I shivered with anticipation as he peeled back the layers of my nightgown. For this night I don’t feel the frailty of my body as Athan looks at me with passion and love. I allow him to do as he will, to again make me feel like a desirable woman in his arms.
“You are beautiful to me, Dr. Sheba. Never doubt your importance to me.”
I felt his hot, moist lips on my body and the flutter of passion blossomed inside me. Frail I may be, but the desire has not lessened. He took his time as though learning my body for the very first time, just as we had learned each other so many years ago. I twined my fingers into the locks of his thick, resilient hair. God, he was beautiful and would always remain so.
He reached for a bottle in the drawer of the nightstand and I smelled the scent of the special lavender oil he had created in the lab.
I flew above myself as he applied it liberally to my pussy and I felt his thick fingers press inside me. My beautiful Athan.
The scent of the lilacs reminded me of the garden and if I closed my eyes I could feel my youth and the moist earth beneath me as Athan entered me slowly.
He took a chance by allowing himself to bleed out the electrical energy and coming to me at his lowest ebb, but before he applied his treatment. He did this for me, so there could be no chance of a stray surge stopping this frail heart of mine.
Tonight, for a moment, I had my youth back as he pressed inside me and my vagina expanded to accept him. He leaned down to kiss me, a gentle kiss of passion and devotion. I felt his fingers between our bodies as he circled my clit. His hand and mouth were tender, yet demanding and I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders as I reached for the ecstasy I had always known with him.
I have truly loved but two men in my life though there have been many in my bed. I have experienced ultimate joy with them both. I would give my life for either of them. For both.
Athan’s thrusts were slow and deep and he fucked me to multiple orgasms ‑‑ those that he never failed to elicit from my body.
I reached up to sweep a hand over his hair and he looked down at me. I saw the faint lightning in his eyes as he stared at me, driving his body deeply.
“I love you, Athan,” I whispered. “My love will always surround you. And you will never be alone. Always remember that.”
I saw something flicker in his eyes just before his lids fluttered closed and I felt his seed pulsing into my body.
I clung to him as a bee is forever drawn to its hive, sweetness and need washing over me. I couldn’t let him go. He leaned down to kiss me and then withdrew from my body leaving me less empty than when he had been welcomed inside.
He came back to the bed with a wet cloth and cleansed me with his loving hands. His touch so welcome, so needed. He then lay down beside me and held me in his arms and lulled me to sleep, warmed and content in the afterglow of his protection.
I missed Cornelius in my bed and I think Athan understood this. There have been nights when he stayed with me throughout, but I knew that night could not be one of them. His energy was dangerously low, and I hardly felt a ripple when he fucked me.
“You must go,” I mumbled through the lazy strands as sleep tried to claim me. “You can’t wait any longer.”
I felt his lips at my temple. “Always the scientist, Dr. Sheba,” he whispered. “You cannot leave me yet. I need you to stay.”
“I have no plans to go anywhere right now, Athan.” I turned my head to look up at him as he hovered above me. I reached up to cup his jaw. My darling, Athan. “Go.”
I smiled even as he rose from the bed, and I felt the moist pressure of tears. When had I become so weak? I never used to cry and now I find the tears are often not far away for a variety of reasons, both sad and happy.
Tonight I am weary but I still bask in the feeling of well-being he instilled in me last night. He always seems to know when I need him most.
I must go for now. Something is wrong and I hear shouting down the hall. I can feel my heart thundering in my breast. The sounds are coming from the tower. Cornelius ‑‑
* * * * *
Paul stood on the second floor of the mansion, listening. She must be here somewhere. She wasn’t in her room, he’d already searched that and found the cache of Ransom journals she’d stuffed in her drawer, which were nicely pocketed in his coat for safekeeping. Added to the other stash he’d left in the tool shed, his future was made.
But damn her. Korrie had gotten more out of Athan in the few days she’d been here than Paul had gotten out of him in weeks. Even though he’d made himself available for fucking any time the bastard wanted. What the hell was it about her that got her what she wanted every single time?
