The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters

347 Pages·2014·1.34 MB·English

by  Newsome C A

The Kiss
An anthology about love and other close encounters
Edited by C. A. Newsome, Robert Thomas and Jacques Antoine
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, places and events portrayed in
this book are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real
people or incidents is purely coincidental.
*
The Kiss
Copyright © 2014 by C. A. Newsome
Raptor Retreat Press Edited by C. A. Newsome, Robert Thomas and Jacques
Antoine
Cover by Elizabeth Mackey Published at Smashwords *
All stories used by permission of authors of each story. All rights are otherwise
reserved. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent of the Authors or Publisher, excepting
brief quotes to be used in reviews.
Table of Contents
True Love’s Kiss by Ben Cassidy
(4,273 words) Enchanted Kiss: A humorous romp through a traditional
fairy-tale quest.
This Moment by J. L. Jarvis
(6,670 words) Highland Kiss: Stranded during a snowstorm, Mackenzie
finds shelter with a Highland warrior misplaced by time.
Kick Ass Kiss by Shirley Bourget
(1,143 words) Kiss Off: When you’re riding the train, it helps to know
when to get off.
A Father’s Kiss by Colleen Hoover
(6,260 words) Newborn Kiss: Now that baby Julia has come along, Will
and Layken need their friends more than ever.
Death Kiss by George Wier
(3,087 words) Criminal Kiss: Ericka’s unfortunate taste for losers could
make this bar hook-up her last.
For a Soldier by Jason Deas
(2,271 words) Redemptive Kiss: Back from the war, Morgan has yet to
truly come home.
How to Knit Yourself a Husband in Five Easy Steps by Traci Tyne Hilton
(2,809 words) Prelude to a Kiss: When a woman is this desperate to be
with the one she loves, anything can happen.
Mom’s Kiss by Jacques Antoine
(2,462 words) Post-Apocalyptic Kiss: Maia believes there is little hope for
humanity after an alien -invasion. But maybe she’s looking in the wrong
place.
More Than a Couple of Camels by Suzy Stewart Dubot
(8,092 words) Regency Kiss: Firmly on the shelf, Bathsheba is bound by
the rules of propriety to turn away from the romance she secretly craves.
The Kiss by Saxon Andrew
(1,613 words) Good-Bye Kiss: An unearthly creature visits a utopian
planet to deliver a gift to end all gifts.
Kiss No. 43 by C. A. Newsome
(2,243 words) Painted Kiss: An artist milks her obsession with lost love to
fuel her art.
Moving On by Anna J. McIntyre
(1,723 words) Second Chance Kiss: Sometimes, a kiss is all that it takes
for someone to know what’s in his heart.
Midnight Snack by Molly Snow
(1,752 words) Fanged Kiss: On a horror of a dinner date, Maggie still
looks forward to dessert.
Friends with Benefits by Kate Aaron
(5,763 words) Confusing Kiss: Tobias and Liam have been friends all their
lives. Can they be anything more?
A Kiss Through Time by Robert Thomas
(6,619 words) Lost Kiss: A military wife distracts herself with an unusual
quest.
Songs From the Heart by Mona Melissa Ingram
(5,369 words) High School Kiss: Country Music sensation Mandy Malone
has everything except love.
That First Kiss by S. Patrick O’Connell
(2,952 words) Dream Kiss: Merrick is willing to make a deal with the
devil to get off-planet. But his new client has him thinking of another
destination.
Divinity’s Kiss by Brandon Hale
(6,594 words) Fiery Kiss: Sister Abbie believes she knows what it means
to be ordained until an encounter with vampires shows her the truth.
How Jessica Met Simon by Chris Ward
(2,701 words) Dystopian Kiss: In a brutal world, it is still possible to find
comfort in a kiss.
The Riddle by Alison Blake
(2,559 words) Soul Kiss: Choosing between two men is more than a matter
of life and death for Erin.
Dark Visions: The Paladin’s Kiss by Jeanette Raleigh
(2,897 words) Medieval Kiss: When rich, odious Thindle sues for her
hand, Isabelle has other ideas.
