《AN ETERNAL LOVE》


 CHAPTER: 28

    CHAPTER: 28


    You simply muste to the meeting today, Adira. People will think it odd if you don''t. The new Church


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    minister is here!"


    Aunt Helen fussed with the skirts of the new dress that Adira had made for her, then stopped herself.


    "Vanity," she said. "At my age, one would not think it a sin that would tempt me."


    "Wishing to look one''s best when greeting a neer is not vanity, Aunt Helen," Adira told her sternly.


    "It is simply good manners."


    "If you knew so much about good manners, child," her dear Aunt said, "you would apany me to


    church."


    Aunt Helen made her eyes soft and pleading, like those of a child coaxing for a sweet. And again Adira


    marveled at how youthful and vigorous her Aunt had grown under her care.


    "Pleasee with me, Adira."


    Adira closed her eyes in defeat. "Oh, all right. But if he is as fond of shouting and pounding his Bible as


    thest one was, I shall get up and leave."


    "You wouldn''t!" Aunt Helen said.


    Adira smiled to let her know she was only teasing and went to the bedroom they shared to fix her hair


    and put on one of her own new dresses of fine fabric and cut. She could not help but think it was a far


    cry from the rags, tattered stockings, and worn slippers in which she had arrived.


    Reluctantly she tied her hair into a knot at the back of her head, and covered it with a small white cap


    with its dangling ribbons, as was customary. It was considered sinful for a woman to wear her hair


    loose, though she failed to see why that silly townsfolk said so. She wore her hair down and flowing all


    the time unless she was in town. And she was often tempted to do so publicly as well, to show them


    what she thought of their customs. However, she had not forgotten the lessons she had learned. It was


    best to keep her strange ways to herself.


    And while the people of the Alpena Sanctuary were not of the same kind as the Puritans she had the


    misfortune to meet once or twice, they had their own superstitions and fears. She was not a fool.


    Though, perhaps she had been behaving as if she were. Also, Aunt Helen''s fortune had shifted so


    the eyes on her, hear the gossip in the whispers they shared as she walked among them. Perhaps it


    was time she convinced Aunt Helen to sell the cabin and move away with her. She would not wait until


    it was toote a second time.


    Sanctuary was bing unsafe for her. She could not quite smell the danger in the air... yet. But she


    felt it drawing slowly, unescapably nearer.


    They had acquired a modest wagon, and she hurriedly went outside to put Onyx into her harness. Her


    poor mare hated towing the thing, and she could not say that she med her. However, the sight of her


    aunt and she riding double upon her horse''s back would likely have caused some of the townsfolk to


    faint dead. And Aunt Helen might well end up on the ground, at any rate.


    Her Aunt came outside the moment Adira had the wagon ready, arge basket in her hands filled with


    food for the meal that would follow services. Adira helped her into the seat, then climbed in beside her


    and clicked her tongue at Onyx.


    Onyx set off at a jaunty gait, and even though she detested it, she did look fine pulling the wagon, feet


    stepping high, her long mane dancing with every step.


    It was a fine day in May, not yet summer, but feeling every bit as if it were. A warm breeze came in from


    the ocean, carrying the sea scent she so loved along with it and caressing her face and hair. A few


    strands fell loose, but she was enjoying the ride far too much to fuss over them. They traveled the worn


    track they called the Coastal Road, along the very edge of the penins, and it was well and good she


    trusted Onyx to stay on course, for it was more than she could do to stop gazing out at the frothy blue


    expanse below.


    It could be said that Adira disliked and distrusted the people of the Alpena Sanctuary. Alex Davies, the


    vige elder in particr. But she was utterly enchanted with the ce itself. The ground beneath her


    and the sky above. Sea to her left, and forest to her right. It was like a magic circle unto itself. She felt


    the earth''s power here as she never had before, and perhaps it was not all because of the forces


    moving in and around this wild, newnd. Perhaps it was another bit of her new self making its


    presence felt. The ability to feel the ces where Mother Nature''s power pulsed strongest. She wished


    she understood more about her own nature. She knew there was far more to it than what her mother


    had been able to tell her. And yet how could she learn? How could she know? It troubled her like an


    unsolved puzzle. Why this gift of immortality? Was there some purpose to it at all?


    They arrived in town, and Alex Davies himself hurried to their wagon and reached for Adira''s hand to


    assist her from her seat. She took it, though his touch made gooseflesh rise on her arms. The man''s


    gaze tended to linger on her body in ways that made her uneasy, and she often glimpsed lust in his


    eyes, though on the surface he acted every bit the gentleman. She knew it was a lie.


    "Ladies," he said. "So good to see you both." His hands lingered on Adira, grasping briefly when she


    pulled. Then he cleared his throat, averted his eyes, and released her, turning to assist her aunt. "A fine


    day is it not, Mistress James?"


    "Fine, indeed, Mister Davies," her aunt replied. "But it is not the weather I wish to discuss, as you might


    well guess."


    "Ah, you are curious about our new pastor, no doubt," he said with a smile.


    "Tell me about him," she urged. "Is he young or old? Plump or thin?"


    "You will soon see for yourself," Alex Davies responded. And turning, offered her his arm. She took it,


    and he offered the other to Adira.


    Adira was reluctant to ept. But people were watching. And more than ever, she was cautious. She


    sensed something... something that made the fine hairs on her nape bristle. But she could not name


    what that something might be.

 CHAPTER: 29

    CHAPTER: 29


    Alex Davies offered Aunt Helen his arm. She took it, and he offered the other to Adira.


    Adira was reluctant to ept. But people were watching. And more than ever, she was cautious. She


    sensed something... something that made the fine hairs on her nape bristle. But she could not name


    what that something might be. She took his beefy arm and tried to hide her distaste.


    "I vow," Aunt Helen said, "nothing so exciting has happened in Sanctuary... since my dear niece arrived


    and restored me to health."


    "It was the Lord that restored you to health, Aunt Helen," Adira said quickly and nced at Alex Davies


    from the corner of her eye. "I only took away your loneliness." To Alex Davies, she said, "I do believe it


    was the loneliness making her feel so poorly all along."


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    "Indeed," he said. Lifting his brows he asked, "And are you a physician, Ms. Thompson?"


    Adira''s blood ran cold, and for a moment it was as though she was back in Ennd, shivering outside


    the magistrate''s door while cruel hands held her fast, and a demanding voice asked a simr question


    to her mother.


    Adira blinked away the rush of fear that shot through her and reminded herself she was no longer in


    Ennd. That nightmare was behind her. And then she prayed it was true.


    Fixing a smile to her lips, Adira said, "A woman physician? Oh. Mr. Davies, surely you are joking. I


    would not know where to begin!"


    His eyes when they met hers, were filled with suspicions and open lust. And as they approached the


    steps leading up into the church, he pretended to stumble and leaned toward her, brushing his forearm


    against her breast. Adira knew beyond a doubt it was deliberate.


