Rock Hard

by LJ Vickery

  “I can feel what you are thinking,” Enlil snarled. “Keep your hands in plain sight or I’ll wrap your balls around your ears. She is only in your arms because she is hurt.”

  Marduk couldn’t help but taunt his not-so-good buddy. “And also because she likes me and thinks you’re a lunatic in a loincloth,” the thunder god snorted.

  Enlil looked down at himself and winced. “I will acquire some adequate clothing as soon as possible.”

  Marduk watched Enlil reach a hand toward Tess and smooth a piece of hair from her face as she struggled to open her eyes. He marveled at the tenderness that suffused Enlil’s face. He could see the gruff god trying to shake off the uncharacteristic need to protect, and he asked the question that was on both their minds.

  “Until then, what will we do with her?”

  ****

  In the underworld, Nergal was asking himself the same question. It had taken him many hours to sift through his long memories and match the essence of the girl to something familiar. When that familiar thing turned out to be Enlil, his least favorite of all the immortals, he grimaced and went over his options.

  He could go to the girl’s home—it would be easy to track her now that he had her scent—and take her, but Ereshkigal would object to him wielding his powers directly on a mortal. He was pretty sure that was forbidden in their original agreement. He needed others to do his dirty deeds. Could he play somewhat fairly and still win?

  He wanted to be the victor in this battle of wills with his wife, but still craved the respect of his queen and knew if he succumbed to temptation and grabbed the girl himself, he would be denied his wife’s attention for many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years more. This he was not willing to risk.

  No, he was sure he had figured out the rules of this new challenge that she had set forth. Each god would now be given another mortal to protect, just as they had been given Thomas Morton in the seventeenth century; and where they had failed at that task, he needed to make sure they would fail again. But to keep Ereshkigal happy, he would have to delegate the nastier tasks that needed to be performed. As before, he and Ereshkigal could manipulate and bring other beings into the contest, but would refrain from entering to skew things in their own favor.

  In a way, Nergal hated what he was going to do next. He pretty much hated everything about the immortal he was about to call on for help. Dagon was a pain in the ass. One of the original thirteen gods indentured to Morton and brought over to Merrymount from England, he had quickly distinguished himself as evil and self-serving, siding with Morton’s partner-turned-enemy, Captain Richard Wollaston, who had subsequently been driven from the colony.

  After Dagon also abandoned Merrymount, he had helped Nergal’s cause by fomenting hatred in the hearts of Myles Standish’s Puritans living nearby. Morton and the gods had eventually been vanquished by these Puritans. As a testimony to the ego that had consumed him, Dagon then convinced Myles Standish to change the name of Merrymount to Mount Dagon. Nergal had been amused when the name only lasted for a few years. The colony had eventually collapsed due to drought and famine.

  When Dagon’s usefulness was done, Nergal had been more than happy to put him into deep stasis in an underground cave not far from where the other gods had set up their living quarters, all the while realizing that the immortal might be useful to him in the future. Well, the future was here, and it was time to awaken the bastard god.

  Nergal sent powerful energy surging earthward, waves rippling up through the substrata that mortals would sense as a small earthquake, but the gods would know it for what it was. He laughed, thinking of the petty scrambling it would have them performing. “A meeting,” Nergal mimicked. “We have to call a meeting!” It seemed to be Marduk’s answer for any adversity that beset his group. Well, let the god call all the meetings they wanted. It wouldn’t help him this time. “Rise Dagon,” Nergal commanded. “Rise again and defeat your enemies!”

  Dagon stirred in his underground sanctuary. He stretched his reanimated limbs and shook centuries of detritus off his body, where it had coated him in sleep.

  Awake, he thought. Alive! Musty air entered his lungs, but he didn’t care. His body was moving again, and it could only be that Nergal was calling to him for another chance at gaining an immortal life on earth…not the cursed immortal sleep from which he had just been awakened.

