by Wylder, Tia
"You feel so incredible," he murmured, rutting against her thigh.
“I… I’m so close,” she managed, tensing her hands in his hair. As she clenched around his fingers, she squeezed her eyes closed against her oncoming ecstasy. The bed seemed to shake beneath her, and when she finally hit that unmistakable peak, a desperate yowl spilled past her lips.
The lights flickered, and the ghost man seemed to reach whatever height of pleasure he could manage in his current form. He hunched over, rubbing her aching clit to milk her for every drop she was worth. She continued to gasp and moan, reaching up to tangle her hands in his hair. She brought his lips to her own once more, swallowing the declaration that her afterglow had her wanting to shout to the heavens.
“That was…,” Hercules began, trailing off when he couldn’t form the words.
“Indescribable,” she murmured. “The best lay I’ve ever had, and it’s with a ghost,” she chuckled, receiving a playful nudge in turn.
“Well… if we can break this curse, perhaps you’ll be able to experience it with flesh and blood,” he teased. She grinned, allowing her head to droop on the pillow. She gripped his hand in her own, blinking when his presence seemed to… flicker, almost. She jolted upright, watching the fear and confusion dancing in his eyes as he seemed to be losing control of his form.
“What’s going on?” She blurted desperately, reaching out to grab him. The only way she could think to explain what she was seeing is that it looked remarkably similar to a computer glitch. His form became almost static-like, before disappearing from sight altogether. After a moment, the ‘glitching’ seemed to cease. He looked much paler than before, similar to the stereotypical ghost she had imagined in her books.
“I… I think I’m beginning to lose my tether to this world,” he muttered, examining his ghostly white hand. His eyes glowed a faint shade of red, and Kira had to swallow a sob as she attempted to gather him into her arms. She fell right through him, the parts of her that intersected the ghost man feeling unspeakably cold.
“No! No! We have to have more time,” she cried out desperately.
“Another episode like that and I don’t… I don’t think I can hold on any longer. Holding on, even now… it hurts,” he said weakly. She jerked away from him, considering his nearly invisible form with tears streaming down her cheeks.
It seemed she was running out of time. It was now or never.
Chapter Nine
Kira had never been suicidal. She had never even entertained the thought of killing herself. All she could reason, however, was that if a blood seal had attributed to this problem, so perhaps a blood sacrifice would solve it. At the very least, if the problem went unsolved, she could simply allow herself to bleed out. She rose from the bed, moving much like a zombie as she shuffled to the kitchen.
“Kira, I have something I have to tell you. Before I don’t get another chance,” Hercules managed, trailing after her with some difficulty. She paid him little mind, grabbing a pair of scissors off of the bathroom counter. She touched the edge of the blade with her fingertip, running it along the sharp edge. She winced as her finger was sliced through, but paid Hercules little mind as he cried out in shock. “What are you doing!?” He demanded, trying to grab the scissors from her hand.
“This is your last chance, Hercules. I don’t know what else to do,” she muttered raggedly, the blood from her sliced finger dripping on the bathroom tile. His hand continued to phase both through her and the scissors, and he cried out in frustration.
"Why are you doing this? I'm already dead! There's no sense in you being hurt too," he screamed. She turned away from him, sobs shaking her body. She pressed the sharp edge of the scissors to her wrist with the intent to slice through. "Kira, stop! If you did this to yourself, I'd never forgive myself. You have… you have a rich, full life ahead of you. There will be other men, flesh and blood men. Men who can marry you, give you a family. Men who will care for you, perhaps as strongly as I do. Maybe even more," he muttered as if the words pained him to say.
“I don’t want another man. I want… I want you. If I can’t have you, I don’t want anyone else. I… I love you,” she choked out. Her grip tightened on the scissors, and in one final desperate grab, Hercules reached out and snatched the scissors from her hand.
“I love you too, Kira. That’s why I can’t let you do this,” he managed, his voice and strength seeming to return to him. Kira continued to shake with sobs, all but collapsing on the floor. He crouched beside her, gathering her in his arms. Even if it was the last moment he had on this earth, he couldn’t think of another place he wanted to spend it.
"Hercules…," Kira began with a soft cry, turning to consider him. Her eyes widened in shock, and she reached out to touch his face. His skin was warm against her hand, looking as if it had been touched by the sun once again. Perhaps the most surprising thing of all, however, was the fact that she could not see through him. "You… you're," she sputtered, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I’m what?” He asked carefully, tilting her chin so that their lips may meet. She laughed almost hysterically, pressing a finger to the side of his neck. “What are you…,” he began, only for her to smash her lips desperately against his.
“Your pulse! You have a pulse,” she cried out excitedly. He quirked a brow, drawing away from her just enough to raise his hand to his own neck. Where scarce moments previous he had been pale and barely clinging to the afterlife, here he now sat with a pulse.
"I… oh my God," he choked out. The scissors were flung to the floor, forgotten. Kira held him tightly in her arms, nestling her face against his shoulder. "I'm alive," he managed.
