Shadows 02 Celtic Shadows

by K C West

  “This is no way to act in a lovely tea room,” I said, smacking my lips, “but I’m going to do it anyway.” I scooped up some cream with my finger, and popped it into my mouth.

  Blodwyn’s eyes sparkled as she broke into a very un-sergeant-like giggle.

  “Lunch is my treat, I insist,” I said when the bill was delivered, along with three candied blossoms for each of us.

  “Thank you, but that’s not necessary.”

  “Perhaps not, but it pleases me. Let’s just say it’s a token of appreciation from PJ and me.”

  “Very well, then. Under those conditions, I accept.”

  “One more thing,” I said, afterwards, when we were standing on the pavement outside the cafe. “What you said that night about ‘understanding’ meant more to me than you can ever know.”

  Blodwyn leaned close to me and spoke in a low voice. “I hope that someone would do the same for me if the love of my life were in trouble.”

  I raised an eyebrow. She replied to my unspoken question with a nod. After a quick hug, we parted company. I watched her walk away, back toward the police station. Yes indeed, Sergeant Blodwyn Jones was an asset to her chosen profession. And I could stand around and wonder who the love of her life was that needed her protection, but right now, it was time for me to check in with the love of my life.

  Chapter 24

  Keeping my eyes closed, I stretched and wiggled my toes under the soft, sweet-smelling sheets. It felt wonderful to be out of the hospital and sleeping in our own bed. I turned my head to the left and opened my eyes, and saw that I seemed to be the only one in it at the moment.

  There was a scribbled note on the pillow where Kim’s head normally rested. It told me that she and Dad were at the police station, attending another briefing. I closed my eyes again, letting my mind drift along, taking a mental inventory of my aches and pains. I was lucky, very lucky. My overall health and fitness would help to speed my recovery. The shoulder was sore, but not as stiff as it had been yesterday. Either I was healing well, or the painkiller was keeping me oblivious.

  Pup meandered to the side of the bed and rested his head a couple of inches from mine. He was alive. I still had trouble believing that. I scratched his ears and rubbed under his chin. His mouth flopped open and a wet tongue slathered my cheek.

  “Ah! Bad breath! Thanks so much. And good morning to you, too, sweetie.” I rubbed my cheek dry.

  With a tiny whine, sounding more like a Pekingese than a wolf-Shepherd mix, he poked his nose under my hand.

  “Please tell me you don’t have to go outside. I don’t think I’m up to walking you around the garden just yet.” He tilted his head at an angle and made a snuffling sound.

  “Good, then. I’ll take that as a no, and I can snooze a bit longer.”

  He huffed out a sigh and dropped to the floor beside the bed with a groan.

  “Just give me five more minutes, okay? I’ll call over to see if one of the guys can take you for a walk.”

  His yawn ended in a hi-pitched gurgle.

  “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

  In exaggerated slow motion, I turned onto my back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about our time here in Wales before the kidnapping, and what had happened since my rescue. There were so many holes in my recollection of the shooting and near drowning. One second I was on the wall, looking over my shoulder at Designer Suit as he raised the gun toward me, and the next I was waking up in the hospital after a puzzling dream.

  I remembered Kim hovering over me, looking like she had lost her best friend. I guess she had, or thought she had. I know I’d feel that way, if the situation were reversed.

  A tiny piece of the dream came back to me, nagging me about another presence in that bog. When I first mentioned it, Dad thought it was the medication giving me hallucinations. I wasn’t so sure, and Kim didn’t comment. Wales had cast a spell over me and my memories. I’d experienced some of the best and worst moments of my life in this country, all within a few short weeks. I even halfway believed that I had conversed with an Amazon in the cottage.

  “I don’t think I’ll mention the strange Amazon vision to Kim,” I muttered. “She’s so into it that she doesn’t need to be encouraged.”

  “Who are you calling strange?”

