“Bloody hell, what am I seeing?” Anton bellowed.
“You know what you’re seeing,” Nora snapped over her shoulder while glowering at me.
It was at that moment that I fully understood the term, ‘If looks could kill.” My dear friend was clearly furious with me.
I let out a small squeak while pushing at Killian’s chest. If he was aware of the commotion about him, he made no indication of it while he continued to seek his second climax. He must have been on the verge of it when Nora opened the door because after just a few more thrusts I could feel his release inside of me.
Shuddering with orgasmic satisfaction, his body collapsed against mine and I pushed all the harder.
“Killian,” I said in a harsh tone that was still kept low to avoid waking Lance while I aggressively slapped his shoulder. “Get off me, now.”
Eyes that always reminded me of a clear blue lake met mine. He looked disoriented and bewildered. Then, in a split second, clarity took over. His head turned to look at Nora and Anton while he simultaneously pushed himself free of me. With a swiftness that impressed me, he pulled his pants into place and fastened them. Had I not known him to be a man of discipline who possessed a bit of magical abilities of which I’d yet to decipher completely, I would have thought him well practiced in the art of redressing after a rendezvous in the closet. His shine was miniscule compared to Lance, Anton’s, and mine. It took me quite a while to even be able to see it. But, now that I could, it was easy to see that he’d pulled on it for assistance with maneuvering speed.
I could feel my face reddening as I did my best to slide off the shelf and adjust my robe over my all to exposed flesh.
“I don’t believe you two,” Nora snipped in a low and angry voice. “Lance is just a few doors down. Have you no shame?”
I looked past my dear friend who was rightfully outraged at my cousin who came from a different time and culture altogether. Sure, he’d come to the future on occasion, but never long enough to adopt our way of thinking.
Who was I kidding? It didn’t matter what century or culture I was in. What Killian and I had just done was inexcusable.
My throat suddenly clogged with phlegm. I had to clear it a few times before I was able to eke out a raspy, “I’m sorry.”
With her hands on her hips and her lips pursed, she said in a commanding tone, “Downstairs. Both of you.” Then, yanking Anton by his arm so hard that his head jerked, she tugged him down the grand staircase.
Killian looked at me with sadness. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I couldn’t look at him as I said with a firm tone, “Go. I’ll catch up with you. I need to clean up.”
Grabbing a hand towel from a shelf, I pulled my robe aside and vigorously wiped at the abundance of sticky fluid that pooled in my crotch.
Killian reached for me, but I jerked away. I needed him to leave and let me think about what just happened and what was going to happen because of it. The guilt that my sexual desires had managed to hold at bay was in command of me full force. I could barely tolerate myself, let alone my accomplice.
I used the ensuite bathroom in Killian’s room to shower. I knew that they were waiting for me downstairs, but I felt the need to wash my entire body and I didn’t want to risk waking Lance by using the shower in our own ensuite bathroom. I would have preferred soaking in a hot bath, but his bathroom offered a shower only.
Knowing that they were awaiting me downstairs, I took my time washing Killian from my body. I dreaded facing them. What was I going to say to them? How could I explain why I’d done what I did with him?
Feeling slightly better after cleaning up, I slowly descended the stairs. The angry and muffled conversation that drifted up to me grew louder and more coherent as I gradually headed for the bottom of the grand staircase.
Just as it had done when I’d joined them earlier, all conversation stopped as soon as I entered the room. I looked from my best friend, to my cousin, to the man who I had to admit that I loved differently than I loved my husband, but love him I did. Each wore a look of frustration. Nora’s face still contained her disgust while Anton’s hinted on worry. Killian’s was filled with rage.
“Sit down,” Nora commanded in a tone that sounded like a schoolteacher addressing a troublesome student.
I obediently moved to the nearest easy chair and lowered myself onto its thick cushioned seat. The firmness of the tapestry covered furniture grade foam wrapped in batting felt welcoming and almost comforting as I waited for my dear friend to read me the riot act.
Not only did Nora not look at me, but she said nothing as she slowly paced the room. Killian and Anton had helped themselves to brandy and were leaning against the wall while tipping back their glasses as if they needed its support.
Silence filled the room for so long that I grew fidgety.
It was Killian who finally broke it.
“You don’t need to go back with him,” he growled from the opposite side of the room. “I’m not ashamed of our love. Stay with me. We were happy. We can be happy again.”
“Times are not the same,” Nora interrupted as she paced the floor in front of me. “Too much has happened to expect things to go back as they were. You’re a smart man, Killian. You know better.”