    Startled, Adira turned and backed away, only to collide with a solid chest. Two warm hands closed on


    her shoulders, and suddenly she felt light-headed and breathless. His scent touched her, embraced


    her, and she knew before she even looked upon him who he was.


    "Pardon," a painfully familiar voice with a sweet Scottish lilt said from behind her. "Are you all right,


    girl?"


    Adira stiffened, closed her eyes, opened them slowly. And then she turned, unable to do otherwise, and


    looked up into the face of the man who, more than two years ago, had seen her die. The man who had


    embraced her to the point of madness, made her want him as she had wanted no other. The man who


    had told her he had given up his priestly studies because of her. Damien Walter, looking just as she


    had seen him that first time, on the gallows. Once again dressed in the ck robes of a clergyman.


    "So sorry, Ms. Thompson," Alex Davies boasted. He straightened away from her, but she barely felt his


    presence anymore. "A damn pebble caught in my... Oh, I see. You have met our pastor."


    "Ms. Thompson?" Damien whispered, wide-eyed and suddenly pale.


    Adira was worried. If he revealed what he had seen on those English gallows if he let on...


    Damien suddenly gripped both her hands in his. His gaze never left her face but kept roaming it as if he


    could not believe what he was seeing. Panic caused her heart to pound loudly. Panic... and his touch.


    His thumbs moved in gentle circles on the back of her hands. She squeezed his fingers to remind him,


    and stared into his brown eyes, willing him to keep her secret. And then, reluctantly, she tugged her


    hands from his, though it was thest thing she wanted to do.


    She remembered this man. He had changed. He was no longer a handsome young priest, but a grown


    man now. And though it had been only two years, she knew that two years in this rugged newnd


    were more than enough to bring about such changes. He wasrger, broad across the shoulders and


    chest, and solid with strength. His hair was longer than before, but the same dark, and pulled back and


    tied with a cord. And his face was harsher now. He looked weathered as if he had been through trying


    times.


    All of this Adira took in, realizing that to his probing brown eyes, she was the same. She had not


    changed. She never would. That he remembered her, too, was obvious.


    "Do you know one another?" Alex Davies asked, stepping closer, eyeing Damien, and then her.


    "No," she said softly. "We have never met." And she looked into Damien''s brown eyes, silently begging


    him to say the same.


    Damien licked his lips once, then looked past her to Alex Davies. "Yeah. The girl speaks the truth. Had


    we met, I would have surely recalled it," he said, his eyesden with meaning. "Besides, I only arrived


    yesterday." And then, smiling, he turned to her aunt, who shouldered her aside to take his hand in


    wee.


    "I am so pleased to meet you, young man," she said. "I am Helen James, Adira''s aunt."


    "Adira," he said softly, ncing at her way once more. When his gaze touched her skin, it was as if he


    touched her himself. Adira could feel the warmth of his eyes. "So that is your name. You cannot know


    how I have wondered..." Blinking, Damien shook his head and turned back to Aunt Helen. "I only hope I


    live up to your expectations, deardy," he told her.


    "Oh, I am confident you will, Reverend." And taking Adira''s arm, her aunt urged her up the stairs and


    into the church, leaving Damien to greet other worshipers as they filed past. But she could still feel his


    eyes on her.


    When the sermon ended, Adira realized she had not heard a word. She had been too caught up in the


    so long as he said it in those rich, deep tones, with the lilt of Scond in every word. She could not stop


    ring at him, watching the graceful, powerful strides with which he would pace before the


    congregation as he spoke. His eyes met hers often. Those were the only times she would shake out of


    her state of tant admiration of him enough to hear the words he spoke. Double meanings shot like


    arrows at her heart as his dark eyes razed her in mingled anger and wonder and... something else.


    Scriptures about lies and deceit. And about desires of the flesh. The way they could burn a man,


    destroy him.


    Was he bitter? Angry with her for leading him such a merry chase? It did not matter. If anything, the


    harshness she saw in his eyes now only served to make him more beautiful to her. She wanted him.


    She knew it with a sudden, urgent pang that left her breathless. But she knew it was impossible. For he


    was a church minister, and she was a witch. She had to put him out of her mind. She must. But she


    was unable to do that.

 CHAPTER: 30

    CHAPTER: 30


    Adira wanted him. She knew it with a sudden, urgent pang that left her breathless. But she knew it was


    impossible. For Damien was a church minister, and she was a witch. She had to put him out of her


    mind. She must. But she was unable to do that.


    After the sermon and prayers concluded, the entire poption of the Thunder Bay Sanctuary turned


    out for the mid-day meal to wee the new minister. It was held outdoors since there was no building


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    yetrge enough to amodate everyone for the meal.


    Adira sat upon a nket near a shade tree, putting out the food her aunt had brought along when she


    felt his gaze on her again. And looking up, she saw him, Damien Walter, staring at her. He did not look


    away when she met his eyes. Instead, he inclined his head very slightly and then turned to go back


    inside the church.


    He wanted her toe to him. He had made it quite clear. Adira''s throat went dry as she rehearsed in


    her mind what she would say to him. She had gone over it before, of course. Many times she had tried


    to imagine what exnation she could devise should she meet anyone who had seen her being


    hanged. But always, she had been imagining this man in her mind''s eye. Secretly hoping, perhaps, that


    she would see him again one day.


    "I left my shawl inside," Adira told her aunt.


    She only looked at Adira and winked. "Best go and find it, then, Adira. Before someone else does."


    Adira thought her aunt had some clue, that she was truly going to speak privately with Damien. But no


    hint of disapproval clouded her shining eyes.


    Adira went inside and saw him sitting on a bench near the front of the church. Her hands trembling, she


    went to him, stood before him, looking down, and thus having a view of the door beyond as well, lest


    someone came in and overheard what Damien was going to say. Would he use her? Condemn


    her? She did not know.


    Lifting his eyes to hers, he whispered, "It is true, then, after all. You are alive."


    Adira swallowed hard. More than anything, she did not wish to lie to him. Not to him. But her mother''s


    words seemed to ring in her ears. ''Trust no one. No one!'' She could not tell him what she was.


    Especially not while he wore minister''s robes. Though it bothered her to deny the truth to him.


    "You say such odd things, Pastor. Of course, I am alive," Adira said.


    Holding her gaze, he shook his head slowly, wonder in his eyes. "I saw you die, girl."


    Pretending shock, she lifted a hand to her breast. "You have mistaken me for someone else, then. I


    have never died, else how could I be here?"


    "Do not lie to me, Adira. Not to me." He rose suddenly, tall and strong and so close his body was nearly


    touching hers. "I brought your dead body down myself, held your corpse in my arms, and dampened


    your hair with my tears. I..." He broke off there, closed his eyes, and lowered his head as if he were too


    overwhelmed to go on.


    Adira was speechless. "You brought me down? You wept for me?"


    He looked into her eyes, and she felt an incredible yearning build within her soul.


