Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (177 page)

I didn’t know what to say. I quickly gave Davin a peck on the cheek, “Thank you.”

He was in slight shock. Immediately he placed his hand on the cheek I kissed and smiled.

As I turned to face Michael, Davin spoke again. “I almost forgot. Here’s your flashlight. Can’t get any brighter than this one.”

He wasn’t holding it before; it was as if it magically appeared in his hands. It seemed they could make things appear and disappear, like Michael with the picnic basket, their swords, and now with this flashlight. “Thank you!” I said excitedly and grabbed it out of his hands and hugged it. “I thought I lost it. I was sure it fell over the cliff.”

“It did, but Michael retrieved it, thinking it was important to you. He just asked me to hold on to it. Michael was right. It is important to you,” Davin replied, giving me a funny look.

Then I thought how ridiculous I must look hugging this thing. “It belongs to my friend, and I would like to take it back to her.”

“Now I understand. Well, we better get going. See you when I see you,” Davin said.

I turned to Michael and placed my head on his chest. His hands ran through my hair and back to my face, as if trying to memorize every detail.

“See you soon. I promise,” he said. He pointed to the crystal. “I am with you.”

“I know,” I said, looking straight into Michael’s eyes. “I love you,” I said, shocked at myself for saying it. The words flowed out of my mouth so effortlessly. I immediately looked down after I said it, fearful of how he would respond.

He lifted my chin, and our eyes met again. His face lit with a broad grin as he said, “I love you more.”

Feeling relief that I hadn’t made a big fool of myself, I returned a heartfelt smile.

“You’re doing it again,” he said.

“Doing what?” I asked, wondering if I had done something wrong.

“Melting my heart with your smile,” he said.

“Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. Time to go, Michael. Now I’m getting really disgusted,” Davin said, laughing.

I looked at both of them, blew them a kiss, and said, “Go, I’ll be fine.”

“He loves me more” were the words I held on to, but he didn’t know it was me who loved him more. I took a deep breath and walked toward the campsite.

I
reached
the campsite filled with anxiety. I needed an explanation. What was I going to tell Andrew, who had told us explicitly to stay away? Oh no, how would I tell Patty? From a distance, I could see Patty running toward me. Her smile was a good sign and I was able to slowly release a bit of my anxiety.

“Are you okay?” she said, squeezing me tightly. “We were so worried about you. Did you fall hard? You must have, for the ranger to keep you that long.”

As usual, Patty had too many questions, so I simply nodded. “I’m fine. I don’t remember much,” I lied. I was hoping that would be the end of it, but I knew she wouldn’t let me off that easily.

“Now that you’re fine, what the heck were you thinking?” Her voice was steady. “Who goes there in the middle of the night?” She pointed toward the off-limits area. “Are you crazy? What possessed you to go there all by yourself? And to top it off, you got hurt. Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t find you in the middle of the night? I thought you were kidnapped or…and…I just had these images of something horrible,” her voice trembled, holding back her tears. “For goodness sake, I’m the one who made you go camping!”

Filled with guilt, I felt sick to my stomach that I had put her through all of this. The whole time she was giving me the third degree all I wanted to do was to tell her the truth, but I couldn’t. There was nothing that I could say now to make her feel better, so I just grabbed her and held her tightly. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Patty. I don’t know what came over me. I promise never to scare you like that again.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, don’t scare me like that again, ever. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” she said as she let go and looked at me. My heart sank to the ground, seeing her eyes slightly teary. “I’m never bringing you camping again,” she said, nudging me on the arm.

Although she seemed to feel better, I continued to feel horrible, and I had to find a way to make it up to her. One thing about Patty, she doesn’t hold a grudge.

“So, you were with that ranger, Michael, all this time?”

“You…you met the ranger?” I said in shock, and I felt my face flush with guilt. I knew Michael had spoken to Andrew, but I couldn’t recall Michael mentioning anything about meeting Patty.

