A Wicked Beginning

by Calinda B

  “What do we do about these dumb fucks?” He pointed to Figment, my lynx, and Fergitaboutit, his star dreamling. Even though their size difference was as extreme as a dachshund and a Great Dane, the two big cats were wrestling in the grass, visible only to Cam and me.

  “They’ll follow along,” I said. “Or not...but they’ll know how to find us since they live here…” I tapped both of our chests.”…when they’re not out here, exploring.” I waved my arm at our surroundings.

  “Yeah, alright. What do we about this dumb fuck?” he asked, pressing my hand to his erection. “He can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  “I hope he never does.” I swept my palm up and down his zipper, watching him suck in his breath. “I could take care of that, you know. One for the road and all…” I began to slowly unzip his pants.

  “You could…” he uttered, watching me with heat in his eyes. “I imagine we’ve got a little time before…” His words trailed off when I took him in my mouth and started licking and sucking.

  “This is just foreplay,” I said, pulling away from him.

  He gave a heartfelt, joyous laugh. We hadn’t been able to keep our hands off of one another for days, ever since he came down from the mountain, safe, whole, healed, and looking years younger than when he’d gone up there.

  After he climaxed, with howling full-bodied release, I zipped him up and took his face in my hands. We kissed, a spit-swapping mega-fest, moaning and groaning into each other’s mouths. “We’re never going to make it down stream,” I whispered.

  “People are waiting...” he whispered back.

  “I know…if it wasn’t for them, I’d say to hell with our fun run.”

  “Me, too,” he said, leaning in for one more succulent, tongue twirling lip smack. He tore himself away from me with a shudder, adjusting his pants. “I’m already ready for you…again.”

  “And again and again and again, I hope. I’m insatiable.”

  “Me, too.” He started to lock lips with me again, and then wrenched himself away. “Fuck. I don’t want to stop.”

  “We can continue later…I’m sure we’ll find the time and place.”

  “Yeah. Alright.” He grazed his teeth up and down my neck. “After you, hot stuff…you take the lead this time.”

  “Really?”

  “Damn straight. I want to watch you.”

  “Well, what a change. You always take the lead in our outdoor adventures.” I laughed, got into my kayak, and pushed off the edge. “Here we go!” I called to him.

  We spent the better part of the next two hours cartwheeling, flat-wheeling, surfing, and performing other freestyle moves down the swiftly moving water.

  When we got to where the rapids eased up and the water flowed at a gentle pace, I reached out to take Cam’s hand. “You ready for this?”

  “Hell, yeah. I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life, babe. I want you…now and forevermore…in this life and the next and the next and the next.”

  “I thought you didn’t believe in stuff like that?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It matters what’s in my heart and intentions. What’s in my heart is you; what’s in my intentions is to share a life with you and be your man of integrity.”

  “Just one life?” I teased. “Do I get to be your woman of weather?”

  “Unless you plan on becoming someone different in this lifetime, I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s who you are, babe. Among other things…”

  “Yeah, like what about the fact that I’m the ka, and I still haven’t remembered all my skills? Things might get messy. And, it’s essential that I spend time with Kayden.”

  “Fabio, right.” Cam frowned. “I’ll just have to deal, won’t I? I know I’m not signing up for the Hallmark plan. We haven’t even figured out living arrangements and all. Can’t say I’ll be thrilled if I’m living with you, and he drops into the yard. Or, watching you two twirl in the air out under the elm tree isn’t going to make my day. But then, since I’m the bearer of the star dreamling, I don’t know what’s in store for me either. Life could get even more interesting. I’m sure we can sort all this out.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. When the current started to pick up ahead, tumbling along a boulder field, he released it so we could both focus on the water. “I’m your Earth guy, remember? I don’t ever see you doing this with Fabio.” He deftly maneuvered through the rocks, skimming a lateral wave, and dodging some pushy water. “Stay away from that one,” he yelled to me.

  “Got it,” I yelled back, taking a different route.

