Haunted (Wolf Lake) Read online

  HAUNTED

  Book #1 of the Wolf Lake series

  Copyright © 2013 by Alzena Summers

  All rights reserved.

  This story is a work of fiction and contains explicit content intended for adults only. Names, characters, places and events are either fictional or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, places or incidents is entirely coincidental. The images associated with the cover are stock photos and neither the photographer(s) nor the model(s) endorse this publication.

  HAUNTED

  Amelia didn’t look the part of a bereaved widow. She was young and vibrant, with hair the color of autumn leaves, sparkling blue eyes and porcelain skin. At twenty-five years old, she had her whole life ahead of her. But it was a life she’d planned to spend with her husband, Jake.

  Her plan – and her world – had come crashing down around her last summer.

  Sometimes when Amelia woke up in the morning she could still hardly believe it. She’d talk to Jake in her dreams. He’d seem so close, but then she’d reach out for him and jolt awake, grasping at nothing but the unused pillow beside her.

  The disappointment that would wash over her as she remembered he was gone was nearly unbearable. Those first few months had been the toughest. She’d bury her face in Jake’s pillow and sob until she had nothing left inside her. The day she’d realized the pillow no longer had Jake’s familiar scent had been particularly difficult.

  She still thought of it as Jake’s pillow. After all, no one else had used it since that last morning when he’d rolled out of bed, hair askew. There had been no men since Jake. How could there be? Amelia was sure no one else could possibly compare to her deceased husband.

  The pretty redhead had spent a few months in a daze. Little by little, she’d emerged from the fog that was separating her from the rest of the world…to some extent. As far as her friends and family were concerned, Amelia was coping well. Of course, they wanted to see her get back in the saddle and gently urged her to date or at least get out of the house more. But that was a thought Amelia couldn’t bear to entertain.

  What her loved ones didn’t know was that Amelia couldn’t bear to part with any of Jake’s things. His clothes still hung in the closet next to hers and his slippers were at the bedside as though they were just waiting for him to come home and slip his feet into them.

  But Jake was never coming home again. It was a dark, painful reality that Amelia was still struggling to accept, even a year later.

  It was summertime. As the long weekend approached, Amelia fondly recalled the hot, sweltering summers she’d spent with Jake at their cabin.

  The cabin at Wolf Lake had been Jake’s parents’. He’d talked about it often, reminiscing about the good old days. He’d spent every summer for his entire childhood at that cabin. When his parents had given it to Jake as a wedding gift, he’d gotten a little choked up.

  They’d only had the cabin for two far-too-short summers, but the time they’d spent out there together had been magical.

  Amelia still blushed when she recalled the way her husband would wake her up in the mornings by crawling underneath the bed sheet and nuzzling his unshaven face against her bare breasts. He loved that she slept naked and she loved waking up slowly to him planting gentle kisses all over her body.

  Once she was fully awake, he’d move lower, eventually burying his face between Amelia’s shapely thighs as she moaned in delight and clutched at his wild, uncombed hair.

  After his skilful tongue had licked Amelia to an intensely satisfying orgasm, Jake would climb on top of her and thrust his stiff manhood deep into her slick, quivering folds. She’d cling to him, her hips moving in time with his as he made love to her with the morning sun streaming in the window.

  Usually there would be an encore in the shower. Insatiable, Jake would sneak into the bathroom while Amelia was washing her hair and climb into the shower behind her. She’d jump, startled as his strong, muscular arms wrapped around her wet, soapy body, hugging her from behind.

  Then his hands would take over, carefully rinsing the shampoo from her long red hair and lathering up her slick body with his bare hands. Of course, no crevice or cranny was left unexplored. By the time Jake was finished very thoroughly washing Amelia, she’d be squirming, flushed with desire.

  Jake’s favorite thing was to press Amelia up against the shower wall, the cool, hard tiles pressing into her erect nipples. He had a playful and slightly dominant streak that excited Amelia to no end. Once he had her pinned, he’d nudge her legs apart with his own and then thrust himself inside of her, taking her from behind.