She was nothing. A nobody, especially now with her father gone, and she had no real clout at the institute. So what made them all trust her and treat her like gold?
Swiftly moving toward the other side of the hallway he waited and listened. And then he heard the distinctive ringing of a cell phone. This was it. Now he knew where she was.
Making his way toward the stairs leading to the third floor, listening closely, he could hear her voice. He pulled the gun from his pocket and checked the clip. Yeah, he was ready for this. As he’d told Athan, after the first kill, the second comes a whole lot easier, and this one wouldn’t be any problem at all. He listened again and pinpointed where she was.
Inching up to the doorway, he saw her standing in the room just beyond. It was the destroyed laboratory. Korrie leaned against the wall, one arm anchored horizontally across her chest as she supported her other arm, with her hand holding the phone to her ear.
“Erik, slow down, I can’t understand what you’re trying to say,” she said as she listened intently, gazing up at the ceiling. Paul saw a dawning look of shocked comprehension cross her expression. “Donald is dead? But how?”
Paul could tell her exactly how and why. Korrie was talking to the wrong person.
He saw her knuckles whiten as she gripped the phone tighter. “Paul’s disappeared? How can the police know he had anything to do with it?”
What had he forgotten to do that they’d immediately assumed he had something to do with the murder? He’d wiped the apartment down completely. He’d been certain to leave no clues. He watched her as she listened intently to whatever Carter was saying to her on the phone.
“I see. The cashier at the Chinese restaurant saw them together. And that was the last time anyone saw Donald alive? You really think Paul did it? That he might come here?”
Of course, they’d stopped for that damn food. He should have realized someone would have seen them together. He hadn’t planned to kill Donald at the time so he hadn’t really thought or worried about who saw them together.
“Yes, I know this project was an obsession with him. When will you be here? Do you want me to call the local police or will you do that?” She listened for a moment. “No, I’ll let Ath-- I’ll let the caretaker know to be on the lookout for him.” Again she seemed to be listening intently. “No, the housekeeper is gone. I’ll be sure to lock all the doors and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Another pause. “Really, I’ll be fine.”
Yes, she’d be fine and dead, and by the time anyone arrived, he’d be far away. And this time he wasn’t leaving any evidence behind.
He watched as she scanned the room.
“Damn you, Paul Cathcart. What have you done now?” He just barely heard her murmured words. She whirled toward the doorway, but before she could take a step toward it, he moved to block her exit. Her expression registered shock and disbelief. He watched with dispassionate interest as she tried to cover her fear.
“Paul. What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the institute.”
Slowly, he moved into the room, cutting off her retreat. She stepped away from him. He smiled, knowing he had her right where he wanted her.
“You look good, Korrie. How have you been?”
Her eyes grew wary, and her attention skittered around the room. “I’m fine. Why
don’t we go downstairs and I’ll make us some tea.”
He shook his head. “No, but thanks. Have you been able to find out anything since you’ve been here?”
“Ah, no, nothing of use.” She shrugged.
“I think you’re lying, Korrie. I think you’ve found out quite a bit in my absence and I’m not very happy about that.”
He saw the look of fear flicker in her eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He reached into one pocket and pulled out the journal. “This is what I mean. How did you get this?”
Sheer panic spread across her face. “Where did you get that? You were in my room? Going through my things? How dare you!”
“I dare quite a bit, Korrie. You will never beat me. And I’m going to make sure once and for all you don’t have a chance to try.” He shook his head. “You could have been married to me, if you hadn’t been such a naive, stupid bitch and tried to ruin it all. But that’s over with now and I’m afraid you’re going to have to pay the price for trying to take what belongs to me.”
Her frantic glance shifted to the door, but he knew there wouldn’t be anyone coming to save her ‑‑ not before it was too late.
“Athan ‑‑”
“Is dead,” he finished for her. “I took care of him before I came here.
