The Crimson Z
Robert Cloud
Lee Rush
Richard Savage
Abby Blythe
Kara Elsberry
ISBN 0-9774682-8-3

Collection Paranormal
Stories
688 paperback pages
Multi-format ebook $6.99
Paperback $29.99
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The Crimson Z has it all, contemporary, historical, sweet, sexy, erotic.

The Crimson Z Includes:

Love of a Pendant's Heart
A Short Novella
by Lee Rush

The Anniversary
A Short Novella
By Richard Savage

Incorrigible
A Novella
by Abby Blythe

On The Wings of a Dream
A Novelette
by Kara Elsberry

The Blood Ritual of the Crimson Z
A Novel
by Robert Cloud

The Awakening
A Long Novella
by Robert Cloud

The Commission

[This chapter of The Blood Ritual of the Crimson Z follows Love of a Pendant’s Heart]

Zachariah paused to wipe a tear from his eye. He looked to
Melanie who had sat on the floor at his feet as he was telling
the tale and saw the tears in her eyes as well. The room had
grown dark even with the overhead lights on for night had
come. He smiled to her and reached out a hand to help her to
her feet. As she stood he added, "It is a story that is hard to
tell though I have told it many times. It is like I knew those
involved and the love they felt for each other.

"There is another tale behind this one that is difficult for
me as well for it involves my own family. My ancestor
Zakarias had lost his wife before the making of the pendant,
but there was magic when someone asked for one of these
pieces to be made. The magic reunited him with his wife for a
short time. On the very night that he was reunited with his
wife from the magic of the commission of another piece was
when Zavon came to commission the pendant."

Tears ran down Zachariah's face as he recalled the
memories of the time. "Something strange had happened
since a commission occurred during the magic of another's
piece being completed. His wife had been able to stay with
him longer than she normally could. She even helped with the
piece when it was time to choose and set the gemstone."
"This pendant was only the third item created by Zakarias
and it was created jointly by the love of him and his wife
whom he'd been able to share not one night with but an
entire month." Zachariah lowered his head and wiped away
more tears as they fell down his cheeks. "Their talent
together was beyond anything you could imagine and she had
a touch of magic about her as Zaven had said. Some who
have heard the story say it is Zakarias' tears of blood over
the loss of his wife that make the most magical of the pieces
have that crimson hue."

Again he paused as he took a deep breath and then looked
at Melanie, "I am sorry sweetheart. It is just when I think of
my ancestor it is almost as if I was there and it was I that had
lost my wife and was getting that second chance to be with
her again.

"After all, I did lose my wife very early in our marriage, so
I feel so close to my ancestor. Almost like he and I are one
and the same sometimes." He smiled to her and then lowered
his head a moment as he gathered his thoughts again.

"Now, back to the tale, others that have heard the tale say
that it was the blood that Adrian had shed for his one true
love and that somehow it had connected with my family.
"There is little doubt from the story that the wolf that
attacked him was a vampire in its wolfen form and it had
doomed him to many years of loss. When he met Crystal he
could not bear to loose yet another." Zach wiped away
another tear and Melanie turned and looked about, seeing a
box of Kleenex she brought one of the tissues to him. He
thanked her and continued his tale. Melanie took several of
the tissues out to wipe away her own tears as she listened.

"According to the legend though, that was not the end of
the story. Lilith had extracted a price from Zaven to weave
such a precise spell upon the piece. When Zaven parted this
world a piece of him was forever trapped within the pendant.

He became a harbinger to those who held the pendant. It was
for this reason that when Crystal's son inherited the piece he
brought it back to my ancestor. Whenever something
important was about to happen in his life a shadow of a huge
dragon would pass overhead. More than once it had scared
him and it had nearly frightened his wife to death the one
time she had seen it. Crystal's son told my ancestor the story
of the pendant and he put the rest together. My ancestor paid
him a small fortune for the pendant and the man left happy.
He and his family would be well financed for many
generations."

Papa Zach stopped his story and rested a moment before
Melanie asked a question that had bothered her from early in
the story, "Papa Zach, an Anthrofox? I have never heard of
that. They are not like werewolves, but always caught in that
half human half fox form?"

He smiled up, how bright she was. It would not have been
likely she would have heard of such a thing. "You are quite
right. The legends of such are quite old, much older than the
time frame of the story. Anthro-creatures date back to the
time of the ancient Greeks and even before. The oldest known
civilizations that I recall were the Sumerians and the
Babylonians; they also exist in the Asian legends. But those
old legends are often hard to understand even if properly
translated so maybe one of my ancestors updated it to a
more modern time. Feudal England, when they still believed
in Dragons seems a logical time.

"My own ancestors believe that Dragons were dark
creatures that God did not allow upon the ark and that were
therefore destroyed in the flood. Only a very few survived
beyond the flood. The strongest ones that could stay aloft for
all the time the waters were upon the Earth. So that would
make the story even older yet."

Melanie smiled and reached out quickly kissing his cheek,
"Thank you, Papa Zach for such an amazing story. I have one
more glass case in the back corner to clean and then I should
call it a day. My mother will be expecting me home for dinner
at the normal time." As she turned to run to clean the display
case Zachariah's hand rose to his cheek as if to hold the
moisture of her kiss upon his cheek as long as he could.

