by Moni Boyce
Also by Moni Boyce
The Oracle Chronicles
Awakened
Enlightened (Coming Soon)
Empowered (Coming Soon)
Standalone
Redemption of the Heart
Watch for more at Moni Boyce’s site.
Table of Contents
Also By Moni Boyce
Enlightened (The Oracle Chronicles, #2)
CHAPTER 1 | Willow
CHAPTER 2 | Eli
CHAPTER 3 | Willow
CHAPTER 4 | Eli
CHAPTER 5 | Willow
CHAPTER 6 | Eli
CHAPTER 7 | Willow
CHAPTER 8 | Eli
CHAPTER 9 | Willow
CHAPTER 10 | Eli
CHAPTER 11 | Willow
CHAPTER 12 | Eli
CHAPTER 13 | Willow
CHAPTER 14 | Eli
CHAPTER 15 | Willow
CHAPTER 16 | Eli
CHAPTER 17 | Willow
CHAPTER 18 | Eli
CHAPTER 19 | Willow
CHAPTER 20 | Eli
CHAPTER 21 | Willow
CHAPTER 22 | Eli
CHAPTER 23 | Willow
NON-ENGLISH WORDS & PHRASES USED
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
About the Author
Love Snacks Publishing, LLC
Enlightened: The Oracle Chronicles © 2019 Shaquana M. Boyce
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:
[email protected] or to Permissions, Love Snacks Publishing, LLC, 5110 Summer Garden Place, Suffolk, VA 23434
www.lovesnackspublishing.com
First Edition
ISBN: 978-0-9980436-5-4
Book cover design by: Mallory Rock of Rock Solid Book Design
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
CHAPTER 1
Willow
“You’re beautiful.” His voice slithered over her skin like a multitude of snakes. The terror that engulfed her felt like she was caught in a vipers’ nest, waiting for the venomous animals to spring and attack at any moment. She shuddered. Peering at her reflection in the mirror, she took in the red, silk, strapless dress that clung to her curves and brushed the floor. Killian stood behind her. His breath raised the hairs on the back of her neck and her skin became pebbled with gooseflesh.
He was clad in a tuxedo. She wondered about the special occasion that had them dressed in formal wear. Better yet, maybe she didn’t want to know.
She was afraid to speak, to say anything. All she wanted to do was escape, but her feet felt like they were encased in cement. When his hands settled on her hips, her eyes went wide with fear. If only she could bolt for the nearest exit or...
Wake up. Wake up.
It was worth a try. She was sure he could hear her heart hammering inside of her ribcage. The last time he’d touched her in a dream he’d induced excruciating pain. Her nerves were on edge. Did he mean to try and force information from her again? Was this a glimpse into the future hell that awaited her?
He ran his nose up the side of her throat and inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. “I’m hungry.” His tone was a blend of sexual arousal and ravenous hunger.
The minute she looked into his eyes his appearance changed to that of his true face: a demonic, feral looking animal. His hands gripped her and kept her from escape and then he plunged his fangs into her neck. She opened her mouth to scream...
“Willow... Willow. Wake up. You’re dreaming.”
She took a stuttering breath and looked up at Phaedra, who had shaken her awake. Tears glistened in her eyes. Panic still squeezed her like a vise.
“Are you all right?” Phaedra searched her face.
Her hands clutched the armrests in a death grip. It would take a minute before her nerves settled, but she said what came natural. “I’m okay.” A weak smile slid into place and she looked away. Phaedra didn’t linger, she went back to her seat and left her alone. Willow leaned her head against the back of the seat and felt overwhelming gratitude towards her for not hovering and being over protective.
Once her breathing calmed and her heart returned to a regular rhythm she allowed herself to think about the nightmare. Every time she was in his presence she felt paralyzed. It worried her that when she eventually met the flesh and blood man that the same thing would happen. All of her training would go out the window. She had to learn how to overcome this crippling fright that overtook her when she encountered him in her dreams. If she couldn’t do it there, she wouldn’t be able to do it for real.
The intermittent clickety clack of the train soothed her after the disturbing dream.
Forty-eight hours ago, they were in Massachusetts and now they were riding Greek Railways from Athens to Delphi. From the moment she told everyone about her mother’s letters, they hadn’t stopped moving. Planning and preparations were swift. They found a place to leave the Protectors 2.0 RV. Morgana used magic to create passports with fake identities. Tickets were paid for in cash at the airport to avoid a paper trail. Before she knew it they were on a plane. No one questioned her on the legitimacy or validity of the letters. Once she said this was where they needed to be, they’d made it happen.
Eli made a call to his father and The Council reached out to a Greek coven, they would be meeting in Delphi. She was intrigued by The Council’s international reach. It stood to reason that if they had supernaturals in America there would be supernaturals all over the world, but she still found it surreal.
