Fate (Drift Series Book 4) by Michael Dean Read Free Book Online Page A

larger as he shifted he eyes, signaling for me to look behind my back to where Elysia was standing.
    I turned and looked where he was looking, still unclear about what he was trying to tell me.
    Elysia smiled at me.
    “You used to know me, Leo…I was once upon this earth with you. Except you knew me when I was like this…”
    Argento raised his hand to her and I began to watch Elysia age backwards. Her face, her size and her height began to change until what stood before me was a little girl, about eight years old. It was Christina, Leonard’s—my—daughter from my past life. I was completely at a loss for words.
    “She is your daughter, son,” Argento added. “She’s been watching over you ever since you’ve been a Drift Demon.”
    I couldn’t speak. I just stared at her.
    “I am your daughter, Leo.” Christina smiled at me.
    I was in such awe that I could only simulate breathing heavily and let out a huff, a very human-like reaction. I was in pure joy, confusion, and elation all at the same time. I didn’t know what to do with myself.
    Then all of a sudden the little girl ran into me and embraced me. I leaned over and held her tight. I think in this moment if I was able to cry, I would have.
    Within my arms, as I rubbed her head in my hands, she grew back to the woman that I knew as Elysia. We hugged for a few moments more before she pulled away from me enough to speak to me while we remained in an embrace.
    “This is what I would have looked like if I had survived past that night and would have been allowed to grow up on Earth. You see me as I was meant to be, Father.” She smiled as a tear fell from her eye.
    “Is this real? Is this really happening? No tricks designed for me to take your side fully in this fight?” I looked to Argento for reassurance.
    “This is real, Leo. Elysia is your daughter. No tricks, no games, what you see is what is.”
    I looked back to Elysia, “What about Isabelle?”
    “She’s among us too. She has a different job now, like all of us do, but she is safe and on our side. She made it.” Elysia smiled, which made me smile.
    We finally released our embrace.
    “So where do we go from here?” I asked.
    “Have we earned your trust now, Father?”
    I nodded in approval, still a little apprehensive, but more at peace with their involvement with my situation now.
    “Continue on your path, Leo. That is all we can tell you for now. We will have more counsel to come, more pertinent information about your cause, but that, as you well know, will come when the proper time arises for you to learn of it. We are here for you, Leo, right when you will need us the most. I promise you. Besides, you have a phone call you’ve been waiting on that needs answering,” Argento concluded as he pointed at my pocket.
    With that, my phone started to ring. I smiled at him and looked over to my daughter who smiled back.
    “Until the next time, Father.” She grinned and walked back to me, giving me one last hug.
    “Until next time.”
    Elysia stepped back away from me, placed her hood back over her head along with Argento and the two of them walked into the nearby woods and disappeared.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 5
     
    RECOVERY
     
     
    I looked down at the phone and saw that it was Shade finally calling me. I hoped that it was good news.
    “Hey, baby.” I picked up.
    “Hey, hun. I’ve missed you,” Shade replied.
    I was relieved to hear her voice again. It had been quite a while since I got to speak with my fiancée. We talked for a bit and she informed me that everyone was recovering while in my absence—full strength, for all parties that were ill had almost fully recovered. Scruffy, Benjamin, Amanda, Richard, and Anne had all returned to their human routines in life. We thought it best that I waited another week or so before returning and she would let everyone know, including my family, that she had spoken to me and that I would be back from my “missions” very