It was going to be a long ride back to Florida, so they decided to take their time. The further they got from Arizona, the better they felt and those strange feelings & images slowly retreated to the backs of their minds.
But when Lexi looked at the pictures at night, the images in the pictures were still there. She was lost in thought, staring out the window of the 8th floor hotel room, looking out over the French Quarter of New Orleans. Sully walked up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and bending to kiss her shoulder, then her neck. "Still worried about those pictures?” he asked, noticing the pictures on the table beside her.
“Yeah. A little bit. I called a friend of mine while you were in the shower. He wants to see them tomorrow. You don’t mind staying here another night, do you?” she asked as she turned in his arms.
“No, I don’t mind. It gives us an extra day to rest. We’ll cut it down into two more days. No real rush to get home. Now, come to bed. I think I promised you a massage?” he said with a smile on his face as he led her over to the bed.
“Nightshade, it’s so good to see you again!” the man said, coming over to her & hugging her close.
“It’s good to see you again too, Jasper. I want you to meet my boyfriend Sully Erna. Sully, this is Jasper, my friend I told you about last night.”
“Merry Meet, Sully. It is good to meet Nightshade’s friends.”
“Merry Meet, Jasper. She told you about the pictures?”
“Yes, she did.” Jasper then turned to Alexis who already had the pictures in her hand, offering them to him. “I am very curious about this. I sensed something very unusual, about the time you said you were doing this video. I haven’t had that feeling since your family crossed over, Nightshade. So, I’m very pleased that you both are safe. Did anyone else seem uneasy at the shoot?”
“No. We asked them that night at dinner. No one had felt anything. Lexi & I were the only ones who felt anything odd. One of our friends even mentioned that it may have been the heat, or a mirage, or even that I was getting into the concept of the video. But that wasn’t it, I know that now. We showed them the pictures & they believed us then,” Sully explained.
“Nightshade, did you have a bad migraine while in Arizona?”
“Yes. I haven’t had one that bad in a long time. The tea Sully made for me should have knocked it out completely, but it only helped for about an hour or so. Then I was right back in the bathroom, violently ill for a few more hours. Then it just suddenly went away,” Lexi said.
“I see,” Jasper said as he studied the pictures in his hand. “Sully, have you had any sudden changes in your life recently?”
“The only change really is that I met Lexi. Getting ready to go back into the studio for the new album, but nothing too drastic, if ya ask me.”
“She,” Jasper said, pointing to the winged goddess, “is protecting you – both of you. Sully, you have been faithful to the Goddess. Lexi,” he turned & focused his hazel eyes on her, “you need to have more Faith in yourself & Her. She has put many tests in front of you & you have failed only one. Put your Faith back in Her & this,” he pointed to the shadow in the picture, “will go back to the Shadow Realms.”
Lexi sighed, nodding her head as she looked at the picture. Sully and Jasper both saw the tears in her eyes as she looked back up at them. “So, I am the one who is responsible for this being there? I had almost given up on everything, Jasper. I know I need to get my Faith back. But I need help,” she said, looking at Sully.
“I’ll help ya all I can, Baby Girl, you know that.” He leaned closer to her, saying, “Don’t you ever forget that I love you! You told me that I helped you find love & trust again. I’m sure I can help you find your Faith again. All you have to do is put your trust in me completely.”
“Ok,” she said, nodding her head and leaned into Sully’s arms.
Sully looked at Jasper, who was smiling at them. “What?” he asked quietly.
“You are the only man, besides myself, that she has trusted since her family died. It is good to see that she has found trust and love again. I hope you truly love her, Sully. If it’s just words, with no meaning, it will hurt her worse than anything else & she will lose all trust & hope, never to find it again.”
“I mean what I say. I’ve never felt this way before & I don’t plan on ever taking those words back. I would never do anything to hurt her. I love her too much,” Sully said, kissing Lexi’s forehead.
She looked up at him & smiled. “I love you too, Sully.”
