Shadowed Magic (The Enlightened Species Novella) by Wendy S. Hales Read Free Book Online Page B

small and cozy and immaculately clean. It had a small kitchen area and a two-seat table next to a window overlooking the street in front of The Ryu. A kid on a skateboard rode past and Eros narrowed his eyes. The kid was familiar for some reason. Perhaps he was a student of the Ryu? Though Eros had never instructed himself, many of his sons had, and Eros had stopped by on several occasions … to see his sons … not to catch a glimpse of Aymee.
    He turned back and took in the living area. A leather sectional sofa, dominating the room, sat directly across from a mid-sized flat screen TV on a glass stand full of knick-knacks and keepsakes. The bottom glass level had dragons made of wood, blown glass, ceramic and pewter metals. She must have been collecting them her entire life. She likes flying mystical creatures . He smiled. Nearly every surface had one or two of the mythic beasts. Dragons were intermittently placed along the loaded bookcase that filled the wall beside the TV stand. He scanned titles hoping to learn more about her. The two upper shelves held non-fiction, predominately books on martial arts, meditation, spiritualism, etc. The sight of a few self-help manuals seemed odd. Men are from Mars and Women are From Venus . Complete rubbish in his opinion. He withdrew the Kama Sutra flipping through the pages. He remembered the origins of the pleasure generation within the Hindu Indians well. It had been fascinating to observe. A theme repeated by humanity over history. Much like Sodom and Gomorrah, the renaissance and the sexual revolution in America. The Hindu went from a ban on even the mention of anything intimate to treating sensual scent, touch, taste and more like a spiritual experiment. The brave men and women who ultimately began to document and share their sexual openness made sexual acceptance the norm of society ... for a short time. The cycle would begin anew.
    Eros replaced the book. The middle shelves held fiction of every genre. Romance, historical, science fiction, mystery, poetry and horror were all represented.
    “Eros.” Irsu called from a room he hadn’t been in. He followed her voice stepping into Aymee’s bedroom. An average sized bed with a child-like canopy declared Aymee’s softer side. A suitcase overflowed in the center of the peach colored coverlet. Irsu stood in front of several open drawers. “I think a panty burglar has been here.” She snort-laughed.
    Eros grinned. “I erroneously sent Jacob to gather items for Aymee. As you can see, he was slightly inept at the task.”
    “Ya think?” Irsu opened a few other drawers and tossed brassieres and socks into the open bag. “Look around and see if there’s anything I might have missed. I packed clothes, shoes and toiletries for her, but if you see anything personal you want to add, be my guest.”
    His eyes were drawn to the framed pictures at Aymee’s beside. In one, a young Aymee stood between an Asian man and blonde blue-eyed woman, probably her parents. He’d heard her father had died of cancer when she was young and her mother resided in Florida now. Another picture had Aymee, Jess and Jess’s foster-brother Eric, the officer from the night before. They were all laughing on a beach somewhere. The last picture was in a metal frame with dragons etched into it. Eros picked it up, his chest clenched with emotion. It showed a silhouette of Aymee performing a perfect jump spin kick. One leg extended straight, the other bent in a sharp forty-five degree angle to infuse power. Her fists in fighting position, the photo captured her spirit, as did the phrase written into the photo’s base. Live with strength, worth and integrity. Die with honor.
    Eros added the three photos to the pile. A worn stuffed penguin resting against her pillows went into the bag also. Then he opened the drawer to her bedside table and pushed aside her personal pleasuring apparatuses. His eye caught on another photo. It was of him. He was leaning against a