  When we reached the SnoqYak River Club, we rinsed off our gear and hauled it back to the Land Rover. We peeled off our dry suits and grabbed the respective bags we had packed. “See ya on the other side,” I called, disappearing into the women’s changing area. After a quick shower, I dressed in a soft apricot linen dress that draped down to mid-thigh. I arranged turquoise beads around my neck and added turquoise earrings. A dab of lip gloss, and I congratulated my appearance in the mirror.

  Making my way to the other side of the building in my bare feet, my heart filled looking out at the small gathering of friends. There, in a half circle flanked by the woods and a majestic mountain backdrop, were Jayze, Zuri, Cam’s counselor, James, Mark Meyers, Charley Wolf-Rider, and Lightning Rod. Mano and Severe stood in the center. When Severe saw me, she ran to me with her tail wagging. Welcome, ka. This is a happy day.

  “Yes, it is.” I patted her furry head. When I reached Mano, I turned to each person, beaming at our small circle of friends. “Welcome, everyone. Thank you for honoring us with your presence.” They all murmured their joy at being here. “Where’s Cam?”

  “He had to get something out of the car. He’ll be right back,” Mano said.

  I looked up to see Cam striding towards the circle, clutching something in his hands. He wore clean Levis, a blue, long sleeved fitted shirt with French cuffs, burnished leather boots, and a captivating smile. His thick blond hair was glossy and wavy, tucked behind his ears.

  When he reached the circle, he handed the package to Mano. Then, he took my hands, leaned forward, and whispered in my ear. “I hope this is quick. My libido is hot for you…again.”

  I laughed and playfully pushed him away.

  “Cool it, kids,” advised Mano.

  “Shall we?” I said. Since this wasn’t a bona fide wedding, we’d asked Mano to officiate. As the official Spirit Tracker of Cam’s star dreamling, we figured he’d be more than qualified to oversee our commitment to one another.

  “We shall,” Mano replied. He was wearing a pair of loose fitting yoga pants and a black t-shirt with light purple “Primal Man” artwork on the front. His gold hoops sparkled in the sunlight, and his red silk braid gleamed. He turned his 6’5” frame to greet the gathering. “Friends, we have assembled here to bear witness to the commitment of the ka’kriyayaga and the vessel of the star dreamling. All they ask is that you share the elation they feel in honoring their commitment to one another.” He raised his hands to the sky. “Sacred Grandmothers and Grandfathers… We ask that you honor us with your presence and bless the ka and Cam throughout time.” A gentle breeze blew through the circle, no doubt signaling their presence.

  Mano turned to face us. He nodded.

  I took Cam’s hands in mine. They were warm and sweaty, and he gripped mine tightly. Was he nervous? This guy who could soar off a 12 foot drop in his tiny boat, scale granite walls, and skitter through wind and current in his ocean kayak…this same guy was nervous? I grinned at him and began speaking. “Cam, you are my Earth. With you, I get to experience the powers and pleasures of being on this planet. With you, I get to experience raging rivers inside and out. I get to play on granite walls, climb mountains, and explore seas. I have found you again and again throughout time and incarnation, and I intend to keep finding you. In this lifetime, as in all lifetimes, we shall play, learn, grow, and love together. That is my commitment to you…especially th
e love part.” I gave him a radiant smile.

  Cam gulped. His face flushed. “Chérie, you are my Heaven on Earth. My beautiful galaxy dancer…you inspire me to be a better man…” He paused. “I rehearsed this a thousand times, babe, but I can’t do this. Sorry…”

  I frowned, confused and hurt. “What do you mean?”

  Cam took a deep breath. “Chér, I’m overwhelmed by you. I wanted to say something awe-inspiring today…something profound…but when it gets down to it, the only thing I can think to do is to offer you my heart and to give you this.” He turned to Mano who handed him the small pouch he had retrieved from the car.

  With fumbling fingers, he managed to pull two rings from the pouch. He handed one to me and then took my hand, holding up the ring meant for me. I beheld the two golden circlets and gasped with wonder. The Cat’s Eye which James had given him had been cut in two. Each half had been set into an exquisite, yet simple, gold band. Each opalescent half still sparkled with a milky band of light. “Oh, Cam, they’re beautiful.”