“All I know is that I love this woman and I’m not going to give her up without a fight,” he stubbornly replied.
“’Tis probably a good thing that she leaves with her husband,” Anton said with a voice the hinted of understanding and compassion.
“I don’t know if I want to go back there,” I complained.
“Do you wish to stay with Killian and let Lance return alone?” Anton asked with surprise.
“Yes. No,” I blurted out. “I don’t know. I don’t want to go back and I don’t want Lance to go back either.”
Anton took a deep breath before speaking. “There is something I did not tell you, lass. ‘Tis nay just the family fortune that Lance must protect. ‘Tis your parent’s wellbeing at stake.”
“My parents?” I repeated with confusion. “I’m not following you.”
Nora looked at Anton and smiled. “She means she doesn’t understand.”
Anton nodded and gave her a wink. “I gathered as much.” Turning to me, he said with a tone filled with remorse, “I am sure you ken that your mother and father are one of the first of our kind to found the society. Because of this, their magic is strong and desirable. During your time in servitude to that dark lord, your wicked brother-in-law made a deal with him that he would deliver your parents to him in exchange for you and him. It seems he intended your release so that he could take you away and live happily ever after.”
“As if that could ever happen,” Nora spat.
“Does Lance know this?” I asked.
Anton shook his head. “He kens that the family fortune on your side and on his has been offered up in exchange for your releases, but he does not ken that your parents are also a part of the deal.”
“So, when I escaped, I messed up this deal?” I mused with dismay.
“I ken so, lass,” Anton replied.
“Now, Marduke will probably want both the family fortune and all of us,” I grumbled.
“’Tis difficult to say,” Anton replied.
I gave a questioning look in Killian’s direction. How could he ask me to stay when so much was at stake?
As if he read my thoughts, he firmly protested, “I had no idea. Nothing of this was said to me. It’s the first I’m hearing it.”
“It changes things,” I said in a soft, defeated tone. Then, suddenly remembering what I’d just been caught doing, I added, “I doubt Lance will want anything to do with me once he finds out about what I just did.”
“We have no intention of telling him,” Nora firmly said.
Anton nodded. “If you agree to return with him, I will say nay of this to him.” He looked directly at Killian. “’Twill be a secret among friends.”
As I watched Killian lock eyes with Anton it struck me that they truly were friends. It must have been difficult for my cousin to have to make a choice between Lance and Killian. He was bonded to both in one way or another and he cared for them both.
“I’m sorry to have put you in this position,” I said to Anton. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“You regret making love to me?” Killian blurted out without thinking.
I looked at him and scowled. “I regret that my cousin has been put in the position of having to keep such a secret from his longtime friend and cousin by law.”
“’Tis a burden I can bear,” Anton assured me, “as long as you go back and help to sort this out.”
“How can we sort it out?” I asked with dismay. “I’ve been around Marduke enough to know the depth of his power and his evilness. We’re no match for him.”
“Did you nay escape him?” Anton haughtily asked. “You are the only one who knows him well enough to help your parents escape him as well.”
I nodded, but said nothing. I knew too little of the situation to present an argument for or against what was being expected of me.