  He was rough and tender all at once. There was something about the fresh air and semi-seclusion at the Wolf Lake cabin that brought out the animal in Jake. The way he stared at Amelia with carnal lust made her pulse race. At the cabin, it seemed the two of them just couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

  Amelia and Jake had had big plans for that cabin. They’d talked often about how they were going to renovate it and add a second bedroom for when their family grew. Thinking about the cabin was painful enough…thinking about the children she and Jake would never have together was absolute agony.

  She hadn’t been to the cabin since before the accident. It was too painful. But Amelia couldn’t bear to sell it and Jake’s parents had retired to Florida and had no use for it. So, Amelia kept paying the utility bills.

  She knew it was irrational to keep the lights on and the water running at an abandoned cabin, but she couldn’t bear the thought of letting the place Jake had loved so dearly lapse into a shell of its former self. A retired man who was a long-time friend of Jake’s parents and lived out at Wolf Lake year round checked in on it from time to time.

  As the last long weekend of the summer approached, Amelia’s friends and family started making plans. Her brother invited her to a backyard cookout. Her co-worker asked her to a potluck picnic at the river. But Amelia turned every invitation down.

  She didn’t know why, but something in her was telling her it was time to go to the cabin.

  Amelia didn’t particularly like the idea of going to Wolf Lake. The place she’d come to love was tainted now with painful memories she’d rather not face.

  As Amelia rounded the familiar bend in the road that led to the cabin, her grip on the steering wheel tightened until her knuckles turned white. Part of her felt like it was too soon. She wasn’t ready to set foot in that cabin and see it just as they’d left it. She wasn’t ready to go there without Jake by her side.

  But at the same time, she felt compelled to do it.

  The pretty redhead climbed out of the red sports car that had been Jake’s pride and joy and wiped her hands on her denim cut-off shorts. Her palms were suddenly sweaty – it was no wonder what with it being such a humid, sticky day. It was still early in the day and it was already blazing hot outside.

  She looked up at the cottage. It looked exactly how she remembered it: small, quaint and charming. The rose bushes she and Jake had planted were in full bloom and their sweet scent wafted through the humid summer air.

  Amelia’s breath caught in her throat.

  “Hello there, neighbor!”

  Amelia nearly jumped out of her skin. She wasn’t expecting anyone else to be around given the cabin’s secluded location, a good half mile from anyone or anything else. She spun around.

  It was Harold, the long-time family friend who kept an eye on the cabin for her.

  “Hi,” she managed to reply, not quite trusting her voice.

  He chuckled, pulled a comb from the breast pocket of his button up shirt and ran it through his thinning grey hair. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Anyway, welcome back. I saw your car coming down the road
and figured I’d stop by to say hello. If you need anything you know where my cottage is.”

  Amelia’s mouth was dry. “Okay, thanks…for everything,” she said softly.

  “Anything for Jake’s wife,” Harold told her with a nod. His eyes clouded over. “He was a good boy…well, man. It’s a real shame, what happened out here.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I won’t keep you. I’m sure you have lots to do before your guests get here – it’s nice to see you back out here enjoying the place. It’s what Jake would have wanted.”

  Amelia managed a small smile as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t bother mentioning that she wasn’t expecting any guests. She knew he’d find it peculiar that she was planning to spend a quiet long weekend in the wilderness all alone – because it was peculiar. But being with a bunch of happy-go-lucky people was the last thing she felt like doing.

  She pulled the key out of the pocket of her shorts, noting that her hand was trembling. She managed to get the door unlocked and turned the knob. It opened with a loud creak and she somewhat apprehensively stepped inside.

  A flood of memories hit Amelia like a ton of bricks.

  She paused in the living room, her gaze fixed to the wedding portrait of her and Jake that hung above the fireplace. He was everywhere in the cabin. She could almost feel his presence there beside her.

