Beautiful Warrior (6 page)

Chapter Eight

I landed on the lush, green grounds of the mansion I’d told Seven about
. I spied it in the distance, and it definitely looked like a mini-castle, with its ornate stone structure and Romanesque details.

I took a moment to catch my breath, then
walked slowly toward it. My mixed-up mind was still on the warrior I’d left on the present realm. I’d fallen for him, just as I’d fallen for Duncan. The past warrior remained in my thoughts, too. No doubt this one would sweep me into his world, as well.

And what a world.

As I got closer to the mansion, I dusted the daisy-meadow dirt from my jeans, wishing I fit more elegantly into the environment. If I could choose my wardrobe, I would be wearing a long, tiered gown, draped in white organza and decorated with a jeweled bodice. My shoes would be a pair of white satin pumps.

I could easily
see myself like that: my pale blonde hair swirled in a sexy up-do, my makeup expertly applied.

Heaving a sigh, I
dusted my jeans once again.

I reache
d the courtyard, where two reflecting pools were located, the luminous water surrounded by colorful stonework. Duncan loved architecture, and it was evident in the way he’d designed this place in his painting.

I knelt
down and gazed into one of the reflecting pools.

Then suddenly, my
appearance changed. Within the blink of an eye, I was wearing the gorgeous gown and fancy shoes I’d conjured in my mind. My hair and makeup were flawless, too. I was even fitted with lacy new undergarments. I knew they were there even if I couldn’t see them.

I st
ood up and spun around, feeling like a princess on her way to a ball. Or a bride en route to the altar. A bride? I had no business thinking along those lines.

Struggling
to take control of my emotions, I stopped spinning. This was nothing more than a fantasy.

A fantasy
designed to keep Duncan alive, I reminded myself. No matter how delusional I was, this experience mattered.

Still, it
wasn’t my wedding day, and I would do well to remember that.

I moved away from the
reflecting pools and approached the three-story mansion. It didn’t have a main door. Instead, it presented narrow passageways and an array of intricately carved doors. I already knew that it was built that way because of Duncan’s painting, but now that I was here, I had no idea which door to use.

In the real world, Duncan was an artist, but he made his living as a locksmith
. He’d been obsessed with breaking into buildings when he was living on the streets, picking locks for amusement. Luckily, he’d never been caught, paving the way for a more productive use of his skills.

But that didn’t help me with my current dilemma
.

While wandering
in and out of the passageways, searching for a door that felt right, a self-conscious chill worked its way down my spine. I sensed that the warrior was behind me.

I turned
in his direction, the filmy tiers of my elegant gown swishing, my heart pounding beneath its jeweled bodice.

Holy handso
me hell.

Attired in a
tailored shirt and tuxedo-style pants, he stood tall and formal, looking ever so much like a husband to my bride. All he needed was a jacket, a tie, and a white rose boutonniere.

His eyes burned
dark and intense, and his hair was slicked straight back, showcasing the powerful angles of his face. A replication of Duncan, with a killer-rich air.

“Vanessa,” he said
. “I’ve been expecting you.”

I blinked, fluttering my mascara-spiked lashes
. He already knew my name and that I was coming to see him? “Who told you about me?”

“No one
. I have a monitor that allows me to view the other realms. I saw you and your sister’s people.”

“Did you see the other warriors, too?”
 

He nodded
. “I wasn’t able to see Duncan, though. I can’t view the world you come from.”

I had more questio
ns, more I was compelled to ask. “Do you know that I created you and the other warriors?”

He nodded again.

“And
you know why I’m here?”

He
adjusted his impeccable posture without missing a beat. “For the magic that will break the curse.”

I forced myself to focus, doing my level best to keep his groom-like perfection from being my undoing
. I was too young to get obsessed with marriage. “Can you help me find it?”

“
Yes, I most certainly can.”

He’d just told me, without a doubt, that he could keep Duncan alive
. I wanted to melt at his feet. I wanted to kiss the beautiful curve of his mouth, too. He was smiling now, as dashing as ever.

