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  “I promise you, Doctor. If Morgan’s health begins to fail again, we will bring her back to you.”

  Looking from Mom to Tammer to me, he shook his head in disbelief. “This is crazy.” Crossing his arms, he turned on his heel and stared out the window.

  “We love our daughter and won’t allow any harm to come to her. If anything out of the ordinary happens, we’ll bring her in immediately.” Tammer assured.

  My doctor ignored him, but I could tell from the way his head dropped he was defeated.

  “I’ll have admin bring the release forms by.” Turning, he faced all of us. “I want it made perfectly clear that I do not agree with this decision in any way.”

  “We understand.” Tammer nodded. Frustrated, Dr. Foster left the room.

  I was ecstatic. There was no way they were going to be able to find out what was wrong with me and I was in no mood to be anybody’s guinea pig.

  In usual hospital fashion, the paperwork took forever to get to us. Thayde and Tammer left allowing Mom to help me get ready to leave. Mom had had enough time to get clothes and some shower essentials from our apartment so I could have a nice refreshing shower before we left. The warm water made me want to phase, but there would have been no room in the small shower. By the time I stepped out and wrapped a fresh towel around me, I felt more like myself - a little tired, but more me.

  Mom put her arms around me, funneling all the energy she could into my thin frame and within moments, I felt renewed. Letting go, she handed me some brand new clothes – a pair of white dress pants and a pretty pink silk top. Trust Mom to stick with Floridian colors. The pants easily slid over my bony hips. When I checked the size and saw it was a 4, I realized just how much weight I had lost.

  “Do I look like crap?” I asked, spritzing myself with J’adore perfume. Thayde had bought it for me on our last outing and I loved it.

  “Absolutely not. You’re just a bit thinner.” Yeah, right. Just a bit.

  After signing a ton of paperwork in which we promised up and down that we wouldn’t sue the hospital for allowing me to be released, and that we were leaving despite doctor’s objections, the hospital grudgingly consented to me leaving.

  A young man, nearly as tall as our seven foot friend Vitahl, entered the room with a wheelchair. Grinning from ear to ear, he popped a white headphone from his right ear and swooped a long arm across the seat.

  “Your chariot awaits, my lady!”

  “Oh, no!” I shook my hands taking a step back. “Honestly, I don’t need that.”

  “I know,” he wheeled it closer to me, “but you know what? If you don’t allow me to escort you the entrance, I will get in trouble!”

  Oh geez, he was good. The guilt card.

  “You’re going to guilt me into riding that thing?”

  He snickered, his shaggy red hair shaking. “I’m not above using manipulation to get you into this hideous contraption.” He patted the back of the seat. “Come on!” He sang as if trying to get a baby to take their first steps.

  “What’s your name?” I asked taking a step toward the thing.

  “Kevin’s the name, wheeling’s the game.” He pushed on the brakes and offered his hand to me.

  “I’m fine!” I sat down, crossing my arms.

  “Yeah, yeah – that’s what they all say.” Kevin slid the foot plates down and I placed my feet on them. “Shall we dupart?” He asked, accenting the last word heavily in a French accent.

  “By all means,” I flung my hand in front of me, “lead on!”

  When the elevator doors opened and we entered, no one followed us in. We were left alone in the steel cage with Kevin who suddenly announced that the song on his iPod was one of his favorites. So we stifled our laughter as we listened to him “ba da bum bum bum” the chorus of The Final Countdown all the way to the first floor. When the doors opened, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Outside, the afternoon sun was beginning to drop in the sky and some of the city lights had turned on. As the doors opened, I was wheeled to a beautiful white limousine.

  Thayde stepped out dressed in black slacks and a crisp white dress shirt. He’d had his hair cut and it couldn’t have been more perfect for his handsome face. He was so beautiful, it almost made me embarrassed to be with him. I knew I looked like the walking dead.

