by Eve Langlais
Whereas all I had in my back pocket was a tiny, unknown book titled Eat my Cape, a superhero fan fiction that had some power because the writer had poured their life force into it. While the author’s death never made them famous, it allowed me to use some magic, but it was erratic. At times, when I pointed and channeled my ability, squids shot out of nowhere to splat on the faces of soldiers. Other times, they exploded and covered everything in slick goo. And then Dorothy’s power failed.
“It’s fizzling!” she screeched. She waggled her fingers, trying to ignite her power, only getting a weak zap. She’d mentioned needing to recharge because of some big love spell. It meant that we were done fighting.
But soldiers kept moving in.
“Conserve what you have left.” It was the only advice I could think of, while my mind whirled for how I could help.
The fish men sensed her weakness and moved as if to swarm. I shoved my hand into one last pocket and withdrew my palm-sized Book of Water. Containing aquatically-inclined poems written by a mad warlock, it did the most interesting things. I aimed it at the strongest water source in the room. The fountain. The liquid in it churned and rose, flooding through the air, blasting the soldiers to the ground. It allowed my nephew to hobble close to Dottie and me, and once he got within range, the water formed a liquid shield around us.
“How long can you hold it?” Dottie asked.
“Not long. We need out of here, pronto. Do you have enough magic to fly?”
“Only if you can pull a broom out of your ass,” she retorted.
Good thing I’d learned how to improvise. “How’s a spear?” I swept a shaft from the ground and offered it to her.
“You do realize my magic is just about tapped out, right?”
“We just need enough to make it to the ship. Once there, Adexios will protect us. He won’t let anyone hurt his favorite uncle.” I grinned, offering some attempt at reassurance.
Ian still bled and looked none too steady on his feet. And if Dorothy couldn’t use magic, then we wouldn’t last long.
Dorothy slid the shaft between her legs. “It’s crazy enough that it might just work. We’ll have to huddle close to make sure we all fit. And be warned, we might get wet.” She gave me a coy peek over her shoulder.
She expected me to refuse. I’d lived long enough to not give a shit about appearances. I sat bitch behind her, but Ian balked.
I beckoned him to come closer. “Hold on tight to me, Ian, this could be bumpy.”
I wasn’t surprised to see Ian shake his head. I’d expected it, especially since I could see the beast within pulsing under his skin.
“I’ll take my chances on land. Go.” He waved at us. “I need to find Sasha.”
“But the guards…” I glanced at my shield and the bodies behind it. Saw the determination on Ian’s face. The book in my hand was almost tapped out. But it could do one more thing. “I love you, Ian.”
He nodded, and I knew in that moment that this was the last time we’d speak. The monster was coming, and I couldn’t stop it. But I could at least give Ian a chance to reach the water.
I thrust my arms out, channeling all the magic left in the book even as I knew it would destroy it. Giving it a burst of power exploded my watery shield, knocking down the soldiers, and giving Ian a bubble to move.
Dottie murmured, “We have to go. Now.”
Barely enough warning for me to grab hold of her as the spear lifted. Jostled. I lost sight of Ian for a moment, and when I did glimpse him again, another spear hung from him.
“No,” I muttered, only to watch wide-eyed as Dorothy circled, showing the transformation of man to beast.
The rain turned Ian’s skin slick, not mottled as you’d expect, but a steel gray with hints of blue and green. And he was massive. The size of my nephew, the boy I thought of as a son, engulfed the throne room, knocked down more pillars, and caused a rumble that had Dottie pulling up.
“We need to move away from the disturbance,” she muttered, angling away.
Holding her around the waist, I could only watch. “Ian’s turned kraken.”
I pointed, for sure enough, my nephew clambered down the sheer cliff upon which the castle resided, using his tentacles to move down and then smash his way inside.
“What’s he doing?”
For a moment, I wasn’t sure. Why hadn’t Ian climbed down to the ocean?