“Sort of. He spoke to Andrew, and Andrew filled me in.”

“Oh,” I said.

“So, were you with the ranger the whole time?”

“Yeah. He wanted me to rest,” I said with a straight face. I knew Patty could see right through me if I was not careful with my facial expression and my choice of words. Patty knew I wasn’t a good liar, and I thought she was going to get mad at me for not telling her the truth, but she didn’t suspect anything. Either that, or she decided to let it go.

“I would rest all day if he looked after me,” she said. “He is one hot ranger.” She looked at me from head to toe. “He gave you his shirt too? And what happened to your sweat pants? Looks like he cleaned you up pretty well.” She moved her brows up and down, insinuating there was more to my disappearance from the camp.

I blushed and lost my words. “I…umm…he had to cut it, and…I tore my sweatshirt from the fall.” That was the lamest excuse, but that was all I could come up with.

“Uh huh…” Patty smiled.

I hated lying to her, but what choice did I have? Patty started to say something else when Andrew interrupted. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good as new,” I said cheerfully.

“Just stick to the perimeters, please,” Andrew said blankly and walked away.

I looked at Patty. “Is he mad at me?”

“What do you think? He was worried because you sort of went in there when you weren’t supposed to,” Patty said, pointing to the forest, trying not to sound accusatory. “Don’t worry. He’s fine. I told him not to be mad at you, and that I would handle it since I brought you here.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling guilty for not sticking to the rules. I was just glad Andrew didn’t give me the heat like Patty did.

As Patty and I walked toward our tent, she finally noticed the flashlight I was holding. “So, you made use of the flashlight,” Patty said suddenly.

“Oh, this thing. It’s pretty useful. Very bright.”

Patty just smiled. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

As I changed into my jeans and T-shirt, I quickly reached for my cell phone, wondering if I had any missed calls. Several missed calls from Mom. Then I looked at my text. It was from Kristina. Don’t forget to RSVP to Ryan’s B-day. Missing U at the movies. Hope U R having fun camping!

I texted back. Amazing! We sud go. Say Hi to Maggie for me.

Just as I stepped out, Patty approached me with her cell phone.

“Please don’t tell me you called my mom!” I whispered.

“No, I didn’t,” she replied with a stone-cold look on her face.

I was glad she didn’t, but wondered why she had that expression on her face. “What is it?” I asked immediately.

“Talk to your mom.” She handed me the phone and left quickly.

I cleared my throat and tried to sound cheerful, “Hi, Mom! How are you?”

“Hi, honey. Are you okay?”

Immediately I was furious with Patty. How could she just lie to my face? “Yes, I’m fine. It’s nothing. Who called you?”

“Andrew called me.”

As soon as I heard his name, I felt bad for thinking Patty was lying. I was glad that I was thinking it and didn’t say it out loud. I should have figured that Andrew would have called since he was our camp leader. She immediately changed the subject, which I thought was strange. I thought she would beg me to come home, instead her voice sounded different. “Mom, what is it? What’s wrong?”I asked as I walked further away from my tent to get more privacy.

“I tried calling you many times.”

“I’m so sorry. I forgot to take my cell phone with me,” I said.

“Honey, I don’t want you to worry. Everything is fine. It’s just that she is in the hospital, and I—”

I didn’t let her finish. I immediately knew. “How is Gamma? And just tell me the truth.” I sounded firm.

“She had a stroke, a massive stroke in her brain. She is in a coma. I don’t think she’ll make it.”

As she spoke, streams of tears fell down my cheeks, much like the waterfall I had seen earlier. Guilt pounded through me, knowing that Gamma would have been against me going camping and that Mom and I had told her that I was sick. I lied to her so I could go. Had I stayed, I would have been with her the whole time. She needed me, and I wasn’t there for her. Could I ever forgive myself for this?

“Honey? Claudia? Are you there?”

“Yes.” It was all I could say without sounding like I was crying.