  “Nergal,” he called, wincing at the painful vibration of larynx long dormant. “What task do you wish me to perform?” His eyes glowed with anticipation as Nergal sent into his brain everything he needed to know. A delighted chuckle escaped when he found it was a female of Enlil’s blood he would have to steal.

  According to Nergal, the female might even eventually be claimed by Marduk, another who had always stood in his way for supreme power. He paced the length and breadth of the chamber, winking in and out of his body, as he got used to the feeling of being visible or invisible. It was a power that Nergal had left to him when it had been taken from the other gods. Invisibility wouldn’t be helpful against the other immortals, who could see him either way, but it would certainly be useful with humans. He would use it to great advantage.

  The first thing he needed to do was ascertain whether his secret Puritan society still existed. He had set things up so that precious and binding vows would be passed from generation to generation, ensuring that the group would be ready once he reappeared and pointed his finger.

  He had even purchased land that was to be held in perpetuity by descendants of his original helpers. Those heirs would finally be made aware that it was time to do away with a group of immortals, pagan killers that their scriptures decreed would rise again and become a danger to all living things. He had done well with those “sacred” scrolls, embellishing with glee the supposed lasciviousness of those they were to banish.

  As his well-bred pawns, the Puritans didn’t need to know that the gods weren’t all that bad. Yes, they were pagan, but they were also givers of life and fertility for the earth, powers that Dagon coveted for himself and would make certain he received this time.

  He dematerialized and headed from his deep cavern, suddenly anxious for a look at his new world.

  ****

  “What are we going to do about Tess?” Marduk puzzled as Enlil looked on. Here was a situation they had never thought to encounter. Both had just felt the rumble of evil that emerged from the earth and knew that Nergal had set something in motion, something foul.

  “We could carry her back and leave her in her car, but it’s obvious that Nergal has figured things out. Tess’s life will now be in danger if he the king finds her.” Enlil was not happy.

  “Yet we have no doctor at our home, nobody that can stitch her up.” Marduk winced in sympathy as he looked at the gash on Tess’s face. “According to everything we see on TV, humans would call 911 in these circumstances.” As a god, it went against his grain to call on mortals for help, but what choice did he have?

  “Then do it,” Enlil agreed.

  Marduk nodded and softened his tone, giving his brother suggestions rather than orders. “Can you pick up my bike at the beach and ride it home? It’s better if you disappear, considering the way you’re dressed. I’ll tell authorities that Tess and I we were out for a run when she was attacked. I caught up and engaged the mugger, he punched me in the jaw, then ran away.” A satisfying bruise was just blooming and, as Marduk stroked it, his eyes gleamed. It would be gone soon, but for now it was interestingly sore.

  “The girl will have to confirm your story.” Enlil looked doubtful. Marduk watched Tess’s gray eyes regain comprehension as the two gods finished speaking, and raised an eyebrow in her direction.

  “Fine. Okay. I’ll go along with it,” she agreed, groggily. “But you guys are going to owe me a huge explanation.” She spoke through clenched teeth, as if trying not to move her cheek.

  Marduk and Enlil exchanged another glance, accompanied by shaking heads that at once had her frustration outmatching her p
ain. “You will, or I’ll tell the authorities that you both attacked me.”

  Marduk noted that this was the strong Tess coming out, demanding and implacable. He felt a swell of pride. He knew Enlil felt the same way toward his great, great, great…how many greats?…granddaughter. Hell, if she was related to Enlil, it was a sure bet she was tough.

  “Agreed,” Marduk spoke quickly, before Enlil could disagree. He knew Enlil wanted to keep Tess close, protect her, and beat the crap out of anyone who tried to touch her. That number included Marduk, paramedics…and Nergal, so it was time for Enlil to go before he complicated things even more. Marduk gave him in imperious gesture with his head. Enlil begrudgingly took the cue.

  Enlil walked away, becoming invisible as soon as he was out of sight. Marduk walked the other way, toward the street, cradling Tess. He knew she was about to get a good dose of what-the-fuck.

  “How does one call 911?” he asked sheepishly. Tess squinted up at him.

