It Was a Hearts and Flowers Valentine
Part B
Eros' POV
It was a foolish accident that started it all.
I had never fallen in love. I had seen what my arrows did
to god and mortal alike, and I vowed silently that it would never happen to me.
I took my pleasure where I found it, but had a care never to endanger my heart.
I was in my palace of alabaster and gold and abalone,
seated cross-legged on a pillow on the floor, my wings folded neatly at my back,
separating my arrows, lead for disinterest, gold for love, into their proper
quivers. I looked up to see the Lord of the Underworld swagger in.
"Eros."
"Hades." I rose gracefully to greet him, for was
the god of love nothing if not graceful?
The warm expression in his eyes told me the sight pleased
him, and that pleased me; I had always found him easy to look upon, the tight
black curls that covered his head, the eyes like ebony...
A slight pain startled me, and I stared in shock at the
tiny drop of blood that beaded in the center of my palm, caused by a golden
arrow gripped carelessly.
It did not occur to me to be cautious of where I next let
my gaze fall. I raised my eyes and beheld the dark, muscular god before me, and
I fell helplessly in love.
Not hopelessly. As the god of love, I had no doubt I could
make him love me in turn. "What may I do for you?"
But at that moment, Demeter arrived. With her was her
daughter Kore, the maiden.
"Greetings, Eros." Her voice grew chill,
"Hades," and she turned, pointed, from him. "Eros, I come at
Aphrodite's request."
"That is odd. She is not here."
"Strange." Her foot tapped impatiently.
"Perhaps I misunderstood. Come, sweetling." Her expression as she
gazed upon her daughter was beyond loving. "You said you wished to gather
flowers with your friends?"
"Yes, please, Mother." She gave us a small smile,
and they were gone.
"I want her." Hades' face was flushed with lust.
The black eyes he turned to me burned with his passion. He did not love her, but
he wanted her. "You will see to it, will you not, Eros?"
My heart bled, but I nodded. "Of course."
There would be no 'of course'. Instead, when the maiden
wearied of gathering flowers on the plain of Enna and sat beside the pool of the
naiad Cyane, trailing her fingers in the cool water, almost as if she were
stroking the soft flesh of a lover, I shot her with a golden arrow, and she fell
in love with Cyane.
I watched as the two embraced, their lips but a breath
apart.
Abruptly, the earth split apart, and Hades emerged in his
chariot, as black as the six steeds that drew it. Flames shot forth each time a
hoof struck the ground, and the ground itself trembled.
Hades seized the maiden and pulled her to him, while Cyane
cried out in horror. To stop her cries, he struck the waters with his sword, and
the young naiad, dissolved in tears of despair, sank to the bottom of the pool.
And I? Unable to do anything but watch in helpless dismay.
"Cyane! You brute!" Kore beat at his chest with
her small fists, crying, "Mother! Mother!" But it was to no avail. He
silenced her with a kiss, and in the blink of an eye they vanished.
Zeus materialized out of the air. Since there were no
females for him to try to lure to his bed, he was in his usual guise of king of
the heavens. "That was well done, think you not?" He rubbed his hands
in glee.
"What have you done?"
"You were too slow in acting. Hades came to me."
"And you gave him what he wanted." I could not
curse the king of the Olympians, but, oh, how great was my desire.
"Yes." He preened.
"Demeter will not be pleased to learn her daughter has
been abducted."
"Nonsense. Kore is my daughter too. And after all, all
mothers want their daughters wed to kings." He ran a hand over my golden
feathers, tugged one loose, and used it to caress my lips.
I felt soiled. "I must go." And with no more than
that, I left him standing there, gloating over the success of his scheme.
I spent my nights at the River Cocytus, the river of
lamentation, lamenting a love I could never have.
And my days…
My days were spent standing on the balcony of my palace,
gazing down toward the Underworld.
"This must cease!" Zeus appeared in my great
hall, his mien harassed. "Demeter bewails her daughter's loss, and you …
"
"I thought all mothers wanted a king for their
daughters." All of
He scowled at me. "Things are getting out of
control!"
True. The land withered, became sere, and bore no fruit.
As for I? Mortals had to fall in love – or not –
without my intervention.
I shrugged and walked away from him, out onto the balcony,
where I stared down into the clouds that circled the crown of
A soft breeze wafted through my feathers, like a lover's
touch, and I arched into it.
Behind me, someone approached. I did not need to turn to
know it was Nyx, my mother. Her step was soundless; she could have been treading
on air. But then, she probably was. The goddesses of the pantheon had no need to
set their dainty feet upon common soil.
Petty. My thoughts shamed me.
She came to stand beside me, slid an arm around my waist,
and rested her head upon my shoulder.
"My son."
I said nothing, did not meet her eyes.
"You are sad."
"That surprises you?"
"You are the god of love."
For all the good it did me. "The one I love is pining
for someone who is pining for someone else."
"Zeus has spoken to Demeter, has spoken to Hades.
Persephone will be returned to her mother."
Of course, Persephone. She was no longer a maiden. "Hades wants her still.
He will bide his time until she returns to him."
"But he will be lonely. It is not good to be alone, my
son." With that, she pressed her fingertips to my cheek and left me to
ponder her words.
It was not good to be alone. I went to visit Hades in his
kingdom.
His palace was ebon – onyx and obsidian and jet – the
surfaces so polished I could see myself reflected back in the torchlight.
"What do you want?" he snarled when he saw me
standing before him. "What good is the love I bear Persephone, when I can
only have her with me for part of the year?"
"Have me for the other part of the year," I said
in low tones.
"You?"
I found myself pressed up against a rough stone wall,
feathers of my wings broken, and yet I was so aroused I felt nothing but the
need to be possessed by the one I loved.
His teeth grazed my throat, and he inhaled deeply.
"You smell of musk." There was a tearing sound and my linen tunic fell
to the ground, shredded. "Your skin is soft, but beneath it I can feel
sleek muscles." His hands wandered over my body, stroked over my chest to
rouse nipples that pleaded for his lips, his teeth, his tongue. His fingers
flexed over my hips and pulled me
close against the hardness of his body, and he took my mouth with ferocity,
biting and sucking.
"I want you," I whispered. I knew better than to
speak of love. I dug my nails into his back and blindly sought his lips.