In the seat next to her, Eli slept. His hair was mussed and his face was more relaxed than it usually was. Ever since her brush with death he’d taken to wearing casual attire. If she had to confess, as sexy as she’d found the professor look he used to sport, she found him even sexier in the rugged jeans and t-shirt look. She wanted to lean over and kiss him, but she didn’t want to wake him. Plus, she was afraid of starting something they couldn’t finish. The bathrooms on the train weren’t exactly some place she wanted to have a romantic tryst or a quick romp.
If any of the others found the new status of their relationship strange, they didn’t say anything. Every now and again, she caught a look being passed between Eli and Phaedra. She was unsure if it had anything to do with the two of them. Sometimes she wanted to pinch herself. She still couldn’t believe he loved her. After a quick glance at his sleeping face she returned to her perusal of the countryside.
Ever since she’d read that first letter and learned about The Book of Prophecy, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. What did it contain? Where were they going to find it? Her mother’s mention of a key still had her puzzled. She twirled the snake pendant on her necklace between her fingers as she pondered over everything.
The few letters she read so far were entrenched in her mind. She’d read them so many times she had them memorized. It was difficult not to rush through them and read them all in one sitting, but she’d disciplined herself to savor each one. Getting the opportunity to communicate with her mother
one last time was a gift she didn’t want to squander.
Retracing her mother’s journey and possibly following the same path she had made her feel even closer to her than she had in a long time.
She pulled one of her mother’s previously read letters from her bag. When she took in the dwindling amount she had left to read it made her stomach ache. The letter was heavy in her hands. She looked up. Outside the window, Mount Parnassus loomed in the distance, like a sleeping behemoth. Her eyes returned to the letter. The jagged, broken envelope flap reminded her how many times she’d read and re-read the letter. She took it out and read it for the tenth time.
MAY 17, 2002
Willow, I wish you could see the magnificence
that is Greece. It’s majestic. If wishes came true
my wish would be to be there when you see this
place for the first time...
A lump formed in her throat at her mother’s wish that would never come true.
Eli stirred next to her. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open and sat up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Hey.” The smile that he gifted her with made her heart somersault in her chest. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. She found that once he proclaimed his love for her he never seemed to stop touching her. It was a huge contrast to how he used to treat her when duty was the most important thing to him. “Are we close?” He ran a hand through his dark hair.
She looked at her watch. “I think just fifteen to twenty minutes or so.”
After stretching his arms over his head, he settled into his seat. “I’m wondering who will be in the welcoming committee. We weren’t told who to expect.” His gaze dropped to the open letter in her lap.
Embarrassment assailed her. Hastily, she refolded the letter and returned it to the envelope. She wasn’t sure why she felt silly for being caught rereading her mother’s letters. Eli never judged her or made her feel weird about it.
“Why do you do that?”
“What?” She tried to feign ignorance as she stuffed the envelope into her bag.
“You know what... It’s perfectly natural for you to want to read them over and over, but you act like you have to sneak them.”
Her eyes looked at the empty chair across the aisle, then wandered to the dusty floor of the railway car, trying to evade his question. He sighed and put his arm around her.
It was nice that he reassured her, but things were so new between them, she wasn’t sure which of her quirks would turn him off. Better to tread carefully.
“Looks like we’re here.” Mathilda announced.
They all peered out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was waiting on them. The expectation that they would be wearing black robes and witch hats crossed her mind. She still couldn’t help equating the cliché uniform to witches.
No one stood out from the crowd so they gathered their things and exited the train. When they stepped onto the train platform, the strong scent of pine floated by on the breeze. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of diesel fuel that now co-mingled with pine. Her nose wrinkled in distaste.
“Are you the Oracle?” An excited, nervous voice that bordered on the hysteria of fangirling caused her to open her eyes. A voluptuous brunette was invading her personal space, staring at her with wide, curious eyes.
Eli and Max flanked her on either side. Max emitted a low growl that would be imperceptible to most. They must have perceived the woman as a threat.
“Who wants to know?” After the last ambush, she was a bit skittish around strangers. The now healed scar twinged with pain at the thought. It had to be psychological since she hadn’t experienced any pain since they healed her.
“It’s her. It’s her.” The woman hopped up and down with unconcealed enthusiasm.
Willow tried to take a step back, but was wrapped up in a hug that threatened to choke the life out of her.
“Let the poor woman go, Nyssa, she needs to breathe.” The Greek accented voice was only half joking. Once Nyssa released her she was able to tilt her head back to look at the giant of a man that had spoken. “Please forgive her. No one here has seen an Oracle for over a thousand years. In ancient times, Delphi was considered the center of the world. This city had tremendous religious and political influence because kings, generals, common people, traveled from all over the world to seek the Oracle’s wisdom on matters that ranged from the mundane to whether to wage war on another nation. She transcended cultural boundaries.” His face beamed with awe. “So, here in Greece, you can imagine how excited we are at the prospect of meeting you.”
