ZenithRising (4 page)

As soon as they were beyond the maze of tropical plants,
Noah took her hand and it felt much too nice to object. He seemed to know where
he was going and it was comfortable to let him lead. She reminded herself this
was an assignment but it didn’t make a difference. It felt more like a dream or
a fairy tale. Whatever it was, she hadn’t felt this relaxed or worry-free in a
very, very long time. She knew the job, and probably their reunion, was only
temporary, but for as long as it lasted, she decided it would be crazy not to
make the most of every minute.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Noah said with a curious look.

“Oh, they’re worth a lot more than that,” she said in a
teasing tone. “But they’re still in the ‘idea phase’ so you’ll just have to
wait until they’re fully developed to hear them.”

“I’ll look forward to that.” His grin suggested he already
knew he was going to like whatever it was she was thinking about.

The moment they stepped outside, a gust of chilly wind blew
stinging sand in their faces and they stopped in their tracks.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all,” Noah said,
shielding his eyes.

“Darn. It didn’t look windy a minute ago. And the moon is so
bright, I thought it would be quite inspiring to start your walk-around.”

He drew her back inside. “Tomorrow night the moon will be
completely full. The energy will be even better.”

“Another superstition to aid your search for all things
spooky?”

He made a face at her. “It’s not all superstition. The moon
has a very real gravitational effect on Earth and its inhabitants, even the
ones who seem completely…
normal
.” He ended the sentence by running his
fingers up and down her spine.

It made her shiver and giggle at the same time. “Don’t tell
me, one of my tasks will be to chain you to your bed tomorrow night and make
sure you can’t get loose to wreak havoc on the poor townspeople.”

He pulled her close with one arm around her waist and leaned
down to whisper in her ear. “If you chain me to the bed I can guarantee I won’t
be thinking about the poor townspeople or anybody else. The only one who’ll
have to worry about me is you.” His tongue traced the edge of her ear then he
nipped the lobe.

As his lips moved down the side of her neck, her head tipped
back to give him free access. Every peck and nibble from her ear to her
collarbone felt like a spark of electricity. Unable to tell whether she wanted
more or less, she clung to his shoulders and let the sensation build. When his
mouth crashed down on hers, she arched her body fully into his. She wasn’t
surprised to feel his cock so ready, big and hard. Not when her cunt was so wet
and aching to be filled.

His hands grasped her ass as his thighs parted and he
pressed her closer to where she wanted to be.

Then a sharp bark of laughter jerked her back from the edge
of oblivion.

The laugh had actually come from a distance away and had not
been at their expense but it caused her cheeks to flame in embarrassment
nonetheless. She forced herself to relax and take a small step back rather than
leaping to the other side of the hallway. “We obviously have a bit of a control
problem,” she offered with a crooked smile.

A low groan started in his chest and slowly made its way out
of his mouth as a heavy exhalation. He accompanied it with a quick hug and kiss
on her forehead. “That’s putting it mildly.” He stopped her from moving away.
“Do me a favor and just stand here for a minute while I think about something
really boring.”

She felt her face flush again but tried to think of a way to
help. “Hey, did you know the glass domes were designed to withstand
hurricanes?”

That made him chuckle. “Yes, I heard the bellhop’s speech.
But did
you
know this little island was never shown on any maps until
Robert Davenport
accidentally
discovered it when he was out sailing and
got blown off-course?”

“I thought you didn’t want to know a lot of facts in
advance.”

He took a deep breath as desire faded from his eyes. “I read
that somewhere a while back and it stuck with me. How could an island one mile
off the coast never be charted until the twentieth century?”

“So it wasn’t just the ghost stories that made you choose
this particular hotel.”

He winked at her. “It was a lot of things.” He tucked her
arm through the crook of his elbow and started back toward the lobby. “Since
Mother Nature doesn’t want us outside tonight, let’s go check out the Amethyst
Cave.”

“Isn’t that a martini bar? I’m not much of a drinker…despite
recent evidence to the contrary.”

He smiled and patted her hand. “You don’t need to have
anything alcoholic. I just figured we should check it out…rather than go back
to the room just yet.”

“Oh,” she said as his meaning got through. “Good idea.”

They weren’t disappointed. Enormous blocks of ice served as
a bar and shelving for an extensive display of vodka and martini mixes. The
tables and chairs also looked like carved ice sculptures, though Maggie quickly
discovered they were actually made of Lucite. What was most amazing, however,
was the collection of giant quartz crystal formations and huge rock geodes
split in half to reveal rich amethyst cores. They appeared to be placed
randomly throughout the room.

