by Hickory Mack
“That’s unacceptable and paints you in an incredibly untrustworthy light. We were promised that this chain would be undone in one week. The wolf is a bystander in all this, another one of your victims. He goes free,” Elsie growled. General Mark looked over at Grant in amusement.
“You certainly wouldn’t catch me going back on an agreement with a reaper,” Mark chuckled. Elsie decided she might have liked him... if he weren’t one of the scumbags running this place.
“There is no intention of going back on our word. The wolf will go free. Think of it as an incentive to help us finish this mission as quickly as possible. By the time we return, the mage will be here waiting,” Grant said.
“This person is expected to wait outside in the woods until we get back? Do you guys have a safehouse set up nearby? Because it doesn’t seem to me as though you have things very organized for those who will be stuck Earthside while I’m not around to open the gate for them,” Elsie replied.
“We will have someone in position to make sure he is comfortable until our return,” General Mark assured her.
“His freedom is not a carrot I’m willing to have dangled in front of us to get us to do what you want. There was supposed to be a resolution when we arrived. It’s already been pushed back a week, and now you’re attempting to push it back a second time. Do you think I’m an idiot?” Elsie demanded. “You haven’t even told me what it is we’re hunting.”
“I think this one will be more of a challenge than you’ve ever faced before,” General Mark said with a broad grin. “We’ve found a six-tailed fox capable of leaving a demon mark on a child for three weeks without laying a finger on her. It’s taken years of careful observation and coercion of the neighboring lords, but we’re finally in position to take him.”
Frost’s eyes lit up with interest, but Elsie found herself shaking her head before even thinking about it. “A fox with six tails? Do you guys have some kind of death wish? He’s one tail away from being a demigod,” she complained.
“You actually are a demigoddess, are you not?” Grant scoffed. “In our meetings, it’s always one of the things most brought up as a positive of having a reaper around in spite of the cost and trouble. You lot are powerful, making you perfect for situations like these.”
“That’s not the point! I’m young. My magic hasn’t had time to mature! I don’t have the power to take on a kitsune on my own. Foxes are dangerous, and one with that many tails will be powerful. He’d be a lord, an actual Demon Lord, by the demons’ standards, not ours. I wouldn’t have agreed to this had anyone been upfront about what he was,” she seethed.
“That’s kind of the point behind why we withheld the information,” Grant said. “We know it’s dangerous. That’s why we’ve gone to such lengths to ensure his capture will go our way. You won’t be involved in the encounter or fight before he is brought to subjugation. We’ll take care of that. You just have to keep him contained until we get him back here.”
“I need time to think about this,” Elsie said. She was pissed. This was so far beyond anything she’d expected, she could barely stop her hands from shaking with anger.
“Take all the time you need, but it doesn’t matter. You’ll be coming with us whether you approve of our tactics or not,” Commander Grant stated, surveying the activity around them. “Everyone’s in. Close the gate. Oh, and Commander? Make sure you’re ready to go by this time tomorrow.”
Elsie jumped down from the truck and stalked to the gate, cursing Grant, his mother, and every ancestor in his line for a thousand years. Frost was on her heels, his mouth open in a wolfie grin. The Staff of Sanaia materialized as she walked. Not yet in its scythe form, the head of the staff was about a foot taller than she was.
She walked through the gate, putting her on the Earth’s side. Looking back in, she gave a single-finger salute, smirking at the sour look on Grant’s face. She twirled the staff as the scythe slid into place, then slammed the gate closed.
Chapter 23
“Wren?!” she called immediately, whirling around to find a wide open space in place of the encampment. The hunters had left nothing but their tracks behind. Elsie gripped the pendant the spirit had given her and jogged back toward the woods where she’d last seen her white-haired lover.
“That didn’t take long,” Wren said from behind her. Elsie turned to Wren’s smiling face as the spirit threw herself into her arms. She snuggled close, and Elsie kissed the top of her head, right between her antlers. Frost grumbled at the pair and disappeared into the woods with Frida in tow, probably to hunt down some unfortunate little demon for a snack.
