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Chapter 436
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2024-10-29 19:42:56That night, a terrifying dream visited Leesa’s sleep. It started out perfectly pleasant, before turning dark.
She walked hand in hand with Rave through a dense copse of trees. Specks of sunlight filtered through the foliage and danced like tiny motes of magic on the forest floor. The air was almost perfectly still, but the shade kept the temperature from feeling too oppressive. Overhead, birds whistled melodious tunes as they flitted among the leafy branches. Closer to the ground, bees buzzed from brightly colored flower to brightly colored flower, collecting sweet nectar to bring back to their hives.
Leesa sighed contentedly. It was such a perfect day. She turned her head and smiled at Rave. He returned her smile, then brought her hand up to his lips and kissed each finger tenderly, one at a time. She sighed again.
They resumed their hike, and soon reached the bottom of a steep ridge.
“How about yo
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 437
Leesa hurried down the sidewalk of Middletown's main street. She was meeting Cali at Giovanni's Restaurant, a favorite place since their college days, and she was already running late. The late afternoon summer sun shone down on her from a cloudless sky, and the heat was beginning to make her pale blue shirt stick to her back. She resisted the urge to slow her pace, because she did not want to keep Cali waiting any longer than necessary.Even though a few days had passed, her dream about the world’s destruction and Rave fading away into nothingness still weighed heavily on her mind. Practicing magic with Dominic had not helped distract her much at all. Unable to focus completely, she was no closer to decorating her ivory box—let alone attempting to fashion an avatar—than when she first attempted the new spell. She needed to talk to Cali, to tell her about the dream and her fears. It was one thing to talk to Rave and Dominic, but they were too close to the si
Leesa's Advent Chapter 438
She described the details of the dream, how it had started out as a perfect summer day and how Rave carried her up the path to the ledge the way she loved. She told Cali about the Noises rumbling and how the apple decayed in the palm of her hand and how things got progressively worse from there. “Then, everywhere I looked, things were dying or dead and rotten. And I can’t get the sound of the wind out of my mind—it seemed almost like a freight train rushing by it was so loud. I turned to Rave and…” Leesa stopped. How could she explain the next part of the dream to make Cali understand how terrifying it was? He vanished? He faded from view? Even in her own mind, those words did not nearly do justice to the way it made her feel. “So, what happened then?” Cali prompted. “Rave disappeared. I know it doesn’t sound like much saying it like that, but it was like he was fading away right in front of me. I tried to grab him and hold on to him, but I couldn’t. I could
Leesa's Advent Chapter 439
The rising sun was still hidden by the trees lining the east side of the backyard, but Leesa was already wide awake and eager to get to work. For each of the past five days she had tried and failed to merge her magic with her avatar box. It irked her that she was only allowed one attempt per day, but Dominic had remained steadfast in holding her to that limitation. He must have his reasons, she knew. He always did, even if he did not always express them clearly—or at all, for that matter.Last night, he had suggested she try first thing in the morning today, before any of the day’s events distracted her mind from the task. Willing to try anything that might help her succeed, she had readily agreed.So here she was, standing on grass still wet with dew, while Dominic and Rave sat comfortably in the wooden chairs, watching her. Ralin perched on a thick branch in the nearest tree, looking down at her from above. None of them appeared at all tired, but of cours
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“I think it might be time to go up and check the ledge again,” Leesa said to Rave a few days later as she ran her fingers through her damp, freshly showered hair. “It’s been almost a week since you and Dominic were up there.”Rave and Dominic had learned nothing new on their visit to the ledge the day after Leesa and Rave had discovered the dead weeds, but because of her nightmare, she thought about the place every day.Rave knew it still bothered her. He moved behind Leesa and put his arms around her waist.“Sure, if you want. But I could go check on it myself and let you know if anything’s changed.”Leesa thought about Rave’s offer for a moment. “No, I want to go. I feel like I need to see it for myself.” She turned in his arms and wrapped her forearms behind his neck. She had woken up happy and refreshed this morning. After last week’s dream, she had spent a few nights tossing and
Leesa's Advent Chapter 441
Mother and son regarded each other wordlessly, then turned back to the rock and sent their magic flashing toward it once more. A curved line began to form from opposite points, finally meeting in the middle under the circles. They had created a smiley face rock.“How do you two do that?” Rave asked. “You often seem to know just what to do without talking to each other.”Leesa shrugged. Her expression displayed her uncertainty. “I’m not sure…I can’t really explain it. I don’t hear Ralin’s thoughts or see any images in my head. Somehow, I just know what to do.”“It’s the same for me,” Ralin said. “It’s like in that one moment, Mom and I are linked, like we’re the same person almost.”Leesa turned to Dominic. “Is this something that happens among the waziri?”Dominic shook his head. “Not in my experience. But you and Ralin are
Leesa's Advent Chapter 442
“This sucks!” Fred thought, and then the nomadic vampire laughed at his own joke. If he had a tasty human to suck on he would not be complaining, but it was getting late and so far, pickings had been pretty slim—as in none.He had been traveling slowly up the east coast for several months now, starting way down in Georgia. Tonight, his journey had brought him to Middletown. Not that he cared about the name of the place—he doubted he would be here very long anyway. He traveled mostly by night, except on cloudy days. When the sun shone, he took shelter or remained in the shadows. He had crossed the continent four or five times this way in the last twenty years or so, never sticking to one place for very long. He would not mind settling down somewhere for a while, but he could not. Other vampires were always around somewhere, and too many vampires together made him nervous. He had belonged to a clan when he was first transformed, more than thirty years ag
