The Scent of Sage and Vengeance

by Lacuna Reid

  The herbs must love it here. They are growing to about double the size I’d usually expect; the basil leaves are half the size of my hand.

  “This place is larger than life…” I mumble to myself.

  “Is that right?” a voice sounds behind me. It startles me, but I smile as I turn towards the soft warm words that I recognize as belonging to Elias. He smiles back, like sunshine. There’s something about seeing him here, outside of the kitchen or the other El Cielo buildings, that sends a thrill through me. We are off-work. Anything is possible…

  “I’ve been missing you lately,” he says, coming over to me. “Not enough work in the kitchen together.”

  “You could set up a dinner party,” I say.

  “I would just to see you smile like that,” Elias says, his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.

  “You know,” I say, taking a step towards him. “We don’t need to use the kitchen as an excuse to hang out together…”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” he says, coming towards me, opening his arms and wrapping me up into a long, slow embrace.

  I practically melt into him. He’s so warm and sweet and strong and drop-dead-gorgeous with his dark hair and sapphire eyes – this sensual Greek God with a sensitive side… he’s like honey and I’m Winnie the Pooh… I laugh at the random things my brain comes up with and Elias looks down at me, quizzically. “Nothing,” I say. “I’m just happy.”

  Elias leans down, still holding me tight, and kisses my forehead. “So am I, Mira. I’m so happy you’re here with us. It’s a dream…”

  We stand there, and I’m totally swept up in the moment…

  The hum of insects around us rises into a kind of symphony, as if they are playing the background music to the movie of our lives.

  I close my eyes and it feels like heavenly golden light is shining all around us. It reminds me of Micah… my “imaginary friend” when I was little, who Lana swears was my guardian angel.

  As I lean into Elias, I can almost feel our souls connecting, as if threads of energy from each of us are wrapping around each other, weaving together, becoming a single entity… even though I didn’t believe in souls twenty-four hours ago… something is definitely happening – either that or I’m hallucinating, high on pheromones from being so close to this sexy god of a man. Oh… my…

  My body is responding to him, softening, moistening. I’m standing still, but I want to press myself against him. I want to feel more than just his arms, his shoulders, his chest… I want all of him, naked, now.

  Elias lets out a long, slow, contented sigh and gently pulls away from me, leaving me feeling high as a kite. I didn’t know a hug could have that effect.

  “Beautiful, Mira,” he says.

  “What?”

  “Everything about you… your appearance… your energy.”

  “My energy?” I smile.

  “Yes, your soul.”

  I would normally laugh that kind of thing off, but apparently, I can’t now… especially after the peak experience we just shared with a simple hug.

  “What are you doing today?” Elias asks, his demeanor becoming more casual now, less intimate than moments before.

  “I… I don’t know. I was just going for a walk, and I guess I have some reading to do – you know, research on past lives and stuff.”

  “Sounds busy,” Elias says, giving me a cheeky grin.

  “Not really…” I say, lightly punching him in the arm in response to him teasing me. “Did you have something else in mind?” I ask.

  He takes hold of my hand and his expression becomes more earnest. “Would you… would you like to see my house?” He asks.

  “Your… house?”

  I had assumed Elias would live somewhere inside the palatial buildings of El Cielo, like Theo or Gino… but a house?

  A slow smile spreads across Elias’ face. “Come,” he says, leading me by the hand. “It’s not far.”

  Elias guides me to the other side of the greenhouses. I see a beautiful little vineyard and on the other side is a picturesque Mediterranean cottage with whitewashed walls and a terracotta tiled roof. The windows even have shutters in Mediterranean blue, matching the front door. Yellow roses grow in the garden beds on either side. No way… it’s perfect… El Cielo has been full of surprises, but I was not expecting this.

  “Wow!” I tell Elias.

  “It’s nothing much,” he says, shrugging. “But the grandeur and sophistication that Theo and Gino love are not really my thing. I prefer something a little bit simpler.”

  “What are you talking about? This is basically my dream home!” I tell him.

