“What she said.” Jacque held her hand up in the air for a high five. “You know Jen is serious when she starts cussing the hell out of something.”
That memory faded, and another quickly filled its place. This time it was Costin’s voice. They were in their suite, and he was lying next to her on the bed. Costin wasn’t able to touch her because she, along with the other females, had forbidden their mates to touch them. Even after she’d done that, he still professed his love for her. “Now that I have you, I can’t live without those things, Sally. Not just because of the Blood Rites, but because I couldn’t go on without you being in this world. So you see, when this is all over you have to come back to me. Whatever it takes, my sweet love, I will do it. I will take away every nightmare, every soul haunting memory, and replace it with my love. Do you hear me, Sally?”
“Yes,” she whispered for her unconscious self. She heard him then, and she heard him now. The next memory was of Costin holding her as she fell apart. She heard the words he’d spoken into her mind then just as clearly now. “I love you Sally. I love you, and I’m not leaving.”
The memories shifted again, and she recognized the next one immediately as it had happened not quite two weeks ago. “Get that you will always be more important to me than anything else. You, your safety, your health, your pain, your joy, all of that is more important than him. He is dead now. He doesn’t matter. I dealt with my own feelings when I tore him apart. Now it’s about you.”
Sally didn’t know how long it went on, memory after memory of words that contradicted everything Jericho had tried to make her believe.
“Sally?” Costin’s voice was hesitant.
“I’m okay,” she told him, and it was the truth.
“Do you see what is truth and what is not?” Costin asked.
“I do.” And she did. The light inside continued to burn bright, chasing out the darkness. When it was done, she was back in the room in her mind, but it was no longer covered in darkness. It was bright and warm, and she could feel the first tingles of hope.
“Truth will always overcome,” the Great Luna said as she appeared in front of Sally, who bowed her head to the creator of the Canis lupus race. “My truth is the ultimate truth, so hear me now. You are not your own. You are mine, and I will give you strength in trying times. I will answer when you call. I will shine my light into the darkness and guide you through the fire. It is up to you to decide that you want what I freely give. You will continue to battle darkness because evil lives and breathes in the world. But your obedience and faith will make you victorious. Remember, you weren’t created to be an island. Draw strength from those who love you and stand beside you. Your battle isn’t over, Sally. You will still struggle with the trauma of your experience, but you will also have many opportunities to offer comfort to others who are going through what you endured. It is serving others, using the difficult things in life to help, that combats the influence of darkness.”
“Thank you,” Sally said as new tears flowed down her face. These tears were for more than just the pain of her experience. They were also tears that cleansed and brought her to a place of peace. “I’m still hurting, but I am not blinded by the lies. And I know I will overcome this and be stronger because of it. And I know I couldn’t do it without your help.”
“My peace I give to you and my promise that I will not forsake you.”
Sally’s eyes blinked open as her mind slipped back into consciousness. She took a deep breath and smiled when Costin’s face appeared above her. His answering smile filled her heart with so much love she felt as though it would burst right out of her chest.
He helped her sit up then wrapped his strong arms around her. His lips found hers briefly and then he pressed his forehead to hers. “I know we aren’t out of the woods yet, but at least now we can see the rays of sun breaking through the trees.”
She nodded and looked around to those watching her silently. Her mom smiled at her and stepped forward. Costin stepped aside so Sally could accept her mother’s embrace. Her dad was next, and Sally felt as though she was seeing things through a different light, as though she’d been wearing dark sunglasses before and someone had lifted them away from her eyes.
She looked over at Diedre and frowned. “It feels so anticlimactic.”
The luminous sprite smiled at her. “I have found the most powerful healing can occur when we are in a quiet place, willing to listen to our Creator, as long as we are open to being changed. There need not be onlookers, lights and smoke, explosive revelations, or the like for change to occur. Sometimes, change can only happen when we take time to stop and look inside of ourselves to see what darkness we have within. Maybe it feels less than amazing, but I assure you it is every bit as encouraging as the change that occurs in explosive, mighty ways. Fighting evil, refusing to be a part of something that only glorifies self, that kind of change is always mighty.”
“Thank you for your help,” Sally said and looked around at the other women. “All of you.” They bowed their heads in response. Each of their faces seemed to portray the same peace that Sally was feeling.
“Regardless of our race, our differences, we should always be willing to help others. We should always be willing to fight against our enemies and stand up for those who need us,” Diedre said. “You, healer, have been through much and, as the Great Luna said, you will be able to help even more than had you not been through those things. Leave here with your head held high. Though you will still have healing to do, you have hope that this too shall pass, and greater things are to come.”
Chapter Ten
“Some would look at my life and say I’d been dealt some great cards and some not-so-great cards. But really, I don’t see it that way. Instead of cards, I would say I’ve been dealt experiences. Some great, some not-so-great, but all beneficial. I honestly would not be the person I am had I not had those joyful times or the painful times. And most of the time, I like who I am, with the exception of the days when I’m a butthead, but I try really hard not to be a butthead. Would I change my experiences if I could? If it would mean changing me, that I would be less, that my integrity and character would be less, then no. I would accept the challenges, knowing that they will make me grow.” ~ Sally