    "You have haunted my dreams since that vile day, Adira Thompson. And now you stand here before


    me, as beautiful and alive as you were the first time I looked into your eyes when you stood so bravely


    upon the gallows."


    Adira felt a stinging in her eyes, burning in her throat. She could not deny who she was, for he would


    never believe her. No more than she would have believed him, had he told her that he was not that


    young man.


    "I would know you anywhere," he told her, and his hands sped her shoulders, warm and firm. She


    could feel him wanting her, just by his touch. And she wanted him, too. "I knew you on the ship," he


    said. "You came to me then, when I was ill." He searched her face then. But she said nothing.


    "Admit it to me, dammit! Have you any idea how many times I have doubted my own sanity since that


    night? Have you?"


    "I am sorry," Adira whispered. "Hope God forgives me? I am so sorry. Yes, Damien, I came to you that


    night. I... they wanted to put you off the ship, they thought you carried the gue. I could not let them."


    With one trembling hand, she touched his cheek. "No matter the cost, I could not let harme to


    you."


    He nodded slowly, closing his eyes in relief. "I knew it was you. Even without the light. I would know


    you even if I were blind, Adira."


    "And I would recognize you, Damien," Adira murmured, lowering her head. "I... I never forgot how you


    tried to help us."


    "Then you will tell me the truth," he said softly.


    She looked into his eyes... and she wanted to share this burden, this wonder, this miracle of what she


    was with him more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. And she lied to him.


    "It was a trick and nothing more." She had to avert her eyes to force the words out. She could not lie to


    him while looking into his eyes. "The dress I wore that day had a high neck. Do you remember?"


    "Yeah, I remember everything. The dress was brown, with small yellow buttons up the front, all the way


    to your chin. And your hair smelled ofvender," he said.


    Adira felt warm inside. His voice was like a caress upon her very soul. "Beneath the dress, I wore a


    steel cor. No one could see it. It protected my neck from the noose."


    His eyes narrowed, probed her''s. "And where did you get this cor? They said you had spent the night


    with your neck and wrists locked in the stocks."


    "A friend... he stole into the square and slipped it around my neck," she said.


    Frowning at her, Damien shook his head. "No. Even with the cor, the fall could have broken your wee


    neck." And his forefinger danced across her neck as he said it, sending shivers down her spine.


    "I could have," Adira said. "But did not."


    His eyes were piercing, as if he sought to see inside her mind, to the truth hidden there.


    A/N: To be continued...

 CHAPTER: 31

    CHAPTER: 31


    Frowning at her, Damien shook his head. "No. Even with the cor, the fall could have broken your wee


    neck." And his forefinger danced across her neck as he said it, sending shivers down her spine.


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    "I could have," Adira said. "But did not."


    His eyes were piercing, as if he sought to see inside her mind, to the truth hidden there.


    "There was no life in you when I held you in my arms," he whispered. "You were not pretending that,"


    Damien said.


    "No," Adira whispered, half afraid he would see right through the lie. "I fainted. Perhaps from the fall, or


    the fear, I cannot say. But I woke in..." she shuddered at the memory. "In a horrible ce."


    His face softened then. Slowly he lowered his head. "Yeah, I know about that," he said softly. Then


    meeting her gaze, he asked, "And your mother? Did she wear this trick cor as well?" Damien asked


    her.


    Adira closed her eyes, her pain all too real. "Someone saw my friend and he had to run away, or be


    caught. There was no time for him to help her as he did me. When I woke among the dead, she was


    beside me... and..." Tears choked her throat, and she could not go on.


    His hand came to her, stroking her cheek. Adira wanted to sp it in her own and press a kiss to his


    palm. But she only stood still, closing her eyes at the feelings his touch evoked. Weak with relief that


    she was feeling this man''s touch again, as she had so often dreamed of doing. Weak, too, with the


    remembered pain of finding her precious mother, dead.


    "I went there," Damien said. "To the ce where they took you. But you were not there. Nor was your


    mother."


    Adira looked at him through her tears. "Why?" she asked.


    "I could not save you, girl. I thought... at least I might give you a proper burial," he said.


    She smiled gently at him, and he brushed a tear from her cheek.


    "You are a kind man, Damien Walter," Adira said.


    "No," he said softly, eyes going harder. "Not so kind, not when I am lied to," he said.


    She swallowed hard. He could be a dangerous man as well. Dangerous to her. To her life, as well as to


    her heart.


    "Go on, girl. What happened when you woke?" he asked.


    "I carried my mother into the forest and buried her there. She would have been pleased with the spot I


    chose, I think," Adira replied.


    "She would have been pleased," he said, "to know that you survived."


    "She knew," Adira whispered. And then she sniffed and impatiently dashed the tears from her face. "If


    you tell them what you know of me, Damien..."


    "I will not tell them," he said.


    Adira could only blink in surprise.


    "I will not betray your secret, Adira. I swear it on all that I am. But you must tell me the truth. All of the


    truth."


    She could not look him in the eye when he asked her that. "I can only tell you that I have never brought


    harm to another human being. Not in all my life, Damien. On my mother''s soul, I swear it is the truth,"


    Adira replied.


    His hand turned her face towards his again. He searched her face for a long moment, his velvet brown


    eyes as piercing as before. And then he nodded. "I believe you," he said. "But there is another question


    I have, and you must know what it is. I am a trainee priest, Adira, a man of God, even though I


    abandoned my studies for the priesthood. And yet... and yet you have haunted my soul." He closed his


    eyes slowly. "I have to know the truth. Am I condemning myself to punishment in the afterlife, by letting


    you haunt my thoughts day and night? Am I, Adira? Are you, truly, a ..."


    The doors burst open then, and Alex Davies, of all people, marched inside, saw them together, and


    stopped dead.


    "Condemning yourself?" Adira whispered, and anger swelled in her chest until she thought she would


    burst with it. "How dare you?"


    She took a single step toward the door and stopped when she saw the way Alex was staring at Damien


    and Adira, his cheeks reddening with anger before he hid the emotion. Instead, he painted his face with


    a false smile.


    "I wondered where you had gone, Reverend." Then he nodded at her. "Mistress Thompson."


    Adira acknowledged him with a nce, then turned to Damien again. "Thank you for helping me find


    my shawl, Reverend Walter," Adira said, her tone dripping ice." Aunt Helen said I would lose my head


    were it not for my neck keeping it attached."


    "Then I am d your neck is intact," he said softly, and there was an apology in his eyes. One she


    refused to acknowledge. More softly, he whispered, "Very d."


    No. She would not feel this way for him. She would not. Adira muttered to herself. Yet her knees were


    weak as she strode out of the church. And her heart was, a quivering puddle.

 CHAPTER: 32

    CHAPTER: 32


    It was nearing afternoon when Adira drove their wagon over the worn path along the shore. Her Aunt


    babbled on about the sermon and the food and town gossip and things like that, but she paid little


    attention. She could think only of Damien, the way he had touched her. The look in his eyes. His


    promise that he would not betray her. Adira told herself she was angry with him for implying that her


    being a witch could somehow damn him in front of God. And yet, she longed for the time when she


    might see him again. Certainly, her habit of skipping Sunday services would now be a thing of the past.


