Fallen Melody: Fallen: Book 1 Read online

  Fallen Melody

  Fallen, Book 1

  By: Layna Snow

  Copyright

  Published by Layna Snow

  Copyright 2019 Layna Snow

  Edited by Layna Snow and Kennedy Parker

  This book contains content that is not suitable for readers 17 and younger.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Violating this copyright can result in prosecution as well as a fine.

  This book references the Grimm Brother’s Cinderella which is in the public sphere and therefore in no way violates copyright of pre-existing material.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and establishments are from the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real people or places are accidental.

  Other Books by Layna Snow

  Mythos Series

  Magic Mirror

  The Ball

  Cursed Needle

  About

  She Fell from Heaven

  Melody’s curiosity, stubbornness, and pride led her to sin. Being cast out of Heaven awakened the woman inside. Headstrong and full of wonder, she pushes forward into her new life, but out of every amazing thing to explore, the bodies of two men are on the top of her list.

  They fell for her

  Charming Caleb Price and his serious foster brother Seth de Cruce have worked hard to open their own vet practice in a tiny, cozy town. They struggled for years to get everything they ever wanted, but something was always missing. Her. But falling for an Angel was never part of their plan, and even if they can share her, can they protect her?

  When danger stalks them, will they fall apart?

  Passions burn, drawing them together while the world around them tries to tear them apart. When her identity, and her life, is on the line their bond is the only thing that holds them together. But even the strongest bonds can be broken. Will pain, fear and betrayal cause them to crumble, or will they rise above it all?

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Heather. For years you have been absorbed into my imaginary world, reading and plotting with me. Now the world is being exposed to the public, and you are still supporting me! If everyone shows a quarter of the enthusiasm that you have, I’ll be the happiest author in the world!

  Table of contents

  Copyright

  Other Books by Layna Snow

  About

  Dedication

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  1

  Melody had Fallen. And she was angry; which was a new feeling entirely. She had never felt much of anything before. Angels were not meant to feel emotion. They were constantly in a numb state where they could think logically about every decision. They felt a right and a wrong, which was instilled in them when they were created, but no emotion. Until now, Melody did not even know what that word entailed.

  But now she knew. This burning feeling almost took over her mind. She felt like lashing out. Felt like saying things to make those around her hurt. She felt like kicking and screaming until she got her own way. But she knew, in the back of her mind, that it would do no good. One just could not be mad at the Almighty. It was impossible for Him to be unfair.

  But still, she was a Fallen, now.

  Well, that was a misnomer. She did not actually fall anywhere. No, after the incident she was simply told to leave. So now, Melody flew down to earth. This might be the last time she flew through the sky and so she took the time to appreciate all the wonderful feelings. Even now she could feel her anger melting as the wind caught in her long pale red hair, pulling it away from her face. The feeling of freedom of passing through the skies at will was marvellous. Her heart felt freer, open to the entire world. Her wings tucked into her as she shot through the sky, moving closer and closer to the ground.

  Oh, how could she ever have felt nothing while viewing the sun start to set, brushing the sky with a paint palette of pinks and purples? How could she have ever ignored the green grass, the majestic mountains and the rolling sea? How could this have been overlooked as meaningless?

  She did not understand the warm feeling in her chest as she looked at the paradise that God had created. Even as it darkened, it looked wonderful. She could not place the uplifting expectancy that she had for the future. Surely this was what Humans called hope. It was wonderful in its mere existence, but it felt a little fleeting and fragile.

  She could see birds as she moved even closer to the ground. Melody pushed herself lower in the sky, determined to start her new life here in this new world. She dropped to six hundred feet, then five hundred. Lower and lower she went, able now to see more details. Now, she could see individual trees. There were different looks, different kinds. Melody smiled, determined to learn them all.

  Tucking her wings closer, she felt the warmth that the feathers leant her body. They cut out most of the chill from the wind as it pushed through her robe, stealing her warmth.

  Soon she realized that she would need to land. The small town in front of her seemed ideal. There were Humans that could assist her in starting a life. There would be food and water, things she knew Humans needed. She was sure that it would be a lovely place, nestled in between a forest and a lake. Yes, Melody thought, I will go there. They would be lucky to have her and her wisdom.

  Melody flared her wings, slowing her momentum and stopping her descent. After she slowed enough, her wings leisurely flapped bringing her down through the trees and onto the forest floor.

  It was really very lovely, even though it was quite dark. She could only see what was near but there was so much for her to experience. The trees were covered in a texture that Melody assumed allowed for animals to find perches for climbing. The ground was covered by many plants, some with flowers and others without. She found herself standing on a spongy green ground-cover that felt nice against the bottom of her bare feet. The forest was alive with the sounds of animals and birds alike, all different and creating a beautiful song that was pleasing to the ears as they got ready for sleep.