She watched a woman walk up to one of the taller crystal
spikes and hold her hands up, palms toward the stone. “What’s she doing?” she
murmured to Noah.

“Feeling its energy. Maybe sharing it. Or trying to draw
some if it into herself. Try it. Then tell me what you feel.”

Maggie glanced around. No one seemed to be paying attention
to the woman so she decided to do as Noah suggested. One of the rocks seemed to
house a darker purple cluster than the rest and she walked over to it. She
stopped a few feet away and held her hands out in front of her. She felt
nothing unusual. Not wanting to judge the experience too quickly, she moved
closer, an inch at a time. When her hands were about six inches away from the
stone she thought she felt a resistance of some sort. She stepped back then
forward again and decided she wasn’t making it up. It had to be the energy Noah
mentioned. She was about to try it from the other side of the geode when a
whoosh of chilly air swept by her and with it came the muffled sound of someone
sobbing.

Help me. Pleeease.

Maggie’s hands dropped to her sides. She glanced from right
to left then behind her. She was certain she had heard a woman crying for help
but no one appeared to be in need, nor did anyone else look as though they’d
heard the desperate plea. And it was definitely desperate. She approached the
woman standing by the quartz.

“Excuse me. Did you hear someone cry for help just now?”

The woman turned her head without moving her hands. “Must
have been the weeping woman.”

Maggie frowned. “Shouldn’t we do something? Report it?”

The woman huffed. “Oh, it’s been reported. A lot. But unless
you know how to calm down a ghost, there’s nothing you can do to help her. It’s
that rock. I can’t go near it without having an anxiety attack.” She turned her
head back toward the crystal and closed her eyes.

Maggie went back to where Noah had taken a seat and joined
him. “That was…different.”

“What did you feel?” he asked quietly. “I’m really
interested.”

“I, um, felt some resistance about six inches away.”

“Ah, the energy field is there but probably drained by
people touching it or sucking the life force out of it.”

She cocked her head at him. “How do you know about all this
stuff?”

He grinned. “Research. Lots of research. If it’s paranormal,
supernatural or metaphysical, I’ve probably looked into it. I never know what
I’m going to need in what book so I think of it as a buffet and make sure I try
a taste of everything. The end result is that I know things exist that I can’t
see.”

She smiled. “In other words, you’re a true believer in the
anything’s
possible
theory of life.”

“Absolutely. Besides having witnessed the impossible, it
also helps me accept the things I cannot change.”

“Serenity prayer?”

“Yep. But something else happened while you were over there.
I saw you react and go over to that woman.”

“It’s going to sound a little…” She waved away what she was
about to say. “I know. You think creepy is cool. I heard crying then a woman’s
voice begging for help. I thought maybe it came through an air vent but no one
else seems to have heard it. The woman I spoke to said it was the weeping
woman, like it’s common knowledge.”

“Probably one of the Davenport ghosts,” he said with a nod.
“If so, there will probably be a mention of her somewhere.”

Maggie liked the way his eyes lit up with interest even if
the cause was beyond her appreciation.

Noah rose, walked over to the amethyst formation and held
his hands out. A few minutes later he returned. “I felt a little resistance.
I’ve felt much stronger than that, by the way. But no voices. Just make a note
of it. Include every detail you can think of.”

Maggie hurriedly opened her notebook and scribbled down the
date, time and location.

“I didn’t mean this second,” Noah said with a chuckle.

“If you want every detail, I need to write it down while
it’s fresh.” She waited for him to nod then got the rest recorded in shorthand.

“Now
that’s
cool,” he said looking at her scribbles.
“How fast are you?”

“As fast as you can talk. Consider me a backup to your
recorder. You never know when the batteries could die out on you.”

“I’m sure there’s an innuendo in there somewhere but I can’t
quite wrap my tongue around it. Anyway, I’m impressed.”

She shrugged. “It’s just a skill. Anyone can learn it. It’s
not like having talent.”

He combed his fingers through her hair then gave her earlobe
a tug. “I’d bet my life you have a ton of talent. Maybe that’s why we’re
together again—to figure out what your talent is.”

She tilted her cheek into his palm and sighed softly. As
amazing as he was, discovering a talent that didn’t exist was beyond his
capabilities. When they were handing out flavors at the ice-cream parlor of
life, she’d gotten vanilla.

No one hates vanilla.

