by Susan Hayes
She’d reclaimed her grandmother’s workshop and made it her own; cleaning out the space, sharpening the tools and restoring the place to order. When that was done she’d started carving, not even sure what she was doing at first, just that she needed to keep busy. The first bedpost had been carved before she’d even known what she was going to make, but now she was on a mission. She was going to make her own bed to replace the one that had been destroyed, one that was untouched by magic or darkness or memories. She hoped that maybe when it was complete, she could sleep again. That maybe her heart would have started healing by then.
The carvings were like nothing she’d done before; the four posts would be tree trunks, rising up to a canopy of branches that interlaced overhead. The headboard was already roughed out, though it would take hundreds more hours to carve in the details of the meadow that would cover it when it was done. Every flower she could imagine, she would carve into the wood. The task consumed her; she ate only when she remembered to and slept when she was too tired to continue.
Samantha dropped by almost daily to check on her, bringing her out sandwiches and trying to cajole Keri out of her workshop and back into the world. She’d only asked once about Keri’s whirlwind courtship, and when she had burst into tears Samantha had hugged her close and not mentioned it again. Keri knew what few friends she had were all worried, but work was how she always dealt with grief, and until it stopped hurting she could see no reason to stop.
A reason finally appeared one day as she wandered out of the bathroom. Scrubbed and pink after taking a long overdue shower she’d spotted something through the half open door to the second bedroom; a room she hadn’t bothered to enter in weeks. There on the dresser, right where she’d left it, was the tapestry she had bought the day Alistair had appeared. She’d completely forgotten about it. She unrolled it carefully and admired it, her fingers brushing over the images formed in the wool, her artist’s eye already looking at the lines and wondering how to incorporate them into her carving.
As she touched one twisted arbutus tree she gasped and finally saw what her subconscious had known the moment she’d laid eyes on it back at the market. “It’s my dream!” She couldn’t believe it. “That’s the beach in my dreams!” There was no mistaking it now she had seen it, the trees, the rocks, even the curve of the shoreline exactly matched the one she’d been dreaming about for months.
She raced to her car, nothing in her mind but the need to go, to see it for herself. Her car protested every curve of the road with a squeal of tires as she drove far too fast for the twists and hills the road traversed, trying to recall the directions the weaver had given her about how to get to the beach. She wasn’t even sure why she needed to go, but there was no arguing with the feeling that drove her, she had see it for herself.
She reached the spot the woman had described and pulled over to the side of the road, throwing up a spray of gravel as she came to a stop and scrambled to get out of the car. There! She spotted the unmarked trailhead, little more than a slight gap in the trees and undergrowth and headed for it. The trail was rough, uneven and dark, the evergreen canopy blocking out most of the sunlight. She tripped over a tree root and yelped in pain, only then realizing that in her hurry she hadn’t even changed out of her summer sandals and into a pair of decent walking shoes.
When she reached the beach it took her a minute to get her bearings, but then she saw a familiar rock outcropping off to her left and she went towards it, kicking off her nearly useless shoes in favor of walking barefoot through the sand.
Now that she was here, she felt oddly at peace, the insistent voice that had that had pushed her to come here having faded away somewhere during her descent to the water.
Her summer dress fluttered against her calves as she wandered down the beach and the breeze lifted her hair and blew it around her face in a playful halo. Thoughts and feelings she had pushed aside came back to her, and for the first time in weeks she found herself thinking clearly about her life, about Alistair, about everything.
Like the images in the tapestry, she started to see her life from a different viewpoint, saw the pattern of fear that had repeated itself over and over. Every time things had grown difficult, she had retreated into her fear and let it rule her. Ever since her father had died it had been the same. Fear, withdrawal, and then when she had lost the thing she’d fear to lose it had confirmed yet again that nothing lasted, that everyone left. It was a self-fulfilling prophesy.
The understanding of that froze her in her tracks. She had made it happen, pushed people away, maybe not every time, but often enough. “Not anymore,” She vowed, a sense of determination growing with every step.
She’d lost track of time as she walked, and when her revelations were complete she looked around and realized she’d gone more than a mile down the beach. While she’d been wandering the weather had changed and the tide had turned and now it was coming in, fast. She turned around and started jogging back, quickly realizing she was at risk of being cut off by the tide, stranded and barefoot on the wrong side of the beach. The waves were rolling in faster now, and the wind whipped up as the sun vanished behind a line of dark clouds. “Oh no,” Keri moaned as she recognized the coming storm and doubled her speed, a sense of dread filling her.
Sprinting now, she moved too fast to avoid the rocks and shells that lay buried in the sand. Just like in her dreams they cut at her feet, slowing her down. There were differences though, and she hung onto those differences in hopes they meant escape was possible, a way that wouldn’t end in her death. Before she’d always been running away, running further down the beach towards some unknown thing that she needed to find. Not this time. This time she knew what she had lost and was running back to reclaim it. If she could only get back home she’d find a way to make it right. She ran faster.
