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Chapter 34
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2024-10-29 19:42:56We 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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Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 35
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 36
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 37
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 38
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 1
“It’s only been a few weeks since your return. I can’t believe you’re taking cases already.”I watched as my handsome friend and former lover slid his large frame onto the sofa. I’d been successfully avoiding being alone with Killian since he’d picked Nora, me, and Lance up from Tillman’s house after our escape from an alternate dimension where I’d been forced to serve the dark lord, Marduke. I knew I would eventually have to speak with him. It was just that I had no idea what to say. How could I explain my feelings for him when I couldn’t understand -or even deal with- them myself?I loved Lance. He was my soulmate on so many levels. Unfortunately, during his absence and my not knowing if we would ever be together again, I’d fallen in love with the man who I’d befriended. Friendship at the base of a love affair made for a solid foundation. It w
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 2
Amy Whitehouse lived on the shady side of town, not far from the building where I’d been mugged. Memories of that night and the fact that it brought Killian into my life rambled through my head as I read off the address to Nora.“Isn’t this the area where you were attacked?” she asked as she slowed the car down to a crawl and leaned close to the steering wheel while studying the street numbers.“We passed it a few blocks back,” I replied.She glanced at me through the corner of her eye. “It seems so long ago and, in retrospect, not all that big a deal in comparison to everything else that’s happened.”“Yes,” I said with a nod.As if suddenly realizing what she’d said, Nora’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t mean that it was trivial. Being mugged and left for dead is not trivial. Nor is what Jason did to you while you were in the hospital
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 3
The front door flew open before either Nora or I had an opportunity to knock on it. A petite, slight blonde with captivating, rich blue-green eyes that watered just enough to remind me of the ocean greeted us with nervous warmth.It wasn’t until she’d invited us into her home that I realized that her vision was impaired. She informed us that she could see shapes and colors, but not much in the line of details. This made her legally blind. It was because of this affliction that she was unable to determine exactly what was happening in her home and why she needed our help.“I can clearly smell him even if I can’t clearly see him,” she explained as she served us tea with such ease and expertise that we were hard pressed to remember her vision impairment. “When he gets close enough to touch and I reach out, there’s nothing there. It’s so frustrating. If he were a technolog
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 4
“What do you think?” Nora asked as she slowly backed the car out of the driveway. “Normal or paranormal?”“I hope it’s normal,” I huffed as I adjusted my seat belt, “but, with my luck, it will be paranormal.”“We really need to work on your attitude lately,” she scoffed.I shrugged. She was right. I’d been incredibly moody and negative since we’d escaped through the portal and returned home. It was more than the mess with Lance and Killian. I knew that, but I just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.Staring out the window at the row of shabby and ill-kept homes, I went over my life in my mind. My childhood was something that I considered normal. I had no recollection of being taken from my birth parents and transported into the future to my new parents. College was so normal as to be considered dull. The fact that my life wa
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Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 38
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 37
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 36
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 35
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 34
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 33
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
Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4) Chapter 32
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.
