Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“No, Goddess—I’m no coward! But the moon will be out. And my Beast—”
“Your Beast knows better than you do that the girl is meant to be your Fated Mate!” the Goddess told him. “Now go and save her at once! She is in an abandoned building that was once a medical facility. You must find her before the one who stalks her does.”
“Slasher69!” R’orn breathed and his heart started pounding even harder than it already was as he remembered the terrible threats Samantha had received. “How will I know where the building is?” he demanded.
“The coordinates are already in the Nav-com of your ship,” the Goddess told him. “Fly to her as fast as you can, Warrior—you must hurry. It is almost too late!”
And then the overwhelming presence was gone, along with the almost unbearable weight.
R’orn didn’t waste any time thinking about how he’d suddenly been turned from an atheist to a true believer. Luckily, he’d fallen asleep with his clothes and boots on. He left his suite at a dead run, rushing down the long silver corridor that led to the Docking Bay where his ship was parked.
He just hoped he could get to Samantha before it was too late!
14
SAM
“What’s your name?” Sam asked the girl, who had finally turned to face her. She had long, straight hair parted in the middle—a very 70s style, Sam thought. Her eyes were big and shadowy and the look on her face was sad.
“I…I think I’m Michelle,” the girl said, speaking at last. Her voice was nothing but the shadow of a whisper but because of her Gift, Sam was able to hear it.
“Michelle, what are you doing here?” she asked gently.
“I…I don’t know.” The girl shook her head.
Sam wasn’t surprised. Sometimes the dead knew exactly what had happened to them and sometimes they were confused about the time and events leading up to their demise. Death, especially a sudden, violent one, could be bewildering for the lost soul it left behind.
Of course, not everyone who died ended up as a ghost. Most of them went on to the afterlife. But some got lost and stuck here on Earth—most often those were the victims of some tragic murder or accident. They just didn’t seem to know how to get free of the mortal realm and move on.
Sometimes, Sam was able to help them. She hoped that this might be one of those times.
“Were you a patient here at the hospital?” she probed gently. “Maybe your parents sent you here?”
“Yes…yes, they did!” The girl’s eyes brightened but then, just as quickly, she was sad again. “Papa said I was crazy. Mama begged him not to send me but he said it was the only way to make me well again.”
Sam felt as though her heart would break. Poor little thing! It reminded her that Hanna had barely escaped a similar fate.
“I’m so sorry,” she said gently. “That must have made you very sad.”
In many ways she was like a therapist to the spirits she communicated with—she tried to name and validate their feelings, which sometimes helped them resolve their issues.
“Yes.” Michelle nodded. “Yes, I was so sad. I missed Mama and Papa so much! At first they came to see me every day. But then Mama got sick and died and then nobody came.”
She began to cry—her ghostly sobs barely as loud as the scurrying of the mice behind the walls.
“I’m so sorry, Michelle!” Sam wished she could give her a hug, but unlike her sister, she couldn’t usually interact physically with the spirits she communicated with. But maybe she could still help. “You say that your Mother went on before you?” she asked gently. “She died before you did?”
“Yes.” The ghost girl nodded and swiped at her eyes. “She went to Heaven and I can’t follow her.”
“Why not?” Sam asked her. “I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
“I don’t know the way!” Michelle nearly wailed. “I’ve searched and searched, but I can’t get out of this room! The room where they k-k-killed me!” And she dissolved into sobs again.
Now Sam saw the problem. This wasn’t unusual at all—tortured spirits who died violent deaths often got trapped in the place where they had been killed.
“What if I helped you find the way out?” she asked. “Would that be all right?”
“C-could you?” Michelle looked up and swiped at her eyes again. “Oh please—if you could show me how to get to Mama, I’d be so happy!”
“I think I can,” Sam told her. “But you have to come with me. I’ll lead you out of this room. Do you want to come?” She held out her hand.
Tentatively, Michelle reached out and put her ghostly hand in Sam’s. Of course, Sam could only feel it as a swirl of chilly air, but she could tell that the ghost girl had placed her trust in her.