- •Independence, intelligence, and unique beauty of modern women. My heroes all have one thing in common:
- •375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, usa
- •I would like to thank Mark Stelljes, the rosarian I consulted as I researched this book. Mark, your information
- •Incredibly erotic dream of my life. I really didn’t give a damn what his face looked like.”
- •Instead of answering her, Mikki twirled an errant strand of thick, copper-colored hair and bought time by
- •It was a solid friendship, founded in trust and mutual respect. And Mikki had no idea why she was so hesitant
- •Intended to turn his face to hers—to open her eyes and to finally, finally see him. Then she had touched them.
- •I was crossing the street, and I heard something weird behind me.”
- •Incredibly articulate like ‘Whoo-hoo! You are one hot mamma, Red.’ That effectively killed the fantasy.”
- •I’m more horny than horrified.” She bit her bottom lip. “Is that awful?”
- •Vibrant, deep blue. If hope had a color, it would be the blue of the old woman’s eyes, and Mikki was struck
- •Very hardy. It makes a great hedge, and it blooms for almost four straight months.”
- •Is your name, my dear?”
- •Its light. Slate blended with mauve and coral in the fading day. Mikki knew the colors would wane quickly,
- •I aothing cd hide within it for long. Mikki opened the knife. The little blade was honed to a razorlike edge,
- •Volunteers at the Rose Gardens noticed it, Mikki would simply smile her way through their admonishments
- •In the psychic? I don’t remember Nelly saying anything about that.”
- •Insightful and well educated. They create worlds filled with strong, passionate women and honorable, heroic
- •It was exhilarating!
- •Intrigued, she searched her memory for details of Medea’s story. She vaguely remembered that the play was
- •I will love my sons and daughters, and adore the gods.”
- •Into her throat, so that when she continued the invocation, her voice strengthened and magnified. Had she
- •It took several minutes for Mikki’s cheeks to cool down. She could easily imagine the blazing red of her
- •Imposingly between the archway she had just walked beneath and the second stone archway, which framed
- •It only took a second for her to work the Band-Aid free from her left palm. The cut was already scabbing
- •It was so silent that Mikki imagined a soundless bubble had been formed around her made of roses and cool
- •It’s just a delusion, she reminded herself firmly. Nothing more than a symptom of my overactive imagination.
- •Inviting suddenly beat against them in a frenzy of scent and sound. They were caught in a vortex of
- •Impossible. Home was a nice little apartment in a great location, not a room fit for a princess. Mikki’s
- •Intermingled with ornate trees, hedges, fountains and statuary. In the heart of the gardens she thought she saw
- •If that were true, then it didn’t matter whether she chose to stay or return. Either way she was screwed
- •It smelled like home.
- •If you understood who we were when Nera and I welcomed you, but surely you know who we are now that
- •I had no idea I was a Priestess of Hecate until the goddess told me so herself. So it’s not just that I don’t
- •Voluptuous. Her body was lush; the blue silk lapped around her like translucent waves. Petite Aeras wore
- •In the center of the circle near the heart of the goddess’s flame.”
- •I think of movement and invisible power. It is a contradiction—a paradox. It cannot be contained, but it can
- •Inspired by the element’s personification, Mikki continued, “Fire is passion and heat. It consumes, but it also
- •In warmth and security, as if her mother’s arms were once again around her. With a catch in her voice, Mikki
- •Impulse or hesitate until she could second guess herself. Mikki danced. Within the circle she twirled and
- •In the midst of the sacred circle.
- •In his arms as the power of the goddess transported them to Hecate’s realm. He closed his eyes and leaned
- •In response to the flexing of his muscles, pain shot through his arms and chest. He welcomed it. The pain
- •Vigilant. He had been tireless in his devotion. And he had been alone, even during the brief moments when he
- •In the casting of a circle. She would not know that she must ground herself and use food and drink to
- •It was only when she stopped dancing that Mikki felt the return of her sick dizziness. So many women . . .
