Pushing me against the wall, he entered me roughly again and gripped my ass so brutally I knew I would have finger bruises on my butt cheeks in a couple of hours. He used his hands on my ass to lift me and bounce me on his cock. I moaned again.
“Put your mouth against my neck if you can’t stop moaning.” His words came in bursts between my bounces on his dick. I complied and moaned into his skin. When my orgasm hit me, I sank my teeth into his neck, causing him to reach his climax. His last thrusts were wild and erratic and immensely satisfying.
We cleaned up and walked out of the bathroom like we were carefree kids on a vacation. Before, my body had been sore; now it was energized. I felt alive and dirty after my first quickie in public. Forbidden fruit is delicious.
We sat back down, Michael on my left and Elias on my right. I pulled Michael’s arm around me and settled in to enjoy the view.
“Eli,” I asked after a while, “when things die down, can we start training again? Even though I know you’re not really a trainer, I had a lot of fun.”
“Absolutely. I loved watching you improve and learn,” Elias replied. “I still have lots to teach you. And you’ll want to spend time with Michael and Anthony too, they know different styles than I do. We each bring something a little different to the table when it comes to fighting.”
I spent the rest of the trip daydreaming about how a typical day would be when we were finished with the damned mission. I’d be basically the same person, but I’d live as long as my family. My boys would be with us. We would raise our children together. I could learn how to live with being immortal alongside the kids.
If our mission was a success, I’d be an adult Supay, I might have to learn about the Supay lifestyle and culture right beside them. Explaining who I was would be so difficult.
Maybe we’d have a few more children, and we’d live in a big house, happy and safe. If there are any gods listening, please let us make it through this, whole and together. We’d been through enough.
“I miss my babies.” I didn’t mean to speak the words out loud, really. I should’ve known their crazy hearing would pick it up.
“I do too, Coya. I’m just glad the kids age slowly, so we won’t miss much.” He made a great point. At least we wouldn’t be missing major milestones in their development by being gone a few more weeks. I’d already missed the most important parts.
Chapter Thirteen
The boat docked on Sun Island. We climbed off of the ferry boat onto a tiny wooden dock. Walking single file to the shore was a little nerve racking. The dock was narrow, wooden, and seemed like it was built a good two thousand years ago. I could feel the water pushing against the wood and a little bit of anxiety crept up my neck. “It feels like we're walking the plank.” I tried to joke to lighten my mood, but my voice was piercing.
Anthony squeezed past Elias to press close to me, one hand on my arm. He was trying to calm me again without using his juju. Knowing he was there to watch over me helped me push the anxiety down.
We were met on the beach by a smiling attendant in a polo with palm trees embroidered on it. “Welcome to the Isla Del Sol!” she said in a cheerful voice before speaking the rest of her greeting in Spanish. Elias pulled out some Bolivian currency, and paid one of the many tolls required to be allowed to hike and visit on the island.
I left Elias and Anthony to sort out where we needed to go and tugged Michael to wander on the beach. A violent shiver made my teeth chatter. I hoped the rest of our time on the island warmed up.
We walked hand in hand toward the waves lapping up the rocky beach. The lake was enormous and gave the feel of being at the ocean, except with the magnificent Andes in the background. We stopped and Michael put his arms around me from behind. My head fit in the hollow of his shoulder perfectly. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of his body.
“I never thought I’d feel your arms around me again,” I said.
“I was thinking the same thing. I can’t stop staring at you.” His voice was deep and loving. "I watched you sleep for so long last night.”
“I watched you too!” I laughed at our lovey-dovey behavior.
He adopted a more serious tone. "Riley, when this is over, I want you to know I've always done what I thought was right. Even today, being here. I'm here because it's the right thing to do." He pulled on my shoulders so I would turn. His hands cupped my cheeks and he whispered, "I want to do the right thing." He kissed me and pulled me into a hug.
