A Wishing Moon (Moon Magick) Read online

  She had promised to be still, but he felt the little movements begin. Despite her best efforts to be motionless, her hips undulated in small tight circles. “I don’t know if I can stand it, it feels so good.” Arabella keened her delight. Still he licked, nibbled, kissed and massaged her breasts with his tongue and lips, her nipples hardened. At his attention, her breasts swelled and grew proud with the love being lavished on them. Finally, he moved lower, kissing down her narrow waist and over her flaring hips. He pressed his lips on the very edge of her womanhood. Aroused beyond words, her hips lifted slightly, as if offering herself to him in soundless surrender.

  “Climb on top of me now, Bella.” He lay down and pulled himself back on the pillows so his head would be elevated.

  “Okay, you’ll have to tell me what to do.” Unaware of her actions, she touched her own breasts pulling slightly at the nipples.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She straddled his hips, waiting for him to give her further leeway to the wonders to come. “Raise up on your knees, sweetheart.” She did so and he cupped her vagina, massaging the labia and inserting his fingers deep inside her. He thrilled to find she was hot, wet and more than ready for him. Still, this was her first time and he would have died before he ever caused her any pain or discomfort. He continued to move his fingers rhythmically inside of her, and she began to tremble slightly.

  “Jade, please, please put him inside of me.”

  He smiled at the ‘him’. She was the sweetest thing. “Oh love, you’re so responsive, aren’t you?” Even in the throes of passion, he could not help but compare her and Kate—and Kate came up way short. At her request, he took his own member in his hand and gently guided the head in to brush against her canal. In their dreams, this had been thrilling, but the reality rated ten thousand times better, because she was here in his arms and he could move and shout and buck and pleasure this woman to his heart‘s content. His penis probed her heat as she welcomed him into her body. “Now, baby began to lower yourself down and take as much of my shaft as you can stand. If it starts to hurt, tell me to stop. You’re in control now.”

  * * * *

  Arabella took a deep breath and began to lower herself on his huge sex. Initially, her muscles rebelled at the invasion, but gradually they grew accustomed to the new sensations and they began to relax and accommodate his throbbing cock. Joy began to bubble up inside of her. It was happening! She could feel herself stretching, easing down and accommodating more and more of him, until at last her hips settled on his groin and she was filled completely. A sense of power and an uncontrollable desire to move rushed through her.

  He lifted up his hands and she weaved her fingers into his, using them to balance and support, as she began to rotate her hips in small circles. He caught his breath and closed his eyes. Then, she began to slowly rock back and forth, still rotating her hips. She marveled at the pleasure each movement brought. Arabella grew bolder, lifting herself, stroking his shaft from the top to the bottom with her sheath, the interior muscles contracting, grasping and squeezing. She brought his hands to her breasts, offering them as a sacrifice to his roughened fingertips and hungry palms. Over and over again, she slid up and down the thick pole, making sure he was loved to the full measure. Even though this was her first time, his desire, his pleasure and his need were never out of her mind. He threw his head back and the muscles in his neck corded with tension, he began to raise his hips as the heat began to build. Arabella couldn’t be sure, but she thought a volcanic eruption was imminent.

  Closing her eyes—she just enjoyed. It felt amazing! The pleasure, the friction was so perfect she felt this was what she’d been born for—to accept and treasure each stroke and caress. His hands on her nipples pushed her over the edge—she lost herself, slamming down against him repeatedly.

  The velvet caress of her impossibly tight sheath catapulted him into oblivion. He exploded inside her, shooting his seed deep within her womb. The pleasure was relentless as she massaged, convulsed, and clenched him in maddening, white-hot lava. Even after he’d come, her interior muscles kept involuntarily contracting around him, tenderly insuring he felt every ounce of ecstasy that was his to claim. At the very end, she ground her hips into his, allowing the pearl of her clitoris to spasm against the ridge of his pelvic bone.

