To Be Unbroken

by Stein Willard

  “I do not know. She is a little too soft to be any descendant of Anima. Indeed she looks like Anima, but it takes more than appearance for me to fall for a woman.”

  Mara smiled at hearing that familiar remark. Throughout the centuries Maxima had protected and raised her descendants. One thing that stayed constant was Maxima’s sense of honor. Mara read about it in the diaries of her ancestors and as a teenager sat through one of Maxima’s life skills sessions. Maxima believed in true love and self-dignity. She made them promise never to settle for second best. As a result a great number of the Bells female ancestors died as spinsters.

  Maxima, too, would never settle for second best. If this young woman was indeed the closest reincarnation of Maxima’s soul mate, the world would be witness to a love such as never been seen before. All through the ages, many of Anima’s descendants had been considered and tested by Maxima. There were a few whose physical resemblance to Anima was uncanny, but still Maxima had turned them away in her search for the soul of the woman who stole her heart all those centuries ago.

  “I pray I’m still alive the day when you meet your true mate, Maxima. Thanks to you I waited for Josh to sweep me off my feet. I found love with him and have a wonderful daughter to show for it.” Mara stroked Maxima’s cheek. “It’s time for you to find happiness once again.”

  The blue eyes so like her own and Andra’s darkened. “I will not stop looking for her. She promised to love me forever and for her to do so she has to come back to me.”

  Mara gave Maxima a tight squeeze and let her go. “That is so romantic. Now go find Andra so you can go stalk this girl.”

  Maxima grinned at her before leaving the room. Mara watched her leave and crossed her fingers. Please, Lord, let Maxima’s search never be in vain.

  ***

  Sara was drunk and it felt great. She experienced true freedom for the first time in a very long time. The last time she’d been plastered like this was two years ago, when she caught Merle cheating on her. She had forgotten how liberating it was to just not care. Dressed in only her panties and a t-shirt, she sat on her couch, a bottle of wine in her hand, and the TV tuned to a wrestling program. Every now and then she would jump off the couch and cheer for the underdogs. She loved underdogs, because they reminded her of herself, especially tonight.

  When she arrived home from the restaurant, she’d felt so angry and depressed. Angry, because she’d allowed her mother to push her into this date, as well as angry at the blonde bimbo. Her depression only started when she opened the door to her luxurious penthouse loft. There was no one to call out to, no one to come toward her offering a welcoming kiss. She would spend the night alone with her anger.

  She heard a loud cheer coming from the TV and jumped up cheering along. She brought the bottle to her lips and took a long drink. As she pulled the bottle away from her lips, there was a knock on the door. She froze and looked down at her attire and back at the door. In the end she decided to answer the door. She peeped through the peephole. Her eyes widened when she saw who stood in the hallway. Once again she debated whether or not to get dressed. She shrugged and opened the door.

  ***

  Andra blinked in shock as she looked at Sara. She wondered if maybe she should make a quick excuse and leave. But Sara gave her a bright smile and stepped aside.

  “Hi,” the younger woman greeted her brightly, obviously not concerned about the fact that she had just opened the door in her underwear, clutching a bottle of wine in her hand.

  “Uh…hi, Sara. Did I come at a bad time?” She was trying hard not to let her eyes travel down the woman’s body. She was married and madly in love with her wife, but a half-naked woman was bound to draw her attention, especially one that favored her wife in looks.

  “No, please, come in. Here,” Sara said as she pushed the bottle into her hands. “I’ll go get dressed. Make yourself at home.”

  As Sara walked away, leaving her standing in the doorway, Andra couldn’t help but look at the woman’s firm body. She turned to see where Maxima was and blushed when the warrior stood right behind her, looking from Sara’s retreating body back to her. The dark brows were arched.

  “I wonder what Claire would have to say about this?” she noted dryly, making Andra’s eyes widen in alarm.

  “You wouldn’t dare. I did nothing wrong.” She saw the blue eyes twinkle. “Anyway Claire trusts me completely and she knows I would never do anything so stupid to jeopardize our marriage.”

  Maxima shrugged and pushed her into the house. “Calm down, Andra. The woman has a nice body. She caught my eye too.”

