twenty-four hours since we left.” He looked at me as he found the full circle of a Fairy Ring.
“You need to come closer and hold my hand inside the ring,” he explained.
I must have looked surprised because he added. “I’m not going to bite you… yet.”
“I’m sorry I can’t help thinking about you in a sexual way. I guess you’ll be grateful to be rid of me when we get back,” I replied.
He looked shocked, and said, “Oh, we’re not done. You’ll have no freedom until we have seen this adventure to its end.”
Feeling shocked by his statement, I tripped over a log and he grabbed my arm with a gentleness that I didn’t expect. As I entered the fairy ring, I watched as he dropped a strange looking vial of liquid on the ground. I picked it up and handed it back to him.
“What is this for?” I asked as he stuffed it back in his coat.
“I made this with the plant I picked near the waterfall.”
“What does it do?”
“If I can’t destroy the amulet, I’ll use this potion to send it to a dimension where it can’t do us any harm.”
"What stops someone else from going to retrieve it?” I asked.
“The potion is made using a potent druid spell; it has the ability to send anything to a dimension where there is no exit. There are infinite dimensions in the universe, so the odds of finding it are slim to none. Are you ready?” he asked. I nodded. I watched him draw thirteen different symbols in the air around the circle. As he made his last symbol in the air, he grabbed my hand. I felt like I was on the ‘Drop-of –Doom’ ride at a carnival. You lose your stomach at the top and it finally catches up to you at the bottom. All of a sudden, solid ground was back, and I realized I was sprawled out on my back, as if I were making a snow angel. Looking around I noticed Derrick was already on his feet and heading for an enormous house.
He turned and said, “Are you waiting for an invite, or are you coming?” I awkwardly maneuvered myself into an upright position. My legs felt like I had been on a long sea voyage. I let out a big sigh and followed Derrick to the strange house.
As I walked, I took note of how beautifully manicured the yard was. There must have been at least twenty acres of lawn, trees and exotic plants surrounding the house. I was glad I didn’t have to mow this lawn, or prune the many plants. The house itself had the look of a huge plantation home. Four large pillars at the front of the house were holding up a spacious wrap around deck on the second floor. It was a historical style house of the Old South, except there was a huge, four-car garage off to the side.
As I hurried to reach Derrick, I asked him, “Whose house is this? It’s amazing!”
“Thank you.”
“Why?” I asked.
“It’s my house; I built it two years ago.”
“I didn’t know you had money. You don’t look, or act, like a person who is well off.”
He smiled, “I will assume that is a compliment.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way,” I replied. “You know, most people who have money are hoity-toity. They only respect others who also have money to burn. You don’t seem to be high and mighty at all. I would have thought you were an average Joe.”
“I’m a treasure hunter; I know where old relics are hidden. I find them and if they carry any destructive power, I use a potion, not unlike the one I just made, to remove the power and then I sell them to museums. They pay well when they want to acquire something bad enough.”
“How does the potion work?” I asked.
“One drop steals the power from the relic; the entire amount sends it to another dimension. The only problem is I have to be very careful when I use it. One drop on my own skin could be extremely dangerous for me.”
“Most of the relics that I have found carry magical power of sorts. I use the potion, and make them into ornaments that will collect dust. The amulet that Frank possesses carries more power than most relics, so I am not sure if this potion will work on it. The power it carries came from a wizard, so chances are that the potion won’t work as intended. It’s more likely I will have to send the relic to another dimension instead.”
When we reached the front door, he opened it for me like a gentleman, and let me go in first. I caught my breath, as the splendor of the interior held my gaze. I glanced around taking in everything. This home had a woman’s touch to it. The staircase was wooden and spiraled clockwise, extending from the main entry to the second story. Derrick shut the door behind me and headed up the staircase. My mouth hung open as I just stood there and looked around.
He stopped at the top and asked, “Are you coming? I’d like to show you to your room.” He seemed to be rubbing his lower back as he waited for me. I snickered to myself, maybe he sat in a little poison ivy…that would serve him right.
I shut my mouth and replied, “Yes,” as I started up the staircase.
He was standing outside the first bedroom to the right of the staircase. He opened the door and headed inside as I entered the hall. The room was bright and cheery with huge windows that must have been facing south. I felt the full range of the sun entering through the window. A huge four-poster cedar bed took center stage, with matching headboard and nightstands. It was perfectly put together, no doubt by a woman.
“My sister has decorated my house and this is her room. She only comes up on long weekends. Feel free to use any of her clothes in the drawers. She won’t mind because she always brings more with her when she comes,” Derrick explained.
There was a huge bathroom at the far corner of the room. The bathtub was the largest I had ever seen, easily seating six people comfortably. I was dumbfounded by the enormity of the bedroom alone. It was larger than my entire apartment.
He pointed to the wall outside the bathroom door and said, “It has both jets and air bubbles. You have to turn it on out here. The toilet and shower are around the corner.”
