by Jeya Jenson
Detached from her physical self, Cassie watched Adrien untie her wrists. He caught her limp form before it crumpled to the floor. Lifting her naked body, he laid her gently out on the bed. Hope stirred in her when he sat down beside her, gently stroking her pale cheek.
“Come back to me, Cassie,” he commanded. She did not hear so much as sense the words. He bent, pressing his mouth to hers, sharing his breath, pushing air into her dead lungs.
Abruptly, Cassie’s free-floating spirit was dragged back into her physical body. A dreamy liquid ecstasy began to flow through her; an unearthly and incredible power was going inside her, filling her to the brim with the energy it had earlier sucked away. She felt a consciousness merge with her own, a thing not quite human, yet wholly sacred. She embraced it and welcomed it and in return it gave her resurrection.
Eyelids fluttering open, awareness returned in a soft glow of satisfaction. She’d walked through the clutch of the Reaper and emerged on the other side, unscathed. She remembered being one with Adrien, but now she was a separate entity; whole, healed and surging with strength.
Face a mask of worry, Adrien’s cool fingers pressed to her throat, followed by his warm mouth claiming hers.
“Welcome back, beloved,” he whispered against her lips, brushing damp red curls off her forehead. “How do you feel?”
“Mmmm,” she croaked. “Tired…but a good tired.”
“That will pass soon, I promise.” Stretching out beside her, Adrien’s hand drew soft circles on her bare stomach. “You’re mine forever now.”
Cassie groped, placing a hand on his bare chest. “Adrien,” she murmured sleepily. She swam in an extraordinary harmonious inertia, relaxed and rejuvenated.
“Yes, darling?” His hand slid down to find her most private place. He began a slow, teasing stroke against her clit. Pleasure made her cry out softly when he slid two fingers into her velvety depths.
Eyes closing in delight, Cassie’s hand moved lower, finding the crux of his thighs. Her fingers curled around his cock and his body shuddered at her touch.
“Just as soon as I get my strength back, we’re going to finish what you started…”
Epilogue
His guests ensconced in their own suite and his wife safely tucked away in her own bed, Devon Carnavorn returned to see after the comfort of his last visitor.
As he walked downstairs, he replayed the night’s events in his mind. Things had not quite progressed as he’d imagined they would. It was odd the way things had meshed so perfectly together, In fact, it almost seemed, well, arranged.
There was one who knew the truth.
He found Morgan Saint-Evanston standing out on the verandah, quietly smoking. He appeared to be considering the evening and its mysteries. The dawn was still a while away. For him, the night was still young.
Pouring two fresh glasses of sherry, Devon sidled up to, handing one glass to his friend. Morgan accepted it without comment, sipping the smooth wine.
“Just for asking,” Devon opened conversationally, “How long did it take you to find Adrien?”
“I found him the first night I went out,” Morgan said, flicking ashes away.
“That was almost three months ago,” Devon countered.
“He needed a little time,” was the short reply.
“How long have he and the girl been together?”
“Ten weeks,” came the even shorter answer.
“So she was the one. How did you know?”
A shrug. “I have a knack for these things.”
“Ah, I see.”
Devon swirled the burgundy liquid in his own glass. More pieces of the puzzle came into place. In his mind he was thinking of a certain demonic delivery.
“I wonder,” he said, “how Adrien’s letters happened to fall into my wife’s hands. She knew nothing of our, ah, meeting, yet still she showed up as if on cue. Could you clue me in on how letters locked in my desk came to be so conveniently in her possession?”
Morgan shrugged, affecting the vapid gambit he often assumed when he did not want anyone to think he had a thought in his head beyond his next carnal excursion. “Ask her,” he mumbled into his glass. “I have not a clue.”
Devon narrowed his eyes. “I think you do. In fact, I think you maneuvered this whole thing around to suit yourself.”
Morgan drew his shoulders back as if readying for an argument. Surprisingly, none arose. Instead he took a long draw off his cigarette. “Then you give me no choice,” he said though a rush of smoke. “I shall have to call in my favor. I must insist that you make no further inquiry.”
Devon was stunned by the simplicity of the favor. Delight filled him. It was a relief to be let off the hook so easily. “Done,” he agreed. “I shall not ask again.” Tickled to the core, he waited a moment, then asked, “Anything else or am I now absolutely debt free?”
“I have asked. You have given. I am satisfied,” Morgan replied, flicking his ashes to the wind.
Devon couldn’t resist one final prod. After all, this was a being who regularly cast death’s shadow.
“You crafty old thing,” he joshed. “Getting sentimental in your old age, aren’t you. I thought you didn’t believe in happy endings.”
Morgan gave him a sidelong glance from underneath the unkempt bangs. “In my world, there are no happy endings.” A touch of irony graced his lips in a thin smile. “But in yours, there can be.”
And with that, he was gone, vanishing back into the night and the dimensions that had birthed him. Only the scent of cloves remained, a cloying fragrance on the chilly breeze.
Devon Carnavorn stood a moment longer. Then, he went inside his house, shutting—and locking—the doors firmly behind him.
The calm of the night was not to last long. As he went upstairs into his room, Rachel greeted him with eager eyes. Her hands cradled her belly.
“I think our twins are on the way,” she gasped.
To be continued...
Other titles featuring Morgan Saint-Evanston:
Echoes of Angels by Caitlyn McKenna
Descent of Demons by Caitlyn McKenna
Other titles in this series:
Before Night Falls - Kith & Kynn Book 1
Other titles by Jeya Jenson:
Whispering Shadows
Flesh and the Devil
Three to Dance
Lost Hearts, Found Souls
Celluloid Fantasy
Mistress of Death
Biker Chic
About the Author
Jeya Jenson lives in the scenic Southwest, though she has called several other states her home. She is a fan of dark gothic literature, and reads tons of books on history and biographies. She especially enjoys reading books on Hollywood before the 1960's. She’s now divorced, and happily so! She lives with her cats and Shih Tzu puppy, Tess. As Caitlyn McKenna, she writes the “Keepers of Eternity” series. As well as working on her gothic titles, she is currently writing on several more erotic stories.