Then I saw it. The king running down a street. Slithering fast behind, the kraken.
Given the island was sinking, guess who won?
The king got smashed into a building, Ian slipped down a sewer, squeezing his massive bulk in somehow. On his way to find Sasha, and quickly, before Atlantis sank entirely.
The ocean churned around the shores, a frothing, violent sway of water. Screams filled the air as the ship’s passengers who’d eagerly filed off the cruise liner came stampeding back.
But I watched the city. Ian was in there. “I have to help him.”
“You can’t breathe water,” was Dorothy’s reply.
I pursed my lips. “I can’t do nothing.”
“You can’t help if you drown either. We have to land. I can’t keep us aloft anymore,” she hissed as her magic fizzled.
She aimed for the ship, and the landing proved a little bumpy as we sprawled on the deck with my face in her bosom. Not the worst place to be, I could admit.
But I didn’t have time to enjoy it. Leaping to my feet, I ran for the rail and shoved through the passengers milling and murmuring. I had to see what had happened. I cursed the moment I did. The first level of Atlantis was already submerged. Water streamed down the streets, and I saw no sign of my nephew.
“Where is he?” I muttered. I scanned the waters, noticing more than a few rescue boats from the ship being launched to pick up those who’d not run fast enough. No giant kraken came to overturn them.
“Look to your left,” Dorothy yelled.
I whirled and saw the water agitating. A giant form floated to the surface, tentacle outstretched, holding…a body.
“He found Sasha!” I yelled.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed Ian’s return. A giant harpoon went flying and narrowly missed the kraken. The city fought back.
I could see more harpoonists lining up.
“No. No.” I could only watch as several of the large missiles hit my nephew, striking him hard. He began to sink, taking his wife with him.
“That’s not good,” Dottie mumbled.
I could only stare at the water and heave a sigh of relief when an appendage broke the surface to fling a body to safety. A short-lived relief.
The tentacle disappeared.
“Ian?” The name trembled on my lips.
The water went still.
Too still.
“Ian.” I couldn’t help the aching loss. I sank to my knees. He was gone. The boy I loved more than anything.
Gone.
Dorothy put her arm around me. “Come.”
“But…Ian.” I’d failed him. My shoulders slumped.
“You can’t do anything for him right now.”
We returned to my room, the grief weighing me down. For a moment, I contemplated screaming at the unfairness. Instead, I got mad at Dorothy.
“You betrayed me!”
8
Dorothy: Nothing more dangerous than someone who is hurting.
The anguish in Shax broke him. He cried. The loss of his nephew shook him to the core. And he needed someone to blame.
“How did I betray you? I was kidnapped. My magic controlled by that pearl necklace.”
Shax snorted. “You allowed them to take you. Instead of waiting, facing it together, you betrayed me. And now, Ian is gone.”
“I tried to save him.” A weak reply to a man who’d lost someone he considered a son.
“I want to be alone.” The demand emerged so coldly.
“Shax.” I went to touch him, but he moved out of my reach, no more the flirting man.
&nbs
p; “Not right now. I can’t.” He hung his head. “I should have been there for him. Instead, I allowed myself to get caught up in you. And for nothing. Stupid me, I thought you were starting to care.”
“I am. I do.”
“You chose the dark lord over me.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Wasn’t it?” he snapped, and I knew it was because he hurt, but the verbal lashing still stung with the truth. “You intentionally let the fish men take you.”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. You did it so you could beat me to the prophecy.”
“I would have shared it with you.”
“No, you wouldn’t have, because Lucifer wanted you to find it so it could be destroyed.”
“Only I didn’t give it to him,” I huffed quickly.
“Because it doesn’t exist. You betrayed me for nothing. I saw the library.” His lips turned down. “I thought I could find something to save Ian in there. I should have known that books would fail me again.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A long time ago, you accused me of loving my library more than you. You were right and wrong. I loved it, but I would have burned it down in a heartbeat if I could have had you. Yet, you left me. Just dropped me cold. And it broke something in me. But I learned to get past that, to heal.” He eyed me. “And now, I’m broken again.”
