by LK Kelley
Gem looked down when she felt Lola at her feet. Lola was being very quiet, and peeking into the room just like Gem. Lola lifted her head, and stared at Gem. Then, the two of them looked back into the crack. Whatever was happening, it was terribly important. At least, it sure seemed that way!
The beauty reached touched Jaxx's face, and planted a kiss on his lips, while her hands stroked his chest! What a bitch! Gem tried to separate her feelings from her logic, but it was too hard. Worse? It took all she had to not burst into the room, and kill her with her bare hands! Bringing herself to a surprised stance, she wondered where that thought came from, because she had never had a desire to kill anyone! E-VER! Whoa!
“Jaxx, surely you have not forgotten that you gave me permission to enter any of your wards whenever I so desired? Remember? It was after sex the second time?”
Gem had to stop herself from running to the room, and slamming her fist into that pretty face of hers! Why was she so passionate about this? Still, Gem managed to bite her tongue, and continued to listen. Better to get all the ammunition that he could get, before she flew off the handle!
Jaxx's anger narrowed his eyes as he jerked her hands away from his torso when she slid her hand closer to his crotch. He pushed her away – violently to the point where she stumbled backward, and the man caught her.
Hmmm. The man. He looked...evil. Gem couldn't think of another description! His hair was also coal black and almost glowed with a sheen. It was slicked back so tightly, Gem wondered if it hurt! Letting her eyes travel up and down his torso, he was very thin. He had to be no less than six-feet, eight inches tall. He had the strangest eyes she had ever seen. They tilted just slightly up, and his eyelashes and brows were also coal black. But, his eyes were the color of a bright blue. A stark contrast to the beauty standing beside him.
A huge crack startled Gem, bringing her back to the conversation going on inside. She peeked, and saw a huge, red hand appearing on the left side of Delinear’s face. Gem had to hold back her laughter, but she still couldn't stop the huge grin that appeared on her face, because Jaxx has just slapped the naked woman!
“That’s showing her!” Gem almost giggled out loud, but caught herself in time.
Delinear stared at Jaxx in shock. It was apparent that she never believed he would strike her. Her! Delinear of the Anaerris! The most beautiful woman in the Universe, self-proclaimed, of course, and he had struck her? Her face screwed up in anger, and when she screamed, she sure sounded like a...like a...Gem tried to think of the right word.
“Banshee!” That was the word, Gem thought! She screamed just like a Banshee!
“You son of a bitch!” Delinear yelled at him.
“Yeah? Well, I'd rather be the son of one than one!” Jaxx said to her.
Behind him, Taylor and Stan roared out loud while Rick just grinned big, and Stacey bent over holding her stomach as she laughed, because it hurt so much!
Gem almost laughed out loud, too. She pumped her fist into the air and mimed “YES!”, but she managed to keep silent. A little sound came from Lola, and strangely, it sounded like a giggling snort!
Delinear lunged at with him with claws extended only to be jerked backward, landing on her ass – again, which just elicited another silent laugh from Gem, as well as out and out laughter of her friends.
“ENOUGH!” the tall man shouted, his voice causing the entire building to shake. “I will not tolerate this any longer! The Council met, and it was decided that you have had enough time, and that two extra months would not make a difference. Therefore, you are recalled to the Council of Ages to address us and to explain why you have not completed the task that was assigned to you!”
Jaxx narrowed his eyes. Finally! They were caught in their own lie! He had dreamed of this happening for eons, and now, thanks to the warning from Kulana and Baerra he had mentally received a few moments ago about the approaching coup, confirmed everything he and the others had suspected. Jaxx had little time to prepare for what he would say, so he decided that the best thing to do at the moment was bluff.
“No,” Jaxx snorted.
Silence greeted Eloran, and the others dropped their mouths in shock. Jaxx was defying them? No one defied Eloran! When his voice finally returned, he ground out the words in what was meant to be authoritative, but in reality, it came out stunned and shocked with a high squeaky voice.
