by T Stedman
“Fucking hell Tia, they’re beautiful,” Dante said, laughing.
“Wow,” Jay said. “They look great. Look in the mirror. Can you see?”
“Yes. Let me look.”
She rushed to the long mirror stand and touched her face. She had the most beautiful Human-looking eyes; maybe slightly larger than Human in moss green, but they had lovely small pupils and white around the irises – something she hadn’t seen in a long while.
She turned round and hugged Dante hard. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Dante stroked her hair, and she let him hold her for a while. Then he seemed to sober himself, probably because of Jay, and he put her away from him. “I’ll see you in a while, when you’re settled in.”
“I’m going to go and see my sister next,” she said, happily.
Now she could see and they were alone, she made short work of getting Jay naked and wet. He was exhausted, replete and under the sheets of their bed and she thought the timing was good. “I’m going to find Lacy.”
“You sure you don’t want to rest for a bit? It’s going to be a long day.”
Plenty of time for resting when she’d gone. “Might do … in a bit.” She slung on some jeans and a vest top and trainers, bent down and kissed him in the bed. “I won’t be long.”
“Mmm,” was his goodbye, and she went off down the corridor.
When she got to the door she guessed belonged to Lacy and Keenan, she knocked.
Keenan opened the door and raised his eyebrows when he saw her. “Nice eyes.”
“Thank you. Is she there?” she said, trying to see around Keenan’s large body. Then when she saw her … “You coming?”
“Yes,” Lacy said, and walked straight out of the room and followed her.
They left Keenan unsure whether they should be left alone together so he followed along as well. He stopped quickly at Jay’s door and put his head round. “You’d better come.” Then both of them were following; Jay semi-naked in his jeans and barefoot.
When they got to the Great Hall, Dante noticed them.
“Shit, they’ll never give us time together alone.”
Lacy nodded. “I know.”
Both girls turned around and began to push Jay and Keenan away. “Go!” they both said.
Dante excused himself and came running over. “What’s going on?”
“I want to speak to my sister alone!” Tia said moodily.
Dante looked at Keenan and saw his trepidation. “You gonna be okay with her?”
Tia felt exasperated and poked her finger in Dante’s chest. “I want to test my own sister my way, after the pig’s ear you made of it last time … Decks! Where are they?”
He pointed to the small stage in the bottom left-hand corner of the Hall. “They’re setting them up over there.”
“Right. Out. The lot of you,” she shouted, clapping her hands.
The men all looked at Lacy for back-up. “You heard her. Out!”
The three of them went to walk back down the corridor towards the living quarters. As they disappeared from sight, Tia collapsed in peals of laughter. Lacy began to laugh as well and they high-fived.
“For fuck sake. They won’t let us breathe. We’ll so have to do something about that.”
Lacy nodded enthusiastically. “What now?” Lacy asked, intrigued.
“I know Dante, he’ll get them to run around to this entrance here,” she said, pointing to another exit to the right of the little stage. “They’ll try to listen … give them a minute and then we’ll let the music do the talking. If we are sisters, then we’ll know.”
Lacy nodded sagely, “So DJ’ing is your thing?” she asked.
“Yes. Dancing is yours?”
Lacy nodded.
“It will be interesting to see how in sync we are, being sisters,” Tia said.
They heard the clatter of something being knocked over behind them.
“Show time,” Tia whispered, and fired up the decks.
Sifting through the records she asked, “Do you have a type of music or do you just want to follow my lead?’
“I can follow you,” Lacy said, finding a pole dance pole already set up on the stage. She made a ‘what the?’ face.
“Dante is such a pervert, so fuck knows,” Tia said, extra loud.
They both laughed knowing full well they were being watched and probably heard.
“Are you ready?” Tia called, and dropped Can You Dig It by Ramon Tapia.
Tia began working her magic with her earphones on one ear. And Lacy hoisted herself up on the pole after shedding her jeans and hung upside down. Then she worked the pole with strength and grace. Tia nodded in time to the beat and watched her sister from behind the decks.
