by J. J. Neeson
“I am no ghost,” she revealed. “I have returned.”
He was confused, unwilling to believe what she knew his heart wanted. “You’re real?”
“Touch me and find out,” she encouraged, moving in front of him.
Immediately, he stepped off the porch and picked her up into his arms, all wonder and disbelief disappearing, leaving only his happiness to reign in the twilight. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed into her neck, his hands wrapped tightly around her, holding her close. “I’m so sorry.”
Surrounded by the embers of light, she kissed him, proving to him indefinitely that she was as real as he was, and that she had forgiven him for leaving. That she loved him. The kiss bonded them together, causing their souls to collide.
“You’re wearing a crown of flowers,” he noted, pressing his head against hers, refusing to let her go.
“Don’t remind me,” she moaned. Falling back down to her feet, she threw the crown to the ground.
“How?” he asked, full of emotion. “How did you come back to me?”
Wanting to forget she was anything but human, she replied, “It’s a long story. Later.” She didn’t want to tell him she was immortal, not yet. But she would, soon.
“I have later,” he promised.
She sighed, full of a bliss that had nothing to do with harmonious vibrations or other worlds. It originated from within her. It was her bliss. And within it, she found the purpose that had eluded her in Vegas. She knew what she wanted to do.
“Let’s chase the sun,” she said. “I have abilities now. Abilities I want to put to good use. There are women out there who I can help, who need my protection. Broken Ridge will always be our home, but I want to breathe fire.”
“Anything you want,” he said without hesitation. “This world means nothing to me if you’re not in it. My feet itch to move, but traveling alone is no longer enough. That’s what I realized when I left town without you. Anything without you isn’t enough. If you want a home here, I’ll stay. But if you want to chase the sun, I’ll be your protection.”
“Good,” she murmured, looking out onto the embers that covered the bayou. “This is good.”
“It’s going to be one hell of a ride,” he foretold, following her gaze.
Yes, it will be, she thought, thankful that he was being so supportive. One hell of a ride. One hell of a life. An eternal life.
“I need a beer,” she said, pulling her gown over her head, eager to get into her cut-offs. The gown was beautiful, but in the heat of the approaching Louisiana summer, her lover by her side, cut-offs were all she needed.
Chapter Fifteen
Emerging from the turbulent waters of the Gulf, covered only in seaweed and brine, Odeyssa was scared. A storm filled the sky above her, fading with the day. She could not remember the last time she had seen a storm. She could not remember anything. She had been asleep, resting until the power of the storm woke her.
But she was awake now. Awake and frightened.
Stumbling onto the shore, her feet sinking into the sand, she choked on the sea air. It felt artificial in her lungs, like a plague. She did not like the sea, but she did not know why. Her mind was hollow, able to recall only small, insignificant details of her life. Like her name.
Odeyssa.
Exhausted, she fell onto the beach, her legs frail. Had she always been this weak? She hoped not. She hoped there was much more strength inside of her.
Above, an owl circled beneath the storm, screeching.
She understood. It wanted her to follow it. She closed her eyes, able to see what the owl saw. There was a town, a place where people were in tune to their natural abilities, where immortal women walked beside mortal men, where jaguars threatened to break free from murals, and where wolves disappeared into the night.
But it was all tame compared to the man who lingered in the woods surrounding the town, a man seeking vengeance, a king of shadows.
Again, the owl screeched.
The Ancestral Magic Series Continues!
Sins of a Witch
Out Now
A Love Unknown
Out Now
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