Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 06]

by Penetrating the Darkness (epub)

  “To the castle?”

  “You know of my home?” Basil inquired.

  “We drove to it some hours ago. I was not ready to speak to you then. I would like to see your home.”

  “It’s your home too,” her mother added as she got to her feet. She held her hand out. “I have so much I want to ask you, but it’ll wait. We have plenty of time.”

  Felicity stood, taking her mother’s hand. “I have more questions as well.” She turned her attention to Dusty and held out her free hand.

  “I guess you won’t need me anymore, huh?”

  She tilted her head in confusion. “I have plenty of need for you. I wish you to come with me to my parents’ home.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Felicity turned to her father, confused. “Dusty is my protector, he is my friend, my lover. He must come with me or I will not leave.”

  “Um…it’s okay, Felicity. I don’t have to go with you.”

  She released her mother’s hand to take his. “I will not go if you remain.”

  “Felicity—”

  “He can come along,” her mother spoke up.

  “Trinity, I don’t think that is such a good idea,” her father spouted through gritted teeth.

  “I want my daughter home, Basil. If she wants her friend to come along, so be it.” She turned to Felicity and Dusty. “You’re welcome as long as she wants you.”

  “That is perfect.” Overjoyed, Felicity pulled him closer and kissed him quickly. “Perhaps we can get that protection later.”

  “Oh man…”

  “We need to talk.” Basil took Dusty by the arm and pulled him aside.

  Confused by her father’s actions, she turned to her mother. “Is my father not pleased with my friend?”

  “I’ll explain it to you when we get home.”

  Felicity supposed that would have to do.

  ***

  Dusty wished desperately now that he could slink into the shadows and disappear. The look Felicity’s father was giving him could cut the strongest man off at the knees. And he was anything but strong.

  Still, he held his back straight, his chin firm as he spoke with the father of the woman he was having sex with.

  “How did you meet my daughter?”

  Dusty swallowed the lump in his throat and did his best to sound like a sturdy man as he spoke. “I was…” Don’t tell him the truth, you fool. “I was walking along when this big flash of light came out of nowhere. I ducked behind the nearest car and when the light was gone, I came out to see what it was. And there was Felicity.”

  “So you decided what a perfect opportunity to take this innocent young woman back to your place and use her as your sex toy?”

  “What? No! That wasn’t the way it happened.” Was he sweating? He sure felt as though he was. “She was terrified. She clung to me, begging me to help her. So I did. All I did was bring her here and promise to keep her safe.”

  “And why not use her for your own gain? A pretty young woman drops down practically in your lap. Seems to me that would be the perfect opportunity to use her for sex.”

  Oh man…this was not going to end well for him at all. “Not at first. Man… Look, we’re both adults—” He slunk back when Basil narrowed those icy blue eyes on him. “I didn’t use her for anything. It’s been mutual all the way.”

  “Mutual or not, you will keep your hands off of my daughter. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.” He would agree to eat glass right now so long as it meant he could keep his head.

  “Good. Now, the ladies are waiting for us.”

  Swallowing the lump that was building rather than diminishing, Dusty followed the big, dark, scary man.

  What other choice did he have?

  Chapter Fifteen

  The castle was even more grand on the inside. From the very moment of entry, Felicity could only stare at her surroundings. She had never seen anything as lovely as the home her parents called their own.

  And she couldn’t help but be sad at not having been able to grow up in such a lovely home. What would it have been like to run through these halls, barefoot, knowing it was all hers?

  They led her up the grand staircase to the second floor where beautiful red carpet and elegant gold walls lined a hallway. On either side of her were tall doors in beautiful dark wood. She could only imagine what the rooms looked like on the other side.

  “We’ll give you this room, for now.”

  As her mother opened the door to her right, Felicity gasped at the elegance before her. She vaguely heard her father say, “Your room is all the way down the hall, boy.”

  “It is exquisite.”

  “It’s temporary. Until we can get your room in order to how you want it.”

  “I want this room.” Walking further into the room, she was in awe of her surroundings. To her right was a grand bed in wonderful sapphire coverings and gold pillows. Over the bed hung a covering, also in sapphire and gold that connected to four large sculpted wooden posts. She had never seen anything like it before in her life. The floor beneath her was in a glorious wood tone that matched the bed posts. Beside the bed, a rug in white looked as if it were made of feathers. The walls were etched in colors of blue, gold and cream. Across from the bed sat a sofa, a chair and to the left a small table with two chairs.

  “This is a guest room. You deserve better.”

  “I want this room.” Realizing her rudeness, Felicity turned to her mother with apology. “I beg your pardon. What I meant was, could I stay in this room?”

  “For as long as you like. We need to get you some clothes. Where did you get these?”

  Felicity looked down at the dull yellow shirt and baggy pants she wore. “Dusty gave them to me to wear. I have never worn pants before.”

  “Seriously? What did you wear before?”

