by Diane Taylor
Khan’s massive body nudged her hand and his soft, whuffing voice made itself heard amongst the cacophony. I’m here, love. Hang on. I won’t let you go and neither will Sean.
All of a sudden, a cool hand touched her forehead. Sleep, Carmen Marshall. My brave warrior, rest and recuperate. Allow us to take up the burdens which need to be resolved. We will speak later on so you can understand what has happened.
With those words, her overtaxed mind began to shut down and seek the oblivion of unconsciousness. Before the darkness sucked her into its embrace, she focused her eyes open to see the dangerous beauty of Yasmeen, now Bast, smiling down at her. Damn. If I were a lesbian, I’d be in serious trouble. She’s too beautiful for words. Was her last thoughts before fading away into bliss.
Chapter Eleven
“The top story of the hour comes from our woman in the field just outside the Federal Bureau of Investigations field office for Nevada. It seems several missing person cases and dozens of Amber Alerts have been called off as a consequence of a major white slavery ring being smashed and the ringleaders taken into custody. Peggy Taylor is standing by with the full story. Peggy? What can you tell us?”
Carmen opened her eyes and found herself staring at her own big screen TV. On it, a woman in a dark blue business suit was standing on the steps in front of a non-descript brick and cement building. The wind had begun to start mussing her perfectly coifed hair, but she didn’t seem concerned. Someone must have made a signal out of view of the camera because she began to speak.
“Yes, Bob. I’m here at the FBI building where some truly bizarre events have happened in the past three days.” The reporter turned to look up at the imposing stone entryway, still speaking. “Undercover agents, working with the local police and agencies around the globe, have smashed an international slave trade ring. Unknown sources from within the agency tell us several women and men had escaped their captors and provided the necessary evidence for the authorities to track down and arrest the main ringleader of this hideous and sickening business.
“Prince Ahmed Hamadi, son of Sheik Ali Hamadi, was arrested after a violent struggle while attending a performance by the world famous illusionist, The Rogue, during the final performance of his Mystique Rogue tour in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, in the ensuing struggle, a stage light exploded, killing Princess Yasmeen and severely injuring the Prince himself. It is not known at this time what the damages are to Mr. Hamadi’s body as he has been swept away to a secured medical facility.
“Rumors have been running rampant which speculate The Rogue’s manager, a Mr. Sam Lodina, is also under arrest. But phone calls to his office were not returned. The Rogue, instead, gave a public statement saying he has been saddened by the events which occurred during one of his performances. He also praised the quick thinking of his personal security team as they helped to calm the audience and keep things from getting out of hand. The person in charge of his security detail, a Ms. Carmen Marshall, collapsed with exhaustion after working nonstop to co-ordinate the final hours of the show and the questions from law enforcement. He also stated The Mystique tour will be delayed for three months, out of respect for the late Princess Yasmeen.”
The anchor’s voice comes over the speakers, “Peggy, any word on how Sheik Hamadi is taking all this?”
After a pause, the reporter addressed the camera, “Well, Bob, it turns out the Sheik is co-operating fully with local authorities. He is not believed to be involved in any way with his son’s sadistic and brutal trade. However, he has been attempting to work with everyone in question to rectify the wrongs which have been done. We can only hope all those who have been victimized in this horrible nightmare will find peace. This is Peggy Taylor, reporting from outside the FBI field office in Las Vegas. Back to you in the studio, Bob.”
Click
Carmen set down the remote on the coffee table and leaned back on her couch, gingerly holding her head. What had been a blinding migraine two days ago, had finally tapered off so she could actually have lights on in the house again. After Bast had knocked her out, Isis had teleported her back to her home and stayed with her until she had awakened. As a thank you gift from Anubis, Bast, Isis and Ma’at, the place had been fully stocked with her favorite food. Bast went one further and had taken care of all her bills for the next thirty years. Now all she had to do was relax and get rid of the last of the psychic backlash before heading back to work with Sean and Duncan.