“No. Damn you, what have you done?”
“Just cleaned up some unfinished business.” He returned the journal to his pocket and pulled out the gun, pointing it at her. “Good-bye, Korrie. Too bad because I really did think you had some potential as a scientist. You could have been my assistant and become famous. You had to ruin it instead.”
“No, Paul.”
A shot rang out, echoing around the gutted laboratory.
Chapter Fourteen
The electricity passed through Athan’s body, healing him, strengthening him. Finally, the timer shut down and the cuffs automatically separated. Athan allowed the surges to wrap through him. Inhaling deeply, he felt the waves of energy radiating through his body making him more powerful. Under normal circumstances he would immediately find someone and expend the excess in a pleasing manner, a nonviolent, sexual intimacy.
But not this time. Penetrating and mingling throughout the intermittent surges of energy was an overwhelming anger, similar to what he had experienced on the night the Ransoms had died. He’d thought he never wanted to experience those feelings again. But now he needed them.
Ripping off the remainder of the wires, he removed the brace from his rigid cock. The wound in his chest had been welded closed, leaving a blackened, angry scar.
Athan shouldn’t have waited to induce the treatment. Maybe he would have been more prepared to meet Paul’s unexpected presence.
The man was insane and he should have detected it when he was here the first time. Hadn’t he witnessed a similar insanity in Cornelius near the end?
But it was different with Cornelius. There wasn’t that same deviousness in the man’s character. At least not until the end, when the madness had completely destroyed his mind.
That night he’d somehow found a weapon and had killed Howard, then gone to the laboratory. By the time Athan had gotten upstairs, Dr. Sheba was dead and Cornelius was dragging her body to the laboratory table determined to revive her. Athan remembered the nightmare all too well of when he’d tried to stop Dr. Cornelius. The madman had come at him with a scalpel. When Athan had deflected the bloody weapon and pushed him away, he’d fallen onto his own instrument.
He’d had no choice but to make it look like an accident. His creators were both dead and he couldn’t let anyone know that it was Dr. Cornelius who had murdered two people that night. He’d had to drag Howard’s body into the laboratory as well. That was when he’d started the fire and made it look like an experiment gone wrong. The only other person who knew the truth was Karen Grippen. And she had kept the secrets of the house all these years.
Did the house induce madness in the weak? Had it latched onto something inside Paul and wouldn’t let go? No, he couldn’t believe that.
With Paul, it must have been present all the time beneath his smooth, polished exterior, boiling beneath the surface. He was a handsome man with a black soul. From what Korrie revealed to him, Paul came to the estate with greed in his heart. Athan had had no problem fucking him, but he had made sure the secrets of the estate remained locked away. Looking back at what had occurred and trying to figure out why he hadn’t seen the signs wouldn’t help him now.
Paul assumed that by locking the door, it would stop Athan. How little he understood about the electrophasm treatment and what Athan really was. Paul had no idea of the monster he had aroused. Sometimes Athan felt he was merely a conductor for the electricity that ran through him. Right now the power pulsing through him was at full capacity. He could sense it rippling in wave after wave of surging energy, bolts reaching outward from his flesh. The anger building inside him only fueled it, and the steady rings of lightning surrounded him completely.
If anyone tried to touch him right now, with the magnification of that anger, there was a possibility that person could easily be electrocuted. It’s one of the reasons he tried to be very careful with his emotions and about who he touched and when. Sexual connection was something else. He could funnel and control to some extent the excess energy into his orgasms without endangering his partner. Why it worked that way, he wasn’t sure; it apparently had something to do with his chemical makeup and his self-control. Right now, he had no desire to utilize self-control in any form.
He reached for the door and yanked back, easily pulling it off its hinges. He threw it aside like it weighed no more than a two-by-four.
There was no time to find clothes; he had to get to Korrie. It might already be too late.
Every time he came close to grasping a strand of peace, of happiness, it was ripped away from him. He could not go on endlessly without her warmth. Not this time.
