by J G Jerome
I zip up the compartment, and it’s as though all the junk I just stuffed into the portfolio disappears. There’s a standard compartment to hold computer, iPad, pens, and paper. I take it and my roll-on bag back out into the living room. Once there I load my new electronics.
Persimmon comes in through the vent to take Marigold’s place. I tell Marigold, “Sweetie, please tell Acorn not to mention Solange in a report unless she’s in trouble. With Megan coming here, I don’t know how severely Selene is compromised. We don’t want to volunteer any information that we don’t have to. Marisol, Daphne, and Trina being here should set off some alarm bells if she’s sent here to spy, but we can keep Solange and Charli’s presence here quiet for now.”
“Okay, my Lord,” she says and then flies into the vent system back to her brother.
I check Persimmon out on the iPad system. She gives me ‘a look’ before chastising me, “Acorn trained me on it overnight, Jack. Who knew the Green Lord could be so silly!”
Daphne responds, “Anyone who knows him.”
I cross my eyes at Persimmon before calling out to Daphne, “Come here, strumpet!”
Daphne jogs over to kneel at my feet and rubs her face into my crotch, “Yes, master!”
Georgia pouts, “I thought she was Precious! Trina is Pet. Can’t I be ‘Strumpet,’ Master?” I notice she is wearing one of my shirts. ‘Oh well! I didn’t tell her what clothes to put on.’
When my laughing subsides, I grab a fistful of Daphne’s hair and pull her over to the couch as I respond to Georgia, “We’ll see, Georgia.”
I stand Daphne up, bend her over the back of the couch, and sharply spank her once on each of her perfect taut ass cheeks. Georgia leans over the couch next to her, so I spank her firm bum, too. Then I stand Daphne up and tell her, “Kiss me, Precious!”
She gives me a brilliant smile, “Yes, my Lord and Master.”
“Didn’t you get enough on the drive home?” I ask.
“Jack, it is not possible for me to ever get enough of you.”
I kiss her again, spin her, and spank her towards a chair at the table. Then I grab a handful of Georgia’s amber hair and gently lift her to standing, “Come here and kiss me, Strumpet.”
Georgia moans, “Yes my Lord!” before devouring my mouth.
I squeeze her ass while we kiss. I let her go and spank her ass to encourage her to release me. I grab her hand and drag her with me to the bedroom. I pull the spare pillow from the bed and set it on the rug. I point to the pillow and say quietly, “Kneel Georgia. Hands on your head. Don’t move. Don’t speak.” She follows orders and is kneeling on the pillow. I press her legs farther apart, so she is completely on display. Then I use my hands to adjust her posture.
Once I’m satisfied, I strip and take a quick shower. Then I get dressed in my travel clothes. Once I’m ready, I tell Georgia, “Put the pillow gently on the bed and join me in the living room, Georgia.” Then I walk out, confident she will follow my orders.
As I walk out, Persimmon reports Megan has arrived.
Then I hear a familiar voice in my head, *Jack, call me as soon as you are able!*
*L’liana?* I ask
*Yes!* she responds.
I call her, “Hello L’liana” while I think to her *Why didn’t you text?*
She thinks to me, *My method leaves no trace.*
*Touché,* I respond in kind.
After that she says into the phone, “I heard about your adventures. I wasn’t sure if you were free to talk yet. I felt you pass on the other side of the mountain. What can I do to help?”
I respond, “We should probably only discuss face to face.”
“I can come to you wherever you are, Jack.” Then she takes the conversation to two levels. “And no, this isn’t about sex,” followed immediately by, *I will port into wherever you are.*
I vocalize, “I’m about to get on an airplane,” but think to her, *Join us in Hartford?* Then I say into the phone, “Can it wait until we get back?”
She thinks to me, *Yes. Call my name, and I will be there* as she says, “I’d rather not...okay it’s kinda about sex.”
I chuckle as I think to her, *Will you be able to hear me and reach me in Hartford?* Then I say “That would be nice, but my hands are pretty full at the moment.”
