by Dahlia Rose
Gareth sighed heavily and sat down on one of the tall stools that stood by her counter top. “Herion has been corrupted by Genesis, and he has raised a coup against the king.”
“Okay, and how was it that I saved you?”
“I am the warlock of Herion, protector to the king and his family. It is the birthright of my family. Genesis lived in the darkened side of Herion. No sun ever graced that part of the land, and it is filled with demons that thrive in the darkness. None of the things that lived there went beyond the boundary where light began and where I protect—until now.”
Kat sat enthralled by the story Gareth was telling her. To him it was real life, but it all was like a fairy tale to her. “What happened? Were they able to pass where the light began?”
“Yes, Genesis was able to use a shape-shifter to steal the Gem of Chale, the one thing that keeps the balance intact. He infused its core with his dark magic and the balance has shifted. By the time we found out about the treachery, it was much too late. He was able to spread the darkness and let his demons roam free. They swarmed the city, and those who could run fled to the mountains. I sent the king and his family there as well. And the few of us that could stay to fight.” He took her hand again and looked at her while he spoke. Kat felt as if she was drowning in his eyes. “You saved me when you pulled me though to this time and place. Genesis was about to strike my death blow.”
“Oh no Gareth . . . I . . .” she began but did not know what to say. Dread filled her heart at the thought of what was going on in his realm. “How do we get you back? How will you save your people, your king?”
“They are safe for now. There are magical beings who live in the mountains that keep them protected with strong magic. But as his darkness spreads and corrupts the gem even their magic will not be strong enough. I have to get the gem back and cleanse it of his dark magic. I have to bring the light back to Herion before it turns black, if not all is lost.”
“I have the spell books passed on to me. They go back generations. Maybe we can find a spell in them to create a portal between our worlds,” Kat said hopefully.
“We would need great power to do that, Katrina. Where is your mother? Maybe she can help with conjuring?” Gareth asked.
Katrina felt sadness fill her heart and she looked down as she spoke. “My mother is gone. She died three years ago. I am the only one left. My power is not strong enough to create a portal.”
Gareth used his finger and raised her chin. Her eyes shimmered with tears. “I am sorry about your mother leaving this life for the next. But you give yourself too little credit. You might be able to help me more than you think.”
“What do you mean?” But before she could get an answer, she heard a rumbling growl emanating from his stomach. Kat smiled and looked at Gareth, who had a sheepish look on his face.
“It appears my body needs sustenance,” Gareth said apologetically.
“I can make you some breakfast and then we have to go to the market for something to eat later. I am kind of low on groceries. Food,” She explained when he raised his eyebrow. She looked got up and looked around her kitchen and in the fridge. “How about some French toast and more coffee?”
“I have no idea what French toast is but I shall try it and the coffee elixir suits my taste,” Gareth said with a bow.
Kat laughed and pulled a bowl from in the cupboard to begin making breakfast. This is going to be a strange day, she thought with a smile still on her face.
Chapter Three
This Earth realm is indeed a strange place, Gareth mused as he sat back in Katrina’s home. He was resting on the soft chair she called a sofa, and he was enjoying his first taste of something called soda in a can. It tasted like cherries in a can mixed with bubble, and it was not entirely unpleasant. Katrina was busy in the kitchen preparing a meal, and Gareth busied himself watching a thing called television where people playacted in the box. While teaching him how to use the remote, she had explained to him the concept of movies and how the people got in the box. The outside was very interesting to him as well. There were cars that moved without the aid of animals to pull them, and big metal birds that few in the sky called airplanes. He marveled at every new thing she showed him, including the supermarket where all the food was packaged and no one had to skin his own meat.
All and all, it was not a bad place, and he looked forward to reading the books she had gotten him to explain this new world. His thoughts shifted back to Katrina and her powers. He sensed more in her than she realized. It was easy to see she was afraid to even try to find out what was inside her. He did not know if he had the luxury of taking it slowly with her. The fate of his home was in the balance. From the time he had seen her that morning, she had mystified him. Under those glasses were eyes you could fall into. He wanted to bury his hands in those bronze curls and taste her full lips.
More than once during their trip outside, Gareth had noticed her habit of calling herself a plain Jane. Plain Jane was not a term he knew, but he knew that she did not see the strength in herself and that was why her power would not manifest. She introduced him to a treat called ice cream and even thought it was a wonderful concoction. When she licked it off the spoon and let her tongue linger just for a moment, he felt desire curl in his belly. Oh yes, Katrina might not see herself as beautiful, but he did. She may not know it yet but Katrina Julio was going to be a force of power that no one could reckon with.
Gareth turned his gaze to kitchen door when he heard her come through. There was a smile on Kat’s face and she was wiping her hand on an apron around her waist. She was wearing jeans and a sweater in light yellow. It was not how the women in his world dressed, yet it was rather appealing. He appreciated how the thick jean material grabbed her hips and emphasized her very enticing rear.
