Chapter 13 conscience

Stanton lifted his leg onto the mattress while Serena stood, her arms crossed in impatience. Stanton looked up at her again, and said in a calm voice, "Cassandra wants to be a writer. And after reading some of her material I realized she's got great potential."

'So far so good...'

"She's speaking to a publisher, and now she has a deadline for her first novel." 'Uh-huh...'

"She's intending to make her first novel a romance." 'Dicey...'

"And...She asked me for material. From our relationship." 'Okay. ...WHAT!?'

"What do you mean our relationship?"

He heaved out a heavy sigh, and explained. "She figures that our relationship is the most romantic that she can use because she's still a virgin. And she assumed that you and I will be having one soon, so she wants to base some of the things in her novel on...our sex life."

Her jaw had dropped long before he was finished. Now it was probably on the ground. But she didn't hesitate to let her anger loose. "First of all, she's a virgin? Second, where did she get that idea? Third, why didn't you tell me? Have you been giving her reports as we go?"

He shook his head adamantly. "I'd never do anything like that without your permission and you know it. And believe me I was as shocked as you were to find out about her virginity. And I didn't tell you because Cassandra had to get clearance for her first novel. To make sure that she was allowed to do a romance on her first try."

So that left... "Well? Where'd she get the idea?"

Stanton grinned suggestively, making it obvious. Judging by their recent behavior, anyone would think they'd have sex soon. Serena rolled her eyes. It was practically a given.

He stood, touched her cheek, and walked out, saying to her over his shoulder, "You can think about it for a while. She's got plenty of time."

Serena stood in her room, speechless. Too many things had been blown by her at once to keep her thoughts in order. Cassandra wanted to be a novelist? She went to Stanton for material? It was partly up to her huh? She knew her half.

No!

Knowing that was her answer for certain, she began to stomp over to Stanton's room, but a loud sound stopped her. She whirled around, and looked to the window, but the drapes were closed. As she drew them open, she heard the sound again, this time clearer. It sounded somewhat like a splash. Serena peeked out the window, and there was nothing but that tall gathering of trees that she saw when she first came to the island.

Curious, she opened the window the breeze fresh and cool, smelling of ocean. Below her were protruding stones that might've been an escape route in the past. And she used it in a way quite similar.

The stones were firm in their places, but jutting out far enough that she almost didn't fear falling as she descended. When she finally reached the ground, she gave herself a mental slap for not predicting the moat. Luckily, it wasn't as big as she thought. Following the sound that seemed to echo throughout the island, Serena cut across the tiny stream, and walked into the woods.

She couldn't resist grinning as she snuck through the thick trees, loving the giddy adrenaline inside. It was much like leaving for vacation, but much nicer. And that was probably due to the lovely scenery surrounding her.

The sun filtered through the tall brown trees, freckled with moss; to the bright green grass that stood tall and dewy, much like the rich leaves on said trees. Her grin broadened when she found what looked to be an opening. She stepped into it with her left foot, and stumbled in with her right. Her jaw dropped at what she saw.

A beautiful lake about half a mile around rested in a grove of sun-kissed greenery. The lake was clear at the edges, but an inviting blue in the middle. There was a hill on her left that pointed toward the west, guaranteeing a wonderful view of sunset when caught at the right time. Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the water, making her gasp, and instinctively look for a hiding place. She ran behind a tree, looked around it, and back to the lake, before her eyes widened.

The disturbance turned into a loud splash as something rose from the water. It was Stanton. He flipped his dripping wet hair to get it out of his glistening face, and ran his hands through it as water sputtered from his mouth, and the rest of his body emerged from the lake. His chest sparkled with droplets. The falling drops made paths down his contours, back to the water.

Serena watched every movement he made, mesmerized by the pure beauty that radiated from him like rays from the sun; and he was the sun. Nothing could be more appealing to the eyes that what she was seeing. But as her gaze drifted lower, to his naval and the light blonde trail of hair, she realized that what was to rise away from the water next had the definite potential to make her change her mind.

