In Rapture (Destined) (27 page)

Malinda
decided it was time to visit Lena, for anytime that her spirits were low,
traveling to Lena seemed to be the perfect cure. She did her best to fill her
days with things that helped to keep her positive and happy, for she knew how
tiring and emotional pregnancy could be. Lysandra had warned her of this and
told her that keeping calm and peaceful was the best thing she could do when
she was with child. So when Malinda was not spending time with Sophia she spent
her time in the gardens, in the orchards, anywhere that the Earth’s energy
beckoned her.

Malinda
let her spirit soar up into the heavens, keeping her spirit tethered to her
physical body while it journeyed across time and space. When she opened her
eyes she was sitting on the sweet grass and flower covered fields of Lena. The
sun was shining down on her face and lights of energy danced around her. She
saw the castle and the rainbows that painted the hillside behind it and smiled.
She was surprised to see for the first time she was not alone, as a voice
interrupted the stillness.

“Malinda!”

Malinda
turned her head and looked to the trees behind her. There stood three women,
one of which Malinda knew well. “Lysandra!”

“We
wondered if you would be joining us today. This is Brenda and April.” A gentle
smile lit up her face. Brenda was a petite redhead with bright blue eyes. April
was a tall blonde with brown eyes who looked as if they had seen more in one
lifetime than most people.

“It’s
so nice to finally meet you.” Malinda rose and walked over to the women
standing in the trees.

“You,
as well. We are so thankful that you have shown us back to Lena.” April smiled
softly at Malinda. “Your pregnancy seems to be going well.”

“As
well as can be expected, I suppose. I’ve been following Lysandra’s advice. I
think he will be a strong one.” Malinda put her hand on the small bump beneath
her dress.

“Aye,
he will.” A merry twinkle sparkled in April’s eyes.

“Lysandra
tells me you’ve been having issues with a spirit?” Brenda stepped closer to
Malinda.

“Yes,
that I am. I’ve spent many a day researching my problem in the Library of Ages.
Have you been to the library yet?” All eyes turned to her with blank stares.
Malinda smiled as she realized that this might be their first visit to Lena.
She would have to give them a better tour of Lena, so that they could make the most
of their visits in the future.

“Come
with me. I’ll show you around.” Malinda showed them the Crystal Palisade, the
castle that comforted her in her darkest hours. Then she led them to the
Library of Ages with the endless wall of books that catalogued the mysteries of
the world. She brought them to the Gilded Gardens that grew a massive variety
of plants surrounded with golden statues of animals that could be found all
over the universe. When she brought them to the Great Hall the Seven Sisters
welcomed them into their arms, bright smiles of joy on their faces. As always,
Malinda felt humbled by their presence and she sensed the gratitude they sent
to her for bringing these women of Lena home. All in all, it was a wonderful
day, filled with friendships old and new, that made Malinda feel less alone in
the world. While she may not have been able to leave Wickford to make friends
at least she could meet them here in Lena, without ever leaving the walls of
Wickford.

When
Malinda came back to her body the late afternoon sun shone down on her. Time
seemed to slow whenever she visited Lena and, while she had been there for what
had seemed to be the better part of a day, she could not have been gone longer
than an hour. The magic of Lena worked in mysterious ways. She put a hand on
her belly as a kick jolted her from her reverie. Up until this point she had
only felt a swimming sensation, as the child moved comfortably inside her. This
was the first time he had kicked her fiercely through her skin. It felt like a
tiny drum beat, as he continued to pummel her belly and moved in so many
different places that she had trouble keeping up. She could not stop the laugh
that left her. Perhaps the child had known that Malinda needed a distraction.
She decided an afternoon nap might be just the thing to raise her spirits. She
went up to her room, climbed on her bed, and fell into a restful sleep.

Chapter 33

Malinda
decided it was time to teach Sophia how to swim at the small lake behind the
last stretch of trees of the orchard. The lake was half the distance that it
took to travel to where the people of Wickford resided, so Malinda felt safe
within the distance. Any of the Lair would have to be out of their minds to
attack them this far onto Wickford lands and it had been almost two months
since the last attack. So here they sat on the muddy banks of the tiny lake,
Malinda, Desiree, and Sophia, surrounded by the bright sunlight, a warm early
summer breeze, and the sounds of a large dog nipping at the butterflies that
flitted through the air. Malinda had made sure that each of them had a drying
cloth and an extra shift to change into when they had finished their swim.

Malinda
peeled off her dress to the shift that lay underneath, dangled her toes in the
cool water and started to descend into its depths. She waited for the other two
to join her. The first lesson for Sophia was to be able to stand in the water,
keeping her balance while the waves rolled in around her. Once Sophia had
mastered that Malinda and Desiree helped her onto her stomach and showed her
how to kick her feet in the water. Sophia’s giggles erupted around them and it
brought joy to Malinda’s heart to hear the child’s merriment. After a while
Malinda taught her how to hold her breath to dunk her head below the water and
how to blow bubbles of air on the surface of the lake. Malinda fondly
remembered her grandfather teaching her these very things when Malinda had been
about the same age as Sophia.

When
Mule stopped chasing the butterflies, turned to the trees, and barked into the
orchard Malinda’s hair rose on her neck. The sticks and old brush that lined
the floor of the orchard crunched under footsteps. Surely, if they were going
to be ambushed their attacker would be more careful with their movements. When
a blond head came forward from the line of trees Malinda’s heart was in her
throat. She did not trust her voice to greet him, for her emotions suddenly
overtook her. She stood in the water, and the world seemed to turn in slow
motion as Grant walked closer to the edge of the lake.

“Desiree,
please take Sophia back to the house.”