“The hunters are terrible.” She shuddered, letting Wren hold her tight. “I don’t know how long I can put up with them.” The spirit made her sit down so she could cradle the reaper in her lap, and Elsie quickly summarized everything she’d learned. Wren petted her, listening intently, her face growing darker the longer Elsie spoke.
“I will accompany you on this trip, and there’s nothing they can do to stop me. As long as you are on this side of that gate, I will be with you. I don’t know of any six-tailed foxes in the North, but I won’t let you face this alone,” Wren said. She stole a kiss, leaning into it, but pulled away before Elsie could get herself too worked up.
“Did your mother teach you time manipulation?” Wren asked suddenly.
“Yes. I can temporarily stop time, and I can take it back a few minutes. It’s not something I’ve really practiced, but I am capable,” Elsie answered. Wren kissed her again then wrapped her arms around the reaper’s shoulders.
“You need to practice every day, no slacking,” she insisted. Elsie’s brows knitted together.
“But why?”
“It’s best to have all of your abilities honed anyway, but it could help us when it’s time to leave the hunters behind. You could give us a head start. I know you can’t jump, but how skilled are you at opening portals within the same world?” Wren asked.
“I’ve never done anything like that,” Elsie admitted. “My mother was more focused on teaching me the rules for keeping the karmic balance and the mechanics of safely opening a door into another dimension. Mostly, we focused on the things she decided were important for reaping. We didn’t take the time to deal with anything else. Do my sisters know how to do it?”
“I don’t make a habit of spending time with your siblings. Other ethereal creatures can do it, however. It is not like jumping, which allows you to defy physics and travel at an accelerated pace. It is also not like what I do, which is more of a slide through space. What you can do is almost like when you create a fissure between dimensions, but you are staying on the same plane of existence,” Wren explained.
Elsie chewed on her thumbnail. It sounded like something that would need a lot of practice and concentration. Probably more like a gate than a connection. If she was staying in the same dimension on the same planet, she’d be forcing her way through rather than going where the connection point led. It wasn’t a magic she’d known existed, but if Wren said it did, she’d work on figuring it out.
“I think it’s fair to say you’ll have to practice being more subtle yet more forceful with your magic to figure it out. Work on this every day, too. There may come a time very soon when you’ll need this ability. You would have found the mages far quicker were you to know this,” Wren reminded her.
“Sure, I would have found them sooner, but then I would have passed right by you. We wouldn’t have found each other,” Elsie replied, releasing her thumb and tilting her chin, asking for more kisses. Wren obliged, pressing their lips together for only a moment.
“We would have found each other eventually,” the spirit told her between kisses. “There’s one more thing you must do.”
“What is it?”
“You have a rudimentary understanding of the Staff of Sanaia and how it works, but she should be handled with finesse and grace. You handle her a bit like a caveman, banging around with a club. She is a fine tool, with o
pinions all her own. Begin practicing with her every day.”
“The staff is cognizant? That’s kind of creepy, but good to know. Should I also meditate, balance my chakras, drink a full gallon of water, and only eat the freshest fruits and vegetables?” Elsie teased. Wren fixed her with a fake scowl before taking another kiss.
“Yes. Do all of that.”
“You may have to pick which ones are most important. I don’t think the hunters are going to give me enough time to do all those things for myself. And I’ll be spending my days off with you, but it’s only eight hours of your time,” she lamented, gasping when Wren raked her teeth down her throat.
“I don’t care what those hunters want you to be doing; this is more pressing. I suppose we can work on balancing your chakras later, but meditate when you can. It’s good for the soul. Drink the water and practice all three of those things every day,” the spirit ordered, biting Elsie’s shoulder before tenderly licking the same spot then soothing it with a kiss.
“I’ll do it, but only to make you feel better,” Elsie whispered, shivering when her lover bit her again.
“Do you want to please me?” Wren asked right before sucking gently on the skin behind her earlobe. Elsie closed her eyes, gripping Wren’s waist.
“Yes.”
“Then do as I ask of you,” Wren said, suddenly serious. “It is important that you master these skills.”