“You are,” she replied weepily, pressing wet and what should have been disgusting kisses all over his face. However, he was certain he had never been more enamored with someone in his life. He slipped his arms under her, lifting her as he rose to his feet. He carried her back to the bedroom, a tender look in his eye.
“I love you so much,” he breathed, receiving a soft chuckle in response.
“Prove it,” she said daringly, pausing to lift his shirt off over his head. His eyes widened in shock at her seemingly insatiable appetite, though he couldn’t deny that the situation constituted celebration. “You did offer me flesh and blood, after all,” she said smoothly. He needed no further prompting, quickly shifting to shift his jeans down his hips. As she took in his magnificent manhood for the first time, Kira could do little but stare, mouth agape. He pushed her back against the bed, confidence radiating from his new and lively form.
“I’ll make love to you, good and hard. Like you’ve never had it before. Under one condition though,” he murmured, wrapping his hand around his own length and stroking it to attention. She quirked her lips in an excited grin, joyful tears still pricking at her eyes.
“I’ll do anything,” she murmured.
“Never scare me like that again,” he said forcefully, taking her injured finger and pressing his lips to it.
“That seems rather ironic coming from a ghost,” she said teasingly, tangling a hand in his hair. His real hair that anyone could see, but was still for her alone.
“Former ghost, technically,” he corrected, quirking his lips in a smile. “Now, promise,” he ordered. She caressed his cheek, lowering her hand to his pulse point as if to reassure herself. “Promise,” he breathed, gripping her hand and wrapping it around his own full length.
“I promise, baby,” she murmured. As he entered her for the first time, he was certain he had never felt so alive.
Chapter Ten
One Year Later
Kira busied herself with packing the belongings of her apartment, her bulging belly getting in the way somewhat. Hercules had promised to return later that day, mentioning that there was something important at the office that he had to take care of. She had smiled and kissed him before he left that morning, a passionate kiss that spoke volumes of her feelings for him. Though she looked forward to a
future of perhaps being married, she knew she couldn't push Hercules into it. His asking her to move in was a rather big step, however, and she could only appreciate that he hadn't dumped her the moment she began to gain weight. As much as she exercised, she continued to sport the slightest gut on her normally perfect figure. Her old friends from work had suggested what might be causing the weight gain, but it couldn't be what they were suggesting. As much as she loved Hercules, and was certain he loved her, she wasn't sure the man was ready to be a father. After all, he had only just managed to get his affairs back in order, after claiming the person found dead in his home was someone else entirely. When attempts were made to recover the body, to identify whoever it may have been and confirm Hercules's claims, the body was nowhere to be found. Having attributed to the work of graverobbers, and with all the prints and medical records for the man checking out, no one could refute that the man who stood before them was Hercules Orlando himself. When asked where he had disappeared to, he simply explained that he was finding himself.
Kira supposed that finding her was part of the bundle. She smiled, resting her hand on her stomach and inhaling shakily. In spite of her reluctance to believe that she was pregnant, she had bought some tests just to confirm. Better safe than sorry, after all, and if she were pregnant, she would have to stop her occasional drinking. Having finished packing her belongings in various boxes, she grabbed the bag from the local drug store and fished out one of the pregnancy tests. She read the instructions, but they all essentially boiled down to the same basic thing. This one was digital and would leave no room for doubt. She would receive a resounding "Yes" or "No." She urinated in a small cup, placing the test in the cup to steep for half an hour. Then, she busied herself with moving all the boxes of her belongings by the door.
It was around an hour later that she went to check the test, and she heard the front door to her apartment open and close. She stepped into the bathroom checking the test and swallowing a gasp as she read the results. As Hercules opened the bathroom door, she turned to face him. She sputtered a thousand words a minute, and he shushed her gently, pulling her into his arms and kissing her tenderly.
"I have something to tell you," she blurted in excitement, and he grinned a friendly smile, taking a step away from her.
"Yes, well. First, I have something to ask you," he replied casually. He reached into his pocket, rummaging around for a moment before withdrawing a small velvet box. Kira's eyes widened, and her mouth fell agape as Hercules popped the box open. Within was held perhaps the largest diamond she had ever seen in her life. She gasped as the man dropped to one knee, holding the ring out to her. "Kira, I've loved you from the moment we met a year ago. You gave me life in a way no one else could have… quite literally," he paused, and the two shared a laugh. "It would make me the happiest man in the world if you would do me the honor of being my wife," he murmured. Tears spilled down Kira's cheek, and she fumbled with the bathroom counter, knocking over her cup of urine and fumbling to grab the test. "What on earth--," he began, smiling in confusion as the woman whirled around to press the stick into his hand. He looked down at it for a moment, eyes narrowing in further confusion. However, when it struck him just what the three letter word meant, he shouted out in joy. Kira leaped into his arms, pressing rapid and tender kisses against his lips as he struggled to place the ring on her finger. When it slipped into place, he gave a victorious whoop, stumbling backward out of the bathroom.