"Yes!" he growled, his breath warm and sweet as
wine against my mouth. "Show me your tricks, pretty god."
My head was spinning as if I were in a whirlwind, and when
the whirlwind stopped, I was on my back on a bed that no matter how soft, was
painful against my broken feathers. I sat up enough to free my wings, the broken
feathers healing even as my wings unfurled, and Hades caught his breath at the
sight of my wings extended. He pushed me back down, pushed my thighs back and
apart, and touched roughened fingertips to my cock, over my balls, and teased
the sensitive skin behind them to dip shallowly into my hole. He pressed a kiss
to a bottom cheek, then spread them, and his cock, thick and hard, breached my
opening, thrust deep into me, and his mouth swallowed my moans.
There was no pain – with immortals there never was –
but I had never been taken like this before. The sounds that spilled from my
mouth were like those made by my acolytes, male or female, as I made love to
them, but I cared not. I arched up to meet each thrust and begged him for more.
Hades caressed the blond curls that covered my head, that
covered my groin, gave a hoarse laugh, and bit down on my earlobe. He rolled us
over, and I was above him, impaled on his cock, and I whimpered and shivered.
"Such wide blue eyes. Fly for me, pretty god." He
gripped my hips with powerful hands, and had I been mortal, bruises would have
decorated the pale flesh.
My extended wings gave me balance. I leaned back and braced
my hands on his thighs, flexing my fingers to knead the hard muscles. I closed
my eyes and concentrated on the rise and fall, and whimpered when I felt his
palm close around my cock, and he began to pull, all the while his cock, deep
inside me, brushed against a spot of which I had been completely unaware.
How could I, the god of love and sexual desire, not have
known of this wonder?
His eyes dark and hot and snaring mine, my lover pressed
his thumb on the crown of my cock and rubbed in circles, spreading the fluid
that beaded at the tip, and with a startled gasp, I flew as I had never flown.
Hades pulled me down as he surged up, and heat flooded me as he joined me on
that flight.
My wings enfolded us, shielding us from any who might come
in search of the dark lord. I placed the palm that had been pricked by the
golden arrow over his heart, and we slept.
****
Time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
I lay on my stomach on our bed, while my lover stroked the
pinions and vanes of my unfurled wings, making sure each golden feather lay just
so.
"I love your wings," he murmured, and nuzzled the
spot where they joined my spine. I wriggled in voluptuous pleasure.
"My Lord, my Lord!" One of his minions hovered in
the doorway, its cloven hoof pawing the tiled floor, the grimace that passed as
a smile on its face. "Your Lady is here!"
"Persephone!" He was gone before I realized it, a
feather drifting to the floor. That tiny hurt was nothing compared to the pain
that tore at my heart; that would have brought me to my knees had I been
standing.
How could mortals bear it?
I gave myself a shake, rose and dressed in my tunic and
sandals, and returned to my palace on
****
Time passed, although not so quickly. Finally, with the
approach of spring, Persephone returned to her mother once more, and I returned
to my lover.
Hades was pleased to see me, so pleased that he had me on
his bed before I realized it, and as he entered me, he took my hand, brought it
to his mouth, and, eyes fastened to mine, caressed the tiny scar with lips and
tongue.
And so it went, year after decade after century. Until…
"Eros."
"Nemesis. Welcome, Sister." It was once again
Persephone's time to be with Hades, and I was in my own palace. I went to her
and kissed her on first one cheek and then the other. "I have not seen you
in quite some time."
"I have been busy, dispensing divine justice, little
brother. How do I find you?"
"I am well."
"You do not look well." She frowned at me.
"You would not tell untruths to your sister, would you?"
I sighed. "This is my affair," and I flushed as I
realized the truth of my words.
"You are hurting. I do not like to see this."
"This is my choice, Nemesis. You will not hurt him,
promise me!"
"'Him'?" Her dark eyes narrowed. How odd that I
of all the family should be so fair. One would have thought Aphrodite had given
birth to me.
"Hades. The Lord of the Underworld is my lover."
"Hades, who is wed to Persephone? Oh, little brother,
this is not well done."
"He needs someone during those months when his queen
is with her mother. Who better than the god of … of sexual desire?"
"But then he sends you away when she returns."
"Sister, it is my choice."
"Is it? One might think you pricked by one of your own
arrows." Her eyes narrowed again at the flush that ran from my torso to my
forehead. "Is there an antidote?" I shook my head, and she studied me
thoughtfully. "You could shoot him with a golden arrow."
"I cannot." I raised my hand to forestall her
protest. "If I could… But I love him so much… I want what is best for
him. I … I cannot."
"You are a fool." I flinched, and she took me in
her arms and rocked me. "Nevertheless, I love you, and that is without the
aid of an arrow. I will make things well for you, little brother."
"You will not hurt him!" I commanded.
She murmured something I did not understand.
"What was that, Nemesis?"
"I will not hurt… him.
This I promise you." She embraced me and left, and when nothing seemed to
happen, I thought, not that she had forgotten her vow, for she did love me, but
that her duties as goddess of vengeance occupied her time.
Spring approached, and Persephone went joyous to her mother
and I, even more joyous, to the god I loved.
My time with Hades flowed on and on. During the day I
visited my temples, which were filled with tokens of gratitude, for there were
fewer and fewer mortals who found their love returned with indifference. And the
nights were spent with my lover.
I awoke one morning with a start. Hades was pacing the
sleeping chamber.
"What is it, my lo … lord?"
"It is mid-summer."
"Yes?"
"It is mid-summer."
"I do not understand." But abruptly I did
understand, and I felt myself turn cold. "Persephone… " Of course
she knew of us, that during the months when Spring walked the Earth, I was in
her husband's bed. A secret could not be kept on
"I do not know."
"I will leave." I got out of bed and began to
dress. I would not bathe and wash his scent from my body, not now, perhaps not
for a long time to come.
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why do you leave, my pretty blue-eyed god? I have not
asked you to go."
"But surely… "
"Eros." His eyes were warm, warmer than when he
had looked upon Persephone when she was still Kore. He took my hand and turned
it over, revealing the small scar on my palm, and brought it to his mouth. Then
he turned over his hand, to reveal the golden arrow, and beside it, on his
heartline, a drop of blood. He stroked my blond curls, and drew me into his
embrace. "Persephone may be my Queen, but you, my pretty god," he
tipped my chin up and kissed me, "you are my own."