He looked up, with his hand still lingering over the kiss,
fondly pressing its memory into his mind, "Speaking of your
mother, did you not say she would probably drop by?"

"Yes, I am certain she will. I am surprised she has not
been here yet."

"Well, maybe she will come tomorrow."

"Maybe," Melanie said though Zachariah could see there
was doubt in her eyes.

Then almost like magic the clouds in her eyes vanished as
her mind grasped another thought. He could tell that anytime
she was not thinking of her mother was a relief to her and he
wondered why that was.

Suddenly Melanie announced, "Oh, I will be a little late
tomorrow. I will be here right after Church and will work all
that much harder."

"Sweetie," Zach smiled at her. "You are doing a good job;
do not worry about an extra effort."

"But I want to." Melanie said, with a little pout.

Zach smiled and laughed, his hand touched her cheek and
the pout melted away, "Then you work as hard as you wish."
Melanie jumped up and down and clapped her hands like a
little child hearing the news of a summer field trip to the zoo.

She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek again before
turning and heading to the back room to get one of the boxes
of watches to sort out. Zach watched her with a feeling of
pride as if he were watching the grandchild he had never had.

He turned and looked at the ground, feeling full of shame.
He hated to lie, no matter how great or small that lie was, but
how would she ever understand that there had been no
ancestor of his to work on the pieces of jewelry. All of them
had been made by his hands except for that once piece that
his wife had helped with when Zavon had come calling. He
really liked Melanie and if he were to tell her that she would
think he was insane and never return.

She smiled as she worked filled with satisfaction at being
such a help to him, it was as if the little bit of work she was
able to offer him was more rewarding to her than anything
else in the entire world. She could not understand why it was
so difficult for everyone in her school to understand her. She
really enjoyed taking the home economics classes, learning to
cook, clean, and sew with the idea of being a traditional
housewife if the opportunity ever came along.

She doubted it would. Truth was she knew that she was
going to have to look for work very soon. Even though her
parents had money she was aware that they were not going
to put anything aside for her to have a higher education. It
would have been nice. She liked the idea of being a teacher
but that was a dream that would not happen.

She turned and looked at Papa Zach. He was busy looking
at more gemstones and jewelry. She wondered if he knew
that he bit his lower lip when he was studying the stones. She
could already tell when he saw one he liked because his chin
would begin to quiver and then suddenly he would raise up
with a smile and set it aside in a special pile with others he
liked. It was funny to her that she was noticing little things
about him and here it was only the second day she had spent
any real time with him. His eyes sparkled when they looked at
her like he wished he were so much younger. She wished he
was too, but she was beginning to wonder if age really
mattered if you were really in love. When she looked at him
she could feel her heart fluttering like it was a flock of
butterflies within her chest and she knew she had never felt
that way about anyone her own age. She wondered why age
should matter.

Suddenly he looked up at her and caught her staring at
him, she could feel the blush rise to her cheeks as she turned
her attention back to sorting items out of the boxes. She was
wiping the dust that had gathered off the boxes of the
watches that would go into the display case closest to the
front window. Papa Zach said put something that would
attract the customers but not something that would attract
thieves. She had laughed and responded that there were not
that many major thieves in Hudson Falls. Still he felt better to
be safe than sorry and she agreed.

As she wiped the dust away from the boxes the memory of
the warmth in his eyes and how she could almost feel it
radiating from him soothed her. She took a little risk and
glanced his way again and was pleased to see him busy with
his work. There was something about Papa Zach that reached
into her and made her feel completely at peace, like nothing
in the world could happen to her when she was in his
presence.

That blush on her face was so adorable and she had tried
to hide it by burying herself again in her work. He wondered
what thoughts were drifting in her mind that could bring such
sweet blushes to her cheeks.

He could feel warmth coming off of her whenever she was
near and that made him feel young and alive. Maybe, he
thought, when he had rejuvenated and came back as his
great nephew he would offer her a regular part time job after
school and on weekends so she could stay on. Something told
him that he would do more than just miss her if she left, he
would feel empty without her there.

Then a momentary frown crossed his face. No matter how
badly he would feel, keeping her around could be dangerous;
she might come to suspect something after a time. The
mannerisms, the movements, they may give away the secret
that had been his and Lilith's for many, many years.

"Why such the long face, Papa Zach?" Zach turned his
eyes to see the sparkling joy in the face of the girl beside
him.

"Just an old memory from my youth, young one, it is
nothing to trouble yourself about."

"Well then, smile." She giggled and leaned in kissing his
cheek again, "I am done and need to be heading out but I will
be back as early as I can tomorrow."

"Okay. Be careful and be safe."

"Oh, Papa Zach, I am always careful. In this small town
there is nothing dangerous. No one notices me. It is as if I am
almost invisible. Except for the few pranks at school from
time to time there is no one that would want to hurt me."

Zach reached up and touched her cheek before she turned,
"Little one, you are far lovelier than you let yourself be, and
even in the safest of places dangers lurk in the shadows, so
please just be safe on your journey."

She smiled at him and held his hand to her cheek. "I will
Papa Zach, but no one sees me the way you seem to see me,
but for you I will be safe. I will see you tomorrow."

"Yes, little one, I will see you too."

Zach could almost feel the happiness radiating off of
Melanie as she stepped out the door. He closed and locked it
behind her and watched as she skipped down the street. He
smiled. Sometimes she did not seem like a girl her age but
someone a little younger. Her spirit was so youthful and full
of life.

