Protect

by Laura Wylde

  No matter how you sliced and diced it, they were in a difficult position because of me. Lenny was injured twice because of me. Their house was wrecked because they sheltered me. If they weren’t so busy covering my act, they could convene with the other precincts and develop a task force to take down the nests systematically and in accordance with the gate keepers. Because of me, this was a rush job and a risky one if the harpies had family members. Harpies could be very vengeful.

  There was a knock at the door. I brushed away my tears and combed my hair back after taking it out of the ponytail to let it drop freely. I held both hands in my lap and said, “come in.”

  They all came in at once. Sometimes, they behaved more like brothers than fellow officers. They glued together like brothers that had learned to control a specific beat; a corner of the school yard or the rumbling streets of a neighborhood. They revolved around each other with perfect acceptance of their habits. When one reached a conclusion, they all did, and voiced it in unity. That’s what they did now.

  Daniel began. “Tanya, I know it’s been overwhelming for you. You’ve had to adjust to a lot in a very short time. I admire you, though. I admired you the first time I saw you in the subway, swinging around your book bag like a martial artist on drugs. What began as admiration has grown deeper as I’ve seen the way you are toward others. You’re always kind. I am a phoenix. Kindnesses strike closest to my heart.” To demonstrate his sincerity, he drew me into his arms and kissed me, his mouth tasting of cinnamon and cloves.

  I drank him in until Jack slowly pulled me to him by kissing my neck and lifting my arm to touch the soft underside. “You are exquisite,” he said. “The rare qualities of beauty, health and grace mixed with an enquiring mind. Each day watching you, my heart grows fonder.” His hands slid around front, so he was cradling me just under my breasts. “You are a flower opening to the sunlight.”

  Jamie placed his hands on my face and kissed me with his honey-soaked lips. An image flashed through my mind of exotic birds in a tropical forest. “I saw you at the library so many times. We were always in the same section, yet you never noticed. You were so wrapped up in your studies. I thought even then, ‘there’s a woman I would like to meet.’ I’m glad you feel the way you do. I feel the same way about you.”

  Daniel pushed me gently toward Lenny. “You know I love you,” said Lenny simply, his eyes down. “The other guys already said the good stuff.”

  “That’s all any girl really wants to hear,” I said, lifting his head and kissing him. The sweet taste of youth was so strong, I nearly gasped. I took his hand and led him to the bed. I undressed him, then helped him as he fumbled with my clothes.

  Whatever problems he had with communicating, he didn’t have with love-making. Lenny, my sweet boy, had been around. As he stretched out full length over me, he touched every pleasure center and drove home his passion in an explosion of hyacinth and roses. Yes, roses. As we tumbled down, the air filled with spring-like sweetness and I felt I was falling into roses.

  He moved over and I was holding Jack, my hands sliding over the shining, mahogany muscles. I wrapped my legs around him while he held me up and we squirmed together, light and dark, a play of shadows around us. He played me like an instrument, each stroke, a wave of music. I was riding the crest of a song, barely conscious of thought, when Jamie took me.

  Jamie, the enchanter. Each kiss was intoxicating. His touch rolled over me like a drug that gave pleasure, that made you float endlessly in a cloud. He was inside me, and I was inside him. We were mesmerized. As I came, I saw images of brightly colored birds flashing through a thick forest. I heard the rhythm of the jungle in his heartbeat.

  I was still thirsty. As Daniel gathered me in his arms like a child, I pressed against him, my hot breath pouring against his skin as my tongue explored each inch of his manliness. I felt his hand slip between my legs, and I pulled him down while I urgently lifted to meet him. Taste and sound, scent and feelings all bound together, carrying me to greater and greater heights. I made love eagerly, then desperately. It felt like an end zone. We had to squeeze in every second of experience because today was uncertain and tomorrow may never see us this way again.

  Every time I came, my body wrenched. Each time they fucked me I fell deeper into their trance, forgetting myself and writhing just as they would have me. It felt good to surrender, to be used as their fuck toy, in between breaths of loving romance. They brought me the best of both worlds, the rough sex I craved and the sweetness that comforted me.