  Elias smiles warmly and his eyes sparkle. He opens the door to what is quite definitely the home of my dreams – the kind of cottage I’ve always wanted, with stone benches, a row of red-enameled cast iron pans sitting above a retro gas oven, herbs growing in the kitchen window, a cozy living area with a wood burner, a bunch of rugs over the floor, a wall of bookshelves, comfy-looking couches, and lots of indoor plants…

  I’ve never seen Elias look so happy. He throws open the French doors at the back of the living area and leads me out to a glorious cottage garden surrounded by fruit trees.

  “I can’t believe this is where you live… It’s perfect!”

  “My heart sings to hear you say that, Mira.” Elias pulls me towards him and my stomach growls. I blush, but Elias simply looks at me and says the magic words: “How about I make brunch?”

  Of course, having already been swooning all over this gorgeous Greek man with his fairy tale cottage, I’m reduced to a puddle of pure swoony goopyness.

  “Yes please!” I hand him my bag of vegetables and watch him as he turns and heads back inside.

  There is something graceful, majestic, glorious about the way his body moves, like a stag… one I want to hunt so badly. I collapse under the dappled shade of the quince tree, inhaling its aromatic scent… my favorite… enjoying the light breeze on my skin as the scent of rosemary and lavender drift across the garden. This is just about as perfect as I could imagine…

  I close my eyes just for a moment.

  I must have dozed off because the next thing I know, I hear my name, spoken softly.

  “Mira…”

  I open my eyes to see Elias, shirtless and holding two plates of grilled vegetables topped with poached eggs.

  “Sorry to wake you, latria mu,” he says.

  “La… what?”

  Elias blushes, and somehow, it makes him look even more gorgeous, despite the fact that him being shirtless already was hard to top. “It means… my adored one…”

  I smile up at him, and he relaxes, coming to sit beside me.

  “You’re shirtless,” I say, absentmindedly. My brain is still telling me I must be dreaming.

  “Sorry – it got so hot in the kitchen. I can put on a…”

  “No,” I say. “Don’t you dare.” I give him what I hope is a mischievous and flirty grin and not at all like the weird squinty face I’m probably actually making.

  A look passes over Elias’s face: hunger and desire and something open and fresh like hope. I’m relieved that I must have somehow pulled off more of a flirty look than I thought I was capable of.

  “This looks delicious,” I say, gesturing to the food. I take the fork he hands me and stab at the vegetables, bringing them to my mouth and forgetting all about how I look as the intense flavor takes over.

  “Oh… my… god…” It’s a serious food orgasm.

  Elias is watching me.

  “I love the way you look when you’re savoring food,” he says.

  “Good, because this is too good to waste energy on trying to look pretty.”

  Elias laughs.

  “What did you put in this? Crack cocaine?” I ask.

  “I’m sure that would taste awful,” Elias says earnestly. Then he laughs. “Guess.”

  “Is that… hmm… is that cumin?”

  He winks at me. “What else?”

/>   “Cayenne… black pepper… thyme… hmmm… what gives it that creamy taste?”

  “You have to guess,” Elias says, with a cheeky grin. “I’m not giving away my secrets.”

  “Hmmm… Tahini?”

  “Yes… and one more thing.”

  “Hmm… what’s making it tangy and astringent?”

  “I told you… you have to guess.”

  I close my eyes and roll the flavor around my mouth… That’s it!

  When I open my eyes, Elias is gazing at me with a different kind of hunger.

  “You’ve worked it out, haven’t you?” he asks.

  “It’s sumac.”

  “Perfect,” Elias says. “If I were your professor, I’d give you an A+ for that.”

  There’s something different in Elias’ voice and in his posture; he’s no longer a stag and is more like a mountain lion, rearing to pounce. There’s a look in his eyes, a deep longing, that I can tell he can’t hold back much longer.

  He slowly lowers his plate, then takes mine, casting it to the side as our lips meet. His hands reach around me. One finds the back of my neck and the other pushes against my lower back, bringing me forward, towards him. I savor the fragrant kiss, the fresh thyme taste of him as if he was chewing the stems while he cooked, as if he was thinking of kissing me the whole time. A jolt of desire runs right through my core as I reach for his bare chest, pulling him closer.

