Page 99 of Enchanted Kisses
“Yes.” She laid a delicate hand over mine. Her cool touch numbed my skin, erasing the pain.
I wanted to sit up and embrace her but wouldn’t dare move again. “Am I dead?” I forced out in a whisper.
“No, and you do not have to speak to talk to me. I can hear your thoughts.”
She lifted a glass filled with a pearlescent liquid and brought a straw to my lips. “Drink.”
Thinking it would hurt because everything else did, I braced myself for pain and lightly sucked on the straw. A cool, numbing sensation coated my throat. Flavors of berries, flowers, and twigs flourished on my taste buds in a wonderful way.
Wanting more, I gulped the entire mixture and felt relief, strength, and magic spread throughout my singed body.
“Look.” My mother motioned to the healing flesh on my arm.
It glimmered with silver and gold, then regenerated more. The skin almost looked normal. Better than normal. Near flawless, like Raysa’s.
Raysa!
“She’s here.”
I glanced at my mother, surprised.You can really hear my thoughts.
She gave a slow, registering nod. “Your father is here, too.”
He’s alive? My heart soared.
She didn’t respond, although her smile straightened. She waved elegantly to the doorway. My dad stood there, looking younger and healthier than I’d ever seen him.
I began to sit up but then lowered onto the mattress. The pain wasn’t as bad this time, though it still took my breath away.
In a flash, Dad sat next to me on the bed. The movement was so quick, my smile melted into a frown. “Pixy Sticks, I’ve been so worried about you. How are you?”
I locked eyes with my mother.He’s dead?
“I’m gone from this world,” he said, apparently hearing my thoughts, too.
My eyes moved to him.And you’re together?My thoughts sounded sad, but really, I was so happy for them both.
He walked to my mother and put a loving arm around her shoulder. “She saw what happened to me and came to take my soul. But there was nothing she could have done to stop its removal from my body.”
“I hope you know I never wanted this for you,” Mother said. She and Dad both placed a hand on me. “I have loved and watched you from afar since the day I had to leave you.”
So what now? I didn’t know how but tears formed in my dry eyes.
“Once you’ve healed,” Dad began, “you’ll have to finish what you started…”
“By healing Caiden, so there can be balance among the realms,” Mother continued. “It is your destiny. Together, he and Raysa will stabilize the order of life and death on Earth. You already know what will happen if the balance is not realigned. Natural disasters will multiply, and the world will deteriorate. All life is connected. The natural. The supernatural. Humans. Every ecosystem on Earth. You are special, Lily. Chosen. When your task is complete, you may join us in my realm…” she glanced at Dad, “ourrealm, if you wish.”
Wow.I mentally laughed without humor. That’s a lot to wake up to, even after everything I’ve been through.
“It is,” Dad agreed. “And we don’t want to rush your decision. Take your time, honey. Decide what’s best for you.”
How? My thoughts mimicked a shaky voice.
“Follow your heart.” Mother smiled. “Wherever it leads. Raysa will help you as well,” she added, maybe sensing I needed to hear it. “Unfortunately, we cannot aide you on your quest. We were granted leave to heal you.” She waved her hand over the glass on the nightstand, which refilled with the same pearlescent mixture. “This will always heal you. It is of the earth, of me. I will leave the ingredients in your mind. Everything you need to recreate it grows within the woods and gardens of the world.”
My dad spoke up. “You should know they all worked together to save you. Raysa, Caiden, and Briella.”
At my slightly lowered brows—Ouch!—Mother said, “Briella never meant to hurt you and is sorry. It was her first time crossing from her realm, and she was under a great amount of pressure. In leaving, she can never return to the Realm of Death without dire consequences.” My beautiful mother stroked my cheek.