  Yes, this would be an ideal place to stay. It could not be any more perfect.

  Just then she felt it. A sharp, stinging pain in her back. It intensified, shifting along the delicate skin and tearing, ripping, cutting into her body. Melody screamed from the intensity. She quickly moved forward, grabbing a tree for support. The pain did not dissipate, but continued to wrench through her small body, as if her very essence was being extracted from her skin, along her back. Melody did not even notice the jagged, rough bark pressing into her delicate palms, shredding the skin as she slid down. She did not notice the sharp pine needles littering the floor and digging into her knees.

  No, the pain was so brutal that she was unable to feel or think o
f anything else. Her mind started to dim, or was it just her eyesight blackening around the edges? Her throat was raw from her screams, ripping her from the inside out and pulling all the air from her body. This, she realized, was what pain felt like. And this must also be death for she was quickly losing touch with the world around her. And blackness quickly swept her away.

  ***

  Caleb Price couldn’t believe his eyes. Everything’s perfect. The animal hospital was finally open and running. The building only existed in his mind— well, Seth de Cruce’s mind—but now it was reality. The place that they had bought had been filled with litter. After months of watching the floor being poured, the walls becoming solid and painted, the furniture going in, and the equipment being readied, now everything was done.

  He stood, looking at the wonderful new building, his hands in his pockets and a satisfied smirk on his face. Shit, the building itself looked like a home. It was cozy and inviting. There were flowers lining the walkway from the small parking lot. The front door was made of wood and carved, the business's name—

  Cold Wood Animal Clinic— on a plaque a third of the way from the top. The place was amazing, and damn, it was all his!

  Seth walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder in a brotherly squeeze. Hell, the place wasn’t only Caleb’s. It also belonged to Seth, who was the star vet. He was the one who would use this building to operate and save furry—and feathery— little lives. He would be the one who dished out meds. Caleb would be the one to consult, organize, and tame the wild beasts. Okay, so he doubted that there would be wild beasts, but if there were, Caleb knew that he could tame them. Animals just loved him. And he loved them right back.

  Caleb looked over at Seth, smiling at the appreciation in his best friend’s eyes as he looked at the business. They had done it! They had created their dream. This had been what kept them sane through their shitty teenage years in foster care. Whispering about their perfect animal hospital late at night when their foster mother was sleeping. This was a result of sixteen long, hard years of camaraderie and brotherly love. This was why they worked so hard at school. Shit, Seth had always gotten straight A’s, but Caleb had to push himself just to graduate. But all the work, his whole 26 years of life led him here. Fucking Paradise.

  “We did it. Fuck, this is great. Want to get a drink and celebrate? Maybe pick up some tourist girls from The Shop” Caleb asked, turning to slap his partner on the back. It was 7pm, still early in the evening but there was tons of time to get pissed-drunk.

  He expected to see joy, relief, excitement. However Seth’s eyes just held determination. “Cay, there is actual work to do now. We need more business. We need to take care of the animals. We should hire more staff. There isn’t time for drinking, or women,” Seth answered, moving towards the building. His long legs carried him a few steps before he turned back to Caleb. “Besides, there is nothing but trouble in that dive bar. Come on. We have some phone calls to make and checks to run. Then we have to go to sleep and do it all over again tomorrow.”

  Hell, Caleb should have known that his best friend wouldn’t take a break, even after all the work they put in during the last few months. He should have known that Seth wouldn’t stop now, but continue to push himself until he passed out, exhausted. Knowing did not make him any less disappointed. Fuck, he’ll never relax.

  Caleb sighed, taking in his friend’s appearance. Seth looked tired. His hair, longer and darker than Caleb’s, was slightly messy. He knew that his friend probably hadn’t even bothered to brush it this morning. The length just brushing his jaw gave him a pirate-ish look, especially with its mahogany colour and the tangled waves it fell into. Though he was sure it was less of a style choice and more likely due to the fact that Seth didn’t have time for haircuts. Shit, if he didn’t care that he looked like the cover of a romance book, who am I to judge.

  His skin was also darker than Caleb’s, an olive colour that hinted at Latin roots, though it was slightly ashy at the moment. His eyes were dark, weary and assessing—always assessing. Right now he looked older than his 29 years, much much older. Seth was always the ambitious one, holding himself—and everything—together with determination and details. He needed to cut loose a little more. He needed to get laid.

  Then again, so did Caleb. With a sigh, Caleb shook his head. “Alright. For now. I’ll be in soon. I just want to look at the rest of the grounds. I need more time to absorb the dream, man. While I still have the time to appreciate it.”

