Cass thought, “Huh, all that worry for nothing. I wonder if Sil or Kal knew they knew and just didn’t tell us they knew they knew, you know?”
I laughed at my twin’s verbal contortions and earned some odd looks.
Cass straightened our face to ask Jaz and Mez, “Are you coming?”
Jaz shuffled closer to Lil in answer.
Mez shook his head. “I will guard my modor until such time as she does not need me.”
Fid Tal’s demeanor brightened and a small curve to the side of her mouth appeared for a split second only to disappear. She clicked her teeth at Jaz. “We will speak more of my offer.”
Jaz ducked her chin without taking her gaze from the other woman’s in answer.
Darkening blue sky faded to porous gray stone.
Things got better. Axsa recovered it’s faith in the Elders with the help of its three strongest Fid. Surprisingly enough, Tal didn’t win Nyt’s vacant seat—Ela did. Kal had tried to explain the complicated political maneuvering it took to gain an Elder’s seat but we’d lost track of the familial alliances between Houses and Guilds about halfway through, mainly because we didn’t care as long as the people we loved were safe.
Sil was allowed to take us to see Zik and he was being treated well for someone kept under lock and key with dampeners running night and day as an extra precaution against bending himself out or being called by one of Shiva’s Baelc allies. Zik informed us he could feel when Kai, aka Shiva, checked in and it was frightening. He preferred to be locked away and was determined to never hurt anyone against his will again. Sil and Zik shared a hug before we left that lasted much longer than a coworker’s would. Axsian’s didn’t bat a lens at same sex pairings so they must have been quiet about it for other reasons.
Cass crowed, “I thought there was something going on with them! I guess they don’t care who knows anymore since they aren’t working together in the Guild. I wish them luck. Do you think Zik will ever be free of Kai?”
A certainty from nowhere blossomed and I answered with hope, “Since they won’t let me examine Zik in the Web I can’t say, but I’d guess if Shiva ever bites the dust he’ll be free.”
Cass turned grim. “We should see what we can do about that, Silver.”
I promised, “On it!”
We both got a desperate tug from the Web when we arrived back in Denu sans Sil. The warren was silent so we lay on our bed and answered the long distance call.
Maggie was waiting like a giant sun but she wasn’t there mentally. Instead Gerome hovered protectively at her side with two little moons of faint shining color between them. His LED bright presence was throwing spots and dashes of color against Maggie’s essence and tinting the twins in his colors. Newborns were generally mostly white until their personalities began to develop and then their colors took hold.
Gerome’s thoughts were overflowing with joy. “They’re here! It all happened so fast we didn’t even make it to the hospital. Nicky had to help deliver and Maggie is exhausted but fine. No complications, everything went like it should. Would you like to see them?”
Without waiting for our answer he flung an image our way. Newborn babies were kind of ugly. Their faces were all squished and their skin was all flakey and fragile looking. Both of their craniums were elongated from the path down the birth canal and they were mewling with wide empty mouths. Touchable fine hair curled on their crowns, one shock Maggie’s orangey red and the other Gerome’s dark brown near black. Four eyes fluttered open then closed again fanning tiny cheeks with long lashes.
Cass blurted, “They’re beautiful, Gerome! I wish we were there to hold them.”
Beautiful wasn’t the word I would have used but I felt something for them immediately. No one would hurt them on our watch. They had a clean fresh slate and I wanted to be a part of watching them dirty it up. I asked our uncle, “You and Maggie will let them visit with us right?”
In an uncharacteristic abundance of enthusiasm Gerome said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re family. Not to cut this short but I need to get back and take care of Maggie, Reb, and Ray.”
It was freaking Cass and me out to hear and feel Gerome’s feelings so easily; usually he had his switch flipped to the no emoting setting. He shocked us anew with a fading shred of broadcast thought.
“Distance is meaningless, as is time, when minds and souls intertwine.”