  When the wheelchair came to a stop, Kevin whispered into my ear. “You’re the prettiest patient I’ve ever had the pleasure of escorting from the hospital. Take care.” To Thayde he said, “Your lady awaits!”

  “Thank you Kevin,” I managed to say before Thayde bent down effortlessly and scooped me into his arms.

  “What’s all this?” I asked.

  “It’s a surprise.” His smile was full of excitement.

  “All this is for me?”

  “Of course,”

  He ducked into the open door and we were followed by Mom. A loud squeal greeted us - Tiesa and Ezen sat in the back of the limo with Tammer.

  “I’m so happy you’re okay!” Tiesa grabbed me into a huge hug as Thayde sat me down. “I’ve been worried sick!”

  Ezen gave me an awkward hug and returned to her side. “We’ve been praying you’d get through it.”

  “Thank you both!” I said. “I’m so surprised to see you!”

  “Good surprised or bad surprised?” Tiesa joked and shoved a present into my hands. “I hope you like it!”

  Thayde eased next to me, the leather seat creaking and his smile happy and excited for me. It was as if I were seeing him for the first time again - I couldn’t get over how gorgeous, how caring, how incredible he was. Why had I been so cruel to him?

  “Open it!” Tiesa ordered and Ezen took her hand.

  “Give her a minute, love!”

  “Sorry,” she held up her hands and snuggled into her fiancé. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m better. Feel much better than I did a few days ago. Why is everyone here?”

  Tammer cleared his throat. “We thought seeing your best friend would cheer you up.”

  “Oh, it does!” I backtracked. “Don’t get me wrong! I’m very happy you’re all here. I just don’t know why you’re here. What’s going on?”

  “You sort of destroyed part of our apartment,” Thayde spoke up, “and with everyone here, I know they don’t want to leave right away. I thought it might be nice to stay somewhere else for a while, just until the damage is taken care of.”

  “Okay,” I didn’t see what he was getting at.

  “So, I’ve reserved us a suite at a hotel.”

  “For all of us?”

  He nodded.

  “Won’t that be a little cramped?” I asked and he shook his head.

  “Not where we’re staying.”

  “Where are we staying?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Tiesa seemed barely able to control herself any longer. Grinning, she pushed her left hand toward me. On her ring finger was a single, delicate diamond. My mouth dropped open.

  “You’re engaged?”

  “Yup!” She giggled and Ezen’s face grew red.

  “I proposed yesterday.”

  “That’s wonderful! Congratulations!” I was truly happy for them both. Thayde put his arm around me and I pulled at the top of the present. Inside was a pair of exquisite diamond studs.

  “You guys! They’re beautiful!” I slipped the sparkly earrings on. “Thank you so much.”

  Tiesa beamed. “We got them from the same place Ezen got my ring! Oh, let me tell you about the wedding. We want it to be next spring.”

  The rest of the limousine ride was spent listening to Tiesa and Ezen happily fill us in on all the details.

  We pulled up to a grand hotel that stood behind thick, black gates. The writing on the building read “The New York Castle”.

  “This is where we’re staying?” I asked, dumbfounded. I could already tell it was going to be the most expensive hotel I had ever stayed in.

  “This is where we’re stayin
g.” Thayde echoed, scooping me into his arms again.

  “I can walk, Thayde,” I squirmed to get out of his arms.

  “I know.”

  My small entourage followed us through the impressive front doors into the hotel lobby. It was from something out of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. Everyone but me easily belonged there.

  Thayde gently set me on my feet when we reached the front desk. A man in an elegant suit greeted us warmly.

  “Welcome to the Castle. How may I help you?”

  “We have a reservation under Dartmoth.” Thayde answered, looking down at me.

  “Yes Mr. Dartmoth, we have you staying with us in one of the Triple Suites.” He handed Thayde the key and a piece of paper, which Thayde signed. “Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can provide you with any of our services. We hope you enjoy your stay.”

