Afterwards, they kissed and fondled each other, relaxing in the love they had created. It had been a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Ti’s eyes opened and she stared into the darkness of the room. She hadn’t conceived that night. Her lovers were gone, her very heart had died, and she was still barren. If only a child had come of their union. Maybe then she would feel like she could go on without them.
“Miranda. Dunley. I miss you both so much.”
She closed her eyes against the tears, the horrible wrenching ache of loss…then she opened them again.
Miranda floated at her side, her smile tender, her gaze filled grief. “We didn’t want to go,” she said. “I love you, baby. Nothing will change that.”
“Miranda…” Ti sat up and stared at the apparition, her heart pounding. “Let me go with you and Dunley. My life isn’t the same without you.”
“No.” She reached as if she wanted to touch Ti’s face then clenched her fist. “This is the way things are, my love. We cannot change what has happened. You must heal and you must move on.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Your mother needs you, Ti. We need you.”
Miranda floated closer and Ti wished they could touch each other. She missed making love to Miranda, missed tickling the backs of her knees, and brushing her soft hair before they went to bed at night.
“There’s a darker loose,” said Miranda. “The same one that caused my and Dunley’s accident. Your mother thinks she can handle it on her own, but she can’t. She needs your strength and your magic.”
“A darker caused your accident?”
“An evil soul who went to Limbo with us. He escaped.”
All the pain in Ti’s soul wound through her, then a thin ribbon of heat, of anger pierced through the veil of her sorrow. Someone had taken away Dunley and Miranda. Something malicious had robbed them all of happiness. Purpose sharpened Ti’s focus and burned away the tendrils of depression still clinging to her. Miranda was right. She couldn’t spend the next fifty years in this yellow room with its fake rainbows, wishing for things to be different. Now that she knew some entity was responsible for killing her lovers, she no longer had to accept that it had just been an accident or a terrible quirk of fate.
“I’ll help my mother,” vowed Ti. “I’ll make sure the son-of-a-bitch that stole your lives will pay.”
“Not vengeance, dear one,” said Miranda.
“No, not vengeance.” Ti looked at her soulmate, and briefly despaired about the ghostly form of the woman who would soon leave her for the Light. “Justice.”
Chapter Eight
Sarah awoke in the big bed with Ben’s arm draping her waist, his soft snore tickling her ear. They had all drifted into a long afternoon nap, holding each other. She’d managed a peaceful, dreamless sleep and had not awakened with a pounding heart or sweaty fists clenching the sheets.
Dunley wasn’t in bed. Her gaze traveled around the room until it reached the open balcony doors. She glimpsed him at the railing, staring at the ocean. The salty air blew through the curtains of open windows and she inhaled it. She wiggled out of Ben’s arms, smiling when he resisted. She nearly laughed when he flopped over and pulled a pillow over his head like a schoolboy who’d been told to get out of bed.
She slipped on the robe that had been tossed to the floor and padded outside. She sensed Dunley’s sadness, and knew his despondency had nothing to do with her or with the crazy sexfest in which they’d indulged.
“What happened?” she asked as she leaned on the rail next to him, her gaze tracing the waves as they rolled onto the beach.
“You passed out from sexual joy,” he said, a smile in his voice.
Her gaze flicked to his profile. “Don’t make light, Dunley. I know sorrow when I see it. I’ve lived in it for so long, it’s like I can taste it. It’s bitter after a while, bitter and vile.”
“Indeed. The cup of life tastes much sweeter.” He turned to her and pulled a wayward curl behind her ear. “I think you will be just fine, Sarah. And I’m glad. You are beautiful and kind and you love Ben with a fervor I have only witnessed once.”
“In all your life—just once you’ve seen love?”
“Yes. And I was part of it for a while.” He sighed, his lips cocking into a half-smile. “It’s a long story with a bad ending.”
“I have time.”
“Time is a fickle thing. One day, it seems as if you have an abundance of it. The days stretch out before you, years of life just waiting to be lived. The next, your time on Earth is over—just as you were starting to discover the best parts.”