"Of course this is the right thing," I said, confused. "I'll do anything to be able to stay with you, and especially the kids. And now, I don't want to leave Elias or Anthony either. It would be more than I could bear to grow old and know I'd be leaving you behind forever. I mean, I don't even know anything about the afterlife. What’s there? Where do we go? I can't chance that we won't find each other in death."
"I have an idea about the afterlife, and if we find Supay, I'm going to ask him." I let that one go and tightened my hold on his waist. I heard Elias and Anthony walking toward us, talking to each other, but I wasn't ready to take my face off of Michael's chest yet. I felt like I was home for the first time in five long years.
I didn't let go, but I did turn my head so that I could see Eli and Anthony while I hugged Michael. I hoped they weren’t jealous of the attention I was showing Michael, but hell. He was my husband and I'd only begun to have the slim beginnings of a relationship with them. They'll just have to understand.
I tuned into their conversation about altitude sickness. Supay were immune to such things, but I wasn’t. Of course, I have to worry about altitude sickness. They were concerned for me, I shouldn't have been an ass, even in my own mind. But how glad I would be when I was more powerful—and also immune to human diseases and ageing.
Anthony drew my attention away from my inner thoughts. "Riley, our packs are full of water for you and lots of snacks." He bounced his bag a little to show the weight.
Elias chimed in. "You're not carrying anything, and I don't want to hear any crap about you being strong enough. You are strong enough, but we're in a high region. You need to go slow and keep sipping the water. We also bought you some medicine that should help."
"I won't complain, I'll drink my water and take my medicine like a good girl." I rolled my eyes. "Is it time to go? Because I'm toasty warm, wrapped in Michael's arms."
Michael's chest rumbled under me as he laughed. "I'd carry you, baby, but people would question how I could be strong enough to carry a full grown woman in this terrain."
I pulled away from him and took his hand. "What's the plan?"
"We’re on the south side of the island. The biggest village, Yumani, is on this side of the island. There’s a perfect little hostel here. We paid our fee, so let’s head to the hostel and drop the heaviest stuff off there," said Anthony.
"What about blood?" I asked.
"I've got a soft-sided cooler in my bag," said Michael. "We got it when we bought those pillows and your altitude sickness medicine."
"Did you bring the supplies for me to fill more bags?" Three heads nodded the affirmative. "Well then, let’s go."
Anthony consulted a map given to him by the greeter. He started toward the interior of the island and we trailed behind. Michael and Elias flanked me and set the pace.
"I could go faster than this, you know." I could walk faster with a broken leg, blindfolded. Elias gave me a sympathetic grin and we trudged on. The ground was packed hard, smooth from years of travelers come to explore the ruins. I stumbled once on a rock. The view was too breathtaking to keep my eyes on my feet, and I wasn’t watching where I was going.
The path led us ever upward over enormous hills. Given where I was raised, I couldn't call them mountains, but my body did feel like I was hiking at home in the Appalachians.
We crested the first hill and I stopped, awestruck. The water of the lake was cornflower blue and so inviting that I found my body itching to glide through it like a mermaid. I bet the kids would l
ove this.
Slowly turning in a circle to try to see it all, I wished the guys thought to pack a good camera. They’d already visited the island several times during their childhood, so it wouldn’t be special to them. I’d want to remember the day. The view; the feel of the gritty stones under my feet, the smell of meat cooking, drifting toward me from some nearby village. I would want to reminisce on the first days Michael returned to me, and the days we built our relationship—days that would, hopefully, be stories we told our children and our grandchildren, and several generations of offspring after that.
Michael tugged on my hand. I logged away my memories, and we continued down the hill into a large village. It was bustling with tourists and natives buying and selling local wares. I was drawn to the many buildings, small and bright against the rocky terrain, but they tugged me away from the market area.
The hostel looked like a beach house, with the exterior outfitted in stone. The windows were framed in wood with vibrant curtains billowing. We climbed three flights of uneven stone stairs to get to the entrance. My massive men crowded me on the front porch, each vying to stand beside me. They were going to have to figure out a rotation.