“Now then. We are alone,” A familiar voice spoke from the shadows. “Tell me how a mere mortal like yourself could remove an amulet only a god or goddess should have been able to remove.”
Turning her head, Carmen smiled in the direction the voice had come from. “It’s simple, Anubis.” A swift intake of breath caused her to crack an eyelid and arch an eyebrow. “Caught you, didn’t I?” She chuckled. “It’s actually simple. You deity types don’t stay very long in this mortal realm to understand what goes on. Every person has the ability to become a god or goddess in their own right. It doesn’t really happen, but when you give credence to something, it becomes what people believe in.”
Anubis tilted his head slightly as he emerged from the shadows to sit in one of her chairs. He had retained his human form, which was a non-descript man with dark brown skin and black eyes. If anything seemed out of place with him, it would have been the sharp canine teeth and the slightly curled tail which was carefully positioned off to one side. “I don’t understand your reasoning.”
Carmen sat up, groaning as her head protested the movement. “Look, it’s simple. You and your people live on the worship of your followers, right? And when you aren’t worshiped, the paeans not sung, the offering bowls and incense aren’t there, you fade away, right?”
“Yes.”
“Think about what happens when a mere mortal allows him or herself to be worshiped as a deity. If someone is set up as a god or goddess by even one or two people, then they become a belief in their eyes. And if they are named a goddess, would it not stand to reason this would be enough to remove the amulet from someone’s neck?”
His eyes sparkled. “Trust a mortal to find the logic and the loophole in this sort of situation.” He chuckled, then leaned forward to put his elbows on his soft cotton pants. “Actually, it was my own curiosity which got the better of me. The real reason I came…”
Ma’at appeared just behind Anubis to thump him on the head. “You’re as curious as Bast when you want to be.” She grinned. “The real reason he was supposed to show up was to see how you were doing and to give you the good news.”
Carmen arched an eyebrow. “I have a feeling I need to stay sitting down. But as soon as I get rid of this monster headache, and make arrangements, I’m heading back to Vegas.”
Both of them looked at each other, then Anubis tilted his head, “Why ever would you want to go back to there? They don’t even serve decent Sushi there.”
“I’ve got a job to finish up and I need to check with my dad and see how he’s doing.” She squinted at the two of them. “And if you were in the mood for Sushi, you should have looked to the side street off of the main drag and looked for Natsume’s Sushi Grill. Besides, I’ve got to dream up a reason why my eyes have suddenly gone tiger like, and I’ve got two men who need me to keep them out of trouble.” She felt her face flush as she thought of the two men in her life.
“Well, Bast is kind of busy, but she sent word to tell you all three of you will be able to shift at will, with all the goodies involved.” Ma’at shook her raven black hair out of her eyes. “She also says if you don’t get your butt over to Scotland and kick two certain men out of their doldrums, she’ll turn Duncan back into a real tiger for the rest of his life.” She winked. “And before you start worrying too much about your dad, call your boss first. He showed up on her doorstep when you disappeared, ready to kick ass and take names despite his injuries.”
Rage boiled in her body at the memory of the video tape. “How badly, guys? I know what they did t
o him in a video tape. Not to mention they sent me his severed finger with his personal ring on it. So don’t gloss it over.”
When the Goddess hesitated, Anubis took over, “He is healing, Carmen. Our helpers fixed most of the damage, but his mind was too strong for us to entirely change things, so we left him alone. His memories of where things were in the place of horrors helped rescue several others in the process.”
Carmen sighed. “He’s a strong man. He just needs to find someone to be with.” Standing, she made her way over to the kitchen. “Is there anything you two can do about this damned headache? Or do I ruin a good bottle of Glenmorange gaining a hangover instead of a cure. Better yet, I’ve got some butterscotch toffee coffee which should do the trick.” Poking her head back around the corner to the living room. “Not being too rude or anything, but are you hungry? Do either of you want anything?” She glared at Anubis as he opened his mouth, “You say Sushi and I’ll give you a rawhide chew toy where you really don’t want me to. I hate raw fish and, to me at least, wasabe paste is nuclear waste turned into something which only the truly brave would stomach”
They both shook their heads and Ma’at laughed outright. “No, we’re fine, and I think my friend here would rather not have a chew toy. He’s got too many laying around the house as it is.”
