Free Bound by Sin: The Beginning of a Prophecy (Prophecy #3) by Stevie J. Cole

down into my ear, “do you really think a woman that has been prophesized about for thousands of years will die at the hands of Mother Nature?”
    My body spun around to face him and I found him smiling. He a rched his eyebrows and shrugged. “Well, do you? Wouldn’t that defeat whatever purpose you have here?”
    The lights flickered, which coerced cries from a few women in the room. My mouth became dry as fear ripped through me. A loud boom of thunder erupted through the hotel, shaking the plates that had already been set for breakfast. The lights flickered once again and then went out. Shrill screams filled the air, and I felt Gavin’s arms wrap tightly around me. “Love,” his voice was a hushed lull and his warm breath rushed over my neck, “no need to be afraid. Calm down.”
    I closed my eyes and prayed. Moments later , the emergency lights flipped on and a man in the crowd reported that the storm had passed by us. I looked over my shoulder at Gavin and the corners of his mouth flipped up. “I do have some idea of what I’m talking about,” he laughed, and we made our way back up to our hotel room, where I laid for hours, still unable to process the world I’d been tossed into.

Constance
    Chapter Ten
    September 18, 2014
    Jared’s hand tightened around my waist and he stopped me outside the doorway. “You gonna be okay, doll?”
    I watched Colton run his hand down his face, then down to his tie , loosening the silk material. He looked at the floor and shook his head before shoving his hands into his pants pockets.
    Blowing out a long and heavy sigh, I glanced up at the name on the board over the door. “Ms. Brooklyn Sydney Davis.” I tried to regulate my breathing, closing my eyes to try to make the tears disappear. My head was spinning and my chest was on fire. Tension throbbed in my temples, and my inner voice kept telling my damn feet to move, to just go ahead and get it over with, but it was almost like they had been cemented in place. Honestly, I was terrified to step into that room.
    Colton walked in and disappeared into the crowd of suits and black dresses.
    There was a table beside the door with complimentary tissues. Trudging past it, I grabbed a handful of the cheap, stiff paper and wadded it up in my hand. I held my breath to delay the smell of flowers as I stepped inside. I hated that smell. It was such a distinct smell, and all it did was remind me of death. My eyes remained focused on the floor and my heart banged around in my chest like a captured animal trying to free itself from a cage.
    Fucking get it over with. You know it’s there, you know she’s gone. Just look up and realize it.
    I forced myself to glance up at the front of the room. The casket was closed. It was white and trimmed in a light pink: a metal box with my friend inside. I thought having the casket closed would make it easier, but nothing could have eased the pain of saying goodbye to my best friend. I couldn’t believe she was really gone; in a way, I needed to see her lying lifelessly in that casket to make myself accept the fact that she was really dead, but instead there was just a blanket of deep pink roses.
    Making my way through the swarm of relatives and friends, I approached her casket. With each step, an emptiness radiated through my chest. I could hear my own breath echoing in my ears. Colton stood at the head of her casket, his hand resting on top of the sleek metal. He turned toward me, wiping the tears from his eyes, and quickly made his way into the hallway. It was too much for him; Ashley’s funeral had been the day before. Brooke was like another sister to him, and the sense of loss was just too much to handle. Neither of us knew what to do. It still didn’t seem possible. This couldn’t be real. She couldn’t be gone.
    Next to the casket was a wooden table covered with pictures of Brooke. I quickly scanned over them. Baby pictures, high school and college graduation pictures, several of her and