The Fantasy Trove

Eldon stepped out of the Orange Bubble and looked around. “Where are we?” he asked Shlee as she stepped out after Gloria, but before the President.

They stood next to what appeared to be an abandoned factory in an abandoned part of some business district. Not exactly the type of place Eldon would have picked for a Presidential Conference.

“This is a place known only to a few,” Shlee responded, not answering his question. “Hopefully my aunt will be here already, setting up. Frank will be a few more minutes before he can catch up to that amazing car.”

That amazing car sped away to drop off its other passengers. Eldon panicked for the slightest moment, feeling alone despite the three women with him. It was rare when the twins were separated for any length of time. He relaxed a second later. She would be safe, and how much safer could he be with an ancient goddess and a werewolf at his side?

“Your aunt?” Gloria asked with a look of concern. Eldon didn’t understand why the succubus was concerned, unless she’d read something from someone else’s mind.

“Aunt Miranda,” Shlee replied.

Eldon remembered hearing something about a werewolf named Miranda once. Something his father told him during one of his stories. As a kid, Eldon loved hearing about his father’s adventures. As an adult—and hearing them for the hundredth time—they grew stale. What was it about that name? Miranda wasn’t the most common name around. Shlee Olsen…

Eldon felt the blood drain from his face as he finally recalled where he knew that name. “Miranda Olsen?” he demanded. He grabbed Shlee’s shoulder and spun her around to face him. “Agent Miranda Olsen?” His voice rose as he spoke, fear and anger mixing in equal amounts. “As in the woman that repeatedly tried to kill my dad? The woman that belongs to the Daughters of Respite and wants to kill every living thing from the Shadow World?”

“Belonged to the Daughters of Respite,” a strong female voice called from the building. “I haven’t worked for them in decades.” The woman that exited the factory was tall and broad shouldered. She had thick hair that looked black except where the sun reflected brown highlights. She had a small nose and a slightly pointed chin with a few freckles on her cheeks. Dad had always described her as the plainest looking woman he’d ever known, though she looked more handsome than anything else.

“Thank you for letting us use your place, Aunt Miranda,” Shlee said as she hugged the older woman.

Eldon couldn’t put an age to Miranda’s face, though he knew she had to be in her forties or fifties based on what he knew of her. Eldon wished he had a weapon on him right then. Despite her words, he didn’t trust her.

“It’s not every day I get the President of the United States come to pay a visit,” Miranda said with a smile. She turned to face Eldon and Gloria. The smile didn’t slip. “You look just like your father, though the hair color is darker. You have the same eyes. Those eyes used to give me nightmares, but that was a long time ago also.”

Eldon felt Gloria’s arm slip around him. “I believe her.” Eldon looked at her, raising one eyebrow, asking if she could read her mind. “No, but I think I understand her.” She spoke low enough that Eldon was sure only he could hear, until Shlee spoke up.

“Aunt Miranda was kidnapped as a girl and taught that all magical creatures were evil, never knowing that she was a werewolf until my dad rescued her. She’s been invaluable in slowing down and weakening the D.O.R..”

Eldon remembered Lyden mentioning that Shlee’s dad owed him a favor. Had Lyden helped save this woman? Eldon couldn’t remember hearing that story.

“There’s no sense in waiting out here,” President Louise said. She marched towards the factory and disappeared inside.

“Wait!” Eldon tried to stop her. He was supposed to help protect her. He appreciated a leader who wasn’t afraid to take charge or move forward, but if she got hurt while he was supposed to be protecting her, his dad would kill him.

Eldon ran after her, with Gloria chuckling for some reason behind. When he entered the factory, he came to a dead stop. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw. He expected to see concrete columns, hanging chains, broken glass, and other items one might expect to find in an abandoned factory. He didn’t expect to find the President sitting on a couch with a large holographic screen showing the news on mute. Carpet covered the floor and Eldon could see partitions set up to separate out rooms. This was someone’s home.

“Is that what the building looked like after we left?” Martha Louise asked. “We were rushed out of there so fast, I didn’t get a good look at it.” The news feed on the holographic television was showing a burning building. Not just any burning building, but the one they’d been in.

Something tickled the back of Eldon’s mind, a question he wanted answered. “Where was your secret service?”

Martha looked at him with an odd expression for a couple seconds before responding. “They should have been right outside the door. They know they can trust your father. Didn’t you see them when you came in?”

“No one was guarding your door when I brought them to you, Ma’am,” Shlee said.

Martha’s eyebrows pressed together as she took that in. “I didn’t think about it before, but we should have had some warning before that attack. They shouldn’t have made it past my men. Does that mean they were in on it?” She shook her head a moment later. “No, I can’t believe that. I’ve known Anderson since I was a governor. He’s a loyal man. Oh, God I hope he’s not dead.”

“I can’t tell you much,” Shlee offered, “but I didn’t smell any violence before we entered. I didn’t even think about the fact that the Secret Service men were missing when we entered. Good thinking, Eldon.”

Eldon felt warmed by the compliment, all the more so because it came from a beautiful woman.

“You do like her,” Gloria whispered into his ear. “I’ll have to remember that.” He jumped as she spoke, but calmed when he felt her lips brush his neck. Thank goodness Gloria wasn’t the jealous type!

Despite Gloria having whispered the words, the look on Shlee’s face said she heard. It must be werewolf hearing or something. Eldon couldn’t tell if she was pleased, or upset by what Gloria said.

“So, either Anderson betrayed me, or—“

“Or something else,” Miranda cut the President off. “I know all too well not to ask too many questions when there’s not enough information to be had.”

“If you’ve been helping bring down the Daughters,” Eldon asked, still not trusting this woman, “why didn’t you know that attack was coming?”

Miranda bared her teeth at him, and Shlee glared, but he knew he had a valid question. “I haven’t been on the inside since my brother rescued me,” she snarled. “I’ve been helping by telling the authorities about how they operate, and where their secret bases were. I meant were because they aren’t there anymore. From what I overheard, this was an operation by the Paladonic Knights, though I can tell from the news that they’re spinning it a different way. They’re claiming it was a bunch of evil monsters that attacked. I’m afraid the security footage supports them.” She turned to her niece before continuing. “Shlee, you need to get the President in front of this. Right now they don’t know if she’s alive or dead. They’re still sifting through the rubble. The Vice President is calling for all the local non-humans to be locked up until they can get a handle on what’s going on.”

“Just waiting on Frank to show up with the camera,” Shlee responded. “I’ve already talked to the station. They’re ready to roll as soon as he gets here.”

As if on cue, they heard tires crunch on the gravel outside. Shlee went out to meet her cameraman.

Eldon noticed Miranda looking at him. Considering she was a werewolf, the only way he could think to describe her look was hungry. He tried not to flinch when she walked over to him.

“I never had the opportunity to apologize to your father,” Miranda said as she held her hand out. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me, but believe me when I say we’re on the same side.”

Eldon hesitated for a moment, then decided to take the proffered hand. “He told us about how you tried to kill him multiple times.” She gave him a sharp grin, showing fangs—actual fangs!—as her grip tightened. Eldon met her grip with his own strong squeeze. “He mentioned that you hated all magical creatures with a fanaticism only the brainwashed exhibit.”

Miranda’s hand tightened, growing painful, but he didn’t flinch. “I was brainwashed. From the time I was a child, I was told that werewolves killed my whole family. It wasn’t until my brother rescued me that I learned the truth. The Daughters of Respite murdered my parents. My entire life became a lie.” She reached to her side with her free hand and pulled up her shirt, revealing a dull pink scar across her otherwise smooth stomach. “When your father gave me this scar, he took away some of my immunity to magic. I didn’t know it at the time, but on the next full moon, I changed. That was after Joey kidnapped me. He didn’t speak to me for quite a while, and I thought he was getting ready to eat me. I guess he knew I wouldn’t listen. After that first night as a werewolf, I wanted to kill myself. I’d become what I hated, or so I thought. It took years before Joey convinced me that I was always a werewolf, and that he was my brother.”

As she spoke, her hand tightened until Eldon was sure the bones in his hand were going to break. He stood his ground, even when Miranda’s brown eyes started turning golden and he was certain her hand was becoming a paw. He remained silent, not sure how to respond to her unexpected history.