  “Are you for real?” she wondered aloud, then sighed. “If you haven’t got a cell phone, use mine. It’s in my fanny pack.”

  He knew what a cell phone was, but had never used one. As for fanny pack…he knew “pack” it rested at her back. But fanny? Moving his hands cautiously, he attempted to open the zippered compartment that rested above her shapely behind. Ah! He silently glowed, realization dawned. He gleaned what fanny meant and it was about to become his new favorite word!

  Extracting the small screened device was the only thing he was able to do with the foolish contraption. He took a good, long look, then shook it a little. He put the blasted thing up to his ear, brought it back down, and turned it over…then over again. How did one start the damned thing, anyway?

  Tess watched his antics, unable to keep her chin from dropping in disbelief. She obviously thought him an idiot that he couldn’t work the phone. He gave her a look that had once cowed millions, and all she asked was, “What planet are you from anyway? Give that to me before you break it.”

  He drew his eyebrows together, handed it over and, within seconds, her fingers performed a magical tap-tap and she was speaking into the machine.

  “…we’re actually coming down from the cemetery now, right across from the police station.” She paused. “Yes, yes…a mugger and we’re both a little banged up. I’ll probably need stitches.”

  A police car was waiting for them at the bottom of the hill.

  Chapter Seven

  The officer who picked them up filled out his report as they waited in the emergency room, a cold pack pressed hard against Tess’s cheek. He seemed satisfied with their story and accepted the fact that Tess said Marduk lived with her. Marduk experienced a moment of confusion when asked for a last name and spit out the first thing that came to mind.

  “Morton,” he sputtered, “Marduk Morton.” How freakin’ glib was that? The alliteration seemed ridiculously lame, but the officer hadn’t even flinched, and only asked how to spell “Marduk.” Gods, how the population has changed. At one time in the fledgling New World, you had to be named Josiah or Nathaniel or any of those milquetoast names if you were to have a chance of blending in. Apparently, these days, Marduk wasn’t even a blip on the screen.

  The officer finally left, assuring them that they had cars patrolling the Sea Street neighborhoods for the mugger and, if they found him, they would call the pair in for identification. Tess thanked the policeman with a warm, if lopsided smile, and Marduk had to hold back his bellow of displeasure. Tess should not be smiling at anyone but him.

  He picked up her hand and deliberately caused her chair to shake. When she turned incredulous gray eyes up to his, he felt a small stab of satisfaction. See if the officer in his fine uniform can do that! He managed to look innocent while she looked at him suspiciously.

  Tess’s name was finally called and, rather than let her go, Marduk stood up and accompanied her and the efficient nurse down the hall. The woman went slightly pink after catching a good look at his yellow running shorts, but managed to remain professional, leading them through a set of double doors. They were shown into a small, curtained room.

  “You can hop up onto the bed, Miss Abelard,” the nurse said. “I’m just going to take your temperature and blood pressure before the doctor comes in.”

  Marduk had seen this done on one of his favorite television medical dramas, but he’d never witnessed it first-hand. He scootched as close as possible to see numbers flash across a monitor and watched the cuff inflate, as if by mind control, on Tess’s arm. The nurse caught her breath and gave him a warning glance that said “back off,” but Marduk ignored her and sat next to Tess on the bed.

  “That’s funny,” the nurse said after a minute. “The machine’s gone haywire.” She watched the numbers scrambling, unable to get a fix. “Not to worry. It’s probably just a bad cuff. I’ll go get another. Be right back.” She smiled reassuringly before heading around the curtain. “If you could just put that gown on while I’m gone. Ties in the back…” She breezed from the room.

  Tess looked at the offending gown. Marduk knew there was no way was she going to strip down in front of him, but she had to be realistic about her chances of removing the spandex top without creating havoc with her wound. The god heard her sigh, then saw the thoughts in her head, clear as day. She’d worn a sports bra today, and had just convinced herself that it didn’t reveal any more than a bikini top.

  “I’ll need your help getting my shirt off…” she paused as his eyebrows raised. “Not the bra,” she groused. “Just the shirt.”