But no one loves it either.

* * * * *

“Well? What do you think of them?”

The Council of Abstracts opened their thoughts to one
another in response to Love’s question.

“They definitely called on us by name,” replied Fate and
Synchronicity.

“
Moi aussi
,” added Mother Nature.

“Nice redirect with the wind gust, by the way,” Curiosity
said. “It was the perfect way to get her to the crystals and find out if she
was open or not.”

Justice was anxious for a determination on the mission he
had submitted. “There is undoubtedly a strong bond between them and they are
both open to dimensions beyond the third. But are they developed sufficiently
to risk their own desires for the sake of a stranger? Are they willing to do
battle in order to right a wrong? As you all know we only have a limited number
of opportunities to interfere. We must choose our pairs carefully.”

“For best results, a mission of this sort should be launched
during the zenith of the full moon,” Time reminded everyone. “That moment will
arrive in less than twenty-four hours and the portal will open and close
whether or not a pair has been agreed upon.”

The collective consciousness turned to one who could veto an
otherwise unanimous decision. Karma always weighed these matters very heavily
before speaking. Finally he issued his conclusion. “I see no harm in using
them. They did not resolve their issues during their first encounter but they
were quite young for Earthbound beings. A second test of their relationship was
preset and I believe this excursion fits within the parameters of that test.”

“Thank you,” Justice replied. “I will advise The First of
our decision.”

And so it was agreed. Noah Nash and Maggie Harrison would be
sent on a mission of grave importance tomorrow night.

Love could only hope the chemistry she’d mixed to quickly
solidify their bond was not so strong they’d be distracted from the more
important task at hand.

“Thank you for a lovely evening, Noah. Part of my brain
keeps saying I should feel guilty for having such a good time when I’m supposed
to be working but it’s been overruled.”

“Good,” he said, hugging her close to his side for emphasis.

Maggie couldn’t seem to stop smiling as they rode the tree
house elevator up to their rooms. She could no longer blame the wine. Dinner
had been hours ago. And the only drinks they had in the Amethyst Cave were
nonalcoholic. The rest of their time in the lounge had been spent
people-watching. Noah had introduced her to one of his creative games—making up
a background for someone based on something he or she was wearing—and it kept
them laughing for over an hour. Afterward they’d rambled through the rest of
the hotel’s sprawling interior, making mental notes of where the various facilities
were and doing a little window-shopping along the row of exclusive stores.

They’d made one more attempt to go outside but it had
started to rain. There was nothing left to do but return to the suite.

She tried to hold on to the pleasant feeling as they entered
the living room but one look at the slight indentations on the couch cushions
changed the energy between them.

“It’s not a problem, Maggie,” Noah said in a very sincere
tone. “I meant what I said about us getting to know each other. Don’t expect me
not to steal a kiss if you happen to fall into my arms but we have separate
bedrooms and you can trust me to stay in mine.”

Yes but I’m not sure I can trust myself to stay in mine.
She smiled softly. “I know that. I’m curious. Did our tour this evening count
for any of the walk-around?”

He angled his head at her. “Why do you ask?”

“I usually read before I go to sleep and now I’m kind of
anxious to read about the hotel. I thought I might be able to find something
about the weeping woman.”

He frowned a little and walked over to the bookshelves. “How
about something here instead? Just until after tomorrow.” He pulled a hardcover
book off a shelf. “This looks like a good one.”

She saw it was one of his novels and chuckled. “Actually I
have one by that author in my room. But like I said, I’m not a fan…”

“Then I promise not to ask your opinion.”

“Sounds fair.” She went to him, took both his hands in hers
and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, Noah.”

He gripped her hands so she couldn’t slip away then leaned
down to give her a soft kiss on the mouth. “Goodnight, Sugarlips.”

She made a face at him and walked away as quickly as she
could without actually running.

“Hey,” Noah said, stopping her right before she reached her
safe haven. “I use TV noise to fall asleep. Just let me know if it’s too loud.”

Maggie gave him a nod then slipped into her room. A short
time later she had taken a quick shower and donned her favorite sleeping
ensemble—a pair of old gym shorts and a large Miami Dolphins football jersey.
When she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror she shook her head. No one
could ever accuse her of packing with a romantic rendezvous in mind.

She was about to shut off her cell phone when she noticed
someone had left her a message. She didn’t recognize the number but decided to
check it anyway. The feminine voice was polite yet noticeably authoritative.