  Still cherishing him deep within her, she leaned down on him surrendering to his gentle embrace.

  “You are so passionate, precious. Nothing I’ve done in my life has prepared me for you.” His voice caught in his throat when he tried to speak. “Bella, loving you was perfect.” They slept still joined in the most intimate of ways.

  Chapter Eleven

  The time with Detective Garrison had meant more to Elizabeth than she would ever admit. She could tell he was interested in her. Her feelings weren’t so easy to define. Despite her brashness, Elizabeth felt things very deeply. After Tom, she had sworn to never let her heart become so bound to another person. Her husband’s death had been a near fatal blow to her heart. Now she felt torn between the possibility of a new beginning and the safe haven of her present life.

  The time had arrived, however, to read Lyle Sessions’ garment. She held the old shirt in her hands, the closeness of something that had touched his body made her skin crawl. Despite her revulsion, she ran her fingers over the fibers. Then the blinding visions came. She saw Kathy and Lea cowering on the ground at Lyle Sessions’ feet. The crazed man, heaving with excitement, drew back a weapon and began to club Kathy Townsend over the head. Their terrified screams pierced Elizabeth’s heart. After three or four blows, Kathy quit screaming. The little girl cried pitifully ‘Mommy, Mommy, Mommy’ over and over again. The last glimpse of horror Elizabeth gleaned from the killer’s shirt was one final blow to the little girl’s skull. At that moment, she saw the weapon was undeniably, a boat oar drenched in blood.

  Elizabeth shuddered with the confirmation that Lyle Sessions killed their neighbors. Cold chills ran down her back as she remembered Evangeline’s encounter in the woods and the close proximity both of them had to the psycho just yesterday. She dialed Tyler on her cell and he answered after two rings.

  “Detective Garrison.”

  “Tyler, its Elizabeth.”

  “Hey, it’s good to hear your voice. Last night was fun, but next time I’d like to be alone with you.”

  “I think that could be arranged,” she said, worry in her voice.

  “What’s wrong Elizabeth? You don’t seem like your usual smartass self.”

  “I told you last night I took one of Session’s shirts from the clothesline in order to see if I could get any psychic information from it.”

  Tyler let out a long breath. “Yes, I’ve been expecting him to come in and file a complaint on you all morning.”

  “He won’t be that stupid,” She replied emphatically.

  “Why not, did you put a spell on him?” he teased.

  “No, he’s guilty of murder and he won’t risk getting close to you or any police officer.”

  “What did you see, Elizabeth?”

  “I saw Sessions club Kathy and Lea to death with a wooden boat paddle.”

  “Elizabeth, as much as I would like to go over and search every inch of Sessions’ property, I can’t get a warrant based on a vision. I need more.” She could tell by his voice he wanted to act on her revelation, but his hands were tied. She understood.

  “Well, he’s insane. He tortures animals, I found dozens of cat hides nailed to his house and shed. So, I trust he will slip up and give you some concrete reason to search his property. I just hope no one else has to die before that happens.”

  “I know you’re disappointed—but trust me,” Tyler promised her. “I will not let you down.”

  * * * *

  The morning had been so busy Arabella and Jade could not find a moment to be alone. She had slipped out of bed while he was still asleep to get some orders in the mail. Her intentions had been to return to bed and wake him with a tender kis
s, but the physical therapist had called and said she needed to move his appointment up from ten to eight.

  A little later, Arabella received a call from Rachel Townsend. The coroner had finally released the bodies of her family and Rachel had the heartbreaking task of making funeral arrangements. Arabella’s heart bled for her.

  “Let me help you, Rachel.”

  “I don’t even know what to ask for,” Rachel confessed.

  “Let us bring food over for your visiting relatives, and please, let us come over and give your house a good cleaning for you. I know you don’t feel like doing that and it would mean a lot to me to be able to do something for you.”