He said, “Come
inside and dine with me, and we’ll discuss doing away with the curse after we eat.” 

I accepted
his offer, and we entered through a door that led to the kitchen. It was big and brightly lit, with marble floors, granite counters, and etched-glass windows, but there wasn’t a stove or a refrigerator in sight.

Puzzled by its lack of usability, I said, “You don’t have any food or appliances.
”

“
Some people still cook the old-fashioned way, but I’m not much of a chef, so I prefer the new method.” 

I waited for him to explain.

He opened a double-door cabinet, where a strange device was located. It looked like an enormous microwave with a keypad.

“
This is called a food facsimile,” he said. “All you do is type in the food you want, hit the start button, wait a couple of minutes and your request appears.”

“
Oh, wow. Really? I think I saw that in a space-age cartoon. Or a futuristic movie or something.” 

“Go ahead and try it.”

“What should I request?”

“Whatever you’d like to have for lunch.”

“I don’t know.”  I was overwhelmed by it. And by him, too. He was standing next to me, his arm pressed against mine.

He said,
“How about a garden salad, pumpkin soup, roasted vegetables and honey-glazed chicken? Then strawberry pie for dessert?”

I laughed a little
. “You certainly know your food.”

“I wasn’t always this privileged.”

“Were you poor when you were younger?”  The way Duncan had been on the streets?

“Yes, and
I used to worry about where my next meal was coming from. But I’m doing fine now.”

“H
ow did you get to be so successful?”

He flashed a playful grin
. “I invented the food facsimile.”

I
could tell that he was kidding. “No, seriously, smarty. What do you do for a living?”

His smile went soft, the edges warm and blurred
. “I turn butterflies into pretty women and kiss them to my heart’s content.”

An audible breath escaped my lungs
. He was teasing me again, only this time in a dangerously sexy way.

I shakily said, “Tell me what you really do.”

He turned serious. “I breed a line of horses that can soar through the air. They’re the most expensive equines in the land. The most beautiful, too.”

So there it was, I thought
. The type of answer I should have expected. He maintained his grandiose lifestyle from the magic that was inside him. Did that also mean he really could turn butterflies into women? At this point, I wasn’t sure.

“What do you do?” he asked
, shifting the focus to me. “Besides create men like me?” 

“I wor
k at my aunt’s consignment shop. We sell vintage clothes and retro furniture.”

“My house is filled with antiques, along with modern accents
. I like mixing the old with the new.”  He gestured to the food facsimile. “So is the meal I suggested for you all right?”

“Yes, it sounds delicious.”
 

“Then type
it in.” 

“Al
l together or each item separately?”

“Al
l together.”

I tapped out my order
, and within minutes my luxurious lunch appeared in the device.

He said,
“I’m going to request a different selection so we can share.”

My heart dipped and dived
. On my first date with Duncan, we’d shared our meals, even feeding each other sexy bites of food.

The warrior chose
spinach salad, steak flambé with mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake.

We carried our meals into the
dining room. A mahogany table was already set, which included tall, tapered candles and a bottle of wine.

“I did this before you arrived,” he said.

“Because you knew I was coming?”

“Yes.”
 

He scooted in my chair,
then took his place next to me. It seemed odd that no one else was around—no household staff, no caretakers for an estate of this size—but I didn’t question him about it. Other people would have spoiled the ambience.

Once we were settled, he
poured the wine. It was neither white nor red. It shimmered in various hues, like a rainbow that had been captured in a bottle.

I’d never consumed alcohol
with Duncan before. But I’d had margaritas with Lori and had gotten tipsy from them.

The warrior
gave me one of the glasses he’d filled, and I took a sip. The kaleidoscope wine tasted as heavenly as it looked, but I decided not to drink too much of it. I suspected that it was highly potent. Delicious things always were.

“
After we eat, we can go for a walk around the stables,” he said. “And I can show you my horses.”

“I’d like that.”  I was curious to see the magnificent equines he’d talked about. “But you promised to help me with the magic I need, too.”

