Lilith - TI3

Lilith

Book III
 The Illusionist Series

By

Fran Heckrotte

*  *  *

Copyright
© 2007
 by
Fran Heckrotte
All rights reserved.
 

ISBN-13: 978-1-934889-13-8
 

First Edition
Mobipocket e-Book Format
February 2008
 

This electronic book is ePublished by
L-Book ePublisher
La Quinta, Ca. USA
Web Site:
http://L-Book.com
 

Cover Design by Sheri
[email protected]

No part of this book may be reproduced or printed without the author's permission and no part of the electronic files may be reproduced in printed or electronic format without permission from the author and L-Book ePublisher. This book in all electronic formats is for your personal use. You may not modify, make copies, transfer, and copy to CD, DVD, memory cards for sale or further distribute the L-Books and e-Books except to download a copy to a personal electronic device and its memory card for their personal use. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions. Your support for the author’s rights is appreciated.

*  *  *

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Acknowledgments
 

I want to thank my beta readers who have stuck with me through my journey in telling the stories of my world of characters in the Illusionist series. Although they haven’t seen the finished product, they were instrumental in getting me to my destination. Thank you Alex D’Brassis and Lee McLean, my betas... and Mary K. Bosshart, my alpha reader.

To Pam, my proofreader and so much more, your help was invaluable in bringing professionalism to my finished product.

Sheri Dragon, my cover artist, I’ve said ‘Wow’ so many times and still can’t say it enough. Everyone who sees your creations is amazed at your ability to capture the essence of each story.

Roxanne Jones, computer whiz extraordinaire. You’ve opened up the world with your concept and now my stories can travel to new lands and new readers.

The Illusionist
 (First of the Illusionist series)

Y
EMAYA LYSANNE is the Illusionist, a woman as mysterious as her
shows
. Dakota Devereaux, a journalist, decides to attend her performances hoping to discover her secrets. When the show goes horribly wrong and Yemaya is injured, the accident provides the perfect opportunity for the two women to meet. Little did they know that the encounter would begin a
series
of adventures that would forever change their lives. Dakota is invited to stay with Yemaya in her homeland, Moldova. The journalist is more than happy to accept. Neither women realize that their decisions
may
cost Dakota her life and Yemeya her soul. The Illusionist is a story about two women who find each other through adversity and love with the help of ancestral spirits
, but
is love enough to defeat the powerful darkness dwelling with the Illusionist
?

Bloodlust 
(Second of the Illusionist series)

W
OMEN ARE BEING attacked in Yemaya’s home town and not even science can figure out who or what is behind them. The survivors remember little and the dead provide few clues. The locals fear the drac, an ancient evil, has returned. Even the spirits are at a loss and can offer no information. Unable to discover the assailant or assailants, little does Yemaya or Dakota realize that an old woman would provide them with the answers they
seek
... nor did they realize she was more than she seemed. From the Carpathian mountains to New Orleans, Yemaya, Dakota and their ancestral spirits follow the trail of the murderer... only to discover that he isn’t what he seems, nor is he their biggest threat. Others covet the powers that legends attribute to him and his people as well as those of the Illusionist. She and Dakota will have to battle an ambitious high priestess and Yemaya’s own inner demon to save both herself and the woman she loves.

Yemaya Lysanne
: The Illusionist, descendent of Mari, the Earth Mother and creator of lands and seas.

Dakota Devereaux:
Investigative journalist, descendent of the spirit of great, great grandma Dakota, also known as Maopa by the other spirits.

Mari
: Earth Mother Spirit

Grandma Dakota/Maopa
: Human Spirit

Sarpe
: Serpent Spirit

Vyushir
: Wolf Spirit

Arbora:
Spirit of the forests

Ursa
: Bear Spirit

Ladyhawk
: Bird spirit

Intunecat
: The Dark One, spirit of darkness

PART I

S
NICK!.. Click... SNICK!

"Damn!"

Click!

SNICK!

"Son of a bitch!"

The sound of a dull splash quickly followed.

"It’s a conspiracy," Dakota grumbled, looking around for something else to write with. She had been sitting by the pool scribbling on a notepad resting on her lap, when the inevitable happened. The tip of her mechanical pencil broke and then continued to break, leaving her frustrated. One of these days she was going to finish an article on the Illusionist without having to throw away several pens or pencils.

The thought of Yemaya brought her back to the present. Conceding a temporary victory to the powers that be, she glanced at the swimmer in the pool and wondered how many more laps the woman could do before quitting from exhaustion. Just watching her lithe body moving smoothly through the water made the journalist tired. Five laps later, Dakota shook her head and went back to her writing. The faint sound of a grunt caused her to look up in time to see the long sleek form of her lover push effortlessly up from the edge of the pool and stand momentarily still as water poured down her body onto the tiled patio. Groaning, Dakota stared in awe at the vision in front of her.

Long black hair clung damply to bare shoulders and firm breasts as rivulets of water ran down the semi-naked body before pooling on the sidewalk. Dakota wished she was one of those drops trickling slowly between the small well rounded breasts concealed beneath the silver and blue bikini top. Stomach muscles rippled slightly when the woman picked up a towel and began rubbing her hair vigorously. As Yemaya dried her arms and then her chest, the journalist couldn't help but admire the long slender muscular legs... nor could she stop the memories of those same legs straddling her hips earlier in the morning when their owner leaned down to ravage her lips with passionate kisses.

Remembering what had followed made Dakota gasp and then clamp her knees tightly together as a familiar tingling sensation centered between her legs and spread rapidly toward her stomach and up into her chest. Her arms grew almost numb from the intensity of the orgasm. Drawing her knees up against her stomach, she crossed her arms over them and pressed her head against her forearms. Trembling, she was unaware of being watched or the worried look on the other woman's face as she rapidly walked over and knelt down beside her.

"Are you all right?" Yemaya whispered near her ear, her voice low and husky with concern.

Unable to answer, Dakota kept her head down, inhaling deeply, hoping to slow the pounding of her heart as she waited for the throbbing to subside to a bearable level.

Confused at the conflicting signals she was receiving from her lover, Yemaya sat down next to Dakota, wrapped her arms around her and leaned over her protectively. Neither spoke for several minutes. Finally, Yemaya felt Dakota’s body relax. Loosening her embrace slightly, she straightened up and peered questioningly into the dazed green eyes.

"Phew! That was intense," Dakota gasped, her voice weak and shaky.

"What happened?" Yemaya asked, her brows furrowed as she reached out to push strands of blonde hair behind Dakota’s left ear.

"Oh, ummm..." stammered Dakota. Blood rushed up her neck to her cheeks from the thought of having to explain what had just happened.

"Dakota, are you okay?"

Still unaware of the reason behind her lover's strange behavior, Yemaya leaned closer to examine Dakota’s face, her pale blue eyes assessing every inch of it in an effort to understand the problem. Unconsciously, she began running her hand up and down Dakota’s arm, trying to generate some heat. Laughing awkwardly, the journalist grabbed the hand, wrapped both of hers around it and squeezed lightly.