by Audra Hart
“PIE!” snaps Morna in frustration. “The saying is easy as pie, not cake.” Morna rakes her fingers roughly through her hair and sighs loudly. “Luca, sorry, I didn’t mean to be hateful. Anything else Annie?” When Annie shakes her head no, Morna turns to Luca, “Well, let’s get everyone fed and settled for the night and then hit it bright and early in the morning.” Morna takes a deep breath and sighs. “Ingrid will be here in a moment. I hope we still have quarters for you two.” She says with a chuckle. There’s a knock on the door. Morna smiles at the group as she opens the door to reveal her assistant standing there. “Spooky isn’t she? Ingrid do we have quarters for Lou and Annie?”
“Yes Morna. I can find a nice couple of rooms for them. Anything else?” she asks looking at Morna meaningfully.
Morna chuckles, “Dear Ingrid, you know there is, that’s why you asked. Please send Breena and Rinda to join us as soon as possible.” Ingrid nods and turns to show the new arrivals to rooms. “Lou, can you wait here please?” Lou nods and sits back down. Collingwood excuses himself to rest before supper and Heimdall leaves to return to the gate. He will be extra vigilant after the attack today. Annie wonders what Morna is up to but decides to let her dumb ass brother fend for himself.
After everyone leaves Morna sits down and tugs Luca down to sit beside her on the sofa. “What do you want Morna?” asks Lou cautiously.
“Were you serious about wishing you didn’t remember our time together in El Paso?” Morna asks.
“Yes Morna. No offense, but I didn’t know you were my aunt then and it makes me feel really weird. And I really feel freaked out talking about this around your husband,” Lou admits obviously uncomfortable.
“Lou, calm down. I am not very comfortable with it either. But I know you were a brilliant physicist and philosopher back then, so I suspect you have very powerful magic. You will be an asset but only if you can be comfortable around me. Plus, my sons are both empathic. I don’t want you remembering anything awkward around them. My oldest son is very wise and quite worldly for a fifteen year old. He will figure it out very quickly,” Morna says in all seriousness.
“So, do you want me to leave?” Lou asks.
“No, of course not. But I think the two ladies coming down the hall right now can help us.” Morna says with a small smile on her face. She gets up and opens the door for Breena and Rinda. “Come in ladies. I have someone I want you to meet. Breena, put up one of those no one gets through buffer spells.”
Breena and Rinda looks confused. Breena complies with her sister’s request, but continues looking at Lou and wondering why he is afraid of Luca, and Rinda is just enjoying the view. “Breena Glynn, my sister, meet my nephew; he is Valgullveig’s son, his name is Looveig. Rinda Fine, my best friend and closest non-spouse confidant, meet Lou. Now girls, here’s the kicker and the reason I asked you both to come here. This is Deidra’s ‘friend’ from my college days in El Paso,” Says Morna with a nervous snort.
“No joke?” Says Breena. “No wonder he is so leery of Luca.”
“No way Morn! You had an affair with your nephew? Freaky! Small frickin’ freaky world we live in ain’t it?” says Rinda with a chuckle.
“Yes, and I am afraid he might tip Kyle off, inadvertently.” Morna says. “He is more than just a little bit unnerved. We only found out a little bit ago that I am his aunt, needless to say, we want to keep the past in the past.”
Understanding lights Breena’s and Rinda’s faces. “You want us to do with him what we did with Fionn and Carrick?”
“Yes,” admits Morna. “Please.”
“Wait a minute! What are you three going to do to me?” Lou asks uncertainly.
“Nothing harmful,” Rinda assures him. “When were teenagers we got caught doing some things the Elders had prohibited. Breena and I had worked out a way to make someone forget certain things. That’s all we did. It doesn’t hurt, and it only affects certain targeted memories. It’s quite harmless.”
“Fascinating,” Says Luca. “How do you do it?”
Morna laughs, “They tag team the subject. Rinda hypnotizes the subject and has them remember all the targeted memories and Breena expands her empathic talents to make the memories her own, and then she uses her off switch. The memory disappears out of the subject’s memory, apparently forever. Fionn and Carrick have never remembered what we didn’t want them to remember.”
