by D. M. Pratt
“I was. I just wanted him to be ours,” A.V. said.
Again the awkward silence hung thick in the air between them.
“I love you, Beau. Always have. Always will. No one has ever made me feel the way you made me feel and I don’t think anyone ever will.”
“A…” Beau started.
“Let me finish, and then I promise, I will never speak of this again,” A.V. said.
“That night, we were young and inexperienced, but somehow, after fumbling past the first kisses and through our clothes, once we were both naked, you knew how and where to touch me. I can’t tell you how many times, when I’ve been making love to other men and women, I imagine their hands are your hands, stroking, caressing, kissing and sucking on me. What we did was perfection and I thank you for trusting me and loving me enough to give yourself to me. If I could hold you and love you one more time I could die and never care,” A.V. said.
Only silence filled the car.
“I know that night will never happen and that’s okay. I just wanted to say I will always love you Beau.”
A.V. turned to look at his friend. Their eyes met and held. There was deep sadness in Beau’s eyes and even more in his heart because he could never be any more than a loving friend to A.V. Beau, about to speak, looked forward.
“STOP!” Beau screamed.
Standing a hundred feet ahead in the middle of the road was Kirakin; huge and powerful, with Cora standing just behind him. A.V. looked forward and his instincts made him slam on the breaks. Between the water and the wind the car hydroplaned and twisted, missing Kirakin and Cora as it sailed off the highway and over a fifty foot strip of land. The headlights of the car cut through the blackness. Beau could feel the car lift up and spiral, turning them upside down and twisting around a full three hundred and sixty degrees before it hit the bayou. A wall of mud broke the full impact of their fall and plummeted the car deep into the seeping sludge that splashed across the windshield. Their airbags deployed, seat belts bit into their flesh, holding them in place. The rear end of the car slammed down and instantly the car began to sink. Beau was shaken but alive. He turned to see A.V. had a gash on his forehead with a river of blood pouring from it.
“A.V.?” Beau asked, lowering the electric windows to get out.
“My head…” A.V. moaned. “Can’t see.”
The water hit the car’s electric wiring, shutting off the power and sending the car into blackness. It stopped Beau’s window one third of the way down. It was just enough to let water in, but not enough for two grown men to get out.
Beau got his seatbelt off and felt in the dark for A.V. At the same time Beau ripped at the airbags, bursting one and exposing the glass windshield.
“Beau. No. They’ll keep us afloat,” A.V. said, his voice fading as he held on to consciousness. “That thing? That was… it?”
Beau twisted in his seat and kicked violently at the side window. A flash of lightening exposed the one thing he didn’t want to see. The front of the car was sinking fast as mud and water poured in through the open windows. Beau kicked harder, again and again, until finally, the window shattered. The car filled up even faster. They were completely under and sinking fast. Beau was blind in the blackness that surrounded him. He could feel cold water inching up his chest and lapping at his chin.
“Hold on to me and whatever you do, do not let go,” Beau said as the water rushed into his mouth.
He tipped his face up and gulped air. Water filled his nose and covered his eyes. He grabbed A.V. with one hand and felt for the window with the other. Shards of glass bit his palm, but Beau wrapped his fingers around the window frame and pulled himself forward, dragging A.V. behind him. Beau squeezed his own head and shoulders out. Then used his legs to push himself completely out. Bracing his feet on the outside of the door, he dragged A.V. through the window. A.V. was limp and Beau was running out of air. He desperately needed to open his mouth and breathe, fill his lungs, but he was still deep under the water. Beau kicked and pulled, swimming with one hand toward what he hoped was the bayou’s surface. One stroke, another, nothing parted the water above him. He kicked again. His lungs burned inside his chest. Again and again he kicked until, miraculously, Beau broke the surface. He opened his mouth and sucked in a huge gasp of air. The light from the full moon, even though it was blotted by the clouds, was still bright enough for Beau to see land. He pulled A.V. to the surface and swam with one arm around A.V.’s neck, dragging him to safety.
