“Touch yourself, Courtney,” one of them ordered. “Bring yourself to joy.”
Her desire was too great to question him and she timidly reached between her legs, feeling the strength of his powerful pole as it pistoned into her. She began to fondle her clit, arching herself higher to meet his demanding prods as the other made love to her mouth with his tongue. Closer and closer she came to that edge, dangling somewhere between this world and a fantasy. She took a step and fell fast upon the waves of euphoria, all time and space forgotten.
Chapter Eleven
Courtney woke the following morning to the sound of birds singing outside her open window, and church bells ringing in the far distance. She stretched, feeling safe and secure in the little nest of pillows that she had been carefully placed in. Her body felt rested, relaxed, and a tad sore in certain areas. She blushed, remembering the activities of the previous night.
“Good morning, my darling,” Marcas said, entering her room without knocking and carrying a tray. “Did you sleep well?”
“You wore me out. Again. Too much for one day. It seems I’m destined to pass out on you every time we make love.” Courtney grinned, purring over the cup of hot tea he had poured for her. “Thank you. This is delicious.”
“Let us check your sugars and then you may eat.”
“You know, I am very capable of doing this on my own.” Courtney rolled her eyes as he snatched her finger in his hand. He kissed the tip and tilted his head, handing her the meter. She frowned and rechecked her levels. Without a word, she recalibrated the meter and checked a third time.
“Is this bad?” Marcas asked with concern.
“I think my glucometer is broken. This is like the third day I’ve gotten normal readings. I ate Solphia’s pastry last night and I know we all had wine and cheese before bed. I should be soaring out of control right now.”
“Can you have the machine tested?”
“Do you have a local physician who I can visit to get a blood draw? Good, let’s get me in right away. Also, we can have him check your eyes. Those contacts seem to be working well for you,” she stated, injecting her insulin despite the levels. When he did not answer, she tapped his arm. “Are you having problems with them that you aren’t sharing with me? Out with it.”
“No. The truth is that I have not worn them since our first time together as man and woman.”
Courtney frowned, shaking her head. “How can you go from being so photosensitive to being normal in a couple of days? That makes no sense.”
“It is you. You have lifted that part of the curse. You gave me eyes to see myself as I really am,” he answered quietly.
“Ok, sweetheart, listen up. I’m having enough of a problem dealing with the fact that my lover splits in half when the sun goes down so that he can screw my brains out until I faint. Are you now trying to suggest that having sex with me miraculously healed your eyes?”
“Sebastian says that miracles happen in the tiniest of ways. My finding you, for example.”
“Sebastian is a wonderful man with a great amount of faith, but there has to be a medical explanation.”
“When you discover your answer to my eyes being healed, perhaps you can also give me the scientific explanation for my being ripped in half every night and then coming together every morning,” he stated, his tone bitter as he looked away from her. “Without faith, I am a broken man. Do not take that from me.”
“Oh, Marcas, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I did not mean to question your faith or belief in miracles. I’m just not accustomed to the… abnormal?”
“You witness life and death for a career. You see how simple chemicals can help or hinder a person, giving them reason to live or a way to die. You study how a body is healthy one day and then is possessed by a terminal disease the next. How could you not be accustomed to the abnormal?”
Courtney looked down, contemplating his words. He was right. He touched the single tear as it dripped down her cheek. “I do not mean to scold. I can sometimes be too blunt in my opinions, especially when it comes to challenging folklore and mysteries. I also believe that Sebastian will not die.”
“Marcas…”
“Hear me out. If the curse was draining his life from him, would it not be possible for it to release him?”
“If that was, indeed, the fact of the situation, of course. However, he has a very serious disease that has nothing to do with the curse. You have to accept that death will come. Perhaps not immediately, but it will come. For all of us.”
“Such morbid thoughts on an otherwise beautiful day,” Marcas sighed. He patted her leg, standing. “I wish to take you riding this morning. Get dressed and meet me in the living area.”
“You don’t want to dress me? You certainly don’t have a problem undressing me,” Courtney teased, trying to lighten the mood as she plucked at the T-shirt she was wearing.
“Should I do that, you will stay undressed and not leave this room. Hurry while the sun still shines.”
Courtney greeted Solphia happily as she descended the long staircase and found her polishing the rails. The old woman hugged her before pinching her cheeks.
“Love makes you glow, beautiful one. You are sending light into this old house.”
“You are a big softy, Miss Solphia. How about you? You certainly seem to be glowing more. Is it Sebastian?”
The old woman blushed, nodding. “For many years my heart has been for him. But he has a calling. He is married to God and is not to have a woman in his life. So I must be satisfied with what I have with him.”
Courtney bit her lip, thinking of her own situation. How could one be content when they were only allowed to have a piece of something greater? How could she ever be satisfied with deciding which part of Marcas was most important to her? Neither side of him was ‘disposable’. She still did not understand this curse and how it chose to divide a person’s soul. So many questions…
Solphia patted her arm, jarring her out of her stupor. The old woman looked into her face with wise eyes. “This is my choice. You will make the choice based on your heart as well. Do not fret, you will know the right thing to do.”