    They were nearly home when Adira saw a woman in the middle of the road. Small and fair with golden


    hair, she was down on one knee, bending as if to tie the shoce. Adira drew the wagon to a halt


    before she spotted the pendant dangling from her neck, that she had intended her to see it. It was very


    much like the one Adira was wearing.


    As Adira caught her breath, she noticed the dagger thaty on the road beside the woman. And this


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    was not only like her own but was identical to it.


    The woman was a witch. An immortal High Witch just like Adira. She had known it was only a matter of


    time before another one came for her. She had known she should prepare herself for this day. But she


    was not prepared. Not at all.


    When the woman''s soft brown eyes met Adira''s, she shivered. Perhaps she would not escape this


    time. Perhaps this would be herst day, Adira thought. But she was not willing to die. Not now, when


    she had just found Damien again.


    Adira was even less willing to risk her aunt''s safety. So holding the strange woman''s gaze, she handed


    the reins to Aunt Helen. "Go on to the cabin," she told her. "I wille back soon."


    "But, Adira... my goodness, girl, what is the matter? Why have you gone so pale?" Aunt Helen asked.


    "Nothing. I am fine. I simply wish to speak with... an old associate," Adira replied.


    And the woman on the road straightened, gathering her dagger and slipping it into the sheath at her hip


    as she stepped away from the track to allow the wagon to pass. She had worn breeches and white


    stockings. Her shirt was white, withces up the front, and she wore no cap upon her short golden


    locks.


    "You know this person?" Aunt Helen asked in surprise.


    "I will tell you all about itter," Adira promised. "Please, Aunt Helen, go ahead. I will join youter."


    Her aunt rolled her eyes and shook her head to make sure Adira knew of her displeasure, but after she


    stepped down, her aunt did as Adira said, snapped the reins. Onyx drew her aunt away from her, away


    from this strange woman, home to safety.


    The witch took a step forward, and Adira took an equal step back. And then the woman smiled, but only


    very slightly.


    "You are right to be afraid, Adira Thompson. But not of me," the woman said.


    "No?" Adira lifted her skirts to pull the dagger from its ce at her thigh. "You will understand if I


    choose caution over the trust." Adira held the weapon in her hands, though they trembled.


    The woman looked at it, then at her. For a very long time, she stared at Adira, as if taking her measure.


    There was also something else in her eyes. "You don''t know me at all, do you Adira?"


    Narrowing her eyes on her, Adira said nothing, and it seemed for a moment a great sadness clouded


    the woman''s face. But she quickly dismissed whatever troubled her, chased it away to some dark


    corner, and lifted her chin once more. And then she drew her de from its sheath, and Adira went


    rigid with fear.


    But she simply tossed it. Itnded at Adira''s feet, its de embedded in the ck earth. Adira looked


    down at it, blinking in surprise. Was this a trick? she wondered.


    "I am not one of the Dark Witches, Adira," she said. "I have note for your heart."


    "Then what do you want of me?" Adira asked.


    She shrugged. "Would friendship be too much to ask?"


    But, Adira was hesitant.


    Shaking her head, the woman untied the string that held her breeches, and as Adira gasped, wide-


    eyed, she tugged them low over her right hip, revealing the crescent mark zed on her skin there.


    "Now will you believe, I mean you no harm?" she asked, tying back the breeches and looking not the


    least embarrassed.


    "That proves nothing. We all have the crescent mark," Adira said.


    "My Lord and Lady of the Moon, you are really as ignorant as a babe, aren''t you?"


    Adira said nothing, only waited for her to rify.


    "The Dark Ones bear the mark on their left nk, Adira. And the moon faces the opposite way. Did you


    not know even that much?"


    Finally, Adira lowered her dagger. "No," she said. "I am afraid I did not know."


    "Then I was right toe to you," she replied.


    Adira met her eyes, they were like the eyes of a doe, innocent, while somehow dangerous at the same


    time. "I do not understand?"


    She sighed deeply. "I shall start from the beginning, then. I am Allison Harley, and I am nearly two


    hundred years old." Adira gasped in surprise and even disbelief, but she only went on. "Several months


    ago I heard rumors of a lovely witch hanged in a vige In Ennd, who had been seen by some


    sailors alive and well only dayster. And I thought to myself, she must truly be young if she took so


    few precautions to disguise her identity. So I set about on the task of finding you, and here I am."


    Allison then picked up her dagger, wiped its de clean of dirt, and reced it in its sheath at her side.


    Adira shook her head slowly. "I still do not understand," she told her, no longer backing away in fear.


    "Why would you want to find me?"


    "The hanging... it was your first death, wasn''t it, Adira?"


    Adira nodded.


    "Then you have much to learn. You see, young one, if I heard the rumors, if I could so easily track you


    down, then you must believe others will do the same. I am here to help you, Adira. To teach you,"


    Allison said.


    Adira stood before her now, her hands at her sides. Allison offered her hand in friendship, she thought,


    and she took it.


    And Adira suddenly found herself twisted backward and held in Allison''s small but strong arms. She felt


    heat tear through her body at Allison''s first touch, as if lightning had struck her. And then Adira''s own


    dagger was wrenched from her hand and held to her heart, and Adira cried out, certain her life was


    about to end.

 CHAPTER: 33

    CHAPTER: 33


    And Adira suddenly found herself twisted backward and held in Allison''s small but strong arms. She felt


    heat tear through her body at Allison''s first touch, as if lightning had struck her. And then Adira''s own


    dagger was wrested from her hand and held to her heart, and Adira cried out, certain her life was about


    to end.


    Allison got her face close to Adira''s ear, and whispered, "First lesson, Adira. Trust no one."


    Adira shuddered at the familiarity of those words, the way they echoed what her mother had written to


    her. And then she released Adira and gently pressed her weapon back into her hand as her heart


    thundered against her ribs.


    "I would say, Adira, that it is a very good thing I was the first to find you," Allison said.


    "You weren''t," Adira told her. "Another one... a man, attacked me before I left Ennd."


    "And you defeated him?" Allison''s golden brown eyes were wide then with disbelief.


    Ashamed, Adira lowered her head. "I escaped him. Barely."


    "You survived," Allison told her. "There is no shame in living to fight another day, Adira. Come now, and


    take me to your home. I will be needing a ce to stay, and also a silly dress so I can pass as one of


    them."


    Allison expected her hospitality? After what she had just done?


    Smiling, Allison nced at her dagger. "You can put that away, Adira. It will do you little good, anyway,


    up until I have taught you to use it properly."


    "I believe I will hold on to it for a bit longer," Adira responded.


    And Allison''s smile grew wider as she nodded her approval. "Very good, Adira. You are a fast learner.


    You always were."


    "And how would you know that?" Adira asked, studying her closely.