The ache in my chest tightened my throat. “Shax.” I cupped his cheeks, but he wouldn’t look at me.
“Don’t. I can’t. Not after what I did to Ian.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“Didn’t I?” He met my gaze with eyes blazing. “I chose you over my own damned nephew. And look how that turned out. He’s dead.”
“Don’t be so sure. Look outside.”
Shax turned, and for a moment, he said nothing. Then he ran to the rail and hugged the tentacle that rose ridiculously high from the water. The size of the sea monster boggled the mind.
“He’s not dead,” he said, turning watery eyes on me. “But he can’t come back.”
The tentacle slid back under the waves.
“I thought his birthday was tomorrow.”
“Hell runs almost twelve hours early compared to this time zone.” His lips turned down. “It’s his birthday.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”
A part of me screamed that I should stay. Remain and support him. Another part of me demanded that I act. Entering the hall, I looked for a good spot. The utility room at the far end gave me the privacy needed.
I entered the closet and hissed, “Lucifer!”
“Oooh, demanding a rendezvous in a secluded place. Maybe I can tell Gaia I didn’t know it was you in the dark.”
“Stop flirting. You need to help Shax.”
“I’m pretty sure Gaia’s no-cheating rule applies to him, too.”
“Not that kind of help.” I rolled my eyes. “Ian. You have to do something about Ian.”
“Me? Whatever for?”
“Because he works for you.”
“Shax was working for Gaia first. Maybe he should ask her for a favor since they’re so close.” The reply emerged snottily.
“Argh. You can be such a child. What is it going to take to get you to help?”
“I’m partial to begging. Knees. Bent over. I’m not picky how you plead.” Lucifer leered, his expression lit like a demonic candle inside a pumpkin coming alive on All Hallows’ Eve once it turned dark.
“Don’t start that shit. Help the boy.”
“Where’s the information you were supposed to get?”
“There is nothing to report. The library was destroyed when Atlantis sank. Shax walked away empty-handed.”
“That’s unfortunate. And insufficient to bargain for Ian’s life. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m being paged.” Lucifer cocked his head. A hint of brimstone and he disappeared.
No sooner did the scorching sensation subside than I found my nose tickling with the scent of flowers.
Gaia appeared in a fluff of daffodils that fluttered before settling into a gown. “I thought he’d never leave. Show me. I know you have it.”
I clamped my lips. “Excuse me?”
It was as if a light had flicked on. A tiny army of glow bugs lit the room, which was lined with shelves and cleaning supplies.
Gaia gazed at me with eyes that reflected green. “I’m talking about the prophecy, of course. I noticed you didn’t hand it over to my husband.”
“Because there’s nothing to hand over. The library was destroyed by the ocean. Nothing but empty shelves now.”
Gaia’s lips pursed. “Well, that’s inconvenient.”
“Not really. I’d say Ian got the worst of it. And Shax is really hurting.”
A flick of Gaia’s hand and a shake of her head loosened a few small bugs that caused a whir of sound as their wings beat to keep them aloft. “Oh, the drama. I can see what Lucifer means. So annoying that no one ever listens. I told Shax everything would turn out all right. He should have faith.”
“How can everything be all right when his nephew is a permanent sea monster?”
“Not anymore, he isn’t.” Gaia’s smile turned sly. “A deal was brokered, a curse undone.”
“What?” I blinked.
“See for yourself.”
Gaia snapped her fingers, and it was as if I had a window to the outside. I saw Shax still leaning on the railing, despondent. Then he straightened. His eyes widened. He scrambled to toss a life ring, and the angle of the vision changed to show me a body floating on the surface of the water.
Ian had returned.
“Thank you.” A heartfelt emotion.