****
I never learned how Nemesis managed to do what she did, or
what promise she exacted from Demeter to prevent the Earth from once again
suffering perpetual Winter.
All I knew was that Demeter gave over her duties to Hestia,
goddess of the hearth. There was some discontent among the gods who remembered
Demeter's reaction the first time she lost her daughter, but Zeus permitted it,
and so Demeter left
####
Jim's POV
"Between Zeus and that brother of his, my Kore, my
treasure, was stolen from me. She was the light of my life, the joy of my soul,
the... " Demetria stared at the passing scenery as tears spilled down her
cheeks. I handed her a handkerchief, and she murmured her thanks and dabbed her
eyes. "When I would have finally had her returned to me, she was tricked
into eating the seeds of a pomegranate."
Blair nodded but didn't take his eyes off the road.
"Thereby dividing the year in two."
"Yes. That… that *gossip*
Ascalaphus took delight in informing both Zeus and Hades, and having partaken of
the food of the Underworld… " There was bitterness in her voice, her
expression darkened, and I was relieved we weren't the ones who had ticked her
off. It wasn't a smart idea to mess with Mother Nature. "But I dealt with
them, although they were unaware. When my daughter sat with her head in my lap
and wept her heart out – I thought she wept for eventually having to leave me
and return to the Underworld, but finally she told me it was because her love
was drowned in a pool. Foolish child. As if naiads could drown. I took my
daughter to the pool of Cyane, and their reunion was …" I could hear the
almost inaudible hitch in her voice. "I am her mother, and whether to Hades
or to Cyane, I have lost my Kore. Until the end of time, she will be
Persephone."
"Lady, why didn't you go into despair the way you did
when Hades first abducted your daughter?" He was in full anthropologist
mode. There was nothing he loved more than learning new things. Well, except me.
"Think you I did not?"
"But…" He gestured to the panorama on either
side of the road.
"Nemesis was a very powerful goddess who loved her
brother Eros very much. I was used to wonder if perhaps she loved him too
much," Demetria mused. She appeared lost in thought. "Eros was pricked
by one of his own golden arrows; he fell in love with Hades."
Blair and I glanced at each other over her head. Was that a
non sequitur?
"Nemesis entrapped my precious child. To this day I do
not know how." Her dog whined and licked her hand, and she stroked its
head. "At any rate, she persuaded me not to let Earth fall into eternal
Winter, for one day there would come those who would help me rescue my dear
daughter."
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't understand. And keep your
eyes on the road, would you, Chief? You're making me nervous."
"Sorry, babe." The sweet smile he sent my way was
the one that always got to me. My jeans grew snug, his smile broadened, as if
the little geek knew, and he turned to watch the road. He was *my* little
geek, though, and I didn't mind him knowing how much he turned me on. "It
was Nemesis, Jim. To give her beloved brother what he most yearned for, she had
to get the woman who was in the way, um… out of the way." He gave me an
apologetic grin and made the turn onto the road that lead to Hecate House.
"So somehow she got Persephone into the fresco?"
"Yes. When the Ludovisi Throne began to show its age,
a mosaic was crafted, and my child was spelled into it."
"And then the caryatid, and then the vase."
She nodded. "Each time, I was so close to finding her,
but always I was a fraction of a second too late. It became like salt in a
wound. It is not easy for you, who have one merciful god, to understand, but
Zeus was all-powerful, and very spiteful. He never forgave me for going to the
other gods and forcing him to give me my daughter back. His punishments were …
inventive."
"Bastard," Blair muttered under his breath.
"So Persephone is in the painting now?" A thought
occurred to me. "In the wall? But I thought that was Hecate. Chief, didn't
we see a snake coiled round her legs?"
"Maybe you did, Jim. You're the Sentinel." Blair
smiled at me again, his gaze caressing me, and I shifted in my seat. "I was
too busy trying to duck that sickle."
"No, James Ellison. The painting is a representation
of my child as Queen of the Underworld."
"I don't understand how that painting of Persephone
wound up in Hecate House, ma'am."
"What better way to punish both me and Hecate? The
goddess of the crossroads was my daughter's companion from the time of her first
return from the Underworld, and she grieved her loss almost as much as I. Why
would we seek Kore… Persephone… in a place supposedly devoted to my … my
sister goddess?"
"But as the goddess of enchantment, sorcery, and
witchcraft, wouldn't that make her the most likely candidate to have cast the
spell?" Blair braked and brought the pick-up to a stop in front of Hecate
House.
"No."
There was no way to challenge such certainty, even though I
had come across plenty of cases where people trusted by the family had done
unspeakably shitty things.
"If it had not been for my dear… friend, I truly
would have let the Earth wither and die, no
matter what Nemesis had to say."
"I have one question, Lady." Blair ignored my
muttered, '*One* question?'
"Once we free Persephone from the painting – and I still want to know how
you expect us to do that – won't things return to the way they were?"
"My daughter spending half the year with me, and the
other half with her… husband?" She shrugged. "Over the vast eons,
things have changed."
That was an understatement if ever I heard one.
"Forgive me for asking, Lady, but is it because the
Immortals no longer have believers?"
She shrugged again. "Over such a vast period of time,
the ebb and flow of the seasons has been woven into the fabric of time itself.
They can no longer be changed. As for believers… " She sighed and turned
her head away. "We Immortals have only ourselves to believe in us
now."
Blair echoed her sigh. He turned off the ignition and
stared at Hecate House. "Y'know something, Jim?"
"What, Chief?"
"I hate this house. It's like something out of Stephen
King."
'I know what you mean."
The snow that had fallen at Christmas, giving it a
picaresque, kind of Norman Rockwell look, had long since melted, and the house
looked even more aged and forlorn than the last time we had been here.
"Would you look at that?" he groused. "How
come the
The tape was torn and ragged, adding to the desolate feel
of the scene, and loose ends snapped in the chill February breeze. Simon would
have torn someone a new one if this had happened in Cascade.
"They were never here."
"What? Simon – Simon Banks, my captain – told me
he was notifying them!" Would he have lied, retaliating because I'd told
him about my relationship with Blair?
Demetria gestured to the passenger door, and I unbuckled my
seatbelt and got out.