  The voice came floating down to me from a spot above the dresser. Pup stood up and growled, but lapsed into silence with just a shake of his spine, as if obeying a silent command. Then he sat motionless beside the bed, while I focused on a small, amber cloud that grew larger and more human in shape.

  Oh, geez. Not again. It was the painkillers this time. It had to be.

  She sat on top of the dresser, her long, leather-clad legs draped over the edge. “It’s not a potion. Your wits are about you, little one, at least as much as they ever can be.”

  I made an effort to sit up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She laughed and took several deep breaths that emphasized each ripple and curve on her muscular body. “Now, that’s more like it.” She glanced to her left and to her right. “The medallion is here. I can feel its power. Why won’t you see that it helps?”

  “Jesus Christ. Why is it always the medallion? I told you back in the cottage that I’d wear it again when we get the clasp repaired. In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve had a few more important things to do recently.”

  “Oh, I’ve noticed.” She folded her arms across her nearly naked chest. The leather bra encasing her well-rounded breasts had to be at least two sizes too small, but I wasn’t going to object. In fact, I found the vision quite alluring.

  “Put it on as soon as possible, little one,” she said, quickly returning me to the reality of the moment. “It cannot protect you if you don’t wear it.”

  I sighed and sank back onto my pillow, resigned to the fact that I was having yet another conversation with a long-dead Amazon, albeit a good-looking one. “I know. You’ve warned me often enough. To hear you talk about it, those medallions could cure cancer, AIDS, and a host of the world’s maladies.”

  “I only know what I have heard from the storytellers.”

  My wounded shoulder burned. I gave it a gentle rub, trying to ease the throbbing. “Could we move on to something else? Like why you’re here again, picking on me?”

  With catlike grace, she dropped from the dresser top to the foot of our bed, her eyes a bright bluish gray behind her mask. I really wanted to get a peek under there sometime.

  She smiled. “You don’t have enough faith yet to see under the mask. You will when it’s time for you to do so.”

  “Jesus. You can read my mind.”

  Her hand came up, halting me. “No, not exactly, but the more I know you, the more I can imagine what you are thinking at certain times.”

  “Isn’t that peachy.” Was she reading it a minute ago, when I was admiring her breasts? Oh, shit.

  She sat at the foot of the bed on Kim’s side, ran her hand across the blanket, and gave my foot a tap. “You have questions, don’t you?”

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  Her lips twitched. “Yes, I believe I would. What can I tell you to ease your mind?”

  Pup stood up and gave a tiny woof as a knock sounded on the door. I looked at my Amazon visitor. “That’s probably Arwel or one of the bodyguards. Do you need to dematerialize or something?”

  “No need. She won’t be able to see me.”

  “She?”

  “It’s a woman holding a tray of food.”

  “That would be Arwel with my breakfast. Why can’t she see you?”

  The woman leaned back on one elbow, sending her abdomen into rippled relief. “We choose to allow only selected people to see us, especially when we’re on a mission.”

  I nodded as if I understood, but I didn’t. Not really.

  The knock sounded again, harder this time.

  “Come in,” I called.

  Arwel’s tray contained a pot of tea, a soft-boiled egg in an eggcup, and sever
al buttered scones. “Bore da, Dr. Curtis. How are you this morning?”

  “Feeling stronger every day, thanks to you and Cook.” I sat up and she tucked an extra pillow at my back so I could eat.

  Arwel looked around. “I thought I heard voices.”

  “You did. I was talking to Pup.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t sound convinced, but she unfolded the napkin and placed it across my stomach, as was her habit when she brought me a meal. She then poured my tea and added just the right amount of cream and sugar. “Anything else I can do for you?”

  I took a sip of tea and a bite of scone, pausing to lick the melted butter from my fingers. “Yum.” After chewing and swallowing, I remembered Pup and his morning walk. Arwel assured me she would take care of that.

  “Find your leash, Pup.” He padded to the chair and snatched it up between his teeth. “Good boy. Arwel is going to walk you this morning.”