***
“Fuck! Out of the way and let me look,” Keenan said, struggling to get a look around the corner of the service entrance to the Great Hall. Dante had taken them to the doorway to try and eavesdrop on the sisters.
“She’s good,” Dante said, nodding and smiling at Keenan.
Keenan gave Dante a dirty look that would wither a lesser man.
Dante just laughed. “Chill. She’s bound to be sexy … they all are.”
Keenan looked at Jay. “How do you let him live?”
Jay smiled sympathetically. “The night is young.” And they all laughed until …
“Whoa!” Dante said, “did you see that?’
The other two had missed it.
“Wait until the music drops again,” Dante continued.
Then they saw it: a sonic pulse coming from both girls at exactly the same time. It was a coloured mushroom cloud emanating from them outwards. Tia’s was green and Lacy’s was yellow. The girls both laughed after it happened. Then it happened again and again. They were totally in sync.
Eventually the record ended and Tia switched off the decks, and Lacy came down off her pole and bent and stretched at the waist and caught her breath.
“You can come out now,” Tia shouted.
The girls walked over to each other and high-fived again.
The three men came out like a group of caught red-handed schoolboys. Tia and Lacy walked over to them.
Dante was smiling. “You knew we were there?”
Tia shrugged. “Of course. We needed to get to know each other, and you lot weren’t going to let us. Did you see? It was a bit kinder than drowning her.”
Dante nodded and hugged her to him. “There’s absolutely no doubt … you look great,” he said, pointing to her eyes.
She smiled and swallowed back her welling-up emotion, and then turned to Keenan to change the subject. “Just so as you know … I don’t know what’s going on with you two,” she said, whilst pointing at him and Lacy, “and she may be your compatible partner and all that, but she’s her own person and so am I,” she said, directing the last statement to Dante as well. “And we’re not on our own anymore.”
And the two girls high-fived again and walked off back to their rooms arm in arm, leaving the three men gawping after them.
***
The testing and marriage was due to take place that evening. It was just an intimate affair, to be witnessed officially by Alfonzo, Sebastian and Naomi.
Jay had primed Keenan what he was in for, should he not want to watch. But Keenan had told him where to go in no uncertain terms, mainly to do with Dante and keeping his balls. Jay laughed, but suspected that the guy really wasn’t prepared for how intimate the process was. It was a ceremony to bond a husband and wife after all.
Dante had said that it was up to Lacy to choose whether she wanted to bond herself to Keenan. He thought it was their own business to do in their own time, but he urged Keenan privately not to hang around. The idea was that each bonded prince should sit on his council, with Dante at its head.
The time came. Tia stood next to the fountain with Lacy. Both of them were looking super-hot in their bikinis.
Jay felt sorry for Lacy not being able to be tested in the Dubonnett
i’s tank, as she would have to go into the sea and be viewed through the big panoramic window of the Hall – way more scary.
Lacy stood bewildered as everyone made a big fuss of her before she went into the fountain, so Jay used the opportunity to pull Tia to him for a hug, more for his benefit than hers. “Don’t forget me,” he whispered next to her ear.
She looked up into his face lovingly. “Never.”
He let her go but kept hold of her hand, as everyone started to move towards the fountain. Naomi had offered to go in as well, as she feared for her daughter, as, unlike Tia, Lacy had never breathed the water before. Tia had been relieved at the news. Jay was pleased she had another female close to her.
Dante stood in the fountain first. Then as he turned to step down into the depths, and so typical of the bastard, he winked at Keenan before he went down.
Jay had to grab Keenan’s arm. “Let it go, man … let it go.”
Keenan fidgeted as Naomi stood in the fountain next, keeping hold of Lacy’s hands as she followed her in. Tia was to be last.
They had to swim the tunnel under the floor of the Hall before they were visible in front of the window. There they would be about sixty or seventy feet below the surface. Fucking scary.