Taken aback by the change in the spirit’s demeanor, Elsie nodded, her eyes wide. She’d do anything Wren asked of her. “I will.”
“Good. We’ll practice with the staff right now then. For an hour. Then you have to go back and learn more about what the plan is. Make them tell you every step. Take your elixir like a good little reaper, and get some sleep,” Wren ordered. Elsie smirked. Not one of her lovers had ever been so bold as to boss her around, and she kind of liked it.
She quirked an eyebrow. “You’ll have to get off me if I’m going to practice.”
“Maybe it can wait a few minutes,” Wren said, smiling. She traced a finger over the seal markings on Elsie’s throat, tugging at the collar of her robe to continue down her chest.
“Minutes?” Elsie pouted.
“I can make it happen,” Wren said cockily, and Elsie snorted at her. She wasn’t the type to be satisfied so quickly.
“Prove it.”
Wren adjusted herself so she was straddling her, then bent down until her mouth brushed against Elsie’s ear. “You are not allowed to come until I tell you to,” she whispered, her hands already wandering, her breath shortening to match the movements.
“I’m not allowed?” Elsie asked, confused. She thought the point was trying to get there as fast as possible.
“No matter how good I make you feel,” Wren purred, taking Elsie’s hand and setting it on her hip. “You will not come. If you do, I’ll be cross with you.”
Elsie growled, the sound softening into a gasp as Wren dropped into her lap. The spirit arched her back, plastering her stomach against Elsie’s, then reached down and took the robe away again. Neatly folded, it now lay next to them.
“That’s so fucking convenient,” the reaper praised, and Wren chuckled. She pushed Elsie down to the ground, then yanked down the tight shorts she was wearing under the robe. Pushing her top up, the spirit’s head dipped down, wrapping her lips around a nipple while her hand explored the insides of Elsie’s thighs.
“I love the sounds you make,” Wren praised when Elsie gave another breathy little gasp. The reaper dug her hands into the spirit’s loose hair, curling it into a fist then releasing it, running her fingers through the silky strands. Wren smiled and tilted her head, letting some of that hair slip across the sensitive skin on Elsie’s stomach.
She moaned, immediately rewarded by a redoubling of Wren’s efforts, teeth replacing the lips on her nipple, nipping and grazing at it until the tip hardened and peaked. The spirit’s hand left her thigh, moving to rub and torment her pubic bone, but something as soft as sin brushed across the place her hand had abandoned. Elsie couldn’t see what it was, but that extra touch heightened every sensation.
Wren was everywhere at once, and all Elsie could think about was her. Her back arched in reaction to the hand on her pelvis, and Wren settled over her with a smile.
“Do you like this?” she asked, grinding her pelvic bone against Elsie’s clit.
“Yes,” Elsie gasped out. Wren kept grinding, her mouth moving up to the reaper’s throat while her hands continuously moved. The soft thing brushing along her thighs moved higher, tickling along her labia and twirling around the opening of her pussy. Elsie whimpered again, grinding in time with her lover.
When she reached Elsie’s ear, she whispered, “Do you want me inside of you?”
“Fuck, yes. Yes,” she whimpered, her nerve endings prickling with desire. Wren sat back, and the soft thing curled around from behind her back to tickle along the sensitive skin of her abdomen. The damned spirit had acquired a long springy cat’s tail, just for this.
Two of Wren’s fingers teased while she ground against her reaper until Elsie was writhing, grasping at her lover’s hips.
“Show me what you want,” Wren encouraged, and Elsie tilted her hips, making every grind of the spirit’s pelvis linger a second longer. “Do you want me?”
“I want you,” Elsie keened, and Wren’s fingers slipped inside of her. The spirit wasted no time; she rubbed and explored, using Elsie’s reactions as her guide, until she found the most sensitive spot on the reaper’s inner wall. She gave her a devilish grin and added a third finger, twisting her hand around so her knuckles grazed against that spot, driving Elsie crazy.
“Not until I say,” she reminded her, and Elsie whined, her face crumpling and her breath coming in hot little gasps. Heat built with the friction, and Elsie needed so badly to let go.