  He waited patiently while she fastened his leash, and pranced beside her in barely contained ecstasy as they both tried to fit through the door at the same time. Arwel and I laughed. “I’ll have him back in just a tick,” she assured me as they left.

  My Amazon companion stared at the closed door. “A truly magnificent specimen, and so devoted.”

  I laughed. “You’re talking about Pup, right?”

  Her head tilted and a sly grin appeared. “Of course.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “You had questions? I can’t stay much longer.”

  “Okay, then. Question number one. When you visited me in the cottage, you said you’d protect me.”

  “Yes.”

  “I was almost raped and took a bullet through my shoulder during my escape. You call that protecting?”

  She slid further toward me. “We did the best we could, little one.” Her hand rested lightly on top of my injured shoulder. “You will remember that I was concerned because you weren’t wearing the medallion.”

  “Yeah, I remember. The medallion and all its powers, yadda, yadda, yadda.”

  “And I suggested that you use a weapon on those men if you got the chance. You failed to act like a warrior.”

  “Because I’m not a warrior, and I told you that the gun wasn’t an option. Killing them was out of the question for me.”

  “They would have killed you in an instant. Your back was facing that man when he fired. To shoot at your enemy’s back is the sign of a coward. Would you like to know where the wound would have been if we hadn’t intervened?”

  “Really, it’s not necessary.”

  She tapped her index finger between my breasts.

  “Jesus.” My mouth went dry. “You’re sure?”

  She nodded, withdrawing her finger. “And I was the one who instructed your soul mate to read the parchments beside your bed. You called them brochures. One of them helped lead her to where you were imprisoned.”

  “I guess I owe you and your people my gratitude. Thank you for saving my life.”

  “Our pleasure, little one. You can thank your four-legged friend for finding your body in that pool.”

  “It’s a Welsh bog.”

  “And your soul mate for breathing life back into your lungs.”

  “I have thanked her. Many times.”

  Her smile lingered as she stood up. “One last thing and then I must leave.”

  Her hand slipped under my nightshirt and moved across my bandages. The sore shoulder stopped throbbing; the pain vanished.

  “Wow! How did you do that?”

  With a dismissive wave of her hand, she stood and returned to the dresser where she stared into the mirror, her back toward me. Her body shimmered into the familiar amber cloud that had heralded her arrival. Her voice was the last to go. “The medallion, little one. It will protect you far better than I. It will help make a believer out of you.”

  “I’ll wear the damn thing,” I said to the empty air. “As soon as the clasp is fixed.”

  I finished my breakfast, musing over the strange connection between our Amazon visions and the Celtic mystique that had surrounded us during our visit to Wales. No doubt about it, this place was filled with memories and energies of long-dead people. But was I ready to believe I was actually hearing and seeing these things? Or was I under the influence of powerful painkillers? If I told Kim about what happened, she’d try to convince me of things that I wasn’t yet ready to accept.

  I climbed out of bed and eased the tray onto the dresser. Sunlight filtered through the green-glass window of our cozy room, and the wood flooring felt warm and comforting under my bare feet.

  My shoulder didn’t hurt. Was it really the dream warrior’s touch, or just my own desire for the pain to cease? The medication sure didn’t work that fast.

  I shook my head, bewildered. It was probably better for me to stop thinking about the past and enjoy the present.

  I’d try a short walk around the garden after my bath. If I was lucky, a sexy archaeologist would return in time to accompany me.

  I pulled on my robe and struggled with the old wooden dresser drawer that contained our underwear. That drawer had stuck from the first day we arrived. Kim and I thought about putting our panties in another one, but solved the problem by leaving it partially open. She must have forgotten and pushed it in too far.

  I entered the bathroom and turned on the hot water faucet. Kim had located a carved wooden stool for me to use when I had to bathe or use the toilet. I still felt like the place had been designed for Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, but after a week in that basement wearing the same clothing and with just a hint of wash water, I relished each and every amenity at my disposal.

