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Chapter 14
The first thing that came to me when I opened my eyes was the fact that I was snuggled beneath a down comforter while lying in a soft bed and warm from head to toe.
“Where am I?” I heard a slightly familiar voice say.
After a moment of silence and a few seconds of concentration, I realized that the voice was mine. It was strained and hoarse from almost freezing to death. Or, perhaps it was the result of being forced to breathe the putrid air of the hell dimension that I was whisked off to by Marduke.
“You’re home, my sweet Esmerelda,” Killian said with a soft and gentle voice. “We found you wandering Tillman’s property.”
“Where is Nora?” Roger asked from across the room. “We went looking, but she’s nowhere to be found. What happened to her?”
“What happened to both of you?” Killian asked. “We were worried sick. Di
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Doctor Jeffrey Goodman was a comely man in his late thirties. His smile consisted of slender lips beneath a platinum mustache that matched his well-groomed platinum hair and slightly imperfect, pearly white teeth. It was so warm and friendly that I found it infectious.Grey, twinkling eyes that sat in just the right position on either side of a nose that could only be described as the perfect size and shape for his strong jaw and ruddy, high cheekbones assessed me from a few feet away. “So, Miss Sleuth, I understand that you’ve had quite an adventure.”“Esmerelda,” I said, softly. “Call me Esmerelda.”He nodded. “Alright. Esmerelda, can you tell me a bit about what happened?”I hesitated going into detail with someone in the medical profession. It was such a crazy story. What if he thought me just that? What if he thought me crazy? Sure, he was a me
Esmerelda Sleuth: Beyond the Portal (Book 3) Chapter 16
I was sound asleep when Killian eased his body next to me on my bed. I was on the alert the moment I felt his weight shift the mattress.Adrenaline flooded my system as I bellowed, “Get out, Jason! How did you get free?”“It’s me,” he whispered as he gently laid his hand on my shoulder. “It’s Killian.”I instantly relaxed and rolled to face him. There was just enough moonlight coming through the window to show me the outline of his beautiful face.“What are you doing?” I whispered back.“I need to hold you,” he admitted.I snuggled into him. He smelled fresh and clean.“You showered,” I hummed into his chest.“Only for you, baby,” he teased.“You should have waited for me,” I teased back.“Oh, if that was the case, my love, I would gladly get back in,” he said
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I felt even worse the following day. So bad, in fact, that Jeffrey was called back to check on me.“From what I can see,” he said to Killian as they stood on the opposite side of the room and in a voice that I doubted he’d expected me to hear, “you syphoned every drop of magic from her shine. She’s completely depleted.”“How can that be?” Killian asked with concern. “I projected it toward her. She should have gotten a goodly supply from me.”Jeffrey looked at me with creased brow. “Something’s not right.”“Do you think they did something to her when she was beyond the portal?” Killian asked.“That’s a pretty nasty place,” Jeffrey replied. “I’ve only met one other person who went there and survived.”I sucked in air at his comment, but stayed silent. I wasn’t ready for th
Esmerelda Sleuth: Beyond the Portal (Book 3) Chapter 18
It took two days for my shine to replenish and my strength to come back. Jeffrey said that it was remarkably fast. He’d expected me to be in bed for a few weeks, not a few days. He wasn’t sure if it was my magical genetics or the remedy that he’d finally had the opportunity to use that did the trick. Perhaps it was both.Killian was called on a case, but he made sure that someone was with me in the house at all times. More often than not, it was a woman named Gail Simone.A trusted member of the society, Gail had a way about her that made her conscientious of my wellbeing and good company during times when I really needed it. She was about a decade older than me, but managed to hold off the ravages of time so that she looked to be around my age. Her shiny raven hair framed her pale, oval face as it hung sleekly over her slender shoulders. Her nose was long, narrow, and in perfect proportion to her pixie-
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We said nothing after we’d finished making love. Whether it was because we were both breathless or whether he was just as much in awe over the intensity of our sex as I was, I didn’t know.He sat in silence while I dressed and put on my makeup. I occasionally glanced at him through the mirror to find his look intense and studying.“What are you watching me so closely for?” I finally asked.“We didn’t use protection,” he mumbled.“Should I be worried?” I asked with concern.“About disease or pregnancy?” he asked.“I’m on the pill,” I offered.“I was recently tested,” he said with surety. “I can show you the results if you want.”“I trust you,” I said with a hint of relief. “I liked it without the condom. I vote we keep it that way.” Then, after a brief
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I spent the following week learning what I could about magic from both Gail and Killian. Jeffrey visited a few times and offered some tidbits to enhance the tricks and spells that I’d already learned, but, for the most part, he simply annoyed me with his nagging suggestion that we should utilize Jason’s skills to get Nora back.I, on the other hand, stubbornly held out for news from Anton while I focused on honing my newfound skills to optimum.I was getting good at creating fireballs. My ability to throw them with accuracy was still wanting, but I felt confident none-the-less. I was also becoming adept at teleportation on a local level. It wasn’t astral projecting. That’s when the physical body stayed behind. My physical body actually went with me. Both Killian and Gail felt it was the wiser move, since someone could tamper with my body if I left it behind. I could return to a body that was severely dam
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For the next few days, we incorporated telepathy and psychic impressions into my training. Both Killian and I were accustomed to – and appreciated- a certain amount of structure in our routine. Because of this, we’d set a time and date for our rescue mission to begin. With a deadline in sight for the use of my skills, it gave me a stronger determination to focus on what I was learning and how well I was learning it.By the time we were ready to travel through the portal in search of Nora, I had to admit that I felt a little like a super woman. I could pull the particles of energy that were all around us out of the atmosphere and use them to create a decent electric ball that radiated so much energy as to become fire. Hence, it was called a fireball. I’d even built up the strength in my arms so that I was able to achieve a decent distance when throwing it.I had the ability to make myself invisible if the need arose.
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Gail pushed away the plate of pasta that she’d devoured with such gusto that one would think that she was the one who’d just finished three hours of grueling physical and mental training instead of me. “I want to go with you on your mission.”Killian shook his head. “It’s too much to ask of Esmerelda and me. It will take all of the magic and strength that we have to stand up against Marduke and his minions. We can’t be using any of it on things like protecting you.” Seeing the hurt look on her face, he added, “It’s nothing personal. If we were stronger, I’d gladly let you come alone.”“I’m not as weak as you make it sound,” she pouted. “In fact, I’m the one who taught a good deal of what Esmerelda knows to her. I can hold my own.”“Indeed you can,” I said with a nod. I looked at Killian with
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