Chapter 275

Bonded

Ella

My head feels…so heavy. I groan, trying to move my hands up so I can press them against my temples, but I can’t move them.

“Easy,” I hear him say beside me and instinctually I turn towards his voice. Where –

“Easy, Ella,” he murmurs, his words thick with emotion. “It’s all right…”

I peel my eyelids apart, then, confused at the effort. It’s like I haven’t opened my eyes for weeks…

My vision comes back to me slowly, the room around me coming into focus with effort. I blink rapidly, looking around at Sinclair, and Cora, and Roger all standing around me, peering at me with worried faces. I feel very suddenly like Dorothy, when she wakes up from her trip to Oz.

“What?” I murmur, my voice thick and my throat scratchy. Suddenly anxious, I try to sit up, pushing at the bed beneath me but –

What the hell were all these wires, tied to my arms?

“Easy, trouble,” Sinclair whispers, pressing his hand to my shoulder, keeping me down. My body responds to his command, relaxing backwards as I look up at him. But…

“Where am I?” I ask, staring at him, and then I press my eyes closed. It’s all just too much.

“You’re in the hospital,” I hear my sister explain. “After the gift, at the temple…”

But her voice fades, almost as if I can’t hear it. I feel my heart start to pound, my breath ratchet up as my memories start to come back to me. Of being on the temple steps of Cora there, and what we learned about each other of Sinclair’s warm arms around me –

And then, nothing – and then clouds – and Sinclair again, and my baby –

Oh my god, where was my baby?

“Rafe?” I gasp, spinning towards Sinclair as my eyes fly open, desperate. “Where is Rafe?” Then I start to look all around me, searching for him – he’s here, he has to be, I remember him, my little baby, wrapped in white swaddling, holding him in my arms

“A dream,” Sinclair says hurriedly, “it was a dream, Ella – we met him in the dream –”

my attention to it, reminding me that he’s here – of course

hands so that they rest on either side of my baby. Then I close my eyes, resting my head back on the pillow, and search for him. And it’s hard, it’s

him, sending all the love I have in my heart down our bond, and feeling a little pulse back. He

say again, feeling my whole body relax. I open my eyes again, feeling a rush of sudden and unexpected joy. I look up

of my hands

for a long minute

just a few minutes. To come flying back to reality after such a hard few weeks, after days of struggling in the dream state to

there’s no where else

get the doctor,” I hear Roger murmur, and then his footsteps move to

other hand for her. Sinclair straightens at my side, letting us have our moment as I take her hand.

laughing through the tears that are

“Um, I think so?” I feel so weak but there is also…a warmth, a stillness in me

and running her hand through her hair. “Yeah? I gave you back mom’s the Goddess’s – the gift, I gave it back to you,” she

bed. “Cora!” I scold. “Why?! I

ridiculous – you were dying – of course I gave it back to you I

I almost shout, frantic and frankly a little mad now. “It’s a gift from a Goddess – from our mom – I worked so hard to

to him as I feel suddenly guilty and a little childish, arguing with my sister like this in front of him, especially when I’m clearly so sick. I look up at him, my eyes apologetic, and I see his face instantly soften. “Please, Ella,” he begs.” You’re so

Cora. “Okay,” I repeat, raising a

agreeing to these terms, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. “Whatever you

the Doctor comes in, Rafe hot on his heels. It’s a man I haven’t seen before certainly not one

my face, his expression worried. “I have to say, I’m shocked to see you awake –” He quickly grasps my wrist, feeling for a pulse and turning towards the monitors behind them, scanning them for new information. “It shouldn’t be possible…” he mutters, his brows

up at Sinclair. “Not precisely a

me, still holding my hand. “An intervention from the Goddess, if you will,” he observes, a little humor in his voice. The doctor’s

to the monitors. “Whatever it was it is

sit up further and wincing as a sharp pain spikes through my back. Sinclair starts at my grimace, leaning closer to me, scenting me, clearly working to figure out what’s wrong and how he

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