Oracle Rising Read Online Free Page B

trying to find someone.
    Then Nate told her to relax. Well, he ordered her to chill out. It was his belief that she was putting too much stress on herself.
    Maybe he was right.
    So, instead of searching for someone, Avalon let the universe direct fate toward her. She let it seek her out, giving her the clues they needed to find the right one.
    As she closed her eyes, she immediately felt it. The horror welled up, nearly stealing her breath. Someone was being hunted by a sick individual.
    She was alone.
    She was scared.
    She was going to die.
    There was a woman out there who needed them. Avalon reached deep inside her mind to find out more about this weeping person.
    Juliett Deveraux.
    Her name flashed through her mind.
    Serial killer.
    Avalon knew they didn't have much time. She was being tracked to her demise.
    Brutal death.
    Avalon knew what was coming. This frightened woman was running out of life.
    Hopelessness.
    It looked like they were going to be getting their first assignment, by way of the universe.
    The visions were horrible.
    There was pain.
    Suffering.
    Hate.
    Anger.
    There was rape and murder.
    Avalon grabbed her head, trying to keep the pain and sickness from finding its way into her mind. It was inky and evil, and it wanted nothing more than to overwhelm her. Instead of fighting, she fell back to lie on the bed.
    “Juliett, be calm,” she whispered, connecting with the woman. Her mind was a swirl of darkness, and Avalon worked to keep her from succumbing to it.
    It wasn’t easy.
    Being Oracle never was.
    “Shhhhhh,” she whispered, getting the woman to relax. “Talk to me.” Her voice echoed through the silence of the room.
    Avalon let the visions come.
    They were fast and hard.
    They stole her breath.
    In the end, there was a weepy voice coming through the pain and hurt. The connection was made.
    Juliett spoke.
    She let the woman tell her all the deepest darkest secrets she had. In them, Avalon saw the truth. This woman, Juliett, was being chased.
    “We’re coming. I see you. Have no fear.”
    The answer was a sob of emotions which threatened to pull her under. There was a desperation there which overwhelmed her. It made her heart ache.
    This woman was all alone.
    There was no one to save her but them.
    They needed to move fast.
    Avalon battled the darkness, trying to save the innocent woman. It was a hard fought war, and she didn't know if she’d be able to hold back what was trying to break through.
    She could feel the pain.
    See the blood.
    When the woman screamed, Avalon’s body bowed in pain. It filled every inch of her, making her teeth grind together in agony.
    There was nothing Avalon could do but ride it out. The man who hunted Juliett was strong. He wasn’t your average psychic. He was twisted by evil, and they would have one hell of a battle on their hands.
    As the pain threatened to pull her under, there was only one last resort to keep her grounded in the present. With a shaking hand, she reached for the tattoo on the back of her neck.
    The second she found it, Avalon knew what she needed to do. It was too much for her.
    She was going under. Into the darkness she’d fall, and if she did, the killer would see her.
    They’d all be in danger.
    “Nathaniel, I need you,” she whispered to the emptiness of the room. “God! I need your help.”
    With that, she focused on the woman in her mind, and the evil chasing her.
    She had to.
    Or it would swallow her and Juliett alive.
     
     
     
     
     
                                       * * *    O  R A C  L  E   * * *
     
     
     
     
    Phoenix House
    Fire Bay
     
     
     
    Nathaniel Carter was a damn lucky man. Every day he was alive, he celebrated the miracles in his life. Never would a day go by where he would forget what he’d nearly lost.
    After Avalon was ‘taken’ from him, he thought all had been destroyed. Now he had a new lease on life, and he refused to waste a single second of it.
    He had