As you may or may not recall, the story of Bound to You begins several months after the death of scientist Layl North. His best friend, Jacks Baine, has taken a new job with Ferrell Terraforming and his new partner is corporate liaison Lia Bernardi. Jacks and Lia find themselves trapped on a deserted planet, and discover that the inhabitants of V-097 never really left.
What we do NOT discover, however, is what happens to Mr. North. He appears as a ghost throughout the novel, assisting Jacks and Lia whenever he can. But...what happened to Layl when he finally "moved on?"
I've been toying with the idea for a book just for Layl, and it should come out next year once a few of my other obligations are completed. But I thought it might be fun to share this bit of Layl's story and give you a hint at what's coming down the line for him.
An Excerpt from Layl's Story:
The top of the mountain looked out over miles and miles of vast
plains. Layl stood at the top and looked at the swirling pool of water at his
feet. “What’s this?”
“Imagine a tunnel that extends between this plane and the others.
The right push in the right direction and we deposit you into your new life.”
“If I’m not going to be reborn then what’s going to happen?” The
rushing water made no sound, and when Layl stared into the water he could see
that it seemed to empty into a pit with no discernable bottom.
“Sometimes the soul departs the body prematurely, in such a way that
another could take its place.” The girl knelt to run her fingers into the flow.
“That’s where you’ll go.”
“I’ll be me, though?”
“Oh, yes.” She smiled at him, and she was beautiful in her
kindness and the goodness that seemed to shine from her. “You will occupy a new
body, but you’ll remember everything.”
He crouched beside her at the edge of the pool. “I didn’t really
do anything worth this.” He waved at the pool and the second chance she was
offering. “Surely there’s someone else who’s more worthy than me.”
“The Illaran people disagree. Without you, Jacks and Lia would
never have defeated Verhagnis and their souls would never have been released.”
She tapped his chest again, over his heart. “Checks and balances, Mr. North.
Checks and balances.”
Layl stared at the water. His throat was dry, his heart pounding
in his ears.
“Are you ready?” his young companion asked. Her hand was soft on
his shoulder. “Don’t worry. All will be well.”
He sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
She leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “Farewell, Mr.
North. Have a good life.” And she pushed him into the water.
***
I hope you've enjoyed this peek into Layl's upcoming book. I look forward to writing Layl's story and to make sure he has the happily ever after that he deserves.
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