  Each time one of them finished, the other would step up and continue worshipping my pussy. I came with Daniel, his hands firmly holding mine, as his semen filled me up. Then Jamie took over, the wetness still fresh, the breathless panting still echoing in the room. I spread my legs for him too, letting his cock penetrate me deeper and harder – no holding back. He fucked me just as eagerly as Daniel but with altogether different flavors and nuances. He came inside, holding my hair tight, and making sure I felt every last drop before he pulled out. Jack fucked me rough and ready, holding onto my tits as he slammed his cock into my endlessly thirsty pussy. I came the hardest when he finally shot his load, his body buckling and squirming, making me swoon and blush. Lenny fucked me next and rode my pussy masterfully, gently and yet as a musician plays his instrument. He caressed my clit and then inside my pussy, making me squeal a chorus, right before fucking me until I came – even before he did. I came and drenched his cock, forcing him to ejaculate all over my tits and tummy.

  But they weren’t finished…just when Lenny finished, Daniel wanted more. They all wanted more. They wanted to fuck me and leave me unable to walk, steeped in layers of their juices. And I wanted them. I couldn’t stop begging for more, more semen, more bodies writhing against me, filling me heat, their musk all over my nose and mouth. And they gave so willingly, each one serving me, pleasing me, and leaving me pleading to come again.

  I don’t know how long the love-making lasted. I kept coming so hard I thought I was going to black out. I wondered for a moment if a woman could die from too many orgasms, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell them to stop! They were just as eager to wear me out as I was to experience all of them. There was no competition - just love, just sharing, and just harmony with all of our desires. We wanted the same thing and we got it.

  We only stopped from pure exhaustion. We laid close together in a tangle of sprawled legs, still touching each other while we gasped for breath. We were too tired to move, but the sensations were still there. I closed my eyes and drank them in, sweat and saliva, tissue and skin, as sweetly scented as spices. Our arms swam around, touching each other, feeling other, and regretting nothing. We were all in this moment together and did exactly what felt right – we fucked our brains out until we all collapsed in glorious sleep. And even then, we wanted to be closer…we wanted this moment to last just a little bit longer, before any reality set in. It was just as we imagined…only better.

  My dreams were hallucinogenic. Popping colors drew me into swirls of light and dark, formless figures and strange creatures. I heard voices, but they had no meaning. The words were garbled. Maybe they weren’t even in English. It didn’t seem important. I drifted on until I was once again in the safety of that warm ocean, swimming with my indefinable friends.

  When I woke, the room was dark. I couldn’t say if it was night or day because of the shutters over the windows. I was alone. I called out but received no answer. I slipped on my robe and wandered through the empty rooms, but I already knew the truth. They had left me. They had gone off to battle the harpies, locking the house behind them.

  It wasn’t a true prison, since I could get out. I knew the access code for the sliding glass doors that led into the rose garden. It was a matter of choices and for that matter, I didn’t really want another run-in with harpies. My only real desire was that the harpies would be destroyed without losing any of my shape-shifting men. I didn’t care if they could resurrect from their ashes. It was
still a death, and the new life would be a new phoenix, with new things to learn. It wouldn’t be the man who had left me behind.

  I showered. I stretched out in the hot tub, trying to relieve my anxiety. It didn’t really help enough. It wasn’t my body that was tensed. It was probably in the most relaxed state it had ever been. I worried, which bothered me because I’m not normally a worrier. I worried because nothing about me seemed normal anymore. I was in love; not with just one man but four; and I loved them simultaneously.

  They say attractions have a chemical base. Their base was unique, even in human form. Their scent was like the woodlands. Their preferred foods could all be contributed to the diet of song birds and large tropical birds. As an objective journalist, I noticed, spices got them high, particularly nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Their faces would flush with excitement. They would talk more. They paid more attention to their hobbies when they were eating spicy foods.