“I hope so. Would you mind if I came and talked with you now and then? For advice?”
“I would be most honored, Baroness.”
“I’m not…”
“You will be. Trust me.” Solphia winked, returning to her work.
Courtney sighed as she found Marcas in the sunroom sitting next to Sebastian, playing chess. She couldn’t help but smile. “Until you learn the rules of the game, you are never going to win.”
“We have rules, but they are of our own choosing.” Sebastian grinned, taking one of Marcas’ pawns. “We play it as a game of life, not war. We sacrifice ourselves for others so that the looser is rightly the winner.”
“So you intentionally lost so you would win?” Courtney stared at Marcas, who grinned mischievously. “You stinker.”
“Things are not always as they seem. We must sometimes look beyond our vision to understand the meaning of a picture,” Marcas stated, kissing the back of her hand.
“I hate Romanian riddles,” Courtney grunted, plopping next to them. “Sebastian? Marcas seems to believe that the curse will allow you to live. Can you explain this to me?”
“If God chooses I live, then I do. The release of the curse may buy me time for Him to make that decision.”
“I won’t ever get a simple yes or no out of you, will I?”
“As there are many colors in a rainbow, there are also many answers to a question, my child,” Sebastian responded, smiling as she grumbled.
“We are going riding today. I sent a messenger to the Order for you.” Marcas smiled, changing the subject and enjoying the frown on Courtney’s face.
“Thank you. They will help me partake in the pilgrimage a final time.”
“What are you two talking about? What pilgrimage?” Courtney demanded, snatching a cookie from Marcas’ hand and popping it
in her mouth.
“I want to go back to my church to see my Brothers, to pray under the Carpathian moon in a field of the Piatra Craiului Pink. It is my final wish,” Sebastian said quietly.
“In the mountains? How long will it take?” she looked at Marcas with concern. He merely studied the floor.
“One week on foot from the mountain base, perhaps longer if we take a cart.”
“I don’t know… the conditions would be less than ideal and the strain for you… I need to think about it.”
“It is my wish, Courtney. I insist that it be granted to me without argument or dissuasion, not even from you,” Sebastian said firmly. He squeezed her hand, noticing her hurt silence. “I do not mean to reprimand you, child. There are things I must try to do before I leave this world. I have faith that I will survive this trip. You must have faith as well and help me do it.”
“What if it… kills you?” Courtney asked, tears in her eyes. “I’m not ready to see you go yet.”
Marcas lifted his head at her confession. Gone was the confident, controlled professional. In her place was a young, vulnerable woman who was allowing her heart to open again to feel. His love for her deepened and his longing for her absolute.
“I wish to place a wager, little Courtney,” Marcas said, taking the opportunity. “Should Sebastian arrive unscathed to his Order, you and I remain there to be married by the monks under the full moon.”
“Are you proposing to me?” Courtney stared into his handsome face, disbelieving the turn of events.
“I am showing the depth of my faith: in him, in God, and in you. That night you must choose which part of me you desire.”
“Marcas, I can’t… I have a career, a home… I can’t just run away to a foreign land and marry a man I barely know.”
“Your career can continue here, if you wish. Your home was a rented room in a stranger’s house. You are in love with Romania and you bloom in her light. As for not knowing me… you know me better than you know yourself. You have one moon cycle to decide,” he said decisively.
“My next wish would be to place my blessings upon you under that same moon,” Sebastian muttered loud enough for her to hear.
Courtney scowled. “How many last wishes are you going to come up with? Marriage? Really? You two are the most manipulative men I’ve ever met.” She angrily grabbed another cookie and bit into it.
“Do not have many or you will be ill,” Marcas warned.
“Oh yeah? What happened to miracles?” Courtney mocked, suddenly feeling defiant and out of control. She grabbed another and gulped a glass of orange juice. “Let’s see what happens to your miracles now!”
“Why are you doing this? You are going to harm yourself!” Marcas asked, taking the cookie from her hand and holding her firmly to face him.
“Because you need to see that there are no miracles! That trip will kill Sebastian! I cannot be part of that.” She fought back tears, struggling to release her wrists from his grip. He stared down at her and then pulled her tightly into him as a flood of tears burst from her eyes.
“Shh, it will be good, little Courtney. You must believe.”
“I can’t. Please don’t make me do this,” she sobbed, clinging to him as she soaked his shirt. He stroked her long hair with one hand as he kissed the top of her head, glancing over at Sebastian. The old man winked.
“I will have faith enough for the two of us. Please, you must trust me. And do not ever try to hurt yourself again, not even to gain my attention,” Marcas cooed into her ear. Courtney could only nod and cry. Her heart was not breaking only for the thought of losing the old man, but of losing a part of Marcas that she had grown to love. To relinquish even a small part of him would be to destroy the entire man. She loved all of him, fully and completely. Even if she broke this curse, the man remaining would not be whole. Another sob escaped her. How could he ask this of her?