As he turned the mirror in the back rattled wildly against
the wall. "I am coming, Lilith. Settle down or you will shatter
yourself."

Zach quickly walked back to the mirror hanging on the
wall. Even before he got there he could hear her screams,
You get your filthy mind off that young slut, Zachariah. You
are a married man and your wife is here watching your every
move.

"It is not like that, Lilith. She does remind me of you. In
many ways she looks like you and all it is doing is making me
more anxious for her to commission her piece so you and I
can be together again, even if it is only for one night." Within
him he could feel the muscles of his neck and shoulders
tense. In many ways he dreaded that night.

Zachariah, you had better not be lying to me. If you are
when I am corporeal again I will tear her throat out.

"Lilith, in all the years together I have never lied to you.
Why would I start now?"

Sigh ... You are right my love, I am sorry. I just tend to
get jealous that you can touch others and I cannot feel your
hands. I know you stroke the pane of the mirror but to me it
is like your fingers are on the other side of an icy wall.

"Love, I am sorry. I wish we could be together always, but
the magic only lasts for one night and only when the piece
has been commissioned by someone that has brought us
innocent blood does it work right."

I hunger to lay in your arms again my love. To feel your
loins pressing into mine, like upon our wedding night. I feel
she will commission the piece tomorrow after your next story,
and commissioning it on the first day is a powerful omen.
Maybe if the Lord is merciful he will give us two days this
time.

"We can only pray, my love, we can only pray."

As he walked to the stairs he began to pray. There were
many things he had to pray for forgiveness for this night.
* * * *
As she ran down main street tears clouded her eyes and
she wiped them away. She had promised Papa Zach that she
would be there shortly after noon. It hurt her almost as bad
that she had broken her promise as what had happened after
church. It was nearly one when she arrived outside the door
to his shop and she stopped to straighten her dress and tried
to dry her eyes, but when the door opened and she saw the
worried look on his face as he stood in the door she ran inside
and into his arms pulling the door closed behind them.

Melanie reached over and pulled the blinds down and then
buried her face against his chest and let her tears flow. She
wept bitterly, and when she felt his arms encircle her, the
tears came even more freely. Even she thought she was
crying like a mother bereft of her child.

Papa Zach just held her in silence, stroking her hair and
cooing softly to her. He let her cry as long as she needed to
and as she finally began to gain control of her tears he guided
her over to a chair and had her sit down.

He smiled at her and said, "Sweetheart, even with red
blotched cheeks and swollen eyes I do not think I have ever
seen anyone more beautiful."

That brought a small laugh from Melanie, "Papa Zach, in
your eyes I know I am beautiful. It is the rest of the world
that sees me as plain and ugly."

"Then they need glasses."

Even through her tears that brought another small laugh.

"Now tell me sweet child, what is wrong? What could have
brought such pain into your life?"

Fresh tears threatened to fall, but a soft touch of his hand
upon her cheek and her hand holding his hand to her face
helped her hold back the tears. "Papa Zach, people can be so
cruel sometimes."

"Yes, they can." Zachariah remembered a time in his own
youth when he was the object of the cruelty of his peers, "Go
on, tell me what happened."

"Papa Zach, my High School's Homecoming Dance is
Thursday Night, and the game is Saturday with a Parade just
before the game. It is my senior year and I have never been
to a dance at my school. One of the football players that goes
to my church invited me to go with him just before church
began. I was so excited all through services that I could not
even listen to the pastor's sermon."

She looked up at the man she had grown to respect and
even love and for a moment almost felt as if she had
betrayed him by accepting a date. "After the sermon I always
help with cleaning up the little things that people leave behind
and I was by a window and I saw him talking to some people
and I could not help but hear what they were saying."

New tears began to slide down her cheek, "I wish I had
never accepted his invitation.

"I heard him tell the girl he had said he had broken up
with that he had asked me out like she had told him to and
that once he had gotten me inside the dance he would
abandon me and find her." She lowered her head, "They were
going to put up a big sign above the door saying 'Housewife
of the Year seeks Marriage' so everyone would laugh at me.
Melanie could not hold back her tears any longer and she
began to cry again, "Papa Zach, he never liked me; it was all
just a mean joke."

He stroked her cheek and smiled at her, "Then sweet girl
we will make him regret his cruelty and his joke."

She sat up straight and with a look that bordered on pride
and which showed the strength that he sensed lay within her
she said, "When I heard them I opened the window and told
them exactly what I thought of them. How dare they? They
tricked me, and in church. What kind of respect is that?"

"They looked at me like I was nuts and laughed but I did
not care. I knew I was right and he knew I would not be
going to the dance with him.

"But Papa Zach, I so want to go to the dance, even if I
have to go alone."

He held her by both her shoulders and smiled at her
saying, "Then by all means you shall go. I have dresses
galore from many eras and since it is just before Halloween I
bet a little bit of a costume will be appropriate. They need not
even know it is you. In one of the chests in my back room I
have a mask of a Harlequin that would look lovely and there
are many other things we can do."

"Really?" Melanie smiled brightly. "But, umm ... Papa
Zach?" He saw a funny look on Melanie's face as she quirked
an eyebrow at him, "Why do you have so many dresses? Do
you have something you want to tell me about yourself?" She
smiled; he could tell she was trying to hold back a laugh.

