Part 2

Chris watched Vin Tanner working with the horse and knew there was not another man alive who could sooth the skittish mare. He missed talking with the trainer, but since Ella Gaines' arrival the day before, Tanner had not been up to the house. Now Chris needed him to get a message to the others and bring them to the farm in case Ella was right and Jack Averill acted on his threats.

“Vin, I need to get a message to Buck and the others,” Larabee said when Tanner turned toward him.

“Trouble?”

“You might say that,” Larabee told him.

“This got anythin' ta do with yer lady friend?”

“Yes, it does. She is in trouble with a man named Averill and I told her I would help make sure he does not bother her anymore. He's got his men with him in Portsmouth Village and I'd rather not be caught with just me and you and the stable hands to defend this place.”

“All right, when do ya want me ta leave?”

“Right away.”

“What if he shows up before we get back?”

“It will probably take him some time to find out where she is. I figure it will take you a couple of days to find the others and get back here. I can protect her until you get back.”

‘Yeah, but who'll protect you from her?' Tanner thought. He nodded and moved into the stable to saddle his horse. Somehow, he knew that everything hinged on his being able to get the others to Larabee's farm before the Eve of Samhain. He frowned as something tugged at his subconscious, but shook it off when Larabee came to stand beside him.

“Find out what you can about Handsome Jack Averill.”

“I'll see what I can do. Ya watch yer back, Larabee.”

“That is supposed to be your job, Tanner,” the blond answered before heading back to his house. For some reason a chill swept through him and his limbs grew heavy, but he shook it off when he reached the door. This was his home and there was nothing to hurt him within these walls. He didn't see the woman hidden behind the curtain as she smiled, a cold calculating grin that did little to add warmth to her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ella could not get enough of Chris Larabee, but she checked on her aunt before joining him. Hilda would not be causing her any problems, but she had her uses, especially where decorum was concerned and society demanded she travel with a companion. That was the main reason Ella kept her around and she'd been able to control her with the use of herbs, spells, and potions. When Ella first married Joseph Petrie, Hildegard had been a buxom beauty who kept her on her toes, but things had changed once Joseph died. Hilda was now just a figure, a means to an end that would allow her to stay with the man she desired without people condemning them both. Once she was sure her aunt was sleeping and would not awaken, she joined her spellbound lover in the dining room.

Ella Gaines sat across the table from Chris Larabee and smiled when he poured them both a glass of blood red wine. She'd slipped a small concoction into the bottle before the blond joined her. She'd already taken the potion that would counteract the one in the wine and knew she would be sharing more than the dinner table with this man. She sipped the liquid and smiled with pleasure as she licked her lips.

“This is a wonderful bouquet, Christopher. Is it one of yours?”

“No, Buck has become very good at choosing fine wines since he acquired the inn at Portsmouth Village .”

“Buck! As in Buck Wilmington?   I didn't know he was still around. Has anyone managed to get him to fall in love yet?”

“No, Buck is still very much available,” Larabee answered.

“Do you think he will ever marry?”

“Maybe,” Larabee thought about the ill-fated voyage that had taken his wife and son from him, and had a devastating impact on Buck Wilmington's life.

Ella watched Larabee's face and easily read the sorrow etched in the deep lines on his handsome face. “Christopher, are you all right?”

“I'm fine, Ella, just thinking about something,” Larabee answered and sipped the wine. He licked his lips and stared at the woman seated across from him as she drank from her own glass. Something about the way she stared at him sent searing heat through his body, but he knew he would not act on it. His mouth was suddenly dry and he thought he saw her lips moving, but he could not hear the words. The air had suddenly become un-breathable and his lungs felt ready to explode. He tried to break contact with Ella Gaines, but it seemed an impossible feat as her eyes and alluring voice held him entranced.

“Christopher, Liza would like to know if you want her to serve coffee.”

“No…no thanks,” Larabee said, frowning when he looked at his plate. He couldn't remember eating the food and yet his dish was empty. He reached for the bottle of wine, poured a fair amount of crimson colored liquid into his glass, and drank half the contents before his eyes were once more captured and held enthralled. The temperature in the room seemed to have risen and he felt tiny beads of perspiration break out on his forehead. The glass toppled from his hand, spilling the remnants of the wine on the pristine white tablecloth, reminding him of spilled blood as it spread across the linen. Chris reached for his napkin, and missed twice before his fingers finally latched onto it and brought it up to his face. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but a hand on his arm had him gazing once more into the dark eyes that both chilled and thrilled him.

“Come, Christopher, you are tired.”

“I am tired.”

“I know and you need to rest.”

