Shadows 02 Celtic Shadows

by K C West

  “They probably blame it on the fact that we’re Americans and don’t know any better.”

  “How do they know that when they don’t know us?”

  PJ giggled. “Easy, we don’t poise our pinkies.”

  I snorted.

  “That, too. It’s only uncouth Americans who snort like that.”

  I suspected that my laughter was a little too loud, as all heads turned in our direction.

  “Sorry.” I shrugged and raised my hands palms upward. My smile was met with stony glances.

  It was PJ’s turn to snort. She did.

  *

  The hostelry was early thirteenth century and delightful in spite of the rain that fell in sheets during our first night. From my reclining position, I watched the water cascade down the windowpanes. The glass was old, greenish in color, and uneven, distorting the deluge’s downward path.

  PJ lay in my arms, asleep after a wild and wonderful session of lovemaking. God, she was a passionate woman. I melted from the fire that burned inside her. My body was still throbbing in remembrance. I kissed her thick, blonde hair, and she stirred but didn’t awaken.

  A flash of lightning lit the room. Pup, who was on the floor beside the bed, raised his head and growled.

  Seven months ago, we left the Superstition Mountains of Arizona and the Amazon remains we had discovered there. I had spent the better part of my professional life searching for the Lost Tribe of the Amazons, and when I finally caught up with them, I learned much more than I could have dreamed I would. Finding Marna, a key member of the tribe, and recognizing that she and I were one and the same, except that we were travelers in a different time, had brought me peace, but I felt that something was missing from the equation. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, and I was reluctant to discuss it with PJ.

  I planned to write about the project, and I had material to contribute to Glenna Rhoderick’s book. Since events beyond our scope of explanation controlled so much of our experiences, the writing wasn’t an easy task. Even PJ had come to believe, in a limited way, that the spirits of the old Amazon Goddesses were alive and well. And while I was no longer as driven as I had been about the Amazon tribe, I was no less dedicated to the job at hand - helping Lord Morrison with his Celtic warrior project.

  Beside me, PJ stretched and yawned. “What are you thinking about?”

  I looked into her sleepy, half-opened eyes. “You and me and that special something we have together.”

  “It is special, isn’t it?” PJ draped a leg across my hips, an arm across my midriff.

  I wanted and needed her as much now as I had that night when we first made love.

  “So special, it takes my breath away.” I brushed her bangs off her forehead.

  “Oh, that’s unfortunate. About your breath, I mean. I was just thinking that since we were already in this warm, cozy bed, and since we were already naked, maybe we should make love again. But if you don’t have any breath left - ”

  I slid my left hand across her abdomen, pausing to tickle her navel, making her squeal. “Don’t you worry about me, my love. I think I can keep breathing long enough to satisfy you. Just say the word.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  I rolled on top of her, delivered moist, tender kisses along her neck and downward, and paused at the center of her collarbone.

  “Oh, Kimmy, you’re not going to - ?”

  I licked the hollow and started to hum against her sweet-smelling skin.

  “Ohhh!” PJ gripped my head and moaned. “That drives me crazy. And you know it, don’t you?”

  “Guilty as charged.” I hummed a bit more before kissing my way down her body. “Are there any more strawberries left, or did we consume them all?”

  PJ gasped something that I couldn’t understand. “What’s that, my sweet? Don’t tell me I’ve taken your breath away?”

  “You’re a tease, Kim Blair,” she managed to say between pants. “But I love you anyway.”

  “And I love you, too.” I stroked the inside of her thighs and then slipped my hand between her legs. “Always and forever.”

  *

  When I awoke later, I thought about the mission that had brought us to Wales. We had left Newport and Windswept, the cottage overlooking Rhode Island Sound, three days after reading the letter Lord Morrison had sent to PJ’s father. His request was vague, at best. A retired Royal Fusilier Colonel and a descendant of Owain Glyndwr, he was a reportedly eccentric amateur archaeologist who had spent many years tracing his lineage back into the dark and shadowy past of Wales’s tumultuous history. Glyndwr himself had disappeared in 1412 and hadn’t been heard from again. While his disappearance wasn’t a purely archaeological matter, we wondered if Morrison’s mysterious request had something to do with it. If that were so, then instead of digging through the sands of time, we would be excavating musty records in a dark cellar somewhere.

  Wales, I had heard, was a land of mystery, and she guarded her secrets. The country was as old as she was beautiful; wild in places, and lonely, but I had read that she imprinted her spirit on those who dared get to know her.

  Right now, it was enough that PJ filled my mind and my arms. There would be time tomorrow to set our sights on the new project. At the moment, I was content to study my love’s relaxed features, as flashes of lightning danced upon the walls and the magic of the old inn wrapped itself around our two loving hearts.

  I fell asleep, but awakened again in the middle of the night and glanced at my watch. 2:10. PJ slept with her head on my shoulder, her breathing deep and regular. I managed to ease my arm out from under her so that she slept on, and I got up and went to the window. The combination of antique windowpanes, lights at the end of the walk, and pouring rain presented an eerie effect.