Epilogue: Lost Love
(More than a couple years down the road.)
I woke to find our mentor sitting at the end of our bed patiently waiting for us with two big boxes sitting on the cavern floor at his feet. Kal presented the surprise with a small half smile, a nudge of his foot, and a simple, “For you.” With no further acknowledgment of what the cardboard containers held he disappeared from our sight.
I was so intrigued I jumped in control of our body and bounced us to our feet to grab both packages and toss them onto the bed with gleeful enthusiasm. The first box lid flew into the air and a pair of brand new black leather cowboy boots were exposed—the pull on kind with no laces. I brought the boots to our nose and inhaled the scent of cow hide with a sense of satisfaction then turned towards the other box with mounting curiosity. Cass was quietly enjoying my gleeful exuberance.
I pulled the other lid open to reveal carefully folded black leather gloves on top of a black coat of some kind. Cass urged me to try on the leather gloves—they felt soft and smooth as they slid like the finest silk against the skin on the back of our hands. After flexing our fingers and testing out how they felt in between our digits, my attention was pulled back to the heavy black coat still neatly folded and awaiting our inspection.
It turned out to be a long leather duster that fit us perfectly as if it had been tailor made. Underneath the coat we found socks, underwear, a bra—amazingly in the right size which Cass tried not to think about as I held it against the outside of our night shirt—a plaid button up collared shirt, and a dark blue pair of women’s Wranglers. Our big bald mentor was trying to corrupt us with his sense of style.
Cass thought for a moment and then said with barely contained hopefulness, “You know what this means right? If he’s giving us Earth clothing we’re being sent home.”
I froze in the action of laying all of our newly acquired accoutrements on the disturbed covers of our bed as the realization hit me that we might never see Axsa, or anyone on our host planet again. Without conscious thought I whispered a quiet painful name into the still air of our cool cavernous room, “Mez.”
Cassandra sympathized I knew but my first thought was to fall to pieces and she was having none of that.
Whip-hard, her mental voice bludgeoned with perfect aim. “Buck up, Silver. We’ve got no idea how soon we’re leaving. You’ve got time. Go find him right now and do what needs doing. Don’t waste a second.”
Our arms felt like fat twigs and I couldn’t seem to find the will to pilot us. “Are you sure? What if I’m not ready? You really don’t mind us being, you know, together?”
Mild disgust gushed in a cloud. “Silver, you deserve to be with the person you love. You don’t need my blessing. Quit being a dumbass.”
Feeling embarrassed, I asked my twin, “Could you get us dressed in these clothes? I can’t think let alone move with any sort of coordination. I’m freaking out, Cass—really and truly freaking the Hell out. Will you help me?”
She stretched our mouth in a shit eating grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”
The economy of motion my sister displayed could have been a record. Time jumped as if on fast forward and before I knew it we were standing outside the entry arch to Mez’s room.
Cass chuckled in dark anticipation. “I’m leaving until further notice, Silver. Don’t be good while I’m gone—be bad, very, very bad.”
She was gone and I was truly alone. I could see the calloused heel of Mez’s foot hanging off the side of the bed. He wasn’t a morning person at all. Last to bed and last to rise, always. The first step
was the hardest, the second was easier, and the third felt magnetically drawn to that lonely uncovered sole. With a light scrape of fingernail I touched the tender skinned, cool arch. Mez yelped and flailed into a tangled heap of blankets, eyes blurrily scanning the room until they landed on me.
Confusion then alarm crested Mez’s face. “What are you wearing? Why are you dressed like Kal?”
Voice low I said, “Cass told me to come see you before we run out of time.” I undid the first button on our shirt then the second. Eyes steady, I waited to see if he would catch my meaning.
Mez threw himself across the mattress to cup our hand over the third button. He was so close I could feel the warmth of his blanket warm skin and smell the delicious aroma of his faded relaxation.
