The Spirit Guardians Book 4: Liberated

Chapter 45

The darkness swirls around her, engulfing her in an eternity of dreams. She feels as if she sleeping—then drowning—then floating. A light flickers in the distance, one she is desperately reaching her fingertips toward. It is far, yet so close. Her body aches, and her eyelids droop with tiredness, but she keeps reaching, just to get the tiniest grasp on the bit of light that has invaded the everlasting darkness.

A voice sounds in her head: "We will be with you." She has no time to consider who is speaking, what the words mean, when she feels a sudden rush of energy. The pale blue light grows brighter until it practically blinds her. She carefully reaches forward, feeling everything explode with a shock.

Beep. Beep.

Cassie's eyelids very slowly fluttered open. They threatened to close again, but, with all her might, she forced them to remain half-lidded. She had become very aware of the mask pressed to her face and the tubes connected to her arm. Someone's hand was grasped to hers, she realized, as her senses slowly returned to her body. She let out a tiny groan of discomfort, beginning to feel how sore and weak her body was. Her right hand ached slightly, though she couldn't remember exactly why.

The person beside Cassie made a gasp. Her eyes were still sensitive to the light, but she could just make out the green in the other's eyes, realizing it was Marc. He let out a loud cry that made Cassie's ears ring.

Then, his hands were gently pulling the oxygen mask off her. Cassie gasped for fresh air, allowing it to fill her lungs again. She was alive.

"Cass," Marc cried out, squeezing her left hand tightly.

She blinked for a few moments, trying to squeeze his hand back, but finding she did not have much strength to do so. She cleared her throat, trying to find her voice, as she said, "S-Sit me up." It was more of a croak, as her voice was weakened. Cassie was confused, afraid, and exhausted. But as her senses began to settle, she realized she was back in Francesco's cabin, in a room not her own, but still in his cabin, judging by the familiar wallpaper. She was far away from Lynch and the Preservers.

"Careful. You're still very weak," Marc said. Marc adjusted her pillows slightly, his hand pressed firmly against her back as she adjusted her body slowly so that she was sitting more upright. She had barely uttered another word when Marc's lips came down on hers, very gently. She gasped in surprise, though kissed him back with all the energy she could, forgetting for a moment what kissing him had felt like. It felt like she had been asleep for years.

Marc pulled his lips away and pressed his face in the space between her neck and shoulder, his body wracked by sobs. Cassie gently held his head against her and ran a few fingers through his hair, breathing slowly and deeply. They stayed like that for a couple minutes, as Cassie got used to breathing on her own again and feeling awake once more. Her eyes could stay fully open now without threatening to close now. Marc seemed to sense this, as he finally began to speak once more.

"I thought you'd never wake up," he cried out.

The events of her mind were slowly returning to her in detail. Lynch had captured her, separated her from Marc, and taken her out into the forest. And then she had found the Guardians, and they'd ended Lynch's reign. But she remembered little after that. She realized suddenly that her hand was bandaged from where Lynch had stomped on it.

"How long was I out?" Cassie murmured. 

"Two and a half weeks," Marc breathed, pulling away to look at her with his wet eyes.

Cassie hadn't realized so much time had passed, yet then again, she had felt as if she had been dreaming an awfully long time. It was no wonder he was sobbing profusely. He had thought she was going to die. She suddenly felt awful at the thought of making him suffer.