Desiree’s
face contained a knowing smile as she turned to retrieve Sophia from Malinda’s
arms. “Come on, Sophia. Let’s get you back to the house. It’s time for your
nap.” She helped Sophia dry off before helping her change into the dry shift
and her dress. Mule loped after them, his tail wagging in the air.

Grant’s
eyes never left Malinda’s face as she stood in the water before him. He
acknowledged their departure with a nod and walked closer to the edge of the
lake. His faced turned colder as he looked her over. “What are you doing out
here?”

“We
were swimming.” Malinda’s heart sank in her chest. It was not like she expected
any kind of admission of love from him, but the way he looked at her right now
shattered any confidence.

“The
Lair has been spotted close to Wickford, Malinda. You could have put Sophia in
danger.”

Tears
threatened to drown her eyes. “Is that what you think of me after all this
time, Grant? That I would put Sophia in danger? And how in the world were any
of us supposed to know that the Lair was close? You’ve not sent any notice at
all since you’ve been away!” She stood up and started to emerge from the water.
She made it to the bank next to him and reached for the drying cloth she had
brought with her. She started to wrap the large cloth around her, but it was
yanked out of her hands.

“I’m
sorry, Malinda. I did not mean to imply that.”

“But
you did, Grant. But that is not the worst thing you’ve ever done. You could
have been dead, for all I knew.” She grabbed for the cloth, but he would not
let go of it. She wanted to cover every last inch of her from his probing eyes,
and while she was still covered in her shift she might as well have been naked
before him with the way the fabric molded against her flesh.

“I
know, Malinda. I’m sorry. I missed you too.” He held her to him, her wet shift
making a dark wet spot on his brown tunic. Neither one of them seemed to notice
as he brought his mouth down to hers. His hands roamed down her face, with a
touch so tender that it almost made Malinda swoon on the spot. His kiss was
tentative at first, but as the seconds became minutes, the heat that had once
flowed so easily between them had ignited like second nature.

Much
to her disappointment Grant released her and stepped away. He placed the large
drying cloth on the ground like a blanket and then raised a hand out to welcome
her. She stepped closer to him, suddenly feeling shy for the first time in
months. She knew he had seen every inch of her, but it had been quite some time
and her body had gone through many changes since then. As if sensing her
thoughts Grant moved closer to her and started to peel her wet chemise away
from her body. He stood back and took in every inch of her, his eyes boring
holes into her soul.

He
held her closer to him, the top of her head coming just below his chin. He
breathed in, and the scent of honeysuckle lingered in the air around him. “Beautiful.”
His hands wrapped around her dark curls and used the comb he had picked up to
work through the tangles that had started to form. “Sit.”

Malinda
faced away from Grant as she sat on the dry cloth, her hands clasped over her
chest, her nudity making her slightly uncomfortable with so much space between
them. She leaned her head back as he ran the comb through her hair between
gentle fingers that massaged the tension from her scalp. When he stopped she
turned her head back to look at him. She could not identify the emotion that
flashed across his face, but as soon as he noticed that she was watching, it
disappeared. He moved in front of her and sat down before her.

Grant
laid her back on the ground and began to trail kisses down her throat. Malinda
moaned against him and felt the fluids rushing through her so quickly. It had
been too long since the last time they had made love and her body was more than
eager. Every touch, kiss, every aching part of him that touched her was driving
her to a place she had not visited in quite some time. It was the place where
ecstasy swirled around like a cyclone, where a wild storm burned with the
promise of sweet, tingling rapture. She tried not to let her worries follow her
there, but when his hands roamed over the small expanse of her stomach she
wanted to turn away from him. Malinda felt so large and out of place already,
she worried he might find her unattractive. When his eyes met hers, she saw
that his desire was no less than it had been moments before. In fact, the fire
that lit his golden eyes seemed intensified.

“Lovely.”
His whisper ran across the space between them, echoing like the sands of time
through the Great Divide. It sent a thrill of electricity down her spine that
ran to the very tip of her toes.

When
Malinda tried to grab onto any sustainable part of him he pushed her hands
aside. “We’re just getting started.”

Grant
spent an eternity stroking the flames that rose and fell so easily within her.
His hands worked magic between her legs, and she trapped his fingers in place
as the force of her first orgasm hit her. She wanted to let the wave of her completion
wrap around her like a gentle cocoon, but Grant refused to let her have a
reprieve. One of his fingers dipped inside her, finding a spot within her that
made her want to scream his name over the treetops as he worked his fingers
deeper inside her. He continued to move his fingers while he kept one outside
of her and tweaked her erogenous zone so deliciously. Soon his hands set a
rhythm that mimicked the rise and fall of their hips as they crashed into each
other. Her body rode his fingers and she ached to push them deeper inside her,
for while they were magical in their motion they could not match the length of
his shaft when he buried it deep within her. She reached out to undo his pants,
but he pushed her hands away. She bit her lip and gave into another wave of
pleasure that robbed the very breath from her lungs.

When
she tried to close her legs once more, to revel in the moment, he pushed her
legs open. She thought for a moment that he might find a way to put her out of
her misery, but there was no relief, for he did not let himself crash into her,
did not let her eyes feast upon the every inch of his beauty. Instead, he
brought his face down to the swollen area between her legs and his tongue
stroked her slowly, a pace so unlike the hurried one he had just set with his
hands. She arched her back as the slow languid feelings she had craved moments
before coursed through her like the gentle hum of a summer storm. Soon, she was
convulsing against his face and his mouth drank in her body’s nectar with a low
growl leaving his mouth. She felt his hot tongue slip inside her and it
scorched every inch it touched. She could not believe the beauty and wonder of
the moment, with an act that many would call so unnatural, yet the closeness
she felt to him in that moment could not be tarnished by what others dictated.
She came apart like a flower blossoming in the morning sun. Even though he had
been generous and allowed her such completion she still wanted more.