GS Prologue
Six Years Earlier
“Mom?” The voice
on the phone sounded surprised. “Where are you?”
“In Bimini.”
Sarah giggled softly.
“Mom!” the
voice gasped. “What in the world? When did you get there?”
Sarah Amalfi
chuckled at how her daughter, Ellie, always worried about her. “It was a last
minute invite from a friend. How could I say no to paradise? Anyways, it’s
absolutely gorgeous here and I just wanted to let you know where I was. Don’t
worry. I’ll be there for graduation! I can’t wait to see you. I love you.” She
flipped her cell phone closed before Ellie could protest.
Sarah shielded
her eyes from the midday sun as she sat back in her luxuriously padded lounge
chair and took a slow sip of her iced cold Pina-Colada. Why didn’t Pina-Coladas
taste like this on the mainland? It was so refreshing and natural-tasting;
sweet, but not overwhelmingly saccharine like in the States.
She pushed
down on her floppy straw hat as a gentle breeze rustled through, bringing in
the balmy fragrance of the Bahamian island. She closed her eyes and snuggled
deeper into the bright orange cushion of the lounge chair as a lazy smile
spread across her glossed lips.
The air
smelled like a vacation. It was warm and moist, with the hint of tropical
flowers and the saltiness of the sea lacing the air. Sarah could feel the
fringes of her white sarong dance atop her thigh, making her giggle softly with
the tickling sensation.
She opened her
eyes slowly and looked toward the horizon. The water looked perfectly still,
its layers of blue meeting the sky in the distance.
She thought
about how Ellie would love it here. Bimini had one of the best snorkeling sites
in the world, in addition to fascinating local lore about the lost continent of
Atlantis. Ellie loved anything connected to Atlantis. When she was little, she
would make believe that she was an Atlantean princess who could speak with all
the creatures of the ocean.
Time sure has flown by, Sarah thought, setting her drink
back down in the soft white sand. In just another week, her daughter would be
graduating from college. Sarah smiled to herself. Ellie was the pride and joy
of her life and she often wondered how she’d been blessed with such a great
child.
Ellie
practically raised herself. Yes, Sarah was there for everything, but the girl
had developed her own ideas and personality -- all of her musings were
wonderful and great. And now, that little girl was blossoming into an amazing
young woman.
Ellie would
love it here. Sarah decided that this would be her graduation present to Ellie
-- a trip to Bimini. She would make sure that her daughter took some time to
have fun and relax before continuing with her post-graduate studies. She could
already hear Ellie arguing with her, and that made her smile even more. They
really were not arguments, but rather her daughter’s presentations about the
pros and cons of certain actions and decisions.
Sarah always
got her way in the end, but she did enjoy hearing her daughter’s analytical
mind at work. She missed her. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes to let the
sun warm her skin as thoughts about Will took over.
Was it just
last night that Will came knocking? She’d known it was him even before she
opened the door. She could feel his energy coming through the threshold,
enveloping her in an embrace that only he could give. It had been nearly five
years since she last saw him, last talked to him, last held him.
She wanted to
find him, but there was no way to do it. He was undetectable. In her
nightmares, he’d been killed or, worse yet, tortured. All she could do was pray
that he was alive and well.
Her heart leaped
the moment she opened the door and stared into those eyes that always held her
captive. She cried with the rush of emotions that assaulted her at that instant
-- joy, love, relief, pain, sadness, regret.
It was so long
ago and they had been so young. How could they have known that one choice would
forever alter the course of their lives? Was it so wrong? No! She could not
believe that. As hard as it had been without Will, she had to believe there was
a greater reason for all the trials they’d gone through. Will was here now; he
was alive. They were together, even if only temporarily, and Ellie… Ellie, most
importantly, was thriving. Ellie and Will were her family and she would lay
down her life for them. The choice hadn’t been wrong.
She could
sense him nearing. He walked to her slowly, the stretch of his shadow reaching
her relaxed figure before he physically could. “Hey, gorgeous,” his deep voice
delighted her senses. “How about we go on an excursion?”
“That sounds
fun. Where to?” she asked with curiosity, before turning her head to look upon
the man who had taken ownership of her being so long ago. The way his ice blue
eyes glinted in the sun reminded her of silver reflecting light, and the soft
fall of his raven hair over his brow made her breath falter. Time had
strengthened his features, taken away the innocence of youth, and replaced them
with handsomely hewn lines of experience.