  Marduk’s heart went crazy at the thought of removing clothing from Tess, being able to touch her soft skin. The blood pressure machine went nuts all on its own. Hmm. So he’d been responsible for the malfunction. He was going to have to move away from the contrary thing next time the nurse used it.

  Tess had begun struggling with her shirt. Marduk couldn’t help his sudden arousal. Blood pooled in his groin, hardening his cock at the inopportune moment when he stood and faced Tess. He could have sworn her face lost more color than it already had. Damn him for being a horny bastard. She was hurt. How could his mind even go there?

  He shifted the offending member by turning his hips away. Neither spoke as she placed her ice pack on the bed and pulled her arms from the sleeves, cocooning herself inside the shirt.

  “If you could just hold the neck open, I can probably slip out without too much damage.” Her wound oozed anew without pressure, and he acted fast.

  His cool fingers moved over the sides of her neck and down into the material. Did the room actually move? He caught a peek in and saw her nipples harden under the thin material of her chest covering. Cold, he thought, his cold hands must be responsible, but that wouldn’t explain her sudden shortness of breath.

  Keep your mind on the task at hand, Marduk admonished himself. With soft skin under his fingers, the blood pressure machine seemed in danger of flipping out again. Was it Tess setting it off this time? Could she be aroused?

  Her body signs would say yes and as much as he’d tried to avoid it, Tess had surely caught a look at what was in his shorts, up close and personal. Maybe she liked what she saw…at least she wasn’t quaking in her sneakers this time. That was good. He didn’t want her to be scared. He was richly endowed, even for a god.

  As he lifted the neck of the shirt and stretched it wide over her head, the smoothness of her flat stomach was revealed. He hadn’t seen anything that beautiful in…uhh…had he ever seen anything that beautiful? As the shirt continued its ascent, the small strip of lycra lying against her breasts was uncovered, showing hardened nubs straining at the material. Oh, to reach out and caress those tender buds. He had to force his eyes away as her face became visible, knowing she would not appreciate his….umm…appreciation.

  “The gown,” she rasped, pointing toward the bottom of the bed. “Could you hand me the gown?”

  He had to do that right away, or he’d have her back on that mattress before he could control hims
elf. When in doubt, resort to humor. “Your caboose, my lady.” He draped the piece of material across his arm and handed it over, doing his best Jimmy Stewart impression. The tension was broken.

  “Oh! That’s one of my favorite movies!” Tess grinned up at him, as much as she could with her swelling cheek. “You do a great Jimmy Stewart.”

  He preened that it pleased her, and was happy that thousands of hours of television had finally come in handy. Marduk could hardly wait to share all his other impressions. He was really good at Pee Wee Herman!

  The nurse entered as Tess was about to slip off her pants.

  “You can leave those on, hon. I just needed the top off in case we spilled any Betadyne or…” She didn’t say blood, but they both knew that’s where she had been going. “Let’s get this new pressure cuff on, and then the doctor will be in.”

  With Marduk on the opposite side of the room, the device behaved itself, and the nurse seemed satisfied with the reading.

  It wasn’t long before the doctor arrived, perusing the clipboard in her hands before looking up at her patient. “I’m Doctor Whitehill, and I’ll be doing your stitches today.” She raised long, copper lashes to assess the damage to Tess’s cheek and let out a long whistle. “I’m impressed! How is it that you’re not out cold, or at least wailing in pain?” Her gaze flicked momentarily to Marduk. “And you, big boy, go find some ice to put on that jaw.”

  That she was not the least bit intimidated or awed by Marduk earned her instant points in his book, but had Tess snorting again. When he didn’t move, the doctor’s voice turned from velvet to steel.

  “I’m not kidding, here. I’m going to do some serious injecting and stitching and the last thing I need to worry about is peeling you off the floor.”

  “I have no inclination to pass out,” Marduk matched her unyielding tone. “Nor do I have any intention of leaving my woman.”

  “Your what?” Both females spoke in unison and looked at him as if he had two heads.