  Maxima closed the door behind her as Andra shook the bottle to gauge the amount that was left. She scowled. The bottle was almost empty. No wonder Sara was answering her door in her underwear. She glanced around the place and nodded her head appreciatively. The woman had great taste. Had Claire been here she would’ve already been looking around, touching stuff. Her wife’s favorite hobby was interior designing. She lost count of how many times she’d redone their bathroom.

  Footsteps came down the hallway and Sara appeared. This time she was dressed in white drawstring pants, but her feet were still bare. Andra saw the confusion in her eyes as she saw Maxima.

  “Sara, I would like you to meet my cousin…Mackenzie.” She heard Maxima growl softly behind her. “She’s here for a short stopover and is flying back to Greece tomorrow.” She turned to Maxima and found her staring intently at Sara. “Mac is an archeologist and specializes in Ancient Greek history.”

  Andra saw that Sara was still a little wobbly on her legs from the alcohol, but she stepped forward to shake Maxima’s hand. Andra watched them carefully, making sure that she wouldn’t miss any telltale sign of recognition between them. She remembered twelve years ago when she first met Claire. It was love at first sight and Andra had never felt so scared when she had to introduce Maxima to the beautiful blonde.

  Claire was one of Anima’s descendants and Andra knew that if Claire were indeed carrying Anima’s reincarnated soul, the blonde would be off limits to her. When Claire and Maxima shook hands for the first time, Andra was so nervous that she’d closed her eyes, scared of what she might see happening between the two. When she opened her eyes after a few tense seconds, it was to find both Maxima and Claire staring at her with puzzled expressions. When Maxima shrugged, a sign that Claire wasn’t the one, Andra’s relief was so great, that she immediately gathered Claire in a hug, shocking the shy archeology professor. As they stood there, Andra holding Claire close to her and Claire standing ramrod stiff in her arms, something significant happened. A bolt of electricity shot through them both, causing them both to jump apart. That was a defining moment in Andra’s life, to have found her soul mate at the tender age of twenty-three. Luckily it hadn’t taken too long to persuade the slightly older Claire to date her. Seven months later they stood before friends and family binding themselves to each other. Nineteen blissful years later, they still felt like they were newlyweds.

  This time as she watched Maxima and Sara’s hands touch all she felt was curiosity. Claire was at home, probably pouring over essays. Maxima shrugged and stepped away from Sara. The blonde looked from Andra to Maxima and smiled.

  “You look amazingly alike. I must say that the Bells have great genes,” Sara said with an impish smile, her gaze resting on Maxima. “Would you like anything to drink? I can do with a cup of coffee, obviously.”

  Andra smiled at Sara. “I would like some too. How about you?” When Maxima didn’t answer, Andra looked at Maxima. The warrior’s eyes were riveted on Sara. “Maxima? Coffee?”

  “Yes, I would like some coffee. Would you like me to help you with that, Sara?”

  CHAPTER 4

  Since returning to the room and seeing the taller brunette standing there with Andra, Sara couldn’t keep her eyes off her. The woman was taller than Andra, but they looked so alike that it would be easy to mistake them for twins. At the touch of the woman’s hand, she’d felt a rush
of liquid towards her nether region. Waving the woman’s offer away, she walked into the kitchen on shaky legs. After measuring the coffee and water, she switched on the coffee machine. Turning around she gasped, shocked, to find Mac standing behind her. She was so close that Sara could feel the heat of her body. The woman was tall, really tall up close. Clearing her throat slowly, Sara tried to step around Mac, but she was held captive by the intense pale gaze.

  “Are you all right?” Mac asked in her low voice.

  “Yes, I just need a cup of coffee and then I should be fine.”

  Mac slowly stepped back allowing Sara to walk around her to the cupboard where she took out three mugs. She kept herself busy placing the mugs on a tray, hoping for the intoxicating woman to leave the kitchen. When she didn’t hear any movement behind her, she threw a nervous glance over her shoulder. The blue eyes moved up from where they had been studying her ass. Sara swallowed hard.

  “How…how do you like your coffee?”

  “Sweet,” came the husky reply and Sara wondered if they were still talking about the coffee.