“Snorkeling at
the Bimini Road.” He smiled and handed her a glossy tourist brochure. “Come on.
We could take scooters there.”
Nothing was
hurried in Bimini and the scooter ride was no different. It was slow,
leisurely, and much like the local cane syrup used to make rum… smooth, easy,
and sweetly flowing.
According to
the tourist brochure, The Bimini Road was a famed underwater rock formation
that resembled an ancient road. A road
that leads to nowhere? Sara wondered. Locals have said that the road was
part of Atlantis, while others have said that the road leads to the Fountain of
Youth.
As they got
closer, Sarah could clearly see the mysterious road underneath the clear waters
of the Atlantic. It extended about a half-mile from the shore before it curved,
ended, and became a part of the ocean floor. She kept her head turned toward
the water as they passed the sunken road and Will led them further down the
beach.
They stopped
at a section of the shore where the tide greeted the land with frothy waves. It
was not as busy there and not as pristine as the main tourist area, with the little
cove littered with dried coconut fronds and chunks of browned husks.
“Bimini Road,
huh?” Sarah teased. “Looking for the yellow brick road to take you home?”
“You’re my home.” Will smiled broadly,
his silvery blue eyes outshining the sun itself. He ran into the water without
waiting for her. “The water feels great! Hurry up!” he called out before
submerging below the surface.
She undid the
knot on her sarong as she looked down at her painted toes. Her polish was
holding up nicely a week after her pedicure. She wiggled her toes playfully,
liking the way the pink paint shone under the sun.
She was
stalling and deliberately slowed her actions before meeting up with Will. She
needed just a moment to clear her head before going to him.
Will was the only
man who had ever owned her heart. He was the only one she would truly ever
belong to. She would always care about him; he was her first love, her only
love, and the father of her only child. Their history was complicated and it
was one that she’d rather not have Ellie exposed to.
Who was she
lying to? Her daughter needed to know -- eventually.
There was just
too much that she still had to tell Ellie, but there was never a right moment
to bring up something so heart-breaking.
Ellie grew up
thinking that Will ran out on them before she was born, but that hadn’t been
the case. Will had tried to stay, but he eventually had to go. It was the only way. It had torn him apart to leave his
wife and child, but what choice had there been?
He had never
been too far away.
It was only in
recent years that he’d been completely absent. Something had happened that took
Will far from them. To say that it was a surprise when he’d shown up last night
at Sarah’s doorstep would have been an immense understatement.
She hadn’t
asked where he’d been. Did it matter?
“What are you
waiting for?!” Will yelled out, happily. “Come on! You should see all the
fish!”
Sarah shook
her head and marveled at Will’s delight. It was truly the simple things that he
loved. This small slice of freedom must have been heavenly for him.
***
It had been a
fun-filled day with night arriving gradually, like the slowing pace of a
graceful waltz. Sarah was glad they were back at the resort where she could go
back to her lounge chair and enjoy the many colors of the sky.
With a mango iced
tea in one hand, she lounged, waiting for the splendor of the purples, pinks,
fiery oranges, and magentas of the sunset.
The glorious
colors came and deepened into the beauty of the night sky, the stars were shining
brightly like diamonds on a velvet canvas. She sighed deeply, remembering moments
of Ellie as a little girl, singing her favorite childhood song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Her little
girl would dance and twirl and inevitably ask about her father. “Where is daddy?”
“He’s dancing with you up there, in the stars.” That had been good enough for the
little girl, but that little girl grew up and started demanding real answers.
Sarah couldn’t
respond. She would change the topic and distract her daughter with other
things. She avoided telling her the truth. The truth that she knew would change
her daughter’s life forever. Sarah knew that, eventually, she would have to
tell Ellie everything about her father, her lineage, and what happened. But not
right now, not yet. The time would come soon enough.
“Ssssarah…”
She bolted
upright from her lounge chair. She looked around. In the distance, she could
make out the swaying of the tree tops against the brilliance of the starlit sky,
but the beach was still and devoid of any movement.
Silence
settled in as a strong breeze whipped around her, encircling her in a
sandstorm.
