Magic In The Storm

by Meredith Bond

  Adriana didn’t know what to say. She didn’t exactly know what to feel. She was both hurt that he’d kissed this other woman, and elated that it meant nothing to him—that it had only made him realize how much he loved her. She supposed she should be happy.

  He reached out and took her hand. “Adriana, I love you.”

  She just looked into his eyes. Deeply into his eyes. Yes. It was there. His love for her shone out of him like a beam of sunshine, and she was warmed by it. “I love you too, Morgan.”

  “You complete me,” he said quietly, as a flash of lightening arched overhead.

  Adriana’s heart lurched, but she knew he was right. She felt it too.

  He raised himself onto his knees in front of her and gently cupped her face in his hands. Running his thumbs down her cheeks, he looked deeply into Adriana’s eyes. “Complete me, Adriana. Love me, and let me love you.”

  “Yes, I love you,” she whispered as the ground began to rumble with thunder. The rich scent of grass and earth filled Adriana as rain began to fall all around them.

  It was odd, only a short time ago the sky had been clear with just a few clouds skittering overhead, and now rain pattered down all around them. It didn’t make sense, but then, when did the weather ever do anything predictable? Adriana laughed as Morgan looked up, smiling at the clouds, letting the rain wash his face.

  This was right. Her with him, here, at this time, on this night—amidst the storm.

  Gingerly, Morgan ran his hand down her cheek and then her body. His eyes followed his hand. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered as his hand flowed lightly over her breasts.

  Adriana felt everything with a heightened awareness—the way his hand paused ever so slightly as it passed over the tip of her breast, the heat of it as he gently cupped her and then slowly moved on, sliding down her abdomen and then lower to her hips and legs.

  And with his open admiration, she felt beautiful. She felt special and beloved. But she would not allow this to be a one–way loving, she decided. She would not be shy. She wanted to show Morgan she felt the very same way he did.

  Taking a deep breath, she raised herself up onto her knees, and then let her hands roam freely over his body—touching his broad shoulders and running her hands down his strong arms. She pushed aside his soaking wet coat and running her hands down his chest, and then she became truly bold and unbuttoned his waistcoat so she could feel him even more closely through his shirt. It clung to him as the warm rain soaked through the thin material. She supposed that he’d healed his wounds with magic, because he no longer wore any bandages under his shirt.

  And he clearly had no problem with her explorations, quickly divesting himself of both articles of clothing, and even pulling his shirt off over his head.

  His tawny skin hadn’t lost its glow even after weeks in London. In the cool of the breeze that accompanied the storm, his nipples stood out tight and small from the strong muscles of his chest. She ran her fingers over them lightly, delighting in the soft purring sound he made in response.

  Morgan’s lips came down to taste the swell of Adriana’s breast, and soon he was helping her from her wet, restraining clothing.

  The cold air hit Adriana’s heated body, but Morgan’s proximity quickly dispelled any chill she might feel.

  She arched involuntarily as Morgan began to suckle at her breast. Shocks of heat rushed through her and tingles of excitement gathered at her core. Heat pooled there, made even more luscious when Morgan touched her ever so gently. His fingers teased her, dipping in and out and around her soft sensitive flesh. A shudder rushed through her as he wove his magic in and around her body. It was all she could do not to press herself against him and rub against his strong, hard body.

  But she restrained herself. Consoling herself by running her hand and then her lips over his chest. She tasted his sweet skin, suckling at his nipple as he had done to her. But then she became truly bold. She wanted to taste him, all of him.

  She sat up, and pressed him onto his back, while she licked and kissed her way down the center of his stomach and then nipped at the sweet soft skin of his side, carefully avoiding the places where Cosmina had stitched him together the previous night. He giggled and his hand pushed her lips away from his ticklish flesh. She reached out for his breeches and slowly began to unbutton them, exposing the coarse, soft hair near his sex.