As they disappeared, Jay pulled Keenan over to the window. Dante was already out and treading water. Jay found it fascinating watching his oldest friend in the world turn into this other-worldly being in front of his eyes; taking in water, producing paler markings similar to Tia’s.
Naomi was next to come into view. She looked the most alien of all. Her legs appeared to grow below the knees, at least another foot long. Her skin took on a bluer tinge and her bands were black and vivid. Her eyes were huge and her hair floated around her like a mermaid. She held on to Lacy who was obviously still holding her breath and looking very scared.
Jay touched Keenan’s shoulder. The guy was dying a thousand deaths watching Lacy panic. Tia came out and helped her mother try to calm her down.
“Naomi can communicate with her, so she’ll be trying to reassure her,” Jay said, trying to allay some of Keenan’s worry.
It was agony to watch Lacy get to the point where she could no longer hold her breath and Tia and her mother having to restrain her.
Dante thankfully stayed back, probably more for Keenan’s benefit. There was a time for joking and this wasn’t it.
Eventually Lacy went limp. Keenan rushed to the window and banged on the glass.
“It’s about a foot thick, mate,” Jay said.
“Fuck!” Keenan shouted, beside himself.
Then, thankfully, the telltale bubbles began to rise from behind Lacy’s ears and her eyes opened. Tia and her mother hugged her.
Just when Jay thought he could relax, he thought Keenan would internally combust when Dante beckoned Lacy to him curling a finger. “Fucker,” Keenan said.
Keenan was forced to watch impotently as Lacy swam to him. Dante looked so big and tall in comparison. She looked like a little girl going innocently to the big bad wolf. Yeah. Wolf was the right word.
Tia and Naomi stayed back so as not to interfere in the ceremonial transfer of power and pledging.
Lacy stopped and trod water about a foot away from Dante. He then took her shoulders and pulled her gently to him.
Jay looked at Keenan. “Close your eyes mate.”
Keenan looked at him in a daze … then did as he was advised and turned away from the window. “Tell me when it’s over… Fuck no! I have to watch,” and he turned back again, just in time to catch Dante putting his mouth on hers. They stayed still for what felt like ages. They stopped and then started again. Then eventually they saw a light emanating from her chest. It glowed orange.
The glow travelled upwards to her mouth and then transferred to Dante’s where he closed his eyes. Jay knew how that felt and touched Keenan in support again. At least he didn’t know yet.
Then when it hit Dante’s chest, he let go of her and they drifted apart. Dante appeared to be stunned. Everyone was looking at him waiting for him to move.
A few seconds later he shook his head and grinned and curled a finger again for her to come to him.
“What the fuck?” Keenan said, about to lose it.
Jay touched Keenan on the shoulder again. “He’s just got to do it back, then it’s over.”
“What’s he got to do it back for? He’s got her power.”
Jay shrugged. “I dunno. I think it’s the link. He has to be able to join with them all.”
“Fucking hell,” Keenan said, and passed his hand over his brow and exhaled.
Dante held Lacy again and breathed gently for about five seconds.
Like a pro, Jay thought, not without a certain amount of resentment at never being able to do that for Tia himself. “That’s it,” he said, as Lacy drifted and they all gathered around her to make sure she was okay and to congratulate her. They could all communicate now – that was evident.
Jay watched Dante gently touch Lacy on the shoulder and say something to Naomi – probably to bring her back inside. “Come on mate. She’s coming out. She’ll be in pain for a while with breathing, so she won’t be able to talk, okay?”
“Fuck Jay, that was intense.”
“I know, I can’t watch anymore.”
Keenan looked at Jay sympathetically.
“Don’t,” Jay said, pointing at him. “Don’t make me have to punch you.”
Keenan nodded and swallowed, knowing exactly where he was coming from.
As Jay went back to the bedroom he shared with Tia, he stole a quick glance back at the window as Dante pulled Tia out to sea and out of view.
