by elda lore
“Jump,” he commanded and the glider soared outward. No longer in control, the scream escaping my lips could have peeled skin off a horse. At the same time, we flew and Solis released my waist to steady the support. My hands sweat as I gripped the metal. It remained a lifeline between the sky and the valley, thousands of miles below me.
“Oh my God!” I let rip from my throat as Solis flattened out behind me. Afraid to move, I clasped the bar harder, but my hands slipped with the sweaty moisture.
“I’m slipping,” I yelled over the rushing wind as we dipped and soared amid the other gliders.
“I’ve got you,” he replied. “We’re clipped together. You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
“My hands.” Panic took full residence in me, and a tear fell from my eyes. I trembled, but was unable to determine if it was my fear or the shaky flutter of our kite and the thin metal that supported us.
“Let go, Veva. I’ve got us.”
“I’m not letting go,” I yelled. My eyes travelled down and the valley below loomed too far away. My stomach dropped and bile rose. “Oh God, I’m going to throw up.”
“Point downward then, so it doesn’t slap you back in the face.” He chuckled behind me at my fear and the thought of vomit covering me dissipated the bile. I swallowed hard. My body stiffened.
“Why would you do this to me?” Yelling was the only tone of voice to use among the whipping wind.
“I want to experience things with you.” The comment dropped my stomach in a different way. He couldn’t mean it.
“Why?”
“You’re feisty and stubborn and closed off. I want you to open up. Enjoy things. Trust me.”
“I’m not having sex with you,” I blurted, although that wasn’t what he asked. It wasn’t even what he implied. Maybe it was only something I desired, and I quickly erased the thought.
“Not asking you to. Yet. Just wanted to take you flying today.”
My shoulders couldn’t relax, but my legs tired. I was as ramrod as the steel support before us.
“Let your legs fall. The wind will hold them up and my legs will support yours. Unless you like this position. I mean, I do.” He thrust forward at the hips and I took his meaning. It would be the most risqué thing I’d ever done. I wasn’t opposed, I just wasn’t there yet either. My legs slipped slowly from his and a squeak of fear escaped me.
“I’ve got you, Vee.” The soothing sound reminded me of falling into his arms the night he had me paint the canvas. My legs flipped back to rest under his and the new position allowed him to lay flat over me.
“What is this, anyway?”
“A chariot race across the sky.” His laughter boomed like it had at other times, and the familiar sound let me know he enjoyed himself. He truly thought flying across the sky, so unencumbered and unprotected, was pleasurable.
“You said you always win, but you’re losing.”
“I’m not losing today, Veva. I got you under me. That’s a win, right there.” He chuckled again. Without seeing his face, I sensed the wide smile and shook my head at his comment.
“Where do we go?”
“Across the valley. Straight ahead.”
The distant mountain range looked close, and yet so far away. I didn’t understand how we could make it across before we would lose steam and plummet to the valley below. There was no engine. No power source. Just us and the wind.
“Giddy up,” Solis called out and jiggled the support bar. The front of the triangle sail dipped and we increased our speed. We passed two gliders after first flight. We passed two more with this change. Ahead of us, I saw the canvas for Heph and another one covered in vibrant yellow with a burning orange sun radiating to the very edges.
“Who is that?” I tried to incline my head toward the sunny sail but the attempt seemed futile.
“The only one we want to beat.” The bitterness in his tone told me a rivalry definitely existed. The stormy kite above us had full intention to eclipse the sunny one ahead.
“What’s his name?”
“Leos. Another son of Zeke’s. In case you haven’t noticed, he has several to spare.”
“Is that what you think you are? A spare son.”
“One of many.” He snorted behind my ear.
“I don’t think Zeke sees you like that. In fact, he seems quite in favor of you. When I suggested he didn’t send you away, he agreed you were a leader, just didn’t want to give you power yet.”
“You asked Zeke not to send me to your mother’s farm?”
