ZenithRising Read online

  By the time they’d shared a piece of mango-key lime pie and sipped frothy cappuccinos, the only topic totally avoided was relationships. Not a single question was raised about past or present lovers or why neither had ever married.

  “Are you up for a walk on the beach?” he asked after the waiter delivered the check.

  “Absolutely. But I think I’d have to walk all the way to Miami to burn off all the calories I just devoured.”

  “We’ll make up for it tomorrow,” he promised.

  As soon as they were beyond the maze of tropical plants, Noah took her hand and it felt much too nice to object. He seemed to know where he was going and it was comfortable to let him lead. She reminded herself this was an assignment but it didn’t make a difference. It felt more like a dream or a fairy tale. Whatever it was, she hadn’t felt this relaxed or worry-free in a very, very long time. She knew the job, and probably their reunion, was only temporary, but for as long as it lasted, she decided it would be crazy not to make the most of every minute.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Noah said with a curious look.

  “Oh, they’re worth a lot more than that,” she said in a teasing tone. “But they’re still in the ‘idea phase’ so you’ll just have to wait until they’re fully developed to hear them.”

  “I’ll look forward to that.” His grin suggested he already knew he was going to like whatever it was she was thinking about.

  The moment they stepped outside, a gust of chilly wind blew stinging sand in their faces and they stopped in their tracks.

  “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all,” Noah said, shielding his eyes.

  “Darn. It didn’t look windy a minute ago. And the moon is so bright, I thought it would be quite inspiring to start your walk-around.”

  He drew her back inside. “Tomorrow night the moon will be completely full. The energy will be even better.”

  “Another superstition to aid your search for all things spooky?”

  He made a face at her. “It’s not all superstition. The moon has a very real gravitational effect on Earth and its inhabitants, even the ones who seem completely…normal.” He ended the sentence by running his fingers up and down her spine.

  It made her shiver and giggle at the same time. “Don’t tell me, one of my tasks will be to chain you to your bed tomorrow night and make sure you can’t get loose to wreak havoc on the poor townspeople.”

  He pulled her close with one arm around her waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “If you chain me to the bed I can guarantee I won’t be thinking about the poor townspeople or anybody else. The only one who’ll have to worry about me is you.” His tongue traced the edge of her ear then he nipped the lobe.

  As his lips moved down the side of her neck, her head tipped back to give him free access. Every peck and nibble from her ear to her collarbone felt like a spark of electricity. Unable to tell whether she wanted more or less, she clung to his shoulders and let the sensation build. When his mouth crashed down on hers, she arched her body fully into his. She wasn’t surprised to feel his cock so ready, big and hard. Not when her cunt was so wet and aching to be filled.

  His hands grasped her ass as his thighs parted and he pressed her closer to where she wanted to be.

  Then a sharp bark of laughter jerked her back from the edge of oblivion.

  The laugh had actually come from a distance away and had not been at their expense but it caused her cheeks to flame in embarrassment nonetheless. She forced herself to relax and take a small step back rather than leaping to the other side of the hallway. “We obviously have a bit of a control problem,” she offered with a crooked smile.

  A low groan started in his chest and slowly made its way out of his mouth as a heavy exhalation. He accompanied it with a quick hug and kiss on her forehead. “That’s putting it mildly.” He stopped her from moving away. “Do me a favor and just stand here for a minute while I think about something really boring.”

  She felt her face flush again but tried to think of a way to help. “Hey, did you know the glass domes were designed to withstand hurricanes?”

  That made him chuckle. “Yes, I heard the bellhop’s speech. But did you know this little island was never shown on any maps until Robert Davenport accidentally discovered it when he was out sailing and got blown off-course?”

  “I thought you didn’t want to know a lot of facts in advance.”

  He took a deep breath as desire faded from his eyes. “I read that somewhere a while back and it stuck with me. How could an island one mile off the coast never be charted until the twentieth century?”

  “So it wasn’t just the ghost stories that made you choose this particular hotel.”

  He winked at her. “It was a lot of things.” He tucked her arm through the crook of his elbow and started back toward the lobby. “Since Mother Nature doesn’t want us outside tonight, let’s go check out the Amethyst Cave.”

  “Isn’t that a martini bar? I’m not much of a drinker…despite recent evidence to the contrary.”

  He smiled and patted her hand. “You don’t need to have anything alcoholic. I just figured we should check it out…rather than go back to the room just yet.”

  “Oh,” she said as his meaning got through. “Good idea.”

  They weren’t disappointed. Enormous blocks of ice served as a bar and shelving for an extensive display of vodka and martini mixes. The tables and chairs also looked like carved ice sculptures, though Maggie quickly discovered they were actually made of Lucite. What was most amazing, however, was the collection of giant quartz crystal formations and huge rock geodes split in half to reveal rich amethyst cores. They appeared to be placed randomly throughout the room.

  She watched a woman walk up to one of the taller crystal spikes and hold her hands up, palms toward the stone. “What’s she doing?” she murmured to Noah.

  “Feeling its energy. Maybe sharing it. Or trying to draw some if it into herself. Try it. Then tell me what you feel.”