- •Illuminate. Its light danced off a crystal goblet filled with dark red wine. She lifted it, admiring the elaborate
- •In the darkest shadows, washing around her and causing the hair on her body to prickle. “It is a belief to
- •It was totally fucking Loony Tunes.
- •Is not appropriate. What I did for you is out of duty. It is why Hecate called me into her service. Do you
- •Instantly, he halted. “Have care where you step. The glass can cut through the soles of your slippers.” The
- •Impossible that I was aware again. At first I sensed you, but I could not see you. I only knew your presence.”
- •It was so beautiful that it weakened the disbelief and cynicism she had learned from a very young age to carry
- •Intelligent gray eyes looked unnaturally mature and out of place in the goddess’s smooth young face. “I rarely
- •I may be older, but that also means I’ve lived through more experiences, so I suggest they watch their silly
- •Important in either her mother’s or her grandmother’s life. Not that either of them hadn’t been wonderful,
- •Interior? Now she was saying that beauty was everything.
- •Vast forest, a kind of netherworld, which is the crossroads between reality and magick. On one side of the
- •Instincts, Mikado. Allow your spirit and the knowledge held in your blood to guide you, and you will do well .
- •Various other types of mantles.” Taking a wide, soft brush from the vanity dresser, Gii fussed with Mikki’s
- •Voice rumbled intimately between them. If‘Ђfro
- •Inexperienced young girl, had called him back to her without knowing for sure what she wanted to say.
- •It’s your turn to listen and answer.”
- •I can’t do it on my own, so the women are going to have to help me.”
- •Ignored the lingering soreness in her body and the vague nausea she seemed unable to get rid of and looked
- •Ignoring Gii’s sudden surprised intake of breath, Mikki tilted her head in what she liked to think was a
- •I have to finish up here and then take a bath or something because I am definitely a mess and—”
- •It seemed that these roses were greener and healthier than those in the rest of the realm. Beyond the beds of
- •It was true, but she squelched the thought, pulling her mind from the beast to the mystery that surrounded the
- •I’ll definitely need you in the morning. I’m going to have breakfast with the four Elementals. Could you be
- •Instead of being included in one of their groups at lunch . . .
- •In handy in your line of work.”
- •If he was afraid of crushing it.
- •It’s a great resource for me. Now I don’t have to worry about not knowing my way around.” She couldn’t
- •In entering her bed, the very thought of which was abhorrent to her. The sight of me was a constant reminder
- •I should not be here with you.”
- •It was impossible between them because he was making it that way. It was as if there was some kind of
- •If she asked the goddess outright and Hecate commanded her to stay away from him, then what would she
- •In return; she had shivered beneath his lips.
- •If he would be the only one to pay the price, he would gladly do so. He knew it for truth, even though the
- •Imagined that she was preparing to summon the Elementals and begin her day. He, too, must begin his. She
- •Ink, and she’d drawn her own considerably less-attractive lines to quarter the blueprint. “As I said before,
- •In the dirt as she demonstrated exactly how the earth needed to be worked around the roots of the bushes.
- •It had taken Mikado longer to inspect the southern section of the gardens. The roses were more ill there,
- •Its shadows to him and attempt to cloak himself from prying eyes. There he would rest and perhaps drink
- •Intoxicating than wine could ever be. Then he realized what she had said and commanded himself to stop
- •It was the exact green of her eyes. She knew it flattered her, just as she knew Daphne had brought it to her at
- •It was okay for her to touch him. But his only movement was the pounding of his heart and the drawing of his
- •View of the torch-lit gardens. The north side of the hall held door after door, each ornately carved with mystic
- •If they like the wish, they turn it into a dream.”
- •Is a dream you will grant.”
- •In Tulsa when you started coming to me in my dreams—and I didn’t even know the man within you then.
- •It was not enough! The beast within him roared.
- •Into stone. She pulled away, but only by a hand’s width, so she could meet his eyes.
- •Into the marble troughs that stretched from its base outward and all the way to the four corners of the
- •Invoked the spells?” Gii said.