Oopsy. I’d said too much.
“Why didn’t you want me to go, Veva? Would you miss me if I was gone?”
I couldn’t answer him. I didn’t know. While one moment, I prayed for him to disappear, he consumed my thoughts too much lately, and I wasn’t certain what I would do without the constant, annoying distraction of him.
“I’ll miss you when you go,” he stated.
“Oh, where am I going?” I smiled slowly.
“Back to school, right? When summer ends.”
When summer ends. Ah, yes, back to reality when summer ends.
“Right.”
“Vee?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you trust me?”
“I don’t trust most men who play around with lots of girls. Plus, men always walk out, like my father did, after they get what they want.”
His silence behind me let me know I’d said too much again. Too deep a thought for hanging precariously in the air under a flimsy kite, holding onto a metal bar, and praying for your life.
“Never mind,” I yelled over the wind. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“I totally understand.”
My brows pinched with question. It was strange to have this conversation as we dangled over the valley, not to mention, I couldn’t turn to see his face.
“What do you mean? You have Zeke. Spare son or not, he takes care of his children. Look at the elaborate home.”
“I didn’t always live there. He isn’t exactly the father you might think.”
I had more questions but we were picking up speed again, and Solis’ body over mine stiffened into racer mode. We dipped lower than the others, no longer caught in their tail wind. The shift sped us forward, and I risked a peek at the ground straight below.
“What is that?” I called out. In a vast river, visible from our height, a line of fluorescent green streaked through the middle of the blue water below.
“Looks like Idon decided to attend after all. Means my cousin Triton is coming. It’s gonna be a par-tee.” He laughed wholeheartedly again, and I had to smile at the giddiness.
Solis angled us upward and the sail caught. We flew forward, cutting ahead of most of our opponents. One contender floated ahead of us. The other side of the valley loomed closer and Solis kicked out his feet, triggered the pole at his hands, and called out with a yah. We sped up as if the sail understood Solis’ command.
“Come on, Thunder. You can do it.” The sound implied Solis’ teeth clenched as he spurred on the inanimate kite. We were suddenly side by side with Leos, represented by his sunny glider.
“No,” Leos called out.
“Yes,” Solis responded.
We flew point to point, so close the triangular edge almost poked one another.
“Yah, yah, yah,” Solis called out, reminiscent of a master goading his horse, and as if the gallop increased, we pulled ahead of Leos. A large purple strip, what I assumed was a finish line, loomed below us, draped across a vacant field. As we drew closer, dots of observers became visible. The royal-colored finish line appeared brighter. Our speed ensured we could win if we only continued at this pace. Our front point was more than two feet in front of Leos.
The finish line came up quickly, the ground rising to meet us, a green strip of grass the path to follow. I feared our landing. How would we stop? I didn’t have time to ask my question before we crossed the line and leapt upward, ignoring the expanse of green
flooring before us. Distant cheers erupted behind us, and I could only assume they were for Solis as the victor, but he continued upward, climbing a new break in the mountain.
“What happened? We won, right?” Excitement filled my voice. The speed of racing dulled my anger, as it did at home. There was nothing as exhilarating as crossing that final line and claiming victory.
“We won, Veva. We won.” He spoke close to my ear, pride filling his voice.
“But where are we going? Don’t you have to stop after you cross the line?”
“I only have to cross the line to win. Now, I want to cross another line for true victory.”
I didn’t take his meaning, and we climbed only a moment more before another cliff came into focus.
“It would be easiest to land if you wrapped your legs around my hips again. It reduces the risk of getting our feet tangled and crashing.”
Instantly, my legs wrapped around his hips as instructed, and we coasted feet above solid ground before his feet touched down. He galloped to a slow jog before calling out “Whoa,” and pulling back on the support. We stopped, and Solis controlled the metal frame, dipping the sail forward to rest on the ground. We stood under the canopy for a moment, still locked together, and my heart raced with the combination of fear and exhilaration.