“Why didn’t you just put up a buffer spell?” Luca asks.
“Fionn was a crafty little snot when we were kids. He figured out how to sneak through them.” Morna laughs.
“Can he still do it?” Asks Luca worriedly.
“No, Breena borrowed that little memory too, and learned how to construct a practically invincible buffer spell from the knowledge,” giggles Rinda. “Sorry Luca. We were rather wild as kids.”
“I am gathering that.” Luca says with a chuckle. “Well Lou, you said you wanted to get rid of those memories, here is your chance.”
“And I will gladly take it!” Lou says enthusiastically.
Morna chuckles and says, “Good I didn’t want to have to do to you what I did to those boys to make them consent.”
Rinda laughs, “Morna was fourteen years old. She wasn’t even four feet tall and maybe eighty or ninety pounds and she beats up two boys that were at least three times her size, and had four more years in warrior training than she did. She had them begging for mercy. They gladly accepted the deal, and willingly gave up their memories of what we had been doing when they broke into our buffer spells. Breena was kind enough to take away the memories of Morna kickin their butts too.”
Morna turns to Luca in all seriousness and says, “My love, you might want to get out of hearing range for this. Rinda has to walk him through every memory in order for Breena to be able to attach it as her own.”
“I assumed that would be the case, Morna. I think I will have Heimdall send me to check on the girls at The Bridge and to check on Mike. You have been talking about them in your sleep. Their wellbeing weighs heavily on your mind. Would you excuse us for a little while? I need talk to my wife in our bedchamber before I go,” Luca says politely to his guests.
When everyone nods, Morna follows her mate into their bedchamber. “I am sorry Luca. God I wish I could take the knowledge of this from you.”
Luca takes her into his arms and says, “Nonsense woman. That boy out there has intimate knowledge of Deidra, not my Morna. Besides, he won’t have even that knowledge for long. I asked you to come in here because I wanted to know if you need to feed. Are you thirsty? Are you still feeling any ill effects from your injuries?”
“Easy love. No, I am not currently thirsty, but I was planning on going hunting before I go to bed tonight, just in case. And yes, I still hurt like hell from the injuries and the venom, but I am okay. Odin’s chamber really sped the process of healing up, I still have some residual pain, but nothing I can’t handle.” Morna assures him.
“Good!” he says firmly and takes her into his arms and kisses her passionately. “I wish we didn’t have guests in the outer sitting room. I would show you just how little any of this bothers me. I am tempted to do it anyway, but I know I should give you a few more hours to heal a little more. Damn, but I guess I am a monster. You were nearly torn to shreds today by that creature and I want to ravish you where you stand.”
“Not a monster, you just know your mate and her needs and desires,” Morna says with a laugh. “But you better leave now, or we will have to keep our guests waiting. And poor Breena will feel every bit of it being this close, buffer spell or no buffer spell.”
“Before I go, what were you girls up to when Carrick and Fionn broke through your buffer spells? I noticed that Rinda used a plural, so I assume there was more than one prohibited activity taking place?” Luca asks with a smile.
“Breena was practicing some of my non-guild approved spells, and you already know what Rinda and I were doing.” Morna admits as a blush heats her face. “Damn, but this is m
y day to have my past sexual exploits flaunted in my face. How do you stand it?”
“Morna, would you rather that I were bothered by these things?” Luca asks confused by her reactions.
“No, because I don’t want you to be hurt. But I can’t imagine me being so calm if I met some lover from your past,” Morna admits reluctantly. “I am not as magnanimous as you are my love.”
“Well, there’s no chance of that. I have never sought any others since I met you. And the barmaids I tumbled in my youth have long since turned to dust.” Luca kisses her hotly and pulls her to him roughly. When she is slow to respond he pulls back and looks into her eyes. “Morna, look at it this way; I have had love affairs with twelve different women. You were all of those women, but you were very different as each one of them. Not only in appearance, but also in personalities. Does that make you feel any better?”