He collapsed back onto the single piece of furniture remaining in the living room, pulling her on top of him. Her round belly rested on his waist, and he leaned up to capture her lips with his own.
“This is the happiest day of my life,” she blurted. “And I can think of only one way to make it better. Let’s say goodbye to this shoddy apartment in the best way I can think of,” she murmured, pulling her shirt off over her head. She tossed it to the side, stretching out on top of him much like a pleased feline. He wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning back as she fidgeted with the button on his jeans.
“There are a lot of memories on this couch,” he murmured, breathing a sigh as his length was set free. She settled on top of him, intent upon enjoying the last moments they would be able to make love before the baby came along.
"And we'll be making dozens more, together. A lifetime more," she murmured. The two moved together in a smooth rhythm, and Hercules breathed a content sigh before speaking.
“A lifetime for you. Two lifetimes for me, technically,” he said teasingly. She smiled, nudging his shoulder gently.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better ghost to haunt my bedroom,” she said warmly. He paused for a moment, pressing up into her before speaking in a strangled voice to correct her.
“Former ghost.”
The Texas Rancher’s Bride
By Anne Ulsterman
Chapter One
Of the two sisters, Joanne was the pretty one. Jennifer was the brain of the family; the one with the good grades who did well at school, acing the debates and winning medals at the spelling bee. But this never seemed to come close to Joanne’s lighter complexion or her hazel eyes, which changed color with the weather or her mood.
None of this mattered once Joanne disappeared, shortly after leaving home to get married. Jennifer was as worried about her sister as her mother was. She knew something had to be done when she came home one afternoon to find the apartment quiet and dark, the curtains drawn and the television off. There was no sign of her noisy twin brothers who were usually jumping on the sofa watching cartoons this time of her day. And her mother wasn't cooking dinner, as usual, filling the house with delicious smells of home cooking. Instead, she found her mother, Angela, in her room, sitting on the bed, staring in front of her.
"What's wrong, mom?" Jennifer rushed to her mother's side. "Are you all right? Where are Ty and Damian?”
Angela inclined her head slightly. “Downstairs,” she whispered.
Jennifer nodded. The neighbors in the flat below them also had children, and the twins liked to play there sometimes.
“I had a call from Arthur. He drove over to the ranch. In Bonham.”
Jennifer felt her heart starting to beat faster. She knew her mother was going to ask a cousin of hers who lived in Texas to drive over to the farm where Joanne was heading to after she left. She had given them the name of the farm and the man she was going to marry. Sean Perry and Valley View. This was all they knew. She had left over a month ago and apart from one phone call shortly after her arrival in Bonham, they had not heard from her since. This had been her mother’s last resort, actually sending someone to go to the farm to check if anyone had any information about Joanne.
Tears streamed down Angela’s face. “They’ve never heard of Joanne! Arthur spoke to the maid and some of the farm hands there; no one has seen her. No one fitting her description even visited the farm!”
“What about Sean Perry?”
Angela shook her head. “He couldn’t find him. Seems not around. Folks said they rarely saw him. Arthur had to get back home, he couldn’t wait around all day.”
Something had clearly gone terribly wrong. What had happened to Joanne? Why hadn’t she called?
“Do you think we should call the police?” Angela asked.
Jennifer nodded curtly, although she had little trust in the authorities.
“I’m going down there, see for myself what is going on.”
Angela's eyes widened in fear, and she grabbed her daughter’s arm. “No, don’t go!”
“We have to know what is going on,” Jennifer said, trying to be gentle.
“How long will it take for the cops to get down there? They knock on the door once and what then? Go, ‘Oh, there is no sign of her, here?’ We need some answers.”
“But what if something happens to you?”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Jennifer said, with more certainty than she actually felt. “I will call you every day and give you a progress report.”
>
“What about the money?”
Jennifer bit her lip. She was saving up money for college, but she knew this was more important. Until they knew what had happened to her sister, there would be no peace in her family. She would take her savings and travel to Bonham in Texas, all the way across the country. She had never been that far from home before, but she knew this was something she had to do, not only for her mother but for her sister as well.
Jennifer called Mrs. Fries, whose children she was currently watching in the afternoons and explained the situation to her. She needed some time off as soon as possible. Then she booked her plane ticket to Dallas. She would leave first thing in the morning.
Then she went to get takeaways and fetched her brothers from the neighbors. Ty and Damian yelled and pushed each other on the stairs, running into their little apartment, immediately filling it with their boisterous energy. Jennifer felt cheered by them. She saw the way her mother looked at them as well, with a mixture of sadness and hope. They were only ten years old and knew so little of the world.
Jennifer explained to them that she would be going away for a while and that they needed to be good. They nodded, listening solemnly.
“Will you be okay while I’m away?” she asked her mother as the boys ran off for their bath.
