Perpetual Prey — Viola Grace

Hunted through history, Elsinor has had enough. She is going to fight her stalker, whoever he is.


Elsinor has walked the earth for thousands of years, but every few decades, she must start over. Waking up in agony with her organs slowly regenerating, she has coined a new phrase Prometheus Syndrome.
With modern technology and magic available, this might be her one chance to learn who she is and who she has been in the past. The clock is ticking, and she is ready to defend herself. She is going to find her attacker and take the fight to him. Elsinor is tired of living for the moment before her life has to start over again.

Excerpt:
There were pulses of energy against her skin, there was shouting, and careful hands lifted her up. They were calling her name, but she didn't recognize it.
What kind of a name was Elsinor anyway?

She couldn't open her eyes. When she investigated with her fingertips, she found bandages across and around her head.
“Keep still, El. They hollowed you out, your eyes included.” The voice was feminine and pitched low, but the hand on her arm was gentle. Elsinor stopped fidgeting.
“Who am I?”
The female voice sighed. “I hoped you wouldn't have to ask, but we have trained for this.”
“This?”
“For you being slaughtered and having to start over.”
Elsinor whispered, “How can I be alive if that happened?”
There were pity and amusement in the voice. “It is who and what you are.”
She swallowed and felt the bandage tense. The world smelled like antiseptic, and the strange tang of the IV was in the back of her throat. Her body wasn't mobile. Only her arms and hands could move freely.
“Who are you?”
“Jericho Mathers. You call me Jeri.” The voice chuckled. “I have known you since the day I was born.”
“Are we related?”
“Oh, no. You helped bring me into the world. My mother was already dead.”
Elsinor frowned and touched her face in search of signs of aging. “Oh. I don't feel that old. How old am I?”
“I think you are going to be the best one to answer that question. Finish healing, and we will take you home.”
Another voice came from the door. “Ms. Mathers? I need to speak to you about your friend's condition. Are you sure that she doesn't have family?”
Jericho spoke firmly. “Only me. There is no one else.”
There was doubt in the voice of the physician. “You seem awfully young.”
“Side effect of my magic. Now, what is her situation?”
The masculine voice cleared his throat, and Elsinor listened intently. “She is regenerating all of her major organs, including portions of her eyes and skin that were removed. We still can't figure out how the items were removed or how she survived it, but she is on the road to recovery. We just need to run a few more tests.”
“Good. We have paid cash for all of the services you are rendering, and after her body is running itself without the intervention of machines, we will remove her from the hospital.”
The doctor sounded stunned, “You can't do that. I have too many tests to run.”
Jeri chuckled. “You will find that her tissue, organs, and blood regenerate to a normal level and then cease. When her body is finished its repairs, your samples will return to a normal level. I would work fast if I were you.”
“This has happened before?”
“Once in my lifetime, fifty years ago. I was young, and we found her in the same condition. This time, we were ready for it.”
The doctor made a few tries at further inquiry, but Jeri shut him down. “You have less than two days to run every test you can on her blood and the regenerating tissues. After that, she will be off life support, and we will remove her from your care.”
“But... her sight. She will need training to relearn how to see.”
“Her eyes will come back, just as everything else does.”
“Eyes don't regenerate.” The doctor's voice was absolutely certain.
“Nor do hearts, but hers is beating on its own, as are her lungs. They are the first things to return.” Jeri's voice was quiet.