“Don’t worry
. I haven’t forgotten why you’re here. We’ll get to that, as well.” 

I was glad he was the
warrior on this realm. He seemed capable of anything. With him at the helm, I wasn’t worried about breaking the curse.

“Do you want
some of my food?” he asked, reminding me that we’d agreed to share.

Not that I was likely to forget
. I smiled. “Your mashed potatoes look good.”

“Then have some.”  He handed me his fork.

I handed him mine, too, so he could sample what was on my plate. For the rest of the meal, that was how we continued eating, exchanging silverware and putting our lips where the other’s had been.

Dessert was especially gratifying
. I mixed my pie with his cake, savoring the treat.

Being
here with him felt like a date. But he didn’t kiss me, like Duncan had done on our first date. Was he going to make his move later, while we were at the stables?

I swallowed the sweetness in my mouth, anxious to find out
.

Chapter Nine

The
stables were nearly as grand as the house, with the same style of architecture and pathways leading in different directions. I noticed indoor and outdoor amenities. Everywhere I looked, there was something to see.

A grouping of mares grazed
in a pasture while their offspring romped and played. The mamas looked like regular horses, but their babies were the most beautiful animals I’d ever seen. Mostly they were black, but beneath their midnight sheen, jewel-toned colors flowed within their manes and tails.

“
Do they have hidden wings?” I asked.

“No, they don’t need wings to fly
. They just jump and soar. But they don’t develop those skills until they’re older.”

We approached the fence and one of the babies
walked toward us on its spindly legs. “Were all of these foals produced by the same stud?” 

“Yes
. My prized stallion.”

I reached ou
t to pet the baby through the rails, and it nudged my hand, its manner soft and gentle. I liked that I was hallucinating something so nice. I liked everything about this realm, including the man who’d become my gateway to it.

“Do you want to see the daddy?” he asked.

“Yes, of course.”  I suspected that it would resemble the stallions the other warriors owned, but with a thousand times more flair.

His prized stud was housed in a separate stable
, away from the main building, and as soon as I saw him, he took my breath away. I was right about him resembling the other warriors’ mounts, but with the beauty and radiance that only magic could provide.

Big and strong and powerfully formed, he shimmered with the same stunning colors as the foals he’d sired. But his eyes caught me by surprise, as they were faceted like diamonds and just as brilliant.

“He’s spectacular,” I said, gazing at the stallion in awe.

The warrior moved closer to me. “So are you.”

I
turned to face him, hoping that he would kiss me. But he didn’t. He just looked at me with the same type of wonder I’d bestowed upon his illustrious horse.

“I was in love once,” he said.

His admission nearly sent me teetering on my feet. “With who?”

“A butter
fly who became a woman.”

Should I have seen that com
ing? “Were you responsible for making her that way?”

“Yes, but the magic didn’t last
. She went back to being a butterfly, and I lost her. She just fluttered away, and that was that.”

His story made me sad
. “I’m sorry.”

“
She was a Painted Lady, like the species that shares your name. She was terribly elusive. Even when she was a woman, she would go off by herself. She didn’t love me the way I loved her.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again
. If I wasn’t so overwhelmed by what he’d told me, I might have put my arms around him. But as it was, I could hardly breathe. He’d loved a butterfly who could have been me, except that I was the one who loved Duncan, instead of the other way around.

“Maybe we should go back outside,” he said
.

“Yes, maybe we should.”  I could certainly use the fresh air
. I was still having trouble breathing.

We returned to
where the mares and foals were, and I thought about how tragically romantic we looked in our formal clothes, the hem of my dress skimming the ground.

“I have something else to tell you,” he said.

I was almost afraid to hear it. “Go ahead. You can say whatever’s on your mind.”

“
Remember when I mentioned the monitor that allows me to view the other realms?”

I nodded, waiting for him to expound.

He cleared his throat. “When you were in the past, I watched you with the first warrior. I saw the two of you make love. And the next morning, when he bathed you, I watched that, too.”

I squeezed my thighs together, the lace panties I’d conjured chafing my skin
. I hadn’t considered him witnessing my sexual encounters.

