Dark and Dangerous

by Anwar, Hart, Harte, Mcbride(Lit)

  He crossed the room, catching her chin in his hand. "I gave you pleasure, mon cher. You may lie if you wish, but your body betrays you. You want me as much as I want you."

  Chapter Seven

  A cold finger crept along Samantha’s spine, sending a shiver through her. Slowly, she shook her head. "You can’t give me what I want. You don’t have it to give."

  Something flickered in his eyes. "I am a cold blooded monster, oui? I could almost believe you truly were Elise, Contessa de Moyer, incarnate."

  Anger suffused her, chasing the chill away. "I am Samantha Lancaster! No one else. Don’t seek her in me. You won’t find her. You won’t find your beloved Juliette either!"

  "Then I will just have to make do with Samantha Lancaster," he said coolly.

  Hurt surged through her at the callus remark. She slapped his hand away. "I won’t stay."

  His eyes narrowed. "If you are neither Juliette, nor Elise, then you have no choice, for you have not the power to deny me."

  Turning abruptly, he strode from the room---passing through the wall as he always had. Samantha frowned. "It made sense that he could do that in my plane of existence, but if this was the plane where he exists, then how could he do it here?" she muttered, confused.

  "The house does not exist here. Nothing exists here, save me … and now you."

  Samantha looked around, but she couldn’t see him. She glared at the ceiling. "The bed exists."

  He chuckled. "Only because I willed it."

  If that was true, and he wasn’t simply playing some sort of mind game with her, then she should be able to pass through the walls too. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the door. At the last moment, her nerve deserted her. She closed her eyes and took another step. When she opened her eyes once more, she saw that she was in the corridor.

  She turned slowly, looking around. The bellhop Antoine was striding toward her. He passed through her and continued down the corridor. Samantha gasped, pressing a hand to her pounding heart.

  It was true then.

  A deep melancholia filled her. She hadn’t realized how much life meant to her until now. If he had cared for her, she thought she would have stayed gladly, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.

  She wandered aimlessly around the chateaux for a while and finally, drawn by the sunlight she could see flooding the terrace, she went outside, lifting her face to feel the sun’s heat.

  She felt nothing … not the warmth of the sun, not the breeze she could see ruffling the leaves of the trees and shrubs. She found she could not move beyond the terrace.

  Time had no meaning. She didn’t feel its passing. As she watched the light dimmed and stars took the place of the sun in the sky and then it was morning once more. Fascinated, she watched the cycles again and again, saw flowers bloom and die.

  Days passed. Weeks? Finally, she turned and entered the chateaux once more. Without quite knowing where she was going, she returned to the room where Gerard had made love to her---had given her passion, she corrected herself, looking around.

  Gerard, she saw, was propped against the wall near the window, studying her, his expression unreadable. She moved toward him, stopping when they were toe to toe.

  He swallowed convulsively, his gaze skating over her face. "Don’t look at me like that," he said harshly.

  "How?" she asked quietly.

  He shook his head. "I can not bear the sorrow in your eyes."

  "Why would it matter to you?"

  His face twisted with anguish. "Leave me! Go!"

  "I can’t."

  "You can," he said angrily. "I release you! Go!" Grasping her arm, he thrust her away from him.

  A wave of blackness washed over her. Samantha clutched her head in her hands, fighting to keep her balance. When she opened her eyes, she found that she was standing in the corridor before the painting. Simulation pounded at her from every direction, it seemed, at once, sound, light, the caress of air. She shivered, so confused that it was many moments before she realized that she felt … her own world.

  He truly had released her, thrust her back into her world. Why? The question pounded against her temples in time to her pounding heart. She turned to look up at his portrait. "Gerard," she whispered. Lifting a hand, she touched the cool canvas with shaking fingers. "I love you. Take me with you."

  Beneath her fingers, she felt the warm clasp of his hand. She stepped closer, needing to feel the warmth and closeness of his body.

  "I love you far too much, cher, to live with your unhappiness."

  She shook her head, leaning into the warmth of his embrace. "That’s all that I wanted, all I need."

  "Pardone, Messiure, Madam. You are guests?"

  Irritated by the untimely intrusion, Samantha glanced toward the man who’d spoken. To her surprise, she saw that it was Antoine.

  Surprise etched itself on his face, as well. "Madam Lancaster? But .. this is incredible! You have disappeared, leaving all behind, and now you come back?"

  Samantha stared at him. Slowly, she pulled away from Gerard. "But I didn’t …" She remembered then that she’d seen the days passing. "How long was I gone?"

  He frowned and finally shrugged. "Many weeks. Will you and the gentleman be staying with us?"

  Samantha glanced at Gerard as Antoine’s words slowly sank in. Gerard, she saw, was white faced. Cautiously, he lifted his hand and slid it across the wall behind him. A look of wonder crossed his features, but was followed quickly by confusion. "I don’t understand."

  Samantha felt faint with the excitement coursing through her. "The spell, Gerard!"

  She glanced at Antoine, who was looking at them as if he suspected they’d lost their minds. "We’re not staying. I just …. Brought my friend to see the chateaux."

  Taking Gerard’s hand, she tugged him behind her as she headed for the stairs. He pulled her to a stop when she reached the door and dragged him outside. "I do not understand, cher. You broke the spell?"

  Samantha laughed. "You broke the spell! We broke the spell! I don’t know. I don’t understand and I don’t care." She practically danced down the steps and onto the walkway. After a moment’s hesitation, Gerard followed her.

  "It is true then."

  Samantha threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "Tell me again."

  He pushed her a little away and captured her chin in his hand. "I love you, cher."

  She smiled up at him. "I love you. Let’s go home."

  His brows rose a look of doubt surfaced. "Home?"

  She tilted her head to one side. "You want to stay here?"

  He shuddered. "I will be happy if I never see this place again."

  "Good. My place it is. I have to warn you, it’s not nearly as grand as this."

  "You are not worried, cher, that I am a fish out of water? I do not know this world of yours."

  She snapped her fingers. "You’re a warlock. I think you’ll handle it just fine."

  The End