by Linda Palmer
I came to a fork in the cave and headed to the right. At that moment, the flashlight went out. I felt a scream rising in my throat, but somehow swallowed it. That didn’t stop my heart from kicking into overdrive or my knees from quaking.
Deep breaths, Ellie.
I tried a couple. They really did help, so I tried a couple more. Above all, I didn’t want to run to Kit. Was it time to grow up and face my fears?
Yeah. It was.
Did that mean I could do it? Not necessarily, but I was sure as hell going to give it a try.
Voices distracted me from my mental rah-rah session. I put my hand on the cave wall and backtracked so I could head down the left tunnel instead of the right, which was the way Kit would go. Since I had the flashlight, he only had the LEDs on his cap, but he could be using the camera to get around, as I had been doing earlier. I edged farther back.
“Why do you have to be such a jerk?” Kit’s voice.
“It’s the Circe in me.” Ben.
“Don’t give me that crap. If there is some Circe in your blood, it’s not enough to turn you into a total asswipe.”
The voices were getting closer.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Ben again. “I was just having a little fun. I didn’t know you really loved her.”
“Yeah, well, I do.”
“Then why haven’t you made a move? You’ve been in her head what? Ten years?”
“Fifteen.”
They stopped right at the mouth of my tunnel. I took several more silent steps back to avoid being seen. I’d never wanted to eavesdrop as much as I did then.
“Damn, Topher. Why the hell don’t you tell her?” They were on the move again.
“What’ll I say? ‘You know that guy in your dreams? The one that fights off the nightmares? Well he’s real, and he’s me.’”
What!
I held my breath, waiting for more, but they’d moved on, and I couldn’t make out their words any longer. My back slid down the cave wall as I gave in to my knocking knees and sat right there. How could this be?
There was only one conclusion. Kit was clearly psychic. But that solution only opened up a zillion more questions I couldn’t answer. How’d he ever find me in the first place, when I was nine? Did he fumble through strangers’ thoughts on a regular basis? And if Ben was inside my head, too, did that mean he was a psychic as well? And what was the deal with Circe?
I loved Greek mythology. I knew about Circe, the goddess of enchantment and trickery. Kit had said something about Circe being in Ben’s blood. What did that mean? I thought of a possibility right away, but it wasn’t really a possibility at all. It was an impossibility.
The gods and goddesses of legend were exactly that—legend. Just like the Cherufe.
Chapter Eight
Another soft gasp.
If Ben was the Cherufe—and I’d seen his transformation with my own eyes—he was definitely a shape shifter. Did he routinely morph into weird things to scare people? Although bizarre, the idea actually made more sense than the existence of world monsters. I knew for myself that he was mischievous enough to do it.
Poor Kit. Saddled with a brother like Ben.
Kit. Topher. Why had he lied about his name?
But wait… Topher was a derivative of Christopher. Was Kit another?
“Ellie? Ellie! Where the hell are you?”
Uh-oh. They were already coming back, and obviously looking for me. I felt like an idiot for hiding from them.
Hiding.
I was hiding in a cave in total darkness. All alone. Me, the world’s biggest scaredy cat. Was I panicking? Crying? Imagining the worst? No. I’d honestly forgotten where I was.
I saw the flicking beam of a real flashlight. “If she’s hurt, I’m going to kill you.”
“We’ll find her.”
I got to my feet and stepped out of my hiding place and into their light. “Looking for me?”
Both guys fell back. “Shit, Ellie. You scared the crap out of me.” Ben.
“It’s no more than you deserve.”
He gave me a sheepish shrug. “Yeah, well, sorry about that.”
I zoned in on Kit. “I want the truth, and I want it now.”
He and Ben exchanged glances. Ben gave him a tiny nod of encouragement.
Kit shifted his gaze back to me. “Let’s go to camp. I can stoke the fire. There’s coffee. We’ll talk there.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. I—”
“Please, Ellie. Your lips are blue, and I can see you shaking from here.”