“What did you think, Veva?” His mouth rested temptingly close to my neck, and his hand cupped under my chin. The position compromised me again. I had nowhere to go, being strapped to him.
“I found it…invigorating.”
He moaned behind me, and his free hand came to rest on my hip. We stood, back pressed to chest, hand cupping chin, bodies poised for immediate taking. I swallowed hard in anticipation of his lips on my throat, but his fingers dipped lower. Slowly cascading down my chest and dipping into his flannel, he unclipped the first harness. The harness, right, I cursed myself. My breasts heaved and sagged at the lack of attention. Another unsnap clicked, as he dropped between my legs and my thighs thumped. My center pulsed. He had to be teasing me, taking his time to torture me, before letting the sound unhinge me, literally.
His hand slipped around my hip, dragging over my ass, and sliding up the center to unclick another harness at my lower back.
“You’re free, now.” His sultry tone covered my skin, cascading and sliding down me like his fingers tempting tease. The voice heated my already-dampened skin, moist with sweaty fear and exhaustive flight. I hadn’t moved. Neither had Solis.
“I…” His tone dropped another octave. A struggle in just one vowel sound. “I’m glad you came with me.”
“I didn’t willing come.”
He moaned behind me.
“I hope, one day, you do.” The fingers at the base of my spine slipped into the waistband of my jeans and tugged me backward. My ass brushed over the hard length of him, solid and strong like the metal before us. My eyes closed at the vision of him taking me over this bar. The image passed when he released me. I spun in time to see him wipe a hand down his face. He removed his helmet and his blond hair hung limp at the edges. His honey eyes remained closed for a second, but when he opened them, warm caramel met mine, and the desire to launch myself at him came to me again. But something in his stance held me back. I didn’t trust myself, and I certainly didn’t trust him. He’d just flung us off a mountain, I reminded myself, stepping to the side, ducking to exit the alcove created by the sail.
“Where are we?” My back remained to him as I took in the breathtaking view of the valley in its rich brown and deep dips of sandy earth. In contrast, we stood among cedars and pines with boulders encased between the greenery.
“Cliff Mortum. I just need to give Thunder a rest and then we can travel down to the trolley.”
I spun back to him, crossing my arms, ready to accuse him of insanity in naming his glider and implying it needed a rest, but I stopped. Before me, the sharp, front point of the sail rested in a dish of water, and the sound of guzzling water forced me to tip my head.
“Morph,” Solis spoke softly, his eyes not leaving mine, and the glider shuddered. First a head appeared. A horse’s head. Then the sail folded inward. The metal rods fell apart and four legs solidified. With a jostle, and an unfolding, the appearance of a massive, solid creature stood before me: a gray horse, draped in a silver blanket with a yellow lightning bolt down the center.
My hand slipped forward and I waved in the direction of the thirsty animal.
“What…how…did you…” I couldn’t get the words to form, all the while Solis’ eyes never left mine.
“You asked me if it was true, and the answer is yes.”
“I…” I couldn’t remember the question. I couldn’t remember my name. A full-size horse, formed from a flimsy glider, stood before me. I glanced to the right, taking in the great distance we traveled, over a valley, through the air, to reach this mountain cliff. I turned back, pointing again at the horse. My mouth hung open without words.
“I am a god.” I blinked at the statement. If he was teasing me, this was an incredible joke. “An average glider would not have made it that distance. It would have propelled downward, not across.” He stepped toward me, one foot in front of the other, as if pacing out the space. He took his time to approach me, cautiously, careful not to frighten me, because I must have looked like I would run. I wouldn’t know where to go, but my instinct forced a reaction like a frightened filly. However, I stood thousands of miles up in the air, hundreds of feet from Zeke’s home, and a million acres away from fully understanding what transpired before me.
“Veva?” He spoke calmly, like one would speak to a skittish animal. “Do you understand?”