"I have no doubt that he did. I also have no doubt
that someone else called to cancel those orders."
I blew out a breath, relieved that Simon hadn't gone
homophobic on me. "Here, let me get the dog." I lifted Alastrina down.
The dog gave a soft yip, trotted up the walk and the steps to the porch, and sat
down. She glanced at us over her shoulder.
Demetria unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, and we stood
beside the pick-up, waiting for Blair to come around.
"Man, I've got a bad feeling about this, Jim." He
tossed me the keys.
"Tell me about it." I stuffed them into the back
pocket of my jeans. "You think the Feds had something to do with it?"
"They were the ones who wanted us here that night.
Though I have no clue what they thought we could do."
"They were under the impression that the Empusae were
behind my sweet child's entrapment." Demetria pulled the sweat jacket she
wore around her.
"The who?"
"Not the rock group, Jim." How serious could it
be if my lover was making jokes? "Empusae. They were a demonic cult that
claimed to follow the goddess of the crossroads." I went cold. He was
whistling in the dark. "Isn't that right, Lady?"
"Yes. However, my dear friend would never permit them
to do something so despicable. To steal my child and imprison her for endless
eons... No. That is not to say that Nemesis could not have deceived them into
thinking they were doing as their
goddess wished." She gazed at the leafless trees, the dead shrubs, and the
dry patches of grass. "I miss Spring."
"So do I. Lady, I don't know what you think Jim and I
can do."
"More than you imagine, although once you enter the
house you will begin to understand." Demetria touched the spot where the
Mizpah I'd given my lover hung. "You have strong protection." She
did the same to where my charm rested on my breastbone. "There will be more
who will help. "
"And all I wanted to do on Valentine's Day was ask you
to marry me."
"And you did." His blue eyes were bright with
happiness. "So. You really do want to marry me? You're not just saying that
to get in my pants?" His words were a soft murmur that went no farther than
my ears.
"I've already done that, Chief."
"Yes, you have. And I've done you."
A flush climbed to my widow's peak, not from embarrassment,
but from the desire that almost overwhelmed me. He ran his fingertips over my
jacket sleeve.
"Come." Demetria gave no sign that she was aware
of our byplay. "We must go in. There is much to be done."
We followed her onto the porch.
"You still haven't told us what we'll have to
do." Blair paused, his hand on the doorknob. "We'll probably have to
break a window to get in, Lady. The AD Feeb locked it and took the key with
him."
"Do not worry, young shaman."
"If you say so." But I could tell from his tone
of voice that he would worry. I squeezed his shoulder, and he dipped his head
and rubbed his cheek against my fingers. "Dial 'em way down, Jim. The smell
was ripe last time. If no one has been in here since Christmas, god knows what
it'll be like now."
"Got it, Chief." I made sure all my senses were
under tight control.
"Okay, giving it a shot." The knob turned easily
under his hand, and he jerked it back. I could hear his heart rate and his
breathing ratchet up. "It does that every freaking time! Do you have any
idea how that freaks me out?"
"I'll protect you." I rubbed his upper back.
"You will? My hero."
"You bet. I've got you, babe."
"Very cute, Sonny Bono."
"But you love me anyway."
"Well, yeah."
I realized we were stalling. "Come on, Chief. The
sooner we get this done, whatever 'this' is, the sooner I can hit Simon for some
time off and we can book our flight to
The dog scooted around our legs and past the open door. She
came to a halt in the doorway of the dining room, her tail tucked between her
legs. Her hackles rose, her muzzle wrinkled to bare her teeth, and low growls
spilled past her curled lips.
"I really hate this house, Jim."
"Alastrina." Demetria snapped her fingers, and
her dog slunk back and crouched at her heels, but never took her eyes from the
doorway. Power seemed to vibrate through the woman. She walked into the hallway,
and we followed her.
"It's warm!" Blair unzipped his jacket and tossed
it aside. "Oh! Oh, wow, man! Jim, take a breath!"
I breathed in cautiously, then breathed more deeply,
letting my sense of smell climb higher and higher on the dial.
It was all the scents of summer. Freshly mown grass,
flowers in bloom, ripening fruit, the air after a rainstorm, and beside me my
lover, saturated in pheromones. I was almost drunk from the scents. Blair leaned
against me, and I felt the heat of his desire. I lowered my head to caress his
lips with mine.
He moaned softly into my mouth and tugged at my jacket. It
was still zipped. I let him go long enough to unzip it and yank it off, then
pulled him back against me.
"Come, we must go down to the lower level."
Demetria's words curbed the passion that ran through us, but though the flames
abated, they didn't go out.
"Yeah, sure." I grabbed his arm and dragged him
after me into the dining room.
"Jim, wait!" Blair yanked me to a dead stop.
"Where did this woman come from?"
"Demetria?"
"No." He gestured toward the island that
separated the dining room from the kitchen. "That woman."
I shook my head, wondering if my eyeballs were stuck
together. "I don't see anyone."
The look he gave me was not one of the ones that promised
me a wild night.
"I've got my senses dialed all the way up, Chief. I'm
not picking up anything."
"I have a feeling… Lady?" He was tense. I felt
the passion leaching out of him, and in turn it leached out of me.
Demetria's expression was grim. She was looking toward
where Blair said the woman stood.
"I still don't see anyone." Demetria touched my
arm, and I glared at her, getting irritated. "If that's supposed to do
anything, it's not," I growled and took a step toward the kitchen.
"No!" Blair jumped in front of me, his action so
abrupt I nearly stepped on his heels. His hand gripped my hip, and I blinked. It
was as if his touch had lifted blinders from my eyes.
Before us was a woman whose beauty was tempered by the
stern, cold aspect of her features. She was dressed in a peplos similar to the
one Demetria wore, except that it was unrelieved black. A black ribbon wound
through black curls, keeping them piled high on her head. Her black eyes watched
us dispassionately.
"Who the fuck is this, and where the fuck did she come
from?"
"Nemesis, Jim."
"Nemesis?"
"Yeah, the goddess behind Persephone's disappearance.
She's barring our way to the basement."
The goddess' expression became disdainful, and she said
something that was Greek to me, but apparently understandable not only to
Demetria, but to my lover as well.
"She just asked Demetria if she thought *we*
could do what so many others couldn't," he translated.
