He rested his walking stick against the wall and reached for her. Pulling her close, he kissed her soft lips and gazing into her eyes, his words were like honey. “Anna Darling, you are my twin flame.”
She giggled and twirled her hair. She was amazed that five years had come and gone. Summers end was on the horizon and appeared as the celestial pumpkin. It was the harvest moon and one of the most beautiful nights they had ever seen together. Mark took her up to a lake above their city.
Arriving just before sunset and settling into the inlet on the shore was quite a feat. The rain earlier had made the path they tread slippery in spots and both nearly stumbled. The moon shone down through a narrow piece in the water that opened up to the Briar Glen City reservoir.
Mark set up a fire and Anna set blankets down. They sat down next to the fire and looked across the lake, enjoying s’mores and drinking sparkling cider. Mark pulled out his book of constellations and he shined the light from his cell phone on the pages. They picked out star formations, and he told her the stories associated with those constellations. It was something he knew well. He only brought the book along for her behalf. His parents had taught him as soon as he was knee high to a grasshopper and old enough to understand. They both found the romance enchanting and planned to go stargazing when the next moon was in its crescent or gibbous phase.
Next they were dancing in the moonlight while Mark sang, ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars. Then Anna sang. Finally, they collapsed onto the blanket laughing. “I’ve never had so much fun in my life Mark, I want to thank you for this night.”
“So glad you feel that way Anna Darling, I have something even better in mind.”
She tilted her head to one side while listening, waiting for him to continue. He stood and reached for her hand. Leading her to the shore he said, “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
She stood there waiting and wondering. Her lips turned upward when he rounded the bushes dragging a rowboat. As soon as he saw the glimmer in her eyes he knew he had made the right decision. “Care for a row on the lake, Anna Darling?”
“What a surprise Mark, this is perfect!”
“You deserve this Anna Darling. You amaze me. In everything you do. Especially when you won the Goddess and Gods heart and saved Mr. Dartmoor from returning to Hell. You are fearsome, exquisite and I respect your heart. And to think,” he continued, “Mr. Dartmoor is now the Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment, at the North Carolina State Prison here in Briar Glen. That would never of happened without you Anna Darling. When I talked with him last he said he was responsible for forty staff members and oversees 1500 medium security inmates.”
“I think Mr. Dartmoor has the perfect job. After all he was a Duke in his demon days and was in charge of forty legions. I doubt any of the inmates or the officers will ever get one over on him.”
They stepped in, sat down, and pushed off from shore. Mark stopped rowing long enough to turn his Pandora playlist on. The first song portrayed his feelings for her, ‘You're Beautiful’ by James Blunt and that song made her love him all the more.
The moon was high and the night air was soothing. Mark rowed for a while before stopping and scanning the water. Anna stared at the moonlight on the lakes surface. “So gorgeous tonight,” she murmured.
“I agree, do you see the stars reflection on the lake too?”
“Yes, and with the full moon I can see all the dark grass along the shore.”
“The moonlight in the ripples are mesmerizing,” he said.
“Picture perfect,” she agreed.
They lay back, side-by-side and just peered up into the heavens and talked until the daybreak.
“As soon as we met, my heart whispered that you were the one. I know I have told you that before. I spend my days thinking of you and my nights dreaming of you. I love the way you laugh and the sincerity of all you say. I feel you are the one I shall share not only my magick with but also my life. I will love you forever. I knew all that, as soon as I met you Anna Darling,”
"Yes, I am High Priestess. Everything in my life, my dreams, my experiences have led me to this point in my life! Mark, if I had a trillion and one lifetimes, I'd want them all to be with you. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? After all we are Magick.”
Just for a moment Anna had experienced what was beyond the physical. She caught a glimpse of their future together, it was beautiful, wonderful, and it wasn't frightening anymore. Far from a disturbing experience, it did more to boost her intrigue in the true nature of life's existence. She was in love with Mark and knew he felt the same for her for all of eternity.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
1. Dedication
2. T.S. Eliot
3. Chapter One
4. Chapter Two
5. Chapter Three
6. Chapter Four
7. Chapter Five
8. Chapter Six
9. Chapter Seven
10. Chapter Eight
11. Chapter Nine
12. Chapter Ten
13. Chapter Eleven
14. Chapter Twelve
15. Chapter Thirteen
16. Chapter Fourteen
17. Chapter Fifteen
18. Chapter Sixteen
19. Chapter Seventeen
20. Chapter Eighteen
21. Chapter Nineteen
22. Chapter Twenty
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