In a husky tone he said, “Wait, Leoght Cor, wait. I would not want us to rush. Be still. I will return in a moment.”
Mez pressed full lips against our smaller willing ones and then darted out into the tunnel that connected our rooms into our shared bathroom. When he walked back in half clothed in the loose blue trouser pants he favored for sleeping, the entry arch sealed shut behind him.
Shocked, I asked, “Did you do that?”
His white teeth gleamed. “Yes.”
My feet shuffled until the edge of the bed hit me right where our thigh met our butt. I wanted to be angry but mainly I was perplexed and slightly hurt that he would keep something this big a secret. “When, Mez? Why didn’t you tell us you were like Lil? Does anyone else know?”
He stalked closer; preparing to pounce. “No one knows but you, Leoght Cor, and that is how it will stay until I decide otherwise. What were you doing with your Earth clothes before I left? I think you should show me.”
A little late I realized I’d forgotten about Kal. This was his home and he’d made it clear we weren’t to hanky any panky on his watch. I looked down to find my fingers clutching the undone plaid shirt closed in a fist. “Where is Kal?”
Mez peeled clenched fingers open before he said, “He informed me last night that he would be gone for hours this day. Now I know why. We are alone, I assume with his permission.”
I narrowed my eyes and then realized I had been steadily thinking in possessive pronouns instead of the plural about our body for the last few moments; the realization of the insidious disconnect between Cass and I jogged me out the moment.
Mez’s warm gliding hand inside our shirt put me right back in it. Fireflies of pleasure swarmed in a rippling rush at his slow exploration of my stomach and goose bumps broke out on every inch me. Suddenly I wanted to run. It was so much, too much to absorb and I felt like in my very being I might melt or disparate becoming a new life form that survived on sensation alone.
He exhaled up the side of my neck and grazed my jaw with wicked scrapes of his teeth all the way to my chin until his mouth covered mine so completely I thought he might be attempting to devour the kiss. I parted my lips with effort and licked the dangerous tip of a serrated tooth.
Mez drew back, expression firm. “What is wrong, Leoght Cor. I feel your disquiet.”
A trembling broke out and my jaw clenched so hard a grinding sound burst in my ears. I couldn’t speak. He cradled my head in his massive, strong hands.
He commanded, “Tell me, Silver.”
Through parted lips and closed teeth I said, “I want you too much. What if I get lost in the way you make me feel?”
Mez rubbed his nose against mine and rested his forehead for a moment.
He swore with heat, “You are you and I am me. We are meant for each other. If you become lost I will be lost with you and then we will find our way again. Let go.”
I took a desperate gulp of air and pushed him away. His face was crestfallen until my sure hands finished what they’d started. When the air was the only thing caressing my body I ran both hands through my hair until it settled softly on my bare shoulders and tickled my back to nestle between my shoulder blades.
Mez drank in the sight of me naked then peeled his pants around the protruding mass at the juncture of his thighs.
Even though I’d studied Axsian male physiology in preparation for this day it was still a shock to see the five mobile phalluses where a human male only possessed one thicker one.
He asked, “Do my differences frighten you?”
I thought it out, then said, “Come here and I’ll show you how scared I am.”
With an expectant cocky grin he sauntered closer. Mez inserted his hands under my arms and the next thing I knew I was airborne. I bounced with a delighted laugh into the center of the bed. Firm muscled flesh covered me completely. Eventually, I closed my eyes and lost myself on purpose.
About the Author
Vaun Murphrey lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband, two sons and a shaggy four legged friend. Unofficially labeled the City of Dust, Lubbock has been voted the town with the worst weather at least once nationally, with more honors of the same vein looming in the future. Wide open skies and flat land that stretches for miles also tend to expand one’s imagination. The what if’s become more real at times than the worst haboob on a fall day. West Texas has its own ways and it’s best to roll with the punches and come up with the reward of good people and an identity that defies definition.
CHANGELING: Book Two in the Weaver Series Page 31