    Allisonughed at herself, shrugging. "Oh don''t mind myments. I am a bit of a psychic, actually. I


    can read people. It is just something I picked up on. Besides, after what you have been through, having


    to flee for your life, start over, you would almost have to be a fast learner, wouldn''t you?" She then


    turned and began walking the road toward Adira''s home, ncing at the tracks the wagon wheels had


    left in the dirt.


    Adira had little choice but to follow her.


    **********


    Damien paced the length of the simple and not particrlyfortable cabin he had been given as


    shelter, turned, and paced again. The fire snapped and popped loudly, drawing his gaze, and he found


    himself going still, staring into the mes, remembering.


    The trapdoors dropping. The girl falling, the entire weight of her body crashing toward the ground and


    then stopping short at the end of that rope. The way she had jerked at the bottom. The way her head


    snapped. And the way it had fallen upon his shoulder when he cut her down, as if her neck were


    boneless, or made of liquid.


    Steel cor. There had been no steel cor, Damien recalled.


    The mes in the firece leaped and danced, and he thought of the fire he had seen dancing in


    Adira''s eyes. Hellfire? he wondered. Or something else?


    If he were truly a man of God, he would tell what he knew. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.


    No, if he spoke out, she would be arrested. Harmed, killed, perhaps. He could not believe that to be


    God''s will, no matter what she was.


    Had she done something to him? Put some spell on him? Willed him to feel these things for her? Was


    such a thing even possible? Damien wondered.


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    Heavy steps sounded outside, and he opened the door before old Alex Davies could announce his


    presence. The man''s face seemed grim. He said, "We have to talk. There is... something you need to


    be made aware of."


    "Come in," Damien said. And he wondered why he was irritated at the interruption. He ought to be d


    to be distracted from thinking about her. Seeing her again--God, he was bordering on obsession now


    that he had seen her. It was with absolute self-control that he could keep himself from going to her.


    Right now, tonight.


    "I had not intended to trouble you with this, Reverend Walter, but upon seeing you in the church with


    Mistress Thompson this morning, I felt it necessary," Alex Davies said.


    "This concerns Mistress Thompson, then?" Damien asked.


    Alex Davies nodded and, sping his hands behind him, began pacing much as Damien had been


    doing only moments ago. "Reverend... I fear the woman is trouble," he said. "You recall the


    conversation we had before you came to the Sanctuary, do you not?"


    Damien nodded and instantly knew what Alex Davies would say next.


    "The enchantress I spoke of is none other than Mistress Thompson herself," Alex Davies said.


    A cold hand seemed to clutch Damien''s heart when Alex Davies'' words confirmed what he had already


    guessed. He lowered his head, hoping to hide the re of rm that widened his eyes.


    "I fear, my friend, she may be more than just a temptress. Much more."


    "Say what you mean, Alex. I dislike guessing games," Damien said to him.


    Alex Davies shrugged. "Surely it is obvious. The woman could be a practitioner of the ck arts... a


    witch."


    The hairs on the back of Damien''s neck bristled, and he found himself instinctively defending her, not


    even giving his words a thought before speaking them. "Don''t be ridiculous, Alex. Why would you think


    such a thing?"


    Alex turned slowly, his eyes narrow. "She is unnaturally beautiful, is she not?"


    Holding that gaze, Damien nodded. "Incredibly beautiful," he said. "But why do you say it is unnatural?"


    "Because of the way she parades her beauty before the men of this congregation. I bet not a single


    person must have escaped her tricks. All of them lusting after her, I am telling you, no matter how God-


    fearing they might be. And that is her n, Damien. To lure us all into sin, and damn us before she


    moves on to the next God-loving gathering," Alex Davies said.


    A/N: To be continued...

 CHAPTER: 34

    CHAPTER: 34


    "And that is her n, Damien. To lure us all into sin, and damn us before she moves on to the next


    God-loving gathering," Alex Davies said.


    Damien felt his lips pull into an expression of distaste. The man was a real fool. "Yeah, no doubt the


    ruination of mankind is all that the girl is living for," he said sarcastically. Though Damien had meant


    that as sarcasm, Alex Davies only nodded in enthusiastic agreement, which made Damien sigh and he


    tried another approach with the crazy vige elder. "You said before that, even you have felt this witchly


    allure she emits," Damien said.


    Lowering his head, Alex Davies said, "Yes. Though it shames me to admit it."


    "And you do not believe it could simply be the natural feeling of attraction any man might feel when he


    sees a woman of such extraordinary beauty?" Damien asked him.


    "Never," Alex Davies denied tly. "It is witchery, I tell you. I am above the desires of the flesh. Or was,


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    till she worked her devilish tricks on me."


    Nodding, Damien said, "I am d you havee to me with this, Alex." And he was actually, d,


    because of the ridiculous things that Alex believed about Adira. Even Damien himself had been so


    foolish only moments ago. He was drawn to the woman and had been since he had first set his eyes on


    her. And it was no more due to witchery than was the sunrise or the changing phases of the moon. He


    desired her. And maybe more than that.


    Damien had never lied in his lifetime, he had always made an effort at utter honesty. But for Adira, he


    would be willing to do far more. He could die for her, should the need arise.


    "I have seen many witches during my time in Ennd. And I can tell you beyond any doubt, Adira


    Thompson is not the one," Damien told the vige elder.


    Alex Davies'' face fell, eyes widening. "How can you be so sure?" he asked.


    Damien tilted his head, "Have you never seen a witch?"


    "No," Alex admitted. "But I was sure I had the day she arrived."


    Searching for a usible lie, thentching on to the first one he thought of, Damien said, "The eyes of


    a witch are two different colors. The left is green and the right is blue."


    "Is it true?" Alex Davies asked.


    "Yeah, Alex. It is true. And the forefinger of a witch''s hand is longer than the middle one," Damien said.


    Alex''s eyes narrowed, and Damien was sure he had pushed it too far.


    "But a skilled witch," Alex spected, "could likely disguise those things. Don''t see you, Damien?


    Something is not right with the woman! Her crops, her wealth. It is not by natural means she seeds


    at everything that she sets her pretty hands to. All without a man to aid her!"


    "Could it be that she is simply wise and strong, and perhaps a hard worker?" Damien put forth.


    "I want you to go out there, Damien. One of their acquaintance ims they have taken in another


    strange young woman, and I tell you, she is likely another of their group," Alex Davies said.


    "Their group? Really, Alex, I believe your imagination..." Damien said.


    "Go out there tonight, Damien. They liked you, both the Aunt and the niece. Pretend that you are


    making a social call. And see what sorts of things they keep in that cabin. See how they behave when


    they are alone and not in the public eye."


    "You want me to spy on them?" Damien asked, already thinking about the firmest refusal he could


    invent.


    "Yes. And if you won''t, Damien, I will do it myself. However, I am reluctant to get that close to her. I fear


    she would bewitch me even further. You are a man of God, Damien, surely you would be far safer than


    me?" Alex Davies said.