The interior was as colorful as the exterior. The lobby was filled with potted plants and chairs with throw pillows embroidered with blocky animals. Elias conversed in Spanish with a plump woman sitting behind a desk possibly made from an old pallet. I wished I knew Spanish so I could ask, but my guys probably didn't even know what pallet repurposing was, so I didn’t try to get them to translate.
Anthony handed over some bills and she led us to a small bedroom with two twin beds, then pointed across the hall to an open door. I could see a tiny shower through the doorway. After a few more exchanges with Elias, she left us in the sparse room.
A dresser with a small, clean mirror was situated between twin beds. There were several hooks on the wall and nothing else. The linens were like the rest of the house, bright and cheery. They were beginning to show signs of wear, but clean. The owners took pride in their belongings. I plopped down on one of the beds with a sigh.
Elias relayed the info he'd been given. We were free to come and go as we pleased day or night, but she didn't recommend exploring the island in the dark, as the terrain could be unsafe. Michael stepped out to use the bathroom, which was to be shared with anyone else staying on our floor. Anthony snuggled up next to me. He said she'd questioned that all of us would share one room, but he told her Michael and I were married and they were his best friends, so she let it go.
She brought in a cot that would squeeze into the corner of the room, and Michael and I were expected to share one of the beds. That would be interesting, given Michael's size. Even though I'd lost weight, I was still no pixie. Oh shit. Do pixies exist?
Michael returned from the bathroom, and we repacked their backpacks with essentials for keeping me fed and hydrated. They pulled out a bag of blood, and Elias sucked some out of the tip before handing it off to Michael. Michael walked over to the window to enjoy the view while he drank his portion.
"Did you even drink any?" Anthony asked as Michael handed him the bag.
"Yeah, I'm not drinking as much since I was starved. I can't resist drinking some, but I can control a bit better how much I drink, especially since I know I do have a supply of more if I need it."
I ate a granola bar and downed a bottle of water before heading over to the bathroom. The room was barely big enough to turn around in with a shower stall, toilet, and pedestal sink with no mirror. A bar of homemade soap sat on the sink ledge. "Hey, Elias. Did you guys think to buy soap?" I called to them..
Anthony came out of the room and stood in the hall. "We didn't, Coya. We forgot toothbrushes as well. We’ll have to visit that marketplace after all. I'm sure they sell such things." I smiled, looking forward to shopping, and closed the bathroom door in his face as he sighed.
I did my business, wondering if I was going to get constipated for fear of defecating where they could smell it. I'd already gone a couple of days, maybe it would happen at the hostel so I could shut both doors. Surely the stink wouldn't penetrate that far.
The soap smelled like lavender. I hoped we could find something similar in the market. I giggled, imagining my big men smelling like flowers.
Livened by an unexpected burst of energy, I skipped over to our room to collect my guys and go shop. It was too late in the day to trek out to the ruins anyway. Michael pulled me to his side, a place I was more than willing to be.
"Are we ready?" I asked.
"Sure, Coya. We’re on a specific mission, but there's no reason we can't try to have a little bit of fun this afternoon," Anthony said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. Michael's arm around me pulled him along with us. I laughed and looked back at Elias.
"Grab my ass, Eli, and we'll go freak out the locals," I said, giggling.
The walk to the market was breathtaking. I closed my eyes and breathed, the sun warm on my face as we crested a big hill before the entrance to the market stalls. A coughing fit surprised me as I inhaled a strong scent of an animal. My eyes popped open and I squealed in the face of a llama. The guys burst out laughing at my expression and the odd noises I made as I coughed and squeaked. I scrambled to let the llama and a native man pass by, confusion on his face.
Right, keeping my eyes open. I turned away from the llama and gazed over the roofs of the stalls at the bottom of the hill. We walked through a crude trellis that served as the entrance to the shopping area. Immediately, we were greeted by children wearing balaclavas, offering to shine our shoes. Michael smiled at them and crouched down. After a short conversation in Spanish, he handed them a few Boliviano bills and they scampered off.
