“Call to me. I will hear you, Elizabeth. I will be fine.”
The doctor held her clothes, unflinching, and placed them on the table a short distance away. She brought the resuscitation cart closer, checking the drawers before turning around to face her. “I want to place a cannula in your arm just as a precaution.”
“Okay. If I’m gone more than an hour, do what you can to wake me up.”
She lay back down, naked, and her body shivered with the cold.
“I will give you some time, but if there is any sign of distress, I’m putting an end to this. Now, I’m going to attach you to a heart monitor, so I can establish what’s happening.”
The doctor disappeared only to return moments later, wheeling a machine. Ella lay still as the doctor placed sticky pads over her breasts and attached the wires to them to record her heart rate. The machine beeped a steady rhythm, and she stared at the screen as her heart flashed sixty-five. Lying back and staring up at the ceiling, she tuned into the sound of her heart as it beat in a regular rhythm. Ella let the sound fill her mind—beep, beep, beep—and she closed her eyes, slowing her heart rate down. The monitor reacted: beep—beep—beep—
Her thumb rubbed over the center stone in her bracelet. The sensation added to the absolute sense of peace and relaxation. The heart rate on the monitor slowed again and she focused on its steady, slow beat until she slipped into unconsciousness and drifted far away. Recalling Steel’s dream, she pictured the garden, the bushes, and called out to him as she stepped over the grass barefoot. She imagined herself dressed and her clothes surrounded her. The sun shone high in the sky and she shielded her eyes from the brightness.
Steel. She called out and studied the empty gray patio and the open doors that led into the sprawling mansion. A wave of unease rippled through her. Birds chirped and a light wind brushed the ends of her hair.
Steel.
She stepped onto the patio, taking small, tentative footsteps. The hair along her neck stood up and she shivered. The light faded and a darkness descended. With the warmth of the sun gone, Ella clasped her hands over her arms as the coldness reached right through to her bones. The exterior of the mansion vanished, and Ella stood on snow-covered uneven ground. On the horizon, a purple mountain range loomed. Trees flanked her and sitting on the branches were dozens of black silent crows. Her breathing increased, no longer in control of the scene. Someone had intercepted her.
Ella, daughter of the Moon Goddess Ariana, welcome.
She spun around and faced an amazon of a woman with long raven hair and black stained lips, dressed in her burgundy leather outfit with a thick silver sword strapped to her hip. The Morrigan.
“It’s time we met, don’t you think? I’m the Morrigan, goddess of war, and the reason you’re here. You cannot defeat me, child. Don’t you realize that? I am the beginning of the end for all, and only those who join me will survive the war that is inevitable. As we speak, your beloved is fighting shadows. His allies will lose more of their people for taking his side, and those you believe are your friends will betray you. You would be best served to surrender now, if you wish to save those, you love. You’ve witnessed my power and reach. Humans are easily swayed and manipulated like puppets. I took your baby once, and I can do it again. Do you really want to go up against the likes of me?”
The goddess stood several feet away one second and the next, right in her space, wielding a magnificent iron sword. A dark fury rose inside at the Morrigan’s words. She brazenly admitted, she was behind, her abduction and Nate’s terrifying delivery. She screamed unable to contain her fury.
I will kill you.
I’d like to see you try! The Morrigan kept her eyes trained on her as she crept around sizing her up and down. Ella’s heartbeat pounded. The Morrigan was taller and stronger than she was, but she didn’t care. The painful memories of the past flashed before her. Nate’s delivery. The anguish of the funeral. The argument’s with Marcus. Isabella’s transformation. Was the Morrigan responsible for all the pain she had suffered in her previous lives? Staring at her opponent, the woman smiled.
Use that anger to channel your energy, Ella.
Ariana’s voice filled her mind and as she relaxed her posture into a crouching mode, a heavy sword appeared in her right hand. She clutched it tight, absorbing the strength that radiated through her arm.
Use the power that runs through your veins.
I am not as strong as she is.
Maybe not but you are of pure heart.
Without any fear or thought of the repercussions as the lithe woman arched her sword and aimed, ready to strike at her, Ella moved. Her body twisted and circled like a dancer. She lifted the sword high to block her and down low to clash with her steel. She shielded herself, striking out as the woman’s sword leapt dangerously close. The clang of metal echoed and the force of the blows sent her reeling back as chills trickled down her spine.
The Morrigan wanted her dead.
Ariana, I’m not strong enough. She’s going to kill me.
My dear child, she cannot do that in this form, and besides, my blood runs inside your veins. Now, lift your sword and strike her. Move forward and never back down. Fight back, and strike hard.
A resilience and a surge of adrenaline alongside incredible power sped through her. She could do this. She was immortal. Ella moved deftly and charged at the woman, pushing her way forward. She sliced her blade down, cutting the
