The men rushed out of the cabin with the intention of driving the SUV to where the strange woman claimed she buried the poor girl. Tim’s hand was on the door handle when she beckoned him back to the center of the snow-laden driveway.
“Hold hands,” she said briskly as she positioned them into a circle of which she stood in the center.
It took her forcefully barking the order a few more times before they stopped giving bewildered looks and grabbed each other’s hands. Almost immediately, the world swirled around them until they could see nothing but particles of snow twirling past their heads at breakneck speed. When it stopped, and their vision cleared, they found themselves deep in the woods on what they guessed was a logging road.
Mark struggled to keep a steady stance on legs that felt like jelly while he did his best to prevent his stomach from purging its contents.
“Did we just teleport?” Edwin asked as he massaged his bruised neck.
“Ye have an injury on thy neck,” Agatha observed.
“The stairs were icy and it was dark when we arrived,” Edwin explained.
“He did a good job at protecting himself when he tumbled,” Tim said proudly. “Probably all the martial arts he does.”
“Martial arts?” Agatha said with a bewildered look.
“It’s a form of self-defense,” Edwin explained.
“Come here,” she said as she extended her hand; seemingly disinterested in his explanation.
He hesitated briefly, but something in her look made him trust her. She motioned for him to bend low so that she could place her slender hand on the back of his neck. She said something in a language he couldn’t understand and then gently massaged his bruised muscles. He felt relief all the way to his toes. In fact, the sensation felt so spectacular that he actually got an erection. He was thankful that his parka was long enough to cover the evidence.
“Where’s the girl?” Mark asked.
There was a hint of panic mixed with doubt in the recesses of his friend’s voice that Edwin had never heard before. Or was it fear? He couldn’t tell.
“She is beneath thy feet,” Agatha said softly. “Although, when I put her here, there were only trees. ‘Tis why I need thy help. I cannot hold the protection intact while digging her out from beneath the substance now here. When she is unearthed, the risk of him sensing her location will be stronger than ever; even with my protection. We must act quickly and then flee.”
“It looks like a thin layer of macadam,” Tim said thoughtfully as he squatted onto his heels and dug the snow from the road with his gloved hands.
“We’ll need tools,” Edwin said thoughtfully.
“I can’t believe you guys are actually contemplating digging up a public road because of some fantastic tale this woman tells,” Mark exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air with disgust.
“We don’t know if this is a public road,” Edwin said as he squatted next to Tim and inspected the road’s surface as best he could through its snowy covering. “This doesn’t look thick or well made. I’m guessing it was done privately to offset trucks driving on a muddy, rutted road.”
“I can’t believe this,” Mark said as he adjusted his hat around his reddened ears. “Count me out.”
“Fine,” Tim growled. “You go back to the cabin and pack us up. We’re leaving just as soon as we locate the girl.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Mark asked incredulously.
“Just do it, will you?” Edwin asked as he locked eyes with Mark.
“I don’t understand you two at all,” Mark said as he started down the road. “Where the hell am I, anyway? How far is it back to the cabin?”
“If ye wish, I shall return thee,” Agatha snipped.
“I’ll walk, thank you,” Mark said as he put his hands in front of him as if for protection. “Just point me in the right direction.
“One mile east,” Agatha said before turning her attention to Tim.
“Well, at least it’s not too far,” Mark grumbled to himself. “I suppose you want me to bring the SUV here to load your fictional girl into after you’ve dug her up?”
“Good idea,” Tim said as he used his hands to clear away as much of the snow as he could. “I don’t think this road gets used much. The snow’s not packed like you’d expect.”
“Another reason to think it’s private,” Edwin said.
“What is an SUV?” Agatha asked with genuine curiosity.
“It is a wagon that propels itself without the use of horse or oxen,” Edwin explained after deciding that one of two things were happening. Either she was truly a magical being who was telling the truth - in which they needed to act fast- or she was his future patient who he felt it best to humor for the time being; especially since she was able to – somehow- impair a person’s mobility as well as teleport them from one place to another.
Tim and Edwin stood up simultaneously.
“We can’t dig through this without a pickaxe,” Tim said.
“Do you think your uncle might have something like that at the cabin?” Edwin asked.
“I know he has an axe to chop wood,” Tim mused.
“If this layer of macadam is as thin as I think it is, that would work,” Edwin said with a semblance of eagerness.
“I shall return ye to your cottage to fetch it,” Agatha said to Tim. She turned to Edwin. “Ye remain in this spot and continue to remove snow.”
“Will do,” Edwin said with a warm smile.
Agatha looked taken aback - only briefly- before she returned his smile and took Tim’s hand.
Edwin watched in amazement as the air around his friend and the strange, attractive, and undeniably magical woman swirled to the point he could no longer see them. When it stopped, they were gone, and the air had a peaceful – yet eerie – feel.