- •Imagine what was going to go on in the women’s wing tonight. I wish the same thing was going on in my
- •Is that Crete?”
- •Into the realm.”
- •In the middle of which sat a huge pallet covered with more pelts. This is where he sleeps. The thought sent a
- •Voluptuous swell of her ass.
- •Imagined knowing the joy of.”
- •It is your love that sustains us.” He closed his eyes and buried his head in her hair, willing himself not to
- •In the mundane world. He would still be without her, but Asterius could live with that. He would miss her for
- •Inhumanly feral grace that the comparison was jarring. She didn’t desire the golden man, but she did feel a
- •In some harmless flirtation. And why not? She felt amazingly pretty and completely loved. But that didn’t
- •It is not. Perhaps he will choose to keep you to himself while we visit the women in the rest of your pathetic
- •Instantly, Asterius checked his attack.
- •It is the goddess you must beseech in the future.” Without another word, the Titan disappeared from the
- •Very much alive. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet her lover’s.
- •Victory for them. If they can taint your life, even after they’ve been banished, then they haven’t truly been
- •Idiot! Do you have bandages? Ugh—some of these look like they need stitches. There has to be a doctor in
- •In the barely controlled strength of his thrusts. Mikki didn’t close her eyes. She wanted to see him, to watch
- •Violently. Mikki pulled back to see that his eyes were closed and tears were slowly tracking their way down
- •Violence was left to disturb you.” Gii’s voice shook, and her face was deathly pale. “They’re dying, Empousa.
- •Varieties, with their double blooms and abundant midseason and fall repeat blossoming. But why had these
- •Irrigation for the realm. Is that true?”
- •In the spring they would grow back and be healthier and hardier than before. Roses were survivors—not the
- •Imagine it, and so she refused to think about it. She would do what she had to do when the time came. Until
- •Into the walls of the cave and lighting more torches until the bedroom was alive with warmth and light. He
- •Into the heart of the gardens. Mikki didn’t allow her mind to wander. She hurried up the stairs, barely glancing
- •Into Asterius’s bed . . .
- •I began to hope that perhaps Hecate had allowed me to live for so longt o±ђ† for another reason.” Sevillana’s
- •Is only part of my name. I rarely use my family name—it is too difficult for me to hear it and to know that I
- •Very least, forced me back to face Hecate’s wrath. Instead, he said one small thing and then stepped aside and
- •It all made horrible sense. Asterius’s behavior when they first met and were attracted to each other . . . How
- •Into the meadow, followed by a group of young, beautiful women. Their flowing chitons were draped
- •In the shadows, Hecate smiled and patted one of her great beasts on his dark head.
- •Into eyes that were so big and blue and beautifully dark lashed that she suddenly and moronically forgot her
- •I’m not sure whether to get her another dog, get her some Prozac or take her for a visit to the pet psychic.”
- •Interested in women like me.”
Intrigued, she searched her memory for details of Medea’s story. She vaguely remembered that the play was
an ancient Greek tragedy and that the plot centered around Medea, who had been jilted by her husband,
Jason, for . . . Mikki scrunched up her face as she tried to sift through the dregs of long-forgotten high school
English.
. . . But women will never hate their own children.
Floating to her on the soft wind, the line jogged her cobwebby memory. Medea had been pissed at Jason
because he had dumped her for a younger woman, the daughter of the king of wherever it was they had fled
to after she’d betrayed her homeland to save Jason.
“Figures,” she muttered to herself. “Just like a man . . .” She slowed as she approached the busy group of
people who were rearranging lights and hauling pieces of freshly painted plywood setting here and there.
Several actresses were onstage, but they had fallen silent. Three grouped nervously together on stage left.
Another woman was standing by herself opposite them stage right. They were wearing drapey toga-like
outfits, and their hair flowed long and loose down their backs. All of them were looking around as if they
expected someone to materialize from the shadows at the edge of the stage. Mikki stopped to watch,
wondering why they seemed so uncomfortable.
“Where in the hell is Medea?”