Her lungs burned as she pushed herself past the fear and the pain. She was going to make it back, back to her life, back to her art, and if she could find a way, back to Alistair. She hung onto that thought until the wind tossed up a salt spray of sea foam that blinded her, and with a sinking heart she felt hope fade. The nightmare was going to end the same way, only this time there would be no waking up.
She closed her eyes and thought of Alistair, her heart crying out his name as she realized she’d never see him again, never get a chance to explain. Grief and regret flooded her that she’d figured everything out too late. “I’m sorry.” She whispered into the rising wind as the roar of the wave grew deafening. “Maybe in my next life I’ll get it right.”
The rogue wave slammed into the shore, obliterating the beach where she’d been standing only minutes before. She stood and stared in shock as the water surged to the tree line and then fell back into the sea. It had missed her.
*****
It had been three weeks since the medallion had been destroyed and he should have been glorying in his freedom, but he wasn’t happy. The joy of being home had faded within days, as had the sense of satisfaction at knowing Cora had been defeated and destroyed.
His one joy was spending time with his family, but they had their own lives and schedules to keep. When he was not with them he was alone, and it felt as though he were back in his prison again.
Alistair paced through his home, the furnishings and valuables he had yearned to return to unseen as he wandered from room to room. He missed Keri. So much so he hadn’t been able to feed since he had been freed. He’d tried twice, and both times he’d failed to make the most preliminary of connections, leaving their mortal dreams as quietly as he had entered them. Both women had been beautiful and as ripe as sweet plums for the picking, but he’d not been tempted at all. He ran a hand through his hair and growled in frustration. “Why can’t I stop thinking about her?”
A soft riff of laughter sounded from behind him and he spun around, startled. When he spotted his mother’s diminutive form nestled into one chair near the fireplace he relaxed and greeted her with a sarcastic
, “Do make yourself at home Mother.”
“It’s been weeks my son, and you are still so unsettled. I decided it was time for mother son talk.” She patted the chair beside hers in invitation.
“I’ve been gone a long time, but I’m certain it’s still considered polite for visitors to knock first when they come over uninvited.” He grumbled as he took a seat beside her.
“Mothers get special privileges.” Molla laid a soft hand on his arm. “I know you’re unhappy, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t stop thinking about Keri.” The words came out before he could stop them. “I don’t understand why though. She lied to me, tried to keep me prisoner. Why can’t I forget about her?”
“Really Alistair, three weeks of asking yourself that question and you haven’t found the answer yet? My son, you surprise me. I thought you were smarter than this.”
He bristled. “I’m smart enough to know she’s mortal and a liar..
I remember enough of my teaching to recall that daemons and mortals are not suited to more than a few nights of passion.”
“If you recall, the Elders also claim that your parents could never be happy together and you should never have been born. We all make mistakes son, daemons and mortals alike. I think you’re focusing on the wrong thing. The fact that she hid the medallion’s existence from you isn’t the issue. You need to ask yourself why she did it.”
“I know why she did it. She wanted to keep me with her, to force me to stay.” Alistair shrugged. “It’s pretty clear to me.”
Molla threw up her hands in frustration. “You are just like your father. He didn’t want to accept reality either. I had hoped you’d get a bit more of my intuition, but it seems you are your father’s son.”
“What am I missing?” Alistair blinked at his mother.
“Your father came up with a hundred reasons why we couldn’t be together after he bedded me. It took me a year to wear him down.” Molla smiled at the memories. “He was the most stubborn, thick headed daemon I had ever met. But I knew we were meant to be together and I made him see it too.” She cocked her head to smile at Alistair. “Or did you believe his claims that it was love at first sight and he carried me off the first night we met, never to let me out of his sight again?”
Alistair gave his mother a stunned look. “Actually, I did believe him, but that’s not the issue right now. I am not making excuses! Even if there was a reason she did it, and I forgave her for the lies, she’s human! You know why that never works for us!”
Molla sighed. “I had forgotten how young you were when we lost you. You wouldn’t know what to look for. Alistair, she’s not human, not completely. Couldn’t you feel it?”
“I felt...something.” He gave his mother a wild eyed look.
“And she had prophetic dreams, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Does it?”
She nodded. “In this case, it does. Her power is quite impressive, but no one has taught her how to use it. Your Keri is a cambion. And more importantly, she loves you.”
“No, she doesn’t.” He started to argue but his mother held up her hand to stop him.
“Your brother Malyk and I both felt it the day we destroyed Cora. She loves you very much and your leaving hurt her more than anything those daemons did to her.”
Alistair cringed at the idea he’d hurt Keri, but at the same time his pulse raced as he realized what his mother was telling him. She loved him, and there was a chance for them to be together. “So she could survive the journey between planes?”
“Yes, with you to guide her she’d be fine. Now, will you please go find her and sort this out between you? I’ve done everything I can, but there are some things you really must do for yourself.” Molla stood and kissed Alistair’s cheek. “Go.”