"Rescue Persephone, you mean?"
"Yeah. Over the centuries, Demetria found other
couples who were willing to help, but they all failed." He snarled
something at Nemesis, and she took a step toward us, which I interpreted as a
threat.
"I know you're a whiz kid, Chief," I whispered in
his ear, "but it's not a smart idea to piss off immortals." I grabbed
my lover and spun him around so that he was behind me. He stared to struggle.
"No!" I kept him in place.
I was the Sentinel, after all, and as much as my shaman would protect me, I was
there protecting him right back.
There was a burning against my chest, and I closed my
fingers around my half of the Mizpah.
Nemesis stopped, her expression now becoming thoughtful,
and she murmured something and stepped aside, allowing us to pass.
"It's okay, Jim." Blair came from behind me,
gripping his half of the charm until his knuckles turned white. He was so pale,
but I didn't pay any attention. Blair Sandburg, my guide and Shaman of the
We continued through the dining room to the kitchen, and
down the stairs to the basement. I thought I caught a glimpse of the sleek,
black of my panther, and the brown of Blair's wolf.
"You must go there." Demetria gestured toward a
corner. Beyond it was the space where her daughter was imprisoned behind the
wall.
Like the last time, there was more light than could be
accounted for, only this time, the brightness was not firelight but sunlight.
I walked toward it.
From somewhere came the sound of the panel in the wall
sliding open. There was no smoke to obscure my sight of her. I could see the
figure in the painting clearly.
She was much younger than she had appeared at Christmas.
Her eyes, blue as a spring sky, were filled with sadness and loss, and a single
tear clung to eyelashes that were so thick they could get tangled in each other.
//Help me. Please, set me free.// The words seemed to echo
in my head. I walked toward the painting, in a trance.
I was no more than a couple of yards away from it when a I
heard a sound I didn't expect to hear in the basement of Hecate House in the
winter.
Birdsong.
I blinked and looked around. I was in a meadow, but not
alone. My lover was beside me, his palm on my chest, and hot, sweet desire
flooded through my body.
All my senses were so high on the dial that when a warm
breeze caressed my face, I shuddered, the pleasure almost orgasmic. A voice
seemed to whisper in my ear, 'Think how much better it will feel when your lover
loves you, touches your naked body with his warm...'
… skin, I filled in.
"Jim." My lover's palm withdrew. "I
don't…" And I felt bereft, abandoned.
"You do! You have to!" I began pulling off my
clothes. Shirt and undershirt went flying. Boots were kicked off. "Please!
I want you so much!" Socks followed, then jeans and shorts, and I stood
before him, naked.
"Jim!" Blair's pupils dominated the blue of his
eyes. A faint sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his lips parted and his
chest heaved as he panted. "No!"
"Yes! Come to me!" I backed further into the
meadow, holding my arms out to him.
He took one step forward, then another, but it was as if he
was fighting not to come any closer.
"Don't you want me?" I asked plaintively. I
didn't understand his hesitation.
"Say my name."
"Chief. Blair… Don't you want me?" I asked
again. Hurt ripped through me.
"Yes, I want you. I've always wanted you."
"Then come to me; make love to me. We're alone in this
beautiful meadow. The air is so sweet, the grass is so soft. Think how soft it
will feel under our naked bodies." A small voice seemed to be whispering in
my ear, telling me over and over not to do this, that beyond unspeakable pain, I
would be damned for all time. I throttled the voice. This was Blair, my lover.
My love. He would never hurt me. "Please, Blair. Make love to me!"
I lowered myself to the grass, and it was as soft as I'd
imagined it would be. It seemed to caress every inch of my skin, shoulders,
spine, ass, legs, driving my need to be taken by him higher than it had ever
been. I braced on my elbow, my eyes on my lover's. My legs were spread, and I
ran the fingertips of my right hand over my balls with teasing touches, then
stroked my cock.
His face grew flushed. I could feel the heat of desire
radiating from him in waves. He stripped, and in seconds he was naked and
running toward me, and I shivered in anticipation.
But before Blair could throw himself on me, he skidded to a
halt with a cry. Pain twisted his features, and he swayed and dropped to his
knees. Groaning and clutching his head, he fell over and curled into a fetal
position.
Something was wrong with his back. His spine seemed to
crawl, as if his vertebrae were a
separate, living entity, and he screamed. His arms and legs shortened, hair
sprouted and covered his pale flesh, his nose and jaws elongated into a muzzle,
and his screams turned to howls.
I found myself frozen in place. No matter how hard I
battled the invisible restraints, I was unable to get to my lover, and I howled
myself.
The sudden silence shocked me out of my struggles.
A wolf lay where my lover had been, with thick fur that was
the color of his hair. He rose unsteadily to his four feet and shook himself,
then raised his head, sniffed the air, and turned to face me.
//BE AFRAID!// a
voice thundered in my head.
"Blair?" I couldn't move, didn't want to move.
The wolf took a step toward me. His jaws parted, and a
long, pink tongue lolled out. Around his neck was the silver charm.
//BE AFRAID! BE
AFRAID! BE AFRAID!// the voice shrieked.
Blue eyes looked into mine, and I could see my lover
looking out of them. "Blair."
There was no need to be afraid. I sank back down on the
lush grass, and the wolf walked to my supine body. He sniffed my toes, and the
feel of his cold nose against them caused me to jerk my foot away. Blair knew
how ticklish my feet were.
The wolf looked at me, and I would have sworn he was
laughing. His tongue flicked out again to lick my foot from heel to toe, and
while I was laughing helplessly, he pounced, and his body straddled mine. I
buried my hands in the soft, thick fur of his ruff and brought his face down to
mine. He gave a soft woof and pulled free, and worked his way down my body. His
tongue swept over my nipples and dipped into my navel.
I bucked and twisted under him, breathless and giddy, and
petted his ears and head and shoulders. He made his way lower and…
Warm. Wet. The feel of his tongue on my cock… I groaned
and tried to arch into the rough caress, tried to wrap my legs around his
muscled, furry body, offering myself to him, but a large paw on my hip kept me
from moving.
One last lick to my cock, and he stepped aside and nudged
me over onto my stomach. I shivered at the knowledge that he was going to mount
me, and I balanced myself on hands and knees. His paw pressed down on my upper
back, and when his claws scraped the skin, I realized why he wanted me
positioned like that. If he wrapped his forelegs around my chest, his claws
would rip me to ribbons.
