by LJ Vickery
A loud giggle and some thumping from the back room let Charlie know that Maity was awake. Time for a bath and breakfast. When the sitter finally showed up, she’d be off for a long day at work. At least now there was something to look forward to at the end of her shift. Something that might take her mind off a certain compelling male back East. Either that or the naughty talk would have her thinking about him every minute. She grinned. It was more likely the latter.
Ken emerged from his bedroom and chuckled when he heard Maity sing-songing nonsense in the back bedroom. “I’ve missed that,” he told Charlie as he headed for the coffee pot. “What time’s the sitter coming?”
“She’ll be here at five. Then I’m off.”
“Not before Candy gets here,” Ken reminded her. “She’ll be dogging your footsteps today while I catch up at the office.” The two had decided to split duty for a couple of days until Absu showed up.
“You’re both crazy,” admonished Charlie. “I’m sure Hal’s barely just made it to bed. If he tries any contact at all, it will be late in the day, and probably not until Friday when I’ve got my paycheck.”
Ken looked at her like he was choosing his words carefully. Not something she normally associated with her brother. “Ishkur told us he was worried about the men Hal was hanging around with. He said they looked like organized crime types. And since he didn’t exactly make friends with them last week, he feared they might try something with you.”
Charlie headed for the back room, waving her hand airily. “You worry too much. I’m used to dealing with Hal’s friends.” She wouldn’t tell him exactly how much. “I’m not in any danger.”
“Well, you keep thinking that, but Candy and I are still watching out for you until Absu can get here.”
When Candy knocked at the door a short time later, Charlie heard him from the back room. “Now I can breathe a sigh of relief,” he told his fellow agent. “I’ll have a nice normal day dealing with drug dealers and crack addicts.”
“Yup. You do that. I’ll take care of all the bigger baddies,” Candy replied. How odd was that? Ken folding to Candy in the “who’s-the-more-dangerous-agent” game they all played? Charlie continued to listen in shamelessly.
“How’s your mom?” Ken asked.
“Great. We had a nice evening. She wanted to go through all the wedding pictures, so we spent most of the night sitting on the couch.”
“I’m still surprised Enlil agreed to let you come without him. The man is obsessed.”
Candy’s gave a seductive laugh. “Nobody said he couldn’t make nocturnal visits.”
Ken let out a large guffaw. “That accounts for the extra puffy lips. You got some last night.”
What? Charlie drew her brows together. Enlil had followed them here? How come he hadn’t traveled with them, and why would he keep it a secret?
“Yeah, but Absu better mate Charlie pretty quickly, and get her back to the Blue Hills. Enlil is afraid to leave for too many hours at a time with Marduk caught up in new baby land, and demons on the loose.”
Okay. Now Charlie was hearing things. She could have sworn Candy said demons, which was a pretty crass way to talk about the other guys in the household.
“I think the real danger is here,” her brother answered seriously, as if Candy hadn’t just made a joke. “Charlie is the likely target.”
“I agree. Which is why I’m up at frigging four o’clock in the morning.”
God. They were blowing this all out of proportion. Truly, nobody needed to be here with her. She stepped from the back just as Ken said, “I feel your pain.” And before Charlie could get into it with the two of them, there was another knock on the door. The babysitter had arrived.
Ken quickly excused himself to hoof it back to his room to take a shower, and Candy let the woman in. For the next fifteen minutes, while Maity galloped around the room with more energy than anyone should have at such an ungodly hour, the overwhelmed sitter listened, open mouthed as Candy set down a whole new list of rules.
Charlie had finally heard enough and urged Candy out the door before she was made late for work.
****
From where Charlie toiled, the day for Candy seemed uneventful. While Charlie worked the grill frantically, taking care of a busy breakfast crowd, the agent sat and read the paper. She read another and then a third, clearly bored to tears. Charlie giggled. If Candy had any more coffee, the agent would jump right out of her own skin. For some reason, every time the door opened, Candy went on alert like a freaking jack in the box.