  As I stood there in the dark, my stomach churned. Why was I so nervous? My thoughts turned to the Amazons, as they often did. Though they had affected my life in so many ways, I understood them and the hold they had on me. Now I was about to play detective in an ancient and mysterious country that I knew little about. But surely there was no reason to feel this apprehensive. Maybe it was just one of those feelings we get sometimes, that usually amount to nothing at all.

  “Can’t you sleep?” PJ sat up with the down comforter around her shoulders.

  “I wondered if it was still raining.”

  “I can see it is from here. You didn’t have to get up and stand there. You’ll catch your death of cold.”

  I realized then that I was chilled and scurried back into the warm bed. PJ yelped when I snuggled up to her back and put my freezing hands around her waist.

  “Sorry, go back to sleep.”

  “Yeah, with Ice Woman.”

  Chapter 4

  I backed into our room carrying a breakfast tray. Kim was in the bathroom, so I placed the tray on the table by our bed and poured us each a cup of Earl Grey from a china teapot.

  “Breakfast is ready. Do you want me to bring you some tea?”

  “That’s okay. I’ll be out in a second.”

  I heard the gurgle of water rushing down the bathtub drain and Kim’s contented whistling. She sounded chipper this morning. It was good to hear that she wasn’t too exhausted from last night.

  “And just what are you smirking about?” Kim came out of the bathroom tying the sash of her terrycloth robe, her hair still wet and curling at the tips. My heart gave a lusty little flutter. My woman, standing there all dewy and delicious. I wanted to lick every bit of mango and pear lotion from her moist body.

  She accepted her tea with a smile and a peck on my cheek. “Ta, love.”

  “You have the lingo down, don’t you?” I took a long swallow of my tea, climbed onto my side of our bed, and eased back against the headboard. Kim claimed the other side, fluffing the pillow at her back.

  “I figure ‘when in Rome,’ you know. And you haven’t answered my question.”

  “What? Oh, the smirk?” I felt my cheeks flush. “It’s nothing, re
ally. I heard you whistling and thought that maybe you were thinking about last night, how much fun we had.”

  She smiled. “I did have fun last night.” She put her cup down and touched my cheek. “Any time we can be together is a special time for me. You make me happier than I have any right to be.”

  “Aww - ”

  “I mean that.” She placed her hand over mine. “We’ve been together, what? Seven months?”

  “Almost.”

  “Every time is magical, like we couldn’t be closer.”

  My throat tightened and my eyes filled with tears. “For me, too, Kim. I love you.”

  She grinned at me. “I love you, too. How about a pre-breakfast kiss?”

  “Just one,” I said and giggled. “Our food is getting cold.”

  Her lips tasted warm and spicy from the tea. I nibbled on her lower lip and slid my tongue inside her mouth. “Mmm. Who needs breakfast?”

  Kim pulled back and shook her head. “It’s the most important meal of the day. I don’t know about you, but after keeping up with your escapades last night, I’m famished.”

  “Say no more, my dear one.” I slid the tray in between us, so she could select her plate and utensils.

  “Thanks. This looks delicious.”

  I watched her pick up a thick slice of toast and slather some marmalade on it. “You really did work up an appetite.”

  “Okay, maybe we both got a bit carried away.” She forked a large piece of bacon onto her plate, then added eggs and grilled tomatoes. “I’m going to blame it on the big, soft bed, the pounding rain, and your intoxicating scent.”

  I laughed. “Goodness. I think Wales has cast a spell of enchantment over you. I’ve never heard you sound so romantic.” I offered her a piece of my scone, which she took into her mouth along with my finger.

  “Mmm, perhaps. Yum. Is that strawberry jam?”

  “Yes, and I’d like my finger back.”

  Kim gave it a final lick and relinquished it.

  “Geez, this is unnerving.”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I love it when you get all romantic and sexy, but you’re acting like the female version of Casanova.”

  Kim gave me an indignant look. “This is supposed to be a working holiday. I’m merely getting into the holiday mood.”

  “I see. It was all an act.”

  “Not so.”

  I swallowed the last of my tea and noticed that her cup was empty. “Do you want a refill?”

  “Sure.” She held out her cup. “This is a lovely way to start the day - good food, good conversation.” She waggled her eyebrows at me. “Good company.”

  “I’m about to change the subject on you. When I called the Morrison estate earlier, I was told that his lordship was away on unexpected business.”

  “Oh?”

  “We can’t see him until Friday morning. What kind of business would be keeping him?”

  She shrugged. “Any number of things, I guess.”

  “But his letter to Dad sounded so urgent. And he did ask us to come all this way.”

  “Yes, he did, didn’t he?” A shadow passed across Kim’s face.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to. I can see from your expression that something’s bothering you.”

  “It’s nothing you need worry about, my darling.”

  “Hmm.” I broke apart another hot scone and buttered it. “Anyway, we have some free time now. What would you like to do?”

  “Well…”

  “Apart from that.”

  We laughed and Kim considered my question. “We could go to the library and do some research on whatever it is that we’re supposed to identify, except we really don’t know what that is, which leaves us at a dead end. For now, anyway.”

  “Perhaps. He is being very secretive.” Kim’s eyes narrowed. “You have problems with that, don’t you?”

