Hidden Truths (Intertwined Souls Series Book 3)

by Mary D. Brooks

  “I need you so much, love,” Eva groaned.

  Eva held her lover’s rocking hips still, pressing deeper, sucking harder, while her tongue flicked across the swollen nub. Zoe cried out Eva’s name, her fingers clenching in the dark locks, pressing her lover to her. Her body convulsed, her back arching into her release.

  As Zoe lay basking in the last few shudders of pleasure, Eva moved up, wrapping her arms around her. Zoe found herself on the receiving end of a deep and passionate kiss. She lovingly let her hands roam, massaging and caressing Eva’s back.

  The feel of Zoe’s hands on her skin, touching her, caressing her, drew a soft moan from Eva. She could feel her own need upon her.

  “I want you,” Zoe said with an intensity that lit the fire within Eva. Zoe pressed against her body, and Eva rolled them both over. Sliding her hand down the soft skin of Eva’s stomach, Zoe swirled her fingers with a teasingly light touch into the dark curls between long, quivering limbs.

  “Zoe, I love you so much. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, love,” Zoe responded reassuringly. “Ever,” she added just before her lips covered Eva’s in a fiery kiss.

  “Zoe…” Eva moaned, her voice low and rasping. Pulling away to take a much-needed breath, Zoe kissed her again, brushing the tip of her tongue along her lips, then sliding it into her mouth. The feel of Zoe’s tongue, exploring, commanding, stole Eva’s breath away. Zoe’s hand slipped lower, teasing the inside of Eva’s thigh with her fingertips, as her tongue excited Eva in ways she knew no other would ever be able to.

  “Please…oh, Zo…I need you so much.” Eva parted her legs quickly in a silent plea for more.

  Zoe slowly slid her fingers into the silky wetness. Eva gasped and her eyes closed at the pleasurable sensation. She arched her back into Zoe’s touch, a throaty sound of satisfaction rumbling forth from deep in her chest.

  Eva could feel her body being taken to the very precipice by the breathtaking contact with Zoe’s body. She felt her inner muscles contract around two fingers as Zoe gently entered her, releasing as they felt the fullness sliding out, only to contract again when the digits were pressed in once more. Slowly, relentlessly, Zoe matched her rhythm to the cadence Eva’s hips set. All the while their tongues danced together. Eva surrendered her mouth to Zoe’s loving assault, the sensation drawing long moans from her.

  Zoe’s actions managed to drive any logical thought from Eva’s brain. She began to moan louder, her hips picking up the pace. Breathlessly, Zoe wrenched her mouth free.

  “Eva, look at me,” Zoe panted.

  Eva opened her eyes and focused on the beautiful young woman above her.

  “You are mine.” Zoe reached down one last time to capture her lips. Eva groaned into her mouth as her climax took control of her body, her muscles jumping and quivering in irrepressible spasms of delight.

  When at last Eva’s body stilled, Zoe planted a soft kiss on the sweat soaked brow.

  “I love you, Evy,” Zoe whispered.

  Eva wrapped her arms around Zoe and pulled her tightly against her body, loving the feeling of Zoe’s overheated skin against her own. They stayed embraced for a long moment before Zoe gently rolled to her side. Eva’s arms fell limply to her side and she stretched out her legs weakly on the rug. Zoe crawled up to lay her head on her chest.

  “Good morning.” Zoe laughed weakly, and gazed into her lover’s face. Eva smiled and swallowed audibly.

  “One less horrible memory,” Eva finally said, and closed her eyes. They were lying on the exact same spot where she had been tied up and shot, the spot where she lay bleeding in Zoe’s arms. “I’m tired of hurting. Tired of the bad memories.”

  Zoe hitched herself up on her elbow. She lightly traced the bullet scar on Eva’s upper right shoulder. She kissed it before she captured Eva’s mouth. “We just made a better memory,” she said as they parted.

  Eva rolled to her side and they were inches apart. She felt behind her back, pulled Zoe’s robe and draped it over Zoe’s back, earning her a kiss.

  “This cabin is not where I got shot, alright?”

  “It certainly isn’t any more.” Zoe rested her hand on Eva’s hip. “It’s time to reclaim Thieri’s cabin.”

  “It’s not Thieri’s cabin,” Eva replied. “It’s ours.”

