THERON (Book I In The Ancients Series) [SAMPLE]

TEN.

TEN YEARS LATER...

The sound of her bedroom door slamming against the wall instantly awoke Lina from her deep slumber. But it was the voice that accompanied that startling sound that made her groan in annoyance.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU," her father sang in a needlessly loud and obnoxious tone, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

Lina yanked the covers up over her head in a feeble attempt to drown him out.

Yeah.

It didn't work.

"HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN BIRTHDAY TO YOU, DEAR LINA!" Her father continued, a rush to his words to keep beat with the melody.

He was not going to go away, which wasn't his greatest offense. As irritating as her father could be, she understood he was trying to make this birthday special as it was going to be a huge milestone in her life. And yet, she couldn't help but feel a little bitter at his impeccable timing to interrupt one of the best dreams she had ever had.

Lina clenched her eyes shut tightly. If she could just remember, if she could just pick up where she left off... just a second or two more to admire his face, then maybe, her dream would continue. Her father would leave—quietly, preferably—and maybe her raging hormones would be granted release.

Yeah.

That didn't happen either.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Lucan wailed, his screechy and tone deaf voice reaching through her room and piercing her ears. Goddess, make it stop, she thought.

But then he really did it.

Swiftly and without warning, her precious blankets were snatched away from her, pulled clean off her bed, leaving her pajama-clad body cold and exposed. "Ugh, da-ad!" Lina gave him the whiniest of objections. Shouldn't the birthday girl get to sleep in? She further tried to ignore him by shoving her head under her pillow and gripping the sides tightly with her hands. She was certain it wouldn't work but damnit if she wouldn't try anything and everything.

She didn't want to wake up.

She never wanted to wake up.

Almost every night for the last ten years Angel had entered her dreams. Whether it was a smile, a laugh, or a touch, she dreamt of his beautiful face often. And every day when she would open her eyes she would wonder if today was the day—the day where, "Yes, but not soon," would change.

How had his face aged since she first saw him? Did his innocent eyes still dance with secret mirth? Was the sound of his voice still the same as she recalled it to be? Would he still tower over her small body even though her height had extended with age?

Yes. She had a crush on a man she did not know. And a long lasting one at that. Suspiciously, her father claimed ignorance as well but that didn't sway her trust in Angel in any way. He said he would see her again and she believed him.

Of course, she had been waiting for Theron to return to her as well, and that hadn't happened either.

She wondered if it ever would.

The room suddenly grew silent—deafeningly so, and for a split second, Lina thought her father had decided to leave her be. Could she be that lucky?! She very much hoped so.

Of course, now she was awake, so did it really matter?

Goddess, she hated mornings.

The tension in Lina's body lessened. Slowly, she pulled the pillow off of her head, eyes still closed, and listened intently, testing her other senses. The smell of coffee and bacon wafted up the stairs and through her open door. She smiled unintentionally. It was her birthday, so naturally, her father had cooked her favorite breakfast: pancakes and bacon. It was almost enough to spring her body off the cotton mattress it was sprawled out upon.