He could not resist. He flicked a limp wrist and looked at
her, "Oh, darling, I thought you knew. Vaudeville and I are
good friends." Then he too laughed.

"No, Melanie. Relatives, family, I am the last of my family
so I got them all, and since I did and many of them are grand
dresses and well preserved we might as well make you the
queen of the dance."

Melanie giggled at that. "Years ago they changed the way
they voted for Homecoming Queen. Each person who comes
to the dance gets a number; the ladies have a Q in front of
their number and the guys a K, then during the dance each
person gets to vote once for someone at the dance. Still it is
always the most popular girl in the school that wins but it
would be something if I actually won."

She laughed, "That is not likely though. They will all vote
for Rebecca Straine, she is a cheerleader and the most
popular girl. I am certain she will not wear a mask to hide her
face so everyone will know who she is."

"Don't worry about her, Melanie. For now we are just going
to make you a princess for the night. If you win the queen,
then that will be something else." Zach smiled. "But the
costume will need something else."Melanie clapped her hands, "Papa Zach, I have some
money, and I can work for you to pay off the rest. Could I
buy one of your pieces to wear on the dress?"

"Oh, sweetie, I don't think just any piece would do. You
need something special. However if you want to commission
something and you will finish helping me get ready for the
Grand Opening then maybe I can design a new piece for you
that will be something just for you."

She nearly leapt into his arms, "Thank you, Papa Zach,
yes, yes, that would be great. I will work for you until it is
paid for."

"Hun, your presence and your smiles have been more than
enough to pay for the treasure I will make for you. Maybe
that old magic will return and I can make you one of my
special treasures, with some magic in it." He smiled at the girl
in his arms.

"Now you got here late and we spent a lot of time with
this. If I am going to have the piece done by Thursday and
you are going to have everything ready for the Grand
Opening on Friday you will need to get busy." There was a
sternness in his voice but also a gentleness that warmed
Melanie's heart.

As she pulled away from him Zach could not help but
notice that her torrent of tears had drenched her white blouse
and her thin bra beneath. Her young nipple was pert and hard
where it had pressed against him. He could feel that old
arousal, especially as he saw so much of Lilith's beauty in her,
but none of her bad traits. He felt like a dirty old fool and yet
there was something different about this girl, something he
just could not quite see. Her scent filled him with such joy
and strength that he knew the magic would come even if he
did not follow the normal procedures. Yet he would make
certain everything was done in proper order.

Melanie ran to the back of the store to grab another box of
inventory to stock the shelves. As she did her skirt swished
seductively about her knees making Zach smile as that fire in
him ignited even deeper. He was glad that soon he would be
able to hold his beloved Lilith in his arms again and quench
those flames.

He remembered that Melanie said that she had always
worn dresses but he had thought that she meant to school
and in public. He really did not realize that she had meant all
the time, everywhere. He had expected that she might come
to help him work at least once in jeans and a tee shirt, but it
had been dresses or skirts and blouses every time he had
seen her, and the hem of the skirt or dress had always been
below her knee. He knew from her attitude and the way she
had handled his telling of the first story that it had nothing to
do with her religious beliefs. Perhaps it was her mother's
wishes, or maybe it was something else.

As he watched her cleaning and unloading boxes he began
to realize even more why she had said she had no friends.
She was a bit out of step with the modern world in her ideas
of how a girl should be. She wore an apron while she was
working, and she seemed to be truly happiest when she was
doing something like cleaning and taking care of fixing a meal
for him while he was working. Melanie was more like the
traditional woman of the 40's and 50's than like those of the
modern era and that just made things harder on her when
she had to face her peers.

Now Zach understood why part of the deep sadness lay
within her. She was not exaggerating when she had said she
had no friends. She had no friends because there was no one
that understood what she was like. He imagined it was
another reason she had attached herself to him so quickly. He
was fond of a woman with those values and she had sensed
that and felt at home with him. It pleased Zach's heart to
know that there were still women that loved the idea that
their man was their protector and guardian and that they
could be a graceful feminine beauty, delicate and refined and
pleasing in all ways.

He heard Melanie coming back up the stairs, and knew
that if he did not get his mind off of her he would never get to
the business he needed to be thinking about. She had
commissioned a piece of jewelry from him and now he had to
begin its design and creation and he had less than a week for
the magic to perfect the creation. Even within the confines of
The Crimson Z Zachariah's hands showed small traces of the
arthritis that outside made his hands look like eagle's talons.
However the rest of his body showed none of the disease.
Outside the door of the shop his knees would betray the
wobbliness of a man well over a hundred years old. Inside he
was sturdy yet he had to act a little wobbly for Melanie's sake
so that she would not become too suspicious that something
was strange about him and the Z. However as he quickly
wrote a note telling her that he had gone to get some
supplies and would be back shortly his hands showed no trace
of arthritis at all, and when he walked swiftly across the floor
to the large cabinet of treasures his back, knees and legs
were those of a man of only twenty. He reached under a
hidden panel upon the front of the cabinet and pushed a
button. Slowly the whole cabinet rotated outward and
revealed a hidden doorway. He laid the note on the counter
beside the cabinet and then stepped through the doorway. It
immediately closed behind him.

Then before she came through the door from the
basement he entered his work area and the cabinet closed
behind the door hiding him and his work away from the
world.

