Between Loves (The Pendant Series Book 2)

  Between Loves

  Book 2 of The Pendant Series

  Written by Cynthia Austin

  Between Loves

  Copyright © 2015 by Cynthia Austin.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: June 2015

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-149-2

  ISBN-10: 1-68058-149-X

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To my husband, Robby

  If you’re reading this, it means that the book is finally perfect enough for your eyes.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 1

  Angels With Dirty Faces

  I opened my eyes the moment I hit the cement. It was as if my body had been instantaneously teleported into another realm. No longer was I in the safety of Granny’s backyard.

  I was back in the Garden.

  Samael remained on the ground in the same location his father had left him. He looked so much smaller since the last time I had seen him. He had a new look about him. It was the look of defeat. The rain fell onto his shrunken body matting his thick, black hair against his pale face, and allowing the soft linen shirt he wore to stick to his body, making it appear almost transparent.

  Again, it were as if the essence of my soul was thrown into his body and mind and I could hear, feel and emotionally sense each of his private thoughts.

  He lay in the mud not caring that the wet earth was soiling his clothes. He reasoned to himself, what good were his fine apparel if he did not have her? What good was anything without her?

  His entire universe had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. With one wave of his father’s hand, everything he had loved was gone. He cared not what happened to him now that she was removed from his life. All he cared about was Eve.

  Samael was not aware of how much time had passed since his father’s departure. It could have been seconds, minutes or even hours. Time no longer seemed to matter in this black abyss where he was now living. He lay with his cheek against the cool mud using it to soothe his hot, flushed skin. That is when he heard the calling. At first, he thought perhaps he had been mistaken. That it was just the sound of the howling wind through the hollow trees in the forest. But as he continued to listen, he found it was his name being beckoned. Samael’s head shot up at once.

  He stood, raising his ear in the direction of the call and listened for the voice. For several moments he heard nothing but the wind. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He thought that impossible, for he could identify that voice in a room filled with thousands of others speaking at once. He knew that voice. It was the voice of an angel singing her soft melodies as the stars sparkled against the moonlight. It was the voice of his angel.

  Then he heard it again. In the vast distance he heard the faint cry of his name.

  “Eve!” he shouted back. He was now a desperate man, a man so helplessly in love he would cling to any grasp of hope.

  “Samael.” The voice sounded so far away, but he didn’t care.

  He ran as fast as he could toward the voice, his fox-skinned boots slammed down hard into the wet surface of the earth crushing anything that stood in his path. He ran into the blackness not caring what was in his way until alas, he spotted a shadow in the distance.

  He came to a halt at once and began walking cautiously toward the figure. As he closed in, he could make out her glorious face. She looked so lost in her bare feet running back and forth in the woods, unable to make up her mind as to which direction to go. She was in her nightgown which was soaked with rainwater. The thin silk clung to her tiny body allowing his eyes to see the sensual shape of her womanly curves. Her long brown hair matched the color of the wood from a walnut tree. It was messy and tangled across her forehead.

  He felt his heart pounding violently in his chest.

  “Eve. I am here, my love!” Samael shouted out in her direction.

  She quickly turned toward the sound of Samael’s voice. Her shoulders slumped forward as she let out a sigh of relief and threw herself into his arms. Their bodies collided intimately and exploded together as their lips found each other’s at once. They stood in the darkness, holding each other as tight as they could. Samael grabbed Eve’s face and passionately laid kiss after kiss upon her soft skin.

  He exclaimed with all the love he felt for her at that given moment, “A kiss for every second I thought of you tonight, my dear sweet lady.” He inhaled the gracious waves of her rose perfume, almost passing out from its intoxicating scent.

  The rain stopped, as quickly as it had begun. All was eerily silent. It was in that moment Samael noticed the glowing brightness of the moon. It was a lover’s orb as it shone down directly on Eve’s olive skin illuminating her face and allowing Samael to gaze into her bright, mahogany eyes.

  “Samael, what are we to do?” Eve’s eyes glassed over sprinkled with tears from several emotions at once. “Your father has made the announcement that I am to be married within a fortnight. I am to spend a lifetime with that wretched man.”

  Samael pressed his thumb to her face ready to catch the fallen drops that threatened to spill onto her cheeks and soothed her.

  “Do not cry my love. We will be together again.” He hid any fear that he may have been feeling inside and only allowed Eve to see his hopeful face. “A lifetime is nothing when you have eternity.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

  Eve shook her head vehemently; the tears were now spilling with an onrushing volume that Samael was unable to catch. “I have eternity no longer Samael. I am to be married to Adam and then we are to be shut out of the gardens forever. We must do something. I wish not to marry Adam. I wish only to be with the other half of my soul. I am yours Samael. Always.”