  She quickly turned back and pulled out the sugar and milk. Acutely aware of the other woman’s eyes on her, she accidently pushed the sugar container over. A large, tanned hand reached out and took her hand in hers.

  “Sit down and let me clean it up for you.”

  Sara shuddered at the touch and without a word stepped away. She watched in mute fascination as Mac cleaned up the spilled sugar. She had been in the presence of very attractive women before. Hell, she even managed to keep herself from falling apart in Andra’s presence. What is it about this woman that makes me feel like a blushing teenager? Her eyes raked over the broad shoulders encased in black leather and she bit her lower lip. Mac looked so comfortable in leather or was it that leather looked so comfortable on her? She was so busy studying the woman that she wasn’t even aware that Mac had turned to look at her. When she sensed the woman’s quiet regard, she blushed and pointed at the coffee machine.

  “It will still take a few minutes.” Her voice sounded breathy even to her own ears and she cleared her voice again. “Andra is probably wondering what happened to us.”

  Mac nodded, but didn’t move an inch. Sara felt her stomach churn as the powerfully-built brunette kept staring at her. She slowly averted her eyes, scared of falling into those mesmerizing eyes.

  “I want to ask you something.”

  Sara’s head jerked up at the question. “Yes?”

  Mac cocked her head to the side. “Andra tells me you are fascinated by Maxima. Why?”

  Sara sighed softly, relieved that the question wasn’t one she wouldn’t have known how to answer. “The myth surrounding Maxima is fascinating and in a way it gives her a lifelike quality.” She felt herself blush. “Since I’ve seen the statue, I personally have a difficult time thinking of her as such.”

  Mac smiled at that and Sara stiffened when Mac came closer. It was difficult for her to think straight with the woman in the room, but it was impossible to think at all with her so close.

  “What makes you think Maxima is simply a myth?” The question was asked with so much doubt that Sara scowled. She had no concrete answer to the question.

  “As a descendant of Maxima, you might have more in-depth knowledge of Maxima’s fate which makes you feel or even know otherwise.” She watched the blue eyes darken slightly. “Maybe it’s because I never really had any reason to believe that there was more to this world I live in than what I can see, hear, smell, and touch.” Sara studied Mac closely. There was something rather familiar about her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “Tell me why you think it’s not a myth.”

  “Because I know that it is not a myth. I have read about Maxima since I was a small child. We have diaries of our ancestors who stated that Maxima indeed was human once and that she is being held captive by a sorcerer’s curse.” Mac reached out a hand and Sara’s breath caught as a rough fingertip brushed over her cheek. “Believe me, Green Eyes, there is more to this world than what the human eye can see.”

  Sara felt her skin burn where Mac had touched her. Mac had called her ‘Green Eyes’ and the way her voice had dropped a register made Sara shiver gently.

  “Most people I ask always mention her physical attributes. Why not you?”

  Sara smiled weakly. She wondered what Mackenzie would say if she knew how turned on she was simply by the sight of Maxima. Strange, but Mac had the same reaction on her. The butterflies in her stomach and the weakness in her legs are exactly the same feelings she experienced when she stood before Maxima’s statue. “Andra filled me in on the myth…uh…I mean Maxima’s story before I’d seen her. I must admit that I was captivated by their ill-fated love and the rumor that only true love can break the spell.” The coffee machine stopped and Sara walked over to the counter to fill the mugs. “We both know how difficult it is to find our true soul mates in life. I can’t help but feel sorry for Maxima.”

  “Why?”

  Sara turned to look at Mac. The dark woman had a small frown between her eyes. “Can you imagine being cast in stone, immobile for all eternity, and still expected to find your true mate to break the curse. It doesn’t make sense to me.” She turned back to arrange the mugs on the tray. “How can a statue go around searching for love?”

  “It is possible.”

  At hearing that, Sara chuckled softly. “I must reiterate that as descendants you must be in possession of powerful knowledge regarding Maxima. For the life of me, I can’t imagine that being possible.” She threw a glance over her shoulder and shrieked when she found Mac standing very close to her. Two large hands fell on her shoulders and turned her to face the tall brunette.