  With a moan he lifted his hips and pushed his breeches off, revealing his manhood to her. It was long, and hard, and thick, but his skin was softer than anything she had ever touched before. Gently, she explored the length of him with her finger tips, and then spurred on by his moans of delight, she became even more bold and tasted him. His body spasmed, and she pulled away, afraid she had hurt him somehow. But he reached out, and brushed back the tendrils of hair that had fallen into her face.

  “Did I hurt you?” she asked.

  “No, oh no. It felt good. Never have I felt anything so wonderful,” he said, his voice hoarse with passion.

  “Oh, good,” she smiled, and then went back to tasting his sweet saltiness. She ran her tongue along the length of his shaft, delighting in his moans as her hand followed her tongue back up to the tip. His hand came around hers, and he showed her how to stroke him even as she sucked gently at the head of his manhood.

  But he didn’t allow her to continue this pleasure for very long. Too soon, he was pulling her up to him, and capturing her lips with his own. He switched positions with her. Licking and kissing his way down her body, he performed his own magic on her making her writhe in ecstasy. Never had she felt anything so good as his tongue flicking in and out and all around her sensitive flesh. She couldn’t contain her moans as the intensity within her built. He continued his assault until she couldn’t bear it anymore and she called out his name when she thought she would explode with pleasure. He rushed up to her and cradled her face in his hands. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. Oh no, it felt, oh, Morgan, please!” Adriana couldn’t help herself, she wanted more. She needed him deep inside of her.

  He gently moved himself on top of her, supporting most of his weight on his arms and spreading her legs with his own.

  “Become a part of me, Adriana. Let me love you, let me make love to you,” he whispered into her ear.

  He pressed himself up on his arms and looked down at her with such love in his eyes. “With the two of us together...”

  “As one...” she said, reaching out and pushing his dripping hair out of his face.

  He pressed into her then. Moving slowly, he pushed himself into her body. The pressure of him was uncomfortable at first, but he continued to move slowly in and out.

  Adriana shifted as pleasure began to replace the discomfort and Morgan slowly moved himself further inside of her. He moaned and closed his eyes. Adriana hoped it was with pleasure.

  As he moved himself out once more, he opened his eyes again, pausing before swiftly pressing himself in to the hilt before coming to a stop once again. A flash of intense pain gripped her, but then eased again as he waited patiently for her. He moved slightly, rubbing himself against her womanhood, and suddenly she didn’t want him to stay still any longer. She moved her hips. He followed her lead, pulling himself almost all the way out before pressing himself deep inside of her once again. Again and again he did this, quickening his pace each time, sending shivers of delight through her.

  More, more... she wanted... she needed... she writhed and moaned, pressing him deeper and then, delighting in his withdrawal only when he would come surging back in again. Faster and faster, until she could bear it no more and her whole body shuddered with a passion and release. He, too, began to shudder, calling out her name as he arched his back and pressed himself as far into her body as he could. Lightning flashed over head as he gave a few more quick thrusts, and then laid still.

  The rumble of the thunder slowly moved away and a flash of lightning lit the world beyond Adriana’s closed eyelids—only it stayed. Adriana opened them
to see small sparks of light swirling around them. The wind swirled around the stones, weaving between and among them. The rain had stopped. Clouds flittered across the full moon. Slowly, the sparks died away with the wind and everything was left in stillness with nothing but the naked moon hanging over them.

  Morgan pushed himself up off of her, where he had collapsed after his passion. “Adriana,” he began.

  But a strong emotion welled up inside of her, and she couldn’t wait for him to say whatever it was he had to say. Cradling his face in her hands, she placed her thumbs over his lips to still them.

  “I love you, Morgan. I love you with all my heart.”

  But he was looking at her oddly. “You’re glowing,” he said.

  Adriana blinked. It wasn’t the response she was expecting. “I’m glowing?”

  He smiled, then laughed lightly. “Yes. I mean it, literally. There is a bright halo of light surrounding you.”

