Dominic's Nemesis (37 page)

Somehow, she flipped them so that she
straddled him. In some corner of her mind that was still sane she
acknowledged that the feat should have been impossible. He
outweighed her by some pounds. He must have realized it at the same
instant she did because an incredulous looked marred his features.
But she was too deeply snared in the entity
’
s thrall to stop. Her nails raked down the
sides of his torso. A hiss of pleasure followed…or was it pain?

He let out a string of Italian words Eden
could not understand. Guided by the image in her head, she shimmied
down his body until she was upon his engorged appendage. It
beckoned her with the wicked lure of gratification…

For the most part, Dominic kept up with the
vigorous pace of their lovemaking to its lusty orgasmic climax.
Ending with her scream of release.

She was panting like an animal with him still
sheathed inside, her nails embedded in his back. The sweet aroma of
satisfaction wafted between them, both slick with sweat and their
mingled juices. Spent and feeling the first twinge of embarrassment
she could do nothing save for turn her head from his bewildered
expression and bury her face in the counterpane.

“
Forgive
me, Dom. I don
’
t
know what
’
s come over
me.”

Dominic withdrew himself from her body
altogether. Ashamed and disgusted no doubt. She could feel him
staring at her from where he stood beside the bed.

“You
’
re saying that a lot lately.” The words were an
accusation.

She felt his hands halt her as she tried to
curl her trembling body into a ball.

“See what you
’
ve done…to yourself and to me.” His voice sounded
urgent. “Look, dammit! Now, do you want to tell me the entity made
these as well?!”

He caught her chin in a firm grip and forced
her to see the evidence of her haste in removing their clothes.
Thin red welts marred both his torso and her own.

He never expected to have to face his fears.
He planned to avoid all that…love, loss, sorrow, pain…by avoiding
people in general. Instead, here he was, embroiled in a love
affair, betrothed, and seeking the advice of a clergyman. Three
things he swore he
’
d
never do.

“You
’
re cagey.”

Dominic paused, undecided, spectacles clasped
in one hand. His brother
’
s guileless expression confused him for a moment.
Of course…Cael wouldn
’
t
have told Stephan.

“
I
don’
t trust the clergy.” It was why he never attended Sunday
service, preferring instead to commune with the Almighty on his own
terms. Cut out the middleman, so to speak.

“Why not?”

It must seem odd to mistrust a servant of
God. But all who claimed religion were not righteous men. He
remembered another sort of religious group. Spiritualists. They
believed in communing with spirits, incantations, mediums, séances
and all manner of sacrilegious practices.

“I
’
ve known one too many priests.” He left it at that
and turned back to begin pacing again. Where the bloody hell was
the cleric anyway? They
’
d been squatting in the rectory for nearly an hour.
Supposing he
’
d come with
the notion to confess his sins? He would certainly have given up
and returned to his wicked ways by now.

“You know, Dom, we could forget the cleric in
favor of a ship’s captain or perhaps—”

“Gentlemen. I am Reverend Martin.” The cleric
came bounding through at set of double doors behind them. He
quickly waived their attempts to stand. “Oh, no, no please stay
seated.”

Dominic half-expected a sinister old codger
with gnarled fingers and a dodgy manner. The reverend was neither.
The man who emerged from the parlor
’
s entranceway was of middling age and only average
height. He greeted them with a genuine smile and a firm handshake,
shifting the leather-bound bible to the opposite hand to do so. If
he noticed Dominic
’
s odd
eyes he did not give away as much.

“I am Dominic Ambrosi and this is my brother
Stephan.”

The robed and collared cleric took a seat
opposite them on a once stylish divan just starting to show its
age. “Ah, yes, Conte Ambrosi, you reside at the Duke and
Duchess
’
s old
estate.”

“That I do. Rev. Martin, we
’
ve come to seek your counsel and to beg a
favor.”

“Forgive me for saying, but I did not think
you a religious man, as I
’
ve never seen you at services.”

“I am a believer but I prefer to commune with
God on my own terms. That being said, I find that my latest
endeavor will require your…Eh, input.”

“Certainly, if it is in my power to help, I
will. What is it you require me to do?”

“Marry me.”

“Oh…”. The reverend’s eyes grew wide, as he
smiled. “I did not realize you were affianced.”

“Yes, well, I
have
only recently become betrothed to a certain
lady and would like you to perform the nuptials. My bride-to-be
wants a traditional sort of ceremony, and I am dedicated to her
happiness.”

“I usually require a counseling session
before marrying couples that I am not previously acquainted with.”
He cleared his throat, and Dom found himself on the business end of
a stern Father-son expression. “Just for the purposes of relaying
the seriousness of the marriage vows and evaluating the
couple
’
s maturity and
commitment to a lifelong bond. God has appointed me as spiritual
guide over a portion of his flock. I would be remiss if I did not
take some responsibility for their future happiness in such an
important step. If you are in agreement and I find no obvious nor
grievous impediment to the match then I would be most delighted to
put the two of you together. When did you wish the ceremony to take
place, next spring?”

“As soon as possible, in fact, as soon as it
can be arranged. I
will
be leaving directly to obtain a special license.” Dom cringed
inwardly. He knew his coming words were presumptive and
condescending, but there was no polite way to say it. He might as
well clear the air as to his intentions. “Understand me, I would
prefer your cooperation, but we will be married whether you deem us
appropriate or not. There has been some…hint of impropriety on my
part. I am a private man by nature, which has made me the target of
idle chatter. Though, the rumors are not altogether untrue…I have
over-stepped. Nevertheless, I want the allegations hushed before
general gossip begins to circulate and her reputation ends in
shreds. She is…precious to me…my Eden. I
’
ll not have her branded as a tarnished
Lady dragging the cad responsible for her ruin to the altar kicking
and screaming.”