“I know you’ll be home soon, and I’m sure Gamma is waiting for you to say good-bye. I know this is hard, honey. She had a wonderful life. We all have to be happy for her. She’ll be in a much better place. I’ll see you when you come home…okay?”

“See you at home,” I said, my voice trembling.

As soon as I hung up, Patty ran toward me and held me tight.

“I’m sooo sorry!” she whispered.

I knew I didn’t have to say a word. Everyone already knew. I was too busy elsewhere. I felt guilty for not being there for her, and I would feel worse if I didn’t get to her on time. I realized at that moment that everybody was already packed to leave. They were just waiting for my return.

Patty had already packed my bags for me while I was on the phone with Mom. What would I do without her? What would I do without Gamma? With Gamma on my mind, I immediately sat at the same seat on the bus. I knew it would happen someday, but not now and not like this, when I was not with her. It felt like a dream. Was Gamma really in a coma? I closed my eyes and tried to come to terms with reality. Just then, I heard a voice. It was Austin.

“Claudia, Andrew said it was fine for me to take you home since I can get you there faster in my car.”

The idea of riding with Austin didn’t appeal to me, but it would be faster than the bus. I looked at Patty questioningly. She nodded and motioned for me to go. “I’ll call you later,” she said. Then she grabbed my wrist when I was halfway out of my seat. “Don’t worry about your bag. It will slow you down. I’ll drop it off later.”

“Okay, thanks,” I said, as I headed out of the bus.

“Drive carefully, Austin. Remember you are fully responsible for her,” Andrew said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Austin replied back. “Talking like a true leader.”

“Thanks, Andrew,” I said. I was glad he was sensitive to the urgency of my situation, and then I felt terrible again for not following his rules. “I’m sorry about not—”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you had your reasons. Anyway, I hope you get to see her in time,” Andrew said sincerely, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“I hope so too.”

“Let’s go, Claudia, before the bus gets there before you do,” Austin said. He opened the car door like a gentleman, and I got into his black Infiniti Coupe. It was sleek, and the body of the car looked futuristic. Everybody was looking at me from the window of the bus, including Patty who was waving and smiling. We drove for a little while before Austin broke the silence.

“Sorry about Gamma,” he said tenderly.

“Thanks,” I said.

He continued. “I know what it feels like to lose someone.”

“You do?” I asked curiously.

He stared straight into the window and sighed. “My dad passed away, many years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“That’s okay. I’ve learned to deal with it. We all have to in order to move on with our lives. I’m sure my dad didn’t want me moping around for him. He would want me to be happy and continue with my life while I hold on to his memories.”

“You’re right, but it must have been extremely difficult.”

“You have to grieve. It’s part of the healing process. I cried. I cursed. I was a bit rebellious at times, and I didn’t make things easy for my mom until I realized that she was feeling the same as me. She had lost her husband. I was being too selfish thinking about what I had lost.”

“So it’s just you and your mom?”

“Yeah.”

“Brother or sister?”

“Nope. Only child. Thank goodness I have good friends. Andrew was there for me. I’m lucky to have a friend like him.”

I knew what he meant. Patty was the same way for me in many different ways. I only hoped that I was the same kind of friend for her as well. The motion from the car made me sleepy, especially since I had hardly slept at all the night before. As my thoughts turned to Gamma and Michael, I drifted off to sleep in the soft leather reclined seat, and the sounds from the cars on the highway faded.

“
C
laudia
! Claudia!” It was Gamma calling me, but I couldn’t see her. Where was I? My vision cleared as I looked around, only to realize that I was at the same unpaved road. It suddenly came to me that I was at the Crossroads. Why were we here? Then I heard Gamma’s voice again.

“Claudia! Claudia!”

“Where are you, Gamma?” I yelled.

I started walking around in circles, looking for her. I was about to give up when I saw her at a distance, inside the field.

“Gamma?” I shrieked in disbelief.

She walked toward me with a horrified look in her eyes. Her expression frightened me.

