- •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.”
I have to finish up here and then take a bath or something because I am definitely a mess and—”
He held up one powerful hand to cut off her words.
“Would you rather I just called for you when I’m ready?” she asked sweetly.
“Call and I will come to you.”
Then he turned and stalked back to the gate.
“I think that went well,” she told the Felicite Parmentier shrub.
“I would give just about anything for a long, hot soak in a whirlpool bath,” Mikki said to no one in particular
as the four tired handmaidens walked slowly back to the palace with her.
“Empousa, can you describe what you mean by ‘whirlpool bath’?” Nera asked.
“Absolutely—and you’ll like this because it definitely has to do with water.” She grinned at the Water
Elemental, who giggled in response. “A whirlpool bath is a large tub of warm water that bubbles around you
and almost magically soothes dirty, tired muscles,” Mikki sighed wistfully. “It’s possible through technology,
which is my old world’s version of magick.”
“I believe your new world can do better.” Gii smiled knowingly at the other handmaidens.
Nera added, “We can certainly provide more for our Empousa than a tub of bubbling water.”
“It’s true,” said Aeras.
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“And if you would like it hotter than merely warm, I can arrange that,” the Fire Elemental said mischievously.
Gii took one of her hands and Nera the other. With renewed energy, the handmaidens hurried Mikki around
the side of the palace that held her chamber and the curving balcony. They walked on a path that led between
two rows of ornamental shrubs that had been trimmed into cones. The path turned and almost immediately
fell away to reveal a wide staircase that spiraled gently to the right. Before they had reached the bottom,
Mikki felt the temperature of the air get warmer and she smelled something that was vaguely familiar . . .
The stairs emptied on a white marble landing. Mikki stepped out onto it and gasped in pleasure. “It’s a hot
spring!” But it was like no hot spring Mies ±Ђighkki had ever seen. It was two levels. The first held the
smallest pools—five of them, Mikki quickly counted. Each was roughly double the size of a modern whirlpool
bathtub, and it was like each one had been hollowed out of the lumpy white rock by a giant ice-cream scoop.
They were filled with lazily bubbling water so blue it was turquoise. From the lip of the tier, steaming water
cascaded down to a larger pool. Mikki walked over to the edge and peeked down. The pool was deep and
ringed by more of the white rock, and she could easily see through the clear water to the white sand of the
pool’s bottom.
“The upper baths are hotter than the large pool below,” Nera said. “They should be perfect for soaking away
your aches.”
“Amazing . . .” She breathed the word on a sigh. “The only thing that would make it more perfect would be
soap, clean clothes and lots of wine.”
The words had no more left her mouth than the patter of feet were heard on the stairs behind them.
Wordlessly, Mikki watched several young women hurry onto the landing. Some of them were carrying trays
of goblets and pitchers of wine. Others’ arms were filled with clean lengths of fine linen, and still others had
baskets packed with delicate glass bottles, soft sponges and brushes.
Gii laughed at Mikki’s expression. “Empousa, if you wish for a thing, it will appear. These women are palace
servants whose sole responsibility is to be certain that Hecate’s Empousa is well cared for.”
“Like magick,” Mikki whispered.
“Not like magick. It is magick. Your magick,” Gii said, gently unpinning the brooches that held her dirty
chiton precariously at her shoulders.
“So my wishes are actually commands?” Mikki asked, feeling numb with shock as the servants placed their
treasures on the landing, curtseyed and disappeared back up the stairs.
“They are,” Gii said.
“Good lord, what if I wish for something inappropriate?”
Gii looked searchingly into her eyes. “I believe you are too wise for that, Empousa.”
She certainly hoped so. Good thing she’d be busy with hard physical labor for some time to come. Wishing
for triple fudge cake late at night might not be classified as dangerously inappropriate, but without exercise, it
would definitely be unwise.
Lost in thought, Mikki let the Earth Elemental unwind her from her chiton and, with a moan of pleasure, she
slipped, naked, into one of the bubbling pools. Nera, Aeras and Floga had already poured five goblets to the
rim with white wine the color of sunlight and dragged baskets filled with bottles and sponges over to within
reach of each of the pools. Gii passed Mikki a goblet before she began to take off her own clothes.
“I’m so glad you chose this cold white instead of a red!” Floga said from the pool on Mikki’s left. “I was
dreaming of this very wine all afternoon.”
“But I didn’t . . .” Mikki began and then closed her mouth as she realized that, yes, she had been picturing in
her mind a cold, ref3">±Ђm">reshing white wine when she’d spoken. Unbelievable . . .
The icy wine was a wonderful contrast to the hot, bubbly water, and Mikki shivered in pleasure. She rested
back against the smooth side of the pool and gazed at the beauty that spread before her. The springs were
situated on the rear of the cliff on which the palace had been built. The view was spectacular. Mikki looked
out across an area of the gardens filled with what appeared to be all the same type of rose. They had been
planted in beds that each formed a spiraling circle, and even though Mikki knew that they, too, had to be sick,