Oracle: The Atlantean Line Trilogy

by Lisa Forest

Overview

Bridget Davis has been running from an unknown past and an unseen enemy for as long as she can remember. All she knows is what her mother has told her: she is an oracle whose special abilities are about to manifest. But just as she is ready to begin her senior year of college, her mother dies, leaving her in the care of Dr. Cole Weber. Now, as Bridget's gifts become more pronounced, only Cole knows the truth about their origin.

Bridget feels cursed by the gifts that allow her to shape-shift into the forms of animals and see the past and future. Trusting Cole, however, she is unexpectedly thrust into the supernatural world of Greek gods and goddesses. Cole, it seems, is Eros, god of love, and Bridget is his last living descendant and a hybrid.

Unfortunately, the gods are alien imposters-and Bridget is one of them. Amid visions of blood-soaked battles, vampires, and passionate betrayals, Bridget begins to see that she is the key to mankind's survival. But just as Cole teaches Bridget about her past, defends her life with the help of Athena, and rekindles their hunger for each other, Bridget finds a love of her own in the arms of another hybrid.

In this fantasy novel, passions roar to life as the dark forces of Greek myth close in, leaving a goddess with no choice but to embrace her warrior heritage-before it is too late.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491704103
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/19/2013
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

Read an Excerpt

Oracle

The Atlantean Line Trilogy

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By Lisa Forest

iUniverse LLC

Copyright © 2013 Lisa Forest
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4917-0410-3

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CHAPTER 1

The morning was cool, and a thick mist covered the boardwalk at Yellowstone's hot springs. Bridget carefully placed one foot in front of the other as she went along. It was the first real vacation she'd ever had. Her mother had never allowed them. She stopped for a minute, listening to the muted sounds of birds chirping in the tree line on the other side of the caldera. She felt strangely at peace. It was a perfect day. Her mother had walked a little farther down the boardwalk. Bridget assumed she was scouting the terrain. She was always scouting. Bridget wasn't worried about that now, though. She was immersed in the sounds and sights of the nature surrounding her. She breathed deeply and scrunched up her nose. The rotten-egg smell of the springs inundated her senses. Looking skyward, she saw a bald eagle on the wing. It glided effortlessly above her, and Bridget wished that she could join it in the heavens. She wanted to be a bird and fly away. The summer morning sunshine warmed her shoulders, and she smiled.

Then she heard it. Her mother's frantic footsteps, faint at first, grew louder as she approached. In just a matter of seconds, her mother grabbed her by the arm, and Bridget's perfect day had ended.

"Run, Bridget!"

"What? Why?"

"Just go! You're not safe."

She didn't know why, but her feet started off as fast as they would carry her, just like every time before. They were supposed to be safe here. They were supposed to be able to stop running. But they weren't safe. Nowhere was safe. Hearing the sound of her mom's footsteps behind her, she looked back; her mom was trailing behind her in the mist. No one was chasing them.

Bridget stopped, out of breath and out of patience. "Mom, there's no one there." She gestured to the empty boardwalk behind her, most of it swallowed by the rising steam. "Can't you, please, just stop it? I'm tired of this bullshit! No one's here, no one's chasing us."

"Goddamn it, Bridget, just run!"

Her mother caught up to her on the boardwalk that wound its way through the hot springs. She struggled against her mother's grasp. Her mother was trying to pull her further up the path, but Bridget remained fixed in place, the stubborn expression on her face unwavering despite the dilating pupils in her mother's eyes.

"Stop it, Mom! This needs to end. I'm tired of running from shit that isn't there. I'm just ... tired!" Bridget collapsed on the wooden planks that separated her from the boiling water below.

Her mother's arms wrapped around her. Bridget began to cry as her mom's grip tightened. This was supposed to be a vacation. It was supposed to be a time of fun and relaxation with her mom, but it was turning out to be like every other day. She'd been running with her mom her entire life, and she didn't know why. Her mom was always looking over her shoulder. She was suspicious of everyone and everything. Bridget wasn't allowed to make friends. She wasn't allowed to talk to anyone about anything more than just superficial crap. No one could know who they were, because everyone was a threat.

Bridget knew she was special—she never doubted that—but she didn't believe that every creak in the floorboard or every person that looked in her direction was dangerous. However, as far as her mom was concerned, everyone was one of the others.

With a little prodding from Janice, Bridget lifted her chin to look into her mother's eyes. "Bridget. Baby. We have to go. Please, don't cry. Just trust me, okay? We need to go now."

"No." Bridget pushed her mom's trembling hands away. "I can't go any farther. There's no one here except us. Why do you have to keep doing this to me? Look—I understand the need to be cautious. I understand your need to move. I don't understand running when there's obviously no one chasing us."

"Stop it. We don't have time for this."

"You haven't told me anything. I don't know why we're running, and I don't know who the others are! I don't know who my father is. Hell, I don't even know who I am. All I know is that you keep saying I'm an oracle. So am I supposed to sit around in a smoke-filled room chanting mantras and eating lotus leaves? You tell me I'm in danger. But nothing happens, Mom. Nothing ever happens, except that we move to a new town, in a new state, and I have to start all over. I'm tired of starting over. You know, I thought that I'd get to lead a normal life at UU."

