by AJ Llewellyn
The lagoon!
She raced to the other windows overlooking the lagoon. She had no time to remove her shoes. Why, oh why, had she laced them so tightly? She took one last look back at her home, at all the things she was leaving behind as she climbed out the window and prepared to jump.
“Philippe-Auguste!” she shouted to the wind and took flight, landing with a sickening thud into the thick, soupy lagoon.
Chapter Twelve
Isola del Lazzaretto Nuovo. August 27, 1576
Caprice found herself coming to, her hands, feet and face throbbing with pain. “Philippe-Auguste!” Her voice echoed in the silent church and she knew she was alone. She shifted around on the uncomfortable sofa. Suddenly, she was aware of another presence.
Marcello.
She cried when he ran to her, his beautiful face crumpled when he put his arms around her.
Philippe-Auguste stood beside him. “It is just the three of us. I have no idea where Massimo is.”
She reached up her arms to him and he fell beside her, kissing her teary face.
“You should both go,” she said. “I will slow you down.”
“My sweet, silly girl. Don’t you know we love you?” Philippe-Auguste asked and lifted her from the sofa. Her feet screamed in agony, but she held onto her lover’s neck.
“I brought a boat. We must leave,” Marcello said.
“Where are we going?”
“Home,” Philippe-Auguste said, his voice firm. “I am taking you both home with me to France.”
“France?” Caprice stared up at him in wonderment.
“Vive la difference,” Marcello said, making Philippe-Auguste chuckle. The three lovers stole across the hard ground to the waiting boat, the two men placed Caprice against the assortment of pillows and blankets prepared for her. In the distance, church bells rang and she could smell fire again.
“Sleep, precious angel,” Philippe-Auguste urged her, kissing her furrowed brow. “You are safe now. And we are together.”
Yes, they were together. She allowed herself to drift off, looking up at the dark clouds, her mind imagining the colors she would use to paint them. She would paint it all. She would remember it all, her beautiful, magical quartetto.
About the Authors
A. J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in his fridge and a healthy
collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled. A. J. loves male/male erotica, has a passion for all animals (especially the dog, the cat and the turtle). A. J. believes that love is a song best sung out loud.
A. J.’s website is located at:
http://www.ajllewellyn.com
A. J. can be reached at this email:
[email protected]
Visit his MySpace page at:
www.myspace.com/ajllewellyn
Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book. Visit Stephani on the web at:
www.stephanihecht.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephanihecht
Email her at:
[email protected]