by S. E. Smith
“I need to get cleaned up. Didn’t you say something about missing me?” she asked cheekily, confirming his suspicion when she reached out and ran her hand along the front of his dress slacks.
His eyes narrowed at her invitation. “Gabe, take your time,” he retorted, grabbing her hand.
Gabe chuckled and nodded. “I need to get cleaned up, too. If you are still in the shower by the time I get back up there, it won’t be my fault that you’ll have company. Can’t let you have all the fun,” he said, turning and stepping back onto the boat.
“Like you haven’t already had some fun today,” Magna retorted. “Might I remind you about earlier this afternoon on the bunk below deck?”
“Damn, top, bottom, or behind?” Kane asked.
“None of your damn business,” Gabe growled over his shoulder.
“All three,” Magna replied with a grin.
Kane groaned, his mind exploding with ideas. He wondered how Magna would feel about taking their love-making up a notch. They had been holding back – a little – until she was stronger and they felt all three of them were completely comfortable with their relationship.
He’d be the first to admit he still had twinges of jealousy when he was working and Gabe had Magna all to himself. Fortunately, Gabe appeared to realize that and often gave him time alone with Magna. His and Gabe’s biggest challenge had been making sure that they gave Magna her own alone time.
He had mentioned it to Gabe and they had both agreed several weeks ago that they needed to do two things: give her space and take her out. One of those things had worked better than the other.
The first time they had left her alone, Gabe had worked on some furniture he was building in his workshop while Kane had retreated to the study to read. Keeping their hands and minds occupied was the only way they could keep them both off of her.
Of course, neither activities worked. Gabe had come inside a million times for one reason or another, while Kane couldn’t help but notice every sound Magna made. When the house had grown quiet, Kane had risen again to find her sitting on the lounge on the deck with the two dogs and was the first to see the hurt in her eyes.
Their conversation was still fresh in his mind as he grabbed her hand and walked with her up the steps to the house. He listened as she shared her day on the water, but his mind remembered the conversation that had given him insight into the nightmares she tried to conceal from them.
* * *
Two weeks before:
* * *
Kane stood by the glass door, torn between sticking to his and Gabe’s decision to give Magna space and his desire to make sure she was alright. The latter finally won out when he saw her draw her knees up, wrap her arms around her legs, and bow her head. Buck was the first to whine and lay his head on the chair next to her.
Opening the door, he stepped out. The soft sound of a sob tore a hole through his heart. Silently walking over to the lounge, he sat down on the edge and stroked her back. She slowly lifted her head and wiped at the tears coursing down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” he murmured, wiping his thumb across her damp skin.
Her bottom lip trembled. “What have I done?” she choked out in a confused voice. “All morning, you and Gabe have avoided me.”
He groaned and waved his hand for her to put her legs down so he could hold her. Drawing her into his arms, he rocked her as she buried her face against his shoulder. A wave of regret shot through him. They should have handled this better, or at the very least explained the motives behind their behavior instead of just putting them into action. It had never occurred to him that she might think they were mad at her.
“You’ve done everything right. Gabe and I are the idiots here. We decided we were being too demanding and that you needed some space. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but whenever we are close to you, it is a bit difficult for us to keep our hands and mouths off of you,” he teased, stroking her back.
She raised her head and studied his face, then she gently punched him on the shoulder.
“And you both thought I had a problem with that? Do you have any idea how long I have been alone? Centuries! I do not need, nor do I want, any alone time for the foreseeable future. When I am alone….” She paused and drew in a shaky breath, her eyes growing distraught before she continued. “When I am alone, the darkness begins to swallow me. I see and hear the voices of those who I have hurt. Only when I am with Gabe and you can I feel the warmth and hope that one day, I can do something to make things right again. Not knowing…” her voice faded and she shook her head in regret. “I need you both to help me keep the ghosts away.”
Her barely audible words were like a knife, slicing through his gut. He and Gabe had clearly not truly understood the depth of the pain Magna had been hiding.
“Then you’ll never be alone again,” he swore.
At that moment, a realization came to him. There was a reason why he and Gabe had connected like brothers, even with their different backgrounds. They had been destined to find the one woman who needed both of them.
Their relationship ensured that one or both of them would always be there for Magna. She would never be left alone to face the ghosts of her past. The epiphany answered a question that had been nagging at him for years and gave him a sense of contentment.
“I’m sorry, Magna,” Gabe’s deep voice said from the shadows of the deck. Kane watched as Gabe stepped forward and motioned for Buck to move so he could sit down on the lounge next to Magna. “We should have explained.”
She turned her head and gave him a watery smile. “I understand now. Thank you. You both think of my comfort and wellbeing. I’m still learning how to accept that,” she admitted.
“Well, we aren’t doing a very damn good job of it,” Gabe growled, raising an eyebrow at Kane.