  Caleb ignored Seth’s grumbling as he turned to view the rest of the set-up. The small lot was close to town, but not right in it. There were no other veterinary clinics. Actually, there wasn’t a human hospital either. The town, Cold Wood, had only a thousand people. And that wasn’t even accurate! Tiny-ass town. Most of those were outside the town proper but needed to be counted on some town’s census. There was a small grocery store, a drug store and a few clothing stores that sold shit to tourists. People here had pets, and until now they had been taking them on an hour and a half drive to a larger town. Caleb knew this would be the perfect place to live their dream—hell, maybe settle down with a nice girl.

  Here they were just Caleb and Seth, the animal people. Not two poor unwanted foster children from the wrong side of the tracks. And shit, wasn’t that just a cliché. He wasn’t that scared broken child that clung to every scrap of love after his middle-income—but loving—parents died. Caleb wasn’t that sad 10 year old that was taken in by a lovely old woman.. He wasn’t the boy who followed 13 year old Seth around, needing to be built up into an actual person again. No. He was Cay, the guy every girl in town wanted to fuck. Not the worthless little shit he used to be.

  Caleb shook his head as he walked around the building, into the back area. There was a kennel for boarding animals. There was a storage shed next to it. And the whole yard was fenced in so that the animals couldn’t get out. The forest would be a bad place for someone, even an animal, who didn’t know its way around nature. There were coyotes, wolves and bears, among other predators. One could easily get lost and fucked up in the woods, unable to see through the thick trees to find any landmarks. There were no visible trails in this area, and one could easily twist or break an ankle on the rough, uneven stones. Especially at this time of twilight. It was difficult to see small shifts in rocks at the best of times. Hell, he fell more than once and he was super careful.

  No, it was better to keep the animals, and their owners, out of the forest. At least until they were off his damn property. People could do whatever they wanted as long as their business wasn’t liable.

  Caleb snorted to himself, as his eyes moved to the gate at the other side of the property. There was a small flat path that led to a lovely house that matched the clinic. A house that was also complete. This was their home, and Cay couldn’t suppress a sigh of satisfaction. Everything was damn perfect.

  At that moment a horrible, blood curdling scream ripped through the setting darkness. It was a sound of terror and agony. It was a sound that pushed adrenaline through his veins, causing him to react quickly and immediately. Caleb grabbed a two-by-four that was leaning against the back of the hospital and took off running. He had to be prepared to kick ass if need be.

  He barely stopped long enough to open the gate, pushing on it with impatient hands as he dashed into the awaiting woods.

  He thanked his demanding workout schedule as he dashed from rock to rock, as quickly as possible, towards the location the sound had come from. As he raced into the damn darkness, branches smacked his face, arms, and body as he made a path for himself through the foliage. He didn’t care that sharp vines tugged and ripped at his black tee. Or that he was ruining his new shoes by scrapping them against the rocks with each step. He didn’t notice that his short cropped, whiskey coloured hair clung to his forehead, and sweat dripped between his shoulder blades. No, he followed the sound of ear-splitting screams until gratefully, tragically they stopped.

  The silence was even
worse than the screams. While the screams meant pain, the silence taunted. It spoke of horrible possibilities, all bad for the tortured lady.

  Breath sawed in and out of Cay’s body as he stopped to listen, if only for a moment. He knew the direction, but did not know where exactly the person was. He did not know the circumstances or the cause of the pain, and silence. Hell, it would be silly and impulsive to bound in there with no idea what to do—at least that would be what Seth would say. He was always the voice of reason. However, Caleb knew he had to act fast. Silly or not, he would do what he could.

  Caleb jerked back into motion, pushing himself towards the unknown. He only knew that he needed to help, no matter what. He would deal with the damn consequences later. Right now, he just needed to be there.

  He ran for a long time until he tripped and caught himself. Looking around, he noticed that he was in a small clearing. Shit, clearing wasn’t the right word. There were trees still, and other flowers. But the ground was all dirt, without any large rocks. Flat. That was why he fell, the change in evenness.

  Not that it matters, fuckwad. Get to the girl!

  There still wasn’t any noise as Caleb moved into the area. The birds were silent, the animals soundless. There was nothing but the uneasy stillness of nature, and the sound of Caleb’s breathing.

  He looked around again, trying to determine if the mystery lady was nearby. She had to be. She couldn’t be too much farther away! Could she? Fuck, sure she could. Sound echoes.

  He raised the two-by-four, ready to scare off an attacking beast or an evil person. Hell, he should have brought something better. But what the fuck, a club could work as well as anything. But he didn’t see anything dangerous. He only saw a small bundle behind a tree trunk in the middle of the area. A white bundle that didn’t belong. Looked too foreign in the forest.

  Caleb dropped the piece of wood, because, hell, he didn’t need it anymore, and quickly raced towards the figure, dropping to the ground beside it. What he saw took his breath away. A slim body was hunched over, curled in on itself as if to hide its vulnerable parts. The body was so still, Caleb was positive that the person was already dead. Which made him swear all over again.