Mentally she responds, *Yes. I think it will take about 60-90 seconds to transit. Also, I would need a fair amount of fuel and water when I port in. It’s farther than I’ve ever gone.* Then she says, “I wish they were full of me.” She follows that immediately with *Oh! Did you get the gear I sent to Trina?*
I think back to her, *Uh, yeah. That is useful gear.* Then I tell her, “That would be a lovely break from everything going on with my family.”
In my brain I hear, *Inside the portfolio, in the pocket dimension, there is a small pocket with a rolled up cloth. Are you familiar with Brownie magic?* Then my ear senses, “Make it soon, Jack.”
I send, *I am. Trina has a bunch that I think connect to her bedroom closet in Springfield.* Then I say, “I’ll do my best, sweetie.” I pause and say, “L’liana?”
“Yes, Jack.” She answers before thinking to me, *that cloth I mentioned works much the same way. It connects to my meditation chamber here in Cherry.*
“You are important to me,” I tell her. *Ok, then I’ll need to find a private room to pull you through.*
“I’m yours, Jack.” Then thinks to me, *Perfect!*
I smile, “And I am yours, Lili.” She gasps. I send, *You liked that? Be safe, Lili. I love you.*
She says, “You have a pet name for me, Jack! I really am yours! I can’t wait to see you, my Lord.” Then she appends, *I love you, Jack! Be safe.*
“Goodbye, Sweet Lili. I will see you soon.”
Daphne and Christie join me at the counter and hug me.
I tell Daphne, “Take Mari and go sit in our bedroom with Trina until I have a read on the situation with Selene.”
She nods then looks to Marisol and then crooks a finger at her. Then she pumps her fist in the army’s old ‘double-time’ signal. They both hurry into my bedroom.
That leaves Chelsea, Christie, Georgia, and Tiphanae with me in the room.
Christie tells me, “Dinner should be here in about 40 minutes, Jack.”
I kiss her and hug her. “Thank you, Baby. You’re too good to me.”
She shakes her head, “Never.”
After about a minute there is a beeping from the iPad. Persimmon opens the app, “Megan is here with Sowie and Selene, Jack.”
Shortly thereafter, we hear a knock on the door.
Christie and Tiphanae join me by the door while Georgia and Chelsea stand behind the island with their hands on pistols hidden in the sink.
I open the door. I see Megan standing there with her two guards behind her. I say, “Welcome, Ladies!”
Megan kisses me warmly, and then she looks to Christie. “Go,” I tell her. She kisses my cheek and does just that.
Sowie rushes in and kisses me hard. I ask, “Are you okay, Love?”
She nods as her dark eyes look into mine, “Yes, my Lord. It was as you say sometimes…‘there was more adventure than I cared for.’ I’d like to avoid that in the future.”
“I bet,” I tell her. “I hope you salvaged the dress. You looked beautiful in it.” She grins and kisses me again. Then she turns to the new face in the hallway.
Sowie manages to show no emotion at all as she says, “This is Selene.”
Chapter 33 - Selene
Before me stands a woman that is about 5’7,” and voluptuous is the only word to describe her. She looks like she could be either Mediterranean, Hispanic, or Arabic. She has large, liquid, dark-brown eyes, generous lips, prominent cheekbones, and wavy dark hair that hangs just past her shoulders. She is more ‘fleshy’ than the other Sidhe. Her flesh looks like it’s losing the fight to stay toned. She has huge breasts; I’m guessing double-D or E. They appear to be more of the fleshy, pillowy variety rather tha
n the denser, firmer variety I’ve become accustomed to from my Sidhe lovers. She has a relatively narrow waist with a slightly rounded abdomen. She has wide hips with noticeable saddlebags, thick thighs, and thick calves. I can’t tell how much is fat versus muscle. She’s wearing the combat variety of Raven uniform - tights with cargo pockets, tac boots, tech-fabric tank under a leather blazer. All of her clothing is charcoal grey or black except an unusual bronzed bracelet with dark stones embedded in it wrapped around her right wrist.
I extend a hand, “Hello Selene. I’m Jack. Please come in.”