  A bellboy dressed in an equally impressive suit took the few bags we had, placing them on a cart. We followed him to a private elevator.

  When we reached our floor, the elevator doors opened into the most luxurious hotel room I’d ever seen. If you could call it a room – it was more an apartment. The bellboy informed us that there were three floors to our suite. Three separate bedrooms came with their own bathrooms and living areas. The balcony from the main living room had its own fireplace and chairs. Pretty golden lights hung from the ceiling casting a gold glow about the area for night time entertaining. Large black pots held luscious plants and flowers. The spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline took everyone’s breath away.

  Each of us decided to spend time with our loves. Mom and Tammer retreated to their room and Tiesa and Ezen decided to have a drink on the balcony. I, being the party pooper that I was, felt exhausted. When I told Thayde, he escorted me to our room.

  I sat down on the king-sized bed and ran my hand over the quilt, making a mental note to ask if we could buy the Egyptian cotton sheets and quilt set. They were lovely.

  “How are you doing, baby?” Thayde asked, pulling off my shoes.

  “I think I’ll be okay if I have a nap.” I said. He chucked my shoes to the side and stared up at me, making me shiver.

  “Are you cold?” He reached to the soft blanket that lay draped over the edge of the bed.

  “No. It’s you.” I said and his eyes returned to mine. “You make me shiver.”

  “I do, huh?” His deep voice sent chills over me again. He leaned forward and lifted me farther onto the bed.

  I curled into a ball and lay my head on his arm as he lay behind me. He held me as if he were afraid I’d break under the weight of his arms.

  “We’ll stay here until our apartment is fixed. Then we’ll go home and get ready for school.” He breathed the scent of my hair in deep.

  School - I’d forgotten about that. I didn’t want to think about everything that needed to be finished before we started.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, just feeling a bit overwhelmed all of a sudden.”

  Thayde caressed my shoulder.

  “Thayde?” I asked.

  “Mmm?”

  “Do you love me?”

  He was quiet for a moment and then sat up. I turned onto my back so I could face him.

  “Morgan, I love you more than I could ever love anyone else. You’re my soul mate. Leaving you was agony.”

  “Why did you leave me? You said you’d never leave me.”

  He dropped his head in shame. “I’ll never forgive myself for that.” He said. “I thought you didn’t want to be with me. You said we weren’t right for each other.”

  “I didn’t mean it!” I interrupted.

  “I know.” He traced the bridge of my nose. “At the time I thought you didn’t want to be with me. When I left you, it hurt me tremendously but I thought perhaps you were better off without me.”

  “No, I never want to be without you.”

  “Nor I without you,”

  Taking my face in his hands, he placed his lips over mine, stalling the kiss, making me want it. When he finally began to kiss me, I desperately wanted him. I wrapped my arms around Thayde’s chest and felt my body melt into his. Passionately, he pulled me to him and a second later, he froze.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “You’re not feeling well. You wanted to sleep.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to. I don’t want to anymore.”

  His arm slide behind my back and I began to unbutton his shirt.

  “What are you doing?” His voice was full of mischief.

  “Nothing,” I slid his shirt over the side of his shoulder, revealing his beautifully muscled arm.

  “Morgan,” he began.

  “Shhh…” I hushed him and finished unbuttoning the rest of his shirt.

  As I began to kiss his neck and collarbone, his breathing quickened but he didn’t move. Slowly, I made my way to the middle of his chest and rubbed my nose and cheek against it. His heart sounded as if it would beat through his chest. Looking to his face, I was surprised to see his eyes were shut.

  “I love you,” I said and his eyes opened.

  “I love you more.”

  “Nu-uh.”

  “Ya-huh.”

  I tugged at his shirt and he looked alarmed.

  “Morgan, we can’t.”

  “And we’re not. But we can play, can’t we?”

  “You’re not really in the best shape at the moment.”

  I reached forward, trailing my fingers over his rippled stomach. “I think I can handle it,” I said and pulled the shirt off him.