"Bridget, stop, honey."

"My life's good in Ohio, but now you're even screwing that up. Why'd you have to move up there?"

"You know why. Now stop acting like a child."

"No, Mom, I won't stop, because you won't stop. Talk to me. Tell me the truth for once."

"I've never lied to you. I've always told you the truth."

"You haven't given me real answers, just half truths. I want to know the whole truth for once, and I'm not moving until I get it. I'm not running anywhere until I understand."

The steam rising from the springs and mud pots enveloped them. Bridget shook her head as Janice looked up and down the boardwalk, the visibility almost nonexistent. She heard only the splishes and splashes of the boiling water and the burping sounds emitted by the mud pots. Janice sat down beside her.

"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you more than you know now."

"Okay. Who's my father?"

"Not that, honey. Not now."

Bridget groaned. This was going to be no different from any other talk. She'd ask questions, and her mom would refuse to answer.

"All right then, why'd you tell me to stay away from Dr. Weber? I remember him, you know. Not well, but I remember. And now I see him all the time around campus. He was always nice to me my first two years, and then you told me to stay away from him. Why?"

"You just have to trust me, Bridget. He's a dangerous man. Well, he's not dangerous, but danger follows him. Your abilities are beginning to manifest themselves, and that'll make him want to be closer to you, but you can't let him."

"Abilities?" Bridget laughed. "I know what I can and can't do. I'm not seeing anything new, so can you explain these abilities you're talking about, Mom? Oh and don't talk about me being an oracle. My dreams are just dreams. I have daydreams and nightmares like any normal person. That's not the definition of a special ability."

"I wish you'd stop saying that. They are abilities. I have them too. You get them from me ... and your father. You've been seeing the past, but it won't stop there. Soon you'll be able to see the future too, just like I do."

"That's why we're always running, because you think you can see the future? Christ, Mom."

"I've kept you safe. I've kept you alive, but I won't be able to do it forever. Humans die, Bridget."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course everyone dies." Bridget narrowed her gaze to a questioning squint. "Are you dying? Is that what you're saying?"

"I've been dying for a while now, honey, but I've made sure you'll be taken care of."

"What? Are you being serious right now? You're dying, right. I know that every day is one day closer to death, but what you said just now isn't funny, Mom. It's really cruel."

"Breast cancer," Janice whispered.

Bridget stopped breathing, stopped moving.

"I have stage four breast cancer. I've got maybe three more months, but I took care of you. I have a life insurance policy in your name that'll give you enough money to start a new life. When I'm gone, I want you to take it and leave. Don't tell anyone where you're going. You won't have to work, so you can use a different name. Just go somewhere new and start a new life."

They sat staring at the ever-thickening steam. Bridget let the roller coaster of emotions ride out inside her, holding them in, keeping them from playing out like a Broadway musical on her face. When she knew her voice wouldn't crack, she broke the silence, managing to keep the emotion out of her tone.

"I'm going to finish college, Mom. I've never finished anything. I've never had the chance, but I am going to finish college."

"Baby, trust me on this one. You'll be better off if you start over."

"No." Bridget's gaze didn't falter. "No. I'm not starting over again, not this time. For the first time in my life, I feel normal, or at least stable." Before she could continue, they felt the wooden boards under them tremble.

Bridget flinched as Janice's head suddenly turned. Her eyes strained to peer through the mist, and her mind tried to filter out all the ambient noise in the caldera. Then came the soft thumping sound of an animal's feet slapping down upon the walkway.

"Run." Her mother's voice was barely above a whisper.

This time, Bridget didn't argue. This time, she ran. She wasn't convinced it was the sound of certain death, but it sent an ominous feeling throughout her body, and the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. Whatever it was, she decided to take her mom's advice.

Bridget scrambled off in the direction of the trail that led to the parking area. It seemed as though every board on the walkway intentionally tried to trip her. She stumbled, nearly falling from the wooden surface into a brilliant, blue-green hot spring. The smell of sulfur burned her lungs as she struggled back to her feet. The morning was cool, and the steam was dense because of it. She could barely see more than ten feet in front of her. Bridget lost sight of her mom in the mist, but she could hear her moving in the opposite direction. She stopped and called to her, but the only reply was a deep growl that came from just beyond her field of vision. Then a second growl rumbled through the thickening mist. It was different from the first growl, more feline.

Bridget was scared. The blood coursing through the veins in her neck seemed to freeze. She called to her mom again. No response. Terror gripped her as she turned and ran for the safety of the car. Bridget's heart raced as her small but powerful legs carried her up the trail.

After reaching the parking lot, Bridget fumbled with the car keys, dropping them while trying to unlock the door. Her shaking hands scooped them from the gravel and forced the key into the lock. She quickly climbed in, slammed the door, and locked it. Every sound startled her, causing her to quickly look in one direction and then the next, expecting something to jump out at her. She desperately wanted to find her mom, but fear consumed her. It paralyzed her, and her inability to act angered her.