Leesa's Advent Chapter 443
“Dad!!!”Ralin’s scream had barely echoed off the walls of his bedroom before Rave had flashed to his son’s bedside. It took Leesa a few seconds longer to wake up and rush into the room, but when she arrived she was relieved to see Ralin sitting up against the headboard with Rave perched on the edge of the bed beside him. Neither one seemed to be harmed in any way, though Ralin’s face bore a confused and distraught expression.Rave laid his hand reassuringly on Ralin’s knee. “It’s okay, son. I’m here, and I’m fine.”“What is it?” Leesa asked, her eyes shifting worriedly back and forth between her husband and her son. “What happened?”Before Ralin could reply, Dominic stepped into the room, looking wide awake. His eyes swept over Leesa and Rave and then fastened on Ralin.“What’s all the commotion?” he asked.“I had a nightmare,&r
Leesa's Advent Chapter 444
Balin stood in the doorway of his cabin watching his visitors approach. Leesa and Rave walked side by side in front, with Ralin and Dominic close behind.“Young Rave, what’s wrong?” Balin asked while they were still a few steps away. The worry in his voice was obvious.“How did you know something was wrong?” Leesa asked.Balin smiled. “Even if I could not detect the agitation in young Rave’s vibrations, a surprise visit by all four of you so early in the morning would be a pretty good clue that something is amiss. Come in, and we can talk about it.” He stepped back to allow his guests to enter.Once inside, Leesa felt as she always did when entering Balin’s rustic old cabin—as if she had stepped back in time. The big room, illuminated by a couple of candles and a small fire in a stone fireplace, held simple, handmade chairs and a sturdy oak table flanked by split-log benches. A buckskin sleeping
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Serena awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. She rolled over lazily, reaching out for Raphael, but the space was empty. With eyes still closed, she frowned. Where is that man? That man had probably been out of bed since the crack of dawn, beside himself with nerves for today’s big event, she thought regretfully. They were to be married today. Their lives intertwined for all of eternity. What man wouldn’t have cold feet at the prospect? And they’d known each other such a short time, too. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, and frowned again. She had awakened in the safe house. Last night, she’d killed a man in her own home, and knew she could never go back there ever again. She didn’t care how good the Brethren’s cleanup crew could restore her home. It would never erase the vivid memories and horrors of what had happened there. She and Raphael would have to find themselves a new home, together. Until such time, this place would be it, th
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It’s going to be a long day without Raphael, Serena thought, as she washed and dressed. But she carried on. With so many loose ends to tie up, final checks to be made, people and places to coordinate, she scarcely had time to think about anything else. Except for her father. In the quiet moments between the bedlam of planning a wedding, she reflected upon him and her heart ached. She had arranged for a nursing home staffer to drive him and his wheelchair to the Chapel of the Holy Cross for the wedding. They didn’t usually allow weddings there, but somehow, Raphael swayed their decision. Kemuel promised to wheel her father down the aisle beside her, and she loved him instantly for that. But her dream was to have him walk her down that aisle. A sob caught in her throat, and she quickly shook her head to whisk it away. None of that nonsense, Serena. Don’t be greedy. At least he is alive and here to be a part of it all. As the day waxed on to evening, Serena felt unsettled. She hadn’t s
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Raphael spent the next few days cloistered with Serena, away from everyone and everything, like a honeymoon before the wedding. But every morning he made creative excuses to tear himself away from her for a little while and work with Fred. To make sure she didn’t visit her father, he dropped her off at her shop first so she could plan a small wedding with Callie and catch up on the mountains of paperwork.The healing sessions with Serena’s father went spectacularly, and with Raphael’s charisma, he convinced the nursing home staff to keep any improvements secret from her. They thought it romantic that he came to help with his fiancée’s father’s rehabilitation. Everyone there rooted for him, amazed at his miraculous awakening. All of the therapists worked their tails off during his therapy sessions, wanting to see their severely stroke-damaged patient beat the odds and walk his daughter down the aisle.On the morning of the fifth day, Raphael got Fred walking without any assistance.“Co
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Raphael grabbed her hands. “Do it!” he demanded. He placed them on his temples and spoke to her through their bonded connection. She felt every thought he had had of Sirona over the years straight to the present down their threaded connection. She heard every thought he’d had of her, including every word he had spoken while holding her in his arms at Dr. Chappo’s estate. He sent her everything that filled his heart and soul about her, and finally, at last, she knew.She knew. And knowing was everything to her. He gently brought her hands away from his face, kissing her fingertips as he eased them down, and she took a few steps backward, looking at him as if for the first time. No one before had ever felt about her the way he felt about her, let alone express so strongly all he’d expressed when she’d lain dying in his arms.“You’re in love with me.” She gasped, astonished. Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time, for a very different reason.“Yes.” He took a bold step toward her.
