Cyrus nodded. I cracked my eyes open to see Joey’s bright smile light up his face. He leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“Cy, I’m going to check out the canteen. Give you a minute.”
“Thank you, Joey.” Cyrus waited until Joey disappeared before he leaned forward to kiss me. “Hey, you.”
I don’t know if it was the damage done or the drugs, but I couldn’t respond. I squeezed his hand to let him know that I heard him.
“You scared centuries off of my life, Evie.” Cyrus closed his eyes and swallowed. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw you fall. My very heart shattered at the sight of you…afterwards.”
Another squeeze of the hand. I wanted to tell him to change the subject. I wanted to tell him that I would be fine. That Hermes let me go. Instead, Cyrus grazed my cheek with his nose.
“Apollo told me what happened with Hermes. He swore that Athena’s Blade would be broken and burned in the fires of Mt. Olympus so that you cannot be threatened by it again.”
Cyrus pulled back as he stroked my hair. I closed my eyes and relished the feel of his hand against me when he spoke again.
“I was forced to vow my life to the service of Apollo, Little One. To the Sibyl. But here, in this place, I vow my life to you.”
I opened my eyes and tried to cut them over to him. I still couldn’t move as he continued.
“I’ve spoken to Apollo, Little One. As long as you are Sibyl, I will continue in my duties to you. But once you decide to leave this life, I will follow you to the darkness of the Underworld.”
Chalk up another reason to stay topside. I squeezed his hand. My beloved tightened his grip when he changed the subject.
“The damned beast snuck away. Kampe, too. I am certain they will go into hiding. The Golden One has already gone to Zeus to demand Lancaster’s head. Kassandra has sworn her alliance to you. As has Hermes. They may not be Olympians, but their influence is greater than you could ever imagine.”
I nodded as my eyes grew heavy once more. Cyrus must have noticed the change in me because he gave me one last sweet kiss on my temple. Just before I let the drugs overtake me, my beloved whispered to me.
“I swear, Little One. Lancaster will suffer for the transgressions against you. He will burn in the fires of Hell if it is the last thing I ever do.”
*** END ***
Volume Five: The Guardian
Chapter One
There was a man standing at the end of my hospital bed.
I shifted my head just enough to get a good look at him. He was pale. Thin. The classic image of an American junkie. The stranger stared at me with a look of horror on his face.
“Who,” I cleared my throat as I struggled to sit up. A movement that was damn hard to do with the IV the doctor insisted I still needed. “Who are you?”
The man shimmered. He actually shimmered in the faint light that came from the television Cyrus was watching. I glanced over to my Keeper. He didn’t seem to notice my visitor. Nor did he rush to check on me.
Ok. Weird. Cyrus hadn’t left my side once in the three weeks I’d been caged up here at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital. And he always responded to even the slightest movements I made.
“Am I dreaming?” I frowned as I lifted up my arms as far as they would go. “Or is this the drugs?”
“Dead girl.” The man hissed. “You were me. You were like me. Dead.”
“Yeah. I remember that part quite well.” I dropped my arms to face him. “Who are you?”
“Dead.” He repeated as he pointed a single finger in my direction. “Like me. But you got saved. Because of what you are.”
“Yeah, I’m real special, alright.” I frowned. “Look, if there is something you want, spit it out already. I’m trying to sleep…”
I shut up when the stranger grabbed at his head and started screaming. “Not fair. Not right. You are me. You are us.”
“Stop saying that!” I snapped. “If you have a message, then say it and be gone. Otherwise, I’m going to have to send you back to the Underworld myself.”
“No!” The spirit gave me such a look of hatred, I shuddered. “You belong to Hades. You belong to us!”
I saw the shadows shifting around him until more forms appeared. Each wearing the standard green hospital gown I was in. Each face twisted with the same discontent. Men and women – some bloody with injuries I couldn’t identify began to approach my bed. I felt the fear as it rose up to the back of my throat. I began to tear at the wire holding me into place.
I had to get out of here.
