Esther Mitchell Homepage

Darkness surrounds us. We see it in the crimes
that are committed, the terrors that stalk not
just our nightmares, but our waking lives as
well.

But from the darkness comes the purest light:
that of hope, love, and the desire for peace and
freedom. From our most terrifying nightmares
are born the most fervent desire and enduring
love.

So take a walk in the dark side of passion, fear,
and the supernatural. Find your deepest
desires, and release the magic within....

Nobody ever had to tell Tamia Kuan
that the past came with a price tag.
She's always known that she'd pay
for her mistakes someday. What she
never expected was that she'd have
to pay for them with another's life.
But when a reconnaissance mission
leaves her reeling, she'll discover that
she's broken a Code that could mean
her death, if her secret is ever leaked.
Now, to keep her secret safe, she'll
have to conceal the truth from
everyone; especially the man she
loves.

From MIND KILLER:

      Tamia awoke with a start, bolting upright in bed. Her heart hammered
in her chest as adrenaline pumped through her.
    Goddamn it! She closed her eyes and bent her forehead against upraised
knees as she fought nausea. It was that damned dream again. In it, she
knelt on the edge of a cliff, Rick’s hands clasped in hers as he dangled over
the edge. Their hands slid. As she struggled to regain her grip, he slipped
loose and tumbled away into the darkness below.
    A shudder wracked her. She drew a deep breath, and opened her eyes
into the dim light of the bedroom. Her gaze tracked the sound of Rick’s
breathing, and she watched him sleep for long moments, studying his face as
her heart spasmed and her throat tightened in dread. Why was she dreaming
of dropping him? Was it psychological, or one of those damned
premonitions she never talked about? Only Kuron knew about her visions,
and with good reason. No one else would believe her if she told them. Hell,
some days, she didn’t even believe in them. Right now, she desperately
wanted to believe this wasn’t one of them. She needed a second opinion –
an objective one.
    Rising carefully from the bed, in order to avoid waking Rick, she dressed
quietly and slipped out of her quarters. Matt was on the streets tonight,
which meant Jen would be in the infirmary, keeping busy and trying too hard
to make it look like Matt wasn’t the reason she spent another night
sleepless. Tamia rubbed her face wearily. She knew only too well what it
felt like. She wondered if it even occurred to guys to lose sleep over the
women in their lives, and a small, self-mocking laugh slipped from her lips.
Probably not.
    As the infirmary door slid open, Tamia found Jen immediately, seated at
a lab table with her palm-sized computer in her hand and her intense
expression not hiding the tear tracks on her face.
    “Doc?” Tamia rapped her knuckles lightly against the doorframe, not
wanting to startle Jen. “You got a moment?”
    The Creole woman’s gaze shot up, and she swiped at her face before she
turned toward the door. “Sure. What’s up?”
    “I need a psychological opinion.”
    Jen blinked. “In the middle of the night? Must be pretty important.”
    Tamia sighed. “Yeah. It’s personal.”
    “I see.” Jen spun her chair around, and her green eyes narrowed as she
studied Tamia. “Personal, how?”
    Hell, there was no easy way to do this. Tamia winced, but forced herself
to relay the dream that bothered her so much, lately. As she did, she
watched the worry rise in Jen’s eyes. Her stomach clenched in dread. What
was the profiler thinking?
    Finally, she finished, and held her breath as she watched Jen’s intense
expression. Silence stretched for long moments, until Tamia could stand it
no longer. “Well?”
    Jen shrugged. “Psychology isn’t an exact science, Tamia. Especially not
where it relates to dreams. Dropping someone in a dream usually means
you have a pretty deep-seated fear of disappointing that person, or of failing
them in some way.”
    Tamia’s throat closed as she recalled the discussion she and Rick had in
bed. The conflict of wanting kids and living under that damned Code was a
daunting prospect. She was always afraid that she and Rick were moving in
two different directions because of it.