by Mila McClung
“No, you cannot do this!” his mother wailed. “Curse me, not my child!”
“It is punishment enough for you to see your child frozen in time. Maybe it will teach you not to dally with the husband of a goddess, hum?”
“Wait, please? I am a goddess, too! There must be a way to free him! Tell me, and it will be done!”
“The only hope of freeing him lies in the heart of one who would love him enough to take his place! And I don’t think you will find any female quite so foolish as that!”
With that she disappeared in a blast of thunder – waking Toby from her dream. It was raining. She rose, tried to seek shelter from the storm, slipped on the gathering mud and went barreling towards the cliff. She screamed as she plummeted over the edge.
A hand reached out, caught her; pulled her up swiftly. Then pale strong arms lifted her, carried her through the rain into the temple. When they set her down on a bench she glanced up into a pair of sad emerald eyes. Her breath stilled in an instant – her rescuer’s face was the same as the boy in her dream!
CHAPTER TWO
“Dio!” Toby gasped. “It was you!”
“How do you know my name?” His voice was cool and low, sent shivers up her back.
“Aella told me.”
“Good Aella. She usually doesn’t mention me to strangers.”
“I saw you talking to Kosmas, and asked who you were. But I’m no stranger. Moonsea belongs to me now. I’m Toby Styles.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I don’t think so. There’s a little scrape on my elbow but otherwise … Dio, who are you, really? Where did you come from?”
“I thought you knew.”
“Well, I only know what Aella and Kosmas told me; that you’re her nephew and you live a hermit’s life out here behind the temple.”
“Sure, she’s my aunt. I take care of the goats and the olive grove for Kosmas.”
“But there’s more to it than you say, I can sense it. Dio … what kind of name is that?”
“It’s short for Dioscuri.”
“Dioscuri?” She whispered the word slowly, letting it flow through her mind. It was familiar, had something to do with Zeus and the Gemini. But she couldn’t quite remember what. He was too close, made clear thinking impossible.
Toby couldn’t take her gaze off of him. His face was pale and sorrowful but exquisite, with high cheekbones, a lean, perfectly aligned nose and a full, sensuous mouth. His eyes seemed on the verge of tears, glowing like emerald pools. And his body, dressed only in tight, faded jeans and a white T shirt, was as perfectly muscled as the ancient athletes depicted in bas-relief on the temple walls. Toby felt faint, not from the fall but from the overwhelming desire that was building like a tidal wave within her. His touch was like a cold fire, inciting her – she impulsively moved her lips towards his, kissed him tenderly. He was shocked at first then began to kiss back. She found herself clinging to him, using her tongue to explore that glorious mouth. It was not like her to make the first move, or to get intimate with strangers, for that matter. But something happened to her when she saw him, a gate of some kind seemed to open, a door offering pleasures she’d never dreamed of before. Dreams – she thought to herself – he was in my dream!
Toby backed off, embarrassed.
“My God, I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me! You must think I’m insane!”
“No, I only think you acted on impulse, and it was the same impulse I had. I was watching you sleep before the storm hit. I thought then how good it might be with you.”
“But you don’t even know me. We really are strangers, I guess, though it doesn’t feel that way.”
“It’s how we feel that counts. We are strangers no more, forever.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“You are a beautiful girl, Toby Styles. Will you meet me here, tonight?”
“Won’t you be having dinner at the house?”
“I never stay there. I live here, behind the temple. Aella brings me my dinner.”
“Why do you live by yourself, Dio? Are you shy?”
“No, I just prefer to be alone.”
“Oh, that isn’t true. I can see in your eyes that you’re lonely. I suppose that’s why I kissed you, to try and drive away the sadness in your eyes.”
“You did, for a moment.”
They stared at each other; Toby had to restrain a sudden urge to kiss him again.
“You know, I had the craziest dream before the storm. It was all about Hera and Zeus, and a young woman who had a son who looked like you.” She stood, began to glance around. “This is the temple of the moon goddess, Selene. Was she the young goddess in my dream? I wonder.”