  I have a theory about the sauna. It was more than a place where they bathed and relaxed. This was also where they held dialog with the gate keepers. They have meditation mats. I believe when they light their incense and candles, they open interdimensional portals in their minds so they can communicate. I haven’t asked about it. I’ve made a vow to myself. I want my book to be accurate, but I also want to respect the privacy of those who don’t wish to reveal their sexual, religious or species preferences. The stories should be about the great deeds, the terrible struggles, the dangers and rewards of mysticism and mythology. I want to honor the guardians.

  I wasn’t wiling to make my own attempts to visit the nether world. Not without permission. Sleeping with four phoenixes didn’t really qualify me as a spokesperson. I left the sauna, bathed and dressed in an extra-long sweater and a pair of calf-length leggings. I would feel refreshed if I could stop the nagging little thoughts running through my head.

  I wasn’t ready to try opening a portal, but I’m not very shy about accessing computers. I wandered into the office space and sat down at one of the desks. The police files were all closed, but I did find the screen panel for the camera out front. The view outside was of full daylight. There was not a soul around, but there was a lot of air turbulence. Harpies are the ill winds that do no good. The air that swirled around was made of black, ominous clouds and patches of bursting sunlight. It was the only clue I had as to what was happening beyond the door.

  Daniel

  It wasn’t easy to leave her, laying as she was, her arms spread palm’s up, milky white flesh beyond the tan lines, her breasts flattened, the pink nipples standing erect. One knee crossed slightly over the other, not quite covering the curly, golden pleasure spot. Her blonde hair trailed across her face. I reached for a blanket from the bottom of the bed and pulled it up tenderly around her. It wasn’t easy to leave her. It was even more difficult to think of waking her up to say goodbye. We decided we would not.

  Jamie checked the shutters and turned down the lights. We didn’t speak until we had retreated into the hallway and stolen half-way down the stairs. “She’ll be unhappy,” observed Lenny. “She won’t like waking alone.”

  “It’s better this way.” It would have been too emotional. It would have distracted us. We needed every bit of their sharpness and wit if we were to get through this day. We were immortal, but we could still suffer a physical death. I never feared it before. I didn’t feel it now, except I had motive for retaining this human form. If I lost it in a harpy duel, I would no longer be the same man who introduced himself to Tanya. I would have all the memories, but not the physical appearance. Not the characteristics. I would be a new person. Something special had occurred and I didn’t want to lose it.

  We stepped out into the tumultuous day. Fitful clouds brooded overhead, the sky a sickening shade of yellow. We could hear them calling and cackling in the trees. They hadn’t moved far from the house. Their smell carried to us, thick with poisons. We shape-shifted and shot into the air together, our wings flexing for height and distance. The sky exploded with fiery color.

  We spotted them in a copse of trees trailing into Central Park. They were crouching in the upper branches, black and musty, their malevolent eyes scanning the walkways. They stirred whenever a pedestrian appeared, their narrow faces bent intently. It would be a tight battle. There were five harpies and four of us. In their vicious claws were the cloying enticements of the underworld, the end to pain and fire, the beginning of all that was cold and dark.

  We fanned out so we could approach from all sides. I sounded the call, a high, thrilling note that shattered the quiet high above the trees. Startled by the aerial attack they had not been watching for, they bolted high into the air, talons curled in front of them. They righted themselves in midair, their tales flashing furiously back and forth. Snarling, their wings fully spread, they attacked.

  I body-slammed against a leathery form just above the trees, the impact snapping the upper branches and scattering a flurry of leaves. She sought to pierce me with her claws while I slipped around to her back, jabbing my beak into her neck. Her dwarfed arms pummeled the air impotently, claws slicing at nothing. Twisting desperately, her tail lashed around, knocking me off-balance. I rolled and felt the sharp sting as she swiped at my throat, missing and landing a glancing blow on my shoulder. Drops of blood trickled from the two open gouges quickly beginning to infest.

