Something stirred at the back of his mind. Something he was supposed to tell Nathalie…but he couldn’t remember. All that mattered was her skin, her smell, her heat. She was kissing him more insistently now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was rubbing herself against him and making small satisfying sounds. Dean was flooded with desire and happiness that she wanted him so badly. He’d remember what he wanted to tell her later. Dean deepened his kiss and rolled on top of her.
Tuesday, August 13
The Fairgrounds
Nathalie and Dean walked hand in hand towards Town Circle after work. Dean had left his bike at Nathalie’s so he’d have it after he walked her home. Hopefully by then her parents would be asleep and he could spend the night with his beautiful and naked girlfriend. He flushed and looked at Nathalie who smiled at him and lifted their joined hands to kiss his. If he didn’t know she felt the same way he’d feel like a rutting animal. Dean swung her into his arms and held her tightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s embrace before Reginald Baker biked by, hair neatly combed and dressed for an evening out.
“Get a room,” he yelled, laughing.
“Go put your head in an oven you burnt loaf of bread,” Dean yelled back. Reg barked a laugh and gave him the finger before turning on West Road to head to Town Circle.
“Oh, good one,” Nathalie said, rolling her eyes.
“He is the baker’s son, Nathalie,” Dean said haughtily. “I was being pithy.”
“I believe that’s ‘witty’ my sweet,” Nathalie said.
At the office today they had had a long talk about their relationship. There really wasn’t much else to do. With Shaemus gone, the office had become party central. Beth hadn’t turned up either. No one missed her.
“I feel different,” she had happily confided in Dean. “I feel as if the time we spend alone together is magical. I feel out of control and excited all the time. I love it.”
Dean felt it too, very strongly. When he wasn’t with Nathalie she was all he thought about. “Yooo hooo,” his mother had knocked on his head this morning at breakfast. “Anyone there?”
When they reached Town Circle things were in full swing. People were dancing in and around The Rotunda and many of the tables were full of people eating and drinking, but mostly drinking. Luke and Sadie were already there. They had secured a table for four sandwiched between a large group of rowdy, beer swilling men and a family with two screaming children.
“It’s gonna be like eating at home,” Dean said wryly, putting his arm around Nathalie and pressing her close.
They made their way towards their friends. Once they were seated there was a tense moment when a couple of beer guzzlers at the table beside them noticed Nathalie and Sadie, the two pretty girls at the table next to them. Dean frowned and stared warningly, and Luke followed, but it was Sadie’s cold expression that deterred them. The other guys in the party noticed and distracted their friends with a comment about “plenty of warm, friendly, girls around.” The tension died, but the four decided to switch tables.
Luckily, they found one close to one of the path entrances and the dance floor, so they had quiet behind them and fun in front. They placed drink orders and started to look through the menus.
The musicians were playing big band music again. The dancers were swinging each other around and laughing. Luke’s toe was tapping. He knew how to swing. Heck, he knew every dance. His mother had made sure her sons were cultured. They could dance, sing, play an instrument and eat at a table like “civilized” gentlemen. She had put all her boys in charm school, run by hers truly, and they had turned out remarkably well, judging by his older brothers’ great success with girls. The music pulled at Luke. He wanted to swing Sadie around and make her squeal with laughter. They had been apart in the afternoon because Sadie had things to do at home with her aunt. Luke had been bored. He had hoped they could spend some quality time together alone in the woods.
He watched as Sadie talked with Nathalie. She obviously enjoyed the attention of another girl, and Nathalie was the nicest person he knew. A wave of affection for Nathalie flowed through him at her kindness towards Sadie.
The waiter arrived, and after cheeseburgers and grilled chicken salads were ordered, Luke got up and swept a gallant bow to Sadie.
“May I have this dance, fair one? You must be a witch because I find myself enchanted by you,” Luke asked in his most charming voice. He held out his hand and wiggled his eyebrows in a dashing manner.
Sadie laughed and put her hand in his. “I would be honoured, fair sir,” she said before she was swept away. Luke twirled her around and the laughing couple melted into the crowd.