  “Robes of white. My mother—Rajana—said ladies only wore robes of white, but I secretly longed to wear what other girls wore on Earth. What is that called that you wear on your legs?”

  “These? Jeans.”

  “They look stiff.”

  “They are, but oddly comfortable. We could get you some if you would like. I think some of my pre-pregnancy clothes might fit you.”

  “I would like that. Where is Dusty?” she asked in a panic, suddenly realizing he wasn’t in the room with her.

  “I think your father is showing him to his room.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “He must stay with me, here.”

  Trinity laughed. “Yeah, that is so not happening.”

  “Why not? We stayed together before now. He is my protector, my friend, my lo—”

  “About that. You might want to refrain from mentioning that all the time. The lover part.”

  Confused, Felicity followed her mother to the sofa to sit. “Why is that?”

  “I think it might give your father a heart attack. Tell me how you met.”

  Felicity picked up the tiny glass container on the wooden table before her and examined it. “He rescued me when several men came at me. This is beautiful. What do you call it?”

  “A candy dish. What do you mean there were men who came after you?”

  “Candy?”

  “You know…junk food. Sweet treats.” Felicity shook her head. “You don’t know what candy is?”

  Felicity shook her head again as she set the dish back on the table.

  “Oh…I can’t explain it. It’s better if I give you some to try yourself. But we’ll do that later. Tell me about these men who came after you.”

  “I was confused and a little dazed when I touched down. I saw the men charging at me and I was frightened. They began to scream and I closed my eyes and curled in a ball. Dusty came to me then and told me
he would protect me.”

  “What happened to the men?”

  The fabric on the sofa was rather interesting. It was soft, but was not cloth. It looked buttery but felt a little stiff. “What do you call this fabric?”

  “Leather. What happened to the men, Felicity?”

  “I was frightened.” She stood now, wishing desperately that Dusty was with her. “I did not mean to harm them. It just happened. I need to be with Dusty. Where is he?” She threw the door to her room open and ran into the hall.

  “Felicity. Wait up.”

  She didn’t wait for her mother but instead began opening door after door in her desperate search. “Dusty. Where are you? Where have you gone?”

  “Felicity. It’s okay. He’s just down the hall.”

  Racing in the direction her mother had pointed, Felicity ran to the door and, thrusting it open, saw both her father and Dusty in the room. She ran directly into Dusty’s arms.

  “What’s going on?” Dusty tucked her safely against him.

  “It wasn’t my fault. I was scared. Tell her it wasn’t my fault,” she pleaded against Dusty’s chest. Here she felt safe.

  “What is going on?” Basil inquired of Trinity.

  “We were talking about how she came to be here. She was telling me about some men who came after her, then she started crying and jumped up from her spot. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Oh…wow…okay. I know what this is about.” Kissing Felicity’s head, Dusty lifted her chin to speak to her. “It’s okay, Felicity. I can tell them but, remember, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I did not mean to harm them,” she sobbed against his chest.

  “I know. Shh, it’s okay. I don’t think she knows what she really did, but she’s sorry it happened.”

  “What happened?” Trinity wanted to know eagerly.

  “When she came here, there was a bright light. I ducked behind a car, but when I came out—after the light was gone—the men were, well, a pile of dust.”

  “I didn’t mean to do it,” Felicity cried, sniffling with her tears. She’d never done anything like that before and she knew she was never doing it again. The screams of the men as they…burned up would stay with her forever.

  “Oh, wow. Honey…”

  Felicity flinched at her mother’s hand as it stroked her hair. “If I could bring them back, I would.”

  “I know. I know. I’m sorry.”

  When her mother’s lips touched the back of her head, all the pain she felt inside seemed to slip away. Easing out of Dusty’s grip, she turned to her mother, smiling through her tears. “You are not evil and I came from you. Then I am not evil either.”

  “Of course you’re not evil. Who would tell you such—Rajana,” Trinity growled.

  “No!” Felicity dashed her tears away with her palm. “But I thought that if my mother was so evil…or as evil as my—Rajana stated, could it be that I too would become so evil?”

  “I hate her for doing this to you.”

  Her mother’s anger surprised her, but it didn’t frighten her. “Hate is so ugly and you are truly beautiful. I feel tired. May I take a rest now?”

  “Certainly, sweetheart. Why don’t I take you back to your room?”

  “I would like Dusty to take me,” she replied to her father.

  “I don’t—”

  “That would be fine,” her mother interrupted, sending a stern look her father’s way. “I’ll just come along to make sure you have everything you need.”

  Nodding, Felicity clung to Dusty as he led her from his room.

  She never wanted to hurt another human being as long as she lived.

  ***

  Basil waited impatiently outside his daughter’s door, wondering if it would be wrong to install a lock on the door to prevent Dusty from entering. The boy seemed nice enough, and Felicity certainly was taken with him, but that didn’t mean Basil was going let his guard down. His daughter was relying on a total stranger and until he found out more about the boy Basil wasn’t going to feel at ease with him.

