Mortal Wish Read Online Free PDF

dresser next to it. On it stood her pill bottle, a neatly written note underneath it.
    I found it in the hallway, it said on stationary belonging to Sunseekers Inn.
    Relieved, she snatched the bottle, twisted its top off and popped two pills into her mouth. She swallowed them down with the last swig of the water from the bottle that stood on her nightstand.
    Her heart beat frantically now, and none of the bliss she’d felt last night was left. Her illness was encroaching further and further into her life, trying to wipe out any joy she had.
    She didn’t want to wither away and have the last image of her life be that of excruciating pain. No, the thing she wanted to remember was the pleasure she’d felt when making love to Jake. She wouldn’t allow her illness to overshadow that. That’s why she had to take charge of her life—or rather, her death.
    She’d never truly believed in the power of the hot spring. She’d lied to herself, not wanting to confront the inevitable. But now she was strong enough. She’d felt something beautiful the night before, and she wanted to leave this world while this memory was still strong in her mind. For a few hours she’d been happy. It was all she could have hoped for.
    Ignoring the pain in her head she set her bag on the bed and started packing, even though where she was going, she couldn’t take anything with her.
     
    ~ ~ ~
     
    Jake woke from an uneasy sleep. During the entire day, he’d drifted in and out of sleep, which was unusual for him. But the events of the previous night had shaken him. His mind couldn’t rest; it was working overtime. It wasn’t fair that Claire should die so young, when he was contemplating taking his own life. How ironic was that? She wanted to live and would die, whereas he wanted to die and would live forever. Life was cruel.
    Last night he’d felt needed for the first time in his life. Needed by another person. He’d been able to give Claire pleasure and make her feel desired because he desired her. More than he’d desired any other woman before. Was it because he wanted to save her? Or was it more? Had he finally met a woman who could give him the purpose in his life that he so desperately craved? Had he found somebody to take care of, somebody to give his soul to?
    And what about the reason that had brought him to the island? If the hot spring really had any powers, then why wasn’t it granting Claire’s wish? Or did it indeed need a sacrifice, one that he could make?
    He had to speak to Claire. After last night he felt close to her, and he hoped she felt the same. If she did, there was something he could offer her. But it had to be her choice.
    Impatient for the sun to set, Jake took a shower and got dressed. As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, he tore out of his room and headed for Claire’s. He knocked at the door, but there was no answer. He tried the door knob and it turned. When he looked inside the room, he jerked back involuntarily: the bed was made and the room was empty. All of Claire’s personal effects were gone.
    Panicked, he rushed downstairs and found Mrs. Adams behind the reception counter.
    “Miss Culver, where is she?” he asked without as much as a greeting.
    Mrs. Adams raised her eyebrows and gave him a curious look. “She checked out.”
    His heart stopped. “Where did she go?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What did she say to you? She must have said something.” He didn’t care that he sounded desperate.
    Mrs. Adams frowned. “Now that you’re asking. Well, hmm, she said she was ready to leave now. When I asked her where she was heading, she just said where there is no pain .”
    His heart clenched. “And you didn’t stop her?” But he didn’t wait for her answer and instead charged out of the house.
    Jake stared into the night. Where would she go to end it all? Where would he go? For a moment he let his mind travel, then he could see the place where he would go to end his life: the last place