The Irish Sin

The Irish Sin

Book One

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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Text copyright © 2009 Latoya Daniels All rights reserved

No part of this book may  be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Latoya Daniels/ Lulu self-publishing company

Cover illustration’s By: Matthew Gresser

ISBN: 978-1-387-70262-6

Preface

The air outside was fresh and crisp it felt so amazing on my hot skin. I walked down the steps into the front yard to catch a better breeze, and that’s when I saw a light coming from the barn on the side of Winnie’s house I don’t know why but I decided to investigate. When I reached the barn, there was no one inside, but there was a lantern that was sitting on a block of hay towards the back of the barn I walked over to the lamp its light was dancing on the wall casting shadows all around me even though most would find it quite eerie.

I found it to be peaceful and entrancing. When I reached for the lantern I could hear something moving behind me I turned around quickly. Who’s there? I said not realizing that I was so scared that I had whispered the question. I could see the shadow of someone coming to the door of the barn. I held the lantern up so I could see better. When Christian turned the corner, I sighed a breath of relief. What the hell are you doing out here in the cold at night… in a barn by yourself have you completely lost your mind Serenity? I glared at him. No I just got hot in the house, and I felt a little dizzy so I stepped outside for some fresh air and that’s when I saw the light in the barn. He shook his head and walked towards me.

Bad things can happen to beautiful young women who wander around in the dark alone, especially in Ireland there may not be any wolves, bears or large cats, but you have to understand that there are many dangers that most are unaware of. I smirked at him. Yeah ok, mister over protective whatever you say?" I said sarcastically. Then I turned from him, but he grabbed my arms and pulled me as close to him as he could. I inhaled deeply in response to his abruptness.

What if you came out here and there was a man here that you didn’t know and he saw how beautiful you are and tried to take you. He exclaimed as he slowly backed me further and further into the corner of hay behind us. I looked up at him and stared into his hungry eyes, and they were glowing with passion. I swallowed a lump as he continued to corner me. Um…Then I would have to kick his ass wouldn’t I? he smiled as he lifted me up on top of a block of hay and placed himself between my legs, he looked at me with a look that could never be described. What are you doing? I asked as he ran his fingertips down my neck the entire way to my inner thigh he lingered there and brushed his lips against mine, my breathing was so heavy that I hardly felt able to breathe at all he slid his hand a little further up my thighs I gasped for air.

I want you. He whispered as he kissed my collarbone softly my heart skipped a beat. What if someone sees us Christian? I inquired in an unsteady voice. He smiled at me and blew the light out from the lantern that sat next to me. The barn didn’t go dark as I expected. The light from the moon beamed through a window above the entrance of the barn illuminating the entire space. Christian pulled my hips closer to him and kissed me, his skin glowed moonlight, and his eyes sparkled as he ran his fingers through my hair.

I turned away from him to make sure that the lantern had appropriately been blown out. He spoke as I fiddled with it. I haven’t been able to take a breath since the very moment I saw you. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to him, he met me with his lips kissing me so passionately that it instantly put every hot kissing scene in the movies to shame.

I lingered there quietly for just a moment Why do you kiss me like that I asked softly. Christian smiled at me and ran his fingers through my hair. I kiss you that way because if you’re not near me, I feel unable to survive so I try to make whatever contact I can get as lasting as possible so my body doesn’t become weak before I can have you in my arms again.

I giggled at him. He squinted what’s so funny? I giggled again and smiled at him. That was so cheesy… but I love you for it. He smiled at me and shook his head only the cheesiest for you my love. When we walked back into Winnie and Collins house, it was empty, and all the lights were out, so we figured that everyone had gone back to my house to hang out, so we left Winnie’s and walked hand in hand back to the house.

When we reached the house, Christian stopped me by the stairs with a worried look on his face.  His eyes darted around in the darkness. Something isn’t right here he whispered. As he looked around frantically, then suddenly I heard a blood curtailing scream come from the house it was my sister.

I immediately ripped my hand from his and ran up the stairs bursting into the door as Christian called after me and what I found inside chilled me to the bone.

Chapter One

I woke up in a cold sweat last night. It felt like I had been running a marathon that would never end. My body was covered in sweat; I could feel streams of it dripping down the sides of my face. My muscles continued to convulse as I quickly jolted up in my bed. I gripped my chest tightly as I struggled to calm my racing heart. The dream that haunts me almost every night now had come back with a vengeance. It always starts and ends the same. I'm standing in the middle of a field, and people are dying all around me, their bodies falling to my feet as they reach out to me and take their last breath. It's a bit dramatic, I know, but it feels so real.

I have this intense feeling that these deaths are somehow my fault. Like I did something to cause the war I was in, but the dream never continues. It always ends there, and I find myself back in my bedroom drenched in sweat, feeling as though I just had a piece of my soul ripped away. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, the whole out of sight, out of mind theory, it doesn't seem to work for me. The dream keeps coming back every single night like clockwork. It drives me crazy that I can't seem to dream about anything else. As if my nightmare wasn't enough I keep getting this sense that someone is following me. I know I sound utterly ridiculous, dead bodies at my feet, being stalked by creepy shadows it's all very impractical, but unfortunately, it's all true.

I know I probably need to relax, but these walls have a way of casting shadows that give me an eerie chill up my spine. As strange as it sounds the only way for me to get some sleep when my brain is overactive like this is to watch TV until I knocked out. I never can remember what the last thing I watched was before I fell asleep, but at least I know it worked. I still have visions of my dream during the day. My coworkers have told me that I will sometimes just space out in the middle of a conversation. I also sometimes forget where I am or how I got there it's like my mind goes on autopilot when I revisit the details of my dream.