    Closing his eyes slowly, Damien recalled the distaste he had seen in Adira''s eyes when Alex Davies


    had touched her. She would surely not like him snooping around. And suppose Alex should find


    something?


    Damien had not admitted it, even to himself, but he knew there must be something to find. Some truth


    to Alex''s suspicions. Adira was magic. Everything about her was mystical and powerful. She had cured


    him of whatever illness he had been suffering aboard ''The Golden Witch.'' He did not doubt these


    things.


    But she was not evil. No matter what else she was, she was not that, Damien knew.


    "All right, Alex," he said softly. "I shall go. But meanwhile, will you do one thing for me?"


    "Of course, Reverend," Alex said.


    "Tell no one else of your suspicions. Should you be wrong about Mistress Adira Thompson, you could


    easily destroy her good name with such gossip. And you would not wish to do that should she be


    innocent, would you, now?" Damien asked him.


    Alex Davies snorted and had annoyance on his face as if he was trying to say that he did not believe


    she was innocent.


    "Please," Damien urged. "It will only send the town into panic."


    Alex''s face softened then. "All right, I shall keep my suspicions to myself. For now. Except for..." He


    narrowed his eyes on Damien. "Never mind."


    "Except for what?" Damien asked, and he felt a chilly premonition in his heart. "Have you already


    spoken about these suspicions, Alex?"


    Alex averted his eyes. "It is of no concern to you," he said. "You will report back to me upon your


    return?"


    Shaking his fears away, Damien faced the man. "Yeah, I will report to you, but only tomorrow, Alex. It is


    a long walk, and I will no doubt prefer sleep to the conversation when I return."


    "Tomorrow then," Alex said, and touching the brim of his hat, he backed out of the door.

 CHAPTER: 35

    CHAPTER: 35


    Damien was not going to Adira so he could spy on her, as Alex Davies wanted him to do. He was going


    to warn her. Damien was certain she could have no clue what Alex suspected of her, or she would have


    fled this ce by now.


    For just a moment, as he followed the coastal road that led along the edge of the penins,


    overlooking the sea, he paused to wonder at the irony of what he was doing. Adira Thompson was


    convicted of witchery and sentenced to death. He had seen her die with his own eyes, only to find her


    alive and well, and again suspected of witchcraft. And yet, he, a man of God was about to warn her.


    The worst part was that it wasn''t that he disbelieved the usations against her. Not that at all. It was


    that he simply did not care. He did not care. He remembered all too well the way he had seen her


    standing in the moonlight, and had felt the power surging from her hands into his body that night


    aboard the ship. It could have been a dream, but he did not think so. And still, he did not care.


    He wanted to see her again. To get to know everything about her. To understand her mind and the


    mysteries of her soul. To know what she was thinking. And to see to it she remained safe from harm.


    Nothing else mattered. And as little sense, as it made, he did not question it. It simply was.


    Damien knew what he would report to Alex Davies, no matter what he found at Adira''s cabin tonight. In


    the morning he intended to assure Alex all was as it should be, thus ending the vige elder''s doubts.


    But perhaps, not ending his lust.


    Damien''s flesh heated and he tugged at the tight cor that suddenly irritated his throat. He had worn a


    pair of breeches and a white shirt, then. For some reason, he disliked the thought of going to Adira in


    the robes of a priest. He sensed the clothing threatened her, and that was not what he wished to do.


    He did not like thinking about the way Alex looked at Adira. He did not like Alex''s insistence that all the


    men of Sanctuary must be looking at her the same way as him. And he did not like that he also was


    just as drawn to her as the rest. Because he wanted to believe that with him it was different.


    Atst her cabin came into view, and he saw the soft glow of candles in one of the windows. It was a


    simple home, grey log cabin, set high on the cliffs and overlooking the Thunder Bay. Pretty white


    curtains, perhaps made by Adira''s own hands, hung in the few windows of imported ss. And the


    door was made of a single thick board sawed from what must have been a mighty oak tree once. The


    area around the house was lush with gardens. Herbs grew in patches along with vegetables and


    flowering nts. All were bathed tonight in the light of the moon so that the ce looked wild, untamed,


    and mysterious. The waves crashing against the rocky shore far below were like a chorus, a magical


    chorus. This ce made him think of the enchanted pce where the sleeping princess of a fairy tale


    awaited her rescue.


    Damien moved closer, lifted his hand to tap on the door, only to pause when the sound of singing


    reached his ears. Adira''s voice, rich and beautiful, drifted over him like warm honey. He had heard that


    voice in his dreams often thest three years. Heard it denouncing the crowd of bloodthirsty fanatics.


    But he had never heard it sweetly singing the words of love.


    I have been waiting for so long, to taste your sweet lips, my love. Holding you would be utter bliss, my


    love. Come to me my love, for I have been waiting so long. Come to me my love, let us embark on a


    journey of Eternal Love.


    "Adira," he whispered. His heartbeat quickened, and his stomach muscles clenched as if in response to


    her words. He tried to steady himself, but he was shaken to the core. And even as he tried controlling


    himself not to, he leaned closer to peer through the window beside the door, where the white curtain


    stood slightly parted.


    Adira Thompsony in arge metal tub, water and bubbles surrounding her. Her arms moved, long


    and graceful. Water trickled over her neck and shoulders. Bare skin glistened in the candlelight as she


    tipped her head back, eyes closed as if in some secret ecstasy. And Damien wondered if she was


    thinking of him as she continued to sing.


    I have waited for you thesest few years, I have yearned for you in secret. I know my love, our love is


    forbidden, but I have burned for you. Come to me, my sweet Damien, and tell me even you do.


    She ran her fingertips slowly along the underside of her chin, tracing a path down over her neck, her


    chest, and lower, to where he could no longer see.


    And then, quite suddenly, she stopped. Slowly she lowered her head and gazed at the window where


    he was gazing through, and Damien caught his breath. Her eyes met his, though he was certain she


    could not see him out there in the darkness. Still, they met his and held them. He could not look away.


    It seemed to Damien as if every cell in his body came to glowing life at that moment, stimted by her


    gaze and aroused to action. He tingled with awareness. As if he were the one caught naked and she


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    the one shamelessly looking on.


    And as he remained there, fixed, he heard a female voice call Adira''s name from another room. Adira''s


    head turned toward its summons. She briefly nced toward the window again, and perhaps had a


    slight smile on her lips. And then she rose from the water like a goddess, and Damien felt himself burn.


    A/N: To be continued...

 CHAPTER: 36

    CHAPTER: 36


    And as he remained there, fixed, he heard a female voice call Adira''s name from another room. Adira''s


    head turned toward its summons. She briefly nced toward the window again, and perhaps had a


    slight smile on her lips. And then she rose from the water like a goddess, and Damien felt himself burn.


    Rivulets streamed down her body. She gleamed in the golden light of the candles. She gleamed and


    shone as she delicately stepped from the tub onto the folded rug beside it. She showed no shyness as


    she dried herself with a small cloth. Nor should she feel shy, for she was truly magnificent to behold.


