by Daye, Elissa
Malinda continued to sort through the boxes after Desiree left the attic. There was a slight movement of air around her, and then loud footsteps could be heard falling angrily on the wooden floorboards. It was hard to ignore the beating of her heart, but knowing that she had managed to survive her first encounter with the specter strengthened her. She closed her eyes and raised the shield around her, knowing that if she allowed her mind to feed the fear racing inside, then her shield would be useless. Her eyes opened and darted around the room. A scarf that hung from a discarded floor length mirror started to sway slowly in an invisible wind. Malinda walked over to the mirror, doing her best to show a courageous front. Having little experience with those that had departed the earthly realm Malinda knew that specters such as Maria could take shape before her eyes, much as she had the night before, but even so, Maria would never be corporeal again. Fear did not serve her well here.
Malinda gathered as much energy to her as possible, knowing that if she did not prepare herself properly the ghost might attack her again. She walked to the mirror, feeling the cold challenge in the air. Malinda took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. At first sight the image before her was quite predictable, as Malinda’s own face stared back at her. Her long black hair framed her face, and her work from this afternoon rang true in the depth of her frazzled locks. She would have to repair the damage before she went down to dinner this evening. Malinda ran her fingers through the curls to bring some sense of order to them. She looked down from the mirror for a moment while she twisted the strands around her fingers. When she looked up, her breath caught in her throat and a silent scream trapped itself within her lungs.
A bloody mess of brown curls looked back at her, accompanied by cold blue eyes that were frozen in time. The woman shifted, and she saw the large gaping bite marks on her arms and the flesh that had been ripped apart with large claws before an empty darkness entered her eyes. Maria’s form was transposed over her own. The ghost opened her mouth and a loud deadly shriek bounced into the air around her. Malinda put her hands to her ears and shut her eyes to squeeze the image out of her mind. She heard a loud smash and opened her eyes to find the mirror had shattered into pieces before her. She backed away from the shards that had started to splint away from the frame, ducking as they flew across the room.
“Enough!” The words left her mouth before Malinda could rethink them, and her shield exploded in the air around her as the glass attempted to pierce it. The shards rebounded from the shield and landed harmlessly on the floor. She took a deep breath and awaited the next wave of attack, but it never came. The air shifted yet again and the frisson that had once run up her spine no longer remained. The air was still, the room was empty. Malinda stood surrounded by a circle of glass as her shield had protected her from the raining shards that had just lanced at her. She heard footsteps race up the stairs and turned to the sound. She half-expected another attack.
“Malinda?” Grant’s voice entered the room long before Malinda could see him.
“Yes?” Malinda could not fight the annoyance that filtered into her voice. She could not ignore that it was his former wife that seemed to be out to get her, and Malinda was definitely annoyed by that fact.
“Are you all right?” A puzzled look covered his face. He wondered how the glass had surrounded her, but yet not one piece seemed to have hurt her. While this was the first thought that interjected into his mind the second was how in the world had that glass shattered around her in the first place. “What happened?”
“Just clumsy, I guess. I will probably be in for some bad luck.” She looked over at Grant with an impish grin. As much as she wanted to be annoyed with Grant for his interruption she could not miss the irony of the situation. He looked like a knight running up to save his damsel in distress. His face was filled with something she could not translate, something completely unfamiliar to her. His long hair was bound tightly behind his neck, but there were curls trying to escape around his face. A deep, secret part of her imagined what it would feel like to wrap her fingers around those curls. His face had been covered in hair earlier, but now it was trimmed neatly. While it was not completely naked, it was covered with enough hair that she longed to run her hands over it and let the scruff tickle her palms. She shook her head swiftly, trying to shake the longing away. Her dream ran through her thoughts one last time and wrapped around the forefront of her mind with an unbearable longing. A slight flush tinted her face before she managed to control her thoughts. In the time between those thoughts Grant had managed to walk closer to her with his eyes narrowed dangerously at her.
“Don’t.” A single word fell from his lips.