Beau felt the slippery mud under his feet. Step by step he made it to solid, though muddy land. Breathless, he dropped A.V.’s lifeless body, turned him over and forced the water from his lungs. Beau flipped him on his back and listened for air. Nothing.
“Don’t you die on me!” Beau shouted.
Beau did five compressions, tilted A.’s head back and opened his mouth. Nose pinched, his mouth over A.’s, Beau breathed into him. He repeated the process just as they had learned in Boy Scouts, stopping only to listen for his heart.
“You promised!” Beau shouted at him.
“Pity,” Kirakin’s voice said above Beau. “Such a beautiful specimen of a man.”
Beau looked up. Kirakin and Cora stood watching. The rain fell around them as if they were beyond its reach.
“And he loved you. Pity,” Kirakin said.
Beau got to his feet.
“Save him. Can you save him?” Beau shouted, glancing at Cora, who watched emotionless from behind Kirakin.
“I could. But why should I? What would you do for me?” Kirakin asked.
The rain stopped and silence hung like death around them.
“Just save him,” Beau begged. “I… I’ll do anything you ask.”
“He’s lying,” Cora said.
“Silence, Cora,” Beau said.
“He’s not that stupid and he knows I’m not either,” Kirakin said.
Kirakin began to circle the lifeless A.V. and Beau.
“Save him, please,” Beau begged again. “Please.”
“You understand, if I bring him back… he’s mine and so are you,” Kirakin said.
Beau looked at Cora. She was terrified.
“Do it Beau. He’ll give us back Delia and Philip. We have no choice,” Cora said.
Beau could tell Cora was out of her mind with worry and terror. He looked at A.V.’s lifeless body, drenched on the ground. Beau shook his head.
“I… can’t let you hurt Eve,” Beau said, weighing one life against another.
“I would never hurt Eve. She’s to be my wife and our union will open our world with yours and change life as you know it forever. If you agree to let me inside of you, you will be part of this new world,” Kirakin explained, extending his hand to Beau.
“Do it!” Cora shouted again.
Beau looked at Kirakin. He hated this thing that he was born to be part of, but in his heart he knew this was not the final battle that would end this war. He would not allow it to be. There was still a chance to save Eve and A.V. and maybe even Cora and defeat this thing. Slowly, against everything he wanted, Beau nodded.
“Say it!” Kirakin commanded.
“I agree to give my body over to you,” Beau said, almost choking on the words.
With a sweeping gesture, Kirakin’s hand passed over A.V.’s chest. It lifted. His head fell back and water crawled from his mouth like rivers of black worms. A.V. gasped for air as he sat up, hacking and coughing, alive and breathing. He rolled over as Beau bent down and reached for him, helping him to his feet.
“Find her,” Kirakin said to Beau.
“How,” Beau said, feeling Kirakin’s energy soak into him.
“Open your desire for her,” Kirakin said.
Beau felt his cock become erect. His whole body wanted Eve as he had never wanted her before. It reached out for her and from some distant place, her body was responding.
“Yes, good. Very good. Now, prepare yourself my little army. It is almost time,” Kirakin said.
&nbs
p; The clouds opened like severed veins and a torrential rain fell. The wind blew even harder and the sky was electrified by bolts of lightning and the roar of thunder. Kirakin opened his arms and, in an instant, the four of them vanished.
Chapter Thirty Six
The golden glow emanating from the large white candles that encircled the altar was warm and peaceful. The smell of warmed honey, sweet jasmine and nutmeg, all melded together as if under a hot summer sun. Eve walked closer to the center of the room. Draped across the altar were plush furs and intricately woven brocade fabric decorated with patterns in rose and amber colors and trimmed in velvet cord the color of new wheat. Hanging from the rafters, yards of cream silk chiffon formed a semicircle around the altar and plinth.