  “With what?”

  “The fact that he might be doing something illegal and he’d be dragging us into it.”

  “I’m not sure I’m concerned about whatever it is being illegal. I really don’t know what is bothering me. There’s too much that we don’t know yet.”

  I pushed the tray farther down the bed. I slid closer to her, picked up her napkin, and wiped a crumb from the corner of her mouth. “There. That’s better.”

  She snatched my fingers and grinned. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “You could have kissed my lips clean.”

  “Oh, no. That might delay our plans for the day.”

  “What plans? We don’t have any, do we?”

  Our fingers interlaced, and we found ourselves giggling over a playful tug-of-war.

  “You are so frisky, and you have been since we arrived here,” I said. “Not that I’m objecting, mind you.”

  She pulled our hands across her body, dragging me closer.

  “Careful, Kim. I’m going to fall on top of you.”

  She smiled. “And that would be a bad thing?”

  I gave her what she calls my lopsided grin. “No, but the tray might get knocked over and spilled.”

  “Oh, no, we can’t have that. That would be tragic.”

  We continued to grin at each other. “Come on, little one,” she said. “I could use another kiss.”

  “Oh, so now you need kisses when we wake up, when we part, before, during, and after breakfast?”

  “Uh huh. Pucker up, gorgeous.”

  I gave her a chaste kiss. “So demanding.”

  “Whoa, you can do better than that. Here, let me show you.” Kim wrapped her arm around me, crushing my lips with hers, then finishing with a bit of gentle tongue tangling.

  My heart fluttered in my chest. “Whew! So that’s how it’s done.”

  She laughed.

  “Being your partner sure is challenging.”

  “I’ll give you plenty of time to get used to it. Fifty or sixty years ought to do it.”

  *

  After breakfast, we spread some travel brochures out on the bed and made plans to drive out into the countryside to explore and soak up the Welsh atmosphere.

  “Kim, why don’t you gather up these guidebooks and maps, pack up our overnight bags, and grab a couple of water bottles? I’ll exercise Pup and meet you at the Range Rover.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. We’ll need to stop first in the village and buy some gas.”

  “You mean petrol. We’re in Wales, now. We’ll need several liters of petrol.”

  “Right. Now who’s tossing the lingo around?”

  We planned to head north, to explore quaint spots and sample local cuisine at our leisure.

  Ten minutes later, I opened the back door to the Rover and Pup bounded in, checking out both side windows before settling down behind the driver’s seat. I helped Kim load the gear, and I remarked that she had thought to grab our hooded raincoats.

  “The sky looks too threatening to leave without them,” she said.

  “Good thinking.” I opened the door to the driver’s side. “Do you have the keys?”

  “You’re not going to drive. Remember how you nearly got us killed driving through England?”

  “How can you say that?” I took a step toward her.

  “Because it’s true.”

  “Jesus.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “One time, that’s all. One time, I forgot and drove on the right.”

  “And that one time a truck was headed right for us.” Kim feigned panic.

  “Oh, come on. We missed it by several feet.”

  “We missed it by inches.” She leaned in close to me, our noses almost touching, and pointed to a narrow streak of silver in her hair. “You see this? It’s white. And it wasn’t there before we got to Wales. It turned that color because, like a fool, I allowed you to drive partway across England.”

  I pretended to inspect the hair in question, planting
a kiss on the top of her head. There were other gray hairs among the dark ones, but they only made her more attractive to me. Sexy to the max, in fact. I didn’t dare tell her that, though, or her ego would be out of control. “It makes you look distinguished.”

  “Humph. It makes me look old. And no, you’re not going to flatter your way into driving, and that’s final.”

  “You are so bossy.”

  She smiled and climbed into the vehicle. I sighed and walked around to the co-pilot’s seat with maps, tour guides, and notes in hand. Pup was already asleep.

  As we pulled away from the inn, Kim kept glancing in the rearview mirror. A wave of uneasiness crept over me. “Are we being followed or something?”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “You. You’re looking in the mirror like they do in the movies, when the good guys are being followed by the bad guys.”

  Kim glanced at me. “Your imagination is working overtime. I’m just being extra careful because I’m driving in a foreign country.”

  “Yeah, sure. I almost believe that.”

  We planned to tour parts of Snowdonia National Park, hike, find a nice place for lunch, buy souvenirs, and check some historic sites.

  As the kilometers passed, however, the clouds thickened. We decided to wait for a clearer day to see Mount Snowdon.

  “Damn,” I muttered, “Snowdon is supposed to be the ‘spiritual heart’ of the Welsh people.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah, and it’s guarded by a dragon. Now that would be cool to see.”

  “I’m afraid the only thing we’re going to see today is fog and rain.”

  I sighed and turned to other pages in my guidebook. “Says here, the Druids were able to conjure up ‘mists and storms, bring slumber upon people, and perform other feats of magic.’”

  “I don’t think we’ll find any Druids around here, but we could look for some sacred wells and make an offering, if it makes you feel better. Maybe that would bring us better weather for traveling.”

  I smiled at her. “I’d love to find a well or two. In the meantime, we’d better try Plan B.”

  “And that would be?”