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Chapter 23
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I was grateful that Lance slept through my return to the bed. It was his habit to want sex upon awakening and I was not in the mood to do much more than brood over the information that had just been sprung on me.
What I wanted more than anything was to go into blissful oblivion, but I thought for sure that my brain was too busy mulling over the heavy load it carried to allow sleep to take over. When I arose late the following morning to discover that my husband had long ago awakened and begun his day, I was surprised.
My head felt rejuvenated, but I was still troubled by the information that I’d been burdened with. I needed to know more about this other magical group of people whose genetics I carried. With just the little that I did know, much of my level of abilities was explained to me.
My parents were of good magical stock. So good, in fact, that Marduke coveted their abilities. Add that to Jeremiah’s mag
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“Have you thought of what to do to rescue Killian?” I asked as I approached the trio.My father shook his head and looked at his feet while Lance slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close.“We have a bit of a dilemma,” my father said with angst. “It seems that the threat of losing our lands is greater than I’d realized. That scoundrel, Jason, secured the most unscrupulous legal team to create the transfer of our lands to this dark lord. It can be undone, but it will take cunning and persistence.”Lance leaned his head down close to my ear. “I dare not forfeit even a minute for any other task. If we lose the plantation, we become part of the chattel.”“Do you mean that my parents will enter slavery?” I asked with concern.Anton nodded as he said, “As will your husband and mother-in-law.”Although I had no interest about what m
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 25
It was early evening before I opened my eyes to find that I was on my bed in my bedroom. Lance was moving about in a worried fashion. When he saw me lift my head and look around the room with wonder, he rushed to my side.“I came back to learn that you were overtaken by the heat while strolling with Anton,” he said as he sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand in his. “The man should have remembered that you are not used to this type of weather. I am so sorry, my love.”My mouth moved to speak, but nothing came out. What could I say but a blatant lie? Since I’d done enough to wrong him, I had no intention of adding to it by lying to his face. Instead, I laid back down and rolled onto my side.“I feel very tired, Lance,” I moaned. “Please forgive me if I go back to sleep.”“Should I fetch the doctor?” he asked with concern.I wanted
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“You look normal again,” I said with delight as I knelt down next to Nora who was sitting on the floor gathering her wits about her and gave her a hefty hug.“That’s right,” she mused when I finally released her. “I remember now. I was burning up and thought for sure I was a goner.”“I found you in the hall,” I said. “You’d passed out. I sent for Anton and he brought us back.”She flashed my cousin an appreciative smile that said a bit more than ‘thank-you’. I looked up at him to catch his response. It was more than just a ‘you’re welcome’ grin. For the first time I realized that Nora and Anton had a thing going on between them. It made the fact that I longed for more coupling with the man even more unacceptable.I groaned without realizing that I’d done it aloud.“What’s the matter?” Nora asked
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I not only wanted to have my magic returned in a manner that wasn’t painful, but I also wanted it returned in the fastest way possible. This meant sex.I had Anton follow me to my bedroom. It made sense to use that room since it was also where my clothes were located.My nervousness surprised me when he closed the door behind us. I’d only coupled with him the day before, yet it felt like the first time. Perhaps it was because I was aware of the desire I had for him this time.“You need nay be nervous,” he said as he moved in front of me and slipped the shoulders of my robe down my arms. Placing a light kiss on my collar bone, he whispered, “This is our last time together. I know that you desire me as I do you. There is no shame in it. We are cut from the same magical mold. It is natural and right for us to desire each other. I say we abandon our inhibitions and make it such
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With neither of us willing to be the one to end our bliss, we’d continued to make love until we were actually raw from the deed. It took Nora knocking on the door and asking if we were alright because we’d been gone for hours for us to part ways to resume life as normally as possible.The room was so filled with silence while we quickly dressed that I was certain a pin could be heard dropping on the thick carpet. When he stepped up behind me and wrapped me in an embrace that was filled with love and emotion, I finally broke it.“I don’t know if I can be near you without wanting you now,” I confessed.Resting his chin on my head, he said, “I did nay expect to bond with you. It will be difficult to stay away now.”“We bonded?” I said with surprise.“Indeed,” he replied. “It was unexpected.”“What does that mean?” I asked with concern. After al