Sarah grasped Dunley’s hand, pricked by his suffering. It reminded her that in the last year, she had been so consumed by her own guilt and humiliation and anguish that she had fallen into complete selfishness. Everything had been about her—the long terror-filled nights, the lack of affection for Ben, the constant self-recrimination, the ugliness that she had inadvertently kept close so that she could keep everything else away. Including love. Including Ben.
Hot shame washed over her. She swallowed the knot lodged in her throat, refusing to give in to tears of reproach. She was determined to use the second chance she’d been given. First, she’d heal herself and second, she’d help heal others. And she’d start with Dunley.
“Tell me about it.”
Dunley slipped his hand out of her grasp and returned to his vigil of the ocean. She leaned against the rail with him, watching twilight mesh with the churning sea. The sun dipped toward the endless water and left the sky ablaze in orange, purple, and deep blues.
“I loved two women who loved each other. It wasn’t supposed to more than just an occasional ménage a trois. Hell, I had only meant to do an acquaintance a favor.” He laughed, but the sound held no joy. “Calling it a favor makes it sound small and insignificant. They wanted a child. But I fell in love with them and they fell in love with me, but the truth was that they shared a deeper bond. Watching them made me believe in soulmates.”
Sarah heard the wood railing groan as Dunley shifted his weight. She glanced at him and felt a deep pang of empathy at the look of longing etched on his face. “Did you leave them?”
“Not willingly. I would have stayed forever, you know. But it wasn’t meant to be. I will miss being with them so much.” He turned to Sarah and her heart clenched when she saw the sparkle of tears in Dunley’s eyes. “I only wish I had been able to give them a child. There is no greater gift.”
She cupped his cheek. “There are other kinds of gifts, Dunley. Like the one you’ve given to me and to Ben. We may not have our lives back yet, but we will. Because of you.”
Taking her hand, he turned it up and kissed the center of her palm. “Then I will die a happy man.”
* * * * *
The darker watched the one called Dunley smile at the woman. He wailed in silent rage, wanting to rend apart the light surrounding them. Light hurt the darker. Love was light, joy was light, sympathy was light.
He crowded into a dark corner of the room, away from the unbearable shimmer, and watched Dunley and the woman as they entered the room. The other man was awake now and he rolled to his side as Dunley and the girl crawled onto the bed.
Dunley pushed the robe off her shoulders and leaned down to suckle her nipples.
“Sarah,” he whispered against her breasts.
Sarah. Yes. He remembered her. Beautiful. Succulent. Tight.
She scooted closer to the other man, moaning when he lifted her hair and kissed her neck. With one hand around the neck of Dunley and the other squeezing the ass of—
“Ben,” she said, accepting his kiss.
Ben. Familiar, that name. He puzzled over it then remembered. She had said it during his playtime with her. She cried out for Ben, begging for his help, and later, for his forgiveness.
The darker stared as the three made love. They moved, and touched, and kissed. Sarah moaned and he savored the sounds, but he liked it b
etter when she screamed.
Oh yes. Yessssss. She screamed and screamed and screamed until her voice gave out. She fought, too, and fought, until her arms and legs gave out. She had been the best of all the women he had taken.
And he would have her again…
* * * * *
Sarah moaned, her hands caressing the hard cocks and tense balls of the two men on either side of her. Dunley and Ben pleasured her breasts, their hot mouths and slick tongues on her flesh and her nipples. Tingling waves of heat engulfed her. Ben tugged her nipple between his teeth and she gasped at the sharp pleasure. Oh yes. God, she was turned on. Having two men cater to her appetites was mind-blowing.
Why had she been afraid? This whole experience was the ultimate in sexual satisfaction. But there was more than just physical enjoyment, there was tenderness and kindness. She reveled in her feelings for Dunley and Ben, and in their lovemaking.
She wanted more…she wanted both…and she knew exactly what to do.