A young girl offered a flower next. I accepted the flower with a smile and turned my head to raise my eyebrow at Michael. He took out a few more bills with a sigh and gave them to the little girl. We carried on toward the stalls. I pulled Michael by his wrist. Looking back, I saw Elias and Anthony watching me with bemused expressions.
I turned to pick which stall I wanted to shop at first and stopped dead. The sneaky woman that had stalked us since we arrived in Copacabana was crossing the path in front of us. She glanced our way once, and when she saw me watching her, she took off in the crowd of tourists. I sprinted after her. She was like eighty years old, I figured surely I could catch her.
My many years of shopping at huge retailers on Black Friday kicked in as I bobbed and weaved between the tourists. I ducked under a man’s outstretched arms, yelling “sorry!” behind me.
I heard three yells—I surprised my guys. “Keep up!” I yelled, sure they could hear me. Hell, after drinking my blood for the past several days they could probably find me anywhere in a mile radius. Like mosquitos. They’re my fucking mosquitos.
Thankful yet again that I’d trained my body so hard, I went at a fast pace. At one point I had to twirl around a small child that darted out in front of me. I didn't want to lose the slippery woman again. I saw a flash of her black and white hair duck behind a stall ahead to my right and put on another burst of speed.
I turned the corner to find the elusive woman surrounded by Michael, Elias, and Anthony. I gave them a stupid expression. Even knowing their abilities, it still shocked me to see them somehow get ahead of me unnoticed.
I stepped between Michael and Elias to confront her. “Who the hell are you?” I yelled.
Michael touched my elbow and said, “Riley, keep it down. We would like to draw the least amount of attention possible after that chase through the market.”
“Answer the question,” I said in a normal tone.
The grandmotherly woman’s face split into a wide grin. “Riley Elizabeth Collins Effler. Daughter of David and Blanche, dead in a car crash when you were eighteen. Two children, sons, David and Daniel. Married to Michael Effler, deceased,” she stated. Her voice was deep, almost masculine. Michael took a small step forward. “Not deceased. I’m right here, old woman.
Why are you following Riley?”
“You may call me Mama Pacha, Riley, daughter of Blanche. I've come to save you, so that you may save me.” She beamed. “I'm going to guide you to the entrance to Uku Pacha. It is my home, and I've missed it greatly.” She shuffled toward me, causing Michael and Elias to step in front of me. “Brave boys you are,” she hissed. “Don't anger me, children. The only one I need alive is Riley.”
I stepped around the side of Eli, knowing he wouldn't move out of my way. Anthony moved to shield me again, but I held up my hand.
“Enough. She either has the power to hurt me or she doesn’t. Stop blocking me, I want to hear what she has to say.” I turned my head and gave each man a glare. They looked furious.
“Mama Pacha, I will not help you if you harm any of these men. They’re protective of me. I wouldn’t be here if not for their help.”
She closed her eyes. I met Michael’s eyes and shrugged as she stood there, unresponsive. Her head turned to each man and paused briefly on each of them.
She opened her eyes and cocked her head at me. “One of these men isn't quite what he seems, but I can't pinpoint what's off. I can only tell something's not right. I've been away from home for such a long time, and my powers have weakened considerably.” Her face grew sad and her shoulders slumped a bit. “Once I would’ve been able to tell you the most private thoughts of these men of yours. But now I'm weaker than the average Supay.” She squared her shoulders and grabbed my hand. “I need you, Riley. If it means putting up with these overprotective buffoons, so be it.”
Three sets of hands tried to jerk me away from her grasp at the same time. “Riley,” said Michael. “We have no idea who she is. This could be a trap. She’s probably the one that led the Junta to us to begin with.” Elias and Anthony nodded their heads in agreement, both staring a hole through Mama Pacha.
Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem Page 56