by Daye, Elissa
When he finally allowed her to turn around she was wild with desire. She wrapped her arms around his neck and twined her fingers into his hair. She arched her back to his kiss, and when his tongue entered her mouth she sucked it in so far she thought neither one of them would be able to breathe. She backed away from him and let her hands run down his body. When her hands reached his pants she undid the laces and slid them slowly down his hips. She bent down to push them all the way down his legs, and when she looked up his erection was just above her head. She had never really looked at it before, and now that she did it was pure perfection. The shaft was strong, hard like a rock, yet pure silk when she reached out to stroke it. When her fingers crept over the swollen head a drop of moisture sprinkled at the tip. She looked up to see that Grant was bracing himself against the doorway, his face scrunched into a fierce grimace that made her pause. She wrapped her fingers around him and squeezed him softly. She heard a loud breath leave his mouth, a gasp that sounded almost hurt, yet exquisitely aroused at the same time. She removed her fingers at once and moved a little further way from him. “Does that hurt you?”
“Only if you stop.”
Malinda looked back to his cock, and while it had been large before it seemed to have swollen even greater. She crept forward, wrapped both of her hands around him, and brought her tongue forward to lick the drop that had pooled at the tiny lips at its tip, but she did not stop there. Her lips ran tiny kisses up and down its length, before they wrapped around the swollen head. She pulled him into her mouth, and when she felt him move into her mouth a little before pulling out she moaned against him. There were many things she did not know about lovemaking, but she was a fast learner. It was like a game, a slow sensual game. When he withdrew from her, she would take him back in her mouth. She longed to inhale every inch of him, but before she could he pushed her away.
“That’s enough of that for now.” He reached down to pull her up to him, kissing her hard on the mouth as he raised her body up to meet him. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he stood with her body cradled against his, her entrance close to his swollen member. He carried her to the bed, their tongues intertwining like flames of a fire that danced before it dissolved the world around it into nothingness.
Their bodies crashed onto the bed, but neither one of them seemed to notice as they fell into each other. Malinda wrapped her legs tighter around Grant as he entered her. She yearned to pull him in so far that there would be no time and space separating them. They rode the waves together, a fast wild ride that sent them both careening into the night.
Malinda lay cradled in his arms in the aftermath, her feelings for him so intense that she almost shouted them to the world, but she fought the battle to keep them secreted away. She could not reveal herself to him; it was not safe, not yet. She snuggled into his arms until he fell asleep, but her thoughts were racing like a fox running from the hunt. When soft snores filled the air she moved carefully away from him and pushed herself up off the bed. Malinda walked across the room and found the nightgown that had been tossed to the floor. She put on her white robe over her nightgown and turned to leave the room.
Malinda grabbed an oil lamp and walked into the hallway as she tried to gather her thoughts. She could love him from afar, keep it locked secretly in her heart. Would that be the same as denying love? She did not think it was the same thing, for she at least opened her mind to the possibility that some day he would feel free to love her back. If she uttered a word to him she ran the risk of pushing him further away from her. She knew that his first wife still had some mystical hold over his emotions and this was compounded with the fact that her spirit still haunted him, haunted his house, haunted little Sophia.
Malinda retreated to the library hoping to find a book to fill the long hours of the night, as she often had when Grant was away. She walked toward the door and froze in place. A haunting glow of light filtered through the cracks of space between the door and the floor. She knew this glow, for it sent a chill down her spine. She took a deep breath and created her shield around her before she opened the door.
Maria floated inches from the ground, her white dress fluttering around her, and her hair flowing gently behind her with the cold winds that seemed to follow her everywhere. The ghost turned to her when the click of the door closing caught her attention. Malinda’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the tiny doll cradled in her hands. Sophia must have left the doll somewhere in the house if Maria had gotten a hold of it. How did something from the spiritual realm have any control over an object in the physical realm? “Maria. You have to let them go.”
A mad shriek pierced the silence and a knife floated from the desk below. The light from Malinda’s lamp made the silver blade gleam against the shadows. She watched as the blade ripped into the doll and severed its head from its body, making it bounce on the floor before rolling to Malinda’s feet. Malinda squared her shoulders and glared at Maria. “You do not scare me, Maria. There is nothing you can do to me.”
Or so Malinda thought. After uttering her words to the ghost the knife soared through the air toward her, like the talons of a predatory bird that had found its dinner. Malinda took a deep breath and conjured a wall of wind that jettisoned the knife back toward Maria. It landed in the wall with a twang, but the waves of impact made it loosen its hold, then fall harmlessly to the floor. “Is that all you have?” Malinda crossed her arms in challenge and waited to see what the ghost would do next. A large wail left the specter’s lips and a wave of darkness shot forth from the cavity of her mouth. It blasted across the room, pierced her golden shield, and knocked Malinda to the ground with such force that she lost her breath. When she looked up the ghost had disappeared.
Malinda trembled in awe of the moment. Clearly she had underestimated the ghost. She took a deep breath and stood up. She picked up the doll and its severed head, then walked over to retrieve the knife from the floor. She replaced the knife to its original spot on the desk and sat down to think. Why did a ghost choose to say earthbound? Maria did not seem to hold an affinity for her child. Did the specter still hold affection for Grant? Malinda really needed to figure out what was holding her here. Until she did, one thing was clear. They were going to need a lot more salt.