“I’ll be in the office next to the kitchen,” he said. “I’ll see you in the kitchen at 2:00 p.m. for lunch. I have to catch up on some urgent business.” He smiled as he headed out the door. “Remember, you can use your Turad if you get hungry before then. You’ll find the glasses and plates in the kitchen.”
As he left the room, I thought I would like to look around the house a little. I explored my room for a few minutes before heading to the door. I should become familiar with where all the exits were in case of an emergency, I thought. I knew this was just an excuse, but I wanted a reason to look around. As I walked out into the hall, I noticed a door closed just down from mine. I slowly walked up to the door and poked my head in to make sure Derrick wasn’t inside. The coast was clear. I opened the door and walked in.
The room had a fireplace with a rock chimney. The curtains and bedding were very masculine. The smell of him was evident, intoxicatingly sensual; it was stronger the closer I got to his bed. I walked over and sat down. My mind started to wander. I wondered how much time he spent in his bed for that wondrous smell to be so strong. Immediately, I hopped off his bed, as once again erotic feelings were stirring, and with his weird connection to my feelings it would be extremely embarrassing to be caught thinking about him once again. He seemed to know all my thoughts lately in regards to him.
I turned to leave when I heard footsteps on the stairs, and quickly hid behind the closet door. I moved to the back of his walk-in closet, hoping he would not get a sense I was there. The closet door had been left slightly open, just enough for me to see. Standing at the back of the closet, I had hardly enough time to get my nerves under control when he sauntered into the room. He closed the door behind him and walked straight to his dresser, slowly altering his pace and seeming to sniff the air around him. He behaved like a hound dog sniffing the air for prey. I watched him promptly strip off his shirt, pants and underwear. He reminded me of one of the perfect, nude men statues I had seen in the museum near my house. He was gorgeous. I needed to stop my thoughts before he realized I was there.
As he turned his
back to me, I could clearly see the tattoo of his symbol. It actually looked like it was glowing. I rubbed my eyes thinking it was just the light. I wondered why it was glowing. I watched him rub his back a couple of times, then walk over to the bathroom door, and go inside. I heard the shower turn on, and knew it was time to make my escape.
I tiptoed past his bed directly to the door, and was almost clear when he loudly commented, “Maybe you should use the shower yourself Jordan, from the smell of things.” Standing outside his door, I fumed at how stupid I felt and how insensitive he was. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response, but upon consideration, decided to do as he suggested.
After freshening up, I was standing on the balcony in my housecoat. I needed to come up with a plan to deal with this man. He was a turn-on every time I looked at him and I found myself doing things that I normally would never even consider. I felt like a child caught in the act of sexual exploration, and it seemed to be getting worse. I had to find a way to put all the sexual energy aside because it was becoming extremely embarrassing.
From where I stood on the huge deck, I noticed three Fairy Rings out in the middle of the well-manicured grass. Obviously, the rings were supposed to be there, but somehow they looked out of place. I wondered if they could be moved around, or hidden. Movement caught my eye, and when I looked to the side, I could see Frank’s apparition standing a few feet away from me. I ignored him, as he seemed to try to get my attention this time by waving in my direction. Within a few minutes, he was gone, but again it was longer than the last time. Now that he was aware that we were back in this time, I needed to tell Derrick.
Searching through his sisters’ drawers, I was able to find a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. She also had a few new packages of Hanes’ bras and underwear. Thank goodness, because as every woman knows wearing the same underwear for too long loses its comfort. I put on all new clothes and headed out the door.
I was in a hurry and not looking where I was going when I ran straight into Derrick as he was leaving his bedroom. It felt as if I had run into a brick wall. He caught my arm before I lost my balance. I looked at his hand circling my forearm and could feel his energy shoot through me like a bolt of lightning. I regained my balance and threw my arm back as if his touch burned my skin. He looked surprised by my actions, but never questioned them.
“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” he asked. I was thankful for the shift in his attention. I took a couple of steps away from him and answered.
“I see you’ve changed and showered. It’s good that you and my sister are the same size.” He was grinning from ear to ear as he continued. “I apologize to you for my comments while I was in my room. I knew you were there as soon as I entered the room. I get a lot of enjoyment from getting under your skin. I know I shouldn’t tease you like that, and I wanted you to know that if I were in your shoes, I would have been exploring the house as well. I trust you and there’s no place here that is off limits, feel free to explore”.
His little speech blew all the wind from my sails. I couldn’t help but soften to this man who had so completely penetrated my defenses. The truth was I enjoyed getting under his skin as much as he obviously did mine.
“I’m not sure where we go from here Derrick; you obviously know how you affect me sexually, so maybe you should refrain from teasing if you don’t want to follow through. Remember, what goes around comes around.” I dearly wanted to change the subject and conveniently remembered the apparition. “I just saw Frank; he was able to stay visible for a lot longer this time. Why isn’t Frank at your doorstep right at this moment, now that we’re
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