“I’m not having chills. I’m pissed.”
Ben winced. Kit sighed. “I get that. I do. But can we please go to the light where we can, at least, see each other.”
“Oh all right.” I swept past them in a snit.
Kit caught up. “How are you doing with the phobia thing?”
I never gave him a glance. “My anger has miraculously overcome my fear.”
“See?” said Ben. “I told you everything would be—”
One hard look from me silenced him.
I played a badass, but inside I was mush. Kit loved me. Did I love him back? Well, if Kit and Topher were one and the same, I definitely did.
We got to our so-called camp at midnight according to my watch. Kit stoked the fire. I checked the coffee—barely warm enough to drink without gagging. Kit passed around protein bars. I spread one of the sleeping bags for us to sit on.
By the time all three of us settled by the fire, I was past ready for answers. “Who are you?” I asked Kit to get things started.
“My name’s Christopher Macchioni. I’m thirty. I live down the hall from you. I take pictures for a living.”
I nodded once in acknowledgement. “What are you?”
“A descendant of Morpheus, Greek god of dreams.”
Not the answer I expected. I actually laughed until I realized how serious they were. “Wait…for real?”
Both Kit and Ben solemnly nodded.
“Geeze, guys. Do I look like an idiot? Gods and goddess were created a zillion years ago by simple men to explain something they didn’t understand.” The irony of me quoting Kit’s own words wasn’t lost on him.
He nodded slightly. “Except in this case, they were right, so maybe they knew what they were talking about. Don’t ask me how.”
I leveled my gaze on Ben. “Assuming this is all true—and I don’t believe it for a second—you’re also a descendant of Circe.”
“Through my mom, yeah.”
Kit cut in. “Wait… You heard us talking a while ago?” He seemed to be thinking back. “You did hear us.”
I nodded.
“Then you heard me say—”
“That you loved me? Yeah. But you’ve been lying to me for years, so why would I believe it?”
“You’d never have accepted the truth,” Kit said.
I huffed my exasperation. “Daughter of a cryptozoologist here. You should’ve known I’d be open to anything.”
“But I only found that out yesterday.”
He had a point, but I didn’t let him off the hook. “You’ve dropped a lot of hints today. On purpose? Or accidentally?”
I’d clearly surprised Kit, who thought for a second before answering. “Give me an example.”
I gave him three. “That was pretty careless, Macho-man.”
“Maybe I’m tired of being a mystery.”
Now I thought for a second before speaking. “You really love me?”
Ben watched our byplay in silence, his gaze constantly flicking between Kit and me.
“You’re damn right I do. Do you love me back?”
“Well, I love Topher.”
Kit’s smile lit up the place. “That’s me. I’m Topher.”
“Prove it. What color am I thinking of?”
“I don’t read minds.”
“So you’re not psychic?”
“Not in the traditional sense, no. I mean, I can’t read waking thoughts.”
> “So prove who you are another way.”
“How? You don’t look one bit sleepy, so there won’t be a nightmare to make over.”
I thought for a second. “Kiss me.”
Kit blinked, but never hesitated to scoot closer and brush his lips over mine.
“What the heck was that?” I asked. “I want a real kiss.” So he gave me one. Lips pressed to lips. Tongues in a tangle. Shared breaths. When he pulled back I sort of went with him before I came to my senses and let him disconnect. Ben hooted and slapped his knee.
“What’s the verdict?” A smile tugged at the corner of Kit’s lips.
“You’re Topher all right.”
“So we’re good?”
“Not just yet.” I caught Ben’s eye. “Are you the Peuchen?”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“A flying snake seen in these parts.”
He flushed. “Let’s just say I’ve been known to play a joke or two on the locals.”
“Hm. Well, my parents are a ways down the mountain trying to catch you on film. It would be really, really nice if they actually managed it.”
“Say no more.” Ben stood and brushed off his backside. “Look, I really am sorry if I ever scared you.”
“And you’ll never scare anyone again?”