  It was too much. She needed out.

  Amelia stumbled out onto the back deck and inhaled the fresh air greedily. She sat on the back step, no longer trusting her legs. She traced her hand over the wood thoughtfully.

  Jake had built the deck that last summer. It had been a scorcher but he’d gone out there faithfully each day with his hammer and measuring tape. She’d opted to stay inside, reading novels and admiring her shirtless husband from the comfort of the cabin. She’d take him lemonade from time to time, teasing him in her short skirts and skimpy tank tops.

  He’d come in sore at the end of the day, sweaty and stiff. After a hot shower, he’d lie face down on the bed and Amelia would straddle him, rubbing thick, creamy lotion onto his muscular body to soothe away his aches and pains.

  There was something sacred about those moments when they were just quiet together, her hands kneading his sore body, working out the kinks in his muscles. She’d felt connected to him during those moments of silence. She’d taken pride in being able to relieve his discomfort with her small but strong hands.

  He’d always recover from his aches and pains quickly. Before long his exhaustion would subside and he’d let out a playful groan, turning over and overtaking his petite wife. He’d pick her up in his arms and set her on his lap. Then he’d strip her naked, kissing her all over as he undressed her.

  She swiped a hand across her eyes angrily. How could one simple, stupid decision cost her kind, generous, loving husband his life?

  Amelia felt herself going down that familiar road she’d been down so many times before. She tried not to beat herself up – she really did. But ever since Jake’s untimely death, Amelia had felt like she could have saved him if she’d just gone with him that day.

  Instead, she’d let her stupid pride get in her way.

  Her regret was so deep it made her bones ache.

  Suddenly there was an awful racket in the forest nearby. An all-terrain vehicle emerged from the brush. It was driven by two shirtless, board short wearing college-aged guys. They were ripping around like they owned the place, causing startled birds to fly out of the nearby trees.

  “Hey!” the barely clad driver shouted when he spotted Amelia.

  She winced. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to anyone – especially not rowdy frat boys. She just wanted to be left alone with her grief.

  She managed a small, half-hearted wave. “Hi.”

  “Nice place you’ve got here,” he said after he cut the engine. “Is it yours?”

  “It’s my hus–,” she began to reply. Then she caught herself. “I mean yes, it’s mine. I’m Amelia, by the way.”

  “Cool. I’m Mike and this is Shawn. We’re staying at a friend’s place about a half mile down the road,” he said, pointing in the general direction. “We’re having a bonfire tonight if you wanna stop by. It should be good times!”

  “I, uh…I’ll see what I have going on,” Amelia replied noncommittally, knowing full well that she had no intention of partying with a bunch of college kids. It would be uncomfortable…after all, she was twenty-five and most days she felt decades older than that.

  “Okay well…see ya around!” Mike gave Amelia a nod and Shawn waved as they sped off through the forest, back to wherever they’d come from.

  A sigh of relief escaped Amelia’s lips when they were finally gone. She turned and went back into the cabin, determined to sort through and pack up some of Jake’s things. She knew it would be difficult but it needed to be done. She couldn’t put it off forever.

  She threw herself into cleaning. She scrubbed the floors and washed the walls as though her life depended on it. She worked until she was sweaty and red in the face. Dusting and sweeping and mopping were easy, mindless tasks. But even as she worked, she knew that more difficult endeavors awaited her.

  Amelia tried to emotionally detach herself as she cleared Jake’s toiletries out of the medicine cabinet. She tried not to remember the way his face felt scratching against hers in the mornings, the rough stubble tickling her sensitive skin when they kissed. She tried not to think about the fact that his toothbrush was still there waiting for him as though one day he’d come back.

  But she did dab some of his aftershave onto the inside of her slender wrist. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and pretended Jake was right in front of her. Sometimes if she imagined hard enough, it was almost as though he was.

