SECRETS Vol. 4 by H. M. Ward, Ella Steele

dangle my arms over the edge of the tub and listen . I sit so still that the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat. Maybe it’s not an animal.
    “ Em , is that you?” I call out, but there’s no answer. The feeling that I’m not alone doesn’t fade. I try to ignore it, write it off as strung out nerves from the past few weeks, but when I lay back in the bubbles, I can’t relax. The bathroom door is shut, but not locked. I feel a crazy urge to lock it and hide. I glance around and curse silently. I usually leave my phone on the counter, but it’s in the other room. My pepper spray is in my purse, next to my bed on the floor. I don’t have anything in here to protect myself with, except a curling iron and some hairspray.
    Stop it, Anna! I scold myself. There’ s no one here.
    On principle, I lean back and force myself to sit in the tub for another five minutes. I’m not some scared little kid who can’t stay home alone. I try to close my eyes, b ut it creeps the hell out of me. M y entire body is covered in goose bumps and I shiver like someone stepped on my grave . My throat tightens and I want to scream.
    I sit up slowly, trying not to make a noise. I feel stu pid for reacting this way. I locked the front door after Cole left. The windows are all locked. There’s no way someone got inside. I would have heard the door split open. The sound should have been loud, but it wasn’t. It was soft, like a paw striking the carpet.
    Just as I decide to get up, the floorboard outside the bathroom door creaks. Instinctively, I tense. My eyes widen as my pulse jumps up into heart attack territory. I stare at the space between the bottom of the door and the floor—there’s a shadow. Someone is standing there.
    I don’t move. I don’t breathe. I sit there in the soapy water waiting for Em to knock. It has to be her. It has to be. But in my gut, I know it’s not. The hairs on the back of my neck are all standing on end. Every inch of my forearms is prickled with bumps . My throat goes dry. It feels like I should scream, but I can’t. I can’t blink, I can’t swallow. I just stare at the shadow and shiver. The sound of a hand resting on the doorknob echoes through my ears.
    I’m waiting for something to make s ense, waiting for Emma’s voice, b ut it never comes.
     

 
     
    SECRETS SERIES
     
    This story is a series that unfolds over the course of five short novels. Each one follows the continuing story of Anna Lamore and Cole Stevens.
     
    SECRETS Vol. 5 will be released Winter 2012. To be noti fied via email, please text AWESOMEBOOKS to 22828.
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
    MORE SERIES BY
    H.M. WARD
     
     
    SCANDALOUS
    romance
     
     
    DEMON KISSED
    new adult paranormal romance
     
     
    THE SECRET LIFE
    OF TRYSTAN SCOTT
    mature young adult romance
     
     
    VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE
    young adult paranormal romance
     
     
     

 
     
    CAN’T WAIT FOR H.M. WARD’S NEXT STEAMY BOOK?
     
    Let her know by leaving stars and telling her wha t you liked about SECRETS in a review!