Alice woke with a start, she was immediately alert but did not move, her eyes fixed at the door. He was there, eyes piercing through even in the thick darkness. Alice tried to reach for her phone, something, a light, but she didn’t move, couldn’t move, her body felt heavy, her fingers too were heavy, her eyes wouldn’t leave the door. He was there, a thin smile of victory very evident on his face.

He winked at her and her stomach fluttered.

No.

She knew what it meant. She tried to move her head, but it only stopped in her head, but her head remained skull down to her pillow. Nothing made sense, even in her thoughts…

“My love” he muttered to her in a strange language that she miraculously understood.

“Mine” his voice was low and caressing.

“Till Death…” He whispered fiercely in yet another language and she understood again.

Then he moved, one step forward and somehow, with each movement it seemed like he was stepping into light, or some rays that only stopped where he stepped. Alice tried to move again, but nothing happened.

She willed herself not to look up at his shiny body and cherubic face! She knew the body well, the face too! He had the face of a god! The body of an adonis! And he called her “his…” Till death. There was something about the way he said “Mine” everytime that made her believe it, like she was truly his! Maybe she was… was she?

She whimpered, but had no idea what it meant, could it be fear, or need or what…

He moved one last time and reached for her.

“Blood of Jesus”

Alice jumped awake, sweating profusely, the sweat trickled into the hollow of her upper lip and she trembled, she reached quickly for her phone, flicked it on and also lifted her pillow, the bead was there.

She had used it just as Wòólì had instructed. Everything was done just the way she was told…but nothing had happened the way she was told they would.

According to Wòólì, he would come but this time, with hatred in his eyes and he would turn away and leave her forever.

Rather he had looked at her with love and longing more intense than all the other times. Had said…

“Mine”

“Till death…”

She fell back to the bed. Knowing she would not sleep. She was still married to Olórogun.

A part of her loved the union but the other part of her, the part newly engaged to Gabriel Adebisi wanted her freedom.

She absently picked the bead given to her by Wòólì… eyes wide open, mouth muttering psalms as she allowed herself to be lured back to dreamland…