“We’ll do better. Did we mention we are going to start doing a date night?” Kane commented with a grin.
Magna frowned. “What is date night?” she had asked.
“What are you smiling about?” Magna asked, bringing him back to the present as they reached the top deck.
Kane chuckled. “I was thinking of your response when we told you what date night was all about,” he admitted with a grin.
“Oh,” Magna replied, blushing.
“I see you remember as well,” he replied.
Her eyes lit up with amusement. “How could I forget? You tasted so good,” she retorted with a toss of her head.
A smothered oath escaped him and he turned, pressing her back against the glass doors. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss. His hands wrapped around her wrists and he lifted her arms up above her head. The movement forced her breasts up. Pressing his hips against her, he made sure she had no doubt in her mind about the effect she had on him.
Pulling back, he trailed his lips along her jaw to her neck. He pressed small, heated kisses along the smooth scales. She moaned and arched against him, rubbing her hips in a rocking motion.
“How would you feel if Gabe and I showed you a few other ways to have fun in the bedroom?” he murmured near her ear.
She moaned when he ran his tongue along her neck. The slight taste of salt told him she had been swimming. Even the thought of how beautiful she was underwater turned him on.
“Does it have to be done in the bedroom?” she breathed.
“What?” he asked, pulling back to look down at her. He had been lost in the thought of her hair flowing around her and the tight, green body suit she wore when she swam. “Does what have to be done only in the bedroom?”
She smiled innocently up at him. “The other fun ways?” she inquired.
His mind went blank for a brief moment before a rush of erotic thoughts flooded his brain. A soft chuckle escaped him as he thought of how to answer her. He finally decided showing her would be more fun.
“No, the other fun can happen anywhere,” he promised, and lowered his head again.
Magna clapped her hands as anoth
er local resident stepped away from the microphone. She ignored Kane and Gabe’s pain-filled expressions. Granted, the woman hadn’t been as talented as the man who’d performed before her, but at least she had tried.
“I don’t know why they can’t move Karaoke night to another night,” Gabe said, lifting his beer bottle to his lips.
“I told you that we should have gone back to the truck for the earplugs,” Kane muttered.
“You are both being very mean. The woman’s singing was not that bad,” Magna chided, draining the last of the water in her glass before she rose to her feet in determination.
Both men rose at the same time. They had been particularly protective tonight. Kane had been right about the explosion of people in the area. The Underground Pub was packed tonight with people from all over the country. Main Street was lined with news vehicles.
“Where are you going?” Gabe growled.
“I want to sing,” Magna stated.
“What?!” Both men practically shouted at the same time.
She wasn’t the only one who turned to look at them. A group of people at the table next to them turned to see what was going on. The four men looked her over with appreciative glances.
“Go ahead, let her sing,” one of the men encouraged.
“Magna,” Gabe started to say, before two other men from another table cheered her on to perform.
“Let her sing, Gabe. I’m sure Magna can belt one out better than Betty Lou did. We all need to have our ears sanitized after that,” their waitress, Dorothy, stated as she placed two more beers and a glass of water on the table before retrieving their empty bottles and glasses. ”You show them how it’s done, Magna.”
Magna grinned at the encouragement. She carefully weaved her way to the small stage that had been erected in the corner. Walt sat next to the controls. He smiled at her when she stepped onto the stage.
“Pick a song and press the green button. All you have to do is follow the words on the screen,” he instructed, leaning back against the wall.
Magna nodded. She already knew which song she wanted to sing. This one was one from her world. With a wave of her hand, she added it to the list. Pressing the selection, her finger hovered over the green button. It had been centuries since she had sung. She and her mother used to sing together all the time.
Tears burned her eyes. Perhaps this had been a mistake. The memory of her mother and father’s faces as they hardened to stone sent a shaft of pain through her. Looking up, she searched the crowd for Gabe and Kane.
“Go on, darling. Sing,” someone yelled.
Her eyes locked on the faces of the two men who accepted her for being her and had become everything to her. Love swelled inside her. Her finger pressed the green button on the screen and the familiar music of a love song from her world filled the inside of the dimly lit pub. Everyone and everything around her disappeared except the two men she loved as she began to sing in the words of her people.
Ashure, King of the Pirates, had once teased her that she had the voice of a siren. After the alien had taken over her body, he had looked at her mournfully and told her she had the soul of one.
‘Careful, Magna,’ he’d warned softly, ‘or one day you might find out what happens to those who lose a soul like that.’
She sang from her heart and soul, and her voice wove a spell around her audience, profoundly impacting them. Her voice quavered with emotion while pulling the listeners in until they could feel her longing, her hope, and the love she felt to the marrow of their bones.
