- •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.”
In warmth and security, as if her mother’s arms were once again around her. With a catch in her voice, Mikki
said, “Welcome, Earth!”
“And now, Empousa, you must greet your own element,” Gii said, pointing to the place at the center of the
circle beside the sacred flame.
file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Mary/LOCALS~1/Temp/Rar$EX00.281/P%20C...
61 of 181 1/14/2009 9:43 PM
Mikki moved to the center of the circle. She closed her eyes and raised her arms, mimicking the other women.
“I call to the circle the element Spirit.”
Then the handmaidens’ voices flooded her thoughts and senses until Mikki couldn’t tell if they were actually
speaking or if they were only voices within her soul.
“Spirit is present everywhere,” Aeras said in her sweet, clear voice.
“It is the great alchemist.” Floga’s voice was filled with passion.
“Spirit is the element that unites all others.” Nera spoke with the sound of a cascading stream.
“It has the power to shape the very nature of all things,” said Gii, in a loving mother’s voice.
“Welcome, Spirit!” Mikki cried. There was a crackling snap, and the air within the temple sizzled with
energy. Mikki opened her eyes to see that she stood in the middle of a circle ringed by four women who were
bound together by dazzling gossamer threads of silver woven to create a boundary that pulsed with light and
power. The flame burning beside her had taken on a lovely violet tint.
“Wow! It worked!”
The handmaidens laughed, filling the temple with sounds of feminine happiness. Their laughter was like
music, and Mikki wanted to twirl and dance.
Dance, Empousa . . .
The silent words settled into Mikki’s mind like a remembered dream. She didn’t stop to question her next
Impulse or hesitate until she could second guess herself. Mikki danced. Within the circle she twirled and
swayed. The handmaidens took up the tempo of her movements and began humming a seductive melody. She
felt beautiful and powerful and utterly joyous. And she knew what her decision for the rest of her life would
be. She would choose this world—this magickal life—and not because she was afraid of snapping out of it
and finding out she was crazy. She chose this life because it had awakened a joy deep within her that she had
never before experienced. Reality be damned! This was real enough for her.
Speak the words that will bind you to me, Empousa, commanded the voice within her head.
Automatically, Mikki answered the goddess. As she spoke, her own voice grew stronger and more confident.
“Hecate, Goddess of Crossroads, Beasts, and the Ebony Moon, I have cast your sacred circle and been given
a chance at a new life—a new destiny. I stand on the threshold between my old life and my new . . .” Mikki
hesitated, but only long enough for her to turn to face the violet-tinged flame. “My decision is that I am
willing to become your Empousa.”
“What two perfect words do you offer your goddess to bind you to me?” Hecate’s somber voice hung heavy
In the midst of the sacred circle.
Mikki stared into the spirit flame. She had no idea what words to speak. What could bind her to Hecate?
What did her instincts tell her? She wasn’t sure, but she knew what her heart was telling her. There were only
two words that should ever bind one person to another . . .
“Love and trust,” Mikki said.
“Then it shall be, Empousa. You are bound to me through blood and by love and trust!”
The violet flame leaped, shooting almost to the ceiling of the temple’s dome.
“Blessed be your feet that have brought you on this path,” Aeras said.
The Wind spirit held her hands out to her Empousa. Mikki grasped them, feeling a surge of energy swirl into
her.
“Blessed be your setatБd be yourx, source of love and power,” Floga cried.
Mikki retraced her path inside the circle to the spirit of Flame. When she took Floga’s hands, power filled her
with a rush of heat.
Nera’s voice called her farther around the circle. “Blessed be your breasts, and the heart that beats within.”
The Water spirit’s hands were a wash of cool energy that reminded Mikki of a deep, clear well.
Gii’s blessing had her moving to the head of the circle. “Blessed be your lips that will speak the rituals of the
goddess.” Mikki clasped hands with the Earth spirit and felt the strength of ancient trees and ripe meadows
enter her body.
Then, without needing to be prompted by anything except an innate feeling of rightness, Mikki returned to her
place beside the spirit flame and whispered, “Blessed be my eyes that will see clearly the new path before
me.”
file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Mary/LOCALS~1/Temp/Rar$EX00.281/P%20C...
62 of 181 1/14/2009 9:43 PM
“The Empousa is mine, and I am hers—body, mind and spirit.” Hecate’s powerful voice filled the temple.
“The ritual is complete; so mote it be!”
Suddenly Mikki was aware of a multitude of voices cheering in celebration. She looked beyond the circle to
see what must be hundreds of women, young and old. They crowded the gardens around the temple and were
all clapping and waving her way.
The watching crowd began to hum a wordless melody, and soon the seductive beat of drums joined the
voices. Then the gathering of women danced, barefoot and exuberant, in the torch-lit garden of the goddess.
Intrigued, Mikki watched them frolic. In the shadowy gardens, they looked like beautiful night flowers waving
in the breeze. Briefly, she wondered at why there were no men present, but the thought was fleeting and Gii’s
voice chased it completely from her mind.
“Close the sacred circle, Empousa, and we will join the people’s celebration!” Gii said.
Before she had to ask, Aeras’s soft voice lifted above the noise of the crowd like a warm summer breeze.
“Walk in reverse order around the circle. Touch each of us in turn, and visualize the web of light fading
away.”
Smiling her appreciation, Mikki retraced her steps, lightly brushing her hand over each woman’s head as she
sank into a curtsey at the approach of the Empousa. She watched the woven thread of light unravel, and
eventually, as she returned to her place in the center of the circle, it disappeared completely, leaving only the
goddess’s flame to burn a bright, but ordinary yellow.
Then Gii took one of her hands and Aeras another, and flanked by Earth and Wind, the newly christened
Empousa was led to her people and the celebration that awaited its priestess.
The Guardian watched from beneath an ancient oak. The lighting of Hecate’s temple had drawn him. When it
blazed again in the heart of the realm, he had been pulled to it unerringly, even though his body was wracked
with the pain of newly awakened muscle and sinew. He had wanted to kneel beside the flame—to again beg
the goddess’s forgiveness and to ask that he be allowed to resume all the duties that had been his usaБad
been hbefore he had broken faith with Hecate. But before he could move, the night breeze shifted and
brought her scent to him. His nostrils had flared and his bronze skin quivered.
The priestess approached.
He knew it was she by her scent—spices and roses distilled by the heat of her soft skin. He recognized it
because he drank the fragrance of her in his dreams, and, waking, he had touched that skin when he held her