  As the hot water flowed into the old tub, I returned to the bedroom for pants and a top. I chose a large flannel shirt of Kim’s, so I could pull it on over my bandages.

  As I started back into the bathroom, a knock sounded softly on our door.

  “The tray’s on the dresser, Arwel,” I said, but Terry Simms greeted me when I opened the door. She was most apologetic for disturbing me while I was dressing.

  “No problem. I’ve been meaning to talk to you anyway.” I turned off the bath water, and she sat in our overstuffed chair while I perched on the edge of the bed.

  She cast a glance toward the rumpled sheets and then back to me. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “We were interrupted in the hospital before I could thank you for your part in my rescue. You and Kim did a wonderful job of deciphering all the clues I threw at you.”

  “It was nothing, really. You were very clever and brave to have risked doing it. I’m glad I could help.” She moistened her lips. “I must admit you’re looking really good considering all you’ve been through.”

  “Thanks.” I couldn’t stop a flush from warming my cheeks. “I’ve had lots of rest and an abundance of TLC.”

  Terry smiled in a rather seductive way, I thought, or perhaps I was just imagining it. She did have a very sensual aura about her. Her green silk blouse was unbuttoned to reveal plenty of cleavage, and her black knit slacks fit her shapely hips and thighs like a second skin. Knowing the history she and Kim shared did nothing to boost my confidence. It took little effort to imagine them together, bodies entangled in various sexual scenarios, pleasuring each other in ways I had yet to learn.

  “If there’s anything you need or want,” she murmured in a husky voice, “I’m here for you.” She fiddled with the thick manila envelope she held in both hands.

  “Urn. Thanks, Terry, but Kim is taking good care of me.”

  She looked a bit uncomfortable. “I see. That’s fine, then.” She stood and walked a few paces away from me, keeping her back turned. “I can’t believe that you are so understanding and forgiving about the whole thing.”

  “Sorry, I don’t follow you. What ‘whole thing’?”

  When she turned toward me, she looked surprised and then embarrassed. “Oh, dear. I thought you knew. Kim didn’t tell you about us?”

  My stomac
h clenched. I didn’t like where this conversation was headed. “What about you?”

  She put a hand over her heart, as if holding back a tumultuous secret. “It really just sort of happened, you know.”

  “Terry. What happened?”

  “Uh, while you were in that dreadful cottage, we had to work together, for long hours, going over the tape, looking for clues.”

  “Damn it, Terry, spit it out!”

  “We had dinner together.”

  I exhaled in giddy relief. “Oh, is that all? For goodness sakes, I’d have expected you to eat a meal together.”

  “That’s not all.”

  “Oh.” There was a faint buzzing in my head that left me disoriented for a few seconds. The room grew warmer. My heart thudded in my chest, and I told myself not to listen further, not to believe her. “Go on,” I said in a strangely detached voice.

  “When we walked back here from the pub, we started talking. She told me how lonely she was, how she needed comfort, a woman to warm her bed.”

  I pressed one hand against my stomach, feeling as though I’d just been kicked. This couldn’t be true. Not my Kim.

  I stared at her and shook my head. “You’re lying.”

  “I wish I was.” The look she gave me might have been compassion or pity. It was hard to tell. “I told her it wasn’t right, but she insisted. I’ve never been able to resist her.”

  “No,” I whispered, still shaking my head. “Damn it, no.”

  I could see moisture in Terry’s eyes. Either she was one hell of an actress, or… Oh, God.

  I needed to be alone, to think about this. “You’d better leave.” I moved toward the door and grabbed the knob.

  “I’m so sorry. You’ll never know how much I regret what happened that night.”

  “I don’t want to hear any more.”

  “I’m only telling you for your own good. Kim was a horny animal. She started tearing off my clothes as soon as we got here.”

  “Terry, that’s enough.” I yanked the door open. “Get out of here. Now!”

  She moved toward the dresser. “I’ll go, but I have to leave these papers for Kim. They’re police business.”