  It was all I could do to keep from going further. Hearts pounding fiercely, our breathing quickened. The energy we began to create surrounded us in its loving warmth. My arms found their way around his back and my hands ran the length of it, feeling the strength in his muscles as they led to his trim waist. His desperate kisses grew more and more passionate and finally, he rested his forehead against mine.

  “We’ve got to stop,” he breathed heavily.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Your parents are on the next floor!”

  “I don’t care.”

  He pulled back. “Morgan, we can’t, not yet.”

  I was so frustrated I could have screamed.

  “I know how you feel,” he said and pulled me sideways into his embrace again, his heart pounding against my back. “I want you so much,” he whispered. “I don’t think I can keep playing anymore.”

  I didn’t want to keep playing either. I squeezed his hand in agreement and we lay, spooning in the bed, until we both fell asleep.

  Chapter Six

  The Shadow

  Gold rays from the morning sun squeezed between my eyelids, forcing me awake. For a moment, I struggled to remember where I was. The memories came flooding back as soon as I felt Thayde’s warm skin pressed against my back. Easing forward, I peeled myself away from him and sat up. My clothes were so disheveled, it would take an army to iron the wrinkles out.

  I had been right when I figured this would be the nicest place I had ever stayed. If the rest of the suite were as nice as our room, we were all in for a real treat. Trust Thayde to go all out. I looked down at him, asleep next to me and let my greedy eyes soak in the view.

  He lay on his back, his face away from me. One arm was flung to the side, the other he held close to him, his hand resting on his hip. Though completely relaxed, his sleek body was still beautifully defined. I wondered if I was weird because I took such pleasure from looking at him; he was a piece of art.

  Making a slight noise, he turned his head. A dark shadow seemed to grow up the side of his face. Alarmed, I shifted so I could see better. A thick smoke-like line inched from the damaged area in his chest up his neck, to the side of his face.

  “Thayde!” I jostled him and his eyes opened wide. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “Look at your face!”


  He rolled out of bed and stood in front of a mirror that hung on the wall. I watched him frown as the mark slowly shrank.

  “What is that?” I cried.

  “I don’t know,” he answered, staring at his reflection. When it disappeared into the scar, he grabbed his chest in pain and at the same time, an odd sensation began in my chest, but as soon as it started, it stopped.

  “What’s going on?” I jumped out of bed, taking hold of his arm as he staggered backward. He reached for the side of the bed and sat down.

  “I don’t know,” he repeated, breathing heavily.

  “I’ve got to get my mom!”

  “No, I think I’ll be okay.”

  “There’s no way I’m not telling her about this!” Flinging open the doors to our room, I ran up the stairs.

  “Mom!” I cried, pounding on their doors. There was a shuffling noise and she answered the door sleepily, tying a robe over her skimpy negligee.

  “Something’s wrong with Thayde!”

  Tammer leapt out of bed, clad in silk boxers and flew after us down the stairs.

  Thayde remained where I’d left him. Mom stood over him, checking his pulse and inspecting the mark on his chest.

  “How long have you had this?” She asked, frowning and touching the mark.

  “Ever since The Judgment.”

  “I don’t remember it being this bad. Has it gotten worse?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s having pains in his chest too.” I added, not about to let Thayde merely dismiss the problem. “That thing was crawling up his neck to his face. It looked like it was making its way to his brain!”

  Thayde massaged his chest with his hand. “I feel fine now.”

  “This is very concerning – I’ve never heard of anything like this before.” Mom sat down next to Thayde, shaking her head.

  “I have,” Tammer stepped forward. “It’s something Limus is able to do. I never thought he’d do it to his own son!”

  “What is it?” Mom asked.

  “He calls it The Shadow. I’ve seen him use it before.”

  “What happened to the person he used it on?” I asked, hoping that it wouldn’t involve the most obvious answer. I was wrong.