I try to shake loose the feeling and move through my day as typically as possible, but sometimes I find that task to be challenging. Especially when my nightmares are the reason that I barely get any sleep. Setting all of this mental drama aside, I can't be knocked off my square today because I am ... going to Ireland with my sister. It's a trip that she and I have been saving and planning for, for a very long time and it's finally here! I know that taking a trip like this requires a lot of preparation and very meticulous planning, and believe me Essence and I are more than prepared to make this journey. We have been working and saving for this for the better part of eight years, but due to some unfortunate circumstances, like Essence getting kicked out of her mother's house at 17.

Our plans kind of got set back for a while. When Essence left home I decided that we should get an apartment together, I was already eighteen, so I didn't need parental permission to get a place of my own. Therefore, we paid first month's rent, and we haven't looked back since. Now I know I said earlier that Essence and I were sisters and we are not biologically. We have been best friends for so long that it became the status of our relationship, and rightly so because I love her no different from my blood. We were as thick as thieves in high school, and oddly enough Ireland is what brought us together as friends. Miss Dole's Diverse Culture Class was where Essence and I first meet. Her first impression of me was that I was high strung. She believed that I didn't know how to let loose and enjoy life.

In a lot of ways she wasn't wrong, I was a little uptight, but that wasn't because I wanted to be it was because my parents had very high expectations for my future, and at the time it was in my best interest not to disappoint them. So I guess, you could say that I was a bit of a Debbie downer in high school. Even though I do feel that I could have let loose a bit more in high school, I still could never bring myself to regret the choices I made back then because if it weren't for those choices, I wouldn't be where I am today.I am the proud owner of Serenity's Devine Design which is the most recommended upscale bakery in Chicago Illinois. My bakery is the first place people come when they are looking to have dessert for an elegant event. So I honestly, couldn't be happier with my success. Essence may have been spot on about my inability to have fun as a teenager, but I also had my own opinions about her carefree behavior in school.

I felt like she wasted way too much time on boys and her appearance. When I watched her in class, I could see that she was brilliant, but for some reason, she kept it under wraps. I never understood why she would want to hide that part of herself, but I guess everyone has their ideas for making bad choices. She must have been doing something right because she too has made a killing for her career because of her beautiful mind and romantic imagination Essence became New York's bestselling romance, and erotica author and my sister loves every minute of what she does. She and I are definitely different, the things that she found necessary in the past, in my opinion, were a total waste of time, but either way, we each found the other to be oddly intriguing. One day in class, Miss Dole decided to pair us all up for a class project. Of course, yin and yang were placed together as partners that being Essence and I apparently.

We were given a country to research and provide an oral report on. It just so happened that the country we were assigned was Ireland. In the beginning, we were both a little skeptical about our assignment because at first glance Ireland didn't seem like much to be excited about. Nonetheless, as we did the research together, we found out that Ireland was rich with folklore, breathtaking scenery and a culture that was so full of life that we couldn't help but fall in love with it. Ireland inspired our imaginations and our need for adventure. As we continued to uncover Ireland we also revealed another surprising truth, we actually liked spending time together. Essence really wasn't a shallow, self-absorbed brat.

She was brilliant and easy to talk to; I believed that she was also shocked to find that when I came out of my shell, I could be a pretty fun person to be around. The week we were given for the project flew by quickly. On the day we started, we were two girls that saw no future in which we could ever be friends. On the day everything came to a close we could never imagine ever having to be apart. We made a pact that we would always stick together and that one day we would visit the country that was responsible for bringing us together as sisters. Now that day is finally here. Look out Ireland because here we come. As I put my last pair of jeans in my suitcase and zipped it up, I scanned my room for anything else I may need to take on the trip. I wasn't quite sure what the weather was going to be like in Ireland, but I prepared for the best and the worst just in case.

From what I heard Ireland tends to hop back and forth between cold and warm quite a bit. For the most part, I am pretty much accustomed to the iffy weather. Living in Hammond, Indiana, the next door neighbor to the windy city. I suppose a place where Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind on what season it is doesn't come as much of a shock to me. I could smell the coffee steeping in the next room. The warm, inviting scent gave me goosebumps. Essence always knew how to lure me out of my bedroom.

I followed the scent to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Essence puts a cup of coffee in front of me. I placed my hands-on the hot porcelain and took a deep breath. Um, the perfect blend of coffee, sugar and hazelnut coffee cream. I sipped and smiled. I heard Essence chuckling in the background. Wow, you really have issues. She mumbled behind my back. I snapped out of my stupor and raised an eyebrow at her. I do not! I protested as I rolled my eyes at her. Oh yeah, I think you would have made out with the cup of coffee if you didn't think it would burn the crap out of you. If only you put that much love into finding a boyfriend, you would already be married with like six kids. Essence being the hopeless romantic that she was always believed that I was throwing away my chance to find love. I never took her seriously on it because I was nowhere near interested in seeing one of the earth's available manipulative and controlling pigs ... to run my life, take my virtue, and screw up my head at the end of it all. Um no, thank you I would rather not.

So I wave, her off and continued to enjoy my coffee as usual. Essence was a spritely person full of life and energy her features matched her personality perfectly I always thought. With her mocha skin pouted lips and big, thick, bouncy, tight curls, she was definitely a