by Reid, Terri
“She can’t hurt you now,” Eloise called to them, “And you can finally help right some of the wrongs she committed.”
They started to approach cautiously. Delphine looked up at them and hissed.
“Get back,” she yelled. “Get back or I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” Eloise asked. “Kill them? Guess what, they’re already dead. You have no power over them.”
Delphine’s eyes widened in fear as the large group of spirits surrounded her. Eloise could hear Delphine’s muffled screams as her fingers were pulled away from the knothole and she and the entire group of spirits were pulled into the air towards the vortex.
Eloise moved to the edge of the attic and watched as the black cloud appeared just below the vortex. Black arms extended and snaked around the sky. The spirits released Delphine and she tried to struggle away. But the shadowy arms wound themselves around her and pulled her back into the darkness. Her final screams of horror echo throughout the house.
Eloise felt her world become hazy and then blackness surrounded her. She woke up a moment later in Paul’s arms, his lips on hers. A few minutes after that he loosened his grip and murmured, “Maria said that I could bring you back. Sally seconded her.”
She looked around, “Sally?”
Paul smiled and turned her to see Sally, now sitting on the table smiling.
“Hey, you really kicked ass! Thanks!” Sally said, and then shuddered, “But I’m thinking that next time I’ll save the whole out-of-body experience for you.”
Eloise laughed. “Glad to see you were able to pull yourself together.”
Sally stuck out her tongue.
Maria came forward and took Eloise’s face in her hands and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you for what you have done for me and for the people of my home,” she said. “I will not forget that Maria Leveau owes you a favor.”
“Thank you for your help,” Eloise said, “And for your advice about love. I think I owe you.”
Maria smiled and started to fade away. “Oh, ma petit, the love journey for you has just begun.”
When she had disappeared, Eloise could still hear her soft voice whisper, “And with a man like yours, the journey should be magnificent.”
Eloise smiled and turned back to Paul.
“I think you can let me go now” she said.
“I don’t think so,” he said, lowering his lips to hers.
Chapter Thirty-one
Eloise and Paul slowly walked up the hill, their hands clasped, and their hearts beating in anticipation. Paul spread the blanket out under the tree and, taking Eloise in his arms, they sat back to watch the sunset over Istanbul.
“This is so beautiful,” she said.
Paul kissed her neck, “You are so beautiful.”
She sighed, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of your kisses.”
Paul grinned, “Well, after only a week of marriage I would certainly hope not.”
Eloise turned in his lap and linked her arms around his neck. “Well, you know there have been a lot of kisses in the past week.”
Paul smiled and pulled her closer, gently kissing her lips.
“And other things,” he murmured, trailing kisses across her shoulder blade.
Eloise shivered and smiled, “And other things.”
Then she sat up and pulled away a little.
“Eloise,” Paul groaned, “stop thinking and just enjoy.”
“But Paul, I have been wondering about something,” she said.
He sighed softly and straightened up. “What?” he asked.
“Well, I’m wondering if we lost the power that we had.”
Paul shook his head, “Why would you think that?”
“Well, because when we…,” she paused and bit her lower lip. “When we…”
Paul leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “When we make love?” he whispered into her ear.
Eloise shivered and nodded her head. “When we make love we don’t have…”
Paul grinned. “We don’t have dead people showing up?”
Eloise nodded.
“Eloise, did you want to have dead people show up when we make love?”
Eloise turned bright red. “No, no, I just thought.”
Paul chuckled. “I don’t think I ever mentioned the wedding gift we received from Maria Leveau did I? It was a collection of amulets that you hang around your room to insure privacy, even from dead people.”
“You’ve hung them...”
Paul nipped her earlobe, “All over the place, darling, all over the place.”
Eloise laughed and cupped Paul’s face in her hands. Then she brought her lips down on his. He pulled her closer and they slowly drifted down to lay across the blanket. A few minutes later, a rather flushed Eloise looked up over Paul’s shoulder.
“Darling,” she whispered, “The Centurions are here.”
Paul reached his hand up and cupped it around her head, pulling her back into his embrace. “Sweetheart, they waited for two thousand years; they can wait a few more minutes.”
The End