  The gesture of friendship seemed to touch Rachel and she told her where a key was hidden. She had been staying at her sister’s house in San Antonio, since the investigation began. The house just had too many memories for her to be able to endure staying alone. Kathy’s ex-husband and other relatives would be coming in for the wake and funeral, so the Wimberley house was the logical place for them to stay and it needed sprucing up before they arrived.

  After completing the call, Arabella went to check on Jade. His session with the physical therapist was in full swing and when she walked in, she was overjoyed to find him standing up exercising. When the young woman had arrived, Arabella had been embarrassed helping her move the massage table back to where it would be used. Her name was Lisa, and gratefully, she had not asked any questions. Jade had made wonderful progress. The nerves and muscles were responding well, and each step he took seemed to be easier than the last. Dr. Francois had insisted Jade make an appointment at the hospital, so he could run a full brain scan and properly evaluate the area that had been so severely injured in the fall.

  In a short while, Jade would be well enough to do anything he wanted to. Arabella trusted him implicitly, but she could not help but wonder where she would fit into his life once he regained complete mobility. He had an important and promising career to return to, and his attention would be pulled in many different directions. She hoped the gods would give her strength to realize she would have to share him with many other people.

  Leaving them alone to complete his therapy, Arabella began to gather supplies to take to the Townsend’s to ready the house for its sad task.

  Evangeline found Arabella in the kitchen filling a box with floor cleaner, furniture polish and other supplies. “What are you doing?”

  “I am about to go to the Townsend’s and clean the house in preparation for Kathy and Lea’s funeral.”

  “Oh no, we were all about to drive in to Austin for lunch and I have an appointment with one of the orientation advisers to get a private tour of the campus. Let me try and reschedule so we can go and help you.”

  Arabella could tell Evangeline was certainly willing to change her plans, but she knew this was something her cousin had been looking forward to for years.

  “Absolutely not. I am perfectly capable of cleaning a house on my own. I’ll scoot over there and take care of this and be back by the time you are.”

  “Are you sure?” Evangeline never liked to disappoint her cousin.

  Arabella gave Evangeline a quick hug and kiss. “Yes, go and enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine.”

  When it was time to go to the Townsend’s, Arabella looked for Jade to tell him her plans. She wished he could go with her, but she didn’t know if his wheelchair would fit into the car. She headed toward the sunroom and found a smiling Jade standing up and walking slowly with the help of an aluminum cane. If she hadn’t been afraid of hurting him, she would have thrown herself at him in sheer joy.

  She gasped. “Look at you!”

  “Lisa said I am outdoing myself.” He was obviously pleased.

  “Jade, I am so proud of you.”

  “You alone are responsible for this, Arabella.” He grew serious. “You came to me when I needed you most and you didn’t give up until you rescued me from total despair and worse.”

  The words he said were beautiful, but Arabella developed goose bumps listening to them. She didn’t want his gratitude, she wanted his love. She would accept any affection he offered, but she swore in her heart she would never make any demands on him. He must never feel he owed her anything. Mentally, she shook her head—now wasn’t the time to dwell on her own feelings. The important thing was Jade and his recovery. Putting a smile on her face, she answered him. “I’m just thankful I found you.”

  He noticed the box of cleaning supplies on the floor next to her. “What are you doing?”

  “I have to go to Rachel Townsend’s. I promised her I would give the house a quick cleaning. The funeral arrangements have been made for Kathy and Lea, the relatives will all be coming in and Rachel is in no shape to handle this alone. Tomorrow we will take food over so they won’t have to worry about cooking.”

  “How considerate you are. Can I come along?”

  “Of course,” she readily agreed. “Now that you’re mobile, you are free to do anything your heart desires.”

  His eyes immediately darkened with passion. “What I want to do is take you back to bed, but I’ll settle for watching you clean.”

  Her cheeks flushed. If they were together for seventy years, he would always have the power to bring instant heat to her body. “I will always want you with me. However, you don’t have to go over there. You can stay here and catch up on the news or read, if you’d rather. I am used to being by myself.”