  Ignoring the pain, I dashed away and flew in again, my talons stretched in front of me. I grasped her head by the ears, and strengthened my grip, throttling her, then snapping her neck with my beak. As I let her tumble, I looked around. The others were battling one on one. Lenny had a bent wing, but even on the ground, he fought fiercely. The harpy he was fighting against was also wounded. Her tail beat against the ground as she sought for lift that wouldn’t come, while Lenny’s beak jabbed into her again and again.

  Jamie had latched into the soft underbelly of a harpy. She roared and tumbled in the air, her talons scrambling to remove him while he held on and struggled to pin her firmly to the ground. Jack had been battling against two harpies but hearing a companion screeching in her death throes, one turned abruptly and began to flee. I chased after her, my blood singing with fury.

  I flew over the top of her back, driving her downward. She tucked in her head to protect her throat and raised her tail, slashing it wildly. It caught me in the ribs, knocking me backwards. I shook my head and came to my feet. She was trying to make her escape again. Steeling myself against the throbbing pain that rattled sharply with each breath, I soared into the air, screaming a trill of triumph, and drove my talons deep into her back. I pinned her down and pierced her neck with my beak. She howled once, then lay still, her black form shriveling, her human characteristics palely shining through.

  Breathing heavily, I limped back to the main battlefield. The harpies had been eliminated but it had taken a heavy toll. Everyone was suffering from lacerations, bites and broken bones. Our wings straggled on the ground, feathers falling in thick disarray. Harpy vapors swirled around us, pulling us toward the underworld. We huddled together for comfort, our tears raining over our aching wounds.

  We began to heal. It was faster than usual. The brooding day opened to a sunlit sky that rained its own golden healing powers. Our tears touched each aching, broken part of us, healing even the wounds that had been given through thoughtlessness or neglect. We felt our circle grow strong again.

  It was fortunate we had chased the harpies deeply into the woods and that they had died far away from astonished eyes. In death, they had shifted enough to their human form to make positive identifications. We recorded them into a small, digital camera for the sake of the final police report. One was the miserable old librarian. Two had been on the suspicious persons list a long time. It would take a search through the data base to discover the origins of the last two. I had a feeling they were illegal immigrants and made a note with myself to check Interpol.

  I directed Jack and Jamie to dispose of the bodies. We have a special mortuar
y deep in the Catskill Mountains that keeps records of all deceased monstrous creatures. The dead harpies would be brought in, their families notified, and their bodies dissected for laboratory studies before incineration. It was probably going to create an uproar. I gave Jamie instructions to alert all guardian posts for the possibility of underworld retaliation.

  They flew away in a blaze so bright, it burned into the lowering sun, the five harpies piled in a net that they carried between their talons. Anyone who looked up would only see a dark spot that wavered oddly in the sun rays.

  I turned to Lenny. “I need you to pull every contact you have. I want to know three things. Where are the locations of the other harpy nests in New York City? How much can we trust the sirens? And, why did the Sphynx deliver us misinformation?”

  Lenny gave me that appraising look that had all but disappeared during our stake-out, and asked, “is your gut feeling telling you something, boss?”

  “My gut feeling is, if we don’t tighten the noose quickly, we could have another war with the underground.”

  Lenny fished a yo-yo from his pocket. He liked to play with it when he was thinking. He made a cat’s cradle and watched the weighted disk swinging back and forth. “I’ll talk to the badgers. If there’s a rumble in the dark, they’ll have heard it.”

  I watched him saunter away, feeling somewhat nostalgic. He was back to his old self. He slouched confidently, his clothing hanging loose around him. He was also a maturing self. His soft, brown eyes had gained a few caring crow’s feet. His smile was no longer so care-free. He’s going to be a heart-breaker within a hundred years or so, but at least he’ll break hearts gently.

  Speaking of hearts, I texted a quick message to Tanya’s cellphone, keeping it cryptic. We try to keep our lines secure, but hackers are always vigilant. “Phoenix rising,” I wrote and pressed send. It was time to file my report with the police commissioner.