The reverend was all smiles. “Well said,
Conte Ambrosi. And I believe, under the circumstances, you have the
right of it. A speedy ceremony is best. Barring our counseling
session, is two weeks ample time to complete the preparations?”

Dominic relaxed, vastly relieved. “Yes.”

“Now then, what
’
s this other matter on which you seek my
counsel?”

Stephan cleared his throat. “I have a friend
who is considering marriage…to a woman who is not altogether
suitable in the eyes of his family. There is some question of her
mental facilities being unsound. You see, the young woman claims to
be the victim of an evil spirit of some sort. From my observation,
she does not appear unsound. In short, I believe her claim. My
friend is skeptical. He asked my opinion. Now, I am asking yours.
Do you think it is possible she is telling the truth?”

Rev. Martin reached for the bible
he
’
d sat to the side,
flipping to various scriptures. “There are many documented
instances of spirits with the ability to possess unwitting folks.
Luke six, seventeen through nineteen speaks of Jesus healing
demon-possessed persons. Matthew chapter twenty-eight, Jesus sends
a herd of demons from two men into a herd of pigs. In the gospel of
Mark, Jesus heals a lunatic by driving out a demon from him.” He
closed the book with a slap. “Can I tell you definitely whether the
young lady is afflicted by a demonic spirit, no. But, the
possibility
does
exist. It would be a mistake for your
friend to dismiss it out of hand. I would offer my direct
assistance, but I sense the situation is such that extreme
discretion is preferred?”

Stephan nodded.

“In that case, let me acquaint you with some
relevant scriptures, in addition to the ones I have already
mentioned that would help you to identify a probable demonic
possession.” The reverend shifted the bible over in favor of his
quill and ink well, situated on the table behind the divan on which
he sat. When he
’
d
finished writing, he turned back around and handed the brothers the
list.

“Tell your friend to watch the young lady
carefully. If she exhibits behaviors akin to what is described in
the scriptures, then, I would say you have a problem on your
hands.”

Eden twisted her hand this way and that,
still mesmerized by the size and splendor of the glinting topaz
affixed on her ring finger. She thought he would take back his
proposal, given her strange behavior. Instead he
’
d surprised her with the beautiful ring
and expressed his wish to wed her as soon as possible. He was being
so particular about the ceremony. Instructing Kathleen to procure
her a special dress from the village, purchasing rings and even
demanding that the entire household attend.

They
were
watching her, of course. Always one of the
brothers, Kathleen or Nell hovered about, monitoring everything she
did. She felt like a sideshow freak. The fact that neither Dominic
nor Stephan brought up the matter of the entity made her even more
nervous. She tried to bring up the subject, to explain what the
entity had caused her to do. No one refuted her. In fact, Dom
continually assured her that she was safe, that everything was
fine, and no one was plotting to have her committed.

So then, why, two days later, did she find
herself closed off in the library with his mind-bending brother,
anxious to pick her apart? She dropped her hand in her lap to
tangle within the folds of her skirt. Obviously he was back to
thinking her crazy. Damn him for making her love him so much that
even the tiniest lack of faith on his part could pain her so.

She
’
d have to be more careful. Guard her mind, make
certain her thoughts were a fortress the entity could not
penetrate. She could ill afford to let the thing rule her again or
every tiny bit of trust she managed to cultivate would be lost. She
was safe for the time being…but Dominic would not go ahead with the
marriage if he believed her to be insane.

“Eden…that is, may I call you
‘Eden
’
?”

The masculine voice jolted her out of her
thoughts. “Yes, please.”

“And you must call me ‘Cael
’
.” He stretched his legs out cattycorner
her in one of the library
’
s high-backed chairs. “Now then, first, I want to
put your mind at ease. I do not think that you
’
re insane. However, I do believe there is
a puzzle to be solved.”

“Is that what Dominic thinks too?”

“As a matter of fact it is. He and Stephan
are on a fact-finding expedition to discover an alternative
explanation for whatever it is that
’
s troubling you.”

Relief came fast and strong. She
’
d been plagued with a sense of
dread…like something was brewing ever since the morning
she
’
d awoken and Dominic
had declared flat out that she wasn
’
t well. She worried that perhaps the “marriage” was
just a sham to keep her placated whilst they made…other
“
arrangem
ents” for
her.

“That
’
s what this session is about? I thought…” She let
the words trail off.

“No, my dear.”

“But what other explanation could there
possibly be?”

“That
’
s what I aim to discover. What I need from you is a
detailed recount of every incident beginning with the day I rescued
you from the pond. Leave nothing out, anything you can remember.
Oh, and I must also ask you to surrender any sketches that you made
which might be of interest.”

She lowered her eyes to her lap, staring
fixedly at the shimmering topaz once again. “Has Stephan already
mentioned the incident at the table turning and the images in the
mirror?” Eden imagined Atherton
’
s amber gaze was transfixed and glowing with
curiosity. His eyes, like Stephan
’
s, took on a certain sparkle when his interest was
stirred. “No, he hasn
’
t.
Let us start there, shall we.”

* * *

Dominic stepped off the astral and into the
downstairs study with Stephan in tow. The added strain of
piggybacking had him lowering himself into the nearest chair.
Stephan took up his usual vigil at the hearth, amber fixed on the
licking flames.

“Yours is an amazing gift, Dominic.” He
continued to stare at the fire as he spoke. “Tell me, have you ever
seen anything other than human souls? Assuming you could sense
something unnatural.”

The question hovered in the air between them,
triggering his memory. He thought of his recent time in Italy, and
the odd appendage-like protrusion he
’
d observed in both Gideon and Gabriel
’
s essence. The anomaly did not
have a human counterpart. Muse was not human, possessed no soul and
yet…no. The idea was too farfetched. “I…No.”