I folded my arms, lowered my head to them, and spread my
legs wide. My guide's cock was thick, even in his wolf form, and I knew that
with no lubrication, his possession of me would be painful, but I also knew,
without knowing how I knew, that this needed to be done.
I should have known my lover would never hurt me. That
warm, wet tongue lapped at my balls, teased the skin behind them, and I gasped
and shook as it curled and pushed into me, a filling, satisfying sensation.
It didn't take him long to prepare me, and then he
positioned himself on my back. His fur was soft and cool against my back, but
his groin was hot against my ass. His hips jerked as his cock sought to find its
mark, and I crouched and bowed my back further to give him easier access.
And then his cock found my hole and slid in, and he lay on
my back, the weight keeping my shoulders close to the ground. His tongue licked
my jaw, my ear, and his teeth closed gently on my neck. The steady thrust of his
hips drove his cock deep into me. Each movement forward brushed past my
prostate; each movement back did the same, again and again and again, and it
drove me wild – it was in so far I was sure I could feel him in my throat,
then out completely, and for desperate seconds I was left feeling empty and
hungry to be filled again. I rocked back, frantic to feel him inside me. But
before I became too frantic, he drove back in, shoving past the tight ring of
muscle, stretching me, filling me.
One last, hard shove that made me grunt, and he went still.
His knot was just past the ring of muscle, and it began to swell, giving me the
fullness I had wanted. The pressure continued to build, and then he came, and
scalding liquid flooded my bowels, triggering my own orgasm. His weight pressed
me closer to the ground. My legs trembled and finally gave out, and I sprawled
beneath him, the action driving his cock deeper into me.
His breath came in rapid pants, hot on my neck, and every
once in a while, his tongue would sweep out to lick the sweat from my shoulder
or my neck.
Finally his knot shrank enough for his cock to slide out,
but he didn't move to get off me. I rested my head on his foreleg, gave a
contented sigh, and fell asleep like that.
####
Blair's POV
This had to be a dream.
Although, every time we were in Hecate House – well,
all two times – weird things had happened, so maybe nightmare was more like
it.
Jim and I had driven Demetria – Demeter – to Hecate
House in order to rescue her daughter from the painting she'd been trapped in
forever.
The closer we got to the house, the worse the feeling I had
about this whole thing. I tried to cover it with obfuscations and jokes, but I
wasn't fooling Jim. We'd lived together too long, he knew me too well. And he
loved me.
We went into the house. The smell of corruption that had
been so heavy at Christmas was gone, replaced by the scents of spring and summer
combined, and instead of the chill that had been in the air, it was warm and
balmy and intoxicating, I was kissing Jim, losing myself in him, and…
"Come, we must go down to the lower level."
I shook myself. Yeah, we did have that to do, rescue her
daughter who had pissed off a goddess it didn't pay to piss off.
Jim didn't let me go; his hand was warm on my arm as we
went into the dining room.
We hadn't gone more than two steps when we stopped short. A
woman was standing before the doorway to the kitchen, blocking our way, and
there was something about her that told me she wasn't mortal.
When Demeter spoke, my fears were confirmed.
"Who the fuck is this, and where the fuck did she come
from?"
"Nemesis, Jim." My mouth was dry.
"Nemesis?"
"Yeah, the goddess behind Persephone's disappearance.
She's barring our way to the basement."
"Pain," the goddess of vengeance and retribution
vowed as her eyes bored into mine. "If you make this choice," she
gestured toward the stairs that led to the basement, "the most intense,
unbearable pain. What Prometheus felt will be as nothing to your fate, and there
will be no Herakles to rescue you."
My insides felt as if they had turned to water.
I had never been a big proponent of pain – I'd had more
than my share of it on field expeditions in various parts of the world. Back
when I still believed I'd live forever I'd been able to deal with it, but I
started looking 30 in the face, and I realized time was too precious to waste
getting hurt.
I looked at Demeter and swallowed. Her face was grim.
Jim was tense. His senses told him something was up, but he
didn't know what we would be facing – he didn't understand Greek.
"It's okay, Jim." And he believed me, because he
loved me, trusted me.
Nemesis' smile was mocking. I could tell from the look on
her face that she didn't think we would be successful in doing whatever had to
be done to free Persephone. She stepped aside and let us walk past.
We went down into the basement, and Demeter pointed us
toward the area where the painting of Persephone was hidden behind the wall.
The panel started to slide open, and I grew tense myself.
The last time that had happened, the figure in the painting had come out
swinging.
And then…
Freaking weird things happened in Hecate House. One minute
we were in the basement, waiting for Billie Jean King to step out of the wall,
and the next we were standing in one of the most beautiful meadows I'd ever seen.
I knew that pain awaited me there.
But Jim was there also.
Jim, who shed his clothes, teased and lured, trying to get
me deeper into the lush grassland.
Compared to being with him, having him, pain didn't matter.
I was so hard I ached. I unzipped my fly and sighed in
relief as the pressure eased, but it wasn't enough. I needed to bury my dick
into his hot, tight ass, feel his muscles ripple around me. I stripped and ran
toward him.
Before I could reach him, I was blindsided by the pain
Nemesis had promised, intense, unbearable, unbelievable PAIN.
I collapsed to the ground, screaming, as my skin stretched
and altered, as bones and tendons reformed themselves.
At the base of my spine, flesh and bone and hair – fur
– rearranged themselves, and a tail emerged.
My skull flattened, my face elongated to become a pointed
muzzle, and my mouth filed with razor-sharp fangs.
Finally the transformation was complete, and I staggered to
my feet.
A warm breeze blew against my face and ruffled my fur, and
I raised my head. There was a scent in the air, and I whined. Saliva flooded my
mouth.
I was hungry. Oh, god, I was so hungry! My belly cramped
with it.
"Blair?"
I turned, and there was the man.
//Food. Eat!//
I took a step toward him.
"Blair." There was no fear in him. He watched
with hot eyes as I approached. He lowered himself to the lush, sweet-smelling
grass and offered himself to me.
This was Jim. My mate.
//NO! FOOD!//
With Jim's eyes on mine, my hunger morphed into passion. I
silenced the strident voice in my mind with a growl and turned my complete
attention on the one I desired and loved with all my being.