Charlie took a quick break between the breakfast and lunch rush. Her feet ached and her head spun. Being off the line for a week had screwed with her rhythm. It would take a few days to get back in the groove. She leaned against a wall next to the walk-in, tugged her cell phone from her jeans pocket, and checked her messages. One was from her new friend Teri. She hit the call button.
“Hello?” A smooth cultured voice answered after the first ring.
“Hi, Teri?” Charlie looked down at her food-encrusted nails. “It’s Charlie. You called?”
“Yes, I did. Am I bothering you? Do you have time to talk?”
“I’m actually on break right now. I only have a couple of minutes.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to have a nice chat. Are you free this evening?” Teri asked.
Charlie almost said yes, but then remembered her book club meeting. “I’m so sorry, Teri, I have a book club meeting tonight that I can’t miss. Can we make it tomorrow night?” she suggested apologetically.
“Would it be too much to ask if I could join you for your meeting? I’m a voracious reader,” Teri responded chirpily.
Charlie was tongue-tied for a moment. “Well, I, uh,” Oh, what the hell. It wasn’t as if she’d lose a lifelong friend if she spilled about her group. If Teri was offended, she would apologize and chalk it up to shit happens. “You can come along if you want, but I must warn you that our reading material is…a little naughty.” She gave up all pretense and let it fly. “It’s actually an erotic book club. We read BDSM, uh, bondage, dominance—”
“Yes, yes.” Teri’s obviously delighted voice cut through her litany. “I’m familiar with the term.” She giggled. “Would you be shocked if I told you that I enjoy that kind of thing? I knew we were simpatico the moment we met.”
Charlie was shocked, but also thrilled. Here was a new friend who didn’t know about her past with Hal. She could confide in Teri, reveal her budding relationship with Absu, and get Teri’s take on how to let Absu know her sexual preferences. The woman looked to be ten to fifteen years older than Charlie and must have some good experience about feeling her way carefully into new relationships.
“Then I’d love to have you come with me,” Charlie happily agreed. “It starts at seven. Shall I pick you up?”
“I have a meeting, and I don’t know how late it will run. I’d hate for you to miss anything. How about you text me the address, and I’ll meet you there?”
Charlie readily agreed and said a quick goodbye before sending Teri the street and number for her GPS. She was cheerful going back to work. Tonight was turning out to be more interesting than she’d imagined.
****
Candy had a pounding headache by the time Charlie hung up her apron and they were ready to leave. The goddess wondered what the hell was wrong. Weren’t immortals immune to migraines? Enlil, my head’s coming off. Do you guys get headaches?
Enlil’s warm voice came back to her almost instantly. Honey-pie, can you hold that thought? I’m going to have a huge headache myself if I don’t get out from between Dagon’s hairy legs.
The worst pain in the world couldn’t stop Candy from asking and sending the message to the owner of the hairy legs as well.
You miss me so much you’re fucking Dagon? I hope you used a lot of lube.
There was a pause.
Funny girl. We’ve been sparring and he had my head in a leg lock. Enlil laughed. But you grossed him out suff
iciently that he let me go.
‘Cuz I need time to go scrub out my brain. Dagon groaned. Not nice putting that picture in my head for the day, Lady Candy.
I think you’ve scarred him for life. Enlil softened his tone. He just left the gym in an awful hurry. Now tell me about your headache.
I sat at the diner all day, hunched over newspapers, while keeping an eye on Charlie.
Hunched over wouldn’t do it. Gods heal from muscle tension in seconds. You didn’t by any chance drink a lot of coffee while you were waiting, did you?
Uh, yeah. Only about a million cups. Why?
Oh sweetie, immortals can overdose from too much of something just as humans can. Coffee, stimulants, medications. Remember the anesthesia thing?
Candy remembered that gods didn’t do well with anesthesia. When it did work for them, it had to be an enormous quantity, and it took days to flush out of their systems. Ooh, she groaned. I wish you’d specified coffee in that list. What can I do to fix it?
You’re shit out of luck with meds. The only thing you can do is sleep it off. I suggest a lot of water and a nice comfy bed.