“I’m glad to see you getting along,” Shlee said as she entered the factory. Her tone dripped with sarcasm as she sniffed the air.

Miranda’s eyes returned to brown and her fangs retracted before she turned to her niece and released Eldon’s hand.

“I think the best place to do this will be right here on the couch,” Miranda offered as she approached Frank. “If you put the camera here, the lighting will show the President’s face in a strong profile. Shlee, you can sit here, and no one will know we’re in an old factory.”

Gloria took Eldon’s throbbing hand and pressed her lips against his knuckles. The pain from Miranda’s grip fled before Gloria’s tender care. He pulled the succubus into a hug, pressing his lips against the top of her head. He felt embarrassed for being grateful for the kindness. He preferred to act tough, but he knew Gloria would see through it.

By the time Gloria pulled out of his arms, Miranda had everyone in their places. Shlee had a mic attached to her chest and was facing into the camera. The original plan had called for Gloria to impersonate the President, but that seemed overkill now, out in the middle of nowhere. If there was an assassin out there with Martha in their sights, they would see through the ruse. It would also mean that Miranda wasn’t being honest. It was nearly impossible to follow the Orange Bubble, unless someone inside the car willed it, or they knew what its destination was. Either scenario was unlikely.

“Thank you, Mark,” Shlee stated with an air of professionalism. “Earlier today I was with the President, setting up an interview when we were attacked.” She paused to listen to something from the speaker in her ear. “No, the attack was not executed by creatures from the Shadow World. It was perpetrated by humans in costume.” Pause. “Ambassador Lyden Snow and his children protected the President and me, neutralizing the attackers. Before the explosion, their masks were ripped off. It was humans that attacked us.” Pause. “I don’t know who was behind it.”

Eldon knew she was lying, but didn’t know why. She hadn’t been there to interview Martha, but understood that there had to be a reason for her to be in the room with the President of the United States. But why wouldn’t she tell them that the Paladonic Knights were behind the attack? This could put a nail in their coffin if she admitted it. Or was she trying to play the middle? He knew that she had an identity to protect, and if she came on too strong against humanity, it may hurt her fake identity as a news reporter.

“There’s no proof,” Gloria said next to him. “If she made that claim, without proof, the P.K.’s would just deny it and their attorneys would roast her for libel. There needs to be evidence or she would lose credibility. Right now she needs as much credibility as she can keep.”

He knew his girlfriend couldn’t read Shlee’s mind, but had read his questions from his mind. He already knew that Gloria was an intelligent woman. Compared to her, he must appear to be an imbecile.

“Not an imbecile,” she chided him. “But you’re just so cute!” Her shoulders shook with silent laughter as his cheeks burned. “The truth is, you’re not a normal mortal. You’re refreshing in a way I haven’t seen in centuries. You’re brave, strong, incredibly good looking, and not nearly as foolish as your sister would have you believe. Besides, I’ve had millennia to watch and understand human behavior.”

Eldon’s cheeks burned hotter, and he decided to turn back to the news reporter. He saw that President Louise was speaking. “…times of hardship like this that we need to come together as a nation. This wasn’t an attack on me, but my policies and the American way of life. This country was founded by immigrants and people coming from all walks of life to live on this great soil. This attack is nothing more than a cowardly show of racism. I am not daunted in the clear duty I have before me, nor is my belief that our two worlds can get along.”

“What about the attacks that have occurred in the Shadow World on Humans?” Shlee asked. Eldon wanted to charge forward and scream at her for pointing that out. All that comment could do was hurt their standing. Then he remembered what he’d thought about Shlee having to take the middle ground. She was doing her job as a news reporter, regardless of what her personal feelings were. She was digging for the facts, rather than spouting opinion.

“Ambassador Snow and I were discussing that very thing before the attack,” the President responded. She gave Shlee a shrewd look, which turned to one of respect. Eldon suspected that she’d realized what Shlee was doing also. “He’s created a task force to combat the threat from that end, and was asking for my approval to recruit humans into that task force.”

Shlee paused for a moment before responding to Martha’s words. “Such a move would help create peace between the two worlds, but only if magical creatures came here to do the same. Madame President, are you proposing that the two worlds work together in an ongoing peace initiative?”

Eldon realized his jaw was hanging open. If what the President was saying was true—and he had no reason to doubt her—it would mean unprecedented access for both worlds to have access to the other. On the one hand, creatures from the Shadow World have been visiting Earth for centuries, though most of humanity was oblivious to that fact. On the other hand, it was illegal for a human to travel to the Shadow World until shortly after the Chaos War. Becky and Lyden Snow had worked hard to allow the two worlds to comingle in peace. A unified protective force from both worlds would go far to make that happen.

Martha gave an easy laugh. “At this point, Ms. Olsen, I’m not proposing anything. You know what it’s like trying to get a bill passed as law. It could be years before anything happens. Right now I’m putting the thought out there for the public. If it’s something the public wants, then they should write their congressional member and let them know.”

Shlee touched the piece in her ear and listened to Mark back in the studio. “I’m being told we’re low on time, Madame President. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

Martha Louise looked directly into the camera as her face became stone. “I am not afraid of those that attacked me today. I want to be clear on this point. Neither I, nor the American public, will bow down to terrorists and their ilk. Cowardly acts that have to hide behind costumes to press their own agenda will not sway me. We will find out who was behind this attack and bring the cowards to justice.”

Frank turned the camera to Shlee who was grinning from ear to ear. “You heard it here first. Our President has a backbone made of granite and a determination just as hard. If you were behind that attack, and you’re watching this, I’d start running now.” She glanced at the President and smiled wider, if that were possible. “Of course, since the President of the United States of America, Ambassador Snow—the hero of the Chaos War—along with his children, and I were the victims of that attack, I’m not sure the moon is far enough away for you to escape. This is Shlee Olsen, signing off after an exclusive interview with President Martha Louise. Back to you Mark.”

“Aaand, we’re off,” Frank said from behind the camera. “Damn, Shlee! Remind me never to piss you off.” He turned to the President and tripped over himself as he tried to bow and hold his left hand out to shake while saluting with his right. “It’s such an honor to meet you, Ma’am. An honor!”

Martha stood and took his hand, while somehow managing to smile in a way that didn’t insult Frank for his awkward behavior, and at the same time put him at ease.

Shlee and Miranda cocked their heads towards the door at the same time, making Eldon tense. He’d already experienced the werewolves’ acute sense of hearing.

“Someone’s here,” Miranda said as she moved to the doorway.

“Really?” Frank asked, oblivious that he was only one of two humans in the room. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“It should be my secret service finally arriving,” Martha said. “I’m surprised it took them this long.” Outside, he was just able to make out the sound of helicopter rotors steadily thumping the air.

Before Eldon had a chance to wonder how the Secret Service knew where to find their President, Gloria leaned in and informed him. “She has a GPS locator embedded in her skull. As long as she’s alive, and somewhere their satellites can see, they’ll know where she is.”

Eldon’s mind filled in the rest. The Orange Bubble must have shielded her from the satellites, and they’d moved far enough away in a short period of time that it took them awhile to pinpoint her.

“If I know how they’re going to react, we all might want to get on the floor, facing down. They tend to get a little overzealous in their desire to keep me safe.” As she spoke, Martha followed her own advice and laid face first on the floor with her hands over her head.

If they’re so zealous about her safety, where were they during the attack? Eldon wondered. For once, Gloria didn’t have an answer for his thoughts.

“United States Secret Service!” someone screamed. “Everyone get down on the floor and place your hands on your head!” Apparently they weren’t looking inside to see that everyone was already doing just that. “Anyone still standing after the count of three will be shot. One! Two! Three!”

Men clad in black body armor stormed into the abandoned factory, rifles up and ready. The men and women that entered shouted back and forth, calling out to one another to let them know they had found multiple people and so far no hostiles.

“They’re getting their filthy boots on my rugs,” Miranda complained, but she was ignored.

Somebody grabbed Eldon by his wrists and pressed their knee into his back. He grunted, but put up with the treatment. Overzealous indeed! Frank cried out as he was similarly manhandled, but he was the only one.

“I’ve got the POTUS,” one yelled from where President Louise lay.