  “I promise you that it is very possible.” The dark head lowered and Sara whimpered softly as the blue eyes came closer and closer until they filled her whole view. Holy cow, she is going to kiss me, Sara thought frantically, before Mac’s lips slanted over hers.

  ***

  Andra was dying of curiosity where she sat on the sofa. More than ten minutes had elapsed since Maxima had followed Sara into the kitchen. She wanted to follow her initially, but something had told her to let the two alone for a while. There was no outward sign of any familiarity when Maxima and Sara touched earlier, but she was puzzled by the look in Maxima’s eyes when she’d looked at Sara. She looked at her watch. Fifteen minutes. What are they doing in there? She slowly came to her feet. She could hear them talking in the kitchen earlier, but now there was just silence. She made her way over to the kitchen.

  She blinked at the sight before her. “Oh my!”

  Maxima had Sara pressed up against the fridge, her large hand caught in the blonde locks as she devoured the smaller woman’s mouth. For a moment she was filled with alarm. Is Maxima forcing herself on Sara? From where she stood it did look that way to her. Maxima’s large body almost swallowed that of the slender blonde. She took a quick step closer and was just about to touch Maxima’s shoulder when a soft groan made her hand stop mid-air. Was that Sara? She didn’t have to wonder for long, because a small hand slipped down Maxima’s side and came to rest on the warrior’s ass, kneading it urgently.

  Andra took a quick step back, but remembered that Sara was drunk and probably not aware of what was happening. She reached out and grabbed Maxima’s elbow. With all the strength she could master, she pulled the warrior from the now whimpering blonde. She blushed when their lips parted with an audible smack, but still Maxima didn’t budge.

  “Max…” She caught herself just in time. “Mac, you have to let her go.”

  The dark head was still bent towards the blonde’s lips. “Why?”

  Andra’s eyes widened at the shakiness of Maxima’s voice. Usually the warrior sounded so confident that it almost bordered on arrogant. To hear Maxima so affected by a kiss, baffled Andra.

  “She’s been drinking and you’re taking advantage of her.”

  If there was something Maxima prided herself on, it was her sense
of honor. Andra saw Maxima’s shoulders slump as she reluctantly lowered Sara to her feet. She quickly stepped between the two heaving women. What the hell happened in here? Sara’s cheeks were flushed as she stood there looking at Maxima, her bosom heaving and with pure lust in her eyes. Maxima’s eyes were almost white with emotion as she looked at the blonde like a hungry wolf eying a rabbit. Shaking her head slowly, Andra took Sara’s hand and pulled her away from the lusty warrior. She reached for a mug and pushed it into the blonde’s hands.

  “Here,” she said as she let her eyes move over the blonde. What did Sara do to cause Maxima to act so out of character? She handed a mug to Maxima and blinked again when the warrior reached out a shaky hand to accept the mug. She took a sip from her own mug as she studied the silent duo.

  “OK, what happened?” she asked and slammed her mug on the table. “You came in here to make coffee and I find you two…” She threw her hands up. “I think we need to go, Mac.”

  The dark head turned her way. “Why?”

  “Because it’s getting late.” She needed to get Maxima away from here where she could talk to the woman without the sexual tension crackling around the two.

  Sara lowered her mug from where she had it pressed to her lips as she stared at Maxima. “I don’t want Mac to go.”

  Andra’s eyebrows shot up as she scowled at Sara. Maxima, on the other hand, smiled broadly. Andra swore she had never seen the warrior’s face lit up like that. She thought about the conversation she had yesterday with Claire. Maybe Maxima was in great need of getting laid. Hell, the warrior looked more than eager.

  “Look, I know you are both adults, but I don’t think this is a good idea.” She saw Maxima open her mouth and quickly interrupted. “So help me if you ask me why again, Mac. . .”

  Maxima frowned and looked away. Andra shook her head again, this time in disbelief. How could a level-headed, honor-bound, two-thousand seven-hundred-year-old warrior be reduced to…to a one-worded, hormonal teenager by a simple kiss? She looked hard at Maxima who tried her best to avoid making eye contact. Could Maxima be hiding something?