“This had better fucking work…”
Ella didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was Marcus who shouted, but she didn’t care. The twisting spasms and bursts of stabbing agony overtook the conversation. Sweat bathed her skin. Her veins were on fire, burning her alive from the inside out. She jerked, pushing at her clothes, needing them off to cool herself down as she writhed in agony.
“She’s burning up.”
“We need to undress her, and it would be better if we laid her down in her bedroom. We can take turns to watch over her, while the others rest. This is going to be a long night.”
Faces and memories flashed inside her mind, as she was lifted and carried away. Time held no meaning as her body convulsed and she longed for death.
“Aaaahhh…”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A cold hand wiped her forehead as she moaned, rolling back and forth. Snapping her eyes wide open, she stared into a pair of dark, soulful eyes etched with concern. She closed hers once again; the bright light hurt. Curling into a tight ball, she willed the pain and voices to subside.
“Shouldn’t she feel better now that the creature is out?” Marcus said.
“Yes, is the short answer. The poison I used forces the parasitus to exit the host, needing another victim, which, as you saw, did just that. Grabbing the foul thing and killing it doesn’t reverse the effect immediately. That creature had latched on to Ella for some time, and who knows how much damage it has done. The loss of certain memories may be temporary, but others permanent. It’s a case of wait and see. There’s also the possibility of infection and strain on her heart. I’ve applied a tincture to the wound and that draft will help with the painkillers. She’ll sleep like the dead. But I would be happier if someone remained with her through the night.”
There was a scraping from a chair and shift on the mattress. “Of course, I’ll stay… Do you think it’s been easy to leave her with her imaginary husband? For Christ’s sake, Zephra, the idea of those two playing house has given me sleepless nights. And what about Nate? He misses his mother.”
The soft voices whirled around, and Ella tried to latch on to the conversation. She clamped her hand on the warm arm touching her, scared to be alone. She wanted to feel safe. But the dreams stole her away, and images of the slimy worm-like creature as it erupted through her flesh made her scream.
Excruciating pain burned her veins, and she wriggled against strong arms holding her in place. She wanted to move, to get out of the chair, growling in frustration.
“Come on, Ella. Just breathe. I know you can do this. You’re a strong woman.”
Yes, she had battled and fought many times. But she was tired and fed up of fighting. She sank into the dark abyss, drifting away and enjoying the silence, but a hand shook her hard.
“Don’t you give up, damn it…Ella.”
Her chest squeezed so tight, taking air into her lungs stung. Each breath was more painful than the last. Each inhale burned. She screamed out and clenched her hands.
“Stop it…you’re killing me.”
“It’s going to hurt like a bitch. I’m sorry. But it’s right there, Ella. Now, the only way to remove it is to pull it out. You’re going to feel some resistance, but you have to let us do this,” Zephra said.
Shaking her head back and forth, the colorful room around her faded into a white mist. She was going to die. Her heart galloped at such a speed, she knew it wouldn’t be long before it gave up; she knew it would. It was only a matter of time. Flashes of the past swirled around. She remembered another time she lay on a flat, cold surface as her life drained away. Her baby was wrenched from her womb and carried away. Nate. Her son. Her chest inflated and she inhaled; the oxygen filled her lungs. She remembered her son’s smile and laugh. His scent. She smiled, seeing his chubby face and huge blue eyes that spoke to her.
Mama…love you…come home.
I will, baby. I will.
In another piece of the past, she strolled around an art gallery, staring at a row of paintings along the white walls as Marcus pointed to one in particular.
“The Salem Witch trial. When I think of the past, I feel a physical pain right here.” He pointed below his left shoulder. “I remember being shot. I remember dying in that courtyard long ago.”
He closed his eyes and Ella moved in, hugging him as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and ran his hand up through her hair. “Don’t feel sorry for me, sweetheart. My pain is nothing compared to what you’ve suffered. I would do anything to take it all away.”
When his hand cupped her cheek and his thumb brushed over her lips, she kissed it. The love for him filled and warmed her heart to the bursting point. She jerked as her heart sped up, pounding in her ears.
“Look who’s here, Nate. Come on, sweetheart… join the circle.” Marcus spread his arms wide, inviting her in as he held Nate in his arms.
Staring at her husband and son no more than a foot away from her, standing on the soft sand of the beach, she knew everything she ever wanted was there. She ran, not wanting to waste another minute, right into his chest and pressed between him and Nate, savoring the scent of them both. This moment—this right here was