After a few moments of lying there, he was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to be let up, or if the knee in his back was trying to become one with his spine.

“Let them up,” Martha’s voice broke into the other’s shouting with its level of command. “Sergeant, I want these people treated with the utmost respect. I would be dead if not for them.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the same voice that had yelled the warning in the beginning stated.

As Eldon felt the knee pull away from his back, he couldn’t help but notice that she hadn’t mentioned that she should have been dead because the Secret Service had abandoned her.

He took a step over to Gloria and helped her to her feet. It wasn’t lost on him that if they’d wanted to, they could have decimated this entire group in a matter of moments. Between two werewolves, an ancient Greek goddess, and him, the Secret Service didn’t stand a chance. The idea of their two worlds working together to bring about a greater peace appealed to him even more right then.

“How do they know it’s really her?” Eldon couldn’t help but ask his girlfriend as she brushed herself off. Her clothing was immaculate of course, but she went through the motions anyway for appearances. “It could be someone impersonating her.”

“You mean, besides the GPS tracker?” Gloria asked, and Eldon felt foolish. “They challenged her when they first entered, asking her for her authentication response. She gave the correct answer. It was all done while the others shouted so you couldn’t hear.”

“I’m just glad they waited until after the interview to arrive,” Shlee grinned as she joined them. “Could you imagine that happening on live television? I mean, the ratings would have been great, but I don’t think being face down with my hands behind my head and a knee in my back would help my image.”

Eldon couldn’t stop from chuckling at Shlee’s cavalier attitude. So far today, they were attacked and nearly blown to bits, made their escape, then found out that the Shadow World may be falling apart and under attack. Shlee had had her career making interview with the President of the United States, then been treated like a criminal by the very people that should have been protecting the President in the first place. The fact that she could smile with such ease spoke volumes about her character.

“She’s also rather cute,” Gloria poked him in the ribs. Eldon’s cheeks burned again at her jibe, but when Shlee gave him an appraising look, he wished the explosion earlier would have killed him to save him from this embarrassment.

“Ma’am,” Eldon heard the head agent call out to Martha. “We found some intel before the attack earlier, describing their plans for the attempted assassination. It appears to have been perpetrated by the Paladonic Knights in an attempt to discredit those from the Shadow World.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Martha replied in a calm tone, as though she hadn’t just been told that her secret service had known about the attack before it happened. “Please get this information before congress as soon as possible. I intend to label the Paladonic Knights as terrorists as soon as possible.”

“As soon as we get you to safety, Ma’am, I’ll make sure it happens.”

Eldon sensed the change in Gloria’s mood before she called out, “Madame President? If I could talk to you for a quick moment?”

“Please call me Martha,” the President smiled. That smile faltered for a moment as she noticed Gloria’s serious face, but it returned immediately. “After all, you helped save my life today. I’d like to think we’re all friends by this point.”

“What’s wrong?” Eldon whispered loud enough that only Gloria, Shlee, and Miranda could hear.

“Be ready,” Gloria muttered as she walked over to the President.

Eldon glanced at Shlee and heard her growl and saw her nails lengthen a bit.

“Wow, what a day, huh?” Frank asked, oblivious to the tension in the room, or Shlee’s subtle transformation. “I just got a text from the boss. Seems she wants to talk to us as soon as we get back. I can’t believe we just got an exclusive interview with the President! Do you realize what this means for us?”

Eldon ignored the man, focusing on Gloria. As she walked up to the men surrounding the President, they tensed and formed a wall around Martha. Eldon wished his sister was there. She could change into a weapon for him. He changed into the martial artist that’d attacked him earlier, losing a bit of height in the process, but gaining muscle memory. None of the Secret Service was looking at him, focused on the woman walking up to them.

Gloria didn’t slow. As she walked up to the wall of humans, she waved her hand dismissively. All but one man moved away. Eldon remembered escaping from Poseidon, and the way his girlfriend had used her powers at that point. He’d become totally and helplessly devoted to her smallest whim. It was still difficult for him to believe that Gloria was actually Aphrodite, but the boost to his ego was tremendous.

As he watched her exercise her power over Martha’s protectors, he was surprised anyone could resist.

“What are you guys doing?” the lone man asked, lifting his rifle and pointing it at Gloria. “The President needs to be protected!”

Eldon wasn’t worried about Gloria being hurt. If Poseidon couldn’t stop her, this man didn’t stand a chance.

“Curious that you resisted my power,” Gloria said. Eldon heard a smile in her tone, but it was a cold smile. “Also curious that the Secret Service wasn’t around to protect her before the attack.”

“What’s going on?” Martha asked as she backed away from the lone man.

“We were ordered away, Mistress,” one of the other men intoned. His voice conveyed his devotion to Gloria as he bowed to her. “We were told that she’d slipped into another room, and we were moved to keep her safe. Only when we arrived at the new location, there was a large explosion where we’d left, and the President wasn’t where we were told she’d be.”

“Who gave that order?” Gloria asked her sycophant.

“Shut up!” The single guard shouted. Everyone turned to look at him, and he realized he was caught. He started to chuckle.

Eldon tensed, ready to leap forward if the man decided to attack. Gloria held her hand up to him without looking back.

“You’re all sheep! Don’t you see that?” the man cackled. He pointed his rifle at Martha. “She’s being controlled by the monsters from the Shadow World. She’s setting our country up to be handed over to the evil in that world. Can’t you all see that? She needs to be killed before they come here and kill us all!”

Thunder rebounded through the factory as the man fired his rifle at the President. A female scream rent the air. Eldon charged forward, ready to either tackle the guard or render first aid, but he stopped a moment later, confused. The guard was on the floor, a massive strawberry blonde wolf on his back with her teeth pressed against his neck. Martha sat on the floor a small distance away, her eyes wide as she stared in shock at the woman lying on the floor between her and the Secret Service agent.

Blood pooled beneath Miranda and seeped around her fingers as she held her hand to her side. “Shit, that stings. Thank goodness they weren’t using silver.”

“See!” the guard screamed and kept going, despite Shlee’s warning growl. “They’re protecting her. That proves what I’m saying!”

Eldon moved to Miranda’s side, ignoring the man’s rants. She waved him away, grunted, then held up the bullet. “I’ll heal quick enough,” she told Eldon. “My kind has a high metabolism.”

He moved to Martha next, offering her his hand.

“The American people are in your debt,” Martha said as she faced the women that’d just saved her life.

Eldon felt useless as he looked around. He was by no means a misogynist, but he should have done more than just stand there. Even Frank… Eldon couldn’t stop from chuckling as he looked at where Frank lay face down on the floor, a puddle of urine under his waist from where he’d wet himself before passing out. It was a good thing he wasn’t on the carpet, or Miranda would have been upset with him.

“Eldon, will you come replace Shlee so she can change back before her cameraman wakes up and sees her?” Gloria asked him.

Of course, he thought, trying to put on a smile, now that the action is over, I can be helpful. I need to find a better body to emulate.

“I like your real body well enough,” Gloria told him with a smile, “and I’ll be more than happy to prove it later. You’ve been a big help in the past. Don’t get down on yourself because others were faster this time.”

Eldon felt chastised as he replaced Shlee on the guard’s back. The man tried to fight him off, but Eldon gripped the man’s wrists, changing himself into the body builder and almost doubling his weight. The man didn’t stand a chance against Eldon’s size. Of course, the fact that Eldon had accidently dislocated the man’s shoulder may have taken some of the fight out of him.

“Thanks, cutie,” Shlee said as she changed next to him. She gave him a peck on the cheek before going back and retrieving her clothes. Eldon tried not to look, but her ass was almost as nice as Gloria’s. From the way Gloria smiled, he knew she’d seen his thoughts.

Gloria waited until Shlee was fully dressed, before releasing her spell on the other Secret Service agents.

“What happened?” one of them asked. He took in the blood on Miranda’s shirt, the guard under Eldon—though he gave Eldon a double-take because of his size—and the President standing next to Gloria, before barking out orders. “Someone cuff Bartlett. Unless I miss my guess, he was our mole. Someone else, find out how long before we can get the POTUS out of here.”