  His words matched her love. “I feel the same Eve, but what are we to do? If we go against my father’s orders he will see to it that you are killed. He will have you murdered before my very eyes, just to spite me.”

  Samael grimaced at the thought and then angrily vowed, “I won’t allow that!” His lips pressed together in a tight line as his mind desperately searched for a plan he could conjure up to rescue the woman he loved.

  “I’d rather die than be with someone else,” Eve declared.

  “As would I, my love but I will not lose you to him. I’ve thought of a plan, dear Eve, and I will find you again.”

  Samael said this with as much confidence as he could render. He wanted to believe his own words but for now, he could only hope he had at least convinced her. He reached up and fingered the necklace he ha
d worn since he was a boy. It had belonged to his mother and after she had died, Samael had claimed it as his only possession of hers. It was made of ancient brass—the skin of the gods—his father had called it.

  On the chain there was an emerald pendant. Samael lifted the necklace over his head and placed it around Eve’s neck.

  “Hide this under your clothing. Never let anyone in my family see it. Keep it with you always Eve. You go with Adam and you live a long, happy life with him. Have many children. You must keep your bloodline alive, always. Pass this pendant down to your youngest relative and keep it in your family forever, until we meet again.”

  Now he was the one with tears in his eyes.

  Eve gripped the pendant with both hands, holding onto it as if it were her last dying breath on earth. She gazed at the emerald pendant as she rubbed it with her thumbs.

  She spoke with the rich emotion of devoted love. “So long as I have this, I shall always remember you, Samael, for the emerald matches your bright eyes.”

  She looked into his eyes with a longing smile as if recalling a happier memory when things were much less complicated. Samael took a deep breath and silently hoped the necklace would be enough to house a lifetime of their memories. In all truthfulness, he still had not thought of a very solid plan. He had given Eve the necklace so he could find her once he escaped the garden, but Eve would no longer retain her memories of him outside of the garden.

  There was also a strong possibility that she would be long dead by the time he escaped, and then he would have to search for the one who housed her soul. Would he be able to still love her if her soul was in another body?

  Realization came to Eve as she narrowed her eyes and shook her head in confusion. “But I don’t understand.” She looked up into Samael’s eyes searching for an answer. “Why must I pass this necklace down to my kin? Why can I not keep it until you come for me?” Her voice began to express the panic in her heart.

  Samael kissed her long and hard on her lush, pink lips. He calmed her spirit. “It is my way to you. I will find you, no matter what body your soul may possess. Just promise me that you will keep your bloodline going.”

  Then, he ominously added, “You know what happens if you don’t Eve.” His big green eyes burned into hers.

  All understanding came rushing into Eve’s mind at once. Her face crumbled and her shoulders fell forward. She sagged into his arms in painful defeat. Her heart was breaking into a thousand shards of glass, as she let out the most agonizing scream that had ever pierced Samael’s ears.

  Samael grabbed her tightly and held her up begging her to reason with him, but, Eve was inconsolable.

  “You mean not to find me in this life,” she screamed. “You plan to leave me alone rotting with that man, living a life that I dreaded in my worst night terrors. Do you not love me enough to find me within this lifetime Samael? I thought love conquered all!” Her fists pounded against his chest. She continued heaving uncontrollably shrieking cries eerily similar to the sounds of an animal being slaughtered.

  Samael held her limp body in his arms and allowed her these moments to romantically mourn. He closed his eyes as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

  “I will find you again Eve. I just don’t know how long it will take. Father has imprisoned me here and cast you out. I must learn of a way to escape and then I will seek you. I know not how long my journey will take, but I do know that I shall never give up on you, darling. Never. And you must never give up on me, do you understand?”

  Eve rested her tired face on Samael’s warm chest and listened to the calming rhythm of his heartbeat. She began to settle down into the intimacy they shared.

  Samael continued. “If you allow your bloodline to stop, your soul will have no body to go into and shall move on from this world. I will not be able to find you if you allow that to happen. Do not allow your bloodline to stop until I find you, Eve.”

  Eve stared back into his emerald green eyes as she gasped with the finality of her dying soul. “I promise.”

  He gripped her tightly and kissed her, “Now go back to your cottage and get some rest. Do not carry with you this burden. Leave it to me to shoulder. I will figure something out and I shall call upon you before your wedding night.”

  Eve wrapped her thin arms around her lover’s neck and held on so tight as if never to leave him. Samael welcomed every ounce of her and inhaled the soft floral scent of her hair as if it would be for the last time. The thought of that sent a shudder through him.