The man lunged forward. I felt the rush of cold air that followed him as he shoved me back against the bed. I grabbed at his arms and cried out at the icy chill that raced up my own.
“We will drag you down to hell where you belong, Sibyl.”
The man struggled against my grasp until he worked a single arm free. I watched as his face shifted from that of a junkie to the man who had put me in the hospital to begin with. Elliot Lancaster leered down at me.
“You told me to come and get you. I thought I’d finish what I started. A heart for a heart, doll. I think that’s only fair.”
Elliot reached for my chest, his fingers inching closer to my heart when I grabbed for a vase of flowers someone had put beside my bed. I couldn’t get my fingers around the thick base though. It tilted over to splash both me and my attacker with drops of water.
“Hush, Little One. It’s alright.”
Elliot and the ghosts that surrounded him vanished at the sound of my keeper’s voice. I groaned when I felt Cyrus’ hand brush against my hair then twisted in the bed to sit up as I grabbed his forearms.
“What?”
I tilted my head down, blinking away the last wisps of the images in my head. I was still in Charleston. Still in the hospital room that hadn’t changed since I’d gone to sleep. The television was indeed on. But there were no ghosts here. No mirrors to allow them entry. No Elliot.
“What happened?”
“A dream, darling girl.” Cyrus brushed his knuckles over my cheek. “Lay back down. You shouldn’t be moving around until the wound is completely healed.”
Wound. I tightened my grip on his arms as my side began to throb. The gash that had been made by Athena’s Blade was healing, but at a snail’s pace. Not to mention the other injuries I had suffered at Elliot’s hands. I winced as I remembered the fight that had ended with me crumpled and broken on the sidewalk.
“I,” I swallowed down the nasty taste in the back of my throat. “I really don’t want to go back to sleep.”
“Are you in pain?” Cyrus pulled away just enough to flip the switch that turned on the lights in my room. “I can get the nurse if you want.”
I shook my head and released him. I ran my hand over the thin blanket that covered me, but froze when I touched a wet spot just beyond my left knee. My head shot up and I saw the flower vase from my bedside table toppled over on the floor.
“Cyrus, the vase…”
“Is fine.” Cyrus snagged my hand again to squeeze it. “You knocked it over in your sleep. I’ll take care of it.”
“No.” I shook my head as I began to tug at the IV. “He was here. Elliot. I’ve got to leave before he comes back.”
“Evie, stop. You’re safe.” Cyrus took my other hand. “No one has been here since Joey left around midnight. And I can promise you, that damned Skinwalker has not set foot in this room.”
“No.” I swallowed back the sob threatening to choke me. “Listen to me. He was here. I saw him. He was a spirit. A man who said he would drag me to hell where I belonged.”
“Ok.” Cyrus nudged me over so that he could climb into the bed with me. My keeper had developed a talent for folding up in the small space. He managed to avoid the IV before he leaned back against the pillow and put my head against his chest. He started to run his fingers through my hair in an attempt to relax me. “Start from the beginning.”
I pressed my cheek against him with a shudder.
“No. There’s no point. I’m sure you’re right. It was just a stupid dream.”
“Perhaps.” Cyrus agreed. “Or perhaps, it was a warning of some sort. It’s no secret that you are most vulnerable in your sleep, Little One.”
Vulnerable. I shuddered again at the word. It was the perfect description for how I felt at the moment. For all the gifts I had been given by Apollo to act as his conduit on Earth, none came in handy when I was asleep.
Or drugged up. Or tied to a damn hospital bed.
I heard the door to my room open. I leaned up enough to see the nurse poke her head inside as Cyrus disappeared from his spot beside me.
“Ms. McRayne?” The woman spoke in soft tones. “Are you alright? Your light is on.”
“Yeah.” I sat up. “Just a bad dream.”
The nurse clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth when she approached my bedside. She lifted up my left hand and frowned.
“Your IV is coming loose. I’m sure this is why you are awake at such an hour.”