“Run, Claudia!” she yelled. “You don’t belong here.”

My mouth dropped in shock from what I had seen and heard. I didn’t want to run. I wanted to hold her. She said it again, but this time with more urgency.

“Run, Claudia! They’re coming for you.”

I did as told. I didn’t know why I was running or whom I was running away from, but my heart was pounding. All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe; I grabbed my throat, gasping for air.

“Wake up, Claudia.” I recognized his voice. Austin was shaking me. “Are you all right? It must have been some dream.”

I roused from sleep and realized we were still in his car. “Yeah…um…sorry…didn’t mean to scare you like that,” I replied as I sat up, feeling embarrassed. I quickly rubbed the back of my palm to my mouth to make sure that I wasn’t drooling.

“It’s okay. It looked like you couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to have to do CPR on you.” He winked with a smile.

“Very funny,” I said, fixing my hair.

“Well, here we are.”

He had driven me to the hospital instead of my house. I couldn’t remember what I had asked him to do, but I was glad we were at the hospital because this was where I wanted to be. “Thanks, Austin.” I dashed out of the car, anxious to see Gamma. “I really appreciate it.” I closed the car door behind me. I was just about to walk away when he rolled down the window.

“Glad to help. I would go in there with you—”

I interrupted because I didn’t want him to feel like he had to act like a gentleman and walk me in. He had done enough. “No, don’t worry. I should face this alone. I wouldn’t want you to see me…” Searching for the right words and anxious to get going, I said quickly, “You know what I mean. See you later.” I took a few steps, but he wasn’t finished.

“Claudia, I’m not saying that she is going to die, but you have to prepare for the worst too.”

I nodded, half listening. “You’re right,” I said quickly.

“You can call or text me anytime,” he said.

“Thanks,” I replied and walked away quickly. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I was anxious to get to Gamma before it was too late.

I took a deep breath and headed toward the hospital entrance. I felt tiny approaching this huge building. I glanced at all the windows and wondered which room was Gamma’s. In the middle of the hospital building was a big and bold sign that read General Hospital. A person would have to be blind to miss it. A security guard at the entrance stopped me and asked what the purpose of my visit was.

“I’m here for Gamma, I mean, Lucy Reed.”

I was so used to calling her Gamma that I had almost forgotten her real name. I was also quite shaken up by the fact that I was actually here, which meant that it was real. As I was waiting for him, I squinted for fear that he would inform me that I was too late. Instead, he gave me a long plastic strip.

“Please place this on your wrist. Here, I can help you. Go straight through the door, hang a right, then a left. And a lady will be there to help you.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling relieved.

He gave me some hope that I was not too late, but then I wondered if he even knew anything about the patients in intensive care. As I walked further in, I discovered I was alone. There weren’t any other visitors. For a hospital this big, I would’ve expected to see many more; however, it was dark and I was sure visiting hours would be ending soon. Go straight through the door, hang a right, and then a left, I repeated his instructions over and over in my head so I wouldn’t forget. Every which way I looked was a corridor leading to another hallway. It was like a maze in here. A lady was behind a counter, seemingly not very busy.

“Yes…?” Her voice lingered, as she looked up at me, appearing to be annoyed. “May I help you?” she asked in a rather snobbish manner.

How rude! I thought. No wonder people don’t like going to the hospital. “I’m here to see Gamma, I mean, Lucy Reed.”

“Who?” she asked again, looking irritated.

“Lucy Reed.”

She quickly looked at her chart, flipping through a few pages. “Fifth floor, room 512,” she said, pointing straight ahead.

“Thank you,” I said, as I moved ahead anxiously.

The long hallway seemed endless as I stepped out of the elevator. Curiosity got the best of me as I quickly glanced at the occupied rooms. I couldn’t help but feel depressed by the ambiance, although it was comforting to observe the families caring for their elders. My mom always reminded me to see Gamma as much as I could. Her words were strongly embedded in my head, “Be good to those who are alive, because what good is it when they are dead?” It made more sense to me now, knowing that it may be the last time I would see her. I wanted to be able to tell her and show her how much she meant to me.