  “You have me now. You don’t ever have to be alone again.”

  Words like that could not go unrewarded. For just a moment, she carefully enfolded him in her arms and pressed a chaste kiss on his cheek. His promise warmed her heart. She prayed he would always feel that way, but she vowed she would never tie him down. When he got strong enough to go back to his world, she would try her best to be glad for him.

  She had helped him into the car, loaded the cleaning supplies and quickly made the short trip to Rachel’s home. When they arrived, she went ahead of him, located the key under a false rock in the flower bed and opened the door. Arabella held her breath as he carefully maneuvered the steps into the house. She didn’t want to be a nuisance, but she had sense enough to know a fall could be devastating. The medical tests were scheduled for the following morning, and she couldn’t wait to hear the results. Perhaps, the news would alleviate much of her worry.

  The kitchen and downstairs living area was where she wanted to begin, so she helped Jade find a comfortable place where he could be near her for most of the time. She turned on Rachel’s television and bent over him for a quick kiss before she began her work. The kiss turned into more than she had originally planned, for he seized the moment and laid claim to her lips. It was so tempting to sink down into the chair with him and indulge herself in his arms, but she playfully pushed him away. “Time for play later, Romeo. I have work to do.”

  He reluctantly let her go and she began her chores. Arabella had never minded cleaning, so she found her rhythm and made good progress.

  Finishing the downstairs, she headed toward the den to inform Jade she was going upstairs to change linens and clean the bathrooms. Her mood had significantly lightened and she looked forward to finishing up here and taking Jade home where they could, hopefully, spend some time alone together before the rest of the family got back from Austin.

  As she stepped into the room, her world crashed around her feet—she couldn’t utter a single word.

  Lyle Sessions stood at one end of the room with a deer rifle pointed at Jade’s head. “You whore witch, I am sick and tired of your meddling, fiendish ways. It’s time you paid for your sins. I’m gonna kill your lover and then I’m gonna kill you.”

  Jade did not blink. “Run, Bella, run,” he commanded her.

  Arabella heard his voice and decided to obey, although not in the way he had meant. Allowing this maniac to kill her love was completely out of the question. Without hesitation, she measured the distance to be covered and obeyed his voice without hesitation. With a
prayer to the gods for strength, speed and safety, she ran. She moved heaven and earth as she covered the endless distance between the point where she had stood in horror, to the place where the shot was passing from Sessions’ rifle to connect with Jade’s body.

  Arabella Landry intercepted the bullet meant for Jade Landale.

  The bullet caught her in the upper back and passed brutally through her body, leaving a large exit wound in the front, over her left breast. The force of the blast threw her at Jade’s feet. She gasped from the red-hot rending pain, and then knew no more.

  * * * *

  Horrified, Jade watched her fall, a seeming fountain of blood seeping into the front of her white sweater, turning the color from snow to crimson.

  Time stood still for Jade and Arabella.

  He instantly fell to his knees and desperately sought to stop the flow of blood with his bare hands, he seemed totally unaware the killer was still in the room with him.

  Lyle Sessions, however, wasn’t through. Although he hadn’t hit the one he aimed at, he had shot the witch. One down, one to go.

  Unbeknownst to either Jade or the killer, Officer Myers had quietly slipped around the house and through the kitchen door. As the old man raised the gun to shoot Jade, the young officer burst into the room and another shot rang out. Sessions grabbed his arm, wounded, and quickly stepped backward from the room, firing shot after errant shot at the police officer. Officer Myers pursued him, but Sessions managed to exit the house and escape into the woods.

  Returning to where the woman lay, Officer Myers placed a 911 call directing an ambulance and police to his location. “He got away.” The young man was breathing hard, obviously shook up. “I was across the street on surveillance. I watched him slip in the back, and I got here as fast as I could. Looks like I wasn’t fast enough.”