“Do you believe in the Three Fates, Toby?”
“I suppose, if you mean, do I believe in things happening because they’re meant to.”
“That’s what I mean. I’ve been praying to them for so long, begging them to send me someone. That someone is you.”
She turned, looked deep into the emerald eyes. A smoldering fire was burning within them; it stirred her, frightening her with its intensity. She wanted him at the instant she’d seen him standing near the temple. In her heart she knew immediately that Dio was the man she’d longed for her whole life. But was it real - or merely an overreaction to the romance of the island – and that dream?
“Dio, I’m sorry I came onto you. I guess this trip has unhinged me somehow. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m easy with everyone.”
“I don’t. And don’t you ever be sorry. I want you, Toby. I’ve waited for you so long.”
He surrounded her in those pale, strong arms, began to kiss her again – this time he took the lead, working his tongue like an expert. His hands moved over her muddied sundress, prickling her breasts. She felt an all-consuming need to be out of her clothes, wouldn’t let her mind think about what would happen afterwards. She knew there’d be consequences later but right then the touch of him, the earthy, wild scent of his skin, was enough to blot out the world.
He removed her dress, raising it up over her head and tossing it on the stone floor of the temple. The rain was slamming the roof, entering in through weathered spots here and there. The thunder roared over the sea, lightning smacking at the water. The air was alive, tense and dark. She could see him whenever the pale sun peered out of the black clouds, like the flashing of neon signs in the city. He was naked above her, his hips smooth and firm, moving rhythmically; his heart pounding so fiercely it shook his chest.
She was a virgin. She briefly thought she should mention it to him but it seemed unimportant. Her first time was going to be special, unexpected and oh so magical, wrapped in the cool, white arms of a sad-eyed angel of a boy. He was gentle and kind with her, making moves that he must have imagined doing as he watched her sleep. She encouraged him with soft glances and whispers, nodding and smiling each time he sought approval for his actions. Toby gave herself up to him eagerly, enjoying his lingering, tantalizing kisses, his admiring caresses, his hard, ready flesh. Then they merged, he shivered inside her, bringing her to a crest of pleasure she’d never experienced before. She groaned, almost afraid of the force of it but he calmed her by cupping her face in his hands and smothering her moans with another wet, delicious kiss.
He moved slowly away from her, sat staring at her face. She was suddenly ice cold. Dio rushed into a back room; came back out with a jacket. He wrapped her in it then echoed the gesture with his arms.
“Warmer, now?”
“Yes, thank you.” She felt shy under the close examination of his stare. “Was I … was it okay?”
“The best I ever had!”
“Are you sure? I mean, I’ve never gone that far with anyone. I wasn’t sure I was any good.”
“You must have a natural talent for it.” He grinned, the sadness left him for a moment then returned. “I guess you’d better get back to the house. Aella doesn’t like people showing up late to dinner.”
�
�Did she raise you?”
“Raise me? Oh, yeah, you could say that. Toby …” he paused, his eyes glistening in a shower of light as it filtered through the holey roof. The storm had passed; a brilliant sunset was spreading orange and purple plumes across the sky. Farther up, the moon had taken its nightly position, pointing at the temple like a searchlight. “You will come here, later? You’ll spend the night with me?”
“Do you have a bed?”
“Sure. I have a small apartment in the back here. It’s pretty nice. Aella takes good care of me.”
“I don’t know; seems to me if she cared for you she’d make you sleep in the house! Unless, of course, my dream was real, and you’re tied to the temple by a rope of shame, I think Hera called it.”
The expression on his pale face changed; it shocked Toby with the sheer ferocity it revealed. She wasn’t one to believe in fairy tales or myths. Her dad had trained her to have a practical, realistic view of the world. In his mind, people made up myths and religions to help them cope with the unknowns of life, things they couldn’t explain rationally. And he had passed that observation to her without much resistance. Her mother Lauren was raised with a strong faith but hid it whenever Matt was around, to avoid his stern reproach. Yet she’d managed to let a bit of that faith seep into Toby’s heart, giving the girl cause to turn to Kismet – or the Three Fates, as Dio believed - whenever things didn’t go her way.