Eldon backed away as one of the armored men took control of Bartlett. He saw Gloria talking with the President and went to help Shlee wake Frank up. Miranda joined them after waving off medical attention. They all pretended not to notice Frank’s ‘accident,’ though the stench of urine was strong in the air. He didn’t want to think what the werewolves’ sensitive noses were suffering.

“Go get changed in the van and I’ll be there in a bit to go to the station,” Shlee told her cameraman and he shuffled off, red-faced. She turned to face Eldon and held her hand out. He took it, impressed with her firm grip. “Call me sometime,” she said with a broad smile. When she pulled her hand back, Eldon felt a slip of paper remain. Before he could think to respond, she followed her cameraman out.

Eldon stood stunned for a moment. He pocketed the piece of paper without looking at it. Shlee knew he was seeing Gloria, so why would she give him her number? He realized he was still in his body builder form and reverted to normal. It couldn’t be due to his looks, though he thought his true form was attractive. He could look like anyone, though. He hadn’t been any help during this last attempt at the President’s life. Why would she act like that?

“Next time you talk to your dad, tell him thanks,” Miranda said to him, breaking him out of his thoughts. He nodded to her, not sure what Miranda would be thanking Lyden Snow for. She was no longer holding her side making Eldon suspect she’d already healed from her gunshot wound. Miranda walked away from him, and he stood there trying to get his thoughts in order.

The secret service hauled their traitor from the factory, while maintaining a protective wall around Martha Louise.

He didn’t realize that Gloria was standing beside him until she spoke, making him jump. “That actually worked out pretty well.”

“What?” Eldon asked, thinking she was talking about the piece of paper in his pocket. It only took him a moment to realize she meant the ordeal with the President. “Oh, right. Umm, so… Shlee gave me her number.” There wasn’t a chance he was going to keep that a secret from her.

“I know. I think she’s pretty cute. You going to call her?”

Eldon’s heart dropped in his chest. “Call her? Umm, but I thought you and I… I mean, I thought we were… You and me, or…” he trailed off, realizing he was sounding like an idiot.

Gloria’s laughter was like a soothing balm on his frayed nerves. “We are! Don’t think for a minute I’m willing to give you up. You’re too much fun, brave, cute, and have the best cock I’ve ever had the pleasure of pleasing. But I know your father, and I know men. Yes, I can get jealous at times, but you’ve already proven yourself to be trustworthy. I’m not telling you that you can sleep with whomever you want—my man has to have standards—but Shlee is pretty hot. From the way she was looking at you I suspect that she’s more than a little wolf in the sack, too, if you know what I mean.” She winked at him. Before he had the opportunity to even blush, she grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled him into a ferocious kiss. If he weren’t already accustomed to the magic of her firm lips, his knees would have buckled.

Somehow he rallied his senses, wrapped his arms around her, and gave as good as he got. Their tongues met as he opened up to her, tasting her sweet breath. For half a moment, her body pressed against his felt like a second skin. His body grew flush with arousal. He allowed his hands to drop to Gloria’s strong glutes and pulled her tighter to him. He heard a moan escape between her lips. Desire and lust suffused him as he gripped the hem of her shirt, ready to pull it off her if he could, rip it from her body if he couldn’t.

“Ahem,” a voice broke into his thoughts, shattering the web of desire Gloria had cast on him. “While I may no longer be a Daughter of Respite, I still hold some of the morals I was raised with,” Miranda spoke in disapproving tones. “I won’t have my home—or what it is at any rate—fouled by lewd behavior. If you’re going to act like teenagers, go do it somewhere else.”

Eldon heard Gloria giggle, sounding exactly like a teenager. Eldon found the laugh infectious, and when Miranda glared, he laughed harder.

A male throat cleared its voice. Eldon turned to see one of the Secret Service agents standing in the entryway to the factory. Beyond him, Eldon heard the steady thumping thrum of helicopter rotors.

“The POTUS requests you join her on the bird,” he told them.

Eldon glanced at Gloria, wondering what Martha could want from them. Did she suspect her life was still in danger? Gloria shrugged. Apparently she couldn’t read Martha’s mind from here, or the Secret Service agent didn’t know.

They followed the agent out. Wind buffeted them as they approached the helicopter. An agent inside held his hand out to Eldon, who took it and felt himself hauled in. Gloria joined him a moment later. The noise was terrible, drowning out anything that might have been said. They were shown to a couple of free seats sitting across from the President. A helmet with speakers over the ears was presented to him, and Eldon gladly donned it. The earpieces blocked out all external noises.

Martha’s lips moved a split second before he heard her voice. “Mike, will you please put the three of us on a separate channel?” He heard some faint popping before she continued. “Excellent, now we can talk.”

Eldon wasn’t sure about the smile that spread across Martha’s face, or the way Gloria gripped his hand.

“After today’s events, I’m going to put some supernaturals into my guard,” Martha informed them. “It will go a long way to laying the groundwork for having others in our military and police forces.”

“Supernaturals?” Eldon asked, not liking that term.

“Supernaturals. Meta-humans. Mutants. I don’t know of a good term to use,” she replied. “Even faerie creatures or non-humans might come across as some sort of slander. Can you think of a good term to use?”

Eldon glanced at Gloria, seeing the point. Throughout human history, magical creatures were painted as the bad guys. No matter what term was used, at some point, it was a term of hatred or fear. If creatures from the Shadow World were ever going to rise up out of that fear, they would have to take a new title. They needed a name that would inspire hope. A name that wouldn’t carry with it centuries of hatred, fear, and prejudice. A name that could encompass all creatures, without singling out any one race. There was only one name he could think of that met those requirements.

“What about Lydonites? Or would Lydonese be more proper?” he asked, unsure of how to phrase the term.

If he’d expected immediate approval, he was in for a letdown. “While I respect what you’re thinking, I’m not sure your father would approve,” Martha said inter her microphone. “He doesn’t strike me as the glory hungry type.”

“But that’s part of what makes it the perfect term,” Eldon defended his idea. “While I know that there was more than one hero of the Chaos War, Lyden Snow was the one to ultimately defeat the Outsiders and save both realms. He gave his life, though Gaia brought him back. He’s well respected in both realms. We could come up with a gibberish name, but that won’t hold any weight behind it. My dad’s name will.”

“Not everyone on Earth respects him,” Martha said as though Eldon were a little child on the edge of a temper tantrum. “There are many here who hate him, and not just the P.K.’s and D.O.R.’s, though them more than most. Those groups hate that they had to come into the light because of what Lyden did. Many others believe their propaganda and view him as only slightly less evil than the antichrist, while others believe he is the antichrist.”

Eldon wanted to argue further, but didn’t know what else to say. He knew that his term was the right one, but didn’t know how to convince the American President.

“I think Eldon’s right,” Gloria said after a few tense seconds. Eldon gave her a grateful smile, happy she came to his rescue. “While I know a few groups from my world would hate to be lumped under that name, most would welcome it. I understand what you’re saying, Martha, but I don’t think we can let a few opinions sway us. I honestly believe that the majority of humanity doesn’t hate us.”

“Not hating you is a far cry from loving you,” Martha said, but nodded in defeat. “Sometimes the politician in me wins out, and I forget to see the bigger picture, past all the votes. You’re right, of course. Many fear those from your world—the Lydonese we’ll call them. It sounds smoother—but my campaign team can help spin it into a word for strength.”

“Not too much strength,” Eldon piped up. “We don’t want to appear too strong and have them hate us for that.”

Martha let out a genuine laugh as she appraised Eldon.

“You have a good head on your shoulders, Eldon,” Martha told him. “I see that your prowess for fighting goes beyond the skill of your hands.” For some reason she winked at him. Despite himself, he missed the innuendo for an uncomfortable moment. It was too hard to believe that Martha Louise, the President of the United States of America, the prim and proper woman that led a country that some considered prudish—though others considered too liberal—would make a lewd joke. Even one as subtle as that. When he felt his cheeks start to burn in understanding, Martha’s grin grew. “You are a refreshing young man! Sometimes I forget how innocent youth can be. Anyway, we’re getting off track. I need some Lydonese in my Secret Service. If nothing else, today proved that.”

Eldon didn’t know how to react to Martha’s teasing. On the one hand, she was a fair bit older than him and a powerful woman in her own right. Then again, Gloria—or Aphrodite or whatever other name she once held—was much older than anyone else he knew well and had the power of a god.