  For a moment I’m conflicted. I slept with Theo not very long ago, but since then he’s been distant and if he’s going to avoid me, then clearly, he doesn’t have any claim over me.

  I have a connection with all four guys, not just Theo, and while it would be better to have some clarity around his expectations, it’s not like he’s made communication easy.

  Fuck him. He doesn’t own me. I can do what I want with my body…

  I swing my leg over Elias’s lap, straddling him, caught up in the delicious feel of his skin against mine, caught up in my own desire, in my need. I grind my hips against him, feeling the firmness of his cock as it hardens even more, losing myself in those deep blue ocean eyes.

  Elias groans and I need him… inside me… right now.

  He’s clearly thinking the same thing, sliding the straps of my dress down, as I begin to unbutton his jeans.

  He pulls at the tie at my waist and lets out a low moan as my dress opens to him, revealing a lacy black bra.

  “For the love of Zeus,” he says, burying his face between by breasts, breathing into my cleavage.

  He slips his hands behind my back and undoes my bra, practically gasping as it slips away revealing my naked breasts. He runs his fingers over them, causing us both to sigh gently.

  His thumb rests for a moment on the smudge of my birthmark, barely still visible anymore. He looks into my eyes and says, “You are magnificent…”

  Just at that moment, I manage to pry his cock free from his pants… noticing a distinct lack of briefs. I can feel my eyes widening at the size of him, “so… are… you.”

  I can’t help but wrap my hand around his shaft, my fingers can’t even touch at the base of the thing. Wow.

  Elias growls and lifts me, as if I’m light as a feather, he lays me down gently in the soft grass, removing his jeans and then sliding my panties down.

  I’m completely naked under the dappled light, and it’s surreal… I must be in heaven… this is too perfect…

  I close my eyes just for a moment, hardly able to believe that this is my life… and then there’s the sensation of Elias’ hot body over mine, skin on skin, and my eyes fly open. I absolutely must see every bit of this.

  I look into Elias’ blue eyes. He leans in to kiss me and I’m lost again in the sensation of his lips, but this time a passion is burning through me, so hot that I can’t stop myself from clawing his back with my nails.

  His body presses into me, his hard cock sliding against my clit, teasing me. He kneels between my legs, slipping one hand down towards my pussy. He groans when he feels how wet I already am. Positively dripping. He caresses my breasts with one hand while his other teases and works my pussy. My pleasure builds, but then he draws back, dragging both hands down my thighs.

  “I need to taste you,” he says… and who am I to deny this chef a tasting? I nod and he dives between my thighs. Licking me, as if I’m the irresistible jus of a well-seasoned roast. The tension is building inside me; it’s almost too much to bear. I arch my neck and moan. He growls again, sending shivers right through my body. I’m over the edge and I’m falling through soft layers of cloud, floating, flying… free.

  Oh…wow.

  Elias crawls back up so that our heads are at the same level. Holding me gently, he whispers, “Was that alright, Mira?”

  “Amazing,” I say. “I practically had an out of body experience.”

  “Good,” he says. I can feel him still rock hard, pressing against my thigh, and yet, I’m a hundred percent sure he would be content just to lie here, gazing at me without being sexually fulfilled. It’s incredibly sweet, but not on my watch.

  I reach up, massaging my hands down his back until I reach his butt. I grab both tight cheeks with my hands, pulling him in, towards me.

  “Are you sure?” he asks. “I…” he blushed… “I don’t mean to sound immodest, but I sometimes hurt…”

  With a cock that size I’m not surprised.

  “I can withstand a bit of pain,” I say. “In fact… I quite enjoy it.” Elias lifts himself up and for a moment I’m worried he’s decided against this… but then he pulls out a condom packet from the pocket of his jeans.

  Sure… no underwear but he comes prepared. I raise my eyebrows.