Ripping open the front door, he raced out of the cottage. One quick glance around and he knew Paul was long gone. Athan hadn’t stopped to check to see how long he’d been linked to the machine. It could have been fifteen minutes or an hour and fifteen minutes. It shut off automatically when a full charge level had been reached. Like a battery, but not like one.
He ran through the field, sparks shooting out as his bare feet blackened the pathway beneath them. He felt the heat, the vibrations, the slight pain as sparks bounced back, but it didn’t stop him, or slow him down.
Why had Paul done this thing? He did not understand this type of greed in a human being. And life having so little value? In his world, life and being able to create life always had more value than gold.
Living all his life on the estate and associating only with the people in Fall’s Creek, he had remained isolated from people like Paul Cathcart who seemed to worship money and power. Maybe if he hadn’t agreed to open up the estate, Korrie’s life would not be in danger.
He shot through the forest and out the other side, reaching the garden gate. He vaulted over it and down the path to the house, noting absently that Mrs. Grippen’s car was not in sight. That meant Korrie was alone in the house with Cathcart. He strode through the kitchen and into the front drawing room, whirled around and headed toward the library. Where the hell were they?
If he called out to her and she answered and Paul was in the house, he could get to her before Athan did. On the other hand, he’d be taking a chance by not getting to her quickly.
He turned and mounted the stairs to the second floor. He’d check her room. Paul wouldn’t know which room Mrs. Grippen had assigned her. Time was running out. He took the stairs two at a time and ran down the hallway. He could smell the scent of singed wood and carpet as he went.
Bursting into her room, he scanned quickly. Someone had obviously been in here other than Korrie. Her papers were strewn all over the floor and her purse was lying beneath the window, the contents scattered. The drawer on her desk was open, and her computer was lying
on its side on the floor next to the desk.
He ran out the door and tried to think where she might be. And then he quaked as he heard the echo of a gunshot, his heart stuttered and seemed to stop in his chest as the sound reverberated through him. He was too late.
Damn you to hell, Cathcart.
Athan flew up the steps to the third floor and shuddered to a halt before the open laboratory door. He hadn’t been in there since the night of the fire. He shook himself free of the memories of the past and plunged into the room only to see Korrie lying in a pool of blood.
“Damn you, Paul. Why?”
Paul was near Korrie and pouring something onto the floor. It looked like one of the older, dusty vials containing chemicals that must have remained on one of the shelves.
Paul whipped around to face Athan, shock registering on his face. His gaze went to the table resting against the wall and Athan’s gaze followed his. Paul didn’t have his gun. He’d thought they were all dead. Athan stalked toward him.
“You should be dead,” Paul yelled. His eyes widened. “My God, you’re the experiment!”
He dropped the flask, which shattered, liquid pouring out onto the floor. His gaze shot to the table where the gun rested and he moved to sprint past Athan.
But Athan was at full strength and he rushed Paul, pouncing and dragging him down to the floor. Anger swamped Athan like he’d never felt before. He wanted this man dead, as dead as Korrie, as dead as Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Sheba. He didn’t care what happened to him when it was over, better that he die ‑‑ if that was possible.
But he knew that even that would be denied him. He was a thing that did not die. But Paul would.
Paul managed to squirm away from him and crawled across the floor. He had a lighter in his hand and suddenly Athan knew exactly what he planned to do.
“No!”
But again, it was too late and flame licked at the liquid quickly, hungry and all-consuming. Fury filled Athan as he grabbed for Paul’s leg, dragged him back, and lifted him up. Blindly, he tightened his fingers around his neck. The bastard deserved to die. The electrical energy passed through his body and it was like a lightning bolt passing through Paul’s body. He went into convulsive shuddering. All Athan did was hold on and direct the angry bolts to pass through his body and into Paul’s, time and time again, until Paul was dead. Athan tossed his lifeless corpse across the room, and it landed near the table he had so wanted to reach. But now he’d have no use for it.
Body Parts Page 17