Afrine placed the book on a podium that stood at the head of the altar. Carefully, she opened it, searching through the pages until she reached a section covered in sacred geometry, detailed images, ancient Druid symbols and writings in Sanskrit. A small, red satin ribbon lay horizontally across the page to mark the passage Eve must read to initiate the ceremony. Several of the women removed their coats. They were dressed in white and gold robes. They stepped forward, each placing a hand on Eve and gently guiding her forward. They directed her to stand between the altar and the podium that held the book.
“I don’t know what to do,” Eve said, looking to Afrine and Evine and suddenly feeling afraid and vulnerable.
“All you have to do is read the words,” Afrine told her. “The rest will unfold as it is written it would do.”
Eve looked down at the jumble of symbols and writing hand drawn across the open pages.
“I can’t read these,” Eve said, looking at Afrine.
“She need her a host. One dat is good of heart, honor and truth,” Evine said.
Evine, Afrine and Aria turned to study the people in the room. Men and woman of all ethnicities and ages looked back at them.
“Aria read de auras,” Evine said to Aria. “You must choose da one most worthy.”
Aria turned and looked at every man and woman in the room.
Again the wind pounded against the stone of the tower searching for a way inside.
“She will need the priestesses to guide her through and back. Look for one who is pure of heart. Find true love. It’s here, I feel it,” Afrine told Aria.
Again Aria’s eyes scanned the room. She saw the colors of truth, kindness, fear, hope, and desperation, but the only one who radiated the color of love for Eve was Mac. He stood out like a beacon in the night, his heart beating for her safety and well-being. He desired her, but it was based in his love for her.
“Him,” Aria said, pointing to Mac.
“Come forward,” Afrine said.
Mac looked around unsure at first that she was talking to him.
“Come,” Afrine said.
Mac approached Afrine and when he stood before her, she studied him.
“I need you to help Eve. Can you do that?” Afrin asked.
“Anything,” Mac replied. His eyes connected with Eve’s.
“Good. That’s very good. Now, undress yourself,” Afrine told him.
It took a moment for the words to sink in. The loving expression in his eyes changed to embarrassed panic.
“Here? Now? In front of all these people?”
“Unless there is a coward under your skin and that I do not see,” Afrine said. “You have a brave soul.”
Outside, the wind rose and beat hard against a loose shutter. The wooden roof of the tower creaked as it shifted.
Mac’s eyes went back to Eve.
“What do I have to do?” Mac asked Afrine.
“You must make love to her with your body, mind and soul,” Afrine said. “You love her?”
“I…” Mac started
“You do. I can see dat. Now let your body prove it.”
Again he blushed as he blurted, “Here? Now?”
“De time is now,” Evine said. “Trust my words. Dis will be like nothing you have ever experienced in your life. Dis is the path dat opens worlds.”
Mac stood dumbfounded, unable to speak or move. He looked again at Eve. Eve turned to Afrine.
“I… love Beau,” Eve said to Afrine.
The wind slammed at the walls and roof.
“Clear you mind of him!” Evine shouted. “Each taught will draw him closer to you and….”
Mac stepped forward and kissed Eve with everything that was in him. When the kiss broke, Eve looked into his eyes. It was what she had seen at the house after that first kiss. Whatever the reason, there was no one kinder for her to trust herself to what must be done.
“I guess I choose you,” Eve said. Her smile was sweet and comforting. “I trust them, Mac. Whatever it is we need to do, I believe that you and I can do it. Help me,” Eve said.
Mac’s hands trembled until he let his eyes lock onto hers. Her even gaze gave him courage as he opened the buttons on his shirt. One by one the buttons parted and he pulled the fabric back to reveal a broad chest with taught flesh and defined, well cut muscles beneath.
Eve watched. She had never noticed how muscular he was through his clothes. She’d only felt the hardness of his body when he’d saved her and held her close to him. He opened the zipper on his pants. There was a moment of hesitation, as he allowed his gaze to once again meet hers. He pulled his pants down. Commando. No underwear. She wanted to smile, but Mac was very serious, so she kept her gaze locked onto his. Mac felt a warm rush surge through his body. Just looking at her made him erect. The harder he got, the more the people who stood in the shadows behind the chiffon curtains faded away.