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A bundle of nerves, that’s what she’d turned into. Since leaving her father’s, Serena had been nothing but a bundle of nerves, rehearsing over and over again what she would say to Raphael up on the Rock. Looking all around her now, frightening memories kept popping into her mind, making her think that at any moment, Steve or Wheezer were going to jump out and nab her. Unfortunately, she had gotten to the summit way too early, and now paced like a caged bobcat. It had to stop. The bad guys are dead, Serena. Think positive, and let go the past. So, finding a suitable rock to sit on, Serena decided to do a little meditation to soothe her worried heart. “When I see him, I’ll know the right words to say,” she notified the birds. It may sting for a bit, but it’s for the best.****Raphael showed up at the base of the mountain with time to spare, and noticed Serena’s Jeep already parked. Perfect, he thought. He checked his pocket for the millionth time, making sure the ring box hadn’t fallen
Leesa's Advent Chapter 722
Raphael watched Serena leave the nursing home from behind one of the bushes in the front. She seems in good spirits, he thought. Only when he saw her disappear down the street did he dare to venture out of his hiding place. He walked into the nursing home and headed straight to the reception desk.“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Sikes.” He smiled amiably at the receptionist.“Wow, two visitors in one day. Fred’s a lucky guy. Sign in right here, please. You’ll sign out before you leave. Take this badge so we know you belong here. Room 103 is down the hall, make a left, and he’s at the end on the left.”He looked at her name tag, and winked. “Thanks so much, Judy.”Walking down the hall, he found himself fidgeting with the badge in his hand. Am I actually nervous? Hell yeah! Raphael, the man, is about to meet the father of the woman he loves. Raphael, the man, is about to ask for this guy’s daugh
Leesa's Advent Chapter 721
Great! Just great! There’s a leak in my bedroom ceiling. Wait a minute, that’s not right. I’m not in my bedroom. I’m locked away in Dr. Chappo’s house. She remembered more. Being bound to a gurney, her body broken and dying. But I’m not lying on a gurney now, and I actually feel great. How could she be dying and still feel great? And what’s with the rain shower on my face? Slowly her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped.It was raining. Angel’s tears. Raphael’s tears, to be exact.She lay in his arms, and from the way he shuddered and sobbed, she thought maybe he didn’t know she lived. To be honest with herself, she’d only realized this fact just a few moments before. Iridescent wings were outstretched and trembling though no breeze made them flutter so.She gently raised her hand to caress his cheek and whispered softly. “Shh…there now, Raphael, shh. It’s all right. I’m ok
Leesa's Advent Chapter 720
Raphael noticed a knob on the box. It made sense to dial it to its lowest setting. He followed the tubing to its clamp on Serena’s side and decided to completely clamp it off. Now, no more blood could flow. But he still needed to get the needle out of her arm. He found gauze and tape on the tray stand and proceeded to extrude the catheter from her arm carefully so as not to injure her. He replaced it securely with the gauze and tape. His hands shook. I can’t fall apart like this right now! He quickly shrugged off the threat of paralyzing fear.“Hey, Raphael, this guy says his name is Steve. Isn’t that the name of one of guys who assaulted Serena?” Gabriel asked.“Yes, yes it is,” he said through gnashed teeth. Rage filled him and he clenched his fists, trying to gain some semblance of control. “Bind him, tightly. Make sure he can see Dr. Chappo. I’d like him to see what happens to assholes like him when they choose
Leesa's Advent Chapter 719
Searing hot pain shot like lightning throughout every inch of Serena’s body. Well, every inch she could feel, which left her very disturbed indeed, because she couldn’t feel anything past her waist. She could barely breathe without severe pain ripping through her chest and back. She knew what that meant—broken ribs. But what about her legs? Where were they? And why did her wrists feel shackled? Oh, dear God! What’s become of me? Her shallow breaths quickened. Her heart raced and fought for freedom behind her aching chest. Tears burst through her closed eyes and flowed untapped down the sides of her face.A voice sliced through the whooshing sound in her ears. A voice she knew all too well, and had come to despise with every molecule in her being.“Uh, Doc, I think she’s coming ’round. What do you want me to do?” Steve asked.“Hmm? Oh, nuffin. Nuffin, Seeve. Jus’ keep watchin’,” Dr. Chappo sl