But I’m still on duty with Charlie. I’m supposed to go to some book club meeting with her tonight. She gave a huge sigh. I guess I can ask Ken to cover for me. He’s not going to like it though. I looked into it, and it’s a BDSM group.
What? Enlil sputtered. Demure little Charlie is into…
I’m not sure what she’s into. She hasn’t confided in me yet. I figured tonight’s meeting would be a great way to open up the subject. Candy actually chuckled with her eyes held tightly closed against the pain it caused. Can you imagine how Absu’s going to react if his Chosen is into some bondage and spanking? Not to mention the first time she asks for a butt plug. I’d pay to be an invisible goddess on the wall when that happens.
Enlil cleared his throat. I, uh, lost you at butt plug, Candy. I’m picturing a nice pink one right up your lovely ass, he brayed.
And if it didn’t hurt her head so much, Candy would have laughed. He was so turned on, she could hear him channeling his bovine beast.
Online shopping is the task that just made the top of my afternoon agenda, he grunted. Not that I’m unsympathetic to your headache. Uh, listen. Go to your apartment and sleep it off…and come home soon, okay?
I love you too, bull boy…but nothing too big, okay?
Start small and work our way up, he growled.
Who said he wasn’t the sensitive type.
While Charlie hung up her apron, Candy admitted to her headache. Charlie had insisted on driving home while Candy sat breathing shallowly in the passenger seat and put in her next, conventional call to Ken. “I’m really sorry asking you to take over, but I don’t usually have headaches, which makes this one a bitch.”
“No problem. Have Charlie drive you to your place and I’ll pick her up there.”
“Ken.” Candy cracked an eye at Charlie, who was chewing her lip after having had a short BDSM conversation, and swearing Candy to secrecy. “Charlie’s a little worried about you being at her book group tonight. Their reading is all about…women’s issues, and she doesn’t think it’s appropriate for you to sit in.”
“Tell Charlie I’ll stay outside in the car. The last thing I want is an earful of yeast infections and periods.” She could almost hear him grimace. “Besides, I’ll have to bring Maitlynn along in the car seat. We’ll both avoid women’s issues and stick to junk food and short walks when the baby gets cranky.”
“I’ll let Charlie know, Ken. And thanks. I owe you one.”
“No, Candy. I owe you one…or a million.” He was clearly reminding Candy of his screw-up in Maine. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Hope you feel better.”
Candy said goodbye and leaned back in her seat. “Ken’s got you covered. And he won’t be going into your meeting.”
She sighed at Charlie’s nod. Damn, this headache sucked. She needed to rest. One night off wasn’t going to make or break anything.
Chapter Eleven
Absu didn’t feel right…again. Surely something was wrong. He called Dr. Dani into the sick room for the third time, and she finally lost her bedside manner.
“Will you stop being a baby, Absu? I’ve checked your wound over and over. It’s healing just fine. There’s only one thing wrong with you. You miss Charlie,” she groused. “Give things another twenty-four hours and I’ll release you to join her. And don’t get up in my head again. I have my hands full trying to figure out things with Marduk’s new family.”
Absu was instantly worried, despite his self-absorption. “Is there something wrong with Marduk’s lady or the babe?”
Dani let out a long-suffering sigh. “It’s personal, but you might as well be the first to hear it. Pretty soon everyone in the house will know. Problems have arisen with Girin. Although a lovely and normally quiet baby,” the baby had been brought in so Absu could count toes, and he’d been silent, regarding Absu with large blue inquisitive eyes too old for a newborn, “every hour on the hour, he latches on to feed from Tess, and refuses to let go. Once his little suction mouth gets hold of her, even after he’s emptied her of milk, the little devil will not come off the breast.”
Absu almost laughed. He was sure Marduk commiserated with the little guy, but it sounded like Tess was taking a beating in the nipple department.
“If Girin keeps this up, she’ll soon be too swollen to feed him at all,” Dani groused. “We’ve tried sweet goat’s milk on a finger, a pacifier, and even some ugly tasting vinegar. But once he’s on, we can’t slip anything between his mouth and the nipple. When we finally, forcibly wrench the determined little godling away, it’s excruciating for Tess, and now she’s in tears every time he wants to feed.”
