Walking quickly and with purpose, Serena made her way down the street, turned a corner, and walked up the path to her home. Seeing the house looming before her brought back all sorts of memories. Memories not yet ready to be faced. So she grabbed the Jeep’s keys from her purse, choosing instead to jump in her car and drive to her shop. She knew she had a ton of paperwork to do. Maybe that would distract her enough from her troubles.Every few minutes, Serena checked her rearview mirror, watching for any signs of people following her. Now that she was alone, looking out for herself became her number one priority. She still had to contend with Dr. Chappo and his crazy scheme. When she pulled into the back lot, she saw no one loitering or hanging out in their cars, and waited another few minutes. She went in the back entrance, snuck into her office, and called Callie on the intercom system.“Hey, Callie, it’s Serena. I’m in my office, but I don&rsq

Realizing she may have put herself at risk even though she had checked numerous times for anyone following her, Serena hastily packed up her belongings and made the arduous trek back to the trail’s beginning. She returned to her Jeep a different person though, a person maybe without all of the answers, but definitely more assured of what she wanted for herself. She had come to certain understandings about Raphael. She had decided that they did not have a future together, but she could forgive him his cowardice at not revealing Sirona as his wife. She had declared war on Sirona’s soul. She wasn’t sure how it was all going to turn out, but at least everyone knew where they stood. And she had a better knowledge of the possible motives behind Dr. Chappo’s obsession with her. Knowledge is power. I may not be a goddess, but I’m one strong-willed, pint-sized woman!****Wheezer watched as Serena emerged from the forest. He saw her look around ten

“Damn it! You’d better be all right, Serena. And if you are, I’m gonna kill you when I see you,” Raphael muttered to himself as he flew over the mountains toward Michael and Emma’s house. “Why did you have to run? Why couldn’t you stay and hear me out? I could have kept you safe.”The D’Angelos lived near the base of the Superstition Mountains in Prophet’s Point. From their house, it would only take about a half hour or forty minutes to get to the area where Dr. Chappo lived. By air, about a minute. It took all of Raphael’s willpower to keep from flying straight there. There were two things that stopped him. He didn’t have the exact location of Dr. Chappo’s estate, and he knew Gabriel spoke the truth. Going alone right now would ensure failure and put Serena’s life even more at risk. So he’d settled for following through on the directive: go to Michael’s and get his head on straight. Not an easy task in and of itself.It wouldn’t take him three hours to get to his house, but it wasn’t

When she had looked up information about Sirona, not only did she find text on her, but images as well. And she’d be damned if the gown wasn’t a replica of one she had seen in one of those images. Her suspicions were correct. He thought her to be Sirona, the Goddess of Healing, reincarnated. Damn it all!“I guess my other clothes wouldn’t do now that I’m all clean, huh?”“Oh no, ma’am! Strict instructions. You are to wear the gown. Your other clothes are to be taken and thrown out. They’re all shredded, anyway, so there’s no sense in keeping them. I think you made out better in the deal. This gown is gorgeous!” Roberta gushed.“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Serena muttered and rolled her eyes. “Okay, let’s put the thing on me.” She stood a tad stronger than just a few minutes ago. Good news.Roberta expertly tossed the gown over Serena’s head and secured the many buttons along the side. Serena had to admit she felt phenomenal in the gown. It left one shoulder bare and draped seductively ove

Roberta had been gone for what seemed an interminable amount of time before Serena heard the sliding doors to her bedroom suite ease open. Her stomach twisted in impossible knots as she succumbed to nerves. She would finally meet the monster who had completely ruined her life. Pacing around the bedroom, the dressing area, the bathroom, and the sitting area did nothing to quell the sense of unease and foreboding within her. And every time she passed the blasted mirror she had wanted to throw something to smash it to smithereens. Oh, she was angry. Anxious and angry. Not a good combination at all.“Dr. Chappo will see you now,” Roberta informed her. “He wanted me to smooth over the introductions since his appearance tends to startle some people. So let me tell you a couple of things before I bring him in. Understand that he can no longer make facial expressions, so please listen to his words carefully so as not to misconstrue his meaning. He says what he means