“What?” Eloran squeaked. “You dare defy the Council of Ages? You know the penalty for this! And, still, under penalty of death, you defy the Council?”
“No. I defy only four Council members, Eloran.” Jaxx pointed to all of those standing before him, and snickered at the one still sitting on her butt.
“How dare you!” Delinear yelled as she jumped to her feet. She was at Eloran's side in an instant opening her mouth to speak. Before she could get any words out of her mouth, Jaxx beat her to it.
“Of course, I dare. Have you forgotten the agreement signed by each of you? The one I have right here in my pocket?” he bluffed, patting his back, blue jean pocket.
“What agreement? We never signed an agreement,” said Imaerra.
“Excuse me? There was no signed agreement, therefore, we can recall you!” Eloran agreed.
“Really? Well, isn't that interesting, Taylor?” Jaxx asked, pulling paperwork and waving it in the air.
“Sure is, Jaxx! You showed us that document when you first appeared in town, to identify yourself, and your reason for being here!” Taylor bluffed right along with him.
“Hey,” Stan began, “isn't that the document you showed me when I was in the middle of a car job?”
Taylor, and Stacy snickered at Stan's comment.
Stacy couldn't help it. It just popped out of her mouth!
“Well, it was a job, but it was a bit private even if it was under the car!” she laughed, hearing Jaxx and Stan snicker even more. Taylor let out a huge, hearty laugh grabbing her sides in laughter. “And, you, my dear, couldn't take the time – uh – you were too busy to read it, so Jaxx showed it to me,” Stacey grinned. “He was very patient, and when I stopped 'helping' you and crawled out from under the car, I saw it myself!”
“That's right! I was a bit too 'busy', my love,” he said, trying to keep from laughing. “I had no idea that Jaxx had shown it to you?”
“He sure did!” she responded with slightly narrowed eyes crinkled with amusement, telling him she knew he was trying to keep from laughing at the lie.
Rick was just standing there with a huge smile on his face. He nodded agreement.
“I saw it as well,” he offered, noting the bluff, but not giving it away.
Jaxx nodded in satisfaction as his friends backed him up on the lie.
“So, as you see, I have the proof, and three witnesses who saw the document that I was given by Kulana. Do you really want to go so far as to call her a liar?” Jaxx asked. Eloran and Delinear said nothing, but scowled. They knew it was a bluff, but they couldn't prove it. “Good. That's settled. I have two more months to find that damn book – by law! I will report no findings, until I stand before all ten of the members of the Council as I said earlier. Is. That. Clear?” He enunciated all three words.
“Bullshit! I will believe no word of an Onaerris!” Delinear sneered, while ignoring Eloran's frown. No. She didn't believe him any more than any other Onaerris. Or Anaerris, for that matter! She was the only one she could trust!
“But, you are Anaerris, and Stan is Onaerris. Does that mean that you would call him a liar?” Jaxx's eyes narrowed in danger. “If so, then your little group is in serious trouble, and the Council will know.”
His look had terrified everyone, but Delinear was not phased one iota. She continued.
“I do not care whether Stan is Onaerris or not! Anyone who stands together against us is our enemy!” she yelled.
That was all Jaxx needed to hear!
“You have just admitted your own intentions, and have betrayed the Council. I assure you that Kulana will have my re
port today!” Then, he finished. “Delinear, here this, and heed my words! I hereby revoke my invitation to you in any domicile in which I reside from this point forward and forever! And, it includes this current location! You understand the consequences if you dare try to stay! You are no longer welcome here, so I suggest you get your fat ass out of my home, now, or you will burn.”
Taylor laughed. “Good one, Jaxx!!” and she and Stacy knuckled bumped each other.
“You cannot revoke my right,” she demanded, ignoring the others. “It is impossible!”
“Can I not? That is not true, and you know it. There's always a loop-hole, and you just invoked it! Because you have called me a liar, you are no longer a friend. You have also told me that I am your enemy, making you mine, and thus, unwelcome,” he told her. “You'd better leave, before you begin burning, Delinear.”