“I’m sorry? Don’t what?” Malinda looked up at him with confusion, still shaking away the feelings that thrummed through her body.
“Don’t fight it, Malinda.”
His mouth was an inch away from hers and yet Malinda could feel the heat of him already scalding her lips. He reached an arm out to her as his foot kicked the shards away from them. He was a lifeline she had never had before. Malinda put her hand in his and found herself hauled into an embrace she had only dared dreamed about before. The comfort, the safety, and the thrill of requited desire were no longer hidden to her. With her head on his shoulder it was easy to feel the beat of his heart pulsing at his throat, its rhythm danced a soliloquy around her head until she felt her own beat rise to meet his. Malinda raised her head to meet his heated gaze and what she saw inside did not scare her as much as she thought it might. Thankfully it was not love, the only thing she feared more than anything in this world. It was desire, the same desire that ran through her veins. The moment seemed lost in time, and she desperately hoped his lips would put hers out of misery. Her eyes closed as she waited for a kiss that never came.
“Not now.”
If the desire had not been sucked dry from her at his words it would have died as soon as the air chilled around them, for she knew that they were no longer alone. She bit her lip in annoyance, trying to bury the longing that had stirred deep within her. He had not even kissed her, not even attempted to stoke the fires within her. They had risen of their own accord and were now fizzling to ashes within her. She looked away, her heart still trembling inside. Tears of her anger were now attempting to free themselves, but she stilled them as best as she could. “Very well. I need to freshen up for dinner, my lord.”
Malinda walked away from Grant with her head high. She extinguished whatever fantasies that had risen within her. She heard Grant cursing loudly when she made it to the bottom of the stairs and a soft smile lit her face. It was good to know he was not as unaffected by their encounter as he pretended. She made her way to their room and decided she would put extra effort into her appearance that evening.
Chapter 15
Malinda stood before the mirror and glanced at the mess of curls around her face. She brought a comb down slowly, wincing as she worked her way through the tangles. Then she twisted the length of her hair and wound it tightly around the top of her head. She used little pins to hold it in place, as little curls snaked their way around her head. She pulled at the hair enough to make the coronet appear tousled by a lover’s hand and coaxed a few small snippets of curls away so that they fell loosely at the nape of her neck. She picked up the flowers that Sophia had picked for her earlier and pinned them into her hair; the white apple blossoms contrasting deeply with her dark hair, like little stars painted into the night sky.
Malinda owned only one dress that made her feel like a real lady, and thankfully it had been returned to her. Her grandmother had painstakingly sewn the deep purple silk dress for an annual party at Tinley Faire, the only formal dinner party that Malinda had ever attended, one that many of the people of Tinley Faire had been invited to. It had been a few years since she had worn it, which was easy to see as her body had certainly grown since then. Before the dress had fit her as a youthful girl, but now it fit her as a woman. What had looked charming on Malinda many years ago now fit her like
a second skin that held her tightly from her chest down to the gentle curve of her hips, where the skirt of the gown floated like a cloud around her feet. A mature amount of cleavage displayed itself to the world as her breasts jutted angrily against the confining bodice. At first Malinda found it difficult to breath, but when her body adjusted to the constriction she began to take smaller relaxed breaths until she finally felt normal.
If this did not get his attention she did not know what would. She was tired of dreaming about a fantasy lover. She coveted the real thing, and since she was already married to Grant there did not seem to be any reason not to explore her options. It was lust, nothing more. As long as she held her heart intact she would be just fine. It was not like she could fall in love with him. From what she understood of Lord Timberlin, he was hardly there, so falling for him would be hard to do. Malinda pinched her cheeks to create a pink glow and smiled mysteriously. She might still be the innocent maid from Tinley Faire, but tonight that would all change.
Malinda made her way down to the dining room and found that Grant was already there. Sophia was seated to his right and he was entertaining her with his napkin, as he made it into little shapes and made little voices. The breath caught in her throat at the sight. There was something endearing in the way they looked together, as if the years of walls built up between the father and child had come crumbling down to the ground. A warning bell sounded off in her head, for this was the kind of thing that could melt her resolve to remain detached. Malinda took a deep breath as she walked closer to the table. When Grant looked up at her, if he was shocked at her appearance he did not show it, although when she looked closer the heat in his gaze foretold more than his closed features.