Bridget sat, gripping the steering wheel and peering at the end of the trail. One minute passed, and then another and another. Waiting helplessly was agonizing. The thought of losing her mom terrified her. Despite all the years of running and hiding and all the frustration with her mom, Bridget loved her deeply. Now she faced the prospect of losing the only constant in her life.

Fifteen minutes later, Janice appeared at the end of the trail, bleeding and nearly naked. Bridget knew what it meant; this time there was trouble. Her mom looked hesitantly to the left and then the right. Bridget unlocked the passenger side door and fired up the engine.

"Mom, come on!" she yelled through the crack of her barely rolled-down window. Bridget pulled to a stop at the trail's edge, and Janice climbed in the backseat.

"Where's the backpack?" Janice questioned.

"It's under the blanket." She hadn't seen her mom naked before. She was always clothed head to foot, even at the beach. "Mom, where did all the blood come from?"

"It's okay, Bridget. It's not mine. It was just a black bear, not what I'd thought."

"Just a black bear. Are you telling me that you just fought a bear?"

"Relax and drive. I'm fine, and yes, I just fought off a bear. It wasn't expecting me. I took it by surprise and pushed it off the walkway. It's dead now."

Bridget looked at her mom incredulously as she wheeled the car around in the lot. Her mom used every single wet wipe in the small package that had been buried in the backpack. The more blood she wiped off, the more her skin was exposed—what was left of it.

Bridget cringed in horror as she saw the searing, red, puckered scars peek out from under the blood. They were everywhere, some more faded than others, but all of them pointed out that Bridget knew absolutely nothing of the painful sacrifices her mom had been making over the years. A new long tear in Janice's right arm appeared over a few existing scars. Janice cleaned it quickly and concealed it. Bridget made it to the road, and the Monte Carlo fishtailed as she turned to the right, distracted from the horror show in the backseat. "Slow down!"

Bridget's eyes returned to the road. She let her foot off of the accelerator, and the back end of the car slid back into the appropriate lane.

"You know, you scared the shit out of me back there, Mom. I'm still scared. I'm still shaking. I don't think I can drive like this." Bridget pulled onto the shoulder.

"Okay, I can drive," Janice said. "Just give me a minute to finish dressing."

"What did you mean when you said it wasn't what you'd thought?"

"I thought it may have been one of the others. Thank God it was just a bear."

"Sure, right, it was just a bear." Bridget shrugged sarcastically. "No one knows we're even here. How would someone have found us?" Her past convictions won out over the discovery of her mom's marred flesh. "Ugh. I don't wanna live like this anymore. I mean it. I'm done. I'm going back to school. I'm going to graduate and get a job. Maybe I'll even get married. But whatever I do, it won't be this. My kids aren't gonna grow up like this. I'm not like you, Mom. No matter how badly you wanna believe I am, I'm just not. I thought this vacation would be good for us. I thought you'd relax and we'd just enjoy our time together. I was wrong. And you've been wrong too. You've always thought you were protecting me, but you've been killing me a little, each day of my life. You say I can't have a boyfriend, that I can't have any friends. You've made it so my whole life revolves around you, and now you're telling me I can't have you for much longer." Bridget's voice hitched, and she started to sob as the gravity of her mom's revelation hit home. "I know I have these special powers, but I don't understand why, and you say my dreams mean something. You never tell me what. Every time I ask, you always say I don't need to know yet or that I'm not old enough. And the only person, besides you, who has the answers is off limits to me. I need answers, Mom. I deserve them."

"Bridget, trust me when I tell you that I'll explain everything when the time is right. But for now, let's try to have the vacation you wanted. I'll work on having fun. I promise."

Bridget knew the conversation was over. There was going to be no explanation now or in the future. Whatever the big secret was, her mom intended to keep it and, probably, die with it.

The rest of the week passed, and Bridget had to admit that her mom had, indeed, kept her promise. They were even able to enjoy a meal in a restaurant for once. Normally, her mom insisted on eating in the hotel room. Rarely, she agreed to a picnic, but restaurants were forbidden. There were too many eyes. You never knew who the others were, if they were watching. That was Bridget's biggest issue.

Her mom didn't even know who they were. She had said as much. You could never know. The others could be anyone or, apparently, anything. The only thing that Bridget knew for sure was that she'd been marked. She could be spotted. The small M tattoo on her hip was a brand, an identifier. Her mom told her it identified her as special. She was a member of a special family, of which she was the last in line. She was Mnestrean, as her mom would say in hushed tones. Bridget had no idea what it meant, but she knew it was very important and very secret. She'd known she was special since she was little, that she could do things other little girls couldn't. She didn't like all of the cloak-and-dagger escapades that went with the moniker, but she respected her mom enough to live with her rules.

* * *

After the vacation ended, life went back to normal, or as normal as she could have hoped for. Bridget was staying with her mom at the Shawnee reservation until it was time to move back into her dorm. She was excited; this was her senior year. She'd contemplated going to graduate school but hadn't made up her mind. She had time to take the GRE or MCAT. And she figured by the time the testing dates came around, she'd have a clearer idea of what she really wanted to do.
(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Oracle by Lisa Forest. Copyright © 2013 Lisa Forest. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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