“Need to rest,” Larabee repeated in a soft monotone that sent fear into the heart of Elizabeth Harper. She silently prayed that Vin Tanner would find the others and get back before it was too late.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris awoke to a feather light touch against his cheeks and for a moment was transported back in time, but the spell was broken when he inhaled the scent of the woman who lay next to him. His eyes opened to darkness and his head felt as if it would explode, reminding him of the drinking binges he had after Sarah and Adam's deaths. He struggled to sit up, cursing himself for a fool as dark hair was outlined against a pure white pillow. He knew immediately who the woman was, but for the life of him he could not remember how she'd ended up in his bed. He knew he had to get her out of his house and out of his life, but first he would have to deal with Handsome Jack Averill. He stood and grabbed for his clothing, swaying dangerously as the room around him blurred and pain lanced through his skull once more. He sat back heavily, cradling his head in his hands. He sat there for several long moments, waiting for his head to clear before looking at the raven-haired beauty who shared his bed.

“Ella,” Larabee said and touched her bare shoulder.

“Hmm,” the sorceress whispered and opened her eyes. The moon cast shadows across the room and she turned onto her side to reach for the desirable man sitting beside her. “The sun is not yet up, My Love, come back to bed.”

“Ella, I am truly sorry, but this was a mistake.” Chris thought about the scandal if Hildegard Petrie caught them in such a position and knew he had to end this now.

“Mistake, Christopher, whatever do you mean?”

“I mean this…us…you in my bed. It is wrong…”

“It is not wrong, Christopher. Not when two people love each other.”

“Ella, I do not…I have never l…loved y…” He suddenly grabbed at his head as once more tiny explosions were set off leaving him weak and nauseated.

“You do love me, Christopher, and you will come to accept that once the others are out of the way,” she intoned, staring into his eyes while chanting softly.

The words made little sense to Chris Larabee, but he felt himself losing touch with reality as the woman's eyes glowed like red embers from a fire that threatened to burn his soul. His heart beat too fast and his chest heaved as he felt his mind overridden with the evil that lurked in his bed. Her hands touched his cheeks and she bent over him, mouth opening as she pressed against his lips. He felt his strength leaving him as if she had drained his essence, but deep in his mind he fought against her touch until he passed out once more.

“Damn you, Sarah Connelly! You will not be able to protect him much longer! I will have him as my chosen high priest and no one will stand in my way!” Ella cursed the dead woman's soul to hell as she clutched the locket in her fingers. Once she rid her intended of the woman's memories, he would truly be hers and the locket could be destroyed forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vin rode Peso into Portsmouth Village and kept his eyes open for any trouble that might cross his path. He cautiously bypassed a group of British soldiers and headed directly toward the inn owned by Buck Wilmington. He recognized several villagers and greeted them before dismounting in front of Wilmington 's establishment and hurrying inside. He quickly spotted the owner and JD Dunne standing beside the desk and walked over to them.

“What brings you to Portsmouth , Vin?” Wilmington asked.

“Chris sent me. He wanted you and JD and the others out at the farm.”

“Trouble?” Dunne asked, instantly alert.

“Ya could say that. Chris has a lady friend stayin' with him…”

“And you call that trouble?” Wilmington teased, but inside his thoughts were of the problems this could cause his friend.

“She might not be trouble, but the man that's chasin' her could be,” Tanner explained, glad they were alone in the room.

“Who is she and who is the man chasing her?” Dunne asked.

“Woman's name is Ella…”

“Ella Gaines?” Wilmington asked, his eyes wide as he remembered their last meeting. The raven-haired beauty had bewitched Larabee and had nearly been his downfall, but Chris had managed to shake her from his life. If she was back, Chris was really in trouble.

“That's her. The man's name is Handsome Jack Averill and Chris wants us ta find out everythin' we can ‘bout him.”

“I have heard that name down at the docks, but I have never seen him,” Dunne supplied.

“Do you know anything about him?” Wilmington asked.

“Just that he is an unsavory sort and would sell his own mother to get what he wants. I heard tell of him selling slaves, but I do not know if that is true or not. Last I heard the soldiers were looking for him and he headed out before they caught him,” Dunne explained.

“Any idea where he was headed?” Wilmington asked.

“No, but if he is looking for Chris' guest it is likely he headed that way,” Dunne answered.

“Ella told Chris he'd be comin' after her,” Tanner told them.

“All right, then I guess we best get the others and head on out to Chris' place,” Wilmington said and the others readily agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris awoke to an empty bed, scowling as the scent of burning wax assaulted his senses. He sat up and looked around the room until he spotted Ella Gaines sitting at his desk. She wore a long black gown and was bent over something he couldn't see, but it was her chanting that grated on his nerves. He stood up and silently walked across the room and frowned when the woman quickly hid whatever she was looking at by standing and wrapping her arms around him.

“Good Morning, Christopher. I thought you were going to sleep all day.”

“Ella, we need to talk,” Larabee said, keeping his eyes diverted from hers as he forced her to sit in the chair once more.

“About what?” Ella pouted.