“Not really.” Morna ducks her head. “I am a total ass, Luca. I was feeling jealous the other day when you spoke of LiNora. I was jealous of myself. How weird is that?”
“Morna, I have always loved you for the woman you have been in the moment. But I meant it when I said I love this version of you more than any other. I love your personality, your strengths, your weaknesses, your quirks, oh God, your soft, supple body. I love everything about the 14th model of Morna. Every experience you have ever had has made you what you are. I wouldn’t change a thing. Well except for Hilda and Roxie. I would have saved them if I could have,” Luca admits honestly to his mate.
Morna kisses him deeply and says, “Lucian Michaels, I love you now more than I have ever been capable of loving you. You are all I could ever ask for in a mate. You are kind, loving, patient, strong, incredibly intelligent, unbelievably sexy, a very skilled lover, and you accept and love my children as your own.” Morna wraps her body around his and says, “There’s no way you are leaving without loving me, darling.”
Luca chuckles and says, “Good!” He quickly puts up a buffer spell and rips her dress off in one smooth motion.
Morna laughs and shreds his shirt and jeans in three not nearly so smooth motions. She laughs, “I need practice.” And leads him to their bed, where she quickly peels her panties off and mounts his erection effortlessly. He holds her in his arms and savors her orgasm and then slowly starts moving her up and down on his swollen shaft when her body finally loses its rigidity and tremors. He watches her face and eyes as he pleasures her. Her eyes have that glassy appearance that signifies she is virtually intoxicated with her passion for him. He knows in his heart that no one else has ever seen that on her face, but him and him alone.
She reaches out to lovingly caress his body as he moves her faster and faster on his rigid cock. He can tell she’s nearly ready to climax again, so he quickly shifts one hand around to her backside to keep up the tempo of movements, and uses his other hand to bring her hand up to her breasts. She takes the cue of what he wants her to do, and roughly kneads her own breasts and rolls the large, taunt nipples between her thumbs and forefingers as he watches in delight. He leans in to suck and nip each breast and is rewarded when she says, “Now baby. Now!” He joins her in her climax and savors the tightening of her strong vaginal muscles on his member. She is breathing hard and her heart sounds like it will race right out of her chest when she collapses against him murmuring his name.
He holds her lovingly for a couple of minutes as he strokes her sweat soaked head, and then says with a chuckle, “Our guests are getting uncomfortable. We are very bad hosts.”
“Especially to my sister. Poor girl.” Morna says as she hops off and heads for the shower. Luca chuckles and gets dressed quickly. He wraps their shredded clothes into a bundle and carries them under his arm. Morna is already out of the shower and drying off when he walks into the bathroom. Luca looks at the mostly healed wounds and chastises himself for making love to her so soon after yet another near death experience. Morna correctly interprets the look on his face and says, “Stop it Luca! I am fine. I probably wanted that more than you did.”
Luca laughs, and says, “I seriously doubt that. But I agree, you seem to be fine. Give me a quick kiss. I better go before I do it to you again.”
Morna kisses him gently and says, “If I didn’t want a clean slate so bad with Lou, I would insist you do that very thing.”
Luca nods his agreement and says, “I am going to ask Damian to go with me so that you won’t worry about me while I am gone.” Luca informs her as he holds her for a moment and then swats her backside before walking away. “I will tell them that you will be out in a few minutes.”
Morna finally emerges from her bedroom five minutes later. “Sorry I took so long. That hot water from the shower felt very good on these wounds.” Morna admits.
“What wounds?” Asks Lou.
“That creature your mother led into Asgard attacked Morna. She was out hunting and it nearly killed her from what Elias told me,” Rinda says angrily.
“Oh God Morna, let me see those wounds!” demands Lou.
Morna shrugs and turns around and drops her blouse to let him see the ones on her back where the creature had laid her open in several spots clear to the bone. Lou carefully examines the wound and says, “Any others? Why are the wounds healing so fast? And why are they silver looking?”
“Yeah, there were other wounds. Why?” Morna demands.
“Unless those wounds are properly treated you will turn into one of those creatures!” Lou says frantically.
