Run the Gantlet (16 page)

“shoot-out at the OK Corral” moments where it was clear the bad guys were screwed.

Darragh started mumbling something under her breath. Finel a doubled over in pain and the room fil ed with an oppressive heat.

“Crap it’s hot.” Eloise pul ed at the col ar of her shirt. Maybe the naked Swerve was the only smart one.

“She is taking her power.” Caitriona’s voice was hard and unforgiving. “It wil not work, Darragh. I know what you did to me and you wil pay for it no matter how strong you try to be. You and I both know I am more powerful.”

The mumbling got louder and the radiated heat intensified. Eloise looked at Arrow. Both of them could only stand by and watch as this was no longer something they had control over.

However, Swerve was not so stil . He pitched the bottle of Tibetan yak spit at Darragh and clocked her on the head. She fel to her knees beside Finel a.

Swerve looked at Eloise. “I told you it would save the world.”

Caitriona smiled at him. “You are a man of great power yet few realize it.”

Swerve nodded at her words. Eloise was agog. Great power? Real y? She knew looks could be deceiving, but did deception go this deep? “What do we do now?”

“I finish this.” Caitriona walked over and stood before the two witches. She raised her hands above her head and she spoke.

“Une mil e l'année J'ai attendions pour vous. Une mil e l'année plus de vous vouloir pourriture dans enfer.
Allez à ce monde. Enfer attendez vous.”

As the last words were delivered, a blast of cold air shot through the room and froze the witches solid.

“What the—?” Eloise watched as their frozen forms were picked up and pul ed backward out the door until they disappeared into nothing.

“That’s French,” Swerve informed them. “The lady just condemned them both to hel for one thousand years. It’s like cosmic payback.”

Eloise’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Arrow placed his finger under her chin and smiled. “Never judge a book by its cover or in this case lack there of.” He pointed to Swerve’s clothes. “Time to put some clothes on, man.”

“Why do I feel this is not over?” Eloise knew there had to be more to this.

“For you it is.” Caitriona’s gaze was kind on her. “For me, I have a longer road to travel.”

There was sadness in her kinswoman’s voice that upset Eloise. What chance of life had this woman had? What else was in store for her? “How did you die?”

“Evil men abound,” Caitriona responded simply.

“And?”

“To tel you more would endanger you.”

Eloise shook her head. “You can’t leave me hanging like this.” She knew there was a story just waiting to be told.

“Al you need to know is the man who stands by your side is yours completely. Do not give him up no matter what you are faced with. Believe in your heart, Eloise.”

Caitriona gasped as the air outside the shop hit her lungs. “On my,” she murmured as she looked around the busy streets. “What a strange place this is.”

“That’s right. You’ve been out of it for a thousand years.” Not to mention Australia was the other side of the world from where Caitriona had come from.

“Where have you been?” Had she been like Sleeping Beauty awaiting a lover’s kiss? Eloise thought of Arrow. She had been like that until he came into her life and woke her up.

“I have been peering through a cloudy veil and waiting for you.” Caitriona coughed several times.

“Yeah, we cal that stuff smog. We’ve pretty much ruined the planet since your time.” How amazing would it be to travel into the future and start afresh in a world that was foreign? Arrow had left the two of them to talk. Caitriona was reluctant to say much.

“Kinswoman,” Caitriona said, taking Eloise’s hands. “There are not enough words to thank you for saving me.”

“You’re family.” There was nothing else she would have done. Eloise wondered what her Uncle McManus would think if he saw her now.
I did good.

“Besides I’m not sure how much saving I did.” It was more a case of stumbling around and hoping for the best.

“You believe in your man and your combined love is what brought me back.”

Eloise smiled as she thought back to their first meeting.
To think I was going to drop Arrow like a rock.
Not that she could have of course. It was just back then she was so angry at the fate that had been thrust upon her that she said the first angry words that came into her head.
He probably was laughing his
ass off
. “So what now?”

“I must find Angus.”

“The guy you kil ed yourself—wel , I guess didn’t real y kil yourself—over?” Caitriona was dead, but not. What was that cal ed exactly?

“Yes, I must find him.”

“Do you stil love him?”

Caitriona looked wistful. “I, um.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “Life is never that easy, Eloise. You know that.”

Yes, she did. “Is Angus your soul mate?” That he was stil alive indicated there was some connection between them but not necessarily the hearts-and-flowers kind.

“Soul mates are bound by trust.” Her eyes locked with Eloise’s. “We have some issues regarding that.”

Issues? Eloise could only imagine what they would be. She wondered what real y had happened with Angus and the witch. Was it more insecurity on Caitriona’s part? Did she believe something that was not there? Or had he done something to her? It made her think about her own first reactions to Arrow. What if she hadn’t trusted him? What if they had never met? Eloise was no dewy-eyed romantic, but the thought of not having Arrow in her life made her shiver.

“You and he were always meant to be regardless of what else may have crossed your path, Eloise,” her kinswoman said as if reading her mind.

“Do you even know where to find Angus?” As smal as the world had become, Eloise knew there had to be parts of it that humankind would never venture into or understand.

“I won’t have to. He wil come to me.” Caitriona’s voice was strong and assured.

Eloise sighed as she thought about a lover finding his way to the side of the woman he loved regardless of what peril or consequence he had to face.

“That’s so sweet.” In her heart she knew Arrow would be the same.

“Angus wil come and try to kil me.”

Huh?
The pretty pink bubble of romance crashed to the ground. “What? Kil you?”

“Don’t worry about me, kinswoman,” Caitriona replied as she straightened her sleeves as if she did not have a care in the world. “He does not hate me.”