“I forgot what a great dancer he is,” Nathalie mused, watching them as they moved gracefully to the beat of the music.
“I shall also sweep you off your feet, my fair lady,” Dean said in a deep, chivalrous voice he called “the lady killer,” “but alas, we must protect our small plot of land for which we have fought fiercely, not to mention your small feet from my overlarge ones!”
“Silly,” Nathalie said over the table, twining her hands with his and reaching over to give him a soft kiss. They stared at each other. Love, desire, passion, trust, and a whole host of other emotions seemed to spiral between them. “Maybe there’ll be slow dances,” Nathalie said breathlessly.
“One can hope,” Dean said, kissing her hands without breaking eye contact.
After a few songs, Luke and Sadie came back to the table. Before Sadie could sit he bent and kissed her hand like a true gallant before slipping his hand behind her head and planting a solid kiss on her mouth. For once Sadie just laughed as her besotted boyfriend seated her in her chair. Nathalie and Dean eyed each other. They understood.
“That was fun, Luke,” Sadie said happily. “I had no idea you could dance like that!”
“I am a man of many talents, my beauty. But right now, I need food! Where on earth is our waiter?”
He appeared moments later. They dug in and talked about the success of the Barrington Harvest Festival. They studiously avoided the serious and confusing topics looming at the back of their minds. It seemed that they had made an unspoken agreement to just enjoy themselves tonight.
After they had finished eating it was finally dark enough that the fairy lights and the beautiful gas lanterns could cast their glow on Town Circle. The band started a slow tune and the heavy partiers went in search of alcohol. Couples came onto the dance floor and moved slowly together under the dim, twinkling lights. It was beautiful. Town Circle had been transformed into a fairyland. The boys grabbed the girls and they joined the group of dancers. A few of the couples were already kissing.
“The park’s paths are going to be busy tonight,” Dean whispered into Nathalie’s ear. Luke and Sadie were completely wrapped up in each other. They were talking quietly as they swayed to the music with eyes for no one else but each other.
They danced a few dances before they noticed that the crowd around The Rotunda had grown large and boisterous. They were calling for music with energy! Nathalie could see that a couple of the beer table boys were already making out with some willing girls they had found. They were obviously drunk, but then most everyone was, Nathalie noticed.
“Time to go,” Nathalie whispered in Dean’s ear. “The party’s gone to the next level.” He agreed. Dean tapped Luke on the shoulder and they exited the dance floor just in time. The band struck up a rowdy tune and a wild crowd surged to the dance floor.
They watched in wonder at the partiers. The beer guzzlers who had been making out with the girls were performing lewd moves. Their hands were everywhere, but the girls didn’t seem to mind.
“You know, my friend Emma slept in the park last week. She got so drunk that she couldn’t remember what happened. She could have been hurt.” Nathalie looked at the girls worriedly, but they didn’t seem to have a care in the world.
Luke glanced around. “Where’s the Sheriff in al
l this?” he asked quietly.
The four turned and chose one of the many lighted paths leading out from the center of Town Circle to the street. This path was called Narnia because it was lined with cedars and tall trees with lanterns dotting the way. Every ten feet an arch had been formed to allow access to the park greens and fountains. Now, however, the group did not stray from the path. It was obvious from the intermittent moaning and grunting noises coming from the archways that those dark green spaces were occupied by other types of lovers at the moment. They tried not to laugh out loud as they ran through the park. Part of it was shock, but the rest was…awe.
“I can’t believe they’re allowed to do that,” Luke said, shocked.
“I agree,” Nathalie said. “Why aren’t Sheriff Holt and his men doing something about this?”
“Yeah, otherwise they should rename the path Porn Alley,” Dean added.
When they hit Main Street things were back to normal. It was a bit disorienting after the adult atmosphere in the park. People thronged the streets with their families, chatting and enjoying the beautiful evening. They walked to Ye Ole Sweete Shoppe to get ice cream. It was teeming with parents and children despite the lateness of the hour. Licking their ice creams and enjoying the crowd, it was hard to reconcile the difference between the people on the lighted street and the ones in the park.