Both of them were attractive. Gloria, with her long golden blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes was nothing short of gorgeous. Martha also had blue eyes, but they were set in a darker Latino face, and the wrinkles around her eyes said her life hadn’t been easy. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and much of her beauty came from her maturity.

He realized that he’d missed something in the conversation that had continued while he was lost in thought. He racked his brain to try and think of what he’d missed, but to no avail. As the two other women looked at him, waiting, he was forced to admit that either he wasn’t paying attention, or play along. He knew Gloria would know the truth from his thoughts, but he didn’t want to look like more of an innocent child in front of the President. “Yeah, sounds good,” he said, unsure of what he was agreeing with.

His stomach flopped when Martha’s eyes lit up as though he’d given her the world. “I’m so glad to hear that. You have no idea how tough it can be to rule a country. Especially in times like these with magic and monsters—both human and Lydonese—roaming the worlds. Any chance I could convince you both to be the first Lydonese to join the Secret Service?”

Eldon was impressed with how simple she made the new term sound as though it had been around for years. He was shocked at her request, though he realized he shouldn’t have been.

“I’ll have to think on it,” he told her, honored by her offer but unsure of it. “I enjoy what I do now, defending the humans that come to the Shadow World. If I ever grow bored and you’re still in office, then maybe I will.” He didn’t add out loud that he didn’t know what his sister would do if he took her up on the offer. For some reason, the thought of abandoning Shelly to work for Martha made him feel awful. Shelly could transform into almost any object, but she needed him to wield her. Or was he deceiving himself? He could change into almost any form he wanted, but he was weaponless. He could pick up any weapon he chose, though, just like anyone else could wield Shelly. That thought didn’t make him feel any better and he decided to abandon it. He chalked his feelings up to the fact that the twins had spent their whole lives together. They’d rarely been apart for more than a couple months.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Martha grinned as though he had agreed to do it on the spot. “Now then, we have a long flight ahead of us, and I think we should get some rest.” That grin was way too wide for Eldon’s comfort.

Only then did it occur to Eldon that he had no idea where they were going. His dad told him to watch over and protect the President. She should be safe now, right? Shouldn’t he be trying to get back to the Shadow World and finding out how he could help there? Shelly was with Jessica, so she had someone to help her, and Brooke was more than capable of taking care of herself as long as she wasn’t taken by surprise, but would it be enough? Jessica was a good fighter, but there was too much about her that Eldon didn’t know. He’d really liked her once, but didn’t like how she’d treated Gloria.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Gloria told him through her headset. “For now, get some rest.”

Eldon wondered about the smile and the twinkle in her eyes as she said that, but knew it for some good advice. He didn’t think he could get any sleep. He was too wound up with the day’s events, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t relax. He let his head fall back, and concentrated on relaxing each of his muscle groups. Starting with his feet and working his way up to his calves and thighs, Eldon relaxed. He decided now would be a great time to meditate. He never fell asleep when meditating, but he always felt refreshed afterwards.

He was snoring before he could relax his arms.

* * * *

Eldon found himself in a white marbled room, with marbled columns supporting a white roof far overhead. A breeze blew across his naked skin. There were no walls, and outside he could see green rolling hills dotted with ripe olive trees. The sound of burbling water drew his attention to a statue of a naked woman pouring water into a shallow pool. The statue looked familiar, yet not familiar. The bottom of the pool consisted of small tiles in a mosaic. He stepped closer, trying to determine what the mosaic was. The image coalesced into men and women coupling. The ripples along the water’s surface made it look like they were moving. In fact, the sound of the water pouring from the naked statue almost sounded like moaning.

His twisted manhood grew hard as he continued to look into the pool.

“I see you like my Mens Mundi,” Gloria’s voice startled him out of his trance. He jumped and spun around to face the woman. His cheeks burned in embarrassment as she giggled. She looked different here. She wore a white flowing toga. Her blonde hair was wavy, and her skin slightly more tanned. She also looked more mature, though not older. Looking at her now, he recognized the statue. There were still subtle differences, such as the statue having fuller hips and a larger bust, but he knew it was her. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that the statue was Aphrodite, while the woman before him was Gloria.

“Dad told me that he once had a place like this,” Eldon spoke up as soon as he thought he could control his voice enough not to squeak. “A dream world where he could create whatever he wanted and pull his friends in. It also helped him and others heal.”

Gloria gave him a dazzling smile that struck like a lightning bolt down to his toes. His cock was already hard, but it grew harder as she stepped forward and slipped the shoulder strap of her toga off. Her breasts came into view and he felt his mouth water.

“I rarely bring anyone here.” As she spoke, she continued to approach him, the toga slipping from her soft curves. Within a couple steps, she was naked and ravishing. “Only when I can’t have any privacy in the real world and wish to share something important.”

“Yeah?” Eldon’s mouth had gone dry at some point, and he worked to moisten it. His hormones were going into overdrive, and it was clouding his thinking. Before him was the Greek Goddess of Love and Lust. He wanted to grab her in his powerful arms and make love to her, but somehow he resisted.

“Yes,” she purred as she finally reached him. She placed one delicate hand on his chest and brushed her lips against his. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ve known many men in my life, but rarely have I met any with your willpower, Eldon Lance.” Her free hand slid around his waist to his back, and gripped one buttock. She pulled him tightly to her, his twisted cock compressed against her smooth stomach. He allowed his arms to move around her, but resisted the powerful urges coursing through him. “Shall I tell you a secret? Marchosias almost gave it away, but I would be willing to tell you.”

He could smell her sweet breath and wanted to kiss her again. The aborted kiss in the factory came to mind. Right then he needed to continue it. His right hand went to the back of her head, fingers digging into her hair as he pulled her face back to his. He felt her hips press against him with hunger, and he moaned as her tongue came out to meet his. He didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, and he didn’t care. He was lost in her touch, in her scent, and in her taste. She was quite literally divine.

When she pulled away from him, he felt lost and naked. Or rather, even more naked than his lack of clothing could account for. When he looked at her, he saw her still smiling, though there was a hint of curiosity to it now. Somewhere, deep inside, Eldon’s mind came back to him, though not fully.

“How are you able to resist me, so?” she asked him, playfully biting at her bottom lip. He wanted to take that lip back in his mouth and bite it for her. “No mortal man has ever resisted me this well. I can feel your desire burning inside you. You know I won’t stop you from having your way with me. What holds you back?”

What was holding him back? He didn’t know. Her words came to him through a fog, and it took his mind a moment to comprehend them. “You’re using your power to seduce me,” he said and took a step away from her. His legs felt like water as he moved, not understanding his own reasons for stepping away.

“Yes I am,” she replied without any apology in her voice. She let her hands roam across her lithe body, before putting the index finger of her right hand between her teeth. “I was created to seduce men. I seduced Adam, the first homo-sapien, and I thought he had willpower. You are something else. Tell me, why do you resist? Can’t you tell I want you?” Her left hand dipped between her legs, and he could hear the squelch of her juices as she slipped her fingers inside.

“Not…” he trailed off as the thought escaped him. He chased after it like a lifeline. He wanted her. His rod ached to slip between her thighs and replace her fingers. Why was he resisting? “Not like this,” he said. “I want you… as you…” The pressure on his mind vanished in an instant as Gloria’s eyes grew wide. He knew he should be furious with her, but couldn’t summon up the anger. “You’ve never had to use your abilities on me before. Why?”

She stared at him for a couple seconds before responding. “I’m so sorry. I thought… I mean, as tired as you were today, I thought you would need the enticement.” She stopped and shook her head. “That’s not entirely true. When I’m in my Mens Mundi, my baser instincts come out. I told you before that I was created to seduce men. You already know that I was once Aphrodite, but that wasn’t my first name.”

As she spoke, Eldon could see tears forming in her eyes. He stepped up to her, closing the distance with speed. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a hug. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he told her, meaning it. He hadn’t told her everything about his past. He hadn’t told her about that one, terrifying incident, years ago when he’d… No! he broke off the thought, unwilling to even think of it.