“Don’t thank me. My most extraordinary husband is the one who came to the rescue. It would seem Sasha Farseer is wilier than I gave her credit for. She struck a bargain with Luc. Handy things, those contracts. I need to start having a few of my own. Perhaps I’ll start with the Farseer girl. Seek her out for a new prophecy.” Gaia smiled at me and twiddled her fingers. “Buh-bye.”
Gaia disappeared in a shower of pollen that clung to me and snowed on the floor of the hallway when I stepped out. To make matters worse, it glittered, leaving a shower of sparkles in my wake. I ran to Shax’s door and pounded.
He opened it, wild-haired and crazy-eyed. “He’s all right!”
“I know!” I took a quick peek around for candles lest I accidentally burn down another room. And then I kissed him.
A kiss that resulted in me being dragged into his room. The door kicked shut.
He walked me to the bed.
“What.” Lip suck. “About.” Hot slant. “Ian?”
He murmured the reply, never losing contact with my mouth. “He is celebrating with his wife.”
“Are we celebrating, too?”
Shax paused for a moment, looking down at me, so intent I forgot to breathe.
“I’ve wanted to finish our first kiss for centuries. I really don’t care if the ship sinks. The world ends. Or if I die for doing this. I need to be with you.”
“You had me at finish our first kiss.” I stroked his cheek. “I’m happy I found you again.”
His mouth crushed mine, a torrid embrace that saw us tumbling to the bed, him on the bottom, me in control on top.
I wasn’t a virgin. I knew my way around a man’s body, and yet being with Shax proved different. I found myself experiencing a strange breathlessness. Every tug on my lower lip, a jolt to my sex. Every stroke of his hand on my body ignited my every last nerve.
His tongue slid along mine, the most intimate thing we could do with our mouths. Except for one other…
I let my lips slide along his jaw, rubbing against it. When he growled and made as if he’d roll us, I pushed him down, a little magic to hold him.
He went still. “So that’s how it’s going to be?”
I grinned down at him and winked. �
��You’ve been fantasizing all this time. Let’s see if I can live up to it.”
There was nothing more gratifying than having a man swallow hard, his cock straining, waiting for me to release it.
It took only a little bit of magic to unmake all the stitching on his clothes. The garments slid from Shax easily after that as I stroked my hands over him. Revealing skin. Places to kiss. I touched, and he trembled. Groaned a few times, too.
I liked it when he did that. So, I kissed his body some more, fascinated by the lean lines of his physique. Intrigued by the scars of a man who’d done battle.
He gasped as I kissed my way past his navel, my hands tugging the loose fabric that used to be his pants and underwear.
“Dottie!”
He ended my name on a high note as I grabbed him. Firmly. He throbbed a bit in my grasp.
I kept him in my hand while I watched his face. Such an expressive mien.
He looked as if he were in pain.
The kind of agony that had to do with need.
He needed me. I blew on him.
The lovely shudder he gifted me… I blew again and licked. Ran my tongue over his swollen head. Tasted him. Watched him as I pleasured him. It ignited my desire to see him writhe at my mercy.
I sucked him, and his hips bucked. He groaned, breath heavy, even hummed as I teased him, sucking hard a few times before stopping when I felt him get tense.
“Come here,” he growled. His eyes glowed. His body gleamed.
“Why?” I teased, blowing the words around his cock.
“Because it’s my turn.”
I could have fought him, remained in control, but I chose to let him flip me to my back. My clothes didn’t need magic for him to remove. His sharp tugs ripped me bare. He straddled me, the tip of him jutting as he stared at my body.
Not that of the young girl he once knew.
He devoured me hungrily with his eyes. Then his lips.
He didn’t start at the top, he went for the dip of my belly. His face pressed against the soft skin. The hint of stubble rubbing at my flesh.
It was my turn to gasp as he kissed his way lower, hot, sliding kisses to my thighs, bringing a subtle tremble to them. Then a short cry as he touched my core. He parted my nether lips with a tongue and found me ready for him.