“Please, Wren,” she begged. “Earth Goddess, please.”
“Are you going to be a good girl?” Wren asked, those bright blue eyes catching Elsie’s pale grays.
“Yes, I swear, I’ll do whatever you want me to,” she promised. Wren bit her lower lip, barely covering a triumphant smile.
“Come for me, Elspeth,” she commanded, pumping her fingers two more times until Elsie’s pussy clenched around her. She came with a gush of liquid heat and a desperate scream. Without missing a beat, Wren licked her fingers clean then buried her face between Elsie’s thighs, drinking down every last drop.
“Wren…” Elsie moaned. Her already sensitive clit was under attack. The spirit licked and twirled, sucking and humming and nipping, all while her hands grasped Elsie’s ass, pulling her in closer. “I can’t—”
Although the second orgasm was gentler, it came much faster, leaving Elsie gasping for air. Wren folded her arms over her reaper’s belly and rested her chin on them with a self-satisfied smile. She didn’t say ‘I told you so,’ but she didn’t have to. That look in her sparkling eyes said it all.
“That must be the kind of sex that makes people get a name tattooed on their body. Holy shit, Wren. You are talented,” Elsie praised when she could speak in more than a two-word sentence.
“One doesn’t live as long as we have without learning how to please a woman,” Wren laughed, then she raised her eyebrows. “Your poor demon will never live up to the expectations I will set for you.”
Elsie rolled her eyes and petted the spirit’s hair. “You leave Saint alone. I have every confidence he will be amazing.”
“We’ll see. Remember, I’ll always be around to finish you off if he leaves anything… wanting,” Wren teased.
“You have a mean streak,” Elsie chided, and the spirit shrugged.
Wren pouted. “We’re moody. After waiting all this time to find you, I have to share you with someone else, and not just him. The entire fucking hunter organization is standing in our way, and we’re not allowed to destroy them because they have the elixir. I want to steal you away and hide you in a cave somewhere no one will ever find you.”
“You would destroy the hunters for me?” Elsie asked, batting her eyelashes.
“I would. Once the key balances the Earth element, it’ll be easy,” Wren said, a cold look in her eye. “You’re mine, and the rest of the world should know it.”
“How do you propose we make that happen?” Elsie asked, and Wren sat up suddenly. She held out her hand, and the staff appeared in her hand.
“First, I cover you in my scent so it’s obvious to anyone who comes anywhere near you. Second, we train, so you have all the tools you need to get the fuck out of there as soon as it’s safe.” She stood and walked to the center of the clearing where the encampment had been.
“Are you going to give me a demonstration?” Elsie questioned, propping herself up on her elbows. Wren closed her eyes, and the staff became a silver bow, delicate and fine. With a twist of her wrist, it became an axe, with a heavy wooden handle and an iron blade. Curving it in a wide arc, it became the scythe, longer and deadlier than any it had ever become in Elsie’s hands.
She struggled into her shorts, never once taking her eyes off of Wren’s movements. The spirit brought the weapon down, and it was a hand-and-a-half bastard sword. It was jabbed forward as Wren’s feet moved in a dance with an invisible opponent. She whirled in an unbelievably fast circle, her hair flying around her, and when she faced Elsie once more, she held a pair of curved scimitars.
While it flashed from one weapon to the next, the look on Wren’s face was serene, but there was an undercurrent of frustration nestled right between her brow. It took on the form of a spear, and the spirit hurled it toward Elsie, who caught it, turning her body with the momentum to keep from being thrown off balance.
“How did you get silver to come out of it?” she questioned, looking at the weapon in her hand then at her lover with renewed respect.
“That weapon is a representation of all the elements. Everything is already inside of it. Silver to represent the light moon, copper to represent the red, obsidian for the dark. Rowan and iron for the Earth, gold for the sun, and ruby for fire. There’s even cobalt, contributed by Shoryo, the water element. When it’s wielded by one it has accepted as its master, the Staff of Sanaia is a weapon of magic, a tool for peace. It’s beautiful,” Wren told her.