She steps in and grasps my hand, and I will her to sleep. I catch her as she collapses. Picking her up in a bridal carry, I transport her to Trina’s favorite chair. Selene starts to struggle as I gently lay her into the chair. She fights my will. It seems like she is having a bad dream, but I sense something nearby working through her to fight my sleep command.
I call, “Christie! Tell me again - what is the nature of the Dread Lord. Be specific.”
She places a hand on my right shoulder as she arrives behind me. “He is the exact opposite of you, Jack. Whereas love is your superpower, his is hate. Whereas you wield powers of life and creation, he wields powers of destruction and the void.”
I look over my shoulder, “Do you feel that?”
Christie closes her eyes for a moment, and then gasps with a sharp inhale. She is aghast as she exclaims, “It’s him.”
I nod, “Get back, my Love. Get Daphne in here.”
Daphne rushes out at the mention of her name. I call to her, “Daphne, is this bracelet anything you’ve seen before?”
I feel a hand on my left shoulder. Daphne responds, “Jack, she’s had that as long as I can remember.”
An ebony hand lands on my right shoulder as Sowie’s face moves into my periphery. “My Lord, she went away on a vacation about five years ago, which is highly unusual. We assumed her mother sent her on a mission. She was wearing that when she returned.”
“Sowie, dear one, do you know where she went?”
Sowie shakes her head, “Corrina or Solange might, or maybe Myra. I do not, Jack.”
I kiss her cheek and then kiss Daphne’s as well. “Back up, my Loves.”
I lay a hand on the bracelet and feel a sense of malevolence and power coming from it. I visualize the bracelet as a wounded child and wrap it in an embrace of pure, loving energy. I feel the malevolence begin to diminish and then push back at me three-fold over what it was. I back up as I open my eyes. I breathe deeply and recenter myself.
Selene’s eyes are open and look as though they are filled with a black, roiling sludge. She speaks in Arabic with a gruff male voice, “I see you, fledgling Green Lord from the land of Satan. I will come for you.”
I respond in the same language using an Iraqi dialect, “Peace be upon you, Dread Lord. Although I suspect peace is not something you desire, I wish it for you regardless. You have chosen the weaker path. The easier path. The path of evil!”
Selene continues in Arabic, “I could have become the Green Lord, but the power of creation is nothing compared to the power of DREAD! From Dread comes the power to destroy all the enemies of Islam! I have chosen the righteous path!”
I respond, “And yet, the holy Quran says ‘Do not let your hatred of a people incite you to aggression.’ Is that not what you are doing? The power of the Green Lord is to bring healing and restore all peoples to peace. You turned away from that power? How can you claim to do the work of Allah?”
The gruff voice issues forth again, “The minions of Satan know well the Quran to try to dissuade us from the righteous path. I will use this vessel to destroy you all!”
I look over my shoulder to see Trina at the island, “Give me one of those clutches now!”
Trina picks one up off the pile, opens it, and shakes everything out on the counter before running over to hand it to me.
Looking back at Selene I say, “Peace be with you, Dread Lord.” I pull Eventide and flick open her blade. I ask her to transition to her 18” form just before I cut through Selene’s arm about an inch above the bracelet. The hand and bracelet fall into the clutch. I close it and roll it into a cylinder.
Looking at Trina, who is watching every move I make intently, “Pet, can you send this to the same place you sent the explosives from the Yukon.”
She nods, “Of course, Jack.” I cover Selene’s squirting stump with the palm of my left hand as her brown eyes look at me in shock and her mouth makes fish motions. I send healing energy into the stump to stop the bleeding and cause the wound to seal.
Trina stands and rummages through her cargo pocket as she calls, “Sowie, with me.” She nods with satisfaction and puts on her shoulder rig and jacket. Then she pulls two elf-tech devices out of her cargo pockets, again confirms she has the right ones, and then puts them in the pockets of her jacket. Trina takes the clutch from me as I watch Selene. I feel a kiss on my cheek and then two pairs of feet heading towards the door.
Calling over my shoulder, “Christie! Do you sense anything now?”
I sense her standing behind me as I watch tears run down Selene’s face.
Christie’s arms wrap around my neck as she kisses my right cheek from behind. “No, my Lord. The malevolence is gone.”
