Mortality Bites

Buy Terminal Lust HERE

By Kali Willows

Terminal illness is a terrifying concept. Some of us can only imagine the heart wrenching anguish a diagnosis can carry and the days and weeks that we would have to lie in wait to face the end of our mortality.  Some have endured and even overcome with the wonders of faith and medical miracles. Others can say in angst, they have supported and cared for loved ones, and even held their hand in those final moments.

The initiation of this tragic journey is followed by the anger and resentment we develop for our ailing bodies that have betrayed us by not fending off the fatal invasion. Seeing a body wither and fade, from the once glorious strength and beauty we held so dear, destroys our sense of identity and our belief in a greater good. How could we possibly embrace faith at this dreadful stage? Riddled with pain and deterioration? Seeing loved ones withdraw, or fall to pieces in our presence? The denial and frustration one has to contend with, are there truly any words that can fully capture the excruciating reality?

With the finality of it, some predict peace and freedom from pain and sickness, and take comfort in the belief that the souls of their beloved go to a better place of peace and love, others, don’t know what the future holds once terminal illness has captured us in it’s clutches. I’ve read stories of remarkable couples that overcome, if only for a few moments of bliss, just knowing that making the most of their final days with the one they love, is the most precious legacy one can leave behind.

Recently, long time acquaintances of mine, that had been a solid couple for decades, decided in her final days, to celebrate their love by exchanging wedding vows, despite the little time she had left. I’ve heard many touching stories like this, which warm the heart with bitter sweetness.

I count my blessings that this is not a fate, I have had to face, yet… and pray I don’t, at least for a very, very long time. I have too much I still need to do in this life. When we have loved ones slowly fading from cancer, or other sicknesses, it always provokes our internal curiosity of “what if…” and this profound need to anticipate our reaction and how we would cope with such intensity of defining ourselves. How do we know we have left our mark? How do we take solace or we know in our hearts, we have not ventured into every area of life that has called to us?

Romance is most often the farthest concept that grips us during this crucial fight for life. Ambrosia is faced with this tragic fate, but she battles the temptation to give in to illness and fights to indulge in one last night.

Blurb:

Given a death sentence by her doctor, Ambrosia Thatcher is a woman with little time and a single wish; to experience passion once more. Seeking answers to her unbearable paralysis at three thirty three, every single morning, the enlightenment she is offered from the ramblings of a crazy old gypsy holds no solace. The services of 1Night Stand is the only prescription to cure her longing for passion, but will she survive long enough to see it through?

Desmond Jacobs is an immortal haunted by a woman he cannot find. The prospect of eternal seclusion without her has no appeal, so he has a plan. With the aid of his creator, he will to go to sleep, and never wake up again. Despite his determination, he agrees to one last request from his friend; seek the services of 1NS to find another. Which will overpower him first; his hunger for sexual healing or his thirst for blood?

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Excerpt:

About fifty feet back through the crowded midway, her legs grew weak and tired and she had to slow down or collapse. Fighting to catch her breath, she stumbled a little, lost her balance, and bumped into the back of a stranger with a clumsy thud.

“I beg your pardon, I didn’t mean to….” She stopped. The tall man turned, his black T-shirt outlining a toned chest and muscular arms. Her lungs tightened as she struggled for oxygen—and fought her unexpected reaction.

“Are you all right?” His deep velvet voice shrouded her just before her knees gave out. Strong hands gripped her arms, easing her onto a bench at the side of the fairway.

“Thank you. I’m so embarrassed.” Tears blurred her vision. Blinking them away, she found a striking man with shoulder-length, ebony hair, kneeling before her. He watched her with dark, smoldering eyes.

“I shouldn’t have been in the way; I didn’t realize there was a relay race going on tonight.” His luscious lips curled back into a charming grin.

“My legs—just got away from me, I guess.” Ambrosia ran her hands down her numb thighs, trying to force feeling back into them. The noise and clatter faded and she felt enveloped in a cloak of peace.

“You’re very pale; should I get some help?” His eyes scanned her. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Self-conscious, she shifted her tank top into place and smoothed back her thinning hair.

“Are you sure?” He cupped icy fingers under her chin.

“Yes, thank you. Now that you mention it, you’re a little pale yourself.” Her teeth began to chatter.

“Well, you just about swept me off my feet.” He grinned, evoking the flutter of manic butterflies in her stomach. The man oozed charisma.

So tell me, what would your reaction to the end of your mortality be? Are you a lover or a fighter? Would you spend your days fighting it off, numbing the pain, or finding comfort in the arms of a loved one, for one last night?

Would you want someone to change what you are so you don’t have to face death?

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Happy Reading,

Kali Willows