  Amelia opened her eyes and, unsurprisingly, found herself staring at the wall. Letting out a defeated sigh, she made a mental note that the paint was beginning to peel a little.

  “I should do something about that,” she whispered to herself and wondered if the tiny hardware store in town would be open on a long weekend.

  It was only early evening but the heat had Amelia absolutely beat. She wished the cabin had air conditioning. The ceiling fans in every room helped some, but she nonetheless felt worn out. The constant battle to keep her emotions in check was probably more to blame than the high temperature.

  “I should have stopped in town for groceries,” she muttered to herself as her stomach growled, annoyed with her lack of preparation. She grabbed her car keys and headed toward the door but stopped in her tracks when she saw a pair of eyes staring back at her from the woods.

  A lone wolf stood there, calmly staring right at her.

  A chill went up Amelia’s spine.

  She set the keys down and checked to see that the door was locked. Then she laughed at herself for being so ridiculous. Was she expecting the wolf to open the front door and walk in?

  Shaking her head at her foolish reaction, Amelia decided she’d go for groceries a while later. That would give the wolf time to wander off so she could walk out to her car without fear of being mauled.

  A yawn caught Amelia off guard and she realized she could really use a nap. She shuffled into the tiny bedroom and unbuttoned her denim shorts, discarding them in a pile on the floor. She peeled off her t-shirt as well and tossed it on top of her shorts. Then, clad only in her underwear, Amelia eyed the bed warily.

  It had been over a year since the bedding had been washed – yuck! She had visions of flopping down on the patchwork quilt that covered the bed only to be overtaken by a massive cloud of dust. It would be like something out of a dumb sitcom…or at least that’s how the scenario played out in Amelia’s head.

  “Laundromat tomorrow,” she murmured to herself. She wasn’t impressed that her to-do list seemed to be getting longer instead of shorter. But, she figured, that was her own fault for neglecting the cabin for so long.

  Amelia wearily trudged back to the tiny living room and sprawled ou
t on the couch she’d vacuumed earlier in the day. She was out like a light.

  The slumbering redhead’s dreams were filled with chaos. Giant, elephant-sized spiders chased her through a maze of mirrors. Her heart pounded in her chest as they advanced on her, snarling. Apparently dream-spiders have fangs – who knew?

  Right before her eyes, the spiders turned into wolves. Amelia’s breath caught in her throat as she slowly backed away, trying to remain calm. She didn’t dare turn her back on them for fear that they’d attack her from behind. She inched her way backwards as she frantically tried to think of an escape plan.

  Then her shoulder blade hit a mirror in the never ending maze. Amelia’s heart sunk and she could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate as panic set in. There was no way out. She was trapped.

  Just as she was sure she was dead meat, Jake emerged from behind one of the mirrors. He took her hand and led her to safety. Amelia found herself standing in an exquisite, predator-free garden with her husband at her side. His presence calmed her.

  “Where are we?” she asked, looking around. No one else was in sight.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said dismissively, leaning down to plant a feather light whisper of a kiss on her forehead. “We’re together.”

  Amelia felt her nipples stiffen at once as her husband stood close to her. His green eyes sparkled with passion and his sandy hair fell across his forehead haphazardly. She could smell his aftershave and hear his heartbeat. If she really concentrated, she could swear she could feel the heat from his body. She reached up to touch his face, wanting to feel his rough stubble against her soft skin.

  Her hand went right through him.

  It was around that time Amelia realized she was dreaming.

  Amelia didn’t experience lucid dreaming often. Usually the second she realized she was dreaming, her eyes popped open and the opportunity to control and actively participate in her very own private fantasy was gone. But this time, perhaps due to sheer will, she managed to hang on to the edges of her fictitious world.

  Trapped on the border of reality and her subconscious, Amelia fought to remain in the dream. Why return to a world devoid of her husband when he was right there in her dream, standing right in front of her? True, she couldn’t touch him…but he was still there. She felt him.