Spirit Of Faith - A.D. Mclain

A Paranormal Romance Novel Series

Spirit Of Faith by A.D. Mclain

Series Excerpt

"Breathe in. Breathe out. Good, you're doing much better." The young doctor smiled amiably and, looking at her file, provided instructions .

Nancy sat back and took a couple more deep breaths. It was amazing how much easier it was to breathe here. There was very little pain in her chest. After listening to the instructions, she gathered her bag of medicines and prescriptions, ready to head home.

"How did it go?" Paul asked. He stood and followed her from the waiting room, out to his car. He offered her an umbrella, but she walked into the rain. After countless days of rainstorms, she was used to them.

"Good. They say the treatments are working. The doctor told me to keep taking my medicine and gave me prescriptions to take back home, in case I have any flare ups once I leave."

Paul cranked the car and began driving back to the airport. "I don't know. You might have to move down here, like Mom."

Paul's mom was Nancy's Great-aunt Phoebe. Like Nancy, she suffered from breathing problems. When Phoebe's parents moved up northwest for her father's work, Nancy's grandmother was okay, but Phoebe became very sick. Eventually, she returned to Louisiana, and her breathing problems improved. Doctors could never figure it out. Nancy's grandmother never had the same problems and married out west, so she’d never moved back, but they had kept in touch; the two branches of the family were still fairly close.

It was Paul who’d suggested Nancy come visit after he heard of her bouts of an incurable respiratory illness. He’d finally convinced her to do so after getting his mom's doctor to call her doctor and arrange a consultation. The trip proved great and relaxing. She’d felt better than she had in years, but it was time to go home. Nancy hugged her cousin at the terminal gate and boarded the plane. She was asleep within minutes.

In her dreams, she was falling. Air rushed past her body. It should have terrified her, but it felt strangely comforting, like the wind was embracing her. Her sandy, long hair whipped around her face. She took control of the fall and glided over snow-covered mountains and through mammoth clouds. Massive lakes and serpentine rivers stretched out below. Animals skittered through treetops and along the ground far below. Her eyes could make out incredible details from a good distance away. She could almost guess where the animals would travel. Closing her eyes, she trusted in her body to do what it needed to. She gave in to the freedom.

Suddenly, Nancy felt everything change. She opened her eyes to darkness and found water surrounding her body, pressing in, filling her lungs. It was freezing cold. She gasped for air, but there was none. She couldn't breathe and began to flail and struggle until there was no energy or oxygen left in her body. A dazzling light shone deep in the water—the light of magic and freedom. All she had to do was swim to it.

Why was she so afraid? Just swim! She could do this. It was simple. The water was restorative, a blessing; it was good and necessary. But her body wouldn’t listen. It was afraid and resisted. She couldn't swim, it reminded her—she would drown, become lost in the depths of darkness, never to be found. But if she didn’t try, she would drown anyway. Nancy’s body and mind battled for supremacy. Fear held her back. The darkness closed in around, smothering the light until it was only a pinprick. She stared at the dot of light, holding on to it, a small glimmer of hope, until it disappeared.

"We are about to make our final descent. Please, buckle your seat belts and prepare for landing."

Nancy blinked and opened her eyes. She was on the plane. Groggily, she made sure her belt was buckled. The dream had felt so real. She could still remember the feeling of her lungs burning with pain. Her skin tingled and blood pounded in her chest and limbs, and pulsated within her head.

"I love your eyes. Are they contacts?" a young flight attendant asked as they passed each other in the aisle.

"Oh, no, they're natural," she answered automatically. People were always commenting on her icy-blue eyes. Everyone in her family had blue eyes, but hers were just a little different, lighter, with a magical sparkle. Normally, she made polite conversation, giving thanks and smiling; today, she was in no mood to chat. She walked on before the woman could say anything else .

As she made her way off the plane, she felt her chest tighten even more. Her body was weak, tired and heavy, just like she’d felt before her trip. Nothing had changed. Home, sweet home she thought with a cynical smile.

Strolling through the airport, Nancy looked longingly at the planes taking off. How she wanted to turn around and get on one of them and go somewhere else—to freedom. She thought of the first part of her dream, where she’d soared through the clouds. Truth be told, she hated heights; she’d despise being that high up, but the thought of freedom to go where she wanted and no longer be tethered to the ground was seductive. She could leave today, start a new life. She felt “almost normal” in Louisiana. She could go there … or somewhere else. There had to be other places where she could live without this constant pain.