  He gently pushed my ring onto the middle finger of my left hand. “My ka…my light…my heart…” His eyes were moist as he beheld mine.

  I pushed the larger circle onto the middle finger of his left hand. “My Earth…my joy…my bliss…” A tear streaked my face.

  We stood, surrounded in the stillness of the woods, gazing at one another. Birds rustled about in the bushes. We could hear the running river. The breeze stirred the hem of my dress. I looked into Cam’s blue eyes, the color of the sky and sea. “When I look at you, I see the vast sky stretching over the Earth. I see water pouring through streams and rivers and oceans. I see endless pleasures of body and heart.”

  “When I look at you,” he spoke in a low voice. “I see the sun and the stars. I see galaxies. I see the whole miraculous play of the universe.” He brought his lips up to my ear. “And I see being in bed with you for days.”

  Now both our faces were wet with tears.

  “Kiss her, bro. This is the time when you get to plant a big one on her lips.” Everyone laughed at Mano’s suggestion. Severe barked.

  When Cam’s and my lips connected, I felt all the things that Cam was to me – sky, sea, soil, rock walls, rivers, play, bliss, and adventure. I felt our renewed commitment to one another – I was certain we had done this before. All these feelings and sensations rushed through me in a torrent. I placed my hands on either side of his face, felt his hands on either side of my cheeks, and gave myself over to the connection. When we finally came up for air, our friends all cheered.

  “Hold up there,” Mano boomed. “Severe, go get the stick, girl. Go get it.”

  Severe took off like a rock from a slingshot. A few minutes later, she returned, tail wagging, holding a large, colorful stick with jangling claws on the end, sounding with bone-like clatters.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “Oh, just a new reminder of mine,” Cam replied, reaching for the branch. He shook it and turned in a circle. “Here’s to facing your demons and coming up with the prize of a lifetime!”

  Chapter 49 – Chérie

  Later, when our guests were in various states of intoxication, we said our goodbyes and headed towards the Land Rover. We had agreed to head up to Anacortes and take the ferry over to the San Juan Islands. We’d rented a room at a B&B for the weekend and intended to make full use of it. Walking hand in hand, we glanced up to see Natalie and Kayden leaning against the hood. Uh oh… I felt Cam bristle.

  Natalie was the first to speak. “You two…” was all she said.

  “Us two what?” I snapped.

  “You do this sort of thing every six eons or so. Maybe you’ll make it stick this time so we don’t have to keep repeating ourselves.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Forgetting is part of the fun.”

  “For you maybe…” she replied tartly.

  Cam and Kayden faced each other.

  “Neanderthal…” Kayden said coolly, inclining his head, his arms crossed.

  “Fabio,” Cam nodded.

  “Cut it out you two,” I interjected. “Let’s make nice with one another.”

  “We are making nice,” Kayden said.

  “This is as nice as it gets,” Cam agreed with a snarl.

  Natalie burst out laughing. “Child, you’ve got a lot to deal with here. Two feral beasts…I’ll leave you to it.” She stomped off into the woods.

  “Just keep your smell off her, and I’ll survive,” Kayden declared.

  “No dropping in and twirling in the air in the front yard.”

  “The ka and I shall consort wherever and whenever.”

  “Same here, pal.”

  “I know…I participate in all your play.”

  Cam’s muscles were starting to bunch and cords were forming on his neck.

  “Boys, stop it or I’ll have to find a hose and squirt you down.”

  “Mon amour, I just wanted to look your Neanderthal in the eye, and tell him that I approve.” Kayden locked eyes with Cam.

  “Gee, thanks, Dad, can I have the keys to the Camaro now?” Cam was getting pissed.

  “We’ve got work to do when you’re done with your little honeymoon moment, ma chère.”

  I pushed the two apart and stood between them. “What kind of work?” I asked Kayden while keeping my palm pressed on Cam’s chest.

  “Connecting with the ka’krisch – your people are wondering where you are.”

  “No wafer comments,” I barked at Cam, referring to an earlier incident when we were not together. I looked at Kayden. “What do you mean?”