  “Ours.” They lay quietly, their hands intertwined. “Evy?”

  “Hmm.”

  “I was so scared for you last night. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “You did it.”

  “What?”

  Eva sighed deeply. “You are my rock. I can’t survive without you.”

  “Yes, you can, but you don’t need to.”

  “No. I’m not as strong as you are, love. I don’t have your strength. I see a drawing and I fall to pieces. I’m so...embarrassed.”

  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about!” Zoe cupped Eva’s cheek. “Nothing. You are the most courageous woman I know.” She brought Eva’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “I saw the drawing. That was just a small taste of what you endured, and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. How you lived through that, how you even managed to trust again...” A tear slid down Eva’s cheek and Zoe wiped it with her fingers. “You gave me your heart. All that pain and suffering just didn’t matter. You opened yourself up to me knowing I could betray you, knowing if I did, it would be the end.”

  “Maybe that’s what I wanted.”

  “No, you didn’t want that.” Zoe shook her head. “If you had wanted that, you would have jumped off Athena’s Bluff and put an end to it.”

  “I thought about it.”

  “I know, but you didn’t do it. You didn’t give up. You didn’t let those bastards win by lying down and surrendering. You fought back.”

  “Not much good in fighting back when at the sight of a piece of paper, I shrivel up and cower like an infant,” Eva said bitterly.

  “Is that what you think happened? What I saw in that piece of paper was a terrified woman who was in so much pain that it was unbearable. It hurt to look at it. Your mind and body were shattered. How do you go from the broken teenager having electric shocks run through her body to someone who gave me her heart, her soul, and her life?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I do.” Zoe’s eyes welled up and she let the tears spill. “You have so much courage, Evy. They couldn’t destroy it; they couldn't break your spirit.”

  “I’m just tired of hurting.”

  “I know, but together we will break that cycle. We have to.” Zoe gently kissed Eva. “You want to and I want to, so together we can do it.”

  “Together?”

  Zoe smiled. “Together.”

  “Alright, but I think we have another problem,” Eva said as she reached out and gently touched Zoe’s throat.

  “What?”

  “I gave you a hickey.” Eva giggled and kissed the bright pink mark she had left on Zoe’s neck.

  “Oh, my god.” Zoe felt her neck. “What am I going to tell Aunty Stella?!”

  “You got bit by a giant mosquito.” Eva giggled. “Bzzzzzttt,” she added as she kissed Zoe’s neck.

  “Come on, my giant mosquito, let’s get cleaned up. I have to introduce you to my parents and brothers.” Zoe tenderly felt the mark on her neck. “I wonder if a scarf would cover that.”

  “A scarf in the middle of summer?” Eva giggled and rolled onto her back.

  Zoe pressed against Eva’s body and slid her hand down the skin of Eva’s stomach. “I think the family can wait a bit.” She captured Eva’s mouth in a long passionate kiss. They parted, gazed at each other and laughed.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Zoe dried her hair with a towel and marveled at how her brother had stocked the cabin with everything they would need. There were towels, blankets, pillows and food, although her foray into town to get more supplies did prove to be a trip down memory lane.

  Zoe had lost count of how many times s
he was stopped. Many of those she met hugged her and welcomed her back to town. She avoided the outskirts of town, which used to be a lush field but were now barren land. The land was soaked in blood, since the Germans had used the field as their execution area. Too many of her friends had perished on that once fertile soil. She stopped drying her hair and sighed.

  Eva came up behind Zoe and put her arms around her. “Why the heavy sigh, love? What are you thinking?”

  “My trip into town yesterday.” Zoe turned in Eva’s embrace. “There were far too many memories.”

  “You went past Maragos’ field?”

  “How do you do that?”

  “I have my demons, Zoe, and you have yours. This town is filled with both of ours. What makes it more difficult for you is that I’m falling apart.”

  “You haven’t fallen apart. You had a bad night, but that doesn’t mean you are falling apart.”

  “Feels like it. I want to be here for you too. I’m sorry if I’ve made this trip even more difficult for you.”

  “Are you regretting coming here?”

  “No. This is your inheritance, and if we hadn’t come here we would have let the Nazis win. We can’t let them win even after so many years.”

  “For every soul they destroyed, didn’t they win?”