Friday Afternoon by Elizabeth Jasper
(1,496 words ) Stolen Kiss: It’s another busy shift for George, the barman.
Just One Kiss by Suzie O’Connell
(2,153 words) Remembered Kiss: In the final hour of a marriage, a spark
remains. Is it enough?
Strangers by Holli Marie Spaulding
(3,639 words) Butterfly Kiss: A chance encounter changes everything for
Stella.
The Gift of Gab by Sharon Delarose
(2,041 words) Kiss of the Blarney Stone: When George kissed the Blarney
Stone, what he wanted was the Gift of Gab. What he got turned his world
upside down.
The Graveyard Kiss by Meghan Ciana Doidge
(7,035 words) Kiss of Death: When Colby takes his Goth inclinations too
far, Luci decides enough is enough.
True Love by E. B. Boggs
(1,453 words) Eternity’s Kiss: It is not only the living who grieve for lost
love.
Revelation of the Angel Queen by JRC Salter
(2,449 words) Sealed with a Kiss: Cõran is a leader of men, a true paragon,
but something is missing.
My Contact by Cleve Sylcox
(1,555 words) Cloak and Dagger Kiss: A bumbler on his first covert
mission gets the surprise of his life.
The Call by Corrie Fischer
(3,502 words) Final Kiss: When tragedy strikes, what does it take to go
on?
The Slave Who’d Never Been Kissed by Jess Mountifield
(21,388 words) Space Kiss: Auraylia takes to the stars in a desperate bid
for safety, only to learn that her true journey is within her heart.
True Love’s Kiss
Ben Cassidy
The tower stairs were dark, and thick with dust and cobwebs. Dirt and grime
covered the stone walls on either side. Something small and fast scurried away
into the shadows.
Sir Giles climbed the stairs, his face set with grim determination. In his right
hand was a deadly longsword, ready to spill the blood of the wicked. In his left
was a blazing torch which scattered the shadows of the stairwell as he ascended.
On his back was strapped a large kite shield, battered from the blows of many
foes and beasts.
Giles stopped and frowned. He turned to the two people that followed behind
him. “I fear some foul magic blocks our path,” he said in a low tone. “Some
ancient evil that may deny our passage.”
“Really, Sir Giles?” A beautiful Elf woman in gleaming white and gold armor
stepped up behind the knight. She tossed back her flaming red hair. “What was
your first clue, that shimmering blue force field of magic energy right in front of
you?”
Sir Giles looked back up the tower steps at the wall of blazing blue light.
“Please, Ella, watch your sarcasm. It does not befit a servant of your fair and
benevolent goddess.”
Ella looked carefully over her armor and plucked off a stray spiderweb.
“Whatever.”
Another woman, a human girl of about sixteen summers in a long purple
robe, glanced around Ella at the shimmering field of energy. “So,” she said
hesitantly, “what exactly do we do now?”
Sir Giles took a step back. “It will need a strong counterspell to break the
field, Lily. We will have need of your powerful magic.”
There was a beat of silence.
“My…magic?” Lily said uncertainly. “Right. My magic. Got it.” She fumbled
at her belt, unclasping the leather book holder there. “Right on it, Sir Giles.”
Ella hooked her mace onto her belt and crossed her arms. “Oh, this should be
good.”
“Shut up,” Lily hissed. She balanced her long wooden staff against the
stairwell wall, and opened the book in front of her.
“Hurry, Lily,” Sir Giles urged. “We don’t have much time.”
Ella looked up at Giles with a cocked eyebrow. “What in the name of the
Forest Spirit are you talking about? We have all the time in the world.”
“Well,” said Sir Giles uncomfortably. “There is Torval. I believe he is still
down below, fighting that demon-beast from the fourth plane of fire.”
Ella gave a disinterested nod. “Oh, right. I thought it was the third plane of
fire.”
Lily almost dropped her book. She stared at Sir Giles. “Wait. You left Torval
down there? All by himself?”
Giles hefted his sword. “His rage will give him strength to defeat his enemy.”