  Maggie glanced around. No one seemed to be paying attention to the woman so she decided to do as Noah suggested. One of the rocks seemed to house a darker purple cluster than the rest and she walked over to it. She stopped a few feet away and held her hands out in front of her. She felt nothing unusual. Not wanting to judge the experience too quickly, she moved closer, an inch at a time. When her hands were about six inches away from the stone she thought she felt a resistance of some sort. She stepped back then forward again and decided she wasn’t making it up. It had to be the energy Noah mentioned. She was about to try it from the other side of the geode when a whoosh of chilly air swept by her and with it came the muffled sound of someone sobbing.

  Help me. Pleeease.

  Maggie’s hands dropped to her sides. She glanced from right to left then behind her. She was certain she had heard a woman crying for help but no one appeared to be in need, nor did anyone else look as though they’d heard the desperate plea. And it was definitely desperate. She approached the woman standing by the quartz.

  “Excuse me. Did you hear someone cry for help just now?”

  The woman turned her head without moving her hands. “Must have been the weeping woman.”

  Maggie frowned. “Shouldn’t we do something? Report it?”

  The woman huffed. “Oh, it’s been reported. A lot. But unless you know how to calm down a ghost, there’s nothing you can do to help her. It’s that rock. I can’t go near it without having an anxiety attack.” She turned her head back toward the crystal and closed her eyes.

  Maggie went back to where Noah had taken a seat and joined him. “That was…different.”

  “What did you feel?” he asked quietly. “I’m really interested.”

  “I, um, felt some resistance about six inches away.”

  “Ah, the energy field is there but probably drained by people touching it or sucking the life force out of it.”

  She cocked her head at him. “How do you know about all this stu
ff?”

  He grinned. “Research. Lots of research. If it’s paranormal, supernatural or metaphysical, I’ve probably looked into it. I never know what I’m going to need in what book so I think of it as a buffet and make sure I try a taste of everything. The end result is that I know things exist that I can’t see.”

  She smiled. “In other words, you’re a true believer in the anything’s possible theory of life.”

  “Absolutely. Besides having witnessed the impossible, it also helps me accept the things I cannot change.”

  “Serenity prayer?”

  “Yep. But something else happened while you were over there. I saw you react and go over to that woman.”

  “It’s going to sound a little…” She waved away what she was about to say. “I know. You think creepy is cool. I heard crying then a woman’s voice begging for help. I thought maybe it came through an air vent but no one else seems to have heard it. The woman I spoke to said it was the weeping woman, like it’s common knowledge.”

  “Probably one of the Davenport ghosts,” he said with a nod. “If so, there will probably be a mention of her somewhere.”

  Maggie liked the way his eyes lit up with interest even if the cause was beyond her appreciation.

  Noah rose, walked over to the amethyst formation and held his hands out. A few minutes later he returned. “I felt a little resistance. I’ve felt much stronger than that, by the way. But no voices. Just make a note of it. Include every detail you can think of.”

  Maggie hurriedly opened her notebook and scribbled down the date, time and location.

  “I didn’t mean this second,” Noah said with a chuckle.

  “If you want every detail, I need to write it down while it’s fresh.” She waited for him to nod then got the rest recorded in shorthand.

  “Now that’s cool,” he said looking at her scribbles. “How fast are you?”

  “As fast as you can talk. Consider me a backup to your recorder. You never know when the batteries could die out on you.”

  “I’m sure there’s an innuendo in there somewhere but I can’t quite wrap my tongue around it. Anyway, I’m impressed.”

  She shrugged. “It’s just a skill. Anyone can learn it. It’s not like having talent.”

  He combed his fingers through her hair then gave her earlobe a tug. “I’d bet my life you have a ton of talent. Maybe that’s why we’re together again—to figure out what your talent is.”

  She tilted her cheek into his palm and sighed softly. As amazing as he was, discovering a talent that didn’t exist was beyond his capabilities. When they were handing out flavors at the ice-cream parlor of life, she’d gotten vanilla.

  No one hates vanilla.

  But no one loves it either.

  * * * * *

  “Well? What do you think of them?”

  The Council of Abstracts opened their thoughts to one another in response to Love’s question.

  “They definitely called on us by name,” replied Fate and Synchronicity.

  “Moi aussi,” added Mother Nature.

  “Nice redirect with the wind gust, by the way,” Curiosity said. “It was the perfect way to get her to the crystals and find out if she was open or not.”

  Justice was anxious for a determination on the mission he had submitted. “There is undoubtedly a strong bond between them and they are both open to dimensions beyond the third. But are they developed sufficiently to risk their own desires for the sake of a stranger? Are they willing to do battle in order to right a wrong? As you all know we only have a limited number of opportunities to interfere. We must choose our pairs carefully.”

  “For best results, a mission of this sort should be launched during the zenith of the full moon,” Time reminded everyone. “That moment will arrive in less than twenty-four hours and the portal will open and close whether or not a pair has been agreed upon.”

  The collective consciousness turned to one who could veto an otherwise unanimous decision. Karma always weighed these matters very heavily before speaking. Finally he issued his conclusion. “I see no harm in using them. They did not resolve their issues during their first encounter but they were quite young for Earthbound beings. A second test of their relationship was preset and I believe this excursion fits within the parameters of that test.”