“Ma’at! You weren’t supposed to tell!” The offended yelp made Carmen smile.
Walking over to Carmen, Ma’at placed a hand on either side of her head and hummed a couple notes. “Your headache should be gone and you have a first class reservation on British Airways flight 2403 at 8 pm tomorrow at the Denver Airport. Take your snowboard and go make sure those two love struck men don’t get away from you. They need someone to keep them out of trouble.” She grinned.
Ma’at stepped back and the two deities disappeared into thin air, leaving her gaping at the info. “Don’t ya just love it when they pop in and out?” She muttered to herself, then tossed a hamburger into the microwave and started the coffee brewing.
Only silence answered her question as she went back to the front room, amazed her head did, indeed, feel better. Not one ache or pain remained. Sitting down, she grabbed her laptop and tap tapped in a request for a video conference. While she waited, she browsed the Internet for other news on The Rogue and his best friend, Duncan. All of it corroborated the news story she saw a few minutes ago. The story was the same in different countries. People who were missing suddenly showing up at friends, parents, or relatives homes with the same type of story and the same results. From what she could tell, the shit was really hitting the fan. Prime ministers, priests, important cabinet members, and even one woman placed high in the People’s Republic of China have been taken into custody for their actions.
With a beep and a click later, Carmen got the shock of her life. Daria Randall and her dad were sitting side by side. She was dressed a bathrobe, he in nothing but a pair of jeans and slippers. She could feel her jaw drop to the desk. “Dad?!? What in hell?” She looked at both of them, then switched the view to the big screen so she could see them both better. “Okay, it’s only been three days. What in hell have I missed?” She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to know.” She ran a hand over her face.
Laughing, Daria answered her. “You never told me how handsome your dad was, Carmen.” She shook her head. “Don’t worry, I won’t spill the details because I know it would embarrass you. Now, do you want the update or not?”
“Hi hon.” Her dad spoke softly, “Don’t get too up in arms. Everything will be fine. The team’s okay and we’ve all been put on sort of an ‘inactive until we feel damn good and ready to come back’ list. When we couldn’t find you, I asked around to get Miss Randall’s name.” He blushed. “And... well...”
Laughing, Carmen took a sip of coffee. “Okay, I can see where this is going. Daria, give me the updates and let me know how my team turned out? After this, I’m going to sleep for the rest of the night and hop a flight to Scotland tomorrow evening.”
Both of them stared at her as if she had grown second head. “Your contract has ended, Carmen. Don’t tell me you’ve gone and…” a light dawned in in Daria’s eyes. “Well, Well.” she teased. “Seems the bug has bitten you too.”
“Don’t you dare start, Daria,” she growled, “Or else I’ll tell dad about your fetish.”
Predictably, her dad looked at Daria, “What Fetish?”
“The one she has about fantasizing about Dorian Gra-”
“Carmen!” She blushed dark crimson. “Don’t you dare spill my little secret!” Ignoring David Marshall’s intense gaze, she reached for a stack of papers. “Your team is currently enjoying a hiatus. It seems both The Rogue and Sheik Hamadi posted huge bonuses to each member of your team and you. They’ve all checked in from various vacation spots and the general consensus is... Don’t bother us until we come up for air.”
She laughed. “Which sounds typical for all of them. Lemme guess. Logan and Michelle are spending it together and The Twins are going their separate ways for a while.”
At Daria’s shocked expression, David put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s learned from the best, Daria. You work with a team long enough, you can actually predict what’s going to happen.” He winked at his daughter. “Just like I know you’re going back to Scotland to keep those two men out of trouble, not just because of business.”
“Dad…” She groaned. “You make me sound like I’m sneaking off to...” She shut her mouth with an audible snap. “Never mind.”