“Yeah, but kil ing does not indicate love.” That she was taking it al so matter-of-factly made Eloise wonder who was the sane one.

Caitriona reached over and touched her arm. “Go be with your man. I have things to do. Don’t worry about me. I can look after myself.”

“Wil you come back?” Surely it could not end like this?

“I wil find you,” Caitriona told her. “Keep safe, kinswoman.”

“But I—” Before Eloise could finish her sentence Caitriona disappeared. Arrow appeared at her side. “She’s gone.”

“I know.” Arrow linked her hand with his.

Eloise looked at him in puzzlement. “Wait a second, I though she was supposed to come back to life as a mortal. We mortals don’t do that disappearing thing.” She blew out a breath. Why was she even trying to work it out? Had anything been simple since Arrow had come into her world? “I want to go home. Come with me.” Al she needed was to be with him. Everything else could wait until tomorrow to be dealt with.

“I’d fol ow you anywhere.” Arrow’s hip nudged hers. “Do you stil have Mesopia’s car?”

“Yeah but—” And then it hit Eloise. “You can’t spin me out of here?”

“No, we passed the test. We are true soul mates. I am mortal now.” He smiled at her surprise. “I can’t spin you off to exotic locations anymore.”

Like she cared about that.
Soul mates.
Eloise liked the sound of that. “I don’t need foreign climes. Besides, spinning was giving my inner ear hel .”
Oh he
has such a beautiful smile
. “You stil have your fangs.” Eloise was glad. They were sexy.

“I wil always be a vampire.”

Eloise shivered as she remembered the feel of his teeth on her inner thigh. “That’s good, for I’d miss that.”

“I wil spend the rest of my life making sure you miss nothing, Eloise.”

* * * * *

“Condom.” They had stopped at the pharmacy on the way home as now that Arrow was no longer immortal the same rules did not apply and they had not had time to discuss the logistics of their future life together.

“I have never used one of these.” Arrow fiddled with the package.

“Don’t look at me. I‘ve had no experience with them.” Though she was more than happy to learn. While bare cock was nice, she wanted to see what the blue ribbed condoms that she had chosen would look like.

Arrow smiled, pleased by her words. “Yeah, that‘s right. It has and wil only ever be me.”

That was sexist and possessive but Eloise liked the sound of his words. “Just hurry.”

“Anxious? Needy?” he asked as he rol ed the rubber down his shaft.

“I’m empty and so hot.” She liked the way his hands fumbled at her words. Eloise knew she was not the only one rapidly losing control.

“I wil rectify that immediately.”

“Talk is cheap.” Eloise lay back with her arms over her head.

Arrow’s eyes went immediately to her breasts, nipples pointing skyward. “You saying I can’t walk the walk?”

“I’m waiting, fang face.” Her legs fel apart in open invitation. “I need a nice hard fuck and that blue-covered cock of yours looks awful y nice. Or do I have to do it myself? ” Her hands strayed down between her legs.

“Oh how you try my patience, dear Eloise.” The condom snapped into place and Arrow covered her body as he kissed her lips hungrily.

“I wanted you in the pharmacy,” she murmured in between kisses as her hands went down to stroke his butt cheeks.

“I know. I felt your hand on my ass.” Arrow licked along her jawline and down to her neck.

“You shouldn’t bend over to pick stuff up. It gives a woman al sorts of ideas.” She had shamelessly taken advantage of him in the pharmacy, running her hand along the fabric-covered bulge at his crotch and then along the crack of his ass. Arrow had coughed and the chemist had recommended an elixir.

Eloise had just smile and nodded, agreeing that “flu season was terrible this year”.

“You are very bad, shorty.” Arrow pul ed her legs up over his shoulders.

She was total y exposed to him and she loved it. There was so much freedom in loving Arrow. “Going to teach me a lesson, fang face?”

“Oh yeah.” Arrow pushed his cock inside her.

“O-oh, that’s good.” His pace was as frantic as was the beat of her heart. There would be plenty of time later for slow, leisurely lovemaking. “Do you know what would be better?”

“I would love to bite your thigh right now but I’m not a contortionist.” He continued to pound away inside her.

“I expect you to work on that.”

“With pleasure, Ms. Gaunt.” Arrow pul ed out and slammed back into her. “Can I bite your neck instead?”

“I am yours.” Eloise waited for the first sweet sting of his fangs on her neck. She sighed as it was fol owed by the familiar rush of heat that she craved. “Oh

Arrow,” she moaned as the twin sensation of mouth and cock made her body shake. No more words were needed as he drove her on to an orgasm that made her scream for more.

About the Author

Amarinda Jones believes anything is possible and sometimes just asking for the impossible wil surprise someone enough that they wil give it to you.

Writing is like that. Put it out there and wait for a response. There is always the possibility you may fal on your ass, but after al , that’s what cel ulite is for.

Amarinda believes in taking chances, speaking her mind and aging disgraceful y. Twenty years from now she plans on being the neighborhood witch who al the kids are scared of. But then, everyone has to have a hobby.

Amarinda welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.el orascave.com.

Tel Us What You Think

We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can e-mail us at Comments@El orasCave.com.

Also by Amarinda Jones

Anyone but You

Because I Can

Knock Three Times

Mad About Mirabel e

Maid for Death

Marlow’s Curse

Micah Blue

Penned Again

Prince Vampire

Rowdy

Seducing Celestine

Shades of Gray

Tantalizing Til y

Thief of Mine

Unbreakable

Who Knew

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher El ora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.el orascave.com for an erotic reading experience that wil leave you breathless.