  “No, they didn’t.” Eva took Zoe’s hand and led her into the living area. They sat down on the sofa together. “Evil was conquered. We conquered it by being alive. I forget sometimes that through the evil we both went through, we are still here.”

  “We are.”

  “Since we are here, they didn’t win.”

  “So that’s what you were thinking about during our bath?” Zoe smiled and looked down at their intertwined fingers. “Last night was…” She stopped, trying to find the right words. “Your worst nightmare come true.”

  “No. Aiden was my worst nightmare come true. I feel foolish about what happened with your aunty Stella. I’m thirty years old and I behaved like a scared five year old.”

  “I don’t know of any five year old that could have lived through Aiden. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “I made up for it this morning.” Eva put her arms around Zoe and gently rolled her back to the sofa. “I can’t believe I gave you a hickey.” She lightly traced the bruise on Zoe’s neck.

  “Oh! I forgot about that.” Zoe’s hand went to her neck and she clasped Eva’s hand. “What am I going to do?”

  “I can give you a matching one on the other side.” Eva giggled as she nuzzled Zoe’s neck.

  “No, I can’t explain two mosquitoes biting me at the same time.” Zoe pulled away to find Eva’s cheeky grin. “Eva, stop.”

  “I need to finish the job.”

  Zoe laughed as she disentangled herself from Eva’s arms. She stood and looked around the room for the headscarf she had removed after she had come back from town the previous evening. Eva lay on the sofa looking up at her.

  A knock on the door made them look at each other. Zoe gave the room a quick look to see if anything was out of place and Eva got up to answer the door.

  “Despina!” Eva exclaimed as her former housekeeper greeted her by putting her arms around her.

  “Oh, My Lord Jesus Christ, were you always this tall?” Despina stepped back and gazed at Eva. “You are far too skinny for a girl your height! Where is Zoe?”

  “Right here.” Zoe grinned as she came around Eva.

  “Oh.” Despina pulled Zoe to her ample bosom and hugged her fiercely. “There you are, little hurricane Zoe. Oh, my dear girl.”

  “Come in, please.” Eva invited Despina into the cabin. She smoothed out the rug with her foot as Despina kissed Zoe on the cheek.

  “Zoe, what is that on your neck?” Despina leaned in and took off her glasses. “Hm, those mosquitoes have gotten much bigger since I was last at Athena’s Bluff.”

  Eva turned away and coughed. “They are big over here, much bigger than in Australia.”

  Zoe’s ears had turned a bright shade of pink. She gently slapped Eva’s thigh while Despina was busy inspecting the cabin. Eva put her hand over her mouth to stop laughing.

  “Young Theo did all of this?”

  “Yes, he was very busy.”

  Despina turned to Zoe with a gentle smile on her face. “One of the happiest days of my life was seeing that boy walking up the street towards me. I thought I was seeing things until he came over and put his arms around me.” She sniffed.

  “Theo and Despina’s son Alexi were best friends,” Zoe quietly told Eva.

  “Alexi was such a sweet boy. When Zoe was around, oh, Mother of God!” Despina smiled. “He could hardly say two words before he got so tongue tied I thought someone had stolen his ability to speak.” Her belly laugh made Eva and Zoe chuckle.

  “Zoe has that effect on boys,” Eva quipped.

  Despina smiled. “Tell me what you have been doing.”

  “Zoe is an artist. She went to university,” Eva said proudly, and gazed at Zoe. “You should see some of her art—it’s just amazing.”

  “Is that right? Just like your mama.”

  “Eva encouraged me to go to school.” Zoe felt a little shy. “We have a beautiful home in Sydney, and a cat called Ourania.”

  Despina smiled. “I’m so happy for the both of you.”

  “How are you?” Zoe asked as she leaned forward and touched Despina’s hand.

  “Alexi is back.” Despina smiled. “He has seen much and he proudly fought for our motherland. He is the koubaro at Thanasi’s wedding,” she revealed proudly.

  “Koubaro?” Eva turned to Zoe with a questioning look.

  “Best man,” Zoe translated into German, causing Despina’s eyes to widen.

  “Zoe, darling, you speak flawless German!”

  “I wouldn’t say flawless, but Eva has taught me,” Zoe explained stealing a glance at Eva, who was sitting back on the sofa with a very proud look on her face.

  “Mother of God!” Despina exclaimed as she made the sign of the cross and put a hand over her heart. “I never thought I would hear you embrace that language.”

