The Emerald Key (18 page)

“And me with no family. Nor does Greg. All orphans or alone? I wonder if that’s some kind of requirement. Do you all have amulets and powers?”

“Yes and no. We all have necklaces, but I’m the only one with powers, I think. Remember what Aunt Minerva said? Even she doesn’t know. We never really talked about it.”

“I’d be willing to bet you all have something. And you’re all Keepers. Why haven’t you ever talked about it? I’d think friends would talk about things like this.”

Cass shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess the subject never came up.”

“Or your aunt had you under some kind of spell not to talk about them.”

Cass swatted at him. “Now who’s being weird?”

“Are you good friends with the others?”

“You know Dori. We’re best friends—have been since elementary school. We pretty much grew up together. Kyrie owns a small bookstore closer to Philly, and Phoebe has a bar. We all live within an hour of here, so we get to see each other pretty often.”

“When’s the last time you talked to Phoebe and Kyrie?”

Cass frowned. “About a week ago. Kyrie’s out of state picking up stock at a store that’s going out of business. We all get together for the solstice, then it’s back to the insanity until after the holidays.”

“The solstice is in two days. So all we have to do is stay here for two days and we’ll be fine.”

“I have the strangest feeling it won’t be that easy,” Cass said.

Nic blew out a heavy breath and studied the amulet hanging once more around Cass’ neck. “I’m more than a little inclined to agree with you.”

While Nic did a quick recon outside, Cass threw together an evening snack. Canned soup along with Nic’s remaining biscuits followed by canned fruit. It didn’t have the expert touches that Nic had come up with, but it would fill their stomachs.

She glanced out the window. The flurries had changed to snow. A quick glance at the pictures on the wall showed snow falling there as well. “Stop that. I’ve got enough problems without you doing stuff like that.”

The snow in the pictures stopped, but Cass heard giggling in the background. “Honestly, it’s bad enough he thinks I’m strange. Adding you to the mix would put him over the edge. I don’t think he’s ready for faeries or pixies yet.”

This time, she definitely heard giggling but at least the pictures reverted to their previous view. “Thank you.”

Nic came in the back door shaking flakes out of his hair and stomping his feet.

“Hey! Stop that! You’re getting everything wet.”

Nic grabbed Cass around the waist and swung her around in a circle. Cass squealed and batted at him. He stopped and let her down until her feet barely touched the floor. Nic looked down at her. Her shiver had nothing to do with the snow.

“Nic?” Her voice emerged as a bare whisper.

“Shh.” His mouth came down on hers. He tasted of mint and the outdoors—a clean, crisp sensation that seared her all the way to her toes. She lost herself in his kiss. When he pulled away, a numbness went through her, as though a part of her had pulled away.

“Which room is yours?”

“To the right.”

Nic picked her up and carried her to the room she usually shared with Minerva.

“Tell me now if you don’t want this, Cass.” Nic laid her on the bed.

For an answer, Cass drew his face to hers. “You are my past, my present, and my future.”

He tipped her head back and spread kisses down her neck. His touch held magic. If nothing else told her they belonged together, this impression of completeness she felt when they came together did. She would never get enough of him.

Cass sighed as Nic’s mouth claimed hers, promising much more to come. Her fingers sought out the buttons on his shirt, easing them open. She pushed his shirt down until she could touch his chest and back. His heart beat a thunderous rhythm against her palm. As her hands flowed over his back and chest, he kissed her more deeply. Heat built in her center, flowing outward, sensitizing every nerve in her body.

He tugged at her shirt, breaking away for just a second to pull it over her head. His mouth closed over one breast, teasing it to a taut peak while his fingers teased the other. Cass arched against his hand, her body on fire. He moved lower, tugging her jeans off. Their few remaining clothes quickly disappeared. Nic took a second for protection, then restarted his assault on her senses. His fingers moved lower and Cass gasped as heat built to an intolerable peak.

“Please!”

Nic moved over the top of her, his mouth reclaiming hers. A moan of pure pleasure emerged as Nic sank deeply into her. Their rhythm built to a wild tempo. When the shudders of her orgasm shook her, Cass felt as though she’d broken into a thousand wonderful pieces. Nic quickly followed her, calling her name as he reached his own peak.