But the idea that Dio was the son of Zeus and Selene, cursed by Hera to suffer eternity alone, was too radical for Toby’s practical mind to comprehend. Maybe someone had conditioned him to believe such a fantasy - why, who could say? But it could not be reality. And yet, how could she explain the dream? The wild imagination of a young woman who’d spent most of her life burying her nose in books, maybe?
“You’re making fun of me,” Dio said, pain infusing his eyes with sorrow.
“No, I’m not! But Dio, you can’t expect me to believe that you are bound here, and have been for centuries!”
“Believe anything you like! I gave up caring about escape a long time ago! But I need you, Toby. If you don’t want to be with me, say so.”
“Oh, I do! I swear I do! I’ll come back after dinner and spend the whole night in your arms! If you’ll have me …”
“I’ll take as much of your love as you offer! Kiss me!”
She eagerly obliged. One kiss led to three, then six, and they were well on their way to heaven again when a voice struck the air like a clap of thunder.
“Dio! Come out! I know she is in there! Come out, now!”
It was Aella; she sounded in a furious state. Toby jumped, glanced round for something to sheathe her – her poor sundress was dry but hard and caked with mud.
“Here,” Dio helped her slip her arms into the jacket. It was thankfully long enough to cover any embarrassing flesh. She scraped mud from her legs, tried to grab hold of some kind of dignity before Aella entered. Dio dressed quickly; tidied up the area so it looked undisturbed.
“There you are! You had me worried sick! What’s been going on here?”
The woman glanced with angry eyes from Dio’s face to Toby’s; her former likeable persona disintegrating into the scowls of a harpy.
“I slipped off the cliff after the storm began,” Toby stated, “and Dio saved me. My dress was ruined so he offered me his jacket. I was a bit shook up. We decided to stay here until the sky was clear.”
Aella put a hand to her mouth, physically trying to calm herself before speaking again. She sighed, “I am sorry. I worked myself up into a frenzy. Kosmas will tell you it’s a flaw I have.”
“I can tell you, too,” Dio smiled, hoping to diffuse the tension in the air.
“That you can, dearest! Forgive me, Toby, I don’t know what I was thinking. Let’s get you up to the house so you can shower before dinner. Dio, I’ll bring yours directly.”
“No hurry, KarthoulaMou.”
Aella’s eyes watered. “You haven’t called me that in a very long while, Dioscuri. Come, Toby. You’ll catch a chill in the night air.”
She scooted Toby out of the temple and up through the olive grove. Toby cast her head back, catching moonlight from Dio’s eyes. He was standing in the doorway of the structure, glowing like some ethereal being - as beautiful as the moon itself, and just as ageless. Maybe it was true. Maybe the dream was telling her what she needed to know to save him.
“I’ve set you out some towels and a robe,” Aella said quietly as they took the stairs to Toby’s room.
They entered; Toby was silent, lost in a thousand new feelings and thoughts and desires. It made her head swim, trying to take stock of it all.
“Stephan Cristos rang up earlier. He invited himself to dinner. I think he has what you Americans call a crush, on you. Do you like him? He’s very handsome.”
“Oh, yes, I guess he is. Aella, what did Dio say to you?”
“It’s nothing, just an endearment.”
“Please, tell me.”
“It is KarthoulaMou. It means my little heart. He used to call me that a very long time ago.”
“But he’s so young. Oh …” It hit Toby then that if Dio had been there so long, Aella must have known him since she was a child. “Dio is … old for his age, isn’t he?”
Aella glared at her strangely. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do.”
“I don’t. Take your shower now. Stephan will be here soon.”