  Now, it was her turn to reassure him, “I shall do whatever is needed, my love.”

  They gave each other a passionate farewell kiss. Eve tore herself away and ran into the darkness.

  Samael was a broken man as he watched her go. It was the hardest thing he would ever have to do, this side of eternity. But he knew in his heart he would see her again. This was one battle his father would not win. He and Eve would be together again one day. It was his promise to her.

  Chapter 2

  Hospital

  I can’t explain exactly what the feeling was like. Falling? No, this was different from the familiar fall in my dreams. Here, I was awake and alert, if only for a moment.

  Floating? Yes, I was floating, I was being carried away by four angels wearing dark colored button- down shirts and slacks. They each wore a photo I.D. clipped to the front of their shirts with their names printed on them. The one speaking to me was named Gabriel.

  What a fitting name for an angel.

  “Sidney? Are you with me…can you blink twice if you hear me?” the angel asked.

  I closed my eyes to blink but my eyelids were so heavy, I allowed them to rest rather than take on the unbearable task of blinking. I was as comfortable as I had ever been, but something began to bother me.

  There was a shaking sensation rumbling through my body. I wished the angels could be a little less rough with me. The turbulence was interrupting my sleep and the vibrating grew stronger. Where was it coming from?

  First I felt it in my left leg, and then my right. I tried to ignore it and continue in my peaceful slumber, but the shaking wouldn’t stop. It was now permeating my entire body, and I heard Gabriel’s voice again. He was demanding, but I refused to give into his requests and open my eyes. It had been months since I had slept this well, why couldn’t I just be left alone?

  Then, I saw a stunning brightness.

  Opening my eyes, I was blinded by sunlight. I shielded my eyes as I turned my head trying to comprehend who and where I was. I was in a bed, but not my own bed. This bed had wheels, and it was moving.

  There was a woman down by my feet holding both of my shoes. I kicked her hands away as I met her gaze and she was uncommonly pleasant despite my hostile behavior.

  “Sidney. Welcome back.” She smiled warmly at me.

  A young man to my right responded. He was older, taller and muscular with a straight face. He held a bag of fluid above his head with one hand and with the other he gripped my floating bed which I now realized was a hospital gurney.

  “Her seizures have subsided,” the woman holding my feet told the man who appeared to be in charge.

  “That’s great news. Sidney, do you know where you are?” the man asked.

  I glanced down at his shirt and read his name badge: Gabriel.

  I heard more shouts and I twisted my head to follow the noise. I let out a wail, “Ouch.” The sudden movement hurt. A lot.

  “Try not to move Sidney,” the older man instructed.

  “Sid!” Ray shouted.

  Ignoring the man’s directions, I whirled around and caught sight of my boyfriend breaking through some yellow police tape and running up to my bed. Upon seeing his face, the memories shot back into my brain. It was as if someone had turned on a light switch as scenes hit me from all angles.

  Ray gripped my hand and began walking with the crew of EMTs next to my hospital bed. I was being rolled out of Granny’s backyard and toward an ambulance that was waiting at the end
of the driveway. There was a small crowd of neighbors gathered in the street and I began to feel a little self-conscious. I gripped Ray’s hand tightly and tried to force out a smile of reassurance for him, but it proved to take too much energy.

  I felt something wet and sticky in my hand. Letting go of Ray, I turned my palm over to inspect it and was surprised to see it was stained red. I looked at Ray for an explanation and that’s when I noticed it; there was a great deal of blood on his shirt and his hands.

  Suddenly, there was chaos all around me. With the paramedics asking me questions, police sirens, and the whispers of peering neighbors, it was all too much. All I wanted to do was sleep. My head felt like someone was pounding it with a giant club. I had never felt pain like this before.

  “Sid. What the hell happened?” Ray asked as he climbed into the ambulance with me.

  I shook my head, and flinched as more shards of needles shot into my brain.

  “BP’s rising, looks like she may seize up again. Sir, I need you back away,” the woman in charge of my feet ordered Ray.

  I opened my mouth to speak to Ray, but words failed me. I was so exhausted that it seemed almost impossible to speak. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to push the pain back. My head felt like it was going to explode. Then I heard my voice speaking to no one in particular, “I don't feel very well.”

  I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep. My body began to rumble as I helplessly exited the real world and fell back into unconsciousness.

  Chapter 3

  The Big Breakdown

  At a time when sleep was crucial to me, my mind would not allow it. As quickly as I lost consciousness, I was thrown back into the vortex of a profound dream that seemed to be spiraling out of control. It was a doozy.