“I’ve lost my mind, right? It’s the lack of oxygen. Elevated heights. Thinner air. I’m hallucinating.”
“Take my hand. It’s real.” Solis reached out to me as he stood before me. Inches apart, he didn’t try to touch me, but offered his hand for my comfort. Was he even real? Was I imagining everything around me? Was I still in bed, restless from the night before?
His hand slowly came to my chin proving he was real. He was solid, but that horse. I didn’t understand what it was.
“I’m so warm.” The world began to spin a little. The ground tilted. Solis’ hand slipped to my neck. His other hand brushed over the buttons on his flannel. He unbuttoned one button at a time, before sliding the too warm fabric off my shoulders. His eyes stilled on my throat.
“You’re still wearing my rock?” Those honey eyes lit up and his lips curled. He closed his eyes momentarily and then slowly lifted his lids. The honey turned to molten caramel and my mouth watered like I could taste that flavor on my tongue.
“What’s happening? The horse. The glider.” I didn’t even know what I was asking, distracted only momentarily by his comment on my necklace.
“The horse has powers to shift and change. He can only go from horse to glider. Different family members own different items that morph.”
“Which family members?” His hands rubbed soothingly up and down my shoulders, but I wasn’t allowing the physical comfort to distract me.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Of course not,” I huffed. Secrets.
“Veva, don’t shut down on me. Just listen. I can’t tell you each of their tales, I can only tell you mine.”
I nodded, although I had no idea to what I had agreed. Solis gently pressed my shoulders and I collapsed to the grassy cliff. Sitting cross-legged on the earth, he spread his legs to straddle beside mine. His presence surrounded me, attempting to ground me. I sensed the story he was about to tell would be unbelievable.
“I’m Zeke’s son, and heir to rule the sky. I’m new to discovering my powers. I’m learning control and temperance. I don’t want to ever hurt anyone or lose control of my strength. Do you understand?” I nodded, although I didn’t. His hands slid up to my neck and his thumbs rubbed tenderly up and down the side, while his fingers massaged my nape.
“I’d never hurt you, Veva. You don’t need
to be afraid of me or my family.”
“How many are there? Zeke plus what?” My mind jumbled through all the people I’d met in the last twenty-four hours. Were they all the same? Did they all share a secret, and Persephone and I were on the outside, looking in? My thoughts jumped to Persephone and her attempts to tell me that Harris Black was named Hades, and he was a god.
“Does Persephone know?” I answered my own question before I added the punctuation. Of course, she knew. She tried to tell me, and I ignored her. I thought she suffered post-traumatic stress. But if that was her case, what was mine? My heart rate accelerated. Adrenaline coursed through my body. I felt alive in the moment, but convinced I lived in a dream.
“Maybe you should talk to Persephone more about this? Tell her what you saw? Tell her what I said?” Something in his curved lips and the sound of Persephone’s name on them jolted me to reality.
“This is a joke, right? You and Persephone concocted this story to make a fool of me. But why? Why do you dislike me so much? Is it her? Oh my gosh, it’s Persephone. You’re in love with her, and…” I stood instantly. He followed me upward, his face aghast, eyes open wide.
“You’re kidding, right? I told you before I don’t have a thing for Persephone. There’s only one girl who consumes me.” He took a deep breath and looked up at the glorious blue sky. “This isn’t a joke. This is my life, and I am trying to share it with you. I’m trying to give you bits and pieces, so I don’t scare you away, so you won’t think I’m a monster when you learn it all. You said…” He waved a hand dismissively at the open air between the mountains. “You said…about your father…and I thought…you know what, forget it. Forget it all, Veva.” He stepped away from me, turning his back and I watched him stalk away. He reached the horse and swiped a hand down the elegant neck. With the horse rested and revived, Solis stood beside Thunder with his back to me. His head fell forward and the troubled position pulled me to him. I stilled behind him, questioning if I should touch him or not. Afraid that if I did, I might never let him go.