* * *
The sound of hooves clipping on the firm dirt path was the only noise that surrounded the couple as they road into the dense forest. Rays of light trickled through the tree branches and cast warm shadows on the ground below. Lost in thought, Courtney was immune to the serenity that surrounded her.
Marcas glanced at the sullen girl, not knowing how to bring a smile to her beautiful face. He knew the pain of an injured heart and understood that it took time and patience to heal it. He and Sebastian had hurt her with love and he was lost to how to mend her brokenness. Sebastian had advised him that sometimes silence was the greatest thing to say, and that silence allowed tumultuous thoughts to settle. His warring halves struggled with the wisdom offered him, one side wanted her ‘fixed’ immediately, and yet the other side saw the sense in allowing her to contemplate her situation.
Marcas was confused. He no longer knew which side was the wisest or the most important to him. Since being with Courtney, the commonalities found were bringing the two closer in outlook, feelings, and actions, yet the sides remained separated. He did understand Courtney’s fear as well. He didn’t wish to lose the ‘edge’ provided by either part of him… the characteristics and skills that made him a unique human being.
“Courtney? If you had to choose a side of yourself that would stay and which would leave, what would it be?”
Courtney snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him across from her, astride a tall, black mare with slender ankles and a proudly arched neck. He rode the majestic animal with the skill and care of a compassionate lover… in control and guiding her with a firm, gentle hand.
“I don’t know. I never thought about it. I guess I would want to be whole again, normal. You know, without the diabetes and without my fear. Sebastian pointed out how much my past hurts have kept me from really living life to the fullest. Which side would you want to keep?”
“I’ve been thinking of that. Without my strong side, you would be able to walk all over me and would lose respect. Without my softer side, you would hate me.”
“It’s not about me, Marcas. It’s about you.”
“When it comes to this, it is about you. I want you to find true happiness.”
“How can I be happy when you are anything other than this?” she swept her hand towards him. “Perhaps you need to show me the best and worst of you.”
“I cannot pick and choose, my darling.” He paused for a moment, staring ahead as his body swayed under the horse. He changed the subject. “The Ambassador of State is holding a ball next week. I have not accepted the invitation yet. Would you care to go? Perhaps with the gentleman part of me?”
“I think I might like that. It would give me a chance to see how you function in society, and with me. Thank you,” Courtney said shyly, looking ahead and ducking under a tree limb.
“And I can give you an evening alone with my imprudent side as well. Would you want that, too?”
“Of course. Where are we going?”
“To another hideaway I had as a child. Not even Sebastian knows of this one.” Marcas smiled, glad to see she was perking up a little. They rode for another mile, deeper into the dense woods. The shadows grew darker and more foreboding.
“This place is creepy. The true Transylvanian forest,” Courtney whispered, urging her horse closer to him so that their knees touched.
“Do not allow your imagination to run wild. My mother used to tell me that this was the place fairies hid, far away from the eyes of the world. Listen carefully and you can hear them singing.”
Courtney closed her eyes and strained to hear beyond the hoof steps. Several minutes later, light tinkling sounds reached her ears. “What is that? It does sound like tiny voices.”
“We go on foot now,” Marcas said, helping her off the horse and taking her hand as they led the animals through the low boughs. A tiny stream opened before them, gurgling happily around small rocks and splashing in tiny waterfalls to a pond below. Wild orchids swayed gently and the air was filled with a sweet, fresh fragrance of pine and mountain air. Courtney silently sat upon the mos
s covered bank next to Marcas, dipping her fingers into the icy water.
“Here, drink. You will never taste anything so sweet,” he said, scooping the water into the cup of his hand for her. She sipped, making a happy sound as the water trickled down the back of her throat. He plucked a flower and handed it to her, then leaned back on his left elbow to look at her. “You are so beautiful. I am a very lucky man to have you in my life.”
“Marcas, were you serious about me marrying you?”
“Yes. I cannot see my life without you in it, even if I am only half a man.”
“You will still be more of a man than any others I have known. I’m so confused about this whole thing. You are asking me to make a choice about what side of you that will basically die. I can’t do that.”
“You make that decision every day with your work, do you not? You don’t decide when, but you accept it will happen and try to make the person comfortable until it does. How is this different?”
“It is much different. My patients are suffering a terminal disease…”
“Because of the curse, so am I. I’m forever torn in half and fighting with parts of myself that I loathe.”
“But I don’t have to be the one who chooses how they live the remainder of their days. Marcas, please… just hold me right now. It hurts too much to think that I will lose both of you. Without your other half, the man I’m with right now does not exist either.”
Marcas sighed, drawing her against her shoulder as he leaned on his back to peer up through the dense canopy. He felt hot, wet tears soak through his shirt and gently combed his fingers through her hair, saying nothing. She needed his comfort, his reassurance, his soft side right now to soothe her. His heart ached, knowing she was right. She would never be happy with just part of him, any more than he would be. He considered the chess game and how the monks taught him the rules. It was about sacrifice. Maybe it was time he should think about the others around him instead of himself.
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