My cock slid out of its sheath, and I pounced playfully. I
licked him, his toes, his nipples, his cock, and his taste exploded on my
tongue. I inhaled, and I could smell his excitement.
Was this how it was for my Sentinel? For a second I envied
him his senses, and then he groaned, and all I could think of was him. I rolled
him beneath me, dominated him, and mounted him, but even in the throes of
passion I was careful not to hurt him with my claws.
Our mating was wild, and the sounds – his grunts as I
thrust into him, rocking him forward, his breathless moans as I pulled all the
way out of him to slam back in, and my growls with each movement – made it
even wilder.
One last time, I drove my cock deep into him and bit down
on his neck with just enough pressure to let him know he was mine. I felt my
knot swelling, his hot, snug walls yielding to the pressure, and I tied with
him.
We both came, his howl joining mine; he collapsed beneath
me, and we fell asleep.
And in my dream sleep, I dreamed.
~~~~
Demeter's eyes were bright with tears, but her smile was
filled with joy. She was standing with her arm around the waist of a woman who
appeared slightly older.
Alastrina sat beside her, while at the feet of the other
woman lay a black-maned lion. The lion yawned, exposing a mouthful of sharp
teeth. He looked at me, and I took an involuntary step back.
"He will not hurt you, young shaman."
Of course he wouldn't. My lover was of the Sentinel
persuasion, and he'd sic his spirit guide on anyone who tried to hurt me.
"This is my… sister goddess, Hecate."
"Lady." I gave a slight bow, then frowned.
"We were supposed to rescue Persephone! I'm sorry, we must have fallen
asleep." I blushed, thinking of what we had actually been doing that made
us fall asleep. "I'll get Jim. You can tell us what we need to do, and
we'll get right on it."
"You have already done what had need to be done."
"We have?"
"You look perplexed, young shaman."
"When did we free your daughter? *How* did we
free your daughter?"
"You made love to your lover in this house."
No, I had made love to Jim in a field of sweet grasses. She
smiled as if I had spoken aloud.
"That was all it took to free her? That doesn't make
sense. This used to be a whore house, lots of people had sex in this
house."
"Without love it would be no more than animal rutting.
In order for my daughter to be freed, the act had to be done by a couple who
loved one another."
"You had many worshippers. Wouldn't they have done
this for you, long ago, so you wouldn't have had to wait all this time?"
"Those who came forward to try, died. Nemesis guarded
well the entire secret of freeing my daughter, but no secret can be kept
entirely, forever. I learned of it, that one of the partners needed to be a
wolf."
"Bestiality? But it's ... I mean …" I started
to turn red.
She waved away my embarrassment. "The wolf also needed
to be sentient, and so I asked for help of Ares, whose sacred animal is the
wolf. Only he was distracted by one of his never-ending battles, and instead of
the wolf being evoked at will, it became possible only at the full of the
moon."
"Werewolves?" So that was how the legend started.
Her expression was sad. "Hecate tried to weave a spell
to counteract, to no avail. The beast overwhelmed the man, fear overwhelmed the
woman, and they both died."
"Man, that sucks." I started to apologize, then
realized that this was a dream. I could say something like that to a goddess.
"Their sacrifice was not in vain. I saw to it that
Hades allowed them the Elysian Fields. And then, through methods it is not
necessary for you to know, I learned that both of you, Blair Sandburg and James
Ellison, had spirit guides, and I knew you were the ones who would be able to
call upon those spirit guides. I also knew that neither of you would have qualms
about making love in this manner, thereby securing the release of my
child."
She did? The red in my cheeks that had receded, returned
with twice as much heat.
"I… I see." Weird, *weird* dream.
"So… She's out of the painting."
"The painting is no longer her prison." Demeter
smiled warmly. "She has returned home."
"To the Underworld?" When the groundhog had seen
its shadow on February 2nd, six more weeks of winter had been foreseen.
"No. There is no longer a need for her to stay with
Hades for half the year. She has gone to the pool of Cyane, to be with her
love."
"How is Hades going to feel about that?"
"He has someone who will keep him from being
lonely."
"Well, that's always good. What about Nemesis?"
"Her brother is happy, and so she is happy."
So all the pantheon was happy. "Okay, that's good.
What happens now?"
"You did as I requested. It is time to repay
you."
"Oh, no, that's okay. Really." I didn't think we
wanted to be beholden to a bunch of gods who either couldn't keep it in their
tunics or else took pleasure in tormenting mankind when they weren't tormenting
each other.
"You want nothing?"
"No, lady. We got out of this alive, so… Hold on a
second. We are alive, aren't we?"
"You are."
I blew out a breath. "Well, then, that's fine."
I'd never had one of those dreams where I jumped off a cliff and died – mostly
they were sex dreams where I jumped Jim's bones. "Jim and I have each
other, and that's all we ever really wanted. Though it would have been nice to
…"
"To 'what', young shaman?"
"Jim asked me to marry him. We can do that, take a
flight to
A hand closed over my shoulder and pulled me back against a
firm body. "Can't, Chief." Jim wrapped his arms around me from behind.
"It's a national holiday. Everything will be closed."
"Jim!" I looked at him over my shoulder.
"What are you doing in my dream?"
He tipped my chin up and kissed me. "I was
invited." He nodded toward Demeter.
"Oh. Okay. So, if we can't get married on national
holidays, what does that leave?"
"You are determined to be wed upon this day… "
Demeter gestured behind us.
Standing there was the most beautiful being I had ever
seen. His eyes were the blue of the
"Eros?"
He smiled, and I slid my arm around Jim's waist, claiming
my territory.
The god's smile deepened. "You have nothing about
which to be worried, shaman. I do not poach."
"You do not." Someone appeared beside him,
handsome in a dangerous way, olive-skinned, with black hair and eyes. His arm
went around the golden god's waist, and his stance was as possessive as mine.
"Hades. Do you question my love?" Eros rested his
hand against the dark god's cheek.
"No. Of course not." The Lord of the Underworld
turned his head and pressed a kiss to his palm.
"Then let me get on with this." Blue eyes swept
from me to Jim. "You ask for nothing, and so you will be granted what you
desire most."
"Uh… okay."
"Chief?"