“Ssssarah…”
She raised her
arm to shield her eyes. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!” Sarah gasped at the
biting chill that instantly permeated her blood and bones. Her heart struggled
to pump, gurgling with effort from the thickened blood depleted of precious
oxygen.
Sarah steadied
herself and ground her bare feet into the sand. She prayed for protection and
focused on her prayer; its rhythm, its cadence, and her connection to powers of
light. Slowly, she began the invocation. Her voice was no more than a whisper against
the deep strain she felt within her chest.
The once soft
grains of sand accelerated around her, a mutated whirlwind turned to miniscule
shards of glass -- sharp-edged, crystalline fragments that cut her skin and
rubbed her raw. She felt the jagged grit embed into her skin, burrowing deep into
her flesh, and tearing her muscle fibers apart.
Searing pain
wracked her body and she screamed, frantically seeking out Will with her mind, calling
for him to come. She looked up from within the vortex of her prison and saw a
figure running toward her. A glint of silver sparked in the darkness, bringing
with it hope and relief from the fear that had encroached her. His rope, with
the gleaming titanium tips, was the beacon she needed to hold on to. She felt
the strength of Will’s power come at her with a force of a tidal wave, washing
away the darkness.
Her plea for
help had been heard.
The cyclone
that kept her trapped quickly died off with a fading cackle that dissipated
into the eerily quiet night.
He gripped her
shoulders as he looked her over. “Are you okay?” Will was breathing hard, his
eyes dark with anger and concern.
She was
shivering, her teeth chattering furiously from the chill that had invaded her
body. She was shaken, her mind reeling from the assault she was attempting to
deny, and couldn’t respond.
He looked into
Sarah’s eyes, holding her gaze. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have come back.
I’ve put you in danger.” His eyes were heavy with sorrow. He cupped her face
tenderly, “I love you, Sarah. I love you. My selfishness to see you again…” He
dipped his head, unable to finish his words as he tried to quiet the anger she
could see still raging underneath the calm façade.
His energy
surrounded her in a curtain of protection as he wrapped his arm around her and led
her back to their suite. He looked her over, lifting and turning her arms
carefully, infusing her with healing mist that gathered in his palm as he tended
to her wounds. Sarah watched him and the painstaking attention he poured out to
clean her wounds.
His touch was
familiar, tender, intimate, waking her heart with a rush of emotions she felt
for the man. She buried her tear-stained face into Will’s broad shoulder and he
held her tight against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat speed up;
running after hers, joining hers, finding her rhythm, and then slowing them
both down toward a place of peace that only he could bring her to.
“I love you,
William Koraki -- from the very first moment I saw you. And I will love you
over and over again… in each lifetime that you allow me to be in your heart.”
They looked at
each other, their souls and spirits intertwined… forever connected, yet
physically separated. Sarah could have stayed in his embrace all night, but she
had to warn him, “Will, that demon was trying to possess me.”
He looked at
her with deep concern. His brows furrowed and his eyes shadowed with fear.
“Promise me
something,” Sarah said with a heavy heart.
Will was quiet,
his jaw tensed.
“If something
happens to me… the Anakim must enter her life.”
“What? I thought
you didn’t want that for Ellie?”
“I don’t… I
didn’t, but she can’t be alone. Eventually, they will find her, too. She’ll
need to learn to protect herself. If I’m not there to shield her presence…”
“I can protect
her, Sarah. I’ve been able to do it for this long. Besides, nothing will happen
to you.” Will forced a smile as he held Sarah in his arms. “I’ll shield you
both. They won’t be able to find you,” he growled beneath a burdened breath.
“I’ve been found. You know how relentless they get.
They won’t stop. We’ve managed all these years, but they’re getting too strong,
even for you. I felt the strength of that demon. The Anakim are good people and
they will help. I trust them,” she whispered.
“Sarah…”
“Will, maybe
the Anakim can help us, too. You can’t keep doing this alone. I can see it in
your eyes. Your soul is tired.” Sarah hesitated before continuing, “I’m already
a Watcher for the Anakim and I’ve learned a lot. Maybe they can help us find a
way to free you, to free us, from this.”
Will let his
eyes fall as he leaned in to kiss Sarah -- softly, tenderly.
“I love you,
Will. With all that I am, I love you. Please don’t ever forget that.”
“I love you, Sarah.”
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