As their arms left her, she swayed on her feet, but Annani’s hand caught her wrist and steadied her. “David is going to be just fine.”
The confidence in her mother’s voice didn’t leave room for doubt, but Sari was too old to trust platitudes even when uttered by Annani. They were meant to reassure her, but no one had a crystal ball, not even her mother.
“I wish you were right, but no one can make that promise.”
Tugging her by the wrist, Annani led her to a chair. “I can. I will give David my blessing.”
Sari stifled a sharp retort. “I appreciate the offer.” Sitting down, she chose her words carefully. “I’m sure your blessing will help, but it can’t guarantee David’s survival.”
“Yes, it can.” Annani lifted Sari’s hand and held it in her lap. “Every Dormant I blessed made it safely to the other side no matter how bad their condition was.”
“I’m proof of that,” Syssi said. “And so is Andrew. He was even older than David when he transitioned.”
Bridget sat on Sari’s other side. “As a scientist, I don’t usually believe in blessings and incantations, and yet I’m sure that your mother’s blessing saved Turner’s life. He was not only the oldest Dormant to transition to date, he was also very sick. If his recovery wasn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is.”
Sari knew Bridget well, and the doctor was way too pragmatic to offer empty words of encouragement. She’d meant every word.
Still, even though Bridget’s account of Turner’s recovery had been the most reassuring testament to the power of Annani’s blessing, Sari needed more details.
“Did Turner recover right after my mother gave him her blessing?”
Bridget shook her head. “The blessing gave Turner a chance to survive, but he had to fight for it. He was unconscious for a very long time.”
“It must have been hell for you.”
The doctor tilted her head. “It was difficult, but I wouldn’t call it hell. It became my new normal. I basically moved into the clinic and pretended as if that was our new life. I talked to Turner, assuming that he could hear my prattle, and when he finally woke up, he told me that he heard me, and that it helped him a lot. Other people came as well. They sat by his side, some reading to him, others telling him stories from their pasts, and he remembered all that as well.”
“We also held vigils,” Syssi said. “People constantly prayed for Turner. We are going to do the same for David.”
“Thank you,” Sari whispered through a tight throat.
She wasn’t a great believer in the power of prayer, but she was desperate enough to give anything a try.
Crouching in front of her, Alena put her hands on her knees. “We will hold the first group prayer today at dinner, with you leading it, and Mother will give David her blessing at the same time.” Her sister smiled. “The prayer will turbocharge the blessing and vice versa.”
It sounded good in theory, but Sari couldn’t be in two places at once. “Can we do the blessing first and then the prayer? That way I can take part in both.”
Annani shook her head. “I need to be alone with David when I give him my blessing.”
That sounded suspicious. “Why?”
“When I bless a Dormant, I focus all of my positive energy directly into him or her.” Annani cast Sari an apologetic smile. “If there is anyone else with me in the room, my focus will split.” She took Sari’s hand. “We all want what is best for David, and in this case, it is best for you to lead the prayer while I bless him.”
Hopefully, her mother was as sincere as she sounded, and her so-called blessing wasn’t an excuse to be alone with David.
It was a nasty thought, and Sari shoved it away.
Her mother would never do anything to cause her anguish, and therefore she would do nothing to harm David.
Sari looked at Alena. “I guess that I’m leading the prayer at dinner.” She turned to Syssi. “I will need help with that. I’ve never led a prayer before.”
“Kian and I are here for you. Whatever you need, it is yours.”
35
Eleanor
“That was out of this world.” Eleanor grinned at the guy who’d hooked her up to the virtual reality machine.
What was his name? Barry? Bernard? Bartolommeo? He had stayed with her throughout the experience, monitoring her vitals.
“I haven’t had this much fun in ages. Hell, I’ve never had that much fun.”
It was hard to remember what was part of the virtual adventure and what was her real life. Both worlds felt equally solid, or rather equally confusing, and the line between the two was blurry.
Heck, her real life was way more bizarre than the virtual adventure, but it was not nearly as exciting. In the real world, she never would have had the courage to do what she had done in the virtual one. And the best part was that throughout the adventure she hadn't been aware of the danger not being real, and she had still kicked it like a real badass.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” The guy started to remove the wires attached to her body.
“It felt so real.” She peeled off one sticky pad and moved to the next.
The door opened, and William walked in together with Kri. “How did it go?”
“Awesome.” Eleanor rose to her feet. “I had the best time of my life.”
Kri grinned. “I want to do that with Michael. He’s going to have a blast.”
Eleanor elbowed her. “I bet you want to do the uncensored version with him.”
The exhilaration of the chase had left her in a heightened state of arousal, and Kri was probably experiencing the same.
Before the virtual experience, Eleanor had believed herself to be the cautious type, and she’d avoided danger whenever possible, but her avatar had helped her discover that she had the heart of a warrior, and that danger excited her.
“Naturally. The adrenaline rush left me horny as hell.” Kri put her hand on William’s shoulder. “If you don’t need me, I would like to go home and do something about it.”
William blushed. “I need your feedback, but I can start with Eleanor, and you can come back later whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“Thanks.” Kri clapped him on the back and then offered her hand to Eleanor. “It was a pleasure playing with you.”
“Same here. We should do that again.”
“Definitely.”
The three of them parted ways next to the big workroom, with Kri rushing out toward the elevators, and Eleanor following William into his office at the back of it.
He cleared his throat. “I feel awkward asking this, but were there any sexual themes left in the program? I thought that my guys removed all of them.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “But you and Kri seemed very excited in a very particular way.”
Given the casual attitude most other immortals had toward sex, William’s embarrassment was sweet, even refreshing.
Eleanor leaned back in her chair. “Have you heard of combat rush?”
“Warriors talk about it.” He turned his gaze to his monitor. “Some men get aroused in dangerous situations.”