But to her disappointment, he kept that part of his body sheathed by the water. She watched as she looked down at himself through the water; his rumbling groan one of pure chagrin. Unable to suppress it, a wolfish grin appeared on her lips as she realized that since the only plumbing in the castle was that of the sink, this was his way of taking a cold shower. A wicked discovery indeed. For that meant he actually needed to take a cold shower.

Serena let out a giggle, but worried that he might here her, she covered her mouth. He ran his hands through his hair again, and looked around, water still dripping from his nose and chin. Without even taking a breath first, he plunged into the water again, and dove deep, making her alert.

His head came up, and then his arms as he swam close to the shore, then prepared to stand. Her heart stopped beating in her chest, but instead of rising at the front, she got a back view instead. This was alright, considering that he had a particularly fine---

"Damn!" He cursed too loudly, making her jump, and a few birds scatter away. He grabbed his boxer-briefs, hiked them up, then his pants, white shirt, then his jacket. All of his movements were rushed, and as soon as his clothes were on, he faded into shadow, and flew to the castle. Her eyes widened in alarm, and she rushed to the castle, stomping over grass, and stumbling over twigs, then frantically climbing her way up the stones again, but she knew she was beat.

When she finally had one hand on the bottom of her window, she saw her door open, and a hand flicked the lights on; but it appeared a little different than Stanton's. She managed a light smile, but her foot slipped, and her grip left her.

Serena watched the window above her get smaller. In her shock, she hadn't screamed initially, but now her voice rang out, high, shrill and helpless. Where was Stanton? She couldn't even see him at the window. A strange sense of déjà vu settled over her as she remembered the night she had met with Aura, and jumped off the cliff. And the same words she had spoken that night released themselves from her lips once again,

"O Mater Luna, Regina nocis, adiuvo---" she was interrupted as Stanton grabbed her, and flew her back up to the window, and into the room.

She gripped him tight, breathing hard, wondering why he hadn't come when she first screamed, yet she just remained as he rocked her back and forth comfortingly. Snuggling into his wet shirt, Serena breathed heavily, trying to make sense of the situation. Stanton should have come sooner...

After a few minutes of his wordless comfort, Serena blinked, trying to figure out what happened. "Stanton? Why didn't you come?"

He pulled back, looked at her for a second, and his brows pinched. "I came."

Shaking her head, Serena stated, "Not at first. You could've heard my scream from where you were."

Blinking in confusion, Stanton's arms gripped her upper arms. "But you were already screaming by the time I got in here Serena." Still confused, Serena gripped his jacket, and snuggled close again.

So...maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. She could have sworn she saw a hand though. Her legs shook; the adrenaline just a little too powerful for her.

Sensing that, Stanton lowered her to the bed, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

Nodding, Serena pulled back with a soft smile. Wanting just a few more minutes alone, she asked calmly, "Could I take a walk? I'd like to explore the place if that's okay."

Tilting his head in worry, Stanton asked her, "You're just going to let it go?"

Blinking, Serena looked at his chest. Deciding to explain it, she said, "I thought I saw your hand when I was climbing back in here. It looked a little paler and skinnier than yours, but since there's no one else in this castle..."

Stanton didn't appear relieved. In fact he seemed even more confused. "Serena, I honestly wasn't here by the time you screamed. And what were you doing out there?"

Before she could explain, he entered her mind, and she let him see, hoping he could make sense of the hand.

His eyes widened for just a moment, then he shrugged, and licked his lips with tantalizing effect. "I don't know Serena. You could've been seeing things."

She tilted her head, and before she could respond, he said in a teasing voice, "But...what were you doing watching me?"

Her head remained where it was for a second before it shot up, and her jaw made several movements before any words came out. "I...heard a splash. And...since there were some bricks I could climb down, I decided to. I didn't know I'd eventually find you." She resisted the impulse to roll her eyes at the lame choice of words.

He grinned, then kissed her cheek, and traced the shell of her ear with his tongue, and whispered devilishly, "Nice to know you liked what you saw." Again, like he had done the night before they left, he pressed his hips to hers, and she felt the definite beginning of a hard-on. She let out a breath of shock at the pounding heat she felt there, and whimpered in loss when she felt him draw back.

"Do you honestly want more Serena?" She was close to saying no, until he showed her exactly what he meant...