Laughing, David and Daria leaned into each other and shared a brief kiss.
Carmen waved a hand over her eyes. “I’m blind! I’m blind! Daria, shut off the camera before my brain explodes. Visuals like this are something I don’t need to see.”
“Okay, Carmen. You go enjoy your much needed rest and here’s a hint.” She leaned towards the camera and mock whispered, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. And if you do, don’t get caught.” She winked. “If you do get caught, have an alibi and deny everything.” With those words of wisdom, Daria hit the disconnect button.
******
She stood at the top of a snow capped hill above Sean’s mansion. Her entire body quivered with the need to just walk through the front door and drag those two men into the nearest bedroom and fuck them silly. The urge was so painful, she almost called them up to tell them to get naked. Instead, she had hiked up to the top of the hill with her snowboard and was about to make the grandest entrance of her life.
After going to sleep a week ago, her dreams had been plagued with both men rubbing their naked bodies over her, teasing and tormenting her. Even now, Carmen could feel their fingers touching places under her clothes, making her wet. Growling in frustration, she locked her feet on the board and kicked off. The snow covered hillside was pristine except for the tracks where she’d hiked out from the Red Aurochs for this little suprise.
As she gained speed, cold wind helped, but it wasn’t enough to cool her off completely. The closer she got to the mansion, the tension inside her mounted. She maneuvered around trees, she feeling as if someone had slid a nice hard cock into her. With each twitch of her muscles and each turn, it thrust deeper into her, rubbing up against the secret places inside, making her moan. As she went low on the board, a second cock slipped into her from behind, filling both holes, causing her to scream in pleasure as she worked her way around the snow line, down towards the wall, and the ramp she had built there.
Soon, Carmen started bouncing as the invisible cocks began thrusting into her. Harder and faster, until her trip down the hill was awash in a bliss of pleasure and narrow misses with trees. The tension built until the exact moment she hit the ramp and exploded upwards. The adrenaline rush, combined with the invisible cocks thrusting deeply into her, triggered a massive orgasm had her screaming her release to the skies. Grabbing the edge of the snowboard for balance, she arched herself to the sky.
Unfortunately, everything which goes up, has to come down. And down
she came, making an almost perfect landing in the courtyard. Almost, because of the stone caught the edge of her board and sent her slamming into the ice and cobblestones of the walkway. Her left leg gave out with an audible snap of the lower leg bone. Pain and fading pleasure produced one unexpected bonus. She was unconscious before she started to scream.
*****
Hours later, Carmen was blessedly naked and tucked into bed with a couple equally naked men, one on either side of her. They had been responsible for the psychic sex and largely the reason why her left leg was in a cast from hip to foot. Seems not only was her shin bone broken, her femur got cracked in the process. Through the haze of painkillers, she looked at them. “Do either of you actually know how stunning you both look together? And you’re all mine.”
Duncan raised up onto one elbow. “Really?” The only hints he still retained his shape shifting abilities were the slightly elongated teeth and the kitty cat eyes, something about changing forms too many times. “I thought it was you who was special and stunning.” He looked at the cast and chuckled.
“You know, you could just shift and heal it instantly.”
Sean nibbled on her shoulder. “Let's just not do the shifting thing until she's fully able to do it right. Besides,” A wicked glint brightened his own feline eyes, “We get you all to ourselves to pamper and take care of until the cast comes off.”
Carmen ignored the heat pooling in her middle and glanced at the two men. “Speaking of shape shifting, I believe you two owe me an explanation.”
Duncan opened his mouth, but Sean beat him to it, “Shape shifters have been around for many years, but the bloodline is so extremely rare, generations can pass before a full shifter is born. Duncan and I were best friends and, because he was able to shift and I wasn’t, we were kept apart by our community. Something about not trusting Duncan not to go feral was the usual excuse.”
Duncan took up the story, “They did a C-section on my mother when I was born because father learned of her heritage and beat her severely. The trauma forced the change on me inside the womb.” He hung his head, “She died giving me a name and a legacy I never wanted.”