He stood for a moment and considered what was happening. Was there really a woman buried beneath a snow laden macadam road? Lord help him, but he believed there was. It was like he could feel her beneath him, waiting. He shook his head to clear it. What insanity possessed him and his friend to make them go along with destroying a road – be it public or private – to dig up a woman who, if she had been buried beneath it, was clearly dead by now? If he had any sense, he’d be walking back to the cabin with Mark.
His mind flitted from rational to irrational as he considered Agatha’s story. Was she an actress, like Mark suggested? An escaped patient, perhaps? How could the odd things she managed to do be explained? He could understand the possibility of an illusion being created for her looks, but what about the teleporting or the way Mark froze?
He looked for signs of an air tube sticking out of the ground, but found none.
“This is insane,” he mumbled to himself as he got down on his knees and began to clear the area Agatha insisted she’d buried the girl in with his gloved hands.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts about what was real and what was insanity, that he didn’t notice Tim and Agatha had returned until Tim rested the head of the axe on the ground next to him.
“I believe that’s cleared enough, buddy,” Tim said. “I found only one axe. Do you want to start, or should I?”
“Since I’ve never swung an axe, I’ll let you do the honors,” Edwin said as he stood and backed away from the cleared area.
Knowing that he would have to take over for Tim at some point, Edwin paid careful attention to the way his friend held and swung the axe; as well as how he placed his feet. It looked as if the axe was reverberating back at Tim, but his friend made no complaint as he continued to attack the macadam.
Edwin waited a few minutes before offering to take over.
“It has a kick,” Tim said with mild breathlessness as he handed the axe to him.
“I noticed,” Edwin said as he rotated his shoulders and prayed the ‘kick’ wouldn’t accentuate his already abused shoulder blades. It was then that he realized he hadn’t felt any soreness or pain since Agatha massaged his neck.
“Where are we supposed to hide once we get her out of there?” Tim asked in earnest as he watched Edwin attack the macadam.
“I know not,” Agatha admitted. “So much is changed.”
Edwin was considering stopping and suggesting they grab Agatha and escort her to the nearest hospital when the macadam cracked open. A surprised look consumed him as he peered through the crack. Either his eyes were deceiving him, or there was something beneath the macadam that didn’t belong there.
Tim slid onto his knees and started pulling large chunks of macadam away. Edwin tossed the axe and quickly joined him.
“You were right about it being a thin layer. I can’t imagine this would even hold up under a heavy logging truck,” Tim said as he tossed a large chunk over his shoulder.
“It’s a bit odd,” Edwin muttered, “but then, everything about this is odd.”
Both men froze as they peered into the peaceful face of a girl in what looked to be a glass coffin.
Edwin’s heart skipped a beat. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Her eyes were closed, but he just knew they were lovely. How could they not be since the rest of her was stunning? Her dark brows were set in a natural arch over her large eyes. They were of the perfect shape and thickness. Her nose was perfectly centered between her eyes. It ended just above a set of full, luscious, lips. Medium brown hair that matched her brows and thick lashes framed her oval face. Her natural beauty required no makeup to enhance it. Edwin was almost paralyzed with awe.
“Dear god,” Tim gasped. “Is she alive?”
“Aye,” Agatha said as she pushed her way past the stunned men. “We must hurry. Now that the coffin has been exposed, the air inside shall dissipate quickly.”
“Shit!” both men said simultaneously.
Edwin grabbed the axe and broke away enough of the macadam and soil to allow Agatha easy access to the secured closures on the coffin.
“It’s all glass,” Tim observed with curiosity. “How did it hold up under the pressure?”
“With magic,” she replied. “Sadly, time has weakened it. She runs the risk of suffocating.”
“Not on my dime,” Edwin hissed as he cleared away the last of the soil covering the coffin.
“What is a dime?” Agatha said. Then, thinking better of it, she shook her head and focused on the matter at hand. With the flick of her wrists and a few spoke words in that language neither man understood, the coffin popped open.
Edwin feared they were too late as he stared at Kira’s still and lifeless body. When he heard her suck in air and saw her chest rise as she did, his body flooded with relief and gratitude. He’d never met this beautiful woman before, but he somehow felt connected to her. Just one more thing to add to the list of unexplainable since Agatha arrived.