Hello, Ms. Harrison. This is Lillian Davenport. I would
appreciate it if you would stop by my office tomorrow. Oh, and please do not
mention this to Mr. Nash.

Cory had told Maggie hotel management might have an
additional request but she certainly wasn’t expecting to hear from anyone named
Davenport. She quickly opened the hotel’s informational notebook and discovered
Lillian was Robert’s granddaughter and the current, hands-on owner of the
resort. What could the owner possibly need from her? And why would she be asked
not to tell Noah?

Both answers would have to wait until tomorrow but, since
she’d already opened the notebook, she couldn’t stop herself from skimming a
bit more. Noah wouldn’t need to know about that either.

As it turned out, between Reynard, the bellhop, and Nash’s
remembered tidbits, Maggie already knew some of the basics. However, the
hotel’s background piece added a few more interesting facts.

Like many of the wealthy northern families in the early
1920s, Robert and Josephine Davenport jumped on Henry Flagler’s new railroad to
vacation at the sunny playgrounds of the southeast Florida coast. Although
Prohibition had been enacted on a federal level, it was not strictly enforced
in the tropical paradise and casino gambling was a respectable pastime in the
luxury hotels there.

One day when he, his wife and son were sailing, a sudden
storm blew them miles north of where they were staying. They came to ground on
a small but beautiful island not shown on their map. Robert Davenport was so
impressed with what other developers had accomplished in south Florida, he
decided to invest everything in a dream of his own. He bought the island he’d
discovered from the State of Florida and the Davenport Hotel and Beach Resort
had its grand opening in 1924. For several years it was a booming success. Then
came the devastating Miami and Okeechobee hurricanes, the Wall Street crash and
the abrupt end of the Florida land boom.

There was a mention of Robert’s untimely death in 1930 but
not a word of explanation. The narrative jumped right to his widow Josephine
and their sixteen-year-old son Chester valiantly struggling to maintain
ownership of the island and the hotel through the Depression years and World
War II.

Maggie’s attention was piqued again when she saw the words
Amethyst
Cave
, but the mention was only in connection with the naming of the island.
Robert had never revealed how he had acquired the enormous crystals or how they
had been moved into the hotel lounge but they were always a source of interest
to visitors.

Much to Maggie’s disappointment there was no mention of a
weeping woman. In fact the entire topic of ghosts and mysterious events was
covered in two vague sentences—
Although many guests have visited the
Davenport because of reports of paranormal activity, there is no evidence to
support such rumors. However, we welcome the curious to come for a stay,
explore our grounds and judge for themselves.

She smiled at the creative wording. The “curious” were
welcome as long as they made reservations and the lowest rates available would
effectively lock out the average ghost hunter. She closed the notebook and got
more comfortable under the covers. The history book beckoned but her promise to
Noah replayed in her head and she reached for his novel instead. The prologue
was enough to give her nightmares but she forced herself to read the first
chapter before closing the book with a shudder. Noah was clearly a very
talented writer but if she didn’t know him she would have concerns about his
state of mind and how safe it was to be alone with him.

The one thing she could appreciate about his book was the
press photo of him on the back. It looked exactly like him—deliciously
handsome, with just a hint of five o’clock shadow and wavy hair mussed by the
wind. There was a snowcapped mountain in the background and he was casually
leaning against a tree trunk, wearing jeans and a bomber jacket, looking out at
something or someone that put a knowing half-smile on his face. Her finger
stroked the picture and for a moment she imagined
she
was the object of
that appreciative look. Instantly she felt a quiver of desire shoot straight
from the image in her mind down to the base of her body. Her vagina contracted
as though to hold it inside.

What was it about Noah that could get her so horny just
looking at his photo? She set the book on the nightstand and turned off the
lights. It had sounded like they would be very busy tomorrow and she knew she
should get some sleep.

But her clitoris was throbbing as though she had been
masturbating for a while. And her breasts suddenly felt tight. Too tight. Her
hands slid beneath the loose jersey and squeezed the sensitive globes. It gave
her some relief but not nearly enough. What she needed, what she
wanted
was Noah’s hands to replace her own. When they were on the couch she had
experienced a brief sample of what that felt like and now she regretted
stopping him.

If only she hadn’t been so boringly practical, they could be
enjoying each other right this minute. Of course, she could pretend. She had
always been very good at pretending. As if they were his, her hands massaged
her breasts and toyed with the peaks that had already contracted into points.
One hand eased down over her stomach until the fingers encountered the
curl-covered mound. Two fingers parted the hair and slipped into the valley,
already so wet and waiting to be played with.