  Zoe shrugged. “Eva has shown me that it’s not about the people, but the Nazis. They were the ones who killed our brothers and sisters and did all those horrible things.”

  “Yes, yes, of course, but I can’t get over the fact of hearing you speak German.”

  “She’s very good,” Eva boasted. “She has a natural flare for languages.”

  Despina smiled. “You are very proud of her.”

  “Very proud.” Eva smiled.

  “Now I will see you both at the wedding? Thanasi has invited everyone, which means all the girls, and I will be cooking at all hours!” Despina chuckled.

  “You will.” Zoe didn’t look at Eva for confirmation.

  Despina got up from the sofa. “Well, I will see you then. How long will you be in Larissa?”

  “We’re not sure.” Zoe glanced at Eva, who was smiling politely. “We will probably be here for just a few days.”

  “Good, I’m sure we will catch up at the wedding. If I don’t see you there, I’ll be chained to George’s ovens with all the food we are making. Come over and say hello to the other girls, alright?” Despina laughed.

  “We will try.”

  “I hear your aunty Stella is in town as well?”

  “Yes.” Zoe nodded. “We saw her last night.”

  “Stella is a crazy woman but I love her,” Despina said as they reached the door. Eva held it open, and Despina kissed Zoe and then Eva on the cheek before walking out.

  Eva stood at the door watching Despina walk away and then sighed.

  “Evy.”

  “Hmm?” Eva turned to find Zoe had found her headscarf and was wearing it around her neck.

  “Must protect myself from the mosquitoes,” Zoe said, which made Eva smile. “Come on, my little mosquito, let’s get out of here before we get more visitors.”

  “Let’s do it quickly. I don’t particularly
like the idea of your uncle Dion or your crazy cousin Maria showing up. Was she always like that?” Eva asked while she donned her cloak.

  “Yes.” Zoe made a face. “Evy, you’re going to be hot in that.”

  “I’m not hot,” Eva answered, turning away to get their bag. “Dion’s wife was quiet.”

  “She suffers from severe melancholy. She is a very nice lady when she is feeling better,” Zoe replied as Eva closed the door.

  Eva and Zoe walked down the path leading off Athena’s Bluff, both lost in their own thoughts. They turned left and away from the town and took the dirt road leading to the cemetery.

  Zoe put her hands in her pockets. She kicked a stone along as she walked, her pace slowing when she came to the village cemetery. She stood there gazing at the wrought iron gates for a moment.

  “Why don’t I stay here while you go and talk to your mama and then I’ll come over?” Eva whispered.

  “Alright.” Zoe nodded. Walking quietly to her mother’s gravesite, she was surprised to see a fresh bouquet of flowers placed near the cross. The weeds had been removed and the gravesite was well cared for. Zoe made a mental note to thank Father Haralambos for the loving gesture. She had once made a passing remark to the priest that the grave was going to be overgrowing with weeds, since there was no one to tend to it. Little did she know that Father Haralambos was going to take care of the grave in her absence.

  “Well, Mama and Papa, I've come home. Well, not really home, because my home is with Eva now, but you know what I mean...” Zoe sat on the ground cross-legged. She plucked a blade of grass and twirled it around her finger absentmindedly. “You would like her. I know you would. She has the same quirky sense of humor as Michael and she’s as tall as Thieri. I think they would have liked her too. I’m sure you know this, but Theo is back. That crazy man. He came to meet us on the train and rode all the way on Hera. He still won’t let me ride her. I wish you were still here.” She choked back the tears. “I told you I wanted to die when I lost you, but Mama, I found a reason to live.”

  Zoe lifted her head at the sound of two birds screeching overhead and took a deep breath. “I want to spend the rest of my life with her, Mama, every day of my life, like you did with Papa. She is loving, so kind and gentle.” Her gaze fell on Eva, who was doing a good job of appearing to be relaxing by toying a rock with her feet. She kept her gaze fixed on Eva until Eva looked up and was caught. Zoe smiled as Eva shyly looked away. “I'm going to bring her over. Eva said that the dead can hear our thoughts, and I'm really hoping that's true, or else I'm talking to a pile of stones.” She shook her head and chuckled softly through her tears. “I know you can hear me and that one day I'm going to see you again, but Mama and Papa, forgive me if I don't want to join you any time soon.”