Her feet faltered turning toward the ticket counter. Her body was ready to go. Her mind had to be the responsible one and remind her not to jump into any hasty decisions. If she wanted to move, fine. She could do research, travel around, find a place she liked, and move—with boxes, fresh clothes, and a plan, like any normal person.

“Take a leap of faith,” her heart yelled. A tear slipped down her cheek.

The air buzzed with energy. Why did this moment in time suddenly seem so very important? Without question, something big was coming. The pain in her chest increased and crushed all thoughts. She’d figure this out later. Right now, she needed to brave this breathing attack. Her mind wouldn't be able to focus until it was over.

Hailing a cab, Nancy hurried to her small mid-town apartment. Immediately, she turned on the humidifier and water fountains in every room. She popped prescription pills and downed a glass of tepid water. The water helped. The pills … not so much.

Feeling trapped and helpless, she fell onto the couch and tried to concentrate on breathing techniques. While they helped to a degree, she still gasped for air. A bath always helped. Scrambling into the stiflingly small bathroom, she pulled off her clothes and turned on the water. After dumping half a bottle of cucumber-scented bubble bath into the tiny tub, she turned on classical music and slipped into the welcome sudsy warmth.

Scented bubbles floated on top, gathering along her hips and legs. A large bath ball fizzed loudly upon hitting the water. Soothing fragrances filled the air.

It did little, however, to relieve the tightness and pain in her chest. This was more than the usual breathing problems. She was experiencing a panic attack. What if she did have to move? What if she moved and it didn't help? Yes, it had helped her great-aunt, but they were different. The doctors couldn't even figure out what was wrong with her. They treated her symptoms with a lot of trial and error, and fair amount of guesswork. What if these breathing problems worsened? You couldn't live if you couldn't breathe!

Inhaling slowly and focusing on the scents and music, her heart continued to beat too quickly. She could feel the heavy pulses through her palms, which lay on her thighs. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the beige fiberglass tub wall and felt tears of frustration well in her eyes. Why couldn't she just get better? She was tired of being sick.

Nancy took a deep breath and tried to contain the panic. Things weren't over yet. Sinking further down, Nancy practiced breathing techniques until the frantic beating of her heart slowed and the pain subsided. Slowly, her breaths became deeper and longer. Her pulse slowed. Tight muscles relaxed. The pain subsided. She remained in the tub until the water grew tepid. Then, waiting for the tub to drain, she stood and toweled off, dressing quickly .

Now that her breathing was under control, she was starving, but she was in no mood to cook. Her sister, Cindy, wouldn't be home from work for a few hours. If she wanted to eat before morning, she’d have to go out now, alone. Slipping on a light sweater and an old, worn-out pair of sneakers, she headed out.

Where to go? She wasn't really in the mood for anything in particular. She just wanted to eat something. As she drove past several fast food places, restaurants, and all-night convenience stores, she spaced out and suddenly found herself on the outskirts of the city, with nothing for miles in either direction. To make matters worse, the low-fuel light was blinking, and she had no idea how long it had been on. She pulled onto the shoulder of the road and turned back, but she didn't get far before the car died, out of fuel.

"No, no, no, no, no." She slapped the steering wheel and tried to get the car moving. It was no good. Gazing around, she saw distant city lights. The road, however, was dark and void of traffic.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and called her sister. The screen lit up for a second before the low battery indicator blinked and the phone chimed as it turned off. The screen was dark. With the breathing issues and panic attack, she’d forgotten to charge it when she got home. Now, the phone was dead and she was stuck at the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere.

When Nancy opened the car door, a cold blast of wind hit her hard and she quickly closed it. She’d forgotten how cold it could get here at night. Honestly, she’d forgotten it was winter. The weather had been so warm and pleasant on the trip, she’d spent most of the time wearing shorts and sandals. There were one or two times a light sweater had been required, but the next day it had proven warm again. Even the nights hadn't gotten this cold. Given the freezing temperature, there was no way she could walk back to town. She was stuck. Feeling helpless and frustrated, she rested her head on bent arms against the steering wheel and cried.

Books In This Series

Calaspia (Spirit Of Faith Book 1)