“What are you looking at?”
Her question brought him out of his appreciative stare, and he could only smile. “Nothing at all, Katrina. I was wondering what that delectable smell was coming from your kitchen.”
“Uh-huh, well, that smell is called chicken cacciatore, and I came to tell you it is done. You can come into the kitchen if you are done playing with the TV.”
“I find it a wonderful little contraption. I wonder if I can conjure one in Herion?” Gareth replied while he walked past her into the kitchen.
“Not unless you have electricity and a cable connection,” Kat said with a laugh and followed behind him.
Dinner was spent with both of them asking questions about each other’s world and being amazed by the information they found. A place with such magic called technology fascinated Gareth. He found dinner to be very appetizing as well, the flavorful burst of spices. The woman that sat next to him was the best part of the dinner. The easy feeling that settled over them while they sat was amazing to him, two people from different worlds and having so much in common. After dinner, they went to the living room to pore over her spells and books to see if they could find an answer about how to get him home. In all, she had seven books of shadow from seven women from seven generations of her family. Each book was old and well worn, but the magic emanating from them was palpable in the room. The last one was from her mother, and Gareth watched her run her hands loving across the leather as if she were caressing her mother’s cheek.
“What is this dessert called again? It is very good.”
Katrina looked up and smiled. “It’s called cheesecake, Gareth.”
“It goes well with the coffee elixir.”
Gareth watched her walk over to a silver box, and when she pressed the button, the room was suddenly filled with a loud pulsing beat.”
“By the goddess, what is that noise!” he cried out, jumping up. To him, it was unlike anything he had ever heard.
Kat turned it down, and Gareth could feel his ears still pulsing from the noise. “It’s called rock music and it is just some of the different kinds of music we listen and dance to.”
“That is not music, and how could someon
e possibly dance to that?”
“Like this,” Kat answered. She began to move her hips to the beat and let her body shake to the rhythm of the music.
He watched how her body moved and felt his body heat rise just by looking at her hips sway. “Like this?” Gareth tried to imitate her movements, and when he caught her looking at him with her hand covering her mouth, he had to ask, “What?”
“You look like you are having some sort of seizure,” she said before bursting into laughter.
“I can try again . . .”
“Um, no don’t . . . don’t dance anymore . . . yeah, we don’t need music right now,” Kat said hastily trying not to laugh and turned off the music player. “Well then, let’s get down to work and look for a way to get you home.” Katrina sat and opened the first book.
Gareth opened the next one in the stack and each word in the book began to shimmer. “The power in these spells, Katrina . . . your family line is filled with magic.”
Katrina looked over and saw the words in the book glowing for Gareth while the book she had opened stayed only written in ink. “Hmm, they never did that for me.”
Gareth saw disappointment on her face. He knew it was because the book that sat in her lap didn’t have a magical glow.
Sensing her sadness, Gareth tried to comfort. “You have the power Katrina. You’ll see when the time comes. I will need your help to get back to my realm. The words may glow for me, but the spell can only be cast by you.”
“I don’t think I can.”
“Ssssh, let us try something. Are you willing?”
Katrina nodded, and Gareth put his hands on her shoulders and settled her back against the soft pillows on the sofa. When a small sigh escaped her lips, he smiled.
“Close your eyes and let your mind wander.” Gareth softened his tone. He spoke to her the same way as when he created the flowers in her kitchen. It lulled her senses and made her body relax. “See your family in your mind, the mothers of your heritage, your mother. Let them surround you and feel their energy fill you.”
He watched her go to that place in her mind. Her breathing slowed, and he watched as the palms of her hands began to glow. She lifted her hands off her lap, raised them, and the pages of each book began to turn by themselves, flipping wildly back and forth. Kat opened her eyes and saw the books moving on her own. Her eyes widened and she dropped her hands, breaking that connection to the magic within herself.
“Wait, why did you let go?” he asked.
“I don’t know, it just broke I guess. I told you I’m not strong enough,” Kat mumbled with her eyes downcast.
Gareth lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. What he saw there proved his assumption correct. “You are afraid.”
“What?”
“You are afraid of what you can do, of what is inside you!”
“I am not!” she declared hotly and stood up to walk away.
Gareth did not let her. He stood as well and faced her. “Yes, you are. Why do you fear what you can do?”
“Listen, you! You can’t just fall into my house from another dimension and accuse me of being scared!” Katrina turned away and walked to the window.
Gareth felt his temper rise. “I did and I will. You are a creature of magic. The quicker you accept it, then the quicker you can become who you are meant to be!”
She whirled around to face him. “What is that? A freak, a woman who will be looked at as some kind of aberration! Magic in your world might be as every day as apples in an orchard. But here, people fear what they don’t understand!” Tears began to trail down her cheeks.
