly. Two red lights shined in the darkness ahead of her. She aimed the flashlight in that direction and saw the tail end of a car sticking out of the woods. A car, according to the way it was positioned, that had come from her house. It took her a minute to comprehend what she saw. And when the realization that it was her car finally hit her, she felt as if all the air had been knocked from her lungs. She struggled to breathe through the fear that threatened to cripple her as she ran toward the car.

Daniel! Abby! she called out their names as she slid down into the ditch between the driveway and the trees, scratching her hands and legs along the way. She scrambled to her feet and ran over to the car. The sound of the horn throbbed in her ears and her heart beat so fast that she thought it was going to burst from her chest. She rested her hands on the trunk of the car to help prevent her from falling as she moved around to the side. Once at the driver's door, she shined the light into the car. A sinking feeling filled her chest as her heart suddenly fell to her feet.

Daniel was leaning over the steering wheel, his head turned toward her with his eyes half open. Blood covered his face and shirt. Summer stared at him, unable to fully comprehend the emotionless look on his face. After looking at him for what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only a few seconds, she covered her mouth with her hand to hold in her screams as pain ripped through her. Daniel was dead. With that thought fresh in mind, she quickly shined the light into the back seat to check on Abby. The light landed on her tiny face. And a slither of hope sprang up in Summer. Abby appeared to be sleeping.

Summer jerked the door open and reached inside to unlock her daughter from the car seat.

Abby...Abby, wake up she cried and gently lifted the toddler from the seat and cradled her in her arms. But there was no response.

Summer slid down the side of the car to the ground and looked down at her daughter. She didn't appear to have any wounds on her. But the hope Summer had that her baby was okay, slowly faded as despair took its place.

She brushed Abby's curly blond hair from her face and gently shook her to get her to wake up. Abby, please wake up she choked out between sobs. But even as she spoke the words she knew Abby wasn't going to wake up. Her body was pale and lifeless.

Summer touched a trembling finger to Abby's neck to check for a pulse. She closed her eyes as her whole body began to shake with uncontrollable sobs when she realized that she didn't have one.

Summer banged the back of her head against the side of the car and screamed out loud as her heart shattered. She cradled Abby in her arms and rocked back and forth on the ground. She was overwhelmed by grief and couldn't think straight. In the back of her mind she knew she was still being watched, but she was too far gone to care.

The pain in her heart was too much. She desperately needed a way escape it. She laid down on the ground with Abby still cradled in her arms and welcomed the darkness as she retreated into the safety of her own mind.

The last thing she heard before she cut herself off from the world, was howling. It sounded fierce and it sounded close.

Chapter One

Three years later...

Summer ran through the darkness, terrified. An awful howling echoed all around her, and it was getting closer. She looked down at her hands. They were covered in blood. No...not again she said to herself as a scream built in her throat.

She woke up screaming and quickly looked around her room to remind herself where she was and that it was only a dream. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Would the nightmares ever stop? She was starting to think that they wouldn't. It had been three years and she was still having them on a regular basis, at least twice a week and she didn't even know what they meant.

The nightmares first started when she was hospitalized after her family died in a car accident. The trauma of losing her husband and daughter had caused her to suffer a mental breakdown.

One of the major side effects of her breakdown was that she couldn't remember anything about the day her family died. And that drove her crazy. Especially since her best friend, Karen Sloan and the man she looked to like a father, Sheriff Davis, both knew what happened that night but refused to tell her anything other than her family died in a car accident.

She knew they were just trying to protect her, but not being able to remember the last time she saw her husband or held her baby in her arms has always been a sore spot for her. She doesn't even remember how she learned of their deaths, even though Karen has admitted to being the one who broke the news to her.

Her first memory after losing her family was waking up in the hospital two weeks after their funerals. Karen was sitting in a chair beside the bed, reading a book and within seconds of Summer asking for a glass of water, the entire room was full of people all staring at her and asking how she felt.

Apparently, she had been in a blank state since she arrived at the hospital. She ate when food was placed in her mouth, and slept, and even went for walks with help, but she never spoke a word or showed any kind of emotion. She used to try and remember what had happened during her time at the hospital and before her family died, but she always hit a wall that she couldn't break through. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't remember.

Her doctor told her that she had repressed the memories as a way of protecting herself from the pain that they caused. Everyone told her it was for the best that she didn't remember. That knowing what happened would only hurt her more. But she didn't think that was possible. Losing her family had ripped her to pieces and left a big gaping hole in her heart. She didn't think anything could be worse than that.

Summer leaned back against the headboard of the bed and closed her eyes to force the images of her nightmare from her mind. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm her nerves then opened her eyes and looked around her large, empty bedroom. It used to be her favorite room in the entire house.

At one time, there were toys scattered everywhere, pictures on the wall, a crib in the corner and enough furniture to fill the room. Now all she had was a full size bed, a dresser in the corner and a rocking chair by the window that she spent a good bit of time sitting in and staring out into the woods.

After Daniel and Abby died, being around their things and seeing their faces staring back at her from family pictures and paintings that she had made of them was just too hard. Her home had become a constant reminder of everything she had lost. So she had Karen clear out her room and remove all the pictures of her family from the house and store them in her art studio in the backyard.

Summer looked at the clock on the night stand. It was seven a.m.

On any other Saturday at that time she would have just rolled over and went back to sleep, but not today. Today she had to do something she had been dreading for weeks.

A month ago, Mrs. Harris had asked her about donating some of her paintings to the charity auction for the local preschool, and she had agreed without a second thought. At the time she had been eager to help in any way that she could, but now that the time had come for her to actually go inside her art studio and box up her paintings, she wasn't sure whether or not she could do it. She hadn't been inside the studio since before the accident.

All of her life she had enjoyed painting and knew there were hundreds of paintings throughout her studio. Most of which she had done as a child. Paintings of her childhood friends, high school football games, picnics at the park and places her parents had taken her on vacation.

And then there were the more sentimental paintings. Like the ones of her parents and Daniel and Abby. Those were the ones that she was afraid to see for fear that seeing their faces would open up old wounds that she had tried so hard to keep closed.

Summer sighed and threw the covers back and got out of bed. She had just put her robe on and tied it when she heard someone pull up in front of her house and honk the horn. She smiled. There was only one person she knew who was rude enough to honk a horn at seven in the morning.

She walked over to the open window and stuck her head out. Karen, don't you have anything better to do on a Saturday morning than to come bother me? she said and smiled at her best friend of ten years.

Karen Sloan knew Summer better than anyone in the world. Everyone in their small town knew who Summer Morgan was, but most of them stayed as far away from her as possible.

The people who weren't afraid of her, felt sorry for her and all the bad things that had happened around her. Summer never knew what to say to people, after all, most of what they said about her was true. Her parents had died only hours after having a really horrible argument with her about moving out of state.

Her dad had wanted to take a new job in Florida, and she didn't want to move. She was sixteen at the time and wanted to stay in Elliston with all of her friends and the love of her life, Logan Mills. When people heard about her fighting with her parents before they died, they started to talk. At first they felt sympathy for her.

But when Chuck Williams disappeared after asking her to the prom and was later found dead in the woods, and then two other boys disappeared after going on a few dates with her, most of the town's people turned against her. Some people even accused her of murdering the boys while others said that she was cursed, that anyone who got close to her would die.

In the beginning, it bothered her that everyone thought she was cursed. She would argue and tell them they were crazy to believe in such things, that none of the deaths were her fault. But after losing Daniel and Abby she didn't fight her stigma anymore. Even worse she began to believe it herself.

Of course I don't. Bothering you is the highlight of my day Karen said as she