  When Felicity’s door opened and Trinity snuck out, Basil rushed to her side. “How is she?”

  “Asleep. It took some convincing to get Dusty out of there. She feels safer with him around.”

  “Yeah…well…I don’t.”

  Smiling, Trinity stroked a hand over his face. “As much as it pains me to say this, I must point out that she is a grown woman.”

  “Grown woman or not, she is my daughter and I will not have some sex-starved young man using her for his gain.”

  “Oh, Basil,” Trinity laughed. “What makes you think they’re having sex?”

  “I heard it from the horse’s mouth when I interrogated him at the clinic.”

  “Oh.” She swallowed, then began to sob.

  “Oh, love.” Tucking her in his arms, Basil led her down the hall to their room. Once inside he sat with her on the bed and let her cry.

  “I was robbed of so much. I wasn’t even there to talk to my own daughter about sex. I never got to see her grow up into the beautiful woman she is now.”

  “Apparently, our daughter wasn’t given the opportunity to grow up like you or me.”

  Sniffling, Trinity sat up, wiped her face. “How could Rajana do such a thing? Why would she do it?”

  “Because a child is difficult to deal with but a woman is easier to control.” He stroked the tears away. “However, I doubt my mother expected her to be so strong-headed.”

  “She gets that from you.” Trinity smiled, touching Basil’s face.

  “More like you.” He kissed her softly, tasting the salt from her tears. “I suspect she is more like you in many other ways.”

  “You’re talking about what she did to those men?”

  “Yes. It sounds a great deal like what happened to you days ago.”

  “I know. And I can understand how she feels.”

  “I told you, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “I could have killed you.”

  “But you didn’t.” He kissed her sullen lips. “And I’ve recovered nicely. Once our daughter wakes, I think it would be a good idea if you spoke to her about her ordeal. Let her know you understand what she did and that it was an accident. Perhaps, the two of you can find out how it is you are able to incinerate flesh. This might be a nice asset for us.”

  “Basil!”

  “I simply mean in defense against our enemies. Just think about it. If the two of you could hone this skill—”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now. For the time being, let’s enjoy having our daughter home.”

  Kissing her once more, Basil held her in his arms but inside he was vowing revenge.

  His mother would not get away with what she’d done.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The bedroom was glorious, but Felicity felt no need at the moment to sleep in it. She regretted lying to her mother and pretending she was asleep so she would leave the room. But she wanted to see Dusty and knew as long as she remained awake her mother would stay with her.

  Felicity could still feel the touch of her mother’s hand on her hair as she pretended to sleep. The emotion she had felt from her mother was incredibly strong and had nearly made Felicity choke up with her own emotion. She was loved by both her parents and the fact that Rajana—and she was no longer going to call her mother, it just wasn’t right given what she’d done—said otherwise infuriated her. It was not right what Rajana had done to her parents and as soon as Felicity found a way to confront Rajana, she would. But for now, she wanted to be with Dusty.

  Slipping from her bed, dressed in the soft gray, silky nightshirt her mother had given her, Felicity headed down the hall to Dusty’s room.

  Pushing through his do
or, she found it empty. “Dusty? Where have you gone, Dusty?” She raced through the room, yanking open door after door and just as she was about to open the last one, it opened and Dusty stepped through the entryway.

  “There you are.” She threw her arms around him and held him tightly.

  “I was just in the washroom. I thought you were asleep.”

  Releasing him, she tugged him to the bed. “I do not want to sleep alone. I wish to sleep with you.”

  He tugged his hand free. “Not a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “If your father finds out you’re here, he’s going to kill me.”

  She gasped. “He threatened you?”

  “No, not…no, it was a figure of speech. He’ll be really mad if he finds you here. You need to leave.”

  “I do not wish to leave. You are my friend, my protector, my…” She remembered what her mother had said. “Why is it not right for me to call you my lover?”

  “It’s just that people don’t like to hear about other people’s sex lives. Sex between two individuals is private, between them. It makes some people, especially a parent, uncomfortable to hear about you having sex with someone. They don’t want to know their child is having sex and they certainly don’t want to hear about it from their child. Okay?”

  “That seems silly, but I suppose I can stop referring to you as my lover. I am still not leaving.” To prove it, she crawled into his bed and drew the covers over her. She patted the spot beside her.

  “Felicity—”

  “Do you not want me to sleep with you?”

  “It’s not that. It’s just…I don’t want your father mad at me.”

  “I am old enough to make my own choices, am I not? As are you. What we decide to do is our own business and, as you said, sex is private. We need not tell him what we do.”

  “Oh man…you’re killing me.”

  “I most certainly am not!” she gasped. “I would never harm you.”

  “It was a figure of speech. I really need to speak more clearly with you.”

  “That would be advisable.”

  “What I meant was I want nothing more than to lie down beside you, and have sex with you—”