  “Haven’t you noticed that there’s an absence of people at the temple?”

  “I guess I never thought about it.”

  “Surely you don’t think we live in isolation up there.”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “When you return, we’ll talk all about it.” He nodded to Cam, and then with a wicked look, he swept his hand up the back of my hand causing me to arch and lift up off the ground, pulsing with blissful sensation. “Lest you forget who is responsible for what,” he said to Cam.

  “Well, get this pal.” Cam pulled me to the ground and gave me an intoxicatingly narcotic kiss, full of tongue and orgasmic intention. His lips released with a loud smack leaving me with trembling knees about to buckle. “Look who’s still here. Look who hasn’t disappeared.”

  “Point taken,” Kayden acceded, graciously. “But your physical gestures are so much more enjoyable when I’m in the mix, adding this…” He blew a silky breath towards my heart, making me clutch my chest and utter sounds I did not know I could make. “Another point for me, good sir…and now I’ll bid you adieu.” He gave me a pointed look. “But I’ll be with you the whole time. We’ll make it a splendid occasion, you can be sure.” He sent me one more erotic wave of sensation before fading into the ethers.

  “Damn Fabio,” Cam muttered.

  I was struggling to recover from their erotica competition. “Cam…” I started to say, gasping, when Jayze came running up.

  “Don’t leave yet. You haven’t seen your gift. I was preparing it when you were saying goodbye. Follow me.”

  Grateful for the distraction, we both followed her over to Mano’s pick up. He was standing there along with the rest of our friends. In the bed of his truck was a huge shape covered with cloth.

  Jayze was full of excitement. “Ready?”

  Cam and I held hands. “Ready,” we both said at the same time.

  Jayze removed the cloth with a flourish to reveal a large, gorgeous depiction of the star dreamling. It appeared as if it were leaping with a snarl and would pounce on us at any moment. Another figure was shooting out of his heart with arms outstretched as if he were doing a swan dive into the heavens. On closer inspection, we realized it looked like Cam.

  “My God, Jayze, how did you get everything to look so real?” I walked over and caressed the burnished bronze. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Oh, it just sort of took care o
f itself. Once the dreamling convinced me to take out the trash, that is,” she said, referring to Marilyn’s departure. “Marilyn did leave me with a parting gift, though. She slashed the chest of the clay, showing me where Cam was to exit the beast.”

  Cam stood beside me. “Nice work, Jayze. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Keep doing good work with the kids and that will be thanks enough. And keep it real and loving with Chérie, okay? No rough stuff. There’s too much of that around on the planet.”

  I considered the miraculous sculpture. “Where shall we put it? At the house? In the garden?”

  “I don’t know, babe. It seems a waste to keep it all to ourselves. Say, James, what about that spot in front of the High Road building where they tore out that old abstract art sculpture? Something has to go there. Maybe it could serve as a reminder to the kids that they’re greater than they imagine.”

  “Or, it could make them poke fun at you, Cam,” Lightning Rod offered. “I know I would, seeing your body being launched out the chest of a wild cat.”

  “Yeah, well nothing wrong with a little dual purpose, kid. Get them to loosen up and laugh a little and wonder about themselves…wonder if there’s more to them than meets the eye.”

  James considered the gift. “I think that’s a fine idea, Cameron. I’ll talk to the board and see what they think. I suspect they’ll agree to it.” He faced Cam and me, looking ever so slightly tipsy. “Now you two, get on your way. You have all our blessings. And I sense more than a little mischief is ready to come out of you both.”

  “Uh, James…alright…okay…” Cam said, his face reddening.

  I didn’t think Cam ever blushed. It was funny to witness. “Thank you all…for holding space for us…for honoring us. We are the ones who feel blessed.” I gave them each another hug and waved as we walked away. “We’ll see you in a few days.”

  “I’ll prepare a feast for when you get back. Everyone here is invited. Bring your friends. We’re going to do this right.” They were all laughing, talking and whooping as Cam and I made our way to the Land Rover and piled inside, eager to celebrate our pledge to one another.