Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
“No!” I scream, ugly sobs tearing from me.
“Wake up, Alchera.” I hear Raighne’s voice as his warmth battles the darkness in me.
My eyes flit wildly between my father, who’s bleeding out, and Jason as Ares moves in behind him.
“Please!” I beg. “Kill me.”
Ares chuckles again as he slits Jason’s throat, and a wail of grief echoes around the room.
“Alchera!” Raighne’s voice thunders in my mind, but the intense sorrow and guilt I feel drown him out.
Ares moves closer to me, and unfastening the ropes keeping me imprisoned, his touch turns gentle as he brushes his palm over my temple and hair.
“I’ve got you,” he says, his tone sounding loving. “I’ll always have you.”
I try to shake my head as he leans closer to me, and when I feel his breath on my face, agonizing terror grips my soul.
Black smoke creeps past his lips and forces its way into my nose and mouth.
“You’re just like me, Alchera,” Ares whispers. “We’re both doomed.”
Suddenly, a bright light chases the darkness back to the farthest corners of my mind, and Raighne’s warmth is so intense it rips me out of the nightmare.
My eyes snap open and it takes me a second to focus on Raighne’s face that’s tense with worry.
My heart is pounding in my throat, and my breaths come fast and hard.
Ares’s voice is still echoing through my mind as Raighne squashes me to his chest.
My torturer is out there somewhere, and I can feel him coming for me.
“I won’t let him near you,” Raighne’s voice drifts like a cool breeze through my feverish mind. “Just focus on me. You’re safe.”
My mind feels like a piece of chewed gum. The visions and nightmares are starting to take their toll on me.
I let Raighne hold me until my heartbeat and breaths return to normal, then say, “I desperately need to take a shower.”
“Okay.” He helps me off the bed while his eyes search my face for any signs of distress.
I let a smile form on my face and say, “I’m fine.”
“I’ll get you something to eat while you wash up.” He gestures to a dresser. “Sarah left clean clothes for you to wear.”
I nod and watch as he leaves the room before I glance around me.
There’s only a dresser and two single beds in the otherwise empty room. I grab the clothes, which consist of a pair of sweatpants, a sweater, and socks. Walking out of the room, I find a bathroom to my right.
I’m thankful when I see bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and quickly switch on the faucets in the shower.
I better enjoy this shower because God only knows when I’ll get to have one again with the world going to shit around us.
I strip out of my damp clothes, feeling grimy from the day I’ve had.
When I step beneath the warm spray, I let out a moan.
So good.
I take my time washing every part of my body, and when I feel much better, I switch off the faucets and dry myself. Finding body lotion, I rub some into my skin before getting dressed in the clean clothes. The sweatpants are a little long, so I roll the fabric up around my ankles.
I use my finger to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth twice with minty mouthwash. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I tug my fingers through the short strands to tame the wild mess.
Once I’m done, I stare at myself, wondering how I’m going to survive the days to come.
How long will Ireland stay intact? If this country is devastated by a disaster, we might not have the waterfall to shift through anymore.
Will we be able to find a plane again so we can travel to where the remaining chosen ones are? How long will it take to get to them?
“Don’t think about any of that,” Raighne mutters in my mind. “We’ll deal with everything as it happens. Come eat.”
Leaving the bathroom, I walk down a short hallway until I find a kitchen on my left.
Not seeing Raighne, I ask, “Where are you?”
“Living room.”
I walk past the kitchen, finding everyone huddled in a smallish living room.
There’s a round table with four chairs in the corner with sandwiches stacked on a plate.
Raighne comes to me and hands me a ham and cheese sandwich.
“Eat it all.”
I nod as I take it from him, then glance at my chosen ones, who are all staring at me.
“How are you all holding up?” I ask while giving Dylan and Doug cautious looks.
“I’ve decided to just go with the flow because there’s no way I can explain everything I’ve seen today,” Doug mutters.
Dylan is leaning against a wall, his arms crossed over his broad chest. For a moment, he stares at me, then he says, “If everything y’all said is true, then I guess we should count ourselves lucky. It’s just hard to wrap our minds around it.”