  “Just in case…” he says.

  I laugh, and then I watch him roll the condom over his enormous cock. My mouth is practically watering. I’m craving pleasure and pain and that satisfying feeling of being filled-up inside.

  Elias leans down over me, propping himself up with his arms. He kisses me gently, passionately, deliciously, and the fire burning inside me flares to an inferno. I can feel the tip of his cock against my clit, and I’m impatient for it. I grab at his lower back, pulling him deeper into me. He growls again, as if he is struggling to hold back.

  “Easy, Mira… let me go slow for you…”

  “No… I don’t need you to go slow. Please just fuck me?” I’m so worked up I’m practically begging.

  “As you wish,” he says. I can feel him positioning himself at my opening and then the delicious pressure; the pleasurable tension; the back-arching ache as he fills me, grinding down on my clit with his pubic bone as his enormous cock hits my g-spot.

  “Oh. My. Gods….”

  As Elias rocks me, back and forth while pounding into me, I’m careening closer and closer to the edge, and then, out beyond, into space. I close my eyes, seeing stars.

  I’m coming all over again, but the climax keeps rising higher and higher along with the symphony of birds and insects all around us. Elias makes love to me both fast and slowly, hard and gently, beautifully, and every moment, I’m rising further and further into blissful waves of ecstasy.

  There is need and love and pain in his eyes and he pours it all into me. Then, when I feel as if I couldn’t possibly come anymore, he quickens his pace and fucks me harder, faster. With one last deep thrust, he groans and collapses onto me, covering me with kisses.

  We lie there, in the dappled light and shade of the quince tree. A gentle breeze caresses my skin. I’m so content I could die happy, but in the next moment I’m ravenous. I grab my plate and shovel the remains of brunch into my face. It still tastes amazing, even though it’s definitively cold by now.

  Elias laughs at me as I stuff my face. His eyes are sparkling and his smile is even warmer than usual.

  I know it might change things a bit between us in the kitchen, but I don’t regret anything that just happened. How could I regret something so delicious? My only worry is how it might affect the dynamics with Theo and the ot
her guys… I mean, they know we all have a connection, but what guys are happy to share their love?

  After I eat, Elias reaches for me. He holds me in his arms and talks about the connection he feels with me – our connection across lifetimes. It feels so right and my worries about the other guys… my worries about Theo slip away. After all, he’s not doing himself any favors by being so aloof, and this is my life; I can live it however I choose.

  “I suppose I should go and brush up on my reading,” I say, eventually, not wanting to dawdle too long or outstay my welcome here, despite the fact that the puppy-dog look in Elias’ eyes says he’d rather I just move in immediately. He kisses me again and I’m lost in the softness of his lips for a few more moments before I pry myself away.

  I wander back, heading towards the lake to freshen up on my way home.

  I strip off, no longer worried about being naked and glide into the cool water. Helio is nowhere to be seen, but I don’t need him to have a good time. I float on my back, looking at the sky, still high as a kite on pheromones and endorphins and something even deeper… soul connection?

  Skinny-dipping by myself is empowering, and I arrive back at my ‘living quarters’ feeling refreshed, revived, and unstoppable.

  Chapter Four

  Mira

  I know it’s time for me to do my research. I need to understand more about this reincarnation stuff, even though in my mind I keep swinging back and forth between believing it and thinking it’s all a ridiculous delusion. Either way, I need to figure out the mystery of why we are all here, together, and why we have these shared dreams.

  I make myself a light snack of several different kinds of cheese and crackers, and then lie on the couch with the Old Souls book and read it cover-to-cover. It takes me several hours, but I’m enthralled. It’s almost like a novel, except it’s clearly non-fiction, written by a journalist who decided to investigate the research of Dr Ian Stevenson, who’s been documenting cases supposedly related to reincarnation for decades.

  Apparently, Dr Stevenson was a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine for 50 years, and during that time, he became convinced that reincarnation was worth researching by some very unusual cases where young children started talking about past lives. Over a period of forty years, he documented over 3000 of these cases.