Fifth a Fury (Goddess Isles 5)

I shrugged weakly. “That there is no such thing as a soul?”

She smiled gently. “The opposite.”

I sat straighter. “You mean…you have scientific proof that something other than blood and bone make up a living thing?”

“It’s still early days, but yes. We have proven that the electrical impulses of the body are caused by two things. The brain and nervous system…and something we can’t explain. Something that weighs the smallest amount but registered on our scales as missing at the exact moment of death. An indisputable finding that something left the body when it was no longer viable.”

I dug my fingernails into Sully’s shoulder without thinking. I transmitted my shock because I wanted to tell him that I’d been wrong when I said it was biology as we’d strolled around Lebah, discussing our unfortunate desires.

I’d made him accept our connection by delivering it in terms he was comfortable with: biology between compatible mates. The instinct of herds and harems that paired up individuals to ensure survival and procreation.

But if what this doctor said was true, then I’d lied.

It wasn’t biology at all.

It was kismet all along and his soul—the very thing doing its best to jump ship—was intangibly linked to mine and always would be.

The doctor smiled at where I touched Sully, adding, “I’m a woman of facts and medicine. I’m a sceptic until undeniable evidence is provided, and what I’m witnessing between you two just solidifies the study of souls. Your touch works better than any adrenaline or drug we could give him to keep his system stabilised. Whatever bond you guys share is worthy of further investigation because I see it in action before my eyes.”

Shifting on the seat, looking out the window to a new dawn blanketing Indonesia in creams, golds, and crimsons, she said, “He’ll have other things to fight for the moment he senses he’s home, but my suggestion for the duration of his coma…don’t let go.”

Chapter Twenty

ELEANOR.

That was her name.

It exploded through the darkness. A neon word full of narrative of our forgotten beginning…and our unknown end. A flash of togetherness and the undeniable acceptance that I loved her more than anything.

I looked for the soft glow of the string I’d grown accustomed to—the only light in my darkness.

It was there, pulsing with a golden shimmer, warm and comforting when I reached out to grasp it. I shuddered as a familiar sizzle of electricity infected my fingers.

This wasn’t just a string.

It was a rope.

A rope made of affection, one we both held on to, and hopefully a path back to her if I could figure out how the hell to wake up.

Eleanor.

Jinx.

I’d named her Jinx.

And for the first time since we’d met, she was no longer a curse.

She was my saviour.

* * * * *

Weightlessness could even upset someone deep within their mind.

A sway of unnatural flight.

A screech that sounded mechanical.

My mind recognised certain things but couldn’t grant me pictures as to what they were.

It was frustrating. Worrying. Compounding my growing strength and feeding me toxic anxiety to be free.

I didn’t know how to escape this prison.

There were no locks or doors or keys.

I was alone with just a string for company.

The weightlessness ended.

The screech cut off.

A different kind of motion manipulated a body I couldn’t see or operate.

Outside sensations became stronger.

The bumping journey of whatever I lay upon.

The whisper of heat upon my skin.

Relief filled me.

I didn’t know how or why, but the darkness stopped being my enemy and paused.

I hovered in nothingness, trying to figure out what’d changed.

And something was put into my hand.

I felt it.

The ambient heat. The spillage of softness. The stress of knowing what it was yet unable to name it.

And then the sensation was gone.

I panicked.

The darkness drew ranks and closed with thick curtains.

But the glowing string between Eleanor and me brightened, and for the second time, I felt touch and knew where it originated.

My cheek.

Lips on my cheek and breath by my ear.

I could feel my body, systemically regaining ownership…even if my mind was still faraway.

And my ears obeyed me, accepting her voice and unscrambling the words I hadn’t been able to understand while I’d been a speck.

But I was more than just a speck now.

I was stronger.

I’m aware.

I’m hers.

“You’re home, Sully. Keep fighting and wake up because you’re home.”

Chapter Twenty-One

SAND SPILLED THROUGH SULLY’S fingers as I once again scooped up a handful and placed it into his palm.

He hadn’t twitched or showed any sign that he recognised his home or his islands.

But I wouldn’t give up on him.

I refused to believe he’d vanished, leaving only his body behind.

His mind was in there, somewhere…it has to be.

“Feel that, Sully? That’s your beach. No more people or cities. No more Drake or wars. It’s over, and we’re home.”

I kicked off my sneakers as the doctors struggled to push Sully’s stretcher through the heavy sand.