They parted ways after they finished their treats. Nathalie and Dean headed to the Parker residence so Dean could drop Nathalie off at home. Luke and Sadie headed to the Barrington Estate. Sadie had agreed to spend an hour with him before heading home, and Luke was desperate for that hour to start now.
Luke and Sadie strolled to the library in order to cut through the alley. Once in the alley Luke swept Sadie into his arms and ran into the enveloping darkness of the wood surrounding the manor.
From the park’s edge two figures stood and watched Luke and Sadie with fury and disbelief. One of them was Sadie’s aunt Liora. Liora was shaking with rage as she watched the Kellar heir, her own niece, kiss the Barrington murderer. A Barrington! A Kellar kissing a Barrington! She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her claw like hands gripped the bag of herbs she had bought at the fair and her nails punctured the bag. She narrowed her eyes and swore they would both pay for this outrage.
The other observer was Hannah.
Hannah also felt rage roll through her. Rage and helpless jealousy as she witnessed the intimacy and love flowing between Sadie and Luke. She hated Sadie so much she could taste it. She wanted to hurt her. She wanted her dead.
The Barrington Estate
Oblivious to all of this, Sadie and Luke spent a blissful couple of hours in each other’s arms. Luke and Sadie were twined together on their blanket. Through the haze of desire Sadie realized that she wanted Luke. She wanted all of him and was completely crazy about him, obsessed even. She couldn’t get enough of his smile, his mouth, his hands, his body, anything. She wanted to strip herself, and him, and claim him as hers…feel the most private part of him joined with her, filling her, possessing her…but she hesitated. With her missing time, and being haunted and used, it was unfair to bind Luke even closer to her than he was now. She wanted that closeness desperately, but she needed to make sure she didn’t follow in Willow’s footsteps by using sex as a means to snare Luke and keep him close. For his protection, her desires had to be securely locked away for now.
Instead, she allowed him freer rein tonight because she couldn’t help herself when he touched her. She let him open the front of her dress to touch her breasts. His tongue and sucking kisses had left her bra wet on both sides. Now they were kissing heavily and sighing softly. Her legs were spread apart and her dress was bunched around her hips. Although they were separated physically by the material of their clothes, Sadie could feel the hardness of Luke’s body as he pressed and moved against her. She could hear him groaning as her hands, which she had slipped into the back of his jeans, squeezed and massaged his backside, pulling him closer.
Luke pulled away from her mouth and kissed her neck. He popped her bra open and put one of her small, perky breasts in his mouth and sucked, hard. Sadie arched as electricity shot to the core of her being. Luke’s hot mouth took her other breast and repeated the procedure. It was as if he wanted to devour her. Consume her whole. It was thrilling. Sadie’s body was wild with longing.
“Touch me, Luke,” she whispered urgently. He did. He slid his tongue back into her mouth, and she was taken by a flush of heat. Shifting his weight slightly to the side Luke slid his hand down over her belly and into her panties. She was slippery and hot at the junction of her legs. He rubbed her there while he made love to her mouth, sliding and thrusting his tongue against hers. She moaned as his fingers slid back and forth between her legs and then into her body. She shuddered as he slid in and out in small movements, pushing his fist against her core and allowing the pressure to accentuate her release. Sadie slipped her hand over Luke’s taut stomach and into the front of his jeans and stroked him. Luke moaned against her mouth as he came, the warmth of his orgasm spilling over her fingers.
Then she was back in his arms and they were kissing and holding each other fiercely. Love bloomed between them, filling their hearts and joining them together. Luke had grown up with a lot of love in his house, from his parents and siblings, but he had always been missing her. Sadie’s love. Luke gave silent thanks that he had her. She was his, all his, and she loved him back.
Sadie was thankful too. After years of loneliness, and no love at all, she finally had Luke, a wonderful boy whose love suffused her being, and gave her the chance to return it in spades. Now that she knew how wonderful love for Luke felt, she knew she could never live without it again, never live without Luke.