Chapter 34
When Tia watched the exchange of breath between Lacy and Dante, it was with a strange detachment. She wasn’t sure if it was because the last time it was with imposters and this was her sister, and therefore meant to be, or what. But she didn’t feel like stabbing her after, which was progress.
She hugged Lacy after it was over. We can speak like this now Lacy, any time you want.
Thank you, Lacy replied. She seemed a little overwhelmed.
Dante dismissed her and asked Naomi to take her back inside. Tia felt him waiting patiently for her to turn her attention to him.
Tia! He projected, eventually.
She looked over at him. She was stalling and he knew it.
He held out his hand. Come and say goodbye to me.
She swam over to him and put her hand in his and he pulled her out to sea, away from the window and prying eyes.
They came across a crop of rocks and he pushed her up against them and immediately pulled her up into a kiss. She was swept up in it for a few moments before she could break away.
This is our goodbye Tia, he said.
She nodded and looked down and away from his eyes. She couldn’t help but notice that they were both fully transformed – the same.
He seemed to read her mind. If you’d never met Jay, we would have been together wouldn’t we?
Maybe … but you’re too much of a scoundrel for me.
Scoundrel? he thought, in mock horror and drew her to him. How long will you be away?
She nestled in his arms. I’m not sure … a few months maybe.
You’ve not told Jay?
I’ve only told him I’m going. I don’t know many details myself.
He touched her cheek. I would come with you if I could.
She looked up into his eyes. I know you would.
He bent down and kissed her tenderly. I love you, Tia. I want you to know that. Whatever I’m doing, whoever I’m with, however much of a scoundrel I’m being, I do love you.
They both laughed into another kiss.
This is it then, babe, he said, afterwards.
She just looked up at him, motionless.
He pulled her around and swapped places with her. Do you want to go first or shall I? He said, leaning back with one foot flat on the rock behind him.
She swam up
to his mouth and put her lips over his.
He parted his mouth. Fuck, I want you, Tia. He bit her lip.
She couldn’t help herself, instead of breathing into him, she full on kissed him and he took the cue and pulled her tight against him. He pulled one of her legs up around his waist, held her there by the backside and kneaded her with his fingers.
He pulled her up to his level, kissing her the whole time.
Now, she thought, and she felt him. His light blinded her for a second – stronger than she could remember. He’d become so powerful her heart stopped for a few beats.
His hand dipped beneath the material of her bikini and he stroked her and felt her fire. She grabbed his hair. He loved her roughness and bit her lip again. She opened her mouth and he blew again. His light hit her hard. It seeped down into the centre of her and nestled in her heart and bound her to him tighter. Forever.
There was no going back now, as he positioned her over him. She was still delirious in the afterglow of euphoria his essence gave her, so he inched into her, inch by glorious inch. He went so slowly to prolong the exquisite torture, and to give her every opportunity to stop him. He smiled in triumph when she did not.
Instead she grabbed his face and let her essence loose and free, in full stream as she could never do, and dug from her toes.
Externally, they glowed red-hot, emanating a warm light which flooded their whole bodies. They looked like they were glued together in a tight embrace with very little movement at all. But inside, in their minds eye, they cavorted and plunged and drove each other in wild abandon.
Suspended in the sea, where they were meant to be, their nervous systems were a riot of sensations. Their bodies were fused and the breath they had propelled into their bodies spliced them together as never before.
Her mind received pictures of love like a movie, which replaced his words, as his state of ecstasy was so profound that any projected words arrived in a jumble. A blast of her breath hit his heart in a starburst of light and their climaxes arrived simultaneously. They clamped onto each other and dissolved and floated in the same position for an age.
Rarely did Tia give in to Dante’s advances, but sometimes she just couldn’t help herself. The pull from him was too strong as if everything was just so right – so as it should be. And the longer she knew him, and the more she gave in, the stronger the pull. They were damned.