The voice boomed from a little open-ended tent not far from her, causing Mikki to jump.
“She . . . she said she had to take a break,” the lone woman said sheepishly.
“That was half an hour ago!” the shadowed voice yelled, clearly annoyed. “How are we supposed to finish
the sound check without Medea?”
Mikki’s eyes slid to where the voice was coming from. All she could make out from the interior of the tent
was an illuminated soundboard that had lights and switches blinking away on it, in front of which the dark
figure of a man stood.
“I could wear two mikes and read her lines as well as mine,” one of the three women said, shielding her eyes
from the spotlights trained on the stage as she peered toward the man who Mikki decided must be the
director.
“That won’t work. We can’t get an accurate check that way. God-damnit! I’m tired of Catie’s theatrics. The
little twit thinks she is Medea.” The man paused, and Mikki could hear him pacing irritably back and forth
over the leafy ground. Then, as if her gaze had drawn it, his head turned in her direction. “Hey you! Would
you mind giving us a hand?”
Mikki looked around. No one was near her. The guy was actually talking to her.
“Me?” She laughed nervously.
“Yeah, it’ll just take a few minutes. Could you go up onstage, let them key a mike to you and say a few
lines?”
ina "1em">“I don’t know the lines,” Mikki said inanely.
“Doesn’t matter.” The man gestured at a worker who was standing near the stage. “Get the lady a script, and
file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Mary/LOCALS~1/Temp/Rar$EX00.281/P%20C...
34 of 181 1/14/2009 9:43 PM
tell Cio to mike her.” Then he turned back to Mikki. “How ’bout I give you a couple tickets to opening night
for helping us out?”
“O-okay,” Mikki stammered. What the heck? Nelly loved this kind of stuff—she’d take her.
Feeling only a little foolish, she let two men lead her to the stage. One thrust an open script into her hand, and
the other guy, the one the director had called Cio, pushed back her hair, fitting a neat little mini-mike into her
hairline.
“Hey,” Cio yelled back at the director. “Her hair’s as thick as that wig Catie wears.”
“Good, it’ll give us an accurate test.”
“There’s your mark,” Cio told her, pointing to a line duct taped on the floor of the stage. “All you have to do
is stand there and after the Corinthian women say their lines, I’ll point to you and you read Medea’s
invocation of Hecate.” He paused, took a pen from his shirt pocket and circled a paragraph in the script.
“That stanza right there. Face the audience and try to speak as slowly and clearly as possible. Got it?”
Mikki nodded.
“Great.” He patted her shoulder absently before exiting the stage.
“You’ll be fine,” one of the three ladies said, smiling at her. “This is easy-peasy.”
“I don’t know,” Mikki whispered back at her. “I’ve never invoked a goddess before.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. You won’t invoke one tonight unless you really are Medea,” the friendly looking
woman said, still grinning.
“Or unless you’re one of Hecate’s blood priestesses,” another lady chimed in.
“Or have delusions of grandeur and diva yourself into believing you’re both.” All of the actresses rolled their
eyes at the first woman’s comment. Clearly the absent lead actress had let the part go to her head.
“Ready, ladies?” the director called.
The four women sent her looks of encouragement as Mikki moved center stage to her mark.
“All right, let’s get this done so we can go home. First Corinthian Woman, start us out please.”
The First Corinthian Woman’s voice was strong and clear as she repeated the lines Mikki had overheard
earlier.
“The holy fountains flow up from the earth
the smoke of sacrifice flows up from the earth,
the eagle and the wild swan fly up from the earth . . .”
A little thrill tingled through Mikki’s stomach, and her nervousness was suddenly replaced by excitement. The
actress’s words seemed to fill the space around her, chasing away her trepidation.
The Second Corinthian Woman spoke her lines earnestly to Mikki.
“Women hate war, but men will wage it again.
Women may hate their husbands, and sons their fathers,
but women will never hate their own children.”
Mikki’s eyes followed the lines on the script as the First Woman’s voice trembled with emotion.
“But as for me, I will do good to my husband,