“Good evening, Grant. I hope I did not keep you both waiting too long.” A bright smile lit up Sophia’s face when she saw her, and Malinda could not help but walk over to her side and kiss her forehead. “Hello, my pet. I hope the chaos of the day hasn’t worn you out too much.” She ruffled Sophia’s hair before returning to the other side of the table. She sat down next to Grant and grimaced a little under his perusal. She had known she would attract his attention, and while it sent a thrill of anticipation up her spine, a part of her felt the weary warnings of something deeper stirring within her. She shook it off at once and raised her eyes to his. What she saw inside the golden orbs should have sent her running, but the gentle hand that had covered hers underneath the table was oddly comforting.
“We were just about to start eating. Gertie has prepared a great feast this evening.” There was a distinct electricity in the air as Grant’s eyes fixed on hers a moment too long. He grimaced for a moment before shuffling in his chair, then cleared his throat.
They sat there exchanging subtle niceties during the meal. She kept her eyes on Sophia as much as possible, for the heat of Grant’s gaze burned holes in her resolve. Malinda longed to experience desire like she did in her dreams, but the energy that emanated from him was a whirlpool of emotions that made her want to run. Was desire really this dangerous? Fear roared its ugly head at the last moment, and Malinda rose to help Desiree take Sophia to her room for the night.
“Malinda. Sit.”
It was an order and it froze her in place instantly. She dared not disobey the man seated at the table. She took a deep breath and turned to meet Grant’s deadly gaze. “I would see to our daughter, my lord.”
“Desiree will see to her tonight, Malinda. You will not hide behind Sophia. Not tonight.”
Malinda watched as Desiree bobbed out of the room with Sophia at her side. She started to sit back down in her chair and was surprised to feel strong arms reach for her. Grant hauled her into his lap and, before she could even think to object, his lips were on hers. She felt a slight tingle work its way down her neck as his lips covered hers fiercely. Malinda pushed herself away from his mouth and struggled to breath, but the confines of her dress multiplied with his nearness were making her breaths stifling. She put her hand to her chest and tugged gently at her bodice. Grant pushed her hand away and a loud sound ripped through the air as his hands tore through the fabric like a sheet of paper. She gasped and tried desperately to cover her breasts with her arms, but his hands were faster than hers and he pushed hers away. Malinda felt his rough hands massage the soft skin that was unused to any man’s touch. When his fingers brushed over her nipple she felt trapped in a moment in time, and a bizarre haze started to fill her head. His mouth soon followed his hands and, when his heat captured it deliciously, she trembled as she arched her back into his strong arms.
Malinda gathered whatever will she had left to push him away from her breast. She struggled within the confines of his arms and pushed to stand before him. Her arms crossed over her and wrapped around her shoulders. She was visibly shaken when his eyes met hers. “I thought you needed to talk.”
“I was. Didn’t you hear the way my body spoke to yours?” A wicked smile gleamed across his face.
“I can’t do this. Not here, Grant.” Malinda looked all around, hoping that none of the maids had seen their interlude.
“Fine.”
As Grant rose, Malinda’s eyes roamed over him, from his dangerously seductive golden eyes to his pert mouth clamped down in challenge, and then to his strongly defined chin covered in dark blonde hair. She was aware of his shoulders, so broad and strong that she imagined he could carry the world upon them. The darkness she had felt within him at times reminded her that perhaps he did, indeed, carry a deep burden upon them. She let her gaze run down the length of him, letting herself imagine the muscles that were hidden beneath the crisp white tunic. When her eyes strayed upon the dark breeches that sculpted his calves like a second skin, she started to panic. He advanced at her and she put up a hand, forgetting the torn dress. When his eyes were no longer staring at her face Malinda remembered her dilemma. She held the fabric of her bodice together with one hand and put another hand up, while backing slowly away from the panther-like gaze he had trained on her.