The numbers read closer to 512. I was almost there. I could feel my heart racing. I concentrated on the room numbers, afraid that I would pass her room. As if my heart wasn’t racing fast enough, it started beating even faster and louder, so that I was certain the nurses could hear my anxiety attack. Finally—room 512. Apprehensively, I walked in. It was a sight I hadn’t prepared myself for. Gamma looked lifeless and motionless. She was hooked up to an IV, with an oxygen tube in her nose, and a tube running down her throat, forcing her mouth open.

“Oh, Gamma.” My heart sunk to the floor. I thought I was going to lose control, but I forced myself to feel nothing. I was afraid to touch her or to hold her. She appeared so fragile. Gently I reached for her hands, but they were cold and unresponsive. Softly I cupped them with my two hands to give her some warmth. I took a deep breath, not wanting to have a breakdown. I completely blocked myself from reality and pretended she was asleep.

“Can you hear me?” I asked softly. “It’s me, Claudia.”

Startled by the twitches from her fingers, I immediately dropped her hands and stood up. Was that her way of communicating with me? I was hopeful that she would wake up, so I asked again. “Can you hear me, Gamma? Please wake up. I’m here. I know you’ve been waiting for me. Let’s go home,” I pleaded, touching her forehead, her cheeks, and finally, her hands.

Upsettingly, there was no response. I looked at her intensely, as to not forget her face. I realized the deeply rooted wrinkles in her forehead had eased. Was she in pain? Could she hear me? Many thoughts ran through my mind. Just then, a doctor entered, and I jumped with surprise to see someone come in. I was startled to see such a young doctor. Would he have the experience to help Gamma? He was attentive and tried to answer all my questions to put my mind at ease. He started off with words I could not understand, all that medical jargon, but immediately realized I wasn’t comprehending.

He paused and spoke again. “Basically your grandmother had a massive stroke. She is unable to breathe alone, as you can see. She is hooked up to an oxygen tube. Given her age, surgery would only complicate the situation. Most likely, if she even wakes up from her coma, she will be severely impaired. To what extent cannot be determined. I am very sorry.”

“I am sorry” meant that she didn’t have a fighting chance of recovery, and hearing those words from her doctor made it that much more difficult to bear. “Thank you, doctor,” was all I could say.

“Excuse me,” he said. He shone a light in her eyes and nose, and shook her for response. I was upset by the sight of him shaking her like that. I wanted to yell at him to stop, but I knew he was doing his job. I couldn’t bear to watch, so I turned around. Then he headed for the door.

“I’ll be with other patients, but if you have any questions or concerns, just have any one of the nurses page me.”

“Thank you,” I said solemnly.

Focusing on Gamma, I started speaking to her again. “Please, wake up,” I said, as if she could hear me. I had read an article about a patient being able to hear their loved ones while in a coma. Whether this was true or not, I had to try.

I sat there for who knows how long. Mom had texted me back to let me know she had been here earlier, but had to leave because of an emergency at work. They needed additional nurses, but she said she would meet me as soon as she could. It didn’t bother me, in fact, I was happy to have this time alone with Gamma. I wasn’t sure how long she had. I embraced her with my arms gently around her shoulders, trying not to disturb the tubes that were keeping her alive, and rested my head lightly on her chest. As I told her that I loved her, I didn’t even fight the tears, instead, I welcomed them.

“Come on, fight!” I said out loud to her. “You still have much to live for. You can’t leave me, especially now!” I wanted to tell her about Michael, and about speaking to the angels. I knew she would be fascinated by my stories. Suddenly, I felt movement and then a light grip on my shoulders. I looked up to see Gamma’s eyes, opened wide and alert. The tube in her mouth was out. She must’ve pulled it out just before she grabbed me.