“But I want you to know,” she told him as her tears wet his neck. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Eldon. Oh, sure, there have been plenty of strong, brave men over the millennia, but all of them had a major flaw. It wasn’t always the same flaw. Some were just after sex, or some were cruel. Others couldn’t tell the difference between my ass and my armpit. All of them had something wrong with them, and I easily moved on.”

“I’m not perfect,” he told her, trying to pull away, but she tightened the hug, refusing to let him go.

“I didn’t say you were perfect,” she replied, pulling her head back to look him in the eyes. Her blue eyes captivated his soul, and he knew her words were utter truth. “No one is perfect, but you accept me for who I am. What I am. You don’t judge me. You’ve proven that you’re after more than sex with me. You care about those around you, but aren’t afraid to fight when you must. Do you know how many men out there would have a problem if they knew their woman could read every thought they had? But that doesn’t bother you. You even use it to your advantage. You have no idea how wonderful you are.”

“I’m not perfect,” he repeated, unsure of how to respond. No one had ever praised him the way she was, and he didn’t know how to take it. As for having no issues with his thoughts not being entirely his own, there were reason in his past for that. Reasons he didn’t want to think about.

“Why?” she demanded with ferocity but no anger as she reached between them and grabbed his still firm prick. “Because you have this wonderful cock? Because this is different from every other man’s piece of meat?”

It took him a moment to realize she wasn’t responding to his thoughts, but his words instead. “You don’t know everything about me,” he told her, trying to push her away. Her grip on him tightened and he abandoned the idea of getting away from her. Unless he wanted to lose his rod, he was staying right here. “You don’t know some of the things I’ve done. There’s a reason half-breeds are considered dangerous.”

“You don’t know my past either. Besides, I know Gaia worked on your mother’s womb while you were still in her. She made sure you wouldn’t be a monster.”

“There are those that are born monsters,” he told her, feeling his heart sink with each word, “and then there are those that make themselves into monsters.” He knew she could read his mind and see his memories. See the bloodshed and death that he’d caused.

“I was once Lilith,” Gloria said. “I was created to seduce Adam, and turn him away from the Pillar of Light. All evil, all pain and death from that act forward is my fault. I seduced Adam, and made him eat that stupid apple. I may not have brought evil into the world, but I was the one that made it blossom.”

Eldon looked at her, confused for a moment. He understood her words, if not what she meant by them. Unbidden, he started to laugh. Her eyes darkened, but he knew she understood what was in his mind. Her hand slapping his face caught him by surprise. He heard the slap and his head turned from the blow, before he felt the pain. At least she’d finally released his cock.

“I tell you my deepest, darkest secret and you laugh at me?” Anger and hurt warred for dominance in her voice. “I guess you’re not the man I thought you were.”

Eldon rubbed his jaw, trying to understand where he went wrong. She should be able to see his thoughts, and understand why he laughed.… Unless…

“You can’t read my mind here, can you?” he asked her, already knowing she couldn’t.

“No,” she admitted. “It’s another reason I don’t bring many here. Why? What are you thinking?”

Instead of answering right away, he stepped forward and kissed her. He kept the kiss short, not even waiting for her to recover from the shock before pulling away. “I’m thinking of how foolish you’re acting to think that would bother me,” he told her with sincere bluntness. “You said it yourself. You were created to do that. You might as well be upset that you can breathe. You were created to do that as well.”

“But all that death, and the—“

He cut her off. “None of that matters. You couldn’t have known what would happen. You did what you were meant to do. It’s how you’ve lived afterwards that matters. Trust me, I know that lesson all too well. You’re not a bad person. I don’t care who you were. I care about who you are. I’m honored that you told me, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. You’re a wonderful woman. That’s who you are now.”

She stared at him for a few moments, her jaw slightly slack. “I could love you,” he heard her whisper in awe.

He realized that it was only fair that he reveal his secret. He opened his mouth to do so, but never had the chance.

“This place is beautiful!” Martha’s voice echoed around the open area.

“What are you doing here?” Eldon blurted before he could think better of it.

“Did you forget already?” she asked, appearing uncertain. “I’m sorry. I thought… I mean, you agreed and everything. Maybe I was deceiving myself. I’m so embarrassed now. I—I should go.”

Eldon noticed what she was wearing, and it threw him mentally off-balance. She was in a light pink negligée that covered the important bits, but left little to the imagination. He recalled agreeing to something on the chopper earlier, but not knowing what it had been.

“This was the other reason I tried to seduce you,” Gloria whispered in his ear. “I knew you hadn’t known what you were agreeing to, but also knew how badly she needed a good fucking.”

He flinched at her expletive, remembering how many times he’d gotten in trouble by his dad or mom whenever he cursed. He also wondered for a brief moment if she was reading his mind, but knew better. Gloria was an intelligent woman, and was most likely responding to his physical cues more than anything else.

“You want me to... um… have sex with her?” he asked Gloria, not wanting to use the same term she’d used.

“No, I want us to have sex with her. I know how much you’ve been cautious about being with anyone else, and I figured I’d have you so horny, you wouldn’t care. I also wanted to make it clear to you that I am okay with you being with other women.”

While he didn’t appreciate being manipulated, he could understand what she’d been doing.

“Besides,” Gloria continued, “she’s so sexually frustrated, it was driving me nuts. All those pent up thoughts in her head. You’d think the President of the United States could get laid with ease, but she has an image to maintain. Your father told her about the Mens Mundi, and she saw her opportunity. I’m sorry I tried to trick you.”

Eldon understood. Martha had mentioned that she was widowed. More than one politician’s career was destroyed because of an inappropriate fling. He knew that a typical woman’s sexual drive strengthened as she grew older, and wondered when the last time the President had been with a man. If her thoughts were enough to bother Gloria, then she must be frustrated indeed.

Besides, as he watched Martha walking away, her firm ass swaying as she moved, he couldn’t deny that the thought appealed to him.

He took a moment to press his lips against Gloria’s, then stepped towards Martha. He was in front of her at the speed of thought, covering the distance before he knew what he was doing. He was shocked at the sudden speed, but not as much as Martha was as she bumped into his naked body. He recovered quickly, knowing he had to change her mood and turn this situation around. Eldon thought her shock doubled as he leaned in and kissed her.

Her lips were stiff for a long moment, refusing to open up to him. When he realized she wasn’t going to kiss him back, he stepped away, once again confused. She wrapped her arms around her body, trying to cover up her near nudity.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I wasn’t thinking when you arrived. Gloria and I were talking, and I forgot about what I’d agreed to.”

“You don’t have to. I won’t force you to do it.” It was weird to hear petulance in this powerful woman’s voice.

“Force me?” Eldon stifled a laugh. “You’re a beautiful woman. You don’t have to force me. Look at me! I want to do it.”

Eldon looked down at his manhood, and realized that it was standing fully upright in all its twisted glory. For once, he wasn’t embarrassed about it. For the first time in his life, Eldon didn’t feel an overwhelming need to cover up and hide his deformity. It was part of who he was. Thanks to Gloria, he could accept that.

“My Lord, that thing is huge,” Martha muttered. “It… Is it always like that?”

“Only when he has a nearly half-naked beautiful woman before him,” Gloria said as she joined them. Martha’s wide eyes were locked on his rod. Gloria dropped to her knees and pulled Martha with her. “You should see how it tastes.” Gloria gripped Martha’s right wrist and moved the hand towards his member.

“May I?” she asked with trepidation.

“Please do,” he told her with an inviting grin.

He felt the mature woman grip him, and moaned. The sound made her jump, and she finally looked away to look up at him. Eldon nodded for her to continue. With almost painful slowness, her head inched forward until he felt her warm breath on the tip. He struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that this was the President on her knees before him. He knew she was no virgin, but she acted as though this was her first time with a man. Had it really been that long for her?

He heard her gulp as she stared at his one-eyed snake. With sudden ferocity, she lunged forward. He felt the head compress between her lips, then keep going until he struck the back of her throat. He was about to compliment how good she felt, but her hands on his ass, pulling him deeper into her mouth and down her throat distracted him. Only one other had ever been able to successfully deep-throat him. In truth, very few had ever seen him naked in his natural form, but Gloria was a succubus, capable of changing her body. Martha was a human… Wasn’t she? Either way, he had to readjust his image of her again, as she took him deeper into her throat.