    Sensuality surrounded her like a halo, her every movement graceful. And he was aroused, tempted as


    he had never been before. His loins were on fire as he watched her. She was, at that moment, the very


    temptress he had been warned against.


    But unwittingly she was innocent. She couldn''t know he was watching. And in fact, it was he who was


    to me for the fire burning in his soul right then. For he had no business peering through the woman''s


    window. And yet it was as if he had been drawn there by some power beyond his will. And then held


    there by the force of her gaze.


    She moved like a seductress, every inch of her body exposed to him as she turned and reached for a


    robe. And then she pulled it on, covering her feminine curves and her full, ripe breasts. And finally, she


    moved out of the room, toward the sound of her aunt, calling her name once again.


    "Is she as beautiful as you thought she would be?"


    Damien went rigid as the feminine voice came from behind him, and he whirled to face a small, fair


    woman he had never seen before. "I... that is, I was only..."


    "You are the preacher, aren''t you?" she asked.


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    "Yeah. Damien Walter, mistress." He fought to regain his control.


    "Well, Damien Walter, if I thought she would mind your snooping, I would kill you right here. Lucky for


    you I happen to know she would not mind. Not at all."


    He felt his face heating and lowered his head. "I was not snooping as you put it, mistress. My attention


    was drawn to her singing, and..."


    "Like a songbird," the women interrupted. Then she turned toward the door and pulled it open. "Well,


    Damien ufortable at being caught looking at Adira, and yet sensing somehow the small woman


    beside him held no judgment over him, stepped inside.


    "Adira," the woman called. "You have a guest."


    "Oh?" She stepped from the small bedroom, then went still as she met Damien''s eyes. "Oh," she


    whispered.


    Was she embarrassed? Did she realize he might have heard the words of her song? His name floating


    from her lips with such longing? At that moment he battled the urge to sweep her into his arms, even


    though knowing how inappropriate that would be. They barely knew each other. And yet it felt very


    much as if they did.


    "I see you have met Allison," Adira said as if searching for something to say.


    "She did not tell me her name," Damien replied.


    "I got the distinct impression you could not care less about my name, Reverend," Allison said. "Adira,


    take the man out for a moonlight walk. Show him the gardens, introduce him to Onyx, for heaven''s


    sake."


    "I... all right. If you want to, Damien."


    He nodded. "Yeah, I would like very much to walk with you, Adira. We have much to talk about."


    Nodding, she took a dark cloak lined with fur from a peg on the wall, and Damien immediately stepped


    forward, taking it from her hands. Moving behind her, he gently draped it over her shoulders. His fingers


    brushed the flesh of her neck before moving away. God, how he wanted to touch her.


    "Th-thank you," Adira whispered.


    His hands settled there on her shoulders for a moment. He did not want to take them away. But he had


    to, or she would surely know the direction his thoughts were taking.


    He opened the door and let her lead him outside. Her hair was still wet, and as he walked close behind


    her he could smell the scent of honeysuckle clinging to her skin.


    She did not show him the gardens or introduce him to anyone named ''Onyx.'' Instead, she led him out


    to the very edge of the cliffs. The wind gusted there, lifting her wet hair from her shoulders and


    snapping it like a whip. She faced the sea, staring out over the churning water, ncing down at the


    sheer drop to the rocks below.


    "This is my favorite ce," she said. "I love the sea."


    It struck Damien that he was also thinking the same thing, as he had been walking out here. That he


    loved the sea.


    "There is a small ind out there, not far from the shore. It sits all alone. No one ever seems to go


    near. I have felt like that... alone. Isted from the rest of thend and surrounded by an element very


    different from me," Adira said.


    "I have often felt that way myself," he told her. "As if I do not quite fit in with the rest of mankind. I do not


    know the way their minds work. I cannot make sense of them."


    She nodded and was still for a moment. "Why did youe?" She asked the question of him, but she


    did not face him.


    He stood beside her, staring out over the water just as she did. "I do not know," he told her. "I was


    She nodded.


    "I have not been able to forget you after that cold dawn in the square. But I have told you that," he said.


    "Yes." She turned to face him. "I believe a bond was formed between us on the gallows, Damien. Easy


    enough to understand, really. You were the only man there who seemed to care."


    "I did care," he said. And he sped her shoulders now, stepping closer to her, staring down into her


    eyes.


    A/N: To be continued...

 CHAPTER: 37

    CHAPTER: 37


    "I have not been able to forget you after that cold dawn in the square. But I have told you that," Damien


    said.


    "Yes." She turned to face him. "I believe a bond was formed between us on the gallows, Damien. Easy


    enough to understand, really. You were the only man there who seemed to care."


    "I did care," Damien said. And he sped her shoulders now, stepping closer to her, staring down into


    her eyes. "One look into your eyes, and I cared more than I had cared for anything in my life. Adira, I


    tried," he whispered. "I swear to you, I tried to stop them."


    Her hand came up suddenly, palm ttening to his cheek, and cupping it lovingly. "I know you tried,


    Damien. There is no reason for you to feel guilty for what they did. I knew you had no hand in any of


    that. You risked your own life to prevent it, in fact. You do not need to convince me. I was there," Adira


    told him.


    He nodded. And overwhelmed by feeling, by desire, he turned his face against her palm, let his lips


    touch it, kiss its tender center before rubbing his cheek against her palm once more. "Adira... there is


    something here. Some powerful emotion between you and me. You must feel it."


    She lowered her hand, and then her head. "I feel... a desire for you, Damien." Then she closed her


    eyes. "But it is a desire that you believe will damn your soul."


    He was shocked at her bluntness. He had never met a woman who spoke so inly. But he cleared his


    throat. "I did not believe that at all. I spoke without thinking. Adira, I burn for you, that is true. But I feel


    for you too. And what I feel is the purest and most holy sort of caring that I can imagine. It cannot be


    evil. It cannot be damning. And if it is so, it would not matter to me, dear."


    Slowly she lifted her head, met his eyes again. "And what do you propose we do about this feeling?"


    Her eyes fairly zed. Damien drew a breath, battled temptation. "We resist it, Adira. But only until we


    can be married."


    "Married?" she asked.


    The fire in her eyes seemed to cool, and she lowered her chin. He caught it in his hand and lifted it


    again until she faced him. "The Scriptures say that a man should marry than to burn with lust," he said.


    "What your scriptures say means very little to me, Damien." She sniffed and met his eyes. "My faith has


    only one rule."


    "Only one?" He searched her face. And what is the rule you live by, Adira?"


    "If it harms none, do what thou will." She shrugged. "It is the only rule I have ever needed, the only one


    that makes sense to me."


    "It is a good rule. But it does not say, thou shall not marry," Damien said.


    "Marriage between us... is something that can never be," Adira replied.


    "But---" Damien stopped mid-sentence.