Willow could only gawk at him. Not only because of how prolific the Oracle was, but because the man looked like a human bear. At a minimum, he was 6’7” and had the build of a defensive lineman. His arms, legs and any other place where his skin was visible were covered in coarse black hairs. His face appeared under siege from the bushy beard and caterpillar brows. The only place that was devoid of hair was his bald head.
Once she got over the shock of his size, she realized that their group consisted of more than this man and the woman he’d called Nyssa. Another man and woman stood off to the side. Before she could respond or the man could continue, Eli intervened.
“I thought our arrival was going to be kept secret.” He didn’t try to mask the agitation in his voice.
“Oopsie.” The man shrugged, but didn’t seem apologetic. “It is hard to keep secrets in this small town. Everyone has been very excited as you can see.” He nodded in Nyssa’s direction to prove his point. Their heads swiveled to gaze at the woman who was so rabid with glee she practically foamed at the mouth.
“You know how the supernatural community can be.” He lightly punched Eli on the arm in camaraderie.
She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath, until she saw Eli’s tense stance relax. “I’m Eli, the head of the Protectors... and you are?” He extended his hand towards the human bear.
The giant grinned broadly at them and clasped Eli’s hand in a friendly gesture. “My name is Arsenio. I’m part of the Castellanos coven.”
Max must have been in her head, because instantly after hearing the man’s name he blurted out what she was thinking. “Arsenio? As in the 90s late night talk show host?”
Please do not offend this man.
If she had better command of her telepathic ability like Eli she would tell Max to keep whatever jokes he was about to make to himself. Although Phaedra was on the other side of Max, it was clear she tried to shush him by elbowing him because he winced in discomfort and clutched his stomach. The deterrent seemed to work because Max didn’t offer up any more jokes.
Arsenio had a great sense of humor because he let out a hearty laugh. “I get that all the time from Americans. Arsenio is a Greek name. It has been used in my family for generations. I was named after one of my uncles, Arsenios.” He let go of Eli’s hand and took a step back. “Come. Let me introduce the others.”
CHAPTER 2
Eli
“You already know Nyssa.” The tall, curvy woman smiled and gave a little wave, but her eyes never left Willow. Still he wondered if he needed to be concerned.
“This is Damaris.” Arsenio beckoned the petite, black haired beauty forward. Where Nyssa seemed to display every emotion like a human video billboard, Damaris was reserved. He didn’t like that he couldn’t read her.
“Geia sas.” She smiled at all of them, but returned her gaze to Willow.
“Damaris and Nyssa are maenads.”
“What?” Willow asked and her eyes blinked in rapid succession while she tried to make sense of what Arsenio had revealed about his companions.
“Maenads are priestesses of Dionysus.” Mathilda volunteered, clearly as awestruck as Willow was herself.
“Okay.” It was evident she was still unsure what to make of the two women. He had to fight the urge to smile.
“YOU WANT TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS SO BADLY. I KNOW YOU DO.” He joked with her
telepathically.
“OF COURSE I DO. WHAT THE HELL IS A MAENAD? MATHILDA ACTS LIKE THAT EXPLANATION SUMMED UP EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW. I’M STILL CLUELESS.”
His eyes went wide with amusement and he coughed to cover the laugh that slipped out. “Road dust... Just have a touch of it scratching my throat.” He explained while he coughed and cleared his throat when everyone looked at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Willow sporting a smirk at his lame excuse.
“This fellow is Ulrik. He’s a vampire and has been a guest of the supernatural community here in Delphi for over a year now.” Arsenio continued with his introductions.
The man that stepped forward, looked like he was a Viking in another life. In the sea of dark hair and swarthy skin, he stuck out for his fair skin and honey blonde hair. He formally bowed and then proceeded to kiss the hand of each of the female Protectors. Maybe Ulrik was an Old World vampire because he was very formal. All of the women, with the exception of Phaedra, swooned at the gesture, including Willow he noticed. “Hej. It is a pleasure to meet you all.” The Danish accent had them all dreamy eyed.
Some of the women may have been taken in by his charms, but he and Phaedra shared a look at hearing he was a vampire. He was definitely interested to know how a lone vampire ended up in Greece. Arsenio mentioned he was a guest here. He hoped Ulrik would have no problem sharing his story later when he asked him. Until then, Eli planned to be on high alert. For all they knew, he could be a mole planted by Killian. He didn’t want to be paranoid, but it was Willow’s life that was at stake. He’d rather be safe than sorry.
Eli let everyone introduce themselves. He was no one’s mouthpiece. Plus, he didn’t know what the women were liable to do to him if he tried.
Once all the pleasantries were out of the way, Arsenio barked some orders in Greek, “Párte tis tsántes tous tóra.” A few men materialized from nowhere and grabbed their luggage.
The men scuttled away and they followed.
Willow leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Okay, now that no one can overhear me asking you, tell me what exactly are maenads?”