“Okay, well the wounds were treated with vampire venom. I don’t think anything survives that.” Morna says carefully.
“That’s why you look different. You are some kind of vampire now, aren’t you?” Lou asks, obviously relieved.
“I guess you could say that. I have many attributes of a vampire. I even crave blood right now while I am pregnant. But I am not venomous, and my flesh is not rock hard like Luca’s, I still bleed, breathe, sweat, eat and all the other bodily functions of a human.” Morna says quietly.
“Why didn’t you change into a vampire?” Lou asks.
“We aren’t sure. But we do have a few theories. What difference does that make?” Morna demands.
“Sorry Mo, I am just curious I guess.” Lou roughly rubs his face. Then reaches out and strokes Morna’s face gently. “Look, this is crazy hard for me. I used to be deeply in love with you. Sorry I didn’t admit that earlier, but it seemed bad form to admit that in front of a woman’s husband. But now I am just completely confused around you. I can‘t wait for your sister to steal my memories. But a sick part of me needs to know before we do this, did you have feelings for me? Did I mean anything to you?”
Morna takes a deep breath and looks at her sister then back to the man in front of her. She takes his hand in hers and says, “Lou, I would not have made love with you virtually every night for almost two years if I didn’t have feelings towards you. But when I remembered Luca, every other man I ever knew disappeared from my mind. I can’t even tell you what my husband of nineteen years looked like. I am sorry if that hurts, but it’s the truth.”
“No Morna, I am glad to know it and equally glad that I will soon forget it,” Lou says and then leans in and gently kisses her lips.
Morna stiffens up and tries not to pull away too abruptly. Even though she knows he won’t remember it, she doesn’t want to hurt him anymore than he has been hurt already. She pulls back slowly and says, “Let me get us some sustenance and then we can get this show on the road,” Morna says with an attempt at lightness that she doesn’t feel.
“I want a coke and another kind of drink, and some solid food, how about the rest of you?” Morna asks as she continues to try to appear light and unaffected. After the others tell Morna what they want to drink she tries her telepathy out on Ingrid. She is only mildly surprised when Ingrid answers her in the same fashion. Morna asks for food for the group and drinks, and then says, “I really need some of that blood Luca brought in. I guess it is still good?”
“It is f
ine Morna. I will have your food and drinks there in about five minutes. Bronwyn, Fionn and I are just helping Auggie finish up supper for the whole household. I assume I should tell them to eat without you?” Ingrid asks.
“Of course. Thank you Ingrid.” Morna opens her eyes and tells the trio before her, “Food will be here in about five minutes.”
Lou chuckles and says, “How long have you been communicating telepathically?”
“I learned how right before I met you again today.”
Lou chuckles again and says, “I could tell you were pretty new at it. I could feel it, but I couldn’t hear what you were communicating. You are very good for someone who just learned how. Work on your focus.”
Breena and Rinda both look astonished. “You learned telepathy today?” Breena demands. “Busy day, sis. Feed a small army breakfast, go into a blood thirsty frenzy, battle a creature from the Spirit Plane, nearly die, learn telepathy and meet up with an old lover. What do you have planned for the evening?”
“Hopefully, a hot bath and a full night’s sleep.” Morna admits. And then she looks at Lou, suddenly curious, “What have you been doing for the last 11 months? Luca would have noticed you hanging around watching me, so you must have gave up on that little chore.”
“Yep, once your man arrived you didn’t need me to cover your back. I went back to Utgard and trained with my father. He sends his regards, by the way. He speaks very highly of you. I am grateful that I didn’t tell him or my sister before we got here that you and I had been lovers. I just wish my sister had not found out,” Lou admits, looking a little pale.
“Lou, I am sorry to be the cause of you feeling this shame,” Morna says softly.
“Mo… I am sorry. I shouldn’t be carrying on like this. Damn, I am an ass. You had to face all of this with your husband and now your sister and best friend. It’s not really shame I am feeling. We didn’t really do anything wrong you know. I just need for the memories to be gone. For the feelings to be gone. Does that make sense?” Lou says sadly.