A woman’s muffled humming caused Maggie to freeze and listen
intently for the source. Had it come from Noah’s television? She couldn’t hear
anything now but a chill ran through her. It was the same eerie feeling she’d
had earlier in Noah’s room and in the Amethyst Cave. Afraid yet curious, she
slowly sat up in bed and let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

When the humming started again Maggie was certain it came
from the bathroom. She quietly rose from bed and tiptoed toward the sound. The
tune became clearer the closer she got.

To her utter shock Maggie saw exactly where the humming was
coming from…in the mirror. As if looking through a filmy window, she saw a
woman in an old-fashioned maid’s uniform. She was turned away from Maggie,
cleaning the bathroom floor on her hands and knees and the room looked very much
like an outdated version of the same room Maggie was standing in. The maid had
a long, reddish-blonde braid hanging down her back and seemed very happy as she
hummed her little ditty.

“Hello?” Maggie ventured.

The woman stopped her scrubbing and swiveled her head from
side to side. Maggie realized she was quite young, perhaps a teenager, and very
pretty. The girl rubbed the crucifix hanging from a chain around her neck then
used it to make the sign of the cross. “Angels preserve and protect me and me babe,”
she said aloud in a strong Irish dialect then went back to humming considerably
louder than she was before.

Completely unnerved, Maggie took a step back then rushed
from her room to Noah’s.

“
Hurry!
” she said in a loud whisper as she burst
through the master bedroom’s double doors.

Noah bolted into a sitting position, yanking a sheet to his
waist at the same time. “Maggie, what the—”

“No time. Just hurry.”

Without further delay he jumped off the bed, grabbed his
boxers and yanked them up over his naked body.

His gorgeous, naked,
aroused
body.

She gave only a split second to the awareness that he must
have been doing the same thing she had when she was interrupted. Then she
grabbed his hand and pulled him across the common area to her room.

“I heard a woman humming. It was coming from the bathroom
and then it must have been like what you saw with the man in your room. Just
look.” She waved for him to precede her so he did.

She watched Noah walk in but the moment he moved she could
see the mirror was back to being a mere reflection. She sighed. “She’s gone.
And you didn’t see her, did you?”

He came out of the bathroom, shaking his head. “No, but I
believe you.” Without turning on any lights he walked around the room, stared
into the mirror above the dresser and came back to her. “I’m intrigued by the
fact that you’ve
heard
something twice now. Could it have been the same
woman?”

“I only heard three words the first time. I want to say this
was a different voice but I really can’t be sure. More important, I don’t think
it was just one-way. Noah, I said ‘hello’ and she reacted.”

“Holy shit. This is fantastic. Exactly how did she react?”

“She made the sign of the cross, like a Catholic, and then
asked her angels for protection. She had an Irish accent.”

He paced back and forth very quickly. “This is just too
fucking cool! Would you have any objection to our switching rooms tonight?
Maybe—”

“No way,” she blurted out. “I mean, I don’t care about
switching. I’ll sleep in whichever room you say, just so I’m not alone.” She
took a deep breath. “I felt the chill again. Like the other two times.”

“Two?”

Maggie made a face. “Yeah. Two. I didn’t tell you but I put
it in the notes about the Amethyst Cave.”

Noah pulled her close and rubbed her arms. “Your skin is ice
cold. Are you feeling okay?”

She relaxed her head against his bare chest and nodded. His
hands slowed to a stroking pace then moved to her back. “Actually feeling
better every second.”

“You certainly are,” he murmured and kissed the top of her
head. “Maggie, you know I find this kind of thing really…exhilarating. But if
it’s too weird for you, I’ll understand.”

She stepped back, took his hands in hers and looked up at
his way-too-handsome face. “It is definitely very high on my weirdness scale.
But I’m not feeling terrified. I know part of that is because I’m convinced you
know what you’re doing. But the other part is, well, I’m also intrigued. I want
to know who that was in my bathroom and who I heard in the bar. I never would
have imagined saying this but I want to know if it’s the same ghost or
different ones and whether
my
hearing her, or them, means something
significant.”

By the time she finished her little speech, he was grinning
broadly. “Thank god. I really wouldn’t have understood.”

She laughed. “So you were just being polite?”

“Sort of. What I’m going to say next is being really, really
polite. You said you don’t want to be alone but we agreed—”

She cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips. “Just pick
the room. Yours or mine?”