“What a quandary.” A soft chuckle filled the air before Grant whisked her into the air and Malinda shrieked.
“Put me down, Grant!” She wrestled with her emotions, for while she told him to put her down she wanted nothing of the sort. She did not know why she felt the need to play the shy maid, for even though she was a virgin her thoughts were anything but innocent as he carried her up the stairs to their room.
Grant opened the door while he carefully juggled her body in his arms. He used his foot to leverage the door open, but almost ended up kicking the door in with his exuberance. He grunted as the door moved back toward his foot after bouncing off the wall. He set her down on the bed and turned back to close the door. The lock clicked softly in place before he turned back to face her.
When his eyes met hers the air seemed to leave the room. Malinda licked her dry lips and took a slow dry breath. “Grant?”
“Yes, Malinda?”
“What did you want to talk about?” Her voice shook, even though she desperately struggled to control the trembling that started to run through her body.
“We’ll get to that.” He sat down on the chair near the fireplace and started to remove his boots.
Malinda could not take her eyes off his movements, for the loose tunic seemed to pull taught against his back when he leaned over and she could see the well-shaped body hidden beneath its layers. Grant undid the belt around his waist and started to peel off his breeches. They were like orange peels that were painstakingly removed to reveal the fruit trapped within. Malinda’s gasp was audible. He was all male, there was no denying that, as his manhood sprang forward from its confinement. She could not help but stare at it as it stood almost proudly before her. She quickly diverted her eyes to his face as fear started to slice through her. Her dreams had only hinted at pleasure, and while she was sure that he knew how to pleasure her she was not entirely sure he was going to fit in her without ripping her to pieces.
Grant saw the panic in her eyes and choked bac
k a laugh. Earlier he had doubted her innocence, but only a virgin would look up at him with eyes alight with fear. He would have to be careful not to scare her away if he wanted to have her tonight. “Relax, Malinda. Remember, we’re going to talk.”
“Talk?” Malinda watched him prowl toward her. She agonized over the intimacy of the moment as she glanced down to the shaft prodding out from beneath the tunic, which was just barely long enough to reach midway past his thighs. She looked back at his face and the softness she found there was not comforting.
He sat next to her on the bed and shifted toward her. Malinda’s heart pounded in a crazed rhythm in her ears. She was afraid that even if they did talk that her ears would not work well enough to hear him over the humming energy that consumed her. When his hand rose to cup her chin she looked into his eyes, a soul-searching gaze transmitting more than words between them. Malinda closed her eyes and saw images of her body contorting under her fantasy lover’s. The one thing that she had always sought finally came to her in a flash. It was no fantasy, not just a dream that had been sent to her to tease the imagination of a virgin. It was destiny, a destiny that she craved and one that terrified her at the same time. She reminded herself that passion did not always equate love so she did not have to run from her feelings. When his mouth kissed her forehead gently and rained gentle kisses down her face all her thoughts flew out the window. He was a man. She was a woman. They were married. Nothing else mattered, nothing except for the voice of desire that had so far lay dormant within her.
“So, my dear wife.” He paused between kisses to address her.
“Hmm?”
“Tonight you will be mine, and not just in name. I will not settle for anything less. Do you understand?” The desire in his eyes echoed around the room as his question lay before them.
“Yes.” She raised a hand to touch his face and trembled when the short hairs scraped against her palm before his lips melted into it. His teeth gently grazed where her hand met her wrist, and she whimpered unexpectedly. The feeling of the coarse hair on smooth skin made her hands quite erogenous, and she wondered which other places would alight just as dangerously under his touch. When his hands went to her bodice, her breath was caught in her throat in expectation, but he never touched Malinda. Instead, another large tear shocked the silence around them as he ripped the rest of the dress from her body. She almost riled up against him for ruining her best dress, but her protest was swallowed between them when his mouth covered hers. He yanked the dress away from her and it was soon forgotten as his lips created quite a distraction.