“Er…”
I rolled my eyes. He quickly left us.
Kit’s yell followed him into the woods. “Don’t hurry back.” Ben waved acknowledgement without breaking stride.
I emptied the thermos of coffee into the lid and sipped before sharing it with Kit. A twist of the wrist put it back on the thermos. I set it aside.
“So… What’s next?” He seemed a little wary.
“This.” I closed the distance between us so I could plant another kiss on his lips. He lay back on the sleeping bag, taking me with him. We got a little crazy, which was definitely my fault, but finding myself alone with the man of my dreams—literally—I couldn’t seem to hold back. Not when I knew he loved me.
We shucked our clothes and somehow wound up inside the bag, though I probably could’ve done without it. My flesh seared where he touched me. Kit’s magic moves ensured that was pretty much everywhere. And I touched him right back, loving it when he groaned. He rolled on top of me. I adjusted to the weight of his body. My frantic kisses urged him on.
“Shit!”
I jumped at the unexpected reversal. “What?”
“No condom.”
“I’ll risk it.”
“But—”
My fingers, curving around a certain rigid part of his anatomy, shut him right up. We came together and began to move in synch. I’m pretty sure my eyes rolled back in my head. “Don’t. Stop.”
“Never.”
Passion built to an explosion of sensation that completely rocked my world. His, too, from the sound of it. Afterward, it took forever to catch my breath, something I credited to the lovemaking and not the altitude.
Kit rolled off me and onto his back, panting as hard as I was. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
I managed a breathy laugh. “Please tell me I wasn’t nine.”
“Damn, Ellie. I’m not a perv. You were at least sixteen.”
“Still illegal.”
“So sue me.” He propped an elbow and looked down at me. “Gods, you’re gorgeous.” His big hand slid over me, tenderly tracing the contours of my body. “No wonder I’m crazy in love with you.”
I decided to tease him a little. “So my boobs are big enough?”
“Where the hell did that come from?” He actually sounded upset.
“I was thinking of those women you photograph.”
“Oh. Forget them. You’re all the woman I need. And for the record, these are as perfect as the rest of you.” He kissed me a couple of places to prove it.
“I love you Topher-Kit. For always and always.”
“And I love you back.”
Naturally that got us started again. Me on top. Him waaaay inside me. Me wanting it to go on forever. Yeah. Sex at its very best.
I’m pretty sure the cave shook when we came that time.
We got dressed shortly after and then crawled back into the sleeping bag. There was always a chance Ben would show up. Possibly even my parents. We didn’t want to embarrass ourselves, especially if a camera might be recording everything. I fell asleep in Kit’s arms, as snug as I could possibly be. I didn’t dream.
I woke the next morning to his urgent kisses. His hand cupped my boob. “You’re dressed.”
“So are you, Macho-man.”
He lifted the edge of the sleeping bag to check. “Damn.”
I saw him glance toward the mouth of the cave, his gaze narrowed.
“Not here. There.” I pointed to the tunnel we’d explored the night before. “Someone might catch us.”
“You’re not scared?”
“Believe me, getting lost in the innards of this cave is the last thing on my mind.”
His pleased smile made my day—at least so far. I had a feeling morning sex would probably eclipse that.
We ducked into a side tunnel and made love in pitch blackness, on our feet, and without removing any clothes. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? I liked improvising. He obviously did, too.
After we’d tugged our clothes back where they should be, we returned to our stone cold fire and split the last protein bar. Packing up was easy. We soon left the cave and began the downhill trek to base camp. It took a couple of hours to get there.
The moment we cleared the trees, Mom spotted us and waved really big. “Come quick, you two. We’ve got something amazing to show you.”
Kit and I exchanged a quick grin. We both had a pretty good idea what it was.
Was I cheating by asking Ben to shape shift? Technically, no. After all, he could well be the very Peuchen the locals had seen. And if he wasn’t, some other godly descendant definitely was. Ben couldn’t be the only great-times-a-zillion grandkid of Circe. Those Greek gods and goddesses multiplied like bunnies.