Chapter 25
The next morning they all sat around the breakfast table. Grant was entertaining Sophia with tales of his childhood and she was adoring every moment of his attention. Malinda sat quietly transfixed with the moment. She felt the rise and fall of the gentle love that hummed through her body as she took in the charming scene before her. Grant was a great father. She wondered why she had ever thought differently. Yes, it was true that he had ignored Sophia, but it was not something he had done purposefully. She knew he had simply gotten caught up in revenge for Maria’s death. She wondered if finding the perpetrator would cure this hold that his past had over his life. She might be able to vanquish the ghost that ran through these halls, but what good would that do if her memory still haunted his mind?
When Desiree came to take Sophia for her lessons Grant turned to Malinda for the first time that morning. “Malinda?”
“Hmm?” Malinda was still staring off into space when she heard his voice. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I have to go.” Grant did not want to leave her so soon after his return, but the fact that the Lair had attacked her on his land did not settle well with him. It meant they would and could strike at any moment. He had to get the news of the attack to Marshal.
“Why?”
“Because Marshal needs to know about the attack, Malinda.”
“And if you go away from here, who will keep them from attacking again?” It was not the fact that Malinda was worried about an attack. It was that she really did not want him to leave again, but did not feel safe expressing those words. When she had returned to bed last night Grant had awakened, and every inch of him had been alive. They made love into the early hours of the morning and when the sun finally rose o
ver the hills she was curled up in his warm embrace. She wished she could wake up like that every day for the rest of her life; feeling safe, loved and protected. And while he had never mentioned any sort of love to her, his nearness offered her a comforting balm that allowed her to hope that someday he would.
“You will, of course.” A sly smile covered his face, for he knew that if Malinda wanted to argue with his last comment she would be denying her abilities to protect her family. He had faith in her; he knew she would keep Sophia safe.
“But Grant, you just got home and—”
“And what? You missed my smiling face?”
Malinda looked to the ground uncomfortably. She wished she could admit her feelings, wished she could cast her proclamation of love to the world, but she dared not risk it. “I do get lonely, Grant. I feel so isolated here.”
“I promise I won’t be gone for long, Malinda.” Grant rose from the table and walked over to where she sat. He gathered her face in his hands and gave her a long tantalizing kiss. “And Malinda?”
“Yes, Grant?”
“I’ll miss you too.”
Her heart leapt in joy at his words for a moment before she realized he had not really said what she wanted him to say. It was nice that he would miss her. Not all husbands actually missed their wives when they were away so it was a start, but it was certainly not an admission of love. She looked back up into his eyes and smiled wickedly. “I’ll keep the bed warm for you, husband.” She reached up and untied the strip of leather that held his blond hair tightly behind his head. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled him down to a kiss that made the air sizzle between them.
Grant pulled away slowly, his breathing erratic. “Well, perhaps I don’t have to leave right away.” He held his hand out to her and hauled her up from her chair. They climbed stairs that seemed to go on forever, reaching the top in moments that had somehow turned into an eternity. When they made their way into the bedroom the two maids in the hallway shared a secret smile before moving swiftly away from the door.
Grant had departed long before Malinda could bring herself to leave their room. She felt a peaceful stillness inside, a calmness she had never felt before. She had spent so much time finding ways to push her feelings further inside her that it was surprising that allowing them to the surface was not as unsettling as she thought it would be. She remembered all the men from her village who had attempted to win her affections to no avail. To be honest though, they had really been boys at the time and it had been easier to push them away. There had been no fear that she would fall desperately under love’s everlasting embrace. It had worked for so long, almost a lifetime, but the lover that had begun to fill her dreams had hypnotized her nights and had haunted her throughout the day until her every waking moment was filled with thoughts of the mysterious man. The dream lover had become a reality that was infinitely more than she could ever have asked for or ever thought she needed. Grant was no boy, not like the others; he was all man from the top of his sparkling blond hair, down his well worked body, to the tips of the toes confined in his dark leather boots. And while she felt more comfortable with her emotions than before, Malinda knew that it would still be some time before she exclaimed her love to Grant. He was not the kind of man that accepted love easily, especially with his past shadowing his every movement.
Malinda made her way to the nursery and was surprised to see that the furniture had finally arrived. Sophia was running around the room looking at all the wonderful things that now covered up the once empty space. Her smile lit up the room much clearer than the sun’s rays streaming through the window and it melted Malinda’s heart. She held out her arms and Sophia raced into them. “Well hello there, Sophia. Do you like the nursery?”
“Mama, look! Come here!” Sophia tugged on her arm and pulled her toward the large dollhouse that sat in the corner. “A house!”
“So it is!” Malinda sat with Sophia and they played with the tiny furniture and dolls for as long as the little girl would sit still.