* * * *

Much later, Cass turned over to find Nic gone. The chill on his side indicated he’d been up for more than a few minutes. She grabbed a heavy robe and went out to the main room to find him sitting on the sofa, staring at the fire.

“Nic? What’s wrong?”

Nic looked up at her. “I’m sorry, Cass. I thought you wanted me as much as I wanted you.”

Cass blinked at him. “You what? How could you think I didn’t? This felt even better than that seedy hotel. I experienced a deep connection to you—deeper than I’ve ever known.”

“Don’t lie to me, Cass. I know better.”

“Nicodemus Amandine! How can you say such a thing? Especially after what we just experienced!” Tears clogged her throat. How could he not know how much he meant to her? That what they’d shared was unique because they connected on such a deep level?

Nic’s shoulders slumped. “What we shared was so special, I can’t begin to understand it or believe it. But I know it didn’t mean as much to you.”

“You…you know? How?”

“Look at you now. You’re holding back, aren’t you? Otherwise things would be shattering.”

“Holding back?” Finally Cass understood. The tears spilled over, but in the midst of laughter. “This is all because the windows didn’t shatter?”

“Well, yes. You said when you’re emotionally involved, things break.”

Cass sat down beside him, trying to control her laughter. “Nic, this is a very special place. There’s a reason why Aunt Minerva and her friends gather here during the equinoxes and solstices. Have you ever heard of ley areas?”

“No. What’s that?”

“They are very special places where the laws of physics may not necessarily follow what is known. I know you’ve heard of Stonehenge.”

“Sure.”

“Well, in addition to Stonehenge, there are other places in the world where strange is the norm. There is a road in Florida where cars roll uphill. Or the Bermuda Triangle. Or other places where geophysical phenomena occur.”

“And you’re saying this is one of those places?”

Cass shrugged. “I don’t know for certain. But I do know when I come here, no matter how strongly I feel about something, nothing breaks unless I specifically focus on it. It could be because of the place, or because of Aunt Minerva. I tend to think it’s the former, though I used to think differently.”

“What changed your mind?”

“This is the first time I’ve been here without Aunt Minerva. And believe me, I was feeling some pretty deep emotions a bit ago.”

“You were?”

Cass shifted so she sat on Nic’s lap. “Uh-huh.” She trailed a finger down his bare chest to the waistband of his jeans. “And if you think I wasn’t, then you’re pretty dense.”

She leaned back, letting her robe fall open. Even in the dim light, she could see the reflection of the fire in his eyes—and it didn’t come exclusively from the stove. “I told you earlier, you are my past, my present, and my future. What I said is true. I don’t know if what is happening between us is because of us or because of this amulet, but I want to think this is real and not magic. I’ve known you less than a week, but I do know I love you, Nicodemus.”

Nic pulled her close. “You are my then, my now, my forever. We will face what is coming together. And you’re wrong. What we have is magic. Only magic can define what I feel.”

“Nothing will part us ever again.” Cass rose and led him back to their bed. Their lovemaking showed them both exactly what words could not convey.

* * * *

“Where is she?” William paced the length of his room. Though it comprised nearly half of the wing, he found it confining. He’d put a lot of money into the building of the hotel. Though the outside appeared unfinished, most of the inside had been completed under his direction months ago. The rooms for specially chosen people on the lower floors, the meeting areas, all those finished. But, though rich and comfortable, it still sat on this side of the doorway and not in Lemuria. Once he had the keys in his possession, he’d be able to return to his real home.

How he longed for the civility and order of the magic realm. The gentle breezes and pure land were the embodiment of Eden, Paradise, and Utopia all rolled into one. Though he wanted to return, he also wanted the notoriety that opening the door to the realm as a conqueror would bring him. And to restore the power of the Brotherhood. They’d been exiled once, but never again. Once he had the keys, the power to control the doorway would be his. He’d build the Brotherhood back up and they would once again rule.

