Oliver nodded and took her hands in his.
“I’m ready.”
“Madeline, we’re ready,” he said. He kept his gaze glued to hers.
“Picture white light; see it encompassing you, cleansing you. Release your anger and bitterness. There’s no reason to hold on to them now,” the Madeline said.
Hannah took deep breaths as she grasped Oliver’s hands tight and envisioned a soothing white light that washed away all her pain. Lethargy settled over her and she felt her body relax as her lids closed slowly. She felt Oliver take her into his arms, and cradle her.
“I forgive you,” he whi
spered.
With those three words she allowed her soul to release its grip on the heart that no longer belonged to her.
Chapter Seventeen
Juni’s eyes fluttered open and she groaned when her attempt to sit up made her head feel like it was going to split wide open. She squinted and focused in on a familiar pair of green eyes.
“Oliver, what happened?” she asked.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked. He sat beside her on the large bed that indicated she was in his bedroom.
“Falling asleep after we came home from Madeline’s, why? Have I been sick?”
“In a way. Hannah possessed you again.”
She gritted her teeth, pursed her lips and took a deep breath.
“Help me up, please.”
She winced as he helped her ease into a sitting position and propped her up with pillow.
“How long was I out? Did I hurt anyone?”
“No.” He shook his head. “We think you were out for about two and a half days, possibly more.”
She moaned as she tried to remember and drew a blank. It was like drinking too much and blacking out.
“I can’t keep doing this,” she said.
“You don’t have to worry about her anymore. She’s gone.”
“How?” she asked.
“The Soul Rescue ceremony.”
“You want me to believe she went willingly?” It was too easy. Hannah had been a nasty piece of work. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe it’d been that simple.
“Not at first.”
His hesitation made her raise an eyebrow as she waved her hand in a gesture that said and. When he continued to remain silent she spoke.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
“She almost killed him,” a feminine voice said from the doorway.
She turned her head and smiled as the olive-skinned woman came into view.