She left without another word. Toby dropped Dio’s jacket and stood naked towards the open windows. The cool night wind bathed her in goose pimples. She breathed deeply, letting the wind tickle her nipples. It was almost like Dio was there, touching her. She looked at the moon, realized that the light from it was pouring in on her. It caressed her, invaded her; sent her into delicious shivers. She glanced down at the temple. Dio stood there, gazing up at her window. Could he see her? Could he tell how much she needed him, wanted him? If only the cold hands of the moon were his. But were they? Was it him, invading her like the very essence of the moon? Was that possible? Or was she dreaming again?
He entered the temple. Toby felt as though the moon had gone out. She stepped into the bathroom, showered away the remnants of the storm.
“You look like a goddess!” Stephan Cristos observed as Toby came down the stairs. “This may not be the right time but I feel I must speak truthfully … I have fallen in love with you, Toby Styles. I think I did the moment we met.”
“You probably say that to every female client at some point,” she countered. “I recall how you flirted with the ones in your office, filling their heads with praise. But I’m not so easily swayed by pretty words.”
“I never thought you would be.” His black eyes were stripping her of her fresh blue evening dress and heels. “You will learn that I am not a man who plays around. I felt I should wait until all the legal business was done before I made my intentions clear. But now that it’s through I will tell you this … I want you. And I will have you.”
Toby laughed off his announcement, though the serious tone of his voice sent chills up her spine. He was a beautiful looking man, intelligent, charming, too. But there was an air of entitlement about him that bothered her. She’d only glimpsed it before but now it showed itself strong and clear. And Toby didn’t like it. She wondered if that was because of Dio. He had given her such a beau ideal – any other man would pale in comparison.
Dinner was slow, and rather painful. Stephan went on and on about England and the snobbery he experienced there while at university. Toby imagined that his attitude probably caused whatever miseries he’d had there. Funny how in Athens he’d always talked about her, and avoided relating more than statistics about his own life. And now he couldn’t seem to stop – giving them every minute detail of his childhood, his teen years, and onward. It was as if he felt they should know everything about him; maybe because he had revealed his feelings for Toby. But she realized that the more she came to know him, the l
ess she wanted to know him. And he thought he was going to sweep her off her feet? What an ego!
Aella and Kosmas listened to him politely but Toby could tell they were as bored as she was. She kept glancing at the clock on the wall, wishing she could think of a way to send Stephan packing so she could hurry down to Dio.
“I have a lot of plans that I’d like to discuss with the three of you,” Stephan said as Aella poured everyone some coffee and sat out some small slices of Baklava.
“What kind of plans?” Toby asked, a bit wary.
“For Moonsea. It would make a wonderful tourist retreat, don’t you agree?”
“What?” Aella was suddenly livid. “No one will turn Moonsea into a tourist trap!”
“But it’s perfect for it! The house is large enough for several guests but small enough to keep it exclusive. The area beyond the hill could be developed to make bungalows, tennis courts, even swimming pools. And, we could turn the ruin into a museum, unless we gut the old eyesore completely.”
Toby and the others stared at him in disbelief.
“I own Moonsea now and there will be no development! I can’t imagine where you got the gall to come here and suggest such a thing but nothing will come of it!”
“It isn’t gall that spurs me. Could we talk alone?”
“No, anything you need to say you’ll have to say here.”
“Fine. I intend to marry you, Toby, and help you make something of Moonsea. It can be a great, money-making resort. I’ve thought so for years but of course Gregory wouldn’t hear me. He was already wealthy so had no need to develop the island. But, you see, since Greece began to have its economic troubles, my firm has lost too many clients. I need some other venture to sustain the lifestyle I have become accustomed to. We can go in together, be partners in life and in the business. I am not a chauvinist in that respect. Surely you have the vision your father lacked?”
“I do not. I love this island as it is. I see no reason to spoil its beauty just to make more income. I have more now than I could spend in two lifetimes! And why on Earth would you think I’d marry you?”