A shelf that was just a little above waist height began just
inside the door on one side and lined all four walls around the
room to end at the other side of the door. Upon the shelf,
spaced exactly twelve inches from one to the next were white
candles that began to light one after the other in a clockwise
direction as soon as Zachariah entered the room.

He paused until each candle had been lit and then
continued into the room. Upon the wall directly above the
door was an old clock with a swinging pendulum and Roman
Numerals at the hours. The wall to the left of that in the
center held a Star of David crafted of gold, it had been made
upon the table and was the only item that was not in the
cabinet. Zachariah would never speak its tale to anyone for
he had sworn he would not.

The next wall held a mirror, Zach did not know why he
placed a mirror on that wall but he had somehow always felt
that there was a lie that Lilith was telling him and one day
that mirror would be the final proof he needed. Upon the last
wall hung a pad of paper with a pencil, it was what he used
when the ideas came to him as they would be doing tonight.
He walked to the pad and lifted it from the wall.

There were three other items in the room. Two wooden
chairs, which he never understood because no one ever
entered the room but himself, and a large item that was
covered with a white cloth. The cloth was covered in gold
writings that were obviously blessings in Kabalistic Rituals.

With a swift pull he tugged the cloth off and revealed a stone
table that was over six feet in diameter and almost six inches
thick. Upon the table was carved the exact same image that
was upon the cabinet but slightly smaller. It was about four
feet in diameter. A channel ran from the base of the image
like a tap root to within four inches of the rim and then circled
the stone.

Just like the image on the cabinet the twelve characters
were equally placed but here the characters were larger than
on the cabinet. More prominent for they were a reminder of
twelve words that he would have to utter in his incantation
twelve times each.

There were two other things in the room that were not
visible until the cloth had been removed; the first was a basin
beneath the table that held rain water that Zachariah
collected only during the new and full moons. He took a cup
from the basin and poured water into the carving not filling it
full for he had more to add in a little while but still making
certain that water covered the entire carving so that when he
added his new water it would mix and touch all the parts of
the carving. The other was a small chest of drawers that he
used to store the items he might need from time to time
during his rituals.

He looked to the mirror for he could feel the presence of
Lilith with him watching to make sure he made no mistakes.
Though she was not able to speak to him through this mirror
he would know if she needed to speak to him.

Zach smiled. It had been easy to hide the setting up of this
room from the villagers when he had moved into the shop.
Using a fictitious realty company he had purchased the entire
building which housed a drug store, a beauty parlor, and a
few other businesses. Above it were several apartments.
Behind most of the stores were other businesses like car
repair shops that were small family businesses. The one
behind The Crimson Z had been closed and he'd had a
construction crew seal it off so it would look like it was being
added as part of the apartment above. Since the apartment
above was his, no one knew what was in the room but him.

Even the Chamber of Commerce of the village of Hudson
Falls, New York had no clue that he was the new owner of the
entire block in the center of the town, which was exactly the
way it had to be for him to maintain the cover he needed
when the magic rejuvenated him and he became young once
again. He could even do a couple of special commissions as
long as he did not age too much between them and no one
would be the wiser.

Now he reached into a drawer and pulled out a jar that
held the Kleenex with the little girl's blood upon it. It had
been soaking in rain water awaiting the moment that Melanie
would commission a piece.

Opening the jar, Zach fished out the Kleenex as it was no
longer needed; it was the blood that was important. Reaching
out to hold the jar over the center of the symbol Zach began
to mutter some words in a tongue that was as ancient as time
itself but was not spoken the way it had once been spoken.
The people that spoke the tongue now had over time
perverted it slightly. Though they were unaware of their
mispronunciations, Zach was aware of them for he had
learned them long ago.

Slowly the water dripped from the jar and began filling the
channels of the design and adding to the water already
covering each of the hidden Hebrew Kabalistic symbols within
the channels of the design. Once it had filled the design it
flowed down the channel to the base and then circled the
entire stone. Zach stopped chanting and drank the last of the
water making certain that not one drop of it was wasted.

Zachariah watched as the image carved within the table
began to glow and the water and blood slowly began to be
absorbed into the stone of the table. Then a flash of light rose
above the table and circled there for a moment before
speeding toward him. It forked into two bolts like lightning
and struck the pupils of his eyes.

The golden rays entered his mind and the image of what
he would draw formed in every detail, but he knew it would
not last long. He had to get it onto paper. That was always a
part of the ritual.

He returned the bottle to the drawer and then replaced the
cloth cover over the table. He pulled a chair over to the table
and from another drawer pulled out a one foot square
drawing board, a piece of paper and a pencil. He laid the
board on top of the cloth so that he could draw and not have
to worry about the engraving beneath the cloth. Now he had
to design the piece. Closing his eyes he let his hand begin to
work its magic. Time passed. In his mind he drifted to the
days when he and Lilith had been together and the joy they
had had together. Then his mind shifted to the time he had
first seen her and how his heart had raced for he had thought
he had come upon a tragedy.
* * * *
The sun had not yet risen, yet he had gotten up early and
gone to the river to get water for his father. The yoke across
his neck was heavy with the two large 15 gallon buckets filled
to near the rim. He came over a rise in the road when he saw
something dark sticking out into the road. At first he thought
it was just a branch from a nearby tree that had fallen free
but as he closed the distance he realized that it was the
slender arm and hand of a woman sticking out of the tall
brush along the side of the road.