"Go with it, Jim. It's a dream." Just a dream.
"I'm trusting you on this, Chief."
"Have I ever steered you wrong?"
"No." Jim ran his thumb over my lips, and I
parted them. "I love you, Chief." He tucked a loose lock of hair
behind my ear, stood at my left side, and nodded to the god of love. "Ready
when you are, Eros."
Eros seemed very happy. "Look into each other's
eyes."
That wasn't hard to do. Jim's eyes were warm and so filled
with love, and I sighed happily and lost myself in them.
Eros took my left hand and pricked the spot under my ring
finger with a golden arrow. He took Jim's hand and did the same with the other
arrow.
"Join your hands."
We did as he said, and it was as if lightning flashed
through me. //So this is what holding the third rail feels like.//
The look in Jim's eyes told me he was feeling the same
thing. A soft sound left his lips, and he pulled me into his arms. "I love
you, Blair."
"Ditto."
"Chief…"
"Hey, it's my dream. I can be silly if I want." I
was trying to conceal how overwhelmed I felt. We'd just got married. "I
love you too, babe."
His mouth descended onto mine, and it was the most perfect,
the most passionate kiss, and it claimed me as his, and him as mine.
When our mouths separated, we were both having trouble
catching our breath. We stayed in each other's arms for what felt like an untold
amount of time, I leaning against him and breathing in his scent, and he resting
his chin on my hair.
Finally I stepped out of his embrace, but I held onto his
hand.
"Well, Lady, if you'll excuse us, I think I'll take
Jim back to bed and get this marriage consummated."
"Isn't that a little too much information, babe?"
Jim toyed with a lock of my hair.
"Nah. I'm dreaming, Jim. If this wasn't a dream, *then*
would my face be red!"
Demeter giggled, not a sound I would have expected from an
exalted goddess, but then, it was just a dream.
I grinned at Jim – my lover, my mate, my companion for
life – and kissed the small hurt beneath his ring finger..
"Go," the goddess said, "and take with you
our thanks."
We both bowed, and when I looked up, I wasn't surprised to
see we were alone.
"C'mon, Chief. I believe you said something about
consummating this marriage?"
~~~~
I didn't want to wake up, but I had to. I knew something
was… not wrong, just… not the
way it usually was.
Usually, sometime during the night, Jim would wind up
plastered against my back, one arm pillowing my head, the other around my waist
where his hand would either go north and fondle my nipples, or south and fondle
my cock, and I was a happy camper either way.
But this time I was sprawled on my lover's back, covering
him like a blanket. His heartbeat was a steady thump under my ear.
My eyelashes felt like they were glued together, and I had
to separate them with my fingers before I could see anything.
We were in our bed in the loft. For some reason I thought
we should have been in Hecate House.
"Chief?" Jim's voice was muffled. His head was
buried under the pillow. "Wanna make some coffee?"
"Okay." My eyes drifted shut.
"C'mon, Chief." He rolled over and tipped me onto
the mattress.
"Hey!"
"'Hey' yourself." He kissed me. "Did you
sleep okay?"
"Not too bad. Why do you ask?"
"You were moaning in your sleep."
"I'm sorry I disturbed you."
"This is the only way you disturb me, Chief." Jim
rocked his hips against me, and I felt his erection. He reached between us and
petted my hardening cock.
"I like that."
"I know," he murmured. I could feel his smile
against my neck. "What was bothering you?"
"Huh? Oh, in my sleep?" I thought for a minute,
remembering the details. "I had one weird dream."
"Yeah? I did too. You were in it."
"And that made it weird?" He pinched my butt.
"Ow!"
"Smart ass. We had to save Demeter's daughter."
I nodded. "Yeah. She was trapped in the painting in
Hecate House."
"And you made love to me as the wolf." "And
I made love to you as the wolf… "
"Huh?"
"Uh… Jim, it sounds like we had the same
dream." I wondered. Was it a dream?
"It was one hot dream, babe."
"When it wasn't being scary."
"This is true. Nemesis tried to make me believe I
should be afraid of you."
"She tried to make me see you as lunch."
"You can eat me any time, Chief."
So I did.
****
Jim had fallen back to sleep after I'd gone down on him,
but for some reason I was too restless to go back to sleep.
I took a change of clothes, went downstairs and turned the
heat up, then showered, shaved, and brushed my teeth.
When I was done, I went into the kitchen to make a pot of
coffee. I knew that was one scent that would wake my lover.
While I waited for it to finish brewing, I thought about
the dream we seemed to have shared. He'd asked me to marry him in it.
Idly, I scratched at my left palm.
I was a little surprised when I heard him walking around
the loft. I'd expected him to sleep longer.
He came down the stairs carrying a pair of briefs.
"I'm gonna catch a shower, Chief." He grinned at me and came around
the island. "Make me some eggs?" The man did love his eggs. "I'll
make it worth your while."
"Okay." I'd have to start watching his
cholesterol. "How do you want them?"
"Poached, fried, scrambled. Whatever."
"Anyone ever tell you you're easy?"
"Only with you, babe." He ran his palm over my
butt. "I won't be long."
I liked his hands on my body. While I considered all the
ways he'd done that, I got to work making an omelet. I started the skillet
heating, chopped onions and peppers, grated some cheese, beat the mixture into
the eggs, and folded it into the skillet.
Jim kept his word. He was out of the bathroom, rubbing the
towel over his head, just as I divided the omelet in two and slid his half onto
his plate.
"You're a great cook, Chief."
"You live in the wild, you have to learn how to
cook."
"Uh… would you tell me something, Blair." He
was rubbing his left palm on his thigh.
"Sure."
"That dream I had…"
"Yeah?"
"I… uh… I asked you to marry me."
"You did? What did I say?"
"You said yes."
"Hmmm. Y'know, you asked me to marry you in my dream,
too."
"I did? What did you say?"
"I said yes, what else would I say?"
Jim gave me the broadest, sappiest grin. He took my left
hand and touched the small scar on my palm.
"Who would have though same-sex marriages would become
legal in
"And even better that we could get married on
Valentine's Day."
"It was the luckiest thing in the world, Chief."
"Yes." I stroked the matching scar on his palm.
Dream or not, "The luckiest thing in the world, Jim."
And I leaned toward him, and kissed him.
~End~