“But…” Lily glanced down the dark stairwell behind them. “Couldn’t he use
our help? Some assistance, or something?”
“He has Nedric,” Sir Giles said with a certain degree of impatience.
“No he doesn’t,” Lily said quickly. “Nedric is outside with the baggage. You
told him to stay put, remember?”
“Your fear is unfounded, Lily,” Sir Giles said confidently. “Torval is a
barbarian of the North. He has wrestled vicious beasts since his youth and torn
them apart with his bare hands.”
“Ew,” Ella said with a shudder.
A roar echoed up from below, followed by what sounded like a scream.
Sir Giles scrunched his forehead in thought. “All the same, though, we should
probably hurry. Lily, the counterspell, if you please.”
Ella gave a sweet smile. “No pressure.”
Lily flipped the pages of her spellbook. She looked up to see both Giles and
Ella staring at her. “A…counterspell. Right. Totally got it.” She flipped another
page and swallowed hard. “Any second here—”
“I would strike at it,” came a gravelly voice from the darkness, “but the field
has no discernible anatomy.”
“Hey,” said Ella as she rubbed some dirt off her breastplate, “at least you
might be able to actually sneak up on it, Dirk.”
A hollow, mirthless laugh came from all around them. “You mock me, Elf?
You should fear me. For I am one with the shadows. The invisible hand of death.
Darkness my shroud, terror my—”
“Oh, Talrilla’s Pearls, Dirk, we can all totally see you.” Ella tilted her head
and glanced back down the stairwell. “You’re right there.”
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“The unseen hand of fear,” came the voice again. “A living shadow of—”
“She is right, Dirk,” Sir Giles said. “We can all see you.”
A man in a black, hooded cloak stepped away from the wall. An evil-looking
dagger was in his hand. “It’s not fair,” he mumbled. “There’s nowhere to bloody
hide in this stairwell. Just look at it. Would it have killed these people to have
put a few pillars in here, or some loose hanging tapestries, or…something?”
“It’s all right, Dirk,” said Sir Giles consolingly. “No one’s blaming you.”
Ella raised her hand. “For the record, I totally am.”
Dirk threw back his hood angrily. “It doesn’t help that you’re carrying that
blasted torch with you everywhere we go.”
Sir Giles straightened. “I need it to see by, Dirk. You know I have poor night
vision.”
Lily pointed a hesitant finger at the black-clad rogue. “Shouldn’t…Dirk be
helping Torval out? I mean, he’s not really useful to us here, is he?”
Dirk snorted and crossed his arms. “Are you kidding? Did you see the size of
that demon-beast? It was bigger than the last tavern we went to.”
“Dirk’s a scaredy-cat,” Ella sang. “Scaredy-scaredy-scaredy cat.”
“I’m not scared.” Dirk glared at the elf cleric, then looked at the wall. “I
just…pick my battles carefully, that’s all. The element of surprise is wasted on a
demon-beast. They have no appreciation for the proper application of stealth and
ambush techniques.”
Another booming roar came from down below.
Lily looked up at Sir Giles. “Torval could be dying down there.”
“Would that we could be so lucky,” Ella sighed.
Sir Giles gave a slow nod. “Perhaps Lady Lily has a point. Dirk, go and give
Torval some support.”
Dirk quickly uncrossed his arms. “Excuse me?”
Giles made a shooing motion with his sword. “Strike from the shadows, and
whatever else it is you do. Go on now.”
Dirk gave an uncertain glance down the stairwell. He tugged at the fastening
to his cloak. “Right…now?”
“Scaredy-cat, scaredy-cat,” Ella whispered. “Dirk is a scaredy-cat.”
“I am not!” Dirk shouted.
“Please, please,” Sir Giles said with a heavy sigh. “Both of you stop it this
moment. Dirk, help Torval out. That’s an order.”
The rogue scowled, then glared over at Ella. “Your time is coming, Elf.”
Ella shrugged. “Whatever.”
Dirk moved down the stairs and vanished.
There was a long moment of silence.