  He backed away from her onto his knees. It was cold without his warmth. She too sat up and looked at him. “You’re not glowing, but, but there is definitely something...” It was as if he was giving off some sort of feeling—an aura, she had heard Kat call it—which made her feel good. It made her happy. And in another way, it made her keenly aware that she was in the presence of a great Vallen.

  “I can feel your power. I can feel that you are powerful,” she said, trying to explain it to him.

  “Is it bad?” he asked, frowning with concern.

  “No. It’s good. It makes me feel happy and secure.” She reached out for him and ran her hand down his arm. His skin was warm and soft, just as it had been before, but she could feel a tingle there as well. He took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers. Small blue sparks began to dance around their fingers.

  Morgan’s eyes widened. “It’s you.”

  “What’s me? Not this magic.”

  “Yes. This magic. It’s you. It’s been you all along.” He threw his head back and laughed right out loud. “Oh, what a fool I am!” He swung back towards her. “You are the reason. You are the one who gave me my powers!”

  “What? How could that be?” This was too confusing.

  “You are Vallen Adriana, and you are the one who has given me my powers.”

  Adriana stood and pulled on her chemise and then her dress as she thought about this. “I don’t understand. How could I be Vallen? Wouldn’t I have known it? Wouldn’t I have been able to feel it or something?”

  Morgan reached for his breeches. “I don’t know. But I realized it the minute I saw your painting of Stonehenge. It was filled with such magic! Like all of your work, I could feel everything about the place—the way it smelled, the air, and even how you felt as you’d painted it. It’s magic, Adriana, your art is your magic.”

  Somehow this made sense to Adriana. More sense than anything else anyone had ever said about her work. It felt right. “But even if I am Vallen, how could I have possibly given you such incredible powers. I don’t have powers like that, surely.”

  Morgan pulled his shirt on and then began to pace back and forth in front of the stones. “No, but it makes sense. The more I’ve gotten to know you, the more I’ve loved you, the more powerful I’ve become,” he said, thinking this through.

  “But I’m not powerful...”

  He stopped and turned toward her. “Yes, Adriana, you are, but that’s not the point.” He stood directly in front of her and cradled her face in his hands. “The point is your love for me and mine for you. It was that—our love—which has caused my powers to increase.”

  The rumble of carriage wheels interrupted them. Morgan jumped away to finish dressing while Adriana quickly packed up what was left of their picnic.

  Thirty Six

  Soon enough, the carriage pulled up to where Morgan and Adriana were standing. Morgan took a step forward and was very pleasantly surprised when Mr. Kean, followed by Lord Byron, climbed down.

  It was amazing to see that they glowed softly just like Adriana. He’d thought it was just Adriana because she was special to him, but now that he saw Byron and Kean, he understood it was their magic that made them all glow in this way.

  “Vallentyn,” Lord Byron said, as if it was no great surprise to see him here, “good to see you. And Miss Hayden.” He took Adriana’s hand and lifted it to his lips.

  “Lord Byron! Mr. Kean! What a pleasant surprise,” Adriana said.

  “Shouldn’t be too much of a surprise,” Byron said, giving her a smile. “I am certainly not surprised to see you here.”

  “You’re not?” she asked.

  “It was clear as daylight that you were one of us,” Mr. Kean said, making a grand gesture with his hands.

  “We didn’t know if anyone else would be here,” Morgan said.

  “But of course others are coming!” Mr. Kean said, expansively. “It is the summer solstice, after all.”

  “Is this a common thing, to come to Stonehenge on the solstice?” Morgan asked.

  “Not really,” Lord Byron answered. “First time I’m here. How about you, Edmund?” he asked, turning to Mr. Kean.

  “Yes, absolutely, first time. But we were called here, were we not?”

  “Called here?” Adriana asked.

  “By the dream,” he explained.

