Page 39 of City of Love

Her companions rolled their eyes, shaking their heads and chuckling. Obviously, Julian had some kind of a reputation regarding the names of his animals.

“Do you want to hold her?” Julian asked Lexi.

She nodded, and Julian turned his head slightly towards the cat, silently moving his lips as if talking to the kitten. Bunny Boo then sauntered down the length of his arm, which he held out towards Lexi’s shoulder, and proceeded to settle comfortably into the crook of her neck, purring contentedly.

Lexi looked at Gideon, eyes wide, and Gideon shrugged his shoulders, smiling.

“Listen, Lexi,” he said, using his cigar like a pointer as he began to gesture. “I’m dying to talk to you more and tell you everything you need to know about my grumpy old cousin here, and I promise to do so. But at the moment I’ve got a horse that’s jumped a fence and I need to put him back in his place.”

Lexi wondered if by that he meant he was going to physically put the animal back into the pen or give him a stern lecture regarding his behavior. It seemed that either was possible.

Julian directed his gaze at the kitten. “Bunny Boo, when Lexi’s had enough of you, come back to me.” He patted his shoulder and turned to walk off towards the pastures.

At the last moment, he looked back and called out to Gideon. “The piano’s available in the great room, of course, when you need it.” He then popped the still unlit stogie into his mouth and sauntered off.

Kitten on her shoulder, Lexi imagined she’d walked straight through the looking glass. What a strange and funny world this was—so much more than simply an anachronistic version of her universe.

“His piano comment,” she said, taking a sip of her cider. “I assume that was for me? To extend my stay today at some point?”

“Yes.” He swigged the last of own drink. “In fact, we should probably go do that now, and we need to talk about that as well.” The kitten must have sensed the change in itinerary and hopped off Lexi’s shoulder.

“We’re going to go check out the festivities while you two do that,” Vik said, draping his arm over his wife’s shoulder. “We’ll catch up with you shortly.”

Taking her hand, Gideon led Lexi into the home, her eyes rounding in delight at the sight of the vaulted great room, the wood beam and stone walls, and the giant hearth. They set down their food and drink and made their way into Julian’s music room, a space more refined and less rustic than the great room, with fine Colonial French furnishings and a grand piano sitting as pride of place.

She ran her hands along the instrument as Gideon went to a book shelf and grabbed several large crystals. They were big—maybe five to ten pounds each—flawless and smooth, clear as glass. He set them on the piano and in several spots surrounding the piano bench where they both went to sit.

“Quartz?” she asked.

“Yes. They’re needed to amplify the musical tones. Both Taco Shots and Club Deux Mondes have them embedded in the walls throughout.”

She nodded. “I noticed the glittering pieces embedded into the walls of Taco Shots. I thought they were part of the décor.”

“Which is exactly what most people think. We can’t give away all our secrets. But we need the crystals to amplify the musical vibrations. Your world has a much stronger pull than ours, which is why you fade back after four hours, but we don’t fade home when visiting your world.”

She lifted a brow. “Are you saying my world sucks?”

“Hey, if the shoe fits.” He laughed and pulled her close. “Ready?”

He played the music loudly, exactly the way it sounded in Taco Shots, although that had been a recorded version. Then he was done.

It seemed too easy. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“But I didn’t feel anything, nothing happened.”

“You wouldn’t notice anything this time, would you? You’re already here—there is no phase change, no traveling to be done. All we did was reinforce your vibratory frequency to last you another four hours.”

“You refilled my tank.”

“I refilled your tank,” he winked.

His smile sent a hot pulse straight to her core. “So, is this how people from my world come to stay here permanently? By listening to the music every four hours? I can’t imagine how somebody could live that way.”

“No. Indeed, the more often we replay the sounds and extend your stay, the more it will begin to take a toll on your body. We can’t keep it up forever. You might become fatigued if we do it too often, and eventually it will have a more deleterious effect.”

Her brow furrowed. “So…”

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