    "It will harm none, Damien. To marry you... would harm you, you must see that. It would ruin you. I


    have been convicted of witchcraft and have been sentenced to death. And even here in this ce, the


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    suspicion about me have begun to stir afresh. No, I can be no preacher''s wife."


    "Were you my bride, Adira, they would no longer suspect you," Damien said.


    "Perhaps not," she said softly. "But would you?" She faced him, searching his eyes.


    Damien shook his head. "I will believe whatever you tell me, Adira. If you say you are innocent, I will


    not doubt it, I swear."


    "And what if I cannot im innocence, Damien? What if I am what they say I am?" she asked him.


    He gripped her shoulders, staring down into her eyes. "Are you?"


    She lowered her eyes. "That is the problem. I cannot tell you what I am. I have seen what trusting


    others can do, Damien. I have seen it in my mother''s eyes just before they murdered her."


    "You can trust me, dear," he said softly.


    "But I cannot. And you will not want a wife who kept such dark secrets from you, Damien."


    "You are wrong," he said. "Adira, I do not care what you are."


    "How can you say that?" she asked.


    "Because dear, it is the truth."


    She shook her head slowly. "Perhaps it is at the moment. But you will care, Damien. The time wille


    when you will demand I tell all, and that is something I can never do." She cupped his face in her


    hands. "We cannot be together as husband and wife."


    "And I cannot live without you, Adira," he whispered.


    "Then be with me, Damien," she urged. "Come to me in the cover of midnight, and secret. For that is


    the only way love like ours can be. A love for the moment, fleeting and precious. A love that is


    forbidden, and consigned to darkness."


    "It will be more," he whispered. "I vow, Adira, I will make it more." And then he pulled her into his arms


    and kissed her as he had been dreaming of kissing her. And it did not matter that she was keeping


    secrets, or that she had not denied the charges levied against her. All that mattered was this, holding


    her, alive and warm and real, in his arms, against his body.


    And perhaps loving her this way was a sin. If it was, then he would dly be damned, because he


    could not resist... nor did he want to.

 CHAPTER: 38

    CHAPTER: 38


    Damien kissed Adira as she had never been kissed by another. He kissed her as she had been kissed


    only once by him, aboard ''The Golden Witch,'' when both the fever and ale had mingled in his blood.


    She had thought, in secret, that he would not have touched her had he been sober and well.


    But he was sober now. And healthy. And strong. He swept her away there on the cliffs. His hands in her


    hair, touching it in wonder as if he had never felt anything so strong. His lips brushing her neck and


    caressing her ear as he whispered sweet words of love in his soft, Scottish lilt.


    Adira had told him she desired him. She dared not feel anything more. And yet she was not certain she


    could resist. He was like the sea, hurling its waves against the rocky shore below them, steadily


    eroding the solid rock away. Bit by bit. He wooed her gently and softly as water. And her heart that she


    thought was of stone began softening beneath his touch.


    "I have dreamed of this," Adira whispered. "Of you."


    "And I too, dear, night after endless night," he whispered.


    His hands deftly untied her cloak, and it fell to the ground. Then his hands touched the robe she wore,


    trembling as if he knew there was nothing underneath. And perhaps he did know, for she had sensed


    him watching at the window, glimpsed movement there as she bathed. One moment certain he had


    Slowly, hesitantly, Damien parted her robe, pushing it wide so it flew behind her like a cape. His gaze


    burned on her body, sliding up and down her as if he was glimpsing Divinity itself.


    "You are almost too beautiful to touch, Adira," he whispered. Then he met her eyes. "And far too


    beautiful not to."


    His hands, tender and careful, came to her. Slid slowly down the column of her neck, and to the front.


    She held her breath. Atst, he touched her breasts, his palms brushing over them, pausing there as


    he closed his eyes.


    "It is heaven I touch," he murmured.


    "No, Damien, it''s the earth itself." She pressed herself closer. "And I will not break at your caresses."


    And then he pulled her to him for kisses, and his hands slipped around to the small of her back, and


    then much lower, stroking her naked butts, and her thighs. She shoved her hands between their bodies


    to tug at theces of his shirt and breeches. He hade to her tonight without the protection of his


    Priestly robes. He hade to her as a man.


    And she knew it even more so when she had undressed him fully and looked upon him. His chest


    seemed to have broadened, and his shoulders seemed capable of bearing any weight. His abdomen


    was tight and hard, hips lean. He was aroused. Fully so, and the sight of him made her heart tremble.


    She touched him. Closed her hand around him, and understood, she thought, the incredible magical


    power of the mating of man and woman. She had heard of it. But never had it made sense to her. She


    saw it now, though. How he would fill her,plete her. She theny down on her cloak and opened


    herself to him. "Come, Damien. I can wait no longer."


    For an endless moment, he stared at her lying there wantonly. The sea wind blowing harsher.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Adira then lifted one hand to him, and he knelt. "I have never..." he began.


    "Nor I," she whispered.


    "We have been waiting for each other, I think." He looked into her eyes, expecting her agreement, but


    she said nothing. "Don''t tell me you do not believe it, Adira, for I know you do. I know you as I know


    myself... somehow. We were meant to be, you and I."


    "Perhaps," she whispered, but she could tell him no more. To let herself believe in his romantic


    sentiments would only lead to heartbreak.


    He kissed her again, so slowly, so deeply. "I will never harm you for the world, Adira."


    "I know. You won''t," she replied.


    He nodded, bent to nibble her ear, taste her neck. "My best friend says, it is easier if the woman...


    made ready."


    She smiled, eager only to be on with it. She wanted him so much she could barely lie still. "How will


    you make me ready, Damien?"


    And then he kissed her, and touched her, exploring her, giving her immense pleasure. Slowly he


    rubbed, exploring, watching her face so intently she thought he was trying to read her thoughts. When


    he pressed inside her, she cried out in delight and arched her hips off the ground. Oh! how she wanted


    him. Tears filled her eyes at the intensity of what he did to her, and she moved against him, pressing


    closer, losing herself to utter physical sensation as he probed and licked and tasted every part of her.


    Her hands clenched in his hair as the tension in her tightened unbearably. Finally, he moved up,


    suckling at her breast. And then he settled atop her. She then felt him pressing inside her, it was as if


    lightning struck. She arched against him, and then there was a brief stab of pain, but she was so


    enraptured in pleasure that it felt good to her. And then they both took care of each other''s needs. He


    drove her nearer and nearer to something she had never known. And finally, the stars seemed to


    explode around her and she screamed his name, even as he pushed deeper than before.


    He then held her, slowly rxing in her arms, kissing her hair, her face, and asked her if she were all


    right, and whether he had hurt her.


    "I am more than all right," she said running her hands over the wonderful expanse of his back, his


    shoulders. "I never knew, Damien. I never understood..."


    "Understand this, dear Adira." Framing her face with his hands, staring down at her he whispered, "I


    love you. I love you from the very depths of my soul. I would die for you, Adira Thompson, and never


    regret it for a moment."


    A/N: To be continued...


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!