“Ben…”
Ben and Dunley lifted their heads and looked at her, both of their gazes dark with desire and need. Her pulse jumped, and she licked her lips. They were both so damned yummy. Which one first…which one…hmmm…
“Remember when we went to Las Vegas? To that…” She blushed at the memory of what they did and felt another surge of heat in her pussy, “um, club?”
“Yes, baby. I definitely remember.”
Dunley grinned. “Were you naughty in Las Vegas?”
“It was a swinger’s club,” said Ben. “But we didn’t know it.”
“And when you found out?” asked Dunley.
“There was an empty room with a big soft bed. We were so turned on…you wouldn’t believe some of the things we saw.” Sarah laughed softly. “But we weren’t so horny we didn’t consider just how many people had used the room and bed before us.”
Ben grinned, and his hand coasted across her stomach, leaving streaks of tickly heat in his path. “So my beautiful wife took off her shirt and bra…”
“…and my gorgeous husband pulled down his jeans and boxers…”
They stared at each other, remembering the frenzy of that night, how letting people watch them make love made the whole experience sexier.
“Maybe you should show me,” said Dunley.
“Sure,” agreed Sarah. “But there’ll be room for you between my legs.” Her grin was wicked. “My pussy will need attention.”
Dunley obeyed, taking his place between her legs, and waiting to see what Ben did. Ben found the lubricant and squirted some between Sarah’s breasts. She already felt on the verge of orgasm. One lick from Dunley’s tongue and she might be done for.
“Ready, love?”
Sarah squeezed her breasts together. Ben straddled her, leaning forward to hold onto the bed’s headboard, and pushed his cock between the soft mounds. She loved it when Ben played with her breasts and nipples. It was as if her nipples held an electric connection to her cunt.
Sarah pinched her nipples, gasping at the zaps of bliss, and watched her husband’s big cock fuck her breasts. “Yes, Ben. Oh baby. I love this. Do it, baby. Mmmm…”
He pumped faster, his grunts and groans increasing with his pace. Sarah knew he was close to orgasm, and she wanted to come with him. “Dunley,” she begged, “please!”
She felt Dunley’s warm mouth on her clit, suckling the sensitive nub.
Sarah pushed her breasts closer to tighten the gap, and twisted her nipples faster and harder. Yes…oh yes! Pleasure rose quickly and burst, a shower of sensations that made her pussy throb with exquisite release.
“Baby…” said Ben. “Oh God…Sarah!” He came, his hot seed spurting onto her breasts and neck, his dick throbbing and trembling between her sweat-slickened tits. He lifted a little, offering his cock, which she licked and sucked. God, he tasted good—sweet and salty and creamy.
“That was fun,” said Dunley, poking his head around Ben’s thigh. “How about a shower for three?”
* * * * *
“What do you mean we can’t get to the island tonight?” asked Ti’s mother. “It’s an emergency!”
The grizzled old captain shook his head. “Can’t go out in a storm, Annie. Winds are too high.”
Ti put a restraining hand on her mother’s shoulder. “If it’s money, sir, we have plenty.”
“Can’t spend money if I’m dead.” The captain tromped from his desk to the window and used a gnarled finger to point to the huge gray clouds crowding the skyline. “Gonna be a big one. I’ll take you in the morning.”
“We’ll just find another boat,” said Annie, rising from the rickety wooden chair and glancing with distaste around the shanty, the so-called “office” of Captain Solomon Dweedy.
“Won’t find one.”
He squinted and looked over Ti’s shoulder. “Who’s the ghost?”
“The ghost?” Shocked that a common mortal saw Miranda, Ti’s jaw dropped. “You can see her?”
“Yep.”
Miranda glided forward, exhibiting in death the same grace she had in life. “There’s a darker loose on the island. People are in great danger.” Miranda smiled, her pale hands held out in supplication.
“Darker, eh?” The captain nodded. “Why the hell didn’t you say so?