Selene sobs, “My master told me you would come and destroy all that I know. You cut my hand off! You took my master from me! You are the Destroyer!”
I shake my head and respond, “No, Selene. I am not the Destroyer. I am the Restorer. I am the Green Lord. Apparently your master could have been the Green Lord, but that requires you to love everyone. It’s much easier to hate. I have heard that you are a very hateful person. Were you always that way?”
Selene continues to sob as she shakes her head. “I’m not hateful! All these Ravens are traitors to our Queen. I am to report back to our Queen...AAAAAAH!”
I shake my head, “Selene, you poor thing. The queen of your court put a geas on you to prevent you from talking to anyone about what she told you to do. Don’t say anything. Just sit there and catch your breath.”
I reach into her jacket and grab her shoulder rig. “Christy, cut the straps please. Eventide is there by my knee.”
Christie picks up my blade and cuts the straps from all around the holster and then sets the blade back where she found it. I hand her the holster. I pick up the blade, noticing there is no blood anywhere on it.
I hear Durec’s voice in my brain, *Excuse me, Lord. Eventide and Morningstar both drink the blood left on their surface. It was one of the enchantments to ensure the blades stay pristine. They are actually energized from it, and it feeds their abilities.*
“Daphne, please bring a glass of water for Selene,” I call.
*Abilities?* I ask. I hear a cabinet open and shut, then water running into a glass.
*Fire and ice, Lord. There is so much to teach you, and you are always very busy. When you have a break in activity, perhaps we could discuss more in detail. The abilities only work if the whole set is present and wielded by the Lord.*
*Okay. We’ll talk more soon.* Light boot treads walk up to my right and Daphne stands to Selene’s left.
Daphne says, “Here, Selene. Drink this. You need it with all the blood loss.”
Selene looks at her with hatred in her eyes, but takes the glass and drains it. Daphne takes the empty glass as Selene says, “I bet you’re loving this, aren’t you, bitch.”
Daphne squats next to her chair and looks into her eyes. Slowly Daphne shakes her head. “No Selene. I hate the way you behaved when you were on our team and the danger you posed to Myra and the rest of us. I might have wished this on you before, but my Lord is rubbing off on me. I just feel sorry for you, and I want to help you heal. Maybe then you can figure out how to make something good from your life.” Daphne squeezes Selene’s remaining hand, “Please forgive my treatment of you, Selene. You worked hard to earn it, but I should know better than to sink to that level. I wish you peace and happiness.”
She squeezes Selene’s hand again. “I’ll get you another glass of water.”
Daphne stands, kisses my cheek, and goes for a refill as Selene once again cries in earnest.
I caress her knee to get her attention. When she focuses on me through her tears I tell her, “Selene, my mission in this world is to heal it rather than destroy it. Your master and I are diametrically opposed. You have experienced his gifts. Now, experience mine.”
I shift my grip to her wrist just above her stump, bending her elbow so she can see what I’m doing. Then I again employ an embrace of pure, loving energy - wrapping it around her and flooding her with warmth and loving emotions. She stops sobbing and stares at me in awe. I remind the cells in her stump of what they were supposed to be and will them to return. Skin is stretched as bones extend and tissue grows to fill the gap. In the space of two minutes she has a new pink hand at the end of her right arm. The hand fills out slowly over the course of a few minutes. I move closer to her, so I am kneeling between her knees with her right wrist held in my left hand. I reach forward and cup her cheek with my right hand as I look into her mind for the familiar signs of Arianna’s geas. I unravel and dissolve the shadow construct in her mind. As I am finishing I notice the differences between her mind and the Sidhe minds I’ve been in. I pull back and analyze how her body is functioning...the entropy within her system is on a faster burn, even faster than Kristina’s. Given Kristina’s entropy rate is about three times faster than the Sidhe, that only leaves…’OMG!’
I ask her, “Selene, how old are you?”
Daphne returns with the refilled water glass.
Selene pastes a condescending frown on her face and gives me the stereotypical, “A gentleman doesn’t ask a lady her age.”
I nod, “Some people believe that. I think that since I’m inquiring about the state of your health, you should humor me.”