“Now, you must undress her. Do it as slowly and as sensually as you can, so she can feel the passion in your touch and, as you take her clothes and caress her body, she will read the words of transcendence. Then, if she needs you to, you will make love to her. You will love her with all your body, mind and soul. When you climax, you must be ready to release her into the void of the universe where she must go. Do you understand?” Afrine asked Mac in a soft whisper.
Mac didn’t answer. He kept his eyes on Eve, crossing to her. He stepped behind her and bent forward to gently kiss the back of her neck. His hand slipped around to gather her breasts as he kissed her neck again, pushing the tendrils of hair away. Eve quivered at his touch-more than she imagined she would. With each small kiss he undid a button on her dress. As the dress fell open he pushed it off her shoulders and placed a hand over each breast, gently squeezing as he nibbled at her neck.
Eve felt a surge of her own passion force her forward into an arch to meet his touch and fill his hands. She grabbed onto the podium that held the ancient book and heard it whisper to her. The voice pulled her gaze down onto the pages. Before her eyes the writings and symbols moved, twisting and turning, reforming into English.
With a few artful motions of his hand, her dress fell away, slipping into a puddle of fabric on the floor. She was naked beneath her dress. Mac stopped and marveled at her beauty. He’d desired her from the first moment he saw her at the hospital, lost in sleep, unable to wake. Even then he wanted his kiss to bring her back into the world of the living. Somehow he was being given that chance now. His heart quickened and he stepped closer to her.
Eve felt the waves of passion Mac was experiencing and it made her look up from the mystical events unfolding on the page. She looked into his eyes, seeing the depth of his strength, his courage and most of all his kindness. She could feel his genuine love for her. Of this she had no question or doubt. Fingers of guilt pulled at her, but she knew she could not allow such thoughts to enter her mind. She reached out and traced the curve of his shoulders, focusing on each sensual detail of his well-defined biceps to distract her thoughts of Beau.
Another gust of wind pounded against the walls and roof. She could not even think Beau’s name. She felt Mac lean forward, his breath, hot and moist, followed by his lips as they pressed into a kiss as soft as velvet on her lips. His kiss held an indes
cribably sweet innocence that was filled with untold promises and passion. Her breath deepened. She was surrendering to him.
“Read the way to us,” Eve heard a choir of voices softly chanting in her head.
Mac heard the words in his mind as well and moved around her body, kissing and tasting her.
Eve looked at the words on the page and opened her mouth to speak them, “Humans. Mothers, daughters, sisters of Paradise, I call upon you, the collective spirit of the feminine, to come and bless this union.”
Eve read even though her eyes were closed in pleasure and her lips did not move and it was not her voice that filled the room. It was a choir of voices more compelling than those of the Sirens that lured Homer from the sea.
Mac moved behind her back, kissing her bare shoulders and down the nape of her neck. The scent of her body filled his nostrils and heightened even more the sensations his lips and fingers felt as they explored her skin. He followed her spine as it rose and fell beneath his fingers with every breath: tiny valleys and hills under silken skin, taking him on a journey of promised pleasure. The tip of his tongue traced each vertebra that trailed down her back. He lifted his head, stepped in front of Eve and kissed from her pubis, up her belly, tasting her nipples with his mouth and hands, sliding up her neck until he reached her lips. As their eyes met Eve realized as did Mac that somehow she was both naked before him and in front of the book at the same time. They stood between the podium and the altar. He was behind her and in front of her simultaneously. Slowly, he pulled her toward him as he sat on the altar facing her, straddling her. Eve could see him and yet the book was there. The words were coming to her as his face moved to her breasts and his lips found her nipples, tongue darting, flicking, lips open to gently caress and fondle her breasts.
The sensations from his licking and sucking, made Eve moan. She was sure time itself had slowed. She wanted it to slow even more, to stop its ceaseless march forward so she could enjoy every moment of the pleasure he was giving her.