He set the buckets down carefully, even in this moment of
haste. He knew if those buckets came back less than full his
father would give him hell.

He approached the woman cautiously. He was on a poorly
traveled cart road, that's only traffic was between his village
and the river and it was well before the time that anyone in
his village would be awake. There was no one else to call for
help. He was the only help this woman had.

His heart beat like thunder in his chest. He was afraid she
had been the victim of vandals or a band of brigands. He was
afraid she might be dead. Yet from the appearance of her
body she seemed unharmed. He could not see any blood but
she was not moving. He moved closer and carefully rolled her
onto her back. Her eyes were closed, and for a moment he
was certain she was dead then he saw her chest lift with her
breath and he thanked God she was alive.

Then in the light of the moon he caught a look at her face.
Her features were not like those of the women of his village,
they were sharper, more heart shaped, less round. Her mouth
was fuller and her nose smaller. Though her eyes were closed
he could tell that they were bigger than those of the women
of his village. Her long black hair was filled with leaves and
twigs like she had been living in the wild for a long time. She
was remarkably beautiful and in the single moment he was
captivated by her.

He looked down at her body and suddenly felt heat rise to
his face for the clothing she wore was tattered and almost
nonexistent. He had never seen an adult female this naked
before and the effect it had upon him was overpowering. He
took off his tunic leaving only his loincloth on and covered her
body with the tunic. Then as he looked at her his heart
reached out to her and he knew that if she were not already
the wife of some other man that he would someday have her
as his own for from the first sight of her he loved her.

The hammering beat of his heart pushed his mind into
action. Quickly he realized he had to get the woman to a
healer and the only healer around for miles was his mother. If
anyone could help the unconscious woman it was her.

Carefully Zach lifted her to his shoulder and then went
back to the yoke. He struggled only briefly with balance but
not the weight as he lifted the yoke up onto the other
shoulder. The sun was rising as he entered the village and the
others his age stared at him in disbelief for to carry the yoke
was a task alone. To carry a yoke and a woman was a feat of
strength none of them had seen. Yet Zach's heart was so
filled with love that to him his strength had grown tenfold that
day.
* * * *
His hand had stopped moving so he opened his eyes and
looked down upon the piece of paper. Slowly a smile lifted the
corner of his lips. Well, he had said that every girl deserved to
be a queen once in her life. Upon the paper before him was
one of the most beautiful designs for a tiara he had ever
seen. Of all the pieces he had ever made this one would be
the one that brought him the most joy for to place it upon
Melanie's head would truly be a pleasure. It would bring out
that hidden beauty that she tried so desperately to keep
hidden.

He also now knew that the sample of blood required from
Melanie would be more than normal, something of this
magnitude would need flesh and hair as well. This was the
part he did not like but he had the tool. He brought out a
device designed to help measure a person's skull for
ornamentation such as this and laid it upon the glass next to
the drawing.

Looking up at the clock he noticed he had been in his
trance for over two hours so it would be easy to explain that
he had stopped to get coffee when the inspiration for the
piece came to him. That way there would be no questions
from Melanie about how he had come up with the design.

Walking to the mirror he looked into it and felt for Lilith's
presence. Yes, she was there and he could feel that it was
safe for him to leave the room. Melanie was not in the area
where she would see the cabinet move.

He rolled the paper into a tube and grabbed the measuring
tool, then walked to the door. However, before he touched
the door he turned back to the mirror and whispered. Lilith, I
know this is something we both need, but I really hate
hurting this girl. Promise me you will not harm her when you
come back. I know you have had to feed the last few times
you have returned and I know your jealousy over this girl is
great. Yet, you have no reason to be jealous; she is just a
young girl with a long life ahead. I do not want you to harm
her.

Zach could feel the jealousy boiling from the mirror but he
could also feel Lilith acquiesce to his request. He then turned
the knob on the door and heard the click. As he opened the
door the cabinet had already finished its silent swing. Quickly
he stepped through and swung the cabinet back into its
closed position. It was less than a minute before he heard the
foot falls of Melanie ascending the stairs from the basement.
"Oh, you're back, Papa Zach." She ran over to him and
kissed his cheek. "I missed your company today but I think I
also finished the last of the inventory. Everything is stocked
and ready for the Grand Opening, now the next few nights
after school I can focus on cleaning and decorating for your
big day."

Zach smiled at her, his hand brushing the sweet moisture
where her lips had touched his cheek. "Well, I will be busy
getting ready for your big day too.

"Sorry it took so long, but I stopped for a coffee at
Arthur's," the dagger twisted in his heart as again he had to
tell her another lie, but how would he explain to her the truth?
He hated lying, and he would not have had to if she was not
around all the time but he could not bear the thought of her
missing from his life, "and was suddenly struck with an
inspiration of what I wanted to make you for your dance."

Slowly he unrolled the paper and then revealed it to her. Her
eyes opened wide and glistened with tears.

"Oh, Papa Zach, there is no way I can afford to pay for
that. That piece must cost a small fortune."

"Melanie, sweet girl, you have brought a treasure into my
life these last few days and befriended me, let me make it for
you and then after the dance you can return it. It will be a
loaner, and I will pay you for the work you have done."