William stopped pacing and stared out at the dark. Where had his Cassandra gone? The brothers had found her—then lost her. She’d led them a merry chase, then disappeared. He turned to his latest protégé, standing in the doorway with a blank stare on his face. At least this one had some intelligence. He passed his hand in front of the man’s face. “Awake,” William said. “Where did you lose them?”

The man blinked several times, shook his head, and then stared at William. “On Cruze Road.”

“You searched the entire road?” The man’s face showed his fear. Good. Let him and his kind know what power could do when held in the right hands.

“Yes sir.”

“Are there any side roads off that one?”

“Not that we saw, sir. But I’ll search again in the morning. Maybe we missed something.”

“Maybe? Maybe?” He got into the man’s face, enjoying the flinch and wide-eyed fear he saw. “Of course you missed something. You will pick me up at daylight, and take me out there.”

“Yes sir.”

“Go. Leave me.” William turned away from the idiot before he killed him. Maybe when he had the power of the keys behind him, he’d rid this world of idiots like this one. But first, he needed the power—before another one got it. He didn’t want a struggle for the rule of Lemuria, but if that’s what it came down to, so be it. He would prevail. How could he not? He stumbled, then dropped into his chair, exhaustion overcoming him.

Cass lay next to Nic, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Their lovemaking had been incredible. But something had happened in the final moments, and it had nothing to do with shattering windows. More like shattering boundaries.

As she reached her peak, Cass experienced a blinding flash that stopped time. She saw herself and Nic wandering through a land where magic lived every day. In addition to the faeries and pixies she already knew about, she saw other beings and beasts she’d thought only existed in children’s stories.

She and Nic spoke with them, with their leaders. They toured a place of peace and beauty, but one that also had a dark past. A past that included violence and hunger for power.

A horrible war had been fought with great losses on both sides, but finally, the traitors had been beaten. After weeks of discussions, the survivors decided to banish the rebels to a far world, one where magic didn’t exist. A spell would be placed on them to contain their powers. The doorway between the two realms could be accessed only through the use of four keys held in sacred trust by four Keepers.

At specific times, the door would be opened, and the fate of the traitors or their heirs would be reevaluated. If their outlook had changed, they would be welcomed back to the realm of magic. If not, the doorway would again be sealed.

The Keepers would be humans endowed with magic powers, but have normal human lifespans. No amount of magic could change the length of life. The original rebels had formed the Brotherhood of Ahmit, and vowed revenge and destruction of the magic realm.

Cass saw herself in all her lifetimes. And Nic. They’d been together before, but never for long and each time, they met death at the hands of the Brotherhood. She saw all this and more in less time than it took to blink. And she knew, finally, the weight of her task.

She waited until Nic’s deep breathing told her he slept soundly. As quietly as possible, she rose from the bed, grabbed her robe, and slipped out to the living room. She stared into the fire and what she saw there bothered her. She now knew exactly what she wore around her neck, what it opened, and how important it was that they keep the door shut to the Brotherhood. Their vengeance continued to this day; her e-mails showed proof of that—and of their violence.

“Cass?” She jumped as Nic sat down beside her.

“This isn’t just about me, is it, Nic?”

“No. I’m assuming you had the same dream I had?”

“Is that what it was?” Cass chewed her lip. What had happened to her? To them?

“What else could it be?” Nic asked.

“It felt as if a door opened in my mind.”

“And mine. Though we have each gone by different names, you are my lady,” Nic said. “Though I’ve seen portions of this dream before.”

“When?”

“Minerva took me there.”

“I belonged to that man, William.” She shuddered. “He’s horrible.”

“You saw another lifetime and another place. He may have purchased your body, but he did not have your heart.”

“Never!” Cass shook her head to emphasize her denial.

“And I would have slain him myself, had I been able.” He rose from the futon and puttered in the kitchen.

Cass continued to stare into the fire. “I know what Aunt Minerva told us, but half the time, I never know if what she’s talking about is real or not.”

“I thought I was the skeptic here.”

“Come on, Nic. We’re talking about a realm where magic is the rule, not the exception. Like Atlantis, it’s a myth.” She heard the microwave and briefly wondered what Nic had made.