THE DEVIL'S HANDMAIDEN DARK REALM SERIES BOOK 1

Chapter 1. SIGNED

*Author's note: There is a teaser video above if you'd like to watch it before you read any further. I would love for you to get to know my characters so you can envision them as the story unfolds....Turn it up & Enjoy!

*Huge shout out to Human Cypher for the original music in the teaser video! You captured the pure essence of this book series! So Thank you!
~❤~

Allesandra looks up as the door slowly swings open, and the doctor enters the room. Her heart sinks and her pulse races as she sees the concerned look on his face. She tries her best to remain strong, but she can't shake the overwhelming feeling that it's not going to be good news. She sits up straight with her hands clenched tightly to the arms of her chair and teeters on the edge of her seat, waiting for him to deliver the news she has been dreading.

"Ms. Melano, I have Katrina's test results and I'm sorry, there's just no easy way to say this."

He pauses for what seems like an eternity and continues, "unfortunately, the cancer has spread and there's nothing more we can do for her."

Allesandra doesn't answer and seems to be paralyzed in a state of shock over the bombshell that has just been dropped on her.

"Ms. Melano, do you have any questions? Is there someone we can call?"

She blinks several times, holding back the tears that have welled up in her eyes, takes a long, deep breath and asks, "How long?"

The doctor looks down at the clipboard in his hands, shuffles through the papers as if he's looking for the answer to her very difficult question, looks up and calmly responds, "A few months, perhaps a little longer. Again, I'm very sorry."

After the doctor leaves the room, Allesandra looks over at her two year old daughter quietly, sleeping in her crib. She attempts to get up from her chair, but immediately drops to her knees beside the crib and begins to cry harder than she's ever cried before. She buries her face in her hands and bites down hard to try to muffle the agonizing wail of emotion she's releasing so she doesn't wake her daughter. But that doesn't help much and her pain-filled cry echos loudly in the small, scarcely furnished hospital room. In between trying to catch her breath and the uncontrolled sobbing, she finally pulls herself together long enough to pray.

Lord, I know I don't pray often and I don't go to church much anymore, but please, please, I beg of you, please don't take my little girl! Please hear me and answer my prayer! I'll never ask you for another thing as long as I live, I promise! Please Lord, I beg you. She's just a baby! I will do anything! I will do absolutely anything you ask of me. Just please, please, heal my baby. Please let her live and I will...

Before she can finish praying, a loud clap of thunder startles her, and she hears a maniacal laugh coming from across the room that absolutely terrifies her. She quickly looks up and sees the silhouette of a man standing by the window in the darkest part of the room.

"Does he ever answer you?" The man calls out, with a distinct hint of sarcasm in his gravely voice.

"Excuse me?" Allesandra responds, with a valiant attempt to sound protective, even though it's pretty obvious she is scared to death. "Who are you and what are you doing in here? My daughter is very sick. Please leave before I call for security."

The man chuckles and begins walking across the room, into her full view, and then pauses for a moment, as if to allow Allesandra a moment to retreat. He can see the pure terror in her eyes and he decides to toy with her a bit.

"You poor thing. You pray to a God that never hears you and never answers any of your prayers and yet, you still believe he loves you. I won't lie to you and tell you I love you. I don't even know you. But I do know that you need something. You need your daughter to be healed from the cancer that is eating its way through her little body as we speak. What kind of God does this to children?"