She jumped up and kissed him on the lips. "No, Papa
Zach, you do not need to pay me, but yes it can be a loaner."
Then she wrapped her arms around him tightly, "Thank you
so much for making me feel special. No one has ever done
that for me."

"Surely that is not true?"

Melanie stepped back and with a sad look said, "I am sorry
to say, it is true. I feel unwanted, but here I feel wanted."

"Well, you have been a big help and you most certainly are
wanted here anytime you wish to visit. Mayhaps when my
nephew comes to take over for me I can talk to him about
hiring you on part-time."

Melanie almost glowed she was so happy; "You would do
that?"

"Most certainly."

She kissed his lips like a girl would kiss her grandfather,
but to Zach it reached deeply into his heart. He started to
wonder if maybe there was a reason for Lilith to feel jealous.

Well he had to do one more thing, he had to get the
sample or there would be no magic done anyway.

"Melanie, there is one thing I need to do." He held up the
c-shaped tool, "I need to take a measurement so that the
tiara is not too far off from the size of your head. You do not
want to reshape the gold too much or you might loosen the
settings."

"Okay, what do I need to do?"

Zach pulled out a chair, "Just sit here."

She did so and he slid the gauge around her scalp, forming
it and shaping it. Then he said, "There, all done," but as he
lifted it he tapped the back edge. A scoop in the back took a
small gouge out of Melanie's scalp. It would leave a small scar
but it would be hidden by her hair. She screamed out as the
shock of pain hit her.

"Oh I am sorry, sweetie. These damned old tools. This one
is my father's that is how old it is." Quickly Zach grabbed a
cloth and covered the wound. It bled for a moment before
stopping.

Melanie's eyes were filled with tears as she turned back
and looked up at him, "It is okay Papa Zach, I know you
would not intentionally hurt me."

Zachariah felt her words dig into his heart for he had done
just that. It was not that he had done it with an evil intent, in
fact with all his heart he believed it was with the will of God
and for a good intent that he had taken the tissue and blood.
He just hated that it had to be done without her knowledge
and it hurt him deeply that he had indeed caused her pain. It
felt like he had done a selfish deed and he could feel the cold
blade of a steel knife slicing through his ribs seeking his
heart.

He lowered his gaze to the case as a lone tear dropped
upon the glass. What was done was done, and there was no
turning back. Truth was there was no turning back the
moment he had put the blood from the innocent child upon
the table. At that moment the wheels had been set in motion
and he could not stop them, any attempt to do so would have
been more harmful to him and Melanie than what he had
done.

The one time he had tried to stop a commission had been
disastrous. He had been living in Rome and after the piece
had been commissioned he had decided he just could not
carry out the magic. The man who wanted the piece was a
truly evil man who thought there was nothing wrong about
killing a man for no reason at all. So Zachariah had packed up
with the stone and the mirror, for something told him not to
leave them behind, and left the city. It had taken him many
days to move south to the city of Pompeii and after nearly a
year had passed he thought he had finally found a way to
break the magic of the commission.

He had been wrong. He had barely escaped with his life,
and he had regretted surviving for the guilt that weighed
upon his soul. So many others died.

One day he had gotten word that the man who had
commissioned the piece from him was looking for him. He had
started to pack his things to move again with plans to begin
the next day. Shortly after lunch he had gotten tired and laid
down for a nap. When he had awakened he was on a vessel
bound to Rome. Several Centurions had taken everything in
his shop including the stone and all his belongings and were
taking him back. As he looked back to Pompeii he saw a
billowing tower of smoke rising. No one on the ship knew
what it was. He did not hear the news of Pompeii for several
days, but he had no doubt that had he stayed in Rome
Pompeii would have been spared.

When he had returned to Rome, the Centurions returned
him to his shop and his customer showed up three days later
to ask about his commissioned piece. Zachariah had been
very careful in taking the last element needed to complete the
magic for with the Centurions outside the door he did not
know what might happen.

Six months after the piece had been delivered Zachariah
learned that it had been partly responsible for the death of
the Emperor of Rome but unfortunately not until after he'd
had thousands killed.

He gathered the bloody cloths and the tool that had
several strands of hair and a small piece of flesh hidden
within. Later he would add those to the ritual and begin the
making of the tiara. Placing them upon a tray he lifted the
tray and then slid it under the counter and turned to look at
Melanie. She had gotten up and gone to the kitchen to get a
wet cloth to wipe the blood out of her hair. Once again he felt
that dagger and this time it twisted between his ribs.

Zachariah turned his gaze to the clock and realized it was
getting late. Soon Melanie would have to go home. He did not
really want her to leave, especially after just hurting her. He
wanted to spend a little quiet time with her and enjoy the last
of their day together and he had enjoyed telling her the first
story. He smiled for she was promised another one for her
work tonight, "Well sweetie, if you want to hear a story
tonight we had better let you choose what piece you want to
hear about."

Using a wet cloth Melanie wiped the last of the blood out of
her hair and then turned and smiled at him, "Papa Zach, you
are going to be putting so much effort in on the tiara, and I
know you are only going to let me borrow it for one night but
that alone will be payment enough for what I am doing for
you. You do not have to tell me any more stories."

She saw a smile brighten his face as he looked at her and
his eyes gleamed then her heart filled with joy as he spoke,
"No sweetheart, I want to tell you the stories. I enjoy having
you here for one. I also found I really did enjoy telling you
that story last night, especially when we got to a few of the
more vivid scenes that made your face turn redder than the
rubies in that cabinet."