“Last night…this morning...you being in my bed…”

“I know,” Ella smiled as she tried to make eye contact with him. “It was wonderful, Christopher, and I must say you have not lost your touch.”

“My touch…?”

“Why, yes, you always were rather vigorous in bed and I do love how you mark your lovers.”

“Mark my lovers?” Larabee asked as their eyes met and he found himself sinking into their depths.

“Of course, now it is my turn to mark you. Come back to bed, my love, and I will show you how good we are together. It is our fate…”

“Our fate…”

“That is right, Christopher, now lie back and relax.”

Chris watched her move around the room, but could not speak or move as her words droned on in a hypnotic tone that left him helpless against her. Something about Ella Gaines had always scared him and as he watched her walk toward him, holding a black candle high above her head, he was truly frightened. She chanted unintelligibly, let the black gown drop from her body and quickly straddled him. He watched, transfixed as she tipped the candle and didn't react as the hot wax touched his skin. The pain was sharp and intense, but he lay still while she slowly poured the wax onto his chest. Chris had no sense of time, just of the extreme pain and nauseating scent of the wax hitting his unprotected skin. He knew he should put a stop to this, but his body felt leaden and his eyes remained fixed on the woman who straddled his body and chanted the same words as the wax rained down on his bare chest.

“I have marked you, Christopher, and in five nights' time you and I will be wed under the stars and before the others of my coven. They will accept you and worship you as they do me. We will sacrifice…”

Chris heard her, but his mouth was dry and his head had begun to pound once more. His chest felt on fire as she placed the black candle on the table beside his bed and traced her fingers along the trail of wax on his chest. He winced when she began to remove the evidence of what she'd done, but he knew whatever design she'd made would be easily seen as a burn.

“I will kill anyone who tries to interfere with our joining, Christopher, for you are and always will be mine, and only mine, for as long as we live. Our sacrifices and alliance with the dark forces will ensure that we live forever,” Ella assured him, smiling at the blank staring eyes and the slack features. She hated taking him this way, but until their true joining she would need to resort to potions and spells to keep him at her side.

“Forever…”

“That is right, My Love, forever, joined not only in our mortal bodies and mind, but as dark soul mates.”

“Soul mates…”

“Yes, Christopher, come see how I have marked you and know that our love was foretold for centuries,” Ella crooned softly and helped Larabee to his feet. She brought him across the room to a mirror she'd placed there at dawn. She wanted him to see that he belonged to her and that she would do anything to keep him at her side.

Chris moved as if in a trance and stood before the mirror. The lines made by the hot wax seemed to be in a haphazard formation, but he soon realized it was an intricate design he'd seen once before. As a young man he'd seen the same marks on the floor of a house he'd stumbled upon during a storm. At the time there were black candles burning at each point of the design and he knew it was called a Pentagram. A star used in the practice of witchcraft, but there was a slight difference in the one that marked him.

“I see you recognize the mark, Christopher, but there is a minor difference with this Pentagram. I'm sure you have noticed that it is inverted and that, My Love is my coven's true strength. There are many different covens of witches and I assure you many of them are not as strong as mine, because our members are chosen for their need to worship Satan. Ours is a not a new religion, but it is not spoken of because some fear the witch hunters. You will understand more when you are initiated into our fold in five days' time. You must not tell anyone of our ritual or of the mark you now wear. You will not remember this conversation, but you will want me…need me…crave me and only me until the night we consummate our joining.” Ella smiled when Larabee's eyes began to close and knew she had to get him back to bed. “Come, my Love, you need to rest.”

“Rest…” Chris let her lead him back to his bed and crawled under the blankets. There seemed to be no strength left in his body and he sighed as he let her enfold him in a thick blanket of darkness that seemed to smother him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Elizabeth Harper stood before the window watching as the storm continued unabated. The wind whipped the leaves and dust into a frenzied dance. Rain pelted off the rooftops and turned the green lawn into a vast pool of green water. Thunder shook the house to the rafters while lightning paved a zigzag path across the turbulent sky. She fingered the rough hewed amulet in her pocket and knew this symbol would help protect her from harm, but what about Chris Larabee? She felt someone watching her and turned to face the hated woman who stood framed in the doorway.

“Nothing can protect you if I thought you worthy of my anger, Elizabeth , but I have more pressing things on my mind than a mere witch with only moderate powers. I have to leave, but I will return before nightfall. Christopher is sleeping and is not to be disturbed until my return. My aunt is resting and she is to be left alone!”

Elizabeth watched the woman leave and returned to gazing into the storm. She knew in her heart that Ella Gaines was right and that she did not have the power to fight the evil that had invaded this land. The only chance they had of saving Chris Larabee was in the hands of his friends, but right now they were not close enough to do anything to stop the woman who now controlled her employer. She softly chanted several incantations and hoped when the time came she could help those who cared about Chris Larabee.

