James Sherman.
Bruce Mayhand.
Mrs. Mayhand
Lennox Demetri.
Julia McGrath.
Julia was laughing as her blue orbs reflected the fire’s flames. Simply seeing her made me smile. Her laugh and voice were a melody as her blond hair fell like a veil. Turning to me, her gaze glistened with desire.
I wanted her.
All of her.
Yes, it was sexual, Julia was sexual. Simply her presence stirred the part of me that claimed her.
She reached out, her lips moving. “I love you.”
I gasped.
Like a vapor or illusion, she was gone.
Madison was in her place. Not Madison Montgomery, the one I knew before life took its toll. No, the woman reaching out to me filled me with fright, a modern-day monster walking in the sunlight.
“Where is Julia?”
Sleep.
“Julia.” The name came from my dry lips as my eyes fought to open. I breathed in cool air. Exhaustion held me down, its weight almost unbearable. Never in my life could I recall feeling this tired and weak. As if I were fighting to pull myself from the depths of Lake Superior, the room around me came into view. “Where the fuck am I?”
“Van.” A hand covered mine.
I blinked, trying to focus.
“Julia,” I said again.
“No, Van. It’s me.”
Blond hair caused my heart to race as beeps filled the air. It was the woman’s green eyes that I stared upon. I hadn’t seen them in years, and yet I had. They looked back at me from the mirror every day. “Olivia?”
How long has it been since I’ve seen my sister?
Is she an illusion?
Liv nodded. “It’s good to see your eyes.”
My head pounded.
“Fuck.”
Liv was speaking, but sleep pulled me back.
Our wedding was about to start.
Julia’s and mine.
The fire crackled, warming me as I looked down at where our hands were connected. My gaze moved upward, her blond hair… green eyes… “No.”