“When you grew up, the more magic you knew, the more you were praised. When I was growing up, when I touched anything electrical, I shorted it out. At school, I was called Scaredy Kat because of all the stuff that happened around me. The kids were scared of me. My teachers were even afraid of me!”
“So you would let the taunts from your childhood stop you from being who you are meant to be? To oppress your natural gift?”
“That’s not what I am doing! I just can’t do it!” Katrina ran out of the room and left Gareth alone.
“I hope you are wrong, Katrina. If not, my world will be lost and I will be as well,” he said to no one but himself. He sat on the chair facing the window and looked out into the night stars. They twinkled and mirrored the same constellations as his world. He wondered about his home and about the turmoil the people faced without him there to protect them.
* * * *
Katrina came back inside the house an hour later. She went for a walk after running out and looked for Mystique, who was out on one of her jaunts. The one time she needed the little pug familiar to talk to, she was out doing whatever she did when she left the house for hours on end. What did Mystique have to do anyway? she mused as she walked back into the living room. She looked at the couch and Gareth was sitting there with his head laid back against the sofa. He had fallen asleep. She was not surprised. Being pulled from one realm to the next was not an everyday occurrence. Her running out on him didn’t help either. Katrina felt a rush of guilt about leaving the house in a huff. Maybe he was closer to the truth than she cared to admit. She looked at his face, relaxed in sleep. His lips were slightly parted, and his breathing was even. He had pushed the coffee table farther away to accommodate his legs.
Katrina sat next to him gently, not wanting to wake him up. Such a strong man, she thought as she studied him. His fingers were long, and his hands carried calluses, probably from training with a sword or maybe he liked to work with his hands as well as do magic. She wondered what his hand would feel like on her skin. Unable to resist the urge, she lifted his hand and pressed her small hand against his. His hand could easily swallow up hers in his grasp. She trailed her fingers along his arm. And then she traced the outline of his jaw with one lone finger and pressed her hand against his chest. Katrina was not paying attention to his face until she looked at him and saw his emerald eyes looking at her. She felt her breath catch in her throat. He reached around her neck and pulled her to him. The contact against his hard-muscled chest made her gasp.
“If you are going to stop me from kissing you, you had better stop me now,” he growled.
Katrina could only make a small sound as she shook her head in denial. She would not stop him from kissing her. She wanted to taste him just as much. Her eyes closed as soon as his lips pressed against hers. His tongue demanded entry into her mouth, and she obliged. Katrina moaned softly as desire flamed within her. Could one man taste this good? Like spices and sugar and wine. They hadn’t had wine with dinner, she vaguely thought before it was wiped away by his hands pulling her close and sliding up her waist to cup her breasts. Katrina moaned and pressed herself into his hands. Her reward was his kiss becoming more demanding before his lips slid down her neck.
“You taste like sweet cream,” Gareth murmured against the nape of her neck. He was nibbling and nipping gently at the sensitive flesh. “I want to taste every part of you, Katrina.”
“Yes, please.” She accepted readily. She wanted to melt in his arms and feel every delicious sensation he could give her.
His lips moved back up to her mouth and scorched her being with his kiss. She was ready and willing to give into their lust right here on her sofa when he pulled away suddenly. It was as if he was jerked back by the collar, and she opened her heavy lids to see a surprise look on his face. He jerked once more and his face contorted in pain.
“What’s wrong, Gareth?” Katrina whispered the words softly, fear crawling in her stomach now instead of desire.
“I . . . I do not know—” His final word ended on a cry of pain, which made her reach out to grab him. Her hand went straight through him as if he was an apparition. He was pulled from her sight by the unseen hand, the last thing she saw were his eyes pleading with her for help.
“Gareth!” she screamed, but the room was now empty.
Chapter Four
He was home. Gareth looked aroun
d his world, and his heart wept at what he saw. All the leaves were gone from the trees and bushes that were once lush with fruit. The sound of the birds as they flew through the sky had gone silent. It should be around midday at this time on Herion, but it was oppressively dark. Not the beautiful nights that he was accustomed to seeing with stars bright and twinkling. Now it was just black and silent. How had he been pulled back though? Whatever had done it, it was painful. He felt as if he were being torn apart, and even now, he felt as if his skin did not belong on his body. Gareth heard scuttling in the darkness, whispers and snickers like rats having a laugh at his expense. He was instantly on alert and felt at his side for his sword. He cursed softly under his breath; he’d lost it in the first battle.
Whatever they were crawled out of the dark corners to surround him. Genesis’s demons now lived openly in Herion where the light once was. They walked like animals on all fours but could stand on hind legs and could use the clawlike hands to rip a man’s flesh to shreds. Gareth had heard stories and legends about one cut from their claws burning the flesh and poisoning the blood. He was not going to get a scratch to find out. Gareth could tell he was weak, but still he was strong enough to release his magic. They obviously had not seen a human in the city since the attack began because their drool dripped to the stone ground from jaws and sharp teeth that wanted to sample rip the meant from his bones.