Something would have to be done. An indeterminate issue had arisen, and if it was normal, none of them were well-versed enough with immortal babies to know why.
“We’ve given Ereshkigal a call, since she’s had some experience, but she hasn’t answered yet.”
Absu pondered, “Why must it be Ereshkigal who solves the problem? There are any number of Overworld goddess mothers. Surely one of them will know the trick?” Absu was happy to get his mind off his own worries.
“We have no communication channels with the overgods, unless given permission by the king or queen. It’s Ereshkigal or nothing,” grumbled Dani. “And Marduk is beside himself. His warlock guest is arriving today, and he needs to be clearheaded to deal with him. He’s had no sleep at all, and is not himself.”
Clearly, if Marduk had been lucid, he would already have figured out the solution. Absu scoffed, “With all Marduk’s roundtable discussions, this is the one problem he decides to keep to himself?” The god shook his head and filled Dani in. “Find Kulla immediately. He has special dispensation from King Nergal to contact his brother, Kabta, in the Overworld any time he wants. And I’m sure Kabta will be more than happy to help. He’ll seek advice, and knowledge to solve the problem should be forthcoming.”
Dani leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch to you,” she apologized. “I’ve been so stressed over this. I’ll make sure you get a wonderful dinner tonight.”
He’d been eating canned soup, and not happily.
“Glory can cook. Her morning sickness is always gone by midday, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind taking a turn in the kitchen.”
Thank the gods. He didn’t care if the goddess could cook. Homemade gruel would beat the tinned fare he’d been eating any day. “My digestive juices are forever appreciative, Dani-Lee,” he told her.
The doctor smiled and held up a finger. Kulla, meet me in Marduk’s suite, ASAP. She sent out a general call, blew Absu another kiss, and left the room. Absu sighed. He had a feeling Tess’s problem would be solved long before he was allowed to get up and do something about his own.
****
Tess groaned. Please the gods, not again. Girin was starting to fuss, and it had only been an hour since
his last assault. And that’s what it felt like to her. An assault. She had twin bags of ice on her nipples that had been there since the last time Marduk had forcibly pulled the little guy off, and she wasn’t ready to face another feeding.
Kulla misted into the room, and Tess felt her face flood with color. Didn’t she look lovely with her boobs out and her face red from crying? Tess hoped Dani had a good reason for the invite. Marduk didn’t look too happy at the intrusion either.
Dani hustled into the room. “Call your brother,” she ordered the god of bricks, without preamble.
Marduk’s face instantly cleared. “Of course.” He hit himself on the forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because, between the two of us, we’ve had five minutes of sleep in the past twenty-four hours.” Tess’s weary eyes met her husband’s and she shook her head, silently letting him know he wasn’t to blame. After all, she hadn’t thought of it either.
Kulla looked confused. “Why am I calling Kabta?” he asked gently, clearly sensing that everyone in the room was a little on edge.
Dani-Lee spoke up. “We have a problem with Girin, and need advice from a goddess who’s given birth.”
Dani described to Kulla, in detail, what was going on, and as Tess blushed, Marduk paced and Girin grew fussier. Kulla quickly grasped the dilemma and instantly mind connected with his brother in the Overworld, giving Tess and everyone else in the room access to the conversation.
Kabta? Brother, are you there?
Kulla. Delighted to hear from you. I’m just finishing up a game of chess with Musdamma. Of course, I’m winning. Glee sounded in his brother’s voice, and Tess recalled Kabta’s vicious competitive spirit from when he’d visited the compound.
I need a favor, and it has to be immediate.
“This won’t go over big,” Kulla said in a sidebar to Tess. “Interrupting a game is nearly sacrilege. But I’m not letting him turn you down.” He continued before Kabta could chastise him.
You remember the lady Tess from the dedication ceremony we held? She’s delivered herself a fine son, but there have been some complications. We need a knowledgeable woman’s assistance. Right away.