Chapter Nine
My parents greeted us both with big hugs. Sid and Doug nodded smiling hellos. Dad stepped back after his to give me a onceover that made me squirm.
“What?” I asked.
“You look…different.”
“I’m a wrinkled mess for sure,” I said with a self-conscious laugh. Were the words shameless hussy tattooed across my forehead? “As for my hair…”
He didn’t agree, but he didn’t disagree, either. “Did you have any luck?”
If making love three times in six hours wasn’t lucky, I didn’t know what was. “Sure did.”
Mom’s jaw dropped. “You found the Cherufe?”
“Oh, that. Not exactly.” I switched tracks to derail that line of questioning and get a grip on my wayward thoughts. It wasn’t easy. I could still smell Kit’s body wash on my hands. “What about you guys? Did you see any flying snakes?”
By then my mother danced with excitement. “We did! Just wait until you see it. This is the perfect episode to end the series.”
I exchanged a shocked glance with Kit. “You’ve been cancelled?”
“No, we’re quitting,” Dad said. “We’ve decided it’s time to move on.”
“But—” I couldn’t even think what to say.
“You look disappointed, Ellie.” That came from Kit. “Were you thinking about making other guest appearances?”
What a question. “No. Of course not. I’m just surprised is all.”
By then Sid was sitting at the folding table. He motioned for the five of us to join him, which we did. On the laptop screen I saw the usual black and gray footage of a forest by night. I could see and hear my parents talking to each other, their conversation completely appropriate to their search. That was very different from the thoughtless blurts of mine that Kit had undoubtedly recorded.
And then we saw it. The Peuchen in all its glory, swooping down from the sky just long
enough to be filmed. Was it Ben? Kit’s wink said it all.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed with honest enthusiasm. “That’s incredible. Congrats.” More hugs all around, some high fives, and laughter—lots of happy laughter.
Mom gave me a big smile. “There’ll be critics who doubt what we got, but that’s nothing new. We know what we saw, don’t we, Rich?”
“We sure do.”
They both smiled at me.
“Why don’t you give Sid, here, what you guys got?” Dad asked. “Then you should have some breakfast. I’ve got a good fire going.”
Although I really wanted to see what we’d filmed before Sid saw it, I had no choice but to hand over the camera. I promised myself I’d get to him first chance to explain that our footage wouldn’t be anywhere close to Doug’s slick photography.
Kit and I soon sat by their fire, eating breakfast rolls and drinking hot coffee while my parents shared their plans for the future.
“What creature have we searched for the longest?” Mom asked.
“Definitely Bigfoot,” I said. “There was Nepal for the Yeti, Canada for the Wendigo, and Australia for the Yowie. Then you did the Skunk Ape of the southern US, the Sasquatch of the northwestern US, and the Yeren in China.”
“Exactly.” She was clearly proud of me, their biggest fan. “So your father and I are going to write a book about our searches. We have so much evidence and tons of photos. And the best part is that no one ever gets tired of Bigfoot. In fact, there’s an ongoing TV series about them currently airing.”
Dad nodded agreement. “Some travel will be involved, but for the most part we can work from home. That’ll be a welcome change. Maybe I can finally grow myself some tomatoes.”
Seeing them happy made me happy. “Have you told Phil?”
“Not yet. My phone doesn’t work here. Can any of you call out?”
We all checked our cells. I had one bar, but stepped out from under the awning to see if I could get more. I finally found a spot where I could get three, thanks to satellite coverage. All at once my phone dinged once, twice, and a third time signaling emails.
I saw they were from Hanna. My heart dropped into my stomach. Had something really bad happened? Feeling like the worst friend ever, I punched them up and began to read. The first was another apology about missing the trip. The second was a report on her grandmother, who was being released to her retirement home. The third one concerned her dad, who was now fully conscious and talking to everyone. I actually burst into tears of relief.