I didn’t have it in me to tell her that 2 a.m. was considered a working hour for me. After all, how scary would chasing ghosts be in the daytime? I watched her dig through a cabinet positioned close to my bed before she returned with a tiny package and a roll of tape.
“Look,” I snatched my hand away before she could get a hold of it. “I don’t think the IV is necessary. I feel fine.”
“I’m sure you do thanks to the medication prescribed to you.” The woman ignored my protest and grabbed my hand. She bent over it as she took off the tape that had been holding the metal into place. “But give it a few hours to wear off. You will feel as if you had been hit by a truck.”
“Or shoved out of a four story window?” I smirked. “I’m sure you’ve seen the show, lady. I heal quite well on my own.”
“Your recovery has been remarkable.” The nurse admitted. She tugged the metal piece out of my hand. “But you are nowhere near ready to leave us quite yet. Your bones have not yet fully healed. Nor has the puncture wound on your side.”
“Fine.” I pouted. “How much longer is this going to take?”
“I’m already done.” The woman beamed at me. I flexed my hand as she fiddled with the bag attached to the wire. I had to give it to her. The nurse knew what she was doing.
“No, not with the IV.” I lowered myself back against the pillow. “How long am I going to be here? I need to get back to my life in L.A. I have work to do.”
“Only time will tell, dear.” The nurse pressed a button on the machine next to my head. “Now get some sleep. That will help you heal faster than anything I can give you.”
She flicked off the light and slipped out of the room in less than a minute. When I heard the door click behind her, Cyrus returned to my side.
“She’s right, you know.” My keeper leaned down to kiss me on the forehead. “You need to sleep.”
“I need to get out of here.” I sighed as I felt my eyelids grow heavy. “Cyrus, I’ve been gone too long.”
“No, dear girl. You have done what you must.”
I don’t know what type of medication was in the IV, but I was dozing in and out within minutes. I may have been falling asleep, but I was still awake enough to hear Cyrus’ phone go off in his pocket. I couldn’t help but smile. Apollo was my patron god and the only deity that could contact Cyrus directly. I was sure he was calling to check on my progress.
I started to ask Cyrus for the phone so that I could convince the Golden One to get me out of the damned hospital faster. But I stopped when Cyrus stepped over to the window to answer it on the second ring.
“Jonathan, thank the gods you responded to my message.”
Jonathan? Who the hell was Jonathan? I struggled to stay awake as my Keeper continued.
“Yes, she will be fine. She’s too damned stubborn not to be. But I need your advice, Mentor. The entity that is after Eva has become emboldened by his hatred. He would have succeeded in killing her if Hermes hadn’t been present when she was attacked.”
I listened as Cyrus launched into the story of my unfortunate situation. Elliot Lancaster had once been my best friend. The love of my life. But that all changed when I became the Sibyl and we started a television show together. One soul kidnapping and my romantic relationship with Cyrus later, my former friend had been driven over the edge. He turned to Hera for power to get revenge against me.
Power was exactly what he got. In exchange for blood sacrifices, Elliot was granted the position of Hera’s pet. He could transform into a wolf. He had unimaginable strength. Strength that he had no problems using against me. So far, we’d fought twice. The first time, I stabbed him through the heart. The second time?
Yeah. That’s how I ended up at Bon Secours.
“Would the spirits be willing to aid her?” Cyrus grew quiet. “I understand, mentor. I will consider your offer, but it may be some time before we leave Charleston.”
Cyrus went silent again. Longer this time. I was almost asleep when his voice broke through the fog in my mind.
“That is very kind. Of course. Given our current situation, I will certainly consider it.”
Cyrus came over to the bedside to place his hand against my cheek. I made sure to keep my eyes shut and my breathing steady when he fell into the seat he had claimed on day one. I stole a glance at my beloved in the darkness as he ran his hand over his short dark hair.
“It has been quite some time since I’ve heard that term.” Cyrus shifted in the chair. “Do you and yours need assistance? I’m quite sure that…”
He let his words trail off as the other man began to speak. When Cyrus responded, I felt myself jump.