Melanie giggled. She could feel her heart fluttering. She
had truly not known how to handle those scenes when he had
told them for she had not thought very much about sex at all.

Until last night she had never pictured a sexual act at all and
then to have one explained to her in such detail that it was
impossible not to picture it was unbelievable. She looked at
him and said, "Well Papa Zach, I turn eighteen at midnight on
Halloween, so I do not see anything wrong with you telling
me those kinds of stories. Besides in New York the legal age
of consent is seventeen so if I can legally have sex at
seventeen I should be able to hear stories about it." She
could feel her face turning more brightly red than it had the
night before. She turned to try to hide her face as for just a
moment she had pictured herself in the arms of Papa Zach
and as those images had caressed her mind she had realized
it was someplace she really wanted to be.

Thankfully it was Papa Zach's question that pulled her
mind from those thoughts and brought her back to the
moment helping her to recover from the blush she'd hoped he
had not seen, "Did you say eighteen at midnight?"

"Yup!" She smiled, "I was born at the stroke of midnight."

"That is interesting, and on All Hallow's Eve"

"That is right. My first breath was taken on November 1st."

Zach smiled. "Well you are a special little girl then aren't
you? Perhaps I should call you my lil golem?"

Melanie laughed and hugged him, "Papa Zach, you may
call me anything you wish, but ummm ... What's a golem?"

Zachariah laughed for a moment and rubbed her hair, then
said, "A golem was a creature formed from mud or clay that a
Sorcerer breathed life into. He was supposed to do it at the
stroke of midnight and they were very special creatures.
"You could not tell them from real humans, or whatever
other creature they were made to represent once life was
breathed into them. They were guardians, protectors of their
maker, or they were their maker's companion and friend."

Melanie giggled and smiled at him. "Nah! I am not a
golem. I am more the Sorceress," Melanie said then she
wiggled her fingers and acted like she was casting a spell
upon him just before bursting into laughter so hard she had
to hold her stomach. Zachariah joined her laughter. As
Melanie watched his face fill with a smile there was also some
kind of shadow that hid behind his eyes.

It was like her little joke had hit a spot in him that was too
close to home. She did not really believe the jewelry was
magical, yet the stories were nice. Still, something told her
that there was more to all of this than just stories, that
somewhere there lay a lot of truth to what Papa Zach was
telling her and behind that was a darkness that was eating
away at his soul. She did not know if she could help but her
feelings for him were growing stronger and she desperately
wanted to try to free him from whatever it was that was
tormenting him.

Slowly he caught his breath and smiled to her, though his
eyes still held that shadow. He laughed a little and then asked
her, "Do you want that story?" then he pointed to the cabinet.

Melanie did not want to let him know that she suspected
anything at all was wrong, and besides she truly was excited
about hearing another one of his amazing stories. She felt like
she was floating on air as she bounded over to the cabinet
and opened the doors. She scanned over the pieces and then
saw something that caught her eyes. Most of the pieces were
singular, just one item, but in one slot there were five pieces
that were almost identical. Two large pendants of two toned
gold, a yellow gold, and then upon it and slightly raised a rose
hued gold that formed a stylistic P. There were three smaller
pendants that matched the larger pieces perfectly.

"Papa Zach, will you tell me about those five pieces."

He looked where she was pointing and could feel a flush
cross his own face. Melanie giggled and said, "Now look who
is blushing."

Laughing loudly he said, "Then so be it, Melanie, I will tell
you their tale, the tale of Peter and Evelyn."

[The Anniversary follows this chapter of The Blood Ritual of the Crimson Z]

Toy's Story:
Aquisition of a Sex Toy
By Robert Cloud

Bound By Fate
By Lee Rush

Fool Me Once
By Jessica Joy
(Jessica also writes as Abby Blythe)

1 Fan -- Books given this rating include very minimal sexual activity between hero and heroine. Sexual activity that does occur is described without the use of graphic terms. These titles will be found in our Tender Destinations line and in our Amorous Adventures line.

2 Fan -- Books given this rating include a moderate amount of sexual activity between hero and heroine, however it is described in romantic as opposed to graphic terms. These books will be found in our Tender Destinations and Amorous Adventures lines.

3 Fans -- Books given this rating include a lot of sexuality between hero and heroine. The activity may be described graphically but will not include fetish elements. Books with this rating will be found in our Sensuous Journeys line and in our Amorous Adventures line.

4 Fans -- Book given this rating include a lot of sexuality between hero and heroine and will typically include fetish elements. Sexuality in these books is described graphically but with a softer touch than our 5 Fan titles. Books with the 4 fan rating will be found in our Forbidden Experiences line as well as our Amorous Adventures line.

5 Fans -- Books with this rating include a very high degree of sexuality between hero and heroine. These books include fetish elements which are described graphically. Books with this rating will be found in our Forbidden Experiences and Amorous Adventures lines.

Tender Destinations
Are poignant stories of meeting and falling in love. They contain a minimal level of sexuality.

Sensuous Journeys
Are emotional and poignant but include explicit descriptions of the lovemaking between hero and heroine. There is no explicit fetish component in these books.

Forbidden Experiences
Are powerful and emotional love stories with explicit sexuality which includes fetish content.

Amorous Adventures
Are love stories with an element of suspense or danger.