“What about Amy Whitehall?” I asked as I slathered butter onto my toasted blueberry bagel. “We accepted her case.”“You’re more worried about her than you are your parents?” Nora said with surprise.I shook my head. “It’s just that I plan on coming back and I don’t want our reputation tarnished because we didn’t work a case that we’d contracted for.”“I’ll work your case for you if it means you’ll come back,” Killian said as he entered the room. Sauntering over to the coffee pot, he grabbed a nearby mug from the mug tree and filled it with the rich, black liquid. Grabbing the free half of my buttered bagel before I could slap his hand away, he took a quick bite.With his mouth full of my coveted bagel, he asked, “Is the case normal or paranormal?”“We don’t know yet,” Nora offered. &
It was almost noon before we ceased making plans for our return to the past. Lance was far more understanding about my desire to maintain a good relationship and reputation with my clients than Nora had been. So much so that he offered to wait for us to return to the past until I’d solved the case. When Anton entered the room and explained to him the entirety of Jason’s evil doings, he quickly changed his mind.“You beat me to telling him,” I said with a nervous chuckle once he and Anton finished their conversation.It was the truth. I’d intended on informing Lance of Jason’s nasty doings myself. In fact, I was just formulating my explanation as to why we needed to go back right away and I’d have Killian act in my stead where Amy Whitehouse was concerned when my cousin of old entered the room.I don’t mind saying that I was filled with relief over being spared discussing Jason wi
Nora and Killian sat, side-by-side on the ugly yellow sofa in the servant’s quarters as Lance, Anton, and I clustered together in the foyer at the foot of the grand staircase.“Is this enough to keep us out of the way?” Nora asked.“You should be good,” Lance said with confidence. “Although I cannot guarantee you will appreciate what you see.”“I found it fascinating the last time,” she replied.“And… how did you say it? Creepy,” he said. “This could prove to be even more creepy to you.”She turned to Killian. “Have you seen something like this before?”He nodded. “Not in a long time, but I have.”“Is it creepy?” she timidly asked.He shrugged. “I didn’t think so. It really depends on the mindset of the person.”After a moment’s thought, she took a
Extraordinarily little had changed with Viviane Northrup since I’d faked death and escaped to the future. She was still lovely to look at, stately in action, and very much resentful of me.With the date of my return being only a few years past the date that I’d escaped back to the future, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Even though I’d been through dimensions while in servitude to Marduke and traveled back in time with Lance, my rational mind still had difficulty accepting and absorbing the concepts at times. This was one of those times.As with everything that was going on with me at that point, I accredited my inability to truly grasp what I was in the middle of to the fact that I’d traveled from one century to another without the use of a portal. This had to be the reason my body was not feeling its normal self. Traveling through portals was something that I’d grown accustomed to. I
I was surprised at how tired I was. Rather than give my body fuel to pursue activities for the afternoon, (like hunting down my rotten brother-in-law, Jason, and wringing his neck for promising my parents to that demon lord) I felt all the more exhausted after eating the light fare. I attributed it to the fact that my body simply didn’t appreciate the way I’d transitioned from one time zone to another without the use of a portal. As with all dis-ease of the body, my remedy was to rest. So, I allowed myself the luxury of going back to sleep.Since the heavy drapes were kept drawn to keep out the afternoon sun’s burning rays, I had no idea of the time when Lance finally settled his lean, sexy form on the bed next to me and gently kissed me awake.“You have slept the day away, my love,” he cooed.Rubbing my eyes and giving a long, loud yawn, I asked, “What time is it?”“It is dinner time
Morning came and along with it the return of my vitality. Lance had made love to me several times through the night. Each time giving me just a bit more of his shine to replace what had escaped mine.Stretching my limbs in a cat-like manner, I slowly opened my eyes to the world around me. I’d dreamed a wonderful dream of being back in the future on the hybrid mattress that I’d recently purchased. Mild disappointment swept over me when I realized that my backside was cradled in one of the hollows that time and use created in the well-worn wool stuffed mattress that Lance agreed needed to be replaced.“What I wouldn’t give for memory foam,” I mumbled as I wiped the sleep from my eyes.“What was that missus?” Jasmine asked in a sweet and polite manner.Suddenly aware of what I’d said, my eyes flew open and focused on her. She wore a bright smile and looked well rested as she settled a tray con
The next few days were long and arduous. Matters of business on the plantation kept Lance occupied more than either of us had anticipated. Left to my own devices, I did my best to root around for information on where my nasty brother-in-law was keeping himself so that I could wring his neck and then send him back to Marduke to call off the deal that he never should have made in the first place.The days were long and hot. Were it not for the anticipation of enjoying the throes of passion with my husband at the end of them, I questioned if I’d survive my stay without going crazy. It’s funny how a world that I found so fascinating during my first visit had shifted to something that I resented and, in some ways, abhorred. I resented the clothing that I was forced to wear, the lack of modern amenities such as air conditioning and lattes, the way I had to be on top of my game at all times and not slip with my mode of speech and the f
I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that Jasmine had never left the plantation, but I was. I found her excitement over the concept of making a three mile trip in the barouche to be a delightful pick-me-up for the gloomy mood I’d developed.Away from prying ears and eyes, my lady’s maid proved to be amusingly animated. She had comments and curiosities about the simplest of things, such as names of trees or types of birds. We closed our eyes and listened to the sweet songs of the whippoorwill and gasped at the sight of a fox chasing a rabbit. We rooted for the rabbit, of course.I enjoyed the little ride so much that I hardly noticed the time or felt the inconvenience of the antiquated mode of travel. We’d left just after sunup to avoid the heat of the day, but, even so, I still would have suffered from heat and dust had I not been so distracted by this animated young woman. Her comfort level around me, once we were