Thunder cracked, startling Ti. The storm…damn. She looked at her mother and saw worry lurking in her gaze.
“Why can’t Miranda warn Dunley?” Her lover had tried numerous times to contact Dunley to no avail. Strangely, Miranda could only manifest with Ti or Annie, but nowhere else.
“I don’t know.” Her mom frowned. “Something more is going on. One darker shouldn’t affect magical currents this much.”
“Strong evil,” said the captain. He headed to the door, gesturing for them to follow. “No time to dawdle. Gotta get the boat prepared. Might beat the storm.”
Ti’s gaze strayed to the small window and she watched lightning zigzag to the sea. In good weather, in daylight, the trip to the private island took an hour. With rain, wind, waves, and the black of night—it would take much longer, if they made it at all. And when they arrived, what then? Even with all the preparations she’d helped her mother make, destroying a darker was damned near impossible.
Cold fear made her guts clench.
What if they were already too late?
Chapter Nine
Sarah snuggled into the soft bed and watched Ben and Dunley find and light candles around the room. Just as they had finished their shower, and making love yet again, the lights sputtered and died. Only then had they noticed that rain lashed at the house as thunder cracked and lightning jabbed the night sky.
Naked, as sexually sated as she’d ever been, her body aching in a delicious way, Sarah drowsed against the thick comforter. The storm didn’t bother her. In fact, the sounds of the tempest created a strange lullaby.
“The main power source has been knocked out,” said Dunley, “but the inn has a backup generator. I need to go outside and start it.”
“By yourself?” asked Sarah, concern whipping through her. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Where is it?” asked Ben.
“About ten feet from the main house—in a well-protected shed. I have flashlights downstairs and I could walk around this island blindfolded and not get lost.” Dunley’s smile glinted in the flickering candlelight. “You don’t have to worry about me. Get tucked in. I’ll get the electricity working and bring up a batch of hot chocolate.”
He sounded so confident, Sarah felt better. In truth, the idea of sipping hot chocolate while snuggled in this huge bed tempted her beyond reason. “With marshmallows?”
“Whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.”
Ben finished lighting the last candle then stood and looked out the French doors. All was darkness; only the violent thrashings of the gale penetrated. “Are you sure you won’t need help?”
“No, my friend.” Dunley slipped out the door.
Sarah looked at Ben. “
Do you think he knows he’s naked?”
Ben laughed. “Maybe. I don’t think he cares.”
* * * * *
The darker followed Dunley through the hall, down the stairs, and outside into the full fury of the storm. When the man reached the shed, the darker entered with him. As the fool bumbled and cursed, the flashlight’s beam bouncing across the interior of the shed, the darker searched for a way to stop him from returning to the house.
The big metal wrench gleamed like the Holy Grail.
I want it. I want it. I want it!
The wrench flew into the air.
Yes! Hit him! Hit him! Now!
If it had a mouth, it would’ve grinned with malice as the heavy tool slammed onto the human’s head. If it had a voice, it would’ve have laughed as the man slumped to the cold concrete floor. If it had legs, it would’ve danced on the still form, kicking and smashing and crushing.
Victory!
Now, only one obstacle stood between him and Sarah. The darker turned to the house and swept toward it.
* * * * *
“What was that?” asked Ben, sitting up in the bed.
Sarah drifted in that sweet place between awake and asleep. Her husband’s sudden movement jolted her awake. “Huh? What?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, baby. I guess the storm’s making me jumpy.”
“That’s a switch.” She chuckled. “If I’m not scared, you shouldn’t be.”
“I’m not scared,” he protested, dropping a kiss onto her head. “Sarah…do you think everything will be okay?”
She’d never heard that kind of plaintive tone in Ben’s voice. She tried to shake off the exhaustion, but only managed to open her eyes. “The storm will pass.”
“No…with us.”
With some groggy effort, she sat up and grasped Ben’s face between her palms. “I love you more than any man—more than anything anywhere—on this planet. What happened this weekend has been incredible. It’s been healing.”
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