He
continued, “Later, when you were in the present realm, I noticed how badly you wanted to kiss that warrior. Even if it didn’t happen, the tension between the two of you was electrifying. Seeing you with both of those men made me want you, too. But for more than sex. I want you to marry me, Vanessa. I want you to live here and become my bride.”

I gasped, my heart punching its way to my throat
. My bride fantasy was coming to fruition. Only it wasn’t real, I reminded myself. My stupid disease was playing tricks on me, twisting it into a painful ball. “I have to break the curse and go home.”

“You can break the curse and stay here.”

“No, I can’t.”  If I stayed in this state of mind, controlling my illness would be impossible. “I need to get back to Duncan.” 

“Duncan can’t give you what I can give you
. Please, stay and become my bride.”

His bride
. It wasn’t fair that he kept saying that. “You barely know me. We barely know each other.”

“That isn’t true
. I’ve been inside your head for years. You created me. I’m part of you.”

I tried to reason with him, to m
ake him see it for what it was. “I created all of the warriors.”

“Yes, but I’m your future
. I’m who you’re supposed to be with. Why do you think I was compelled to turn a butterfly into a woman? Because somewhere deep down, I needed you, Vanessa. I needed the girl who created me.”

“There must be other women you can be with.”

“Just the wood nymphs who live nearby. They’ve been my lovers up until now. But I don’t want them anymore. I want you.”

He was confusing me, making my insanity worse
. “Listen to me, okay? I’m crazy, and you’re a character in my hallucination. I have a mental disorder called schiz—”

He cut me off
. “I know what you have. I heard you and Seven talking about it when I first saw you on the monitor.”

“Then let me go back to where I belong so I can try to get better.”

“There’s no cure for it. You aren’t going to get better.”

“Schizophrenia can be managed
,” I argued. “After I break the curse, it will be easier for me.”

“If I’m a hallucination, then how can the curse be real
? Your logic makes no sense.” 

“I don’t know exactly
. But I can’t take the chance that Duncan or the rest of you might die.”

“Hallucinations can’t die.”

They could disappear, I thought, and float into a pit of nothingness. “Duncan is a real person, and he can die.”

“I wish you would just stay with me.”

Tears flooded my eyes. “You have to stop torturing me like this.”

“But all I want is for you to be my wife.”  He lunged forward and yanked me into his arms
.

I buried my face aga
inst his chest and cried into his shirt. I couldn’t abandon Duncan. Nor could I stay in an enchanted land that didn’t exist, no matter how beautiful it was.

“Tell me how to break the curse,” I whispered
. “Please tell me so I can go home.”

“God help me.”  He kissed the top of my head
. “For giving you up.”

God help
me, too, I thought. He was holding me as if he loved me. Was I wrong to not stay with him, even if he wasn’t real?

“The magic is inside your mind,” he said
. “All you have to do is believe the curse is broken, and it will be.”

I stepped
back to look at him. “That’s too easy.”

“No one said it had to be difficult.”

“But it’s too
Wizard of Oz
.”  Seven, I decided, would have a field day with it.

“I don’t make the rules
. Besides, if all of this started in your mind, then why can’t it end there, too?”

Because I needed for it
to be something more. “Can’t you give me a magic wand or something?”

He smiled a little sadly
. “No, I can’t. Just use what you have. Use your mind.”

My
diseased brain. “Please, I need for you to fix it in a way that doesn’t involve me having to rely on myself.”

“I can
’t change how it’s supposed to work. Either stay with me or go. But don’t fight me on the magic.”

I swiped at my tears
. “I feel so lost.”

“
I know.”  He moved forward to comfort me, to kiss me, but the warmth of his lips never touched mine.

He blurred b
efore my eyes, and the world around me began to tilt and spin.

I tried to latch onto him, to grab him as tightly as I could, but
a deep, dark tunnel was pulling me toward its twisting, twining vortex. I screamed for him to save me, but no sound emerged. Then I realized what was happening.

I was going home
.