Agatha rushed to place her hands-on Kira’s shoulders to prevent her from rising up out of the coffin while she shouted to Tim and Edwin, “Ye men need to stand back now. She is a vampire who has been without blood for several centuries. I must have a chance to be with her before she sees ye.”Tim wasted no time running to hide behind the trunk of an ancient oak tree, but Edwin didn’t move. Agatha warned him a second time before she turned her focus on Kira. He backed up, but didn’t hide. He might be crazy, but something told him he didn’t need to.He listened intently as Agatha reintroduced herself to Kira. She reminisced about the events that led up to placing her in the magical coffin and then explained the reason it was imperative that they flee as quickly as possible.A squirrel skittered up the tree next to him. With minimal thought or effort, Edwin caught it and walked toward the newly awaken
“Oh, good,” Agatha said as she watched Tim approach. “We were just coming to ye. It has been decided that we will go to Edwin’s family cabin on the Canadian border.”“Right now?” Tim asked with surprise.“Aye,” Agatha replied. “We must make haste.”“I don’t know about…,” Tim began before Edwin interrupted him.“You can hunt just as easily in New Hampshire,” Edwin said.“That cabin gives me the creeps,” Tim admitted.“It’s not creepy, it’s rustic,” Edwin said playfully.“When was the last time you were there, brave ass?” Tim grumbled.“It’s been a while, but it’s fine,” Edwin assured him.“I don’t have a hunting license for New Hampshire,” Tim pouted. “None of us do.”“We must leave,&
Kira stood in the middle of the cabin with a look of sadness. Aware of her every move and mood, Edwin was quick to ask her what was wrong.“I am reminded of home,” she practically choked out. “When I crept from the house before all were awake, it was with the intention of retrieving the cloth my aunt shipped from my homeland. It was my plan to surprise mother with a new dress. Little did I know I would never set eyes on her again.”“That’s horrible,” Edwin said in a hushed, emotional tone. “I’m so sorry.”“Ye are not bothered that I am a vampire?” she asked in a soft, gentle voice as she stepped nearer to him. “I am a danger to thee.”He’d been so engrossed in her natural beauty and the way she made him feel complete whenever they were in close proximity that he’d forgotten the fact that she was also a vampire; a reputed predator and danger to manki
Thanks to Mark’s stubbornness and generosity, the cabin was provided with enough modern amenities to make it quite cozy. He purchased a gas powered generator for electricity and a portable gas grill for cooking that had two burners on the side; making it possible to cook a complete meal on it. A dorm size refrigerator was also purchased to hold the necessities such as eggs and butter. Although both Kira and Agatha studied these items in wonderous awe, the table lamps he’d purchased caused the greatest curiosity. He questioned if the light bulbs would burn out before they ceased turning the lamps on and off.Tim concerned himself with the sleeping arrangements; purchasing several air mattresses and down filled sleeping bags.Edwin concentrated on making sure that they had the proper cooking and eating utensils, since his family had always taken them there and carted them away when they left. He also picked up a few heavy quilts for good mea
Edwin and Tim stood against the wall while they watched Kira and Agatha prepare themselves and the beds for them. True to her word about it being a ceremony of sorts, Agatha spread some type of herb on the floor around the beds before brushing it onto Kira’s naked body and then her own; all the while chanting in a language they couldn’t understand.“Have you ever done something like this?” Tim whispered.“I’m not sure I can,” Edwin said. “Not only is it a command performance, but it’s a command performance twice over and with an audience.”“There’s nothing I’d like more than to make love to Agatha. I find her hot as hell, but not like this,” Tim said. “I can’t say that I’m all that excited about sharing her with you and Mark either.”“Same goes for Kira,” Edwin said. “I hate the fact that you’re seeing her n
“They’re all settled out there. Are you sleepy?” Edwin asked as he returned to the bedroom.“I know not what I am,” she replied. “All of this is new to me. My body feels like ‘tis mine, but in a different way.”“That must be difficult,” Edwin said as he stood next to the bed.Kira took a moment to admire him in the candlelight. His bare chest had a thin layer of sandy hair. Broad and muscular, it tapered into tight, narrow hips. She’d had the opportunity to view his backside while they stood naked just minutes earlier, so she knew it was also tight and firm. If asked what the perfect specimen of a man looked like, she would have to say it looked like him.“Ye may come to bed if ye wish,” she said softly when she noticed him shuffling his feet as if not knowing what to do with himself.With a timid smile, he crawled into the only bed the cabin
Agatha listened intently to the muffled sounds of love making going on in the room next door with mixed emotions. She was happy to know that Edwin was protecting Kira by mixing his energy with hers, but she was also a little sad and, possibly even jealous, over the fact that Kira was being made love to while she lay alone in front of the fire. While it was true that she still had her maidenhead, she’d mentally prepared herself to lose it for Kira’s sake.Tim was the first man she’d set eyes on - -ever- who could tempt her to give up her maidenhead, even if she didn’t have to do so to protect Kira. She found him desirable beyond words and she sensed he felt the same about her. Although she was relieved when the ghost stopped the ceremony and prevented her from having to have sex with all three men, a part of her wished it had waited until after she’d been with Tim.She’d donned her shift for modesty’s sak
Edwin struggled to bring his foggy mind out of the peaceful depths of slumber. He worked hard to remember where he was as he caressed Kira’s sleeping form that was wrapped possessively in his embrace. Thoughts of the most incredible love making he’d ever experienced rushed back to him and he smiled with satisfaction. Not only was the woman in his arms beautiful, but she was phenomenal in bed.The thought of her willingness the night before brought on an immediate erection. He was about to tease her sleeping body into wanting sex when a crash from the other room caught his attention and woke Kira with a start. All thoughts of sex went by the wayside as he and Kira lept from the bed and hurried to dress so that they could check out the commotion.Kira made a mental note to thank Edwin once more for the unusual looking, yet, easily donned and extremely comfortable shirt and britches as she followed him out into the main room.They opened the