Lost Souls - Excerpt

Lost Souls: Resurrection - Episode 1 --- Prologue

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Episode 1 of the urban fantasy series: Lost Souls

Prologue

It had been two years since the fight began.  Two damned long years.

Christian Thompson couldn’t believe it.  He looked down at his little girl, the sparkling joy in his life.  She skipped beside him, her golden ponytail bouncing behind her.  He held her tiny hand in his as they walked down the sidewalk.  Tall buildings lined each side of the city street, their glass and steel coverings glistening and twinkling at them.  Warm sunshine beamed down on them from the bright sun high above.

Everything had worked out.  It had been so worth it.  Aurora was beautiful.  And safe.  Safe from that malicious ex-wife of his.  Who could have known that woman would have turned so ugly and dark?  When he met Diana she wasn’t so vindictive, or so petty, or so cruel.  But she had changed.  Or maybe she hadn’t really changed, but had finally revealed the truth about herself, the part of her personality she hid from him before they were married and had a child together.  Either way, the only good thing to come out of their relationship was Aurora.

Aurora licked at her chocolate ice cream cone.  It was her favorite flavor.  The chocolate dripped over her fingers.

Diana would never let her have chocolate, mostly for the sole reason it was Aurora’s favorite.

Aurora stopped and held out the cone to him.  “Do you want some?”

Christian smiled down at her.  “No thank you, precious.”  He had given up everything, the house, the car, everything.  And had finally won full custody of Aurora.  He had gotten what he wanted.  Aurora was safe.  “It’s all yours.  We’re celebrating today.”

“What are we celebrating?” she asked, blinking blue eyes at him.

So much!  “Our new home.”  The two-bedroom apartment was not nearly as big as the house, but there was plenty of room for them.  And it was two blocks from a perfect daycare, and only seven blocks from his office.  True, it was still near his old house, but at least it could be their own little sanctuary.

Suddenly, Aurora’s cherubic face darkened and she looked down at her ice cream cone, her lower lip protruding in a pout.

Christian’s heart twisted and he knelt before her.  “What is it, pumpkin?  What’s wrong?”

“When do I have to go back to Mommy’s?”

Christian had meant to talk to her about that, but the right time never seemed to present itself.  He stood up and guided her over to a wooden bench beneath a large oak tree.  He picked her up and set her on his knee so he could see her face.  “Lots of things have changed for us.”

She looked down at the cone.  “Like the chocolate ice cream?”

Christian smiled.  “Yes.  And like our new home.”  He licked his lips.  “And like Mommy.”

“Mommy’s changed?” Aurora asked with obvious hope in her voice, her little tongue lapping at the ice cream.

“No.  Mommy won’t change.”  He had practiced this moment in front of a mirror a dozen times.  And now, the right words escaped him.  “You don’t have to go back to Mommy’s if you don’t want to.”

She took another lick of the ice cream.  “Ever?”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

Aurora seemed to consider this in her young mind.