“Your Blue Aura sounds quite impressive, mentor. I look forward to meeting him one day.”
For the fifth time since Cyrus had gotten on the phone, I wished that he had put the damned thing on speaker already. I mean, really. No one except me and Apollo were supposed to have access to him through the device. Now he was getting a mysterious phone call from a man he called ‘mentor’?
“I agree with your assessment.” Cyrus sat up straight. “Perhaps. I will speak with Apollo to see if the proper arrangements can be made. Are you sure I won’t be interfering?”
The mysterious mentor must have been speaking again and my keeper must have liked what was being said. He let out a short laugh filled with his relief.
“Very well, Jonathan. I will contact you as soon as I am able.”
***
“Who the hell is Jonathan?”
I frowned at the plastic tray the hospital staff had put on the table which covered my lap. I’d ended up falling asleep to the sound of Cyrus’ voice as he spoke to his mystery friend. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have given a single thought to my keeper’s social life. But then again, in normal circumstances, that social life consisted of two people: me and one Joey Lawson.
“A very old friend.” Cyrus was typing something on his phone. “Someone who has the knowledge to help you, Little One.”
“Ok.” I shoved the tray to the side. “That was just about has clear as mud. Come on, Stick. You know as well as I do that your cell service isn’t through normal means. Whoever he is, he couldn’t just pick up a house phone to call you. Besides, I don’t know all the gods in the Greek pantheon, but I’m pretty sure none of them are named Jonathan.”
“Evie, you up yet?”
Joey Lawson interrupted my keeper before he could respond. My friend bounded into the room with a large Starbucks cup in each hand. I gave him a grateful smile when he handed me one.
“Joey, you are a lifesaver.”
“Hardly.” He snorted as he clasped Cyrus’ hand. “She must be giving you a hard time this morning, Cy. Your veins are popping out of your forehead.”
“Hey.” I swatted at my visitor. “I’m being nice considering you’re late with my coffee.”
Neither Joey nor Cyrus responded, so I took the opportunity to examine my friend. Joey was thinner than
he had been when we first arrived in Charleston. He’d grown pale. And despite his attempts at being happy-go-lucky, he seemed withdrawn. I knew he had taken my loss to Elliot hard. And I knew he was trying to process the mess we had found ourselves in. I snagged his hand and squeezed it.
“Hey, Joey. Thanks for everything. I mean it.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Joey glanced over to Cyrus. “Um, Connor called this morning. He flew in from LAX last night.”
“Connor?” I lowered my cup with a frown. “Why? I thought they were putting the show on hiatus until I’m out of this hospital bed.
“Yeah, well, he called me when I was in line at Starbucks. Said he had something very important to discuss with you.”
“Right.” I closed my eyes. “Is this about the media coverage?”
Joey shrugged. “Probably. The word on the street is that you’ve gone crazy. Tried to commit suicide.”
“How bad?” I kept my eyes closed. “I mean, is it like OK Magazine bad or TMZ bad?”
“CNN. Fox News. You’re hell and gone from TMZ bad, baby girl.” Joey shifted in his seat. “Eva, what are you going to tell him?”
“Who? Connor?” I opened a single eye. “I’m going to tell him the truth.”
“And what is that exactly?”
I whipped around to see my former producer slip through the door just before a strange girl entered after him. I couldn’t help but notice that Connor was carrying a briefcase while his companion had her arms filled to the brim with newspapers.
“Eva, we need to speak. Immediately.”
Chapter Two
This could not be good.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I faced Connor again. He had crossed the room to place his briefcase down on the floor next to my bed. The girl dumped the pile of newspapers on the table by Cyrus and shook out her arms. I managed a tight smile, but damned if I couldn’t keep my teeth from clinching together as I responded.
“Connor! What a pleasant surprise!” I clasped my hands together on top of the blanket. “You know, flowers are a lot cheaper than flights across the country. You could have just sent me a nice bouquet with a card to express your well wishes.”
The Oracle Series: Vols. 4, 5, & Grave Endowments Page 13