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“You feel different,” Nora said as she leaned against the counter opposite where I sat on a stool sipping on cool water in hopes that it would help me subdue the emotions that were torturing me. “I never realized how much I’d felt your shine until you gave it to Anton. It’s crazy weird, but in a good way.”My sexy distant cousin sauntered into the room with the grace and confidence of a wild beast and stood next to Nora. His presence filled the room as he grabbed an apple from the decorative bowl that she was determined to keep loaded with fresh, organic fruit.“Did I miss anything exciting?” he asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.She looked from him to me, opened her mouth, and then shut it again. I got the impression that she was about to make a joke about our coupling and then changed her mind. If that was true, she was wise to keep quiet. Neither of us needed to be reminded of o
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I’d questioned whether it was a good idea to take Nora with us since she possessed no magic. After conferring with both her and Anton, we decided that she might come in handy since she still possessed a connection to the vampires. We weren’t sure the type or strength of the connection, but both Anton and I could feel that there were still mild vampire traits within her. Even if all she did was alert us to their approach, it would be an enormous help.“This place is creepier than I remember,” Nora said in a low tone that reeked of fear.“You have time to go back,” I assured her.Vigorously shaking her head, she said, “I’m in for the long haul. I’m just saying that it’s really creepy here.”“That it is,” Anton agreed. “It is a wonder how you managed to survive it for so long.”“It isn’t all like this,” I informed him.
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We’d searched for Killian for several hours with no luck.“The problem is that this place is so vast,” I complained. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”“How long can we stay here without being at risk of discovery?” Nora asked.“The deeper we go, the more probable that is,” Anton grumbled. “It was foolish to think that he would be an easy find.”I sat on a boulder and put my fingertips to my forehead.“I need to think for a moment,” I said, more to myself than to them. “I opened and closed more portals for Marduke than I can even remember. Some led to realms that were literally used as prisons. If he hasn’t been killed or turned vampire, I’d wager he’s being held there.”“What if Marduke wants him for his magic?” Nora asked. “You weren’t put in a prison, were you?&rdquo
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I was furious with the society. They not only informed me that they had no one available who could assist me in returning to the past alongside my husband, they insisted upon returning him to the past immediately since his body was decomposing at record speed. Apparently, teleporting a body back to the past did not require that someone skilled in time travel accompany it, while teleporting a human being did. I imagine I taxed their nerves when they had to repeatedly assure me that they were positive that Lance would end up in the right place. They might have been doing things the way it was done for centuries, but it wasn’t my way and my confidence level was low.A full day passed before Anton appeared before me.Rushing into his arms, I wailed my dismay over the chain of events that occurred.“I saw to his burial myself, lass,” he assured me. “He was laid in the family plot. You can visit his grave her
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Lance rejuvenated enough to be coherent and conversational for a few days. As I watched the color return to his face, I began to feel encouraged.Sadly, it was short lived.He’d returned to his old self long enough to reassure me of the love that he had for me and to make sure that I knew that I was to move forward with my life. Reminding me of my magic and my ability to time travel, he struggled to get me to go over the running of the estate with him to be sure that I understood and could handle it on my own both in the past and in the future. I didn’t want to have that conversation with him, but I eventually lamented and allowed him his say.When he felt confident that I was prepared for the inevitable, he told me something that shocked me to my core. He’d been Marduke’s prisoner since the night I’d learned that he intended to take me back to the past. With the help of Killian to keep me occupied, Jason and his w
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My head felt like it was filled with lead as I sat at the kitchen counter and stared into my empty coffee cup. I had no idea how long ago I’d finished the beverage. I was numb with despair.“How are you doing, my beautiful Esmerelda?” Anton asked as he walked up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “What can I do for you?”“I feel like my world has just crashed and burned,” I moaned as I leaned back against his rock hard, yet comforting chest. “I don’t know what to do next.”“There is very little to do, but be supportive,” he said with sadness.“He should be taken back to his time,” I whimpered as I wiped at a stray tear. “I think he’d be happier if he was.”“I agree, but the doctor said that he can nay return to the past,” he said. “It would take what little life he has left in him. I