(AN: Sorry! Only emailers get this section. FYI: No sex, just extreme foreplay.)

Serena left the room, her heart buzzing and her mind blank. How he had managed to give her so much pleasure just by pressing his tongue onto a spot on her neck was absolutely mind-boggling. And if that really wasn't an orgasm...then the real thing...with a dreamy smile on her face, Serena walked down the steps.

Trailing her hand along the wall, Serena hummed to herself curiously. It had been two hours since she'd left her room, and she had been in many places of the castle. It was amazing the work that the remodeling crew had done. It was a lovely place, and it still held bits and pieces of the marking made on walls a long time ago. She found an interesting poem written right behind the throne, "Thy King, Thy Queen. Thy Heir, Thy Prince, Thy Princess. Thy King shall die. As shall thy queen. Thy heir willst rule, et command his people."

It seemed almost like a plot to overthrow the king and queen, but apparently, it held no success. Flicking her hair out of her face, Serena looked around the stronghold, her eyes absorbing every detail as she walked. Eyeing a staircase she hadn't seen before, she stepped to it with a curious and somewhat rueful smile. Never had she climbed so many steps before. But due since it gave her legs muscles a nice workout, she decided not to complain that much. In fact, that explained why so many historical books featuring the time period in which this castle was built held so many well-built people. Most of them must have been serfs.

As the steps she took led her farther and farther up, Serena really began to wonder what brought Stanton to visit such a place. It was his home, but it was also the place where almost his entire family died, except for Rachel; where he was crossed-over; and where he was betrayed by his own protector. Maybe he was getting nostalgic...

Facing a small, wide door, Serena let the subject drop, and pushed at the ancient metal handle. It made a loud noise as she pushed it open; quite resembling a young cow, except not as boisterous.

Forgetting the noise, Stanton, and even cows, Serena's eyes squinted, and then widened as she looked ahead of her.

A large room holding fifty or more beds lay out before her. Clearly the lodging for all servants, for the guests rooms were on the west wing of the castle.

It wasn't so much the room's capacity that surprised her, nor was it the tiny size of the beds, and not even the adjoining room that likely held even more beds for the women. It was the shadow in the center of the room. It looked quite like someone was standing at the window, but when she looked up, no one was there. Looking back at the center, she noticed the shadow was gone as well.

Blinking rapidly, Serena massaged her temples, realizing it was the second time today she had thought she saw something, when it was really just her imagination.

Ignoring it, Serena irritably looked into the other room, and found another door on the other side of the room. Still curious, Serena quickened her pace, and pushed on the door, hearing a loud clunk as she did so. She turned back, her eyes sweeping to the floor behind her, and a small, very old, black skeleton key. Turning back toward the door, she saw a rusted lock under the bolt. It didn't look like this was a closet. Serena looked beyond the door, and grimaced. "No. No, no, no, this is not another staircase!"

At the top of this one, another rusted lock greeted her. Ignoring it, she attempted to push the door open. But this one was actually locked. She pushed it a few more times before she tucked her tongue in her cheek, then dashed down the stairs, and picked up the key, and went back up with hope. Pressing one hand against the door, she attempted to slip the key into the lock, and managed to get it inside enough to twist it.

Grinning triumphantly at the sound of a resounding click, Serena slipped the key into her back pocket, and strutted into the room.

It looked more like a storage room than anything else, with at least ten trunks stacked on top each other in piles of five, old furniture lining the walls---including a vanity set with a beautiful mirror---and carpets and tapestries rolled into a corner.

And there was one more trunk that sat in the center of the room that probably wouldn't be visible if it weren't for the windows beside it, shining dusty rays of light in on the room. For safety measures by her guess, candles were placed on top of it, in between the windows so they wouldn't catch fire. Oddly, it was that trunk in particular that caught her eye.

Driven by some unknown force, Serena strolled over to it. At a loss for a crowbar, and noticing that the lock was the size of her fist, she reached for the key, hoping to get lucky. And indeed, the key worked like a charm.

As the padlock plopped to the floor, Serena shoved the lid up, and she gasped at what she saw.

Ugh...

Messy, messy, messy, messy!!!