“I’m surprised you have that much control over your body here,” Gloria said to Martha. “Have you ever been in a Mens Mundi before?”

Eldon almost groaned as the hot older woman pulled her dark lips away from him. He left her mouth with an audible pop and a gasp from Martha. His rod felt naked in the open air.

“This is my first time,” Martha said with a grin. Some of her saliva still connected her bottom lip to the tip of him, and it quivered as she spoke. “Ambassador Snow explained everything to me. I tried to get him to show me, but he says he can no longer use his.” She shook her head sadly, and Eldon wondered if his dad had ever slept with the President. That thought bothered him some, and he shook it from his head. He didn’t like to think about who his father slept with, much less the fact that he may have slept with the woman on her knees before him. Besides, Martha acted as though she hadn’t had a cock in years.

“You seem to be a natural at it,” Eldon complimented her as he ran his fingers through her black hair.

“Thank you!” She beamed back up at him. “It’s good to know I haven’t lost my technique. My husband used to like this thing where I… um… Ah, hell, I don’t know how to describe it. Especially not when I’d rather show you!”

If Eldon had thought she was enthusiastic before, or acting like a virgin, he was wrong. In one quick swallow, she had him past her tonsils as her nose pressed against his pelvis. He groaned as she started to alternate between humming and swallowing. He felt her tongue slip out—a feat that would have been impossible with his girth in the real world—and bathe his scrotum.

“Ahh, the Trojan Tickler,” Gloria grinned. “I haven’t seen many human woman who could pull that off. It helps that you don’t have to breathe here. Were you a succubus in a past life?”

Martha shook her head, which only added to his pleasure, making Eldon moan again. She couldn’t compare to Gloria, but her skill was still phenomenal! Her tongue was warm and wet as it slipped around his sack. Her tight throat undulated around his rod, massaging his twisted length. Normally he wouldn’t be able to last long with this much pleasure, but he found he could delay his climax with a simple thought.

Gloria walked around behind him, still naked. He felt her breasts press into his back as her lips brushed his neck. Her arms slipped around his waist. Her right hand slipped through Martha’s hair, joining Eldon’s, and her left hand joined Martha’s tongue in fondling his scrotum.

“Impressive willpower, indeed,” Gloria whispered to him, then nibbled on his earlobe. “I’ve rarely known a mortal that could withstand the Trojan Tickler, while another woman held him from behind. I’m going to keep around you for a long time, Eldon Lance.”

Eldon wasn’t sure what she meant by keeping him around for a long time. He also wasn’t sure how he felt about the statement. On the one hand, it was nice to have his sexual prowess recognized by the Goddess of Love and Lust, but on the other hand, he was more than the sum of his skills in bed. Especially considering he still felt like he was cheating in her Mens Mundi.

He was distracted by his thoughts as Martha pulled her face away from him. His cock stood hard and proud as saliva dripped down its length. She gripped him at the base and slid her hand up around the curves of his twisted member to the bulbous tip.

Gloria moved away from his back and dropped down next to Martha. “Are you ready to take this monster between your legs?”

“Ready?” Martha asked with a shudder. “No, but I’m sure as hell going to try!”

Eldon stood transfixed by the site before him. His girlfriend was quickly bringing the President of the United States—arguably one of the most powerful people in the world—to a powerful orgasm. Sure enough, after a few more seconds, Martha threw her head to the side and moaned low and deep in her throat as her entire body shuddered.

“I think she’s ready now, Eldon,” Gloria said to him. “Hurry, while she’s still soaking my hand.”

Eldon didn’t need to be told twice. He dropped to his knees between Martha’s spread legs and pressed the head of his phallus against her rose petals. Gloria removed her hand and Eldon pressed forward, watching while the older woman’s labia stretched as his head slipped inside.

“Oh, fuck, that’s huge!” Martha gasped as she placed a hand against his chest to stop him. She was still enjoying the aftershocks of her orgasm, but Eldon knew to hold back a moment.

Eldon brought his thumb down and applied pressure to her clit, which was sticking far out from its sheathe. The woman gasped again as he rubbed the sensitive nub, and her pussy swallowed another centimeter of his prick.

Gloria wasn’t sitting on the sidelines watching. She latched onto one stiff nipple with her teeth, and rolled the other one between her fingers.

“This may not be the Presidential staff,” Eldon smirked as the woman tried to get used to his size, “but I think we can get things done with it.”

Gloria rolled her eyes at his dry humor, but he didn’t care. Martha was on fire, and he couldn’t wait to fit more of himself inside her tiny box. He pulled out the barest fraction, noticing her glistening juices on him, then slid in a few more centimeters.

“Oh God! You’re going to split me in two, young man!” Martha was panting heavily but she met his eyes. Her gaze was full of hunger, not pain. He felt her heels dig into his buttocks, trying to pull him into her more. “Do it! I can take it. I will take it. Fuck me Eldon. Make this old woman feel like a virgin again with that thing.”

Eldon felt his lips spread to match Martha’s hungry smile. “As you wish, Madam President,” he intoned as he pulled back, and then drove his hips forward. Martha screamed as her vagina took most of him inside.

“Again,” she panted when she caught her breath. “I want to feel that in my throat. Do it—dios mío!” she cursed in Spanish as he drove into her again. He didn’t pause before pulling back, and driving forward again and again. When he felt his balls resting against her rear, he paused and looked down. Her cunt gripped his twisted cock like a velvet vice. If they weren’t in a dream world, he doubted she would be able to take all of him into her smaller frame, but was thankful he could feel so much of her. “I wanted to feel that in my throat, but I think you’re poking my skull!”

Eldon didn’t say anything. Instead, he let his hips press against hers, then moved so that he was rubbing her large clit while his rod moved inside her. Martha’s eyes rolled back in her head as the succubus and he brought her to another orgasm.

Realizing that he was being rude to his other partner, he reached his left hand to Gloria’s pussy as she was bent over the President, and slipped a couple fingers inside. She moaned her thanks into Martha’s tit, then started grinding against his hand. His hand was soaked within seconds as she got herself off on his digits.

Eldon was in heaven. He had two beautiful and horny women to please, and he had every intention of wearing them out. Could you wear someone out while they were dreaming? He didn’t know, but he was going to try.

As Martha lowered from her latest climax, he pulled out of her. She whimpered, but it turned into a moan as he planted his lips against her sex. She was stretched wide, and he was able to stick his tongue deep inside her. A second later her pussy closed as she must have willed it to shrink, and it strangled his tongue. If she can modify her body, then so can I, he reasoned. With a simple thought, his tongue grew in length, licking along her sopping insides. Her womanly scent filled his nose as he enjoyed her taste.

Eldon gripped her thighs in his thick arms and twisted their bodies without losing contact between their lips. Martha knew what he was trying to do and went along with it until she was sitting on his face. His elongated tongue licked deep inside her along her cervix, making her writhe and moan. His hands roamed up her slim body, finding her breasts and one saliva slickened nipple. It didn’t take long before his tongue was drenched and gripped in her tight, spasming muscles, and her fluids ran along his cheeks.

“Mmm, that feels great,” Eldon heard Gloria intone as he felt her slide onto his rigid manhood. He moaned into Martha’s coochy at how wonderful Gloria’s rippling insides felt. Her hips swiveled as she impaled herself on him, sinking onto his twisted length.

Eldon released one of Martha’s breasts and brought it to Gloria’s clit, finding it with his thumb. “Yes! Mmm, just like that.” Her hands rested on his chest, her thumbs rubbing his nipples. She lifted off him a bit, then slammed down. He delighted in the friction this caused along his girth, and when she did it again, he lifted up to meet her.

Eldon wondered if life could be any more perfect? His tongue was deep into Martha, licking her deepest and most intimate parts, while Gloria rode him like a prize bull. He was in pleasure heaven. Even as Martha’s fingers in his hair gripped his scalp painfully as she came again, or the strength with which Gloria slammed her hips down against him, he couldn’t imagine anything more blissful.

As Gloria cried out in ecstasy, he decided it was time to cum. He brought both hands to Gloria’s hips as he jackhammered into her from below. He allowed his culmination to come slowly, building in intensity, until it blasted out of him, flooding Gloria’s hot cavity with his even hotter spunk. His muscles locked up, even his tongue still inside Martha’s quivering form, as utter paradise flooded his system. The entire world seemed to shake and shudder around him as all three of them came.