She was unaware that one of the people who had encouraged her to sing was a reporter who was now filming her. She wasn’t aware that Dorothy was standing frozen next to the table, her hands laden with fresh drinks forgotten by the customers waiting for them. Neither was she aware that the owner and chief cook of the pub, along with those working in the kitchen had come out. All she knew was that she needed to convey her love to the two men in the simple but beautiful song her mother had sung to her father for as long as she could remember.
Her voice faded away as the music ended. The room was silent until she stepped down off the stage, then the people stood and began clapping. They parted as she passed to where Gabe and Kane had started forward to meet her halfway.
“Magna,” Gabe said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Can we please leave?” she whispered, gazing up at him with eyes shimmering with grief and tears.
“This way,” Kane murmured, his arm protectively wrapping around her.
Magna was grateful for the fact that both men shielded her as they exited the pub. A shudder ran through her when she heard a shout from the reporter who had encouraged her to sing. She shook her head, a sense of panic beginning to sweep through her as another wave of grief hit her.
“I shouldn’t have sung that song,” she said, drawing in a deep breath of fresh, salty air as they emerged from the pub.
“Why?” Kane asked, his arm tightening around her when she turned toward the dock instead of the where they had parked his SUV.
She shook her head, needing time to get her emotions under control. Pulling away, she walked to the end of the dock and stood looking out over the water. She could feel it calling to her.
“What happened?” Gabe quietly asked, stopping behind her.
She gripped the railing and stared down at the water. Tonight had shown her once again that as hard as she tried to forget or accept the things she had done; the darkness would always haunt her. The memory of her mother’s eyes as Magna turned to strike her dead surfaced in her mind.
“My mother used to sing that song to my father. It is a love song. I wanted to sing the song to both of you. I wanted you to feel my love for you both,” she explained.
“We felt it. The song…. Hell, Magna, you had me feeling unglued. All I wanted to do was to wrap my arms around you, hold you, and never let you go,” Gabe said.
“I second that,” Kane added before he turned her to face them. “Something happened. I could actually feel your grief.”
The tears she was trying to hold back overflowed. “I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t. I see their eyes and hear their cries. It reminds me of the monster I was,” she sobbed, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I have to… I have to go back. I have to try to undo some of the evil I did, even if it means….”
“Even if it means what?” Gabe demanded.
She looked up at them, her heart in her eyes. “Even if it means my death,” she murmured.
“No!”
She winced when they both hissed at her. “I need time to think,” she said, shaking her head. “I will come back to the house later.”
“Magna,” Gabe growled in warning, his voice growing deep and rough.
“I need to think,” she repeated. She waved her hands and the jeans and black sweater changed to a black body suit.
“No!” Gabe hissed, his hand shooting out to stop her from disappearing through the opening where an emergency ladder hung.
“Let her go, Gabe,” Kane ordered. His voice softened, his eyes glittering with emotion when he said, “Come back to us, Magna.”
She nodded, unable to say any more. She dove off the side of the dock into the dark waters, thankful that the dock had been deserted. The soothing water swept around her and she called to the current to propel her out of the cove. Once she cleared the mouth of the narrow inlet, she swam several miles out before descending into a dark abyss similar to her lair in the world she had left behind.
Los Angeles, California:
* * *
Asahi looked up from the papers inside the file he had received from Mike Hallbrook after The Phone Call, as he’d started to think of it – that unforgettable call when Mike Hallbrook had told him there really were monsters out there.
He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and pinched it, trying to relieve some of the tension headache. He knew it was from staring at the same documents for hours, but that wasn’t goin
g to stop him from staring longer.
Refocusing his attention on the report in front of him, his mind wandered to his last conversation with Mike.
* * *
“Are they real?” he remembered asking.
Mike Hallbrook’s one word answer had sent a piercing shockwave through the agent.
“Yes.”
* * *
Asahi looked up at the television when a familiar name on it caught his attention. He lowered the file to his lap and reached for the remote. Turning up the volume and instinctively hitting the record button, he listened to the reporter.
“Despite the unusual disappearances in Yachats, Oregon, and the possible threat of a serial killer, residents refuse to be intimidated.” Behind him a woman was singing at the microphone and her song could be heard in the background of the reporter’s broadcast.
Asahi ignored the rest of the man’s commentary as an intense wave of eerie familiarity struck him in the gut. He reached up and paused the broadcast, thankful for the technology that made that possible.
Frowning, he looked down at the file he held. Thumbing through the pages, he pulled out an enlarged photograph of Carly Tate and Jenny Ackerly standing together with several small children, obviously their own. The original had been left by Mike to prove both women were alive, happy, and healthy, but Asahi had scanned, enlarged, and printed the new version to get a better look at the tapestry behind them, hoping it might give him a clue as to the women’s location.
He leaned forward, opened the small drawer in the end table, and pulled out a magnifying glass. He glanced up at the image on the paused television before returning his gaze to the tapestry behind the two women.