  “You had the same dream Adriana and I had?” Morgan asked, amazed that such a thing could happen. He had thought only Adriana and he had shared this dream. But now he began to wonder how many others had had it too.

  “That’s how we knew to come,” Lord Byron answered.

  “How many do you think will be here?” Adriana asked.

  “I honestly don’t know.” Byron turned to look down the road from the direction he had come. “But it looks as if others are beginning to arrive, so we should soon find out. If you will excuse me?” he said, turning to his driver. He gave the man some instructions, then moved out of the way as the coach turned around and headed back the way it had come.

  Two more people arrived on horseback from the other direction, and then the coach they had seen approaching arrived. Some came alone, others in pairs like Byron and Kean. Some were cloaked to hide their identities, but others showed themselves boldly as Adriana and Morgan did. Each one had their own particular glow, some stronger than others, each in varying colors as individual as the people themselves.

  Morgan was surprised to recognize Jack the Lad among those who arrived on horseback. He seemed to be moving about more slowly, as if he were stiff or in pain. Most of the others he didn’t know. No one introduced themselves. Eleven people had arrived as it came closer to midnight.

  Some had already started for the standing stones, milling about just outside of the circle. Morgan, Adriana, Byron and Kean were about to move in that direction when one last coach approached. Out of curiosity, they stayed closer to the road to see who the last arrivals might be.

  Kat was the first to descend from the coach. Morgan noticed she glowed a beautiful soft pink, and realized the color a Vallen glowed must have something to do with their powers, although, so far, no two Vallen he had yet seen, glowed exactly the same color.

  As soon as Kat’s feet were on the ground, she went straight to him. “Oh, Morgan! I’m so glad to see you here!” she said, grasping his hands.

  Conflicting anger and love waged a silent battle in Morgan’s heart and mind. Kat had been the one to tell Adriana about Sarah Jordan. She had attached the strings that had pulled them apart, but he began to think that it wasn’t she who was operating them. He set aside his hurt for now. “It’s good to see you too, Kat.”

  There was a deep rumble of thunder followed immediately by a flash of lightning that lit the night sky. More lightning and thunder followed as his mother stepped regally from her carriage.

  “Morgan!” his mother hissed. Her eyes flipped to Jack the Lad who was standing with his arms crossed and his legs in an aggressive wide stance behind Adriana. His mother glowed the brightest of anyone Morgan had yet seen, but her
color was an unpleasant stark white.

  “Good evening, Mother,” Morgan said, bowing his head.

  “And Miss Hayden,” she said, with unmistakable malice.

  Adriana took a step closer to Morgan before bobbing her a small curtsey. “Good evening, Lady Vallentyn.” She turned to his cousin, and gave her a smile. “Hello, Kat.”

  “Are you surprised to see me?” Morgan asked his mother.

  “No, why should I be?” she asked, raising her chin.

  “Because you tried to have me killed last night,” he said loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

  Kat gasped.

  “Morgan! How could you even say such a thing?” Suddenly his mother was the gentle, caring mother she had never been to him. “You’re my son, why would I...”

  “Who did you get to do it?” Morgan turned and faced Jack. “Was it you? And who else?”

  Jack just shifted his weight from one foot to the other, but said nothing.

  “Morgan, you are talking nonsense,” his mother began again.

  “You wanted me dead so that Kat could take my place here tonight. You will be brought to justice,” he said before turning and walking into the center of the circle.

  The others joined him, standing silently around, some closer, others farther away in the shadows of the stones. For a moment, Morgan stood there and knew that this was Adriana’s painting.

  The silence of the night, the cool air shifting softly around him and the deep feeling of magic. Morgan glanced at Adriana standing nearby, but not directly at his side and he knew exactly what it was he had been missing in Adriana’s painting.

  It was Adriana herself. And it was their love. That’s what he had needed. Without both of those, he would not be ready to attain his destiny. It wasn’t pure magical power that gave him the right to be here, it was love and the wholeness that it brought him.