Luke and Sadie kissed and whispered to each other for a bit longer before Luke sighed and made the decision to take her home. They had just gone through something so intimate it was hard to imagine being separated from her for a minute. Sadie smiled brilliantly at Luke. He smiled back and kissed her eyes and brushed the hair out of her face. Seeing Sadie Kellar disheveled, by his own hands no less, was extremely sexy. He straightened her up, including her delicates, which made her laugh because it tickled, and they headed to the Kellars. The moon was out and there was a slight breeze in the air. It was the perfect night for a walk. Luke kept his arm close around Sadie, and they walked in companionable silence.
When they reached the Kellar residence and headed around the back to make sure Sadie got into her bedroom okay, Luke instantly sensed something was wrong. Even Sadie had halted and was frowning. The air was charged with what felt like static electricity, the prickling sensation you get just before an electric shock. It was an unpleasant tingling along the skin and Luke rubbed his hands over his arms. He looked over and he could see some of Sadie’s hair standing on end.
“Get out of here Luke,” Sadie said abruptly. She had just noticed what he had failed to see when arriving in the backyard. Liora Keller was standing at the back, in the dark, and her fury was evident. She stood stiffly, her arms out to the sides with her fingers spread. Her eyes were wide and wild, and her gray hair stood out in a fuzzy tangle. The air seemed to buzz around her as she stared at Sadie.
“How dare you,” she hissed at her niece. “Cavorting with a Barrington! The descendent of a murdering lynch mob family!” She was shaking with anger and little sparks of purple electricity seemed to emanate from her fingers. She turned to look at Luke who was staring at her in shock. He knew his family’s history. The Kellar burning is what made Barrington famous. It was his ancestor that had condemned Willow Kellar to die.
“Aunt Liora…” Sadie began coldly, folding her arms in front of her.
But Liora wasn’t listening. She continued to stare at Luke. Insane fury twisted her crone-like face. Luke frowned as she raised her right arm and pointed a finger at him. “Die Barrington bastard!” she screeched, saliva spitting out of her mouth. A jolt of power hit Luke right in the chest and sent him fl
ying backwards. He fell into the grass with a thud, stunned and terrified. He couldn’t take a breath. Holy shit! What is going on here? he wondered frantically, his thoughts racing. What the hell just happened?
Sadie was standing rigidly, an expression of shock on her face. Had her aunt actually tried to kill Luke? She glanced back and heard him groan, and when Sadie looked back her aunt was storming towards her. She grabbed Sadie by the arms and her nails bit cruelly into her skin.
“You stupid little bitch,” she screamed, shaking Sadie violently, “you are ruining everything!” Sadie’s head snapped back and she bit her tongue as her teeth clattered together. Her aunt was crazy!
“Liora!” Sadie shrieked in horror. “Control yourself!”
“I’d rather see you dead than with a Barrington!” Liora screeched back, slapping Sadie across the face and sending her sprawling.
Luke was stirring. Don’t move Luke, Sadie prayed desperately as she slowly regained her feet. She was dazed and her aunt seemed to have superhuman strength. Please don’t move, sweetheart. But it was too late. Liora had already seen him.
“I have enough power to stop the heart of one measly boy,” she muttered to herself as she crossed the lawn to where Luke lay. He was still in shock and looked at her in horrified confusion as Liora laid her crackling hands on his chest. His eyes rolled back into his head and his body slumped.
Sadie watched fearfully, with her heart in her throat. She’s going to kill him, she thought desperately. Panic and fury filled Sadie and time slowed…her aunt moved as if in slow motion and something cracked inside her, a vessel that had lain dormant within her for as long as she could remember. The vessel shattered and something escaped, something that every descendent of Willow Kellar inherited.
Power.
Sadie crackled with it. It crawled around her and hummed with a bluish-violet light. It arced between her spread fingers like little lightning bolts as she raised both her hands, palms up. “Stop,” she whispered. Liora looked up and screamed in terror before she was flung back at least ten feet from Luke. Within the blink of an eye Sadie stood beside him. Her eyes were glowing purple. Her voice was deep and alien, as if many voices were combined to make hers. With her black hair and milk-white skin, she was a terrifying sight.
HEX Page 22