Several times she checked on Hildegard Petrie and found the woman deeply asleep. She wondered if Ella Gaines was using something to keep the woman in such a state, but there was nothing she could do for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ella Gaines thrilled at the tempest that ravaged the land. It bespoke of the master's blessing on her plans and she moved quickly to the stable to ready her horse. She would not need the buggy today and quickly saddled her black steed before mounting up and riding out into the storm. She raced across the muddied ground and along the narrow path for close to a mile. She knew the others would be waiting for her and smiled inwardly when she thought of Handsome Jack Averill. The man really did love her, but understood that he was not to be her chosen lover. He would be dealt with swiftly if he thought to harm her true intended. The wind whipped her hair around her face and she lifted it to the sky as lightning danced across the ground at the animal's hooves.

~~~~~~~~~~~

As the storm increased in intensity, Vin knew they would have to stop for the night or risk injuries to both the animals and their riders. They'd found Nathan with Josiah and after explaining what Chris wanted the two men had easily agreed to accompany Vin, Buck, and JD to Larabee's farm. They made a quick stop at Ezra Standish's mercantile and it didn't take much to entice the gambler into joining them. Standish knew of Handsome Jack Averill and had even played cards with him on more than one occasion. The man cheated badly and was driven out of many of the well-known establishments. Vin reined Peso in and waited for the others to join him.

“What is wrong, Vin?” Wilmington asked.

“Why are we stopping here?” Dunne frowned when he drew alongside Sanchez.

“The storm's gettin' worse. There's an old barn not far from here and I think we need ta take shelter till this blow's over,” Tanner answered.

“Vin is right. This thing is getting worse by the minute,” Jackson observed and the five men followed Tanner along the storm swept land to the shelter of the abandoned barn, unaware that things were conspiring against them ever making it to Larabee's farm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ella laughed when hellish light bathed the land around her once more. She recognized the opening ahead of her and quickly made for the clearing. The storm did not touch the inside of the glade and she dismounted in front of the stone altar made by her followers. She smiled when Jack Averill moved to pull her into an embrace and cooed softly in his ear.

“Did you miss me, Jack?”

“You know I did, Ella. I cannot get enough of you. When can we be together again?”

“Not until the night of the joining. I need to stay as I am until Christopher is mine.”

“I wish you would let me get rid of him. He does not love you as you deserve to be loved.”

“Perhaps not, but there will come a time when he will understand his lot in life. He is to take his place beside me and together we shall bring forth the forces of evil and take what should have been ours.”

“How can you be sure you will be able to keep Larabee in line?”

“Oh, Jack, have you not figured it out yet? I have been controlling those around me all of my life and to think that a mere mortal could resist me is simply insane.”

“I am insane, Ella, insane with my love for you. Please…”

“Sh, Jack, do not make me angry, for you will not like me when I am angry. Remember the last time?” Ella asked and felt Averill nuzzle her neck.

“I…I remember, my love, but I cannot resist you.”

“We have many preparations to finish before the ceremony, Jack,” Ella said, pushing the hapless man away from her. “Did you get word to the sister covens near New Berne?”

“Yes, they are sending their High Priestess and High Priest to bless your joining,” Averill explained.

“Well done, Jack,” Ella said, for her plans depended on the representatives of each of the thirteen covens being on hand for her joining with Chris Larabee. She smiled and slowly gazed around the clearing, and knew things were indeed proceeding as planned.

“How long can you stay, Ella?”

“I am afraid I have to get back before morning, Jack, but I will try to come out here before the Eve of Samhain.”

Jack pulled her into his arms, kissing her once more before releasing her and helping her mount the black steed. He remained in place and watched as Ella Gaines rode out of the clearing and into the deadly storm.

Elizabeth knew she should heed Ella Gaines' warning, but she ignored the hackles on the back of her neck and knocked at Larabee's door. When no answer was forthcoming, she pushed it open and stared into the dim interior until she made out the bed set against the back wall. Thunder continued to rumble through the darkening sky and she sensed rather than heard the approaching horse. Easing the door closed she quickly made her way back to the kitchen and pretended to be busy with preparing the evening meal. She heard the front door open and looked up to see her nemesis staring at her.

“Christopher and I will be eating in his room. Make sure the meal is properly prepared and brought to us,” Ella ordered and turned away without waiting for an answer.

Elizabeth shivered as icy fingers raced down her spine, chilling her to the core. Four days had passed since Ella Gaines' arrival and there were many changes in the household. She prayed Larabee's friends would soon arrive or it would be too late for everyone concerned.

It was mid morning before the storm finally relented and the six men saddled their horses and mounted up once more. Very little was said as Tanner took the lead and they rode single file toward Larabee's farm. The tension between them increased with each passing minute and the urgency of their journey was uppermost on their minds.