“Gamma!” I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was ecstatic. Either the doctor had misdiagnosed her, or this was truly a miracle. “Do you know where you are?” I stared, waiting for her to respond.

Without warning, she pulled me closer. “Claudia, listen carefully. I’ve been waiting for you. I can’t wait any longer. Please listen carefully as it may come as a shock. I’ve been protecting you.”

Protecting me? Was she hallucinating? What was she talking about? I listened intently, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

She continued after a pause. “I knew your mother. I promised your mother…would look after you…keep you safe.”

“My mother? Of course you know her,” I said, reassuring her that she did, thinking she was out of her mind.

“What I’m about to say…difficult to believe…listen carefully. You need to know. The mother you live with, Ava Emerson…not your real mother. Adopted.”

My eyes widened with shock at first. Then I thought something must have happened to the part of her brain that held her memory. I just sat there, listening to humor her, and didn’t say a word.

“You were sent from the clouds, Ava would say. She named you Claudia.”

“Yes, Gamma, I know the story. Mom told me she thought she couldn’t have children and that I was a blessing from above,” I said, caressing her hands, trying to play along with her made-up story that I was adopted.

She shook her head. “I’m not making this up. Your real mother, Sophia, was my dear friend. She had a short relationship with a man, but he was not an ordinary man. Your father was one of God’s first angels. And because only God’s first angels or their offspring have the soul of the Holy Spirit, I had to protect your soul.”

“My father was one of God’s first angels,” I mumbled. I was trying to make sense of all this while I was in complete disbelief. I had to decide whether she was telling me the truth or losing her mind. But God’s first angels and having a soul of the Holy Spirit was something she couldn’t just conjure up in her mind. If she was telling me the truth, why hadn’t she told me sooner? Not that this kind of news was easy to explain. I already had background knowledge of what the Holy Spirit’s soul was, so I could understand the severity of what she was telling me.

Every fiber in my body was fighting back the shock, confusion, and anger brewing inside me, but Gamma was sick, so I had to watch my tone. “What do you mean by protecting my soul?” I asked calmly, although I was fuming. I was nearly having a heart attack. It was too much to bear.

She didn’t answer my question. Instead she started talking again. “This may come as a surprise to you. I don’t have time to explain. I’m an earth angel.”

“Earth angel?” My eyes widened with disbelief. I remembered Phillip telling me about them, but it was unfathomable that Gamma was one.

Gamma continued, “You were in danger. I knew others would be looking for you,” she said.

Aden popped into my mind. My mind was being pulled into all different directions, wanting to know more, not knowing what questions to ask. Gamma snapped me out of my thoughts when she continued to speak again.

“Sophia, your birth mother, told me that a fallen angel was after your soul. You were just a baby when your birth mother was murdered by him. I’m sorry that I couldn’t save her. I promised her that I would watch over you and find a nice family for you so that you could have a normal life.”

I placed my head down on the bed to soak all this in. Immediately Gamma placed her hand on my head. She was trying to comfort me, and for the first time, she couldn’t. I needed to be strong and get more answers, so I refocused. I looked up. Gamma had her eyes closed.

“Gamma…Ava Emerson, my mom, does she know any of this?” It was strange to ask this question. I had known her all my life as my mom.

“No.”

“So, she thinks I’m her biological daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Is Ava Emerson human?”

“Yes.”

“Sophia, my real mom, was she human?”

“Yes,” Gamma said quickly, and gasped for air.

I was trying to find a way to help her through this, but all I could do was watch. She took a deep breath.

“Are you all right?” I asked compassionately.

She nodded.

“My father is one of God’s first angels?” I asked nervously and swallowed hard.

“Yes.”

I paused, looking at her with narrowed eyes, wondering if I had heard what she had just said. I had no words. She kept nodding her head, trying to reassure me that what she was saying was true. I looked away. I didn’t want to believe her. I didn’t want it to be true. How could this be?