Aris Rising: The Court of Vampires: AN INFINITY DIARIES NOVEL Read Free Page A

in the Chicago skyline.
    #
    The hour was late as she let herself into her apartment. Turning on the light and hanging her coat in the closet, she looked forward to a warm cup of tea. She glanced through the mail in her hands before she laid it on the hall table next to her purse.
    Turning, she made her way to the stove then set the kettle on theburner. It had been a long day and she couldn’t get Carlos out of her thoughts. No, it was Aris. But he looked like Carlos. Sometimes she thought she would lose her mind at the impossibility of her present reality. She stood, staring into space, immobile, while her thoughts raced at break-neck speed. She tried to put a halt to them, or at least slow them down as she opened the cupboard to find a cup.
    She brewed her tea, stirred a huge tablespoon of honey into it and crossed to her bedroom. Turning on the light, she yawned. She almost dropped the mug when she looked toward her bed. Lying on her pillow was one long stemmed blood red rose. She gasped as she realized someone had been in her apartment. Reaching for the phone, she called the lobby. The doorman answered in two rings.
    “This is Sarah Hagan, Tom. Has anyone been here asking to see me this evening?”
    “Why, no, Miss Hagan. It’s been quiet all evening.”
    “Have you been away from the desk at all.”
    “No Miss, I’ve been glued to this seat since five o’clock. My relief had an emergency and he’s late. I haven’t moved since I got here.”
    “Thank you, Tom.”
    She hung up the phone with one word on her lips. “Aris.” She knew if he were still there, he would have shown himself.
    It took everything she had not to call him and let him know it wasn’t okay to sneak into her apartment without telling her. Not now, not ever. She caught herself just in time, deciding to wait until their next session. She couldn’t allow herself to think about it. If she thought about it, she would explode. She turned off the light and in full denial; she went into the bathroom to prepare for bed. “I’m exhausted. I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 4
    T he recliner in Bonnie’s office felt familiar and comfortable as she leaned back into the soft leather cushions. After her divorce she visited Bonnie for weekly therapy sessions to work through all the steps of finding herself as a single woman again. That painful part of her life seemed so distant now and her reason for these current sessions so absurdly different.
    Decorated in beige and taupe, the room promoted an atmosphere of relaxation, a sense of well-being and peace. Sarah desperately needed the respite from her confusion. She needed to let go of her tumultuous present, to have a moment in a different reality. She sighed deeply as Bonnie began the familiar induction. Her muscles grew soft; she felt her consciousness was floating a few inches above her body. Bonnie’s well-defined words took her back through space and time to a century long ago.
    SARAH HAGAN, transcript, session 1
    “In your imagination, look at your surroundings. Absorb them.” She was quiet for a moment allowing her friend time to adjust to the hypnotic state. She spoke quietly. “Where are you Sarah?”
    “Cotswold in the manor house of my father, Sir Henry Wyatt.” Sarah’s voice was soft, her words slightly slurred, as if she found it difficult to speak.
    “I am standing in the great hall as the servants light candles against the twilight. The flames dance in reflection on the pale green mullioned windows.”
    “What year is it Sarah?”
    “It is 1530.”
    “What season?”
    “It is autumn and there is a chill in the air. It is near the time of All Hallows Eve and the manor is bustling with wonderful smells of harvest pies and cakes baking in the ovens of the kitchen.”
    “What else do you see Sarah?” Sarah lay silent for a few moments as Bonnie watched the movement of her eyes beneath her eyelids.
    “The room is large, long with a high, high ceiling. The great gray