When Desiree came to take Sophia down for her nap Malinda stayed within the nursery. She wanted to sketch a scene on the large wall that faced the window. Malinda hoped to use some of the paints to make a brightly colored wall that lit up when the sun shone through the glass windows on the opposite wall. She drew a unicorn lying beneath a large weeping willow. She then sketched a rainbow that traveled from one side of the wall to the other. She was in the middle of drawing a pot of gold when a loud crash sounded in the hallway. The walls around her seemed to tremble and the hair on back of her neck rose with tiny pricklings that warned her that Maria was up to no good yet again.
Malinda walked to the doorway and glanced into the hall. Maria’s ghostly form was at the end of the hallway and the bright white light that surrounded her flashed every time the walls trembled. Malinda put up her shield and narrowed her gaze at the apparition. She stepped into the hallway and gathered a ball of light in her hands. Malinda felt the anger that boiled just beneath the surface, a hate that had started to grow within her at the very thought of the dead woman who roamed the halls. The thought of the hold Maria held over Grant’s heart was enough to steam a turnip, but the very fact that this ghost would harm a defenseless child brought flames to her eyes. Malinda launched the ball of light toward her, knowing that it would do nothing but scare Maria away for the moment. She really needed to find a solution to this problem soon, for the hauntings were becoming more frequent and dangerous.
Malinda searched the manor, hoping to find the ghost again while also hoping she had left them forever, but she knew that Maria would not leave that easily. She felt so ill at ease with the atmosphere that she decided to go outside to cleanse the residue of energy from her body. She went to the small garden just outside the back doors and took a seat on an intricately carved stone bench. She breathed in the stillness around her, removed her shoes from her feet, and let her toes wriggle in the grass below her. The wind swarmed around her and surrounded her with a peace she had been unable to find moments before.
Malinda closed her eyes and put her hands in her lap with her palms open and facing the sky. She sent a blessing to the animals around her and thanked them for the ways they helped enrich the land around Wickford Manor. When her prayers were complete she let her mind still and concentrated on creating a safe place for her to meditate without interruption. When her aura was barricaded from the rest of the world she felt her mind ease its heavy burdens, felt her shoulders relax in a restful slump, and made her breathing slow. She imagined the fields of Lena where she had met the Seven Sisters, for today she was in need of their spiritual guidance. The deeper Malinda went into her meditation the easier it was to let her soul glide across time and space. She found herself spiraling through the air, light mixed in dark, and dark mixed in light as her spirit traveled to a higher plane of existence. When she thought she could take no more her soul came slowly down to the green fields of Lena. She searched around her hoping to find a guiding hand, but was disappointed to find no one had come to meet her. She sat on the grass and took in the sweet smells of the flowered fields and waited patiently.
What should have taken mere moments seemed to take hours, for she could not still the loud beating of her heart. She knew the problem at once. She wanted too much and her desires were conflicted. She wanted to win Grant’s love and she yearned to rid him of the shadows that stalked him daily. When she was able to voice one desire, two of the sisters appeared before her. From the colors they wore, Malinda knew that Creda and Dinah had come to assist her. Faith and justice would serve her well if she had the courage to ask for the assistance she needed.
“It is good you have come.”
“Yes, Creda. It is good that Malinda has returned. We get so few visitors these days. It is almost as if the ways of Lena have died out from the world. Tell us, Malinda, how may we assist you?”
“I need help with a ghost, actually. It’s turning out to be more complicated than I thought it
would be. I followed the advice from my readings in the Library of Ages, but these were only temporary solutions, it seems.”
Creda and Dinah exchanged glances before Dinah replied. Her blue dress rippled in the wind when she spoke. “Do not despair, Malinda. Help is on the way. Some that are knowledgeable about your problem will make their way into your life. In return, we ask that you help them ascend. Help them find Lena so that their beautiful light can shine upon our world. It is time for Lena to grow, time for our daughters to fight the darkness that keeps them hidden from the world; time to adopt others into our fold, others who may not be Lena born, but have the capacity to add greatness to our flock.”
Malinda nodded at the sisters before responding. She wondered who they might be referring to, for not many women contained magic outside of the magic of Lena. She would have to keep a better eye on the world around her. “I will do my best to teach them, your graces. If they know how to astral project, then reaching Lena shall be easy. If they do not, then I will find a way to lead them here. You have my word.”
The sisters smiled at her and waved farewell before they shimmered into tiny lights before her. Malinda was content to know that help would be finding her very soon. Until that day arrived she would continue to ward off the spirit the best that she could. Perhaps learning how to tolerate its existence and being able to ignore it would serve her better than fighting it off on a day to day basis. She would create a necklace for Sophia that would ward off any unwanted spiritual energy. She would attach a string to a tiny salt-filled glass vial. If the salt protected her room, perhaps carrying it around with her at all times would keep her from being attacked. If this helped Sophia remain untouchable and kept her safe from the ghost’s icy talons, then Malinda would be better able to ignore the spirit entirely. It might be a small plan, but if it worked it did not matter how small the idea was. Sometimes the best-laid plans succeeded because one small idea inspired greatness. Malinda smiled sadly before releasing her soul back to her body. She truly enjoyed every moment she spent in Lena and missed it the moment she left.