Delinear waited a few moments, then laughed heartily when nothing happened. Jaxx was about to wonder why it didn't work, when Eloran began to slightly double over in pain.
“See? I am still important to you, or you revocation would have worked, Jaxx!” she laughed.
Jaxx walked over to the fireplace, and stood with his feet spread, and his massive arms thrown across his chest. He showed no expression. He was clearly waiting for something.
Suddenly, Eloran screamed so loud, Gem had to put her hands over her ears! Gem shifted her eyes over to him, and saw that his skin was glowing bright red, and tiny jets of flame covered his body, and he faded away. Following, each butt-ass Council member, in turn, began to scream as they faded into nothing.
“You have not heard the last of this,!” screamed Delinear as her body caught fire, and she, too, faded out of sight.
Jaxx let out the first, real, laugh he had had in at least eight thousand years!
~ 10 ~
“Nothing so satisfying as being able to put a bitch in her place!” ~ Jaxx
Followed by the others, their laughter reverberated throughout the house, and it was like a cleansing that it had been craving. Taylor was wiping tears from her cheeks that had found an escape route from her eyes. Stan was laughing uproariously, while Stacey lay down on the sofa, because she was laughing so hard. Rick stood at the fireplace with a huge grin on his face, and tried to hold back his own laughter, which was unsuccessful, of course!
No one knowing that she was out in the hall, Gem sank down on the floor, laughing hilariously as quietly as she could, while Lola fell on her back, and quietly snickered with little pug snorts beside her. There was something so damn satisfying hearing Jaxx put those Council Members in their place! Especially when that bitch couldn’t believe that Jaxx would not take back his “invitation”.
As the laughter calmed, and Taylor spoke – well, correction. She stammered and stuttered through her laughter.
“I-I c-c-can't b-b-believe that you put D-Delinear in her place, Jaxxon!” Taylor said gasping between giggles.
“Yeah. What she s-s-said,” Stacey laughed while pointing at Taylor. “B-but s-sl-slapping Delinear? OMG! That was the best freaking moment E-ver! Why didn’t we get that on Video? Talk about priceless!”
“Jaxx,” Rick began, “what the hell ever prompted you to ever want that bitch?”
Jaxx's eyebrows went up at the question. What should he say? It was her body, and the sex was awesome? Because that was the only reason that he could remember. And, he had to admit, now, that the thought that he had been inside her body made him sick to his stomach!
“Oh, come on, Rick! Don't tell me that if you had a chance, you'd take a piece of that body. She was always offering it to Jaxx! I mean...she had it bad for him back then!” Stan commented.
Rick looked at Taylor's narrowed eyes, grinned, then answered Stan.
“Stan, if any woman, bitch or not, had offered me that body, then, yeah. I'd take it! It's not my problem if the cow offered the milk free!” Rick hooted loudly.
Taylor glared at her mate, but it didn't hold, because his statement was so like a man! She doubled over as she broke into another bout of laughter.
Jaxx slapped Rick on the back, and laughed with everyone else.
“Cow! “he laughed. “But, why go around insulting bovines?” he added.
Laughter rose even louder, but soon, died back down, again.
“Trust me...Delinear would get an academy award for her performance! All of them! I still can't believe that I didn't realize what her original goal was.”
“Which would have been???” Stan asked him.
“For us to mate, of course. She has always had an obsession with me, so when she offered, I gave in to her,” he told them, then waived Stacey silent before she could speak. “I know, I know. Stupid is as stupid does. Just because we live long doesn't mean that we don't make idiot decisions sometimes.”
“Then, w-why leave it where she would be able to invade your w-wards?” Taylor stuttered, swiping the tears from her cheeks, once again.
“Honestly? I had forgotten I did, Taylor. Again, I know it was a dumb thing, but she was nothing to me. It didn't take me long to figure her out. Once I did, I left, and this is the first time I've seen her since then.” Jaxx paused before continuing in a solemn tone. “Besides...now, I have real, true love for the first time in my life, and Gem is the only one that I will ever want by my side throughout the ages.”