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We eased Lance into bed and inspected his condition. He was in very bad shape.“I fear I can do very little for the man. We need better medical help than I can provide,” Anton confessed.I was at a loss over what to do. Taking Lance to the hospital would bring on a slew of questions that neither Anton or I were prepared to answer. I thought about calling Roger, but he was never totally brought into our world. Since he wasn’t magical, Killian had felt it best to keep him in the dark about most things. I also knew that one of the main reasons why he and Nora broke up was because she hadn’t shared much with him either. How could I tell him that his partner had been turned into a vampire and that Lances condition was a result of his work? There was also the question of explaining what happened to Nora to him.No, Roger was not the answer.“I can take him back to the past, but I ques
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We reached the area with the portal just as Killian came rushing forth. Or should I say the remnants of Killian because he’d been turned vampire? His dark eyes were now a fiery orange that literally looked as if they were spitting fire. I didn’t remember Nora’s eyes being that bad. I assumed it was because, although he didn’t possess as much magic as Anton, Lance, or me, he did possess magic.“Oh no!” I bellowed as I pointed out the fact that Killian was rushing toward us. “Look! It’s Killian! They turned him!”Anton picked Lance up over his shoulder and urged me to find the portal right away. My entire body trembled from shock over seeing my former lover and friend in such a state as well as in fear of what I knew that he was capable of doing to us.Because we were focusing on Killian, neither Anton or I paid attention to what was happening to Nora. Being this close to a v
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Getting into the torture chamber was far easier than we’d anticipated. It was so easy, in fact, that we were on the alert for danger even more than normal.It took time for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. When I finally did and was able to move about without fear of bumping into something and bringing attention to our presence, I headed for the small cages along the back wall.There were six cages in all. Two were empty. I moved close enough to see the occupants in the other four. Only one was a human from my world. He was in the very last cage in the dank and darkest corner.I emitted an agonizing gasp as I peered between the bars to better inspect the cage’s occupant. Before me was what looked like the remnants of my husband. Instead of the robust, sexy, handsome man with raven hair, he was gaunt, hunched over, and sallow in complexion with streaks of gray running through his now dull black hair.&l
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I don’t mind admitting that I was overtaken by nerves when we entered Marduke’s prison realm. The danger of being discovered and captured by him or his cronies was all too real. For a brief second, after crossing through the portal, I questioned the wisdom of my decision to look for Killian there. I even had a split second urge to turn back. I literally had to stop and summon the courage to keep going without letting on to my companions that I was wrestling with what to do.“Which way?” Nora asked as her eyes darted nervously about.“Take a moment to compose yourselves, ladies,” Anton suggested, “while I get a feel for our location.”With that, he closed his eyes and raised one hand over his head with his index finger pointed toward the sky. I watched with wonder as tiny speckles of light swirled around his finger. When it stopped, he lowered his hand and opened his eyes.&ldquo
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 31
We’d searched for Killian for several hours with no luck.“The problem is that this place is so vast,” I complained. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”“How long can we stay here without being at risk of discovery?” Nora asked.“The deeper we go, the more probable that is,” Anton grumbled. “It was foolish to think that he would be an easy find.”I sat on a boulder and put my fingertips to my forehead.“I need to think for a moment,” I said, more to myself than to them. “I opened and closed more portals for Marduke than I can even remember. Some led to realms that were literally used as prisons. If he hasn’t been killed or turned vampire, I’d wager he’s being held there.”“What if Marduke wants him for his magic?” Nora asked. “You weren’t put in a prison, were you?&rdquo
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 30
I’d questioned whether it was a good idea to take Nora with us since she possessed no magic. After conferring with both her and Anton, we decided that she might come in handy since she still possessed a connection to the vampires. We weren’t sure the type or strength of the connection, but both Anton and I could feel that there were still mild vampire traits within her. Even if all she did was alert us to their approach, it would be an enormous help.“This place is creepier than I remember,” Nora said in a low tone that reeked of fear.“You have time to go back,” I assured her.Vigorously shaking her head, she said, “I’m in for the long haul. I’m just saying that it’s really creepy here.”“That it is,” Anton agreed. “It is a wonder how you managed to survive it for so long.”“It isn’t all like this,” I informed him.