  “Thank you,” Justice replied. “I will advise The First of our decision.”

  And so it was agreed. Noah Nash and Maggie Harrison would be sent on a mission of grave importance tomorrow night.

  Love could only hope the chemistry she’d mixed to quickly solidify their bond was not so strong they’d be distracted from the more important task at hand.

  Chapter Four

  “Thank you for a lovely evening, Noah. Part of my brain keeps saying I should feel guilty for having such a good time when I’m supposed to be working but it’s been overruled.”

  “Good,” he said, hugging her close to his side for emphasis.

  Maggie couldn’t seem to stop smiling as they rode the tree house elevator up to their rooms. She could no longer blame the wine. Dinner had been hours ago. And the only drinks they had in the Amethyst Cave were nonalcoholic. The rest of their time in the lounge had been spent people-watching. Noah had introduced her to one of his creative games—making up a background for someone based on something he or she was wearing—and it kept them laughing for over an hour. Afterward they’d rambled through the rest of the hotel’s sprawling interior, making mental notes of where the various facilities were and doing a little window-shopping along the row of exclusive stores.

  They’d made one more attempt to go outside but it had started to rain. There was nothing left to do but return to the suite.

  She tried to hold on to the pleasant feeling as they entered the living room but one look at the slight indentations on the couch cushions changed the energy between them.

  “It’s not a problem, Maggie,” Noah said in a very sincere tone. “I meant what I said about us getting to know each other. Don’t expect me not to steal a kiss if you happen to fall into my arms but we have separate bedrooms and you can trust me to stay in mine.”

  Yes but I’m not sure I can trust myself to stay in mine. She smiled softly. “I know that. I’m curious. Did our tour this evening count for any of the walk-around?”

  He angled his head at her. “Why do you ask?”

  “I usually read before I go to sleep and now I’m kind of anxious to read about the hotel. I thought I might be able to find something about the weeping woman.”

  He frowned a little and walked over to the bookshelves. “How about something here instead? Just until after tomorrow.” He pulled a hardcover book off a shelf. “This looks like a good one.”

  She saw it was one of his novels and chuckled. “Actually I have one by that author in my room. But like I said, I’m not a fan…”

  “Then I promise not to ask your opinion.”

  “Sounds fair.” She went to him, took both his hands in hers and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, Noah.”

  He gripped her hands so she couldn’t slip away then leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the mouth. “Goodnight, Sugarlips.”

  She made a face at him and walked away as quickly as she could without actually running.

  “Hey,” Noah said, stopping her right before she reached her safe haven. “I use TV noise to fall asleep. Just let me know if it’s too loud.”

  Maggie gave him a nod then slipped into her room. A short time later she had taken a quick shower and donned her favorite sleeping ensemble—a pair of old gym shorts and a large Miami Dolphins football jersey. When she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror she shook her head. No one could ever accuse her of packing with a romantic rendezvous in mind.

  She was about to shut off her cell phone when she noticed someone had left her a message. She didn’t recognize the number but decided to check it anyway. The feminine voice was polite yet noticeably authoritative.

  Hello, Ms. Harrison
. This is Lillian Davenport. I would appreciate it if you would stop by my office tomorrow. Oh, and please do not mention this to Mr. Nash.

  Cory had told Maggie hotel management might have an additional request but she certainly wasn’t expecting to hear from anyone named Davenport. She quickly opened the hotel’s informational notebook and discovered Lillian was Robert’s granddaughter and the current, hands-on owner of the resort. What could the owner possibly need from her? And why would she be asked not to tell Noah?

  Both answers would have to wait until tomorrow but, since she’d already opened the notebook, she couldn’t stop herself from skimming a bit more. Noah wouldn’t need to know about that either.

  As it turned out, between Reynard, the bellhop, and Nash’s remembered tidbits, Maggie already knew some of the basics. However, the hotel’s background piece added a few more interesting facts.

  Like many of the wealthy northern families in the early 1920s, Robert and Josephine Davenport jumped on Henry Flagler’s new railroad to vacation at the sunny playgrounds of the southeast Florida coast. Although Prohibition had been enacted on a federal level, it was not strictly enforced in the tropical paradise and casino gambling was a respectable pastime in the luxury hotels there.

  One day when he, his wife and son were sailing, a sudden storm blew them miles north of where they were staying. They came to ground on a small but beautiful island not shown on their map. Robert Davenport was so impressed with what other developers had accomplished in south Florida, he decided to invest everything in a dream of his own. He bought the island he’d discovered from the State of Florida and the Davenport Hotel and Beach Resort had its grand opening in 1924. For several years it was a booming success. Then came the devastating Miami and Okeechobee hurricanes, the Wall Street crash and the abrupt end of the Florida land boom.

  There was a mention of Robert’s untimely death in 1930 but not a word of explanation. The narrative jumped right to his widow Josephine and their sixteen-year-old son Chester valiantly struggling to maintain ownership of the island and the hotel through the Depression years and World War II.