He had to find Keri. Alistair was moving between the planes before he’d even finished standing, his mind reaching out, searching for her. He’d been a fool; letting his anger blind him to what was really important.
He stepped through the veil and into her bedroom, but there was nothing but a bare mattress leaning up against the wall. She wasn’t sleeping here anymore, that was clear. “Keri!” He called her name as he moved through the house, but she wasn’t there. He was nearly to the front door when her voice filled his head, her fear ripping through him. He followed Keri’s voice back through the veil without thinking, not even sure how he could be doing it. He appeared behind her just in time to see the wave slam into the shore and hear her softly spoken hopes for her next life.
Then he had her in his arms, held tight against his chest, her sweet softness everything he remembered in their weeks apart.
Alistair’s leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Your next life can wait; I’m not done with you in this life yet.”
“You’re here.” She whispered, her fingers touching his arms where they curved around her as if convincing herself he was really there.
“Aye, I am.” He kept his mind on their destination, the realization that she’d been so close to death shaking him to his core. His grip on her tightened and he finished the crossing, both of them materializing at the threshold of his gate.
*****
The moment they stopped moving Alistair had spun her around and cupped her face in his hands. “Open your eyes Keri.”
She did, and found herself staring up into his golden brown eyes. “Why?” She didn’t dare to even breathe as she waited for his answer.
“Why should you open your eyes? So I could see for myself you were alright. I nearly lost you back there.” His fingertips brushed over her cheek.
“No, why did you come back at all? I thought you hated me for what I did.”
He groaned and leaned down into their noses were nearly touching. “I do not hate you. I couldn’t hate you. By Styx woman, I need you.” He dropped his lips to hers and kissed her, his fingers sliding into her hair and tangling in her red tresses, holding her mouth to his as he plundered it. She shuddered and then melted into his embrace with a faint sigh.
Her pulse leaped like a startled deer as he kissed her and hope kindling in her heart. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him as she kissed him back.
Her lips parted beneath his and she moaned as his tongue slipped into her mouth to dance with hers. One hand remained buried in her hair while his other moved down to cup her ass, lifting her up off her feet and against his hard body as he moved her backwards until she was pinned up against a wall.
Alistair whispered her name as he lifted her higher, settling his hips into the cradle of her thighs. Each time she moaned she felt him grind his rock hard cock against her, which drew another moan. Soon they were both half wild with need from the game they were playing and she wrapped her legs around his hips, determined to never let go of him again. Her nails curled into his shoulders and she pulled him closer still, needing to feel every inch of him. She felt a faint tug as he used her hair to draw her head to one side, baring her throat. She tipped her head further, offering herself to him. His lips found her pulse point, suckling on her soft skin. Rough palms slid up her thighs, shoving her skirt aside.
He groaned against her skin, grinding his hips into her again and again as he reached for her panties, shredding the already damp lace that covered her mound. His thumb slid into her folds, unerringly finding that small pearl of pleasure and rubbing hard against it. She mewled in pleasure and he shifted his hand, sliding a finger deep inside her. Keri writhed against him, wanting more. Her vaginal walls closed around his finger and she gasped as his fingertip brushed near the sensitive cluster of nerves within her channel.
“Please.” She whimpered and bucked her hips against his hand.
Her soft whimper drew a nod of agreement from him and he slid another finger inside, then a third, stretching and stroking her as his thumb toyed mercilessly her clit. “Come for me Keri, I want to see you come.” He curled his long fingers, hitting the one spot he knew would bring her to t
he brink.
Her womb clenched and she cried out as her orgasm took her, his fingers still moving, dragging out her release. She turned her head and pressed an open mouthed kiss to his neck, her tongue drawing over his skin, tasting him before her teeth closed on his flesh. She felt him tense from the bite and a faint smile curved her lips. “Now I want to see you come.” She purred.
“As my lady wishes.” His fingers withdrew from her body and she felt his clothes vanish, leaving nothing between them. His lips found hers and he kissed her hard, groaning into her mouth as his thick shaft breached her body. His claimed her with a single thrust, his hips already moving before either of them could catch their breath, setting a demanding rhythm.
Keri gripped her thighs tighter, drawing him close, needing him to fill her. Her nails dug deeper into his shoulder as she hung onto him, her lips still locked with his. He sucked on her lower lip, drawing it into his mouth, his teeth nibbling at her kiss swollen skin as his hips arched higher, driving himself deeper still.
Keri moaned again as a new sensation swirled within her, making her giddy. An odd pulse of liquid heat filled her and a rich flavor filled her mouth, the taste of spiced honey and musk. His taste, his scent. She clung to him, lost in her pleasure. In and out, in and out, she felt her release building with every thrust as he made wild love to her.
She sensed his control slip, felt the frenzied way his body moved against hers, taking everything she offered without quarter. He tore his lips from hers and threw his head back, roaring his claim to the world. “She’s MINE!”
They came together, both of them calling the other’s name as they found their release. She let herself relax into the strength of his arms, her head dropping onto his chest as a final shudder of exquisite bliss passed through her.