The hurt that had set into her heart at his words concerning Delinear, morphed into relief and happiness. Gem realized she was still eaves dropping, so she motioned to Lola, and both of them quietly left the area. She needed to walk; to clear her head. She turned and the two of them sped down the hallway through the kitchen, and out the back door.
For ten minutes, the two companions walked silently through the woods with Gem not really caring about where she was going. She just needed to catch her breath, and try to figure out how she would explain why she was eavesdropping. She'd never been good at lying, but she certainly was going to try. Gem neared the stone fence that separated Jaxx's property from the road outside, when she heard voices. She looked at Lola who gave her a nod. Wait! What? She did a double take frowning at Lola who just looked at her, so Gem shook her head, and quietly approached the wall. Leaning with her back against it, she realized that she was listening to the same people who had just stood in Jaxx's library! Wait a minute! His place was “warded”, but did that mean he was involved in the black arts? No. No. She refused to believe it, but what else would explain how their bodies burst into flames, then just vanished! Nope, nope, and nope. Didn’t happen. It had to have been a dream! Man, but she was slow on the uptake! The voices butted into her thoughts. They sounded as if they were about to hatch an evil plan! She shook her head. Did she really, just seriously say that to herself? This all seemed as if it was a bad excuse for a made for a B movie!
“Did anyone ever tell you what a dumb-ass you were, Delinear? Oh, wait! Jaxx just did!” the male voice guffawed while the other two laughed as well.
Gem shook her head. She had not paid any attention to the names of the other two people with them. Since they had really said nothing specific until now, the voice who had just spoken simply had to belong to one of them.
“You fucking bastard, Mallorick!” she heard Delinear yell. “How dare you speak to me like that!”
“Really? And, what are you going to do about it?” the voice that belonged to Mallorick asked with contempt.
Gem heard a shuffle, then a muffled “Aghhhh”! She decided to take a chance, and peep through the fence bars.
“That is enough!” Eloran said, grabbing Delinear by the scruff of the neck as if she were a dog.
“Well, it didn't work. Delinear overestimated Jaxx's attraction to her!” Mallorick answered.
“No. What made you think he would still prance around you like a dog in heat?” Eloran asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Watch your mouth, Onaerris,” she told him, then whirled on Eloran. “Be careful what you say to me, Eloran! I am not tolerant – even of you!”
/>
“And, what? Kill me? Really, Anaerris!” Eloran imitated. “You are too vain to realize that you don't have the effect on most men that you think that you do!”.
Gem heard what sounded like a slap. Her hand flew to cover her mouth trying to keep her giggles from being overheard. She looked down at Lola who seemed to be giving her a “shut the hell up” look.
“OK, so. Now what?” the other female voice answered.
“What do we do, Imaerra? First, we need to get ahead of the game, before Kulana finds out that we not only went against council rules, but we lied to her and Jaxx. Thanks to you, our secret is out, Delinear. Your temper has always been your downfall, and now, I have to do damage control! Kulana and the Council will never believe us. Second, it's time for us to find a secure location. Our time on the Council is at an end.”
A slight gentle wind was felt by Gem, and she peeked through the stone fence posts. They were gone, and she sighed in relief. Turning, she shuffled into the woods that were on the property. Gem had lost all sense of time, and she guessed that she and Lola had been walking for about an hour. Suddenly, the two came upon a very small clearing that had a little woodshed sitting in the center of it.
Gem noted that the small building didn't look as if it had been used in years. It was badly weathered, and the paint that had once been red was almost totally gone, now. The roof was standard, and several shingles were missing. The padlocked door was enhanced with a combination lock like the ones she had on her lockers in school.
“That's weird, Lola? Why lock a door when there is nothing inside it? Well, maybe there are expensive tools, but why would someone leave them in a dirty and run-down building?”
Lola was having the exact same thought, and just cocked her head at her pet. The logical answer was that there was something inside it that Jaxx did not want found, and it was at least deterring one from entering.