It took him a moment to realize that the shaking wasn’t from his imagination as the ground smacked into the back of his skull. Pain lanced through him as the women got off him.

“Something’s wrong,” Gloria said, even as his seed dribbled down her legs. She waved her hand and Eldon felt something rip at his belly button, sending him back to his real body.

Opening his eyes, Eldon saw a flashing red light and felt weightless as sirens sounded in his headset. The cabin of the helicopter was filled with thick oily smoke. His life had gone from perfect, to hell in a matter of seconds as he looked out the window and saw the ground coming up to meet them.

Shelly looked down at Gloria, trying to reconcile her thoughts. Gloria had been the last one to leave Varun’s demesne. She was an ancient goddess, and despite her claims to the contrary, Shelly suspected that she was one of the Firsts. She knew too much to believe otherwise.

But Gloria had saved them from Poseidon. When talking about it on the way to see their dad, she made it sound like the deaths of the Firsts would have tragic consequences. Why would she take out Varun, knowing what the consequences could be? Why wasn’t she defending herself?

“I told you, you can’t trust a succubus,” Jessica sneered.

Shelly looked at her girlfriend and shook her head. She’d hoped that Jessica had worked past her issues with the succubae, or at least with this one. They never would have made it away from Poseidon with Brooke without Gloria saving them.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Eldon said next to her. He would be taking this the hardest. Shelly wondered what his thoughts were, but knew better than to ask.

She stepped over to her brother, wanting to comfort him, but he pushed her away. She was thankful that the soreness between her legs was gone. She didn’t want to think about the healing she’d gone through a few minutes ago. Not that it had been unpleasant—Jessica was quite talented with her mouth—but that she’d done it next to her brother was embarrassing. That her father was in the car at the same time was mortifying!

She couldn’t remember last night, at least, not after going through the portal back to Earth, but she was fairly certain she hadn’t slept with anyone. Perhaps she’d been hurt while still a sword in her brother’s hands. That was the only thing that made sense. Her legs had formed the blade. Perhaps as Sheldon fought with her, she’d been chipped, and that translated into the pain between her thighs.

“No, I won’t believe it,” Eldon snapped as he moved to Gloria’s side. Gloria appeared shocked at first, then grateful for his support.

Shelly felt bad for him, but didn’t know what to say. She suspected he was falling for the succubus, and didn’t know how she felt about that. Sure, she’d set them up, but it was just supposed to help him get over Jessica. Then she’d gone and fooled around with the woman, messing things up in her own mind. What a mess she’d made of things.

“What’s going on?” Lyden asked from his seat in the car. “And what’s your problem with the succubae?”

Shelly opened her mouth to answer, but couldn’t find any words. Jessica didn’t suffer the same problem.

“The succubae are duplicitous creatures. They’ll tell you whatever it takes to get you in bed, then abandon you. They don’t even take proper care of their children, leaving them for others to raise.” There was undisguised hatred in Jessica’s voice. “And this one hasn’t been honest with any of us. She was the last one to leave Varun’s demesne. She must have been the one to murder the Pillar of Water.”

“I haven’t been honest?” Gloria asked. Her eyes were red from crying, but she stood and glared at Jessica. “Last night is a bit fuzzy, but I have a feeling you know what really happened. Why don’t you tell them what you are?”

Eldon stood next to her, glaring just as hard as the succubus. Gloria put her arm around him, but neither one said anything else, waiting for Jessica to respond.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jessica stepped forward and pointed at Gloria’s chest. “What I do know is that you’re a succubus. You’re a demonic creature that only cares about what or who you can get between your legs. Hell, you were bragging about fucking a Cyclops. Who does that?”

Jessica’s face went white as Lyden spoke. She swallowed several times before looking around the room for help. Shelly felt bad for her, but she didn’t agree with what the woman was saying. Jessica looked to Eldon and Gloria and she seemed to find her backbone.

“Then where was she last night after she forced us to leave? If Gloria was strong enough to win past Poseidon on her own, why did she make us leave? I’ll bet it was because she’s in league with Poseidon and didn’t want us to know. He told us he was next in line to be the Pillar of Water.”

“Next in line?” Becky asked. “What do you mean?”

“There wasn’t time to talk about it,” Brooke spoke up looking at Lyden, “but you wounded Varun when you froze him. We always thought that he kept the water cold so that no one else could do to him what you did, but that wasn’t the case. He was too weak to manage his realm. Poseidon told us that Varun named him as his successor.” She turned to face Jessica. “Poseidon was completely loyal. He would never turn on Varun.”

Coming from Brooke, Jessica couldn’t argue. Who would know better than the mermaid that’d been their captive how loyal Poseidon was?

“I made you leave because I couldn’t unleash my full strength with you there,” Gloria spat. “If you don’t believe me, go back to the tower Brooke was kept in. Oh, wait. You can’t, because it’s no longer there. Poseidon tried to bind me with water, and when I broke free, it decimated the tower.”

“And killed Varun?” Jessica prodded.

“Didn’t she say he was torn to pieces?” Gloria pointed to the front of the car. “Varun was too powerful, even weakened as he was, to be killed by falling debris. It didn’t even wound Poseidon.”

“What happened to Poseidon?” Becky asked. Shelly could tell she was genuinely curious, and not asking out of spite.

Gloria smiled, though it looked almost predatory. “I convinced him to stick his trident somewhere else when reinforcements arrived for him. If mermen sat, they won’t be sitting for a few days after the old sea god gets tired of them. Being goddess of sex has its benefits.”

Shelly shuddered as she remembered being under Gloria’s control. She wasn’t too fond of mermen, but she almost felt sorry for what they must have endured at the end of Poseidon’s ‘trident.’ From the way Gloria grinned, she suspected the succubus didn’t mean his weapon, but something else instead.

“Could the Pillar of Water’s death have anything to do with the attack on us today?” President Louise asked. “I didn’t recognize most of the monsters that attacked us.”

“They weren’t monsters,” Eldon told her. “They were humans pretending to be magical creatures.”

“I’m sorry for calling them monsters,” the President apologized. “I didn’t mean it that way. But if they weren’t from the Shadow World, why did they attack us?”

“Michael Mulhan was behind it,” Shlee stated, joining the conversation. “I recognized his voice before the explosion. If I had to guess, he wanted it to look like creatures from our world did it, to turn the United States against us. It’s why we need to get you in front of a camera as soon as possible. We need to give the public a statement.” Shelly noticed her pull out her phone and make a call.

“So, they’re not related?” Martha asked.

“I have no doubt that the Paladonic Knights would love to kill off the Pillars, but I can’t see them actually taking one out,” Shelly offered. “They’re not as strong as they once were now that they’re operating out in the public instead of the shadows. It’s harder to bribe judges and the police when you actually exist. Too easy to find a paper trail.”

“Don’t they know what killing the Pillars would do?” Martha asked. Shelly thought she understood what the president was asking, but none of them knew exactly what would happen if the Pillars fell. “I mean, if they die, won’t that cause the Outsiders to return and destroy us?”

“The Knights are blind in their hatred,” Becky supplied. “All they care about is the death of all magic. They barely get along with the Daughters of Respite. I think that truce wouldn’t last past the end of the Pillars.”

Martha shook her head. “I know people can be blind when they believe something too strongly. They come up with excuses to deny facts and create their own reality… But this?”

“We don’t really know what will happen if the Pillars fall,” Gloria piped in. “I don’t even think the Pillars know. The instability could create a hole in the fabric of reality, allowing more Outsiders in, or it may just bring the two worlds together into one, or something else entirely.”

“I knew my last opponent in the elections was in the Knight’s pocket book,” Martha said with a shake of her head. “He preached too much hate, and I think that allowed me to win. Despite what some nations think of my great country, we’re not all violent and hateful.”

“So, that begs the question: what do we do now?” Becky asked. “I could talk to Gaia and see if she knows anything.”

Shlee hung up her cell and faced the President. “Ma’am, with your permission, I’d like to get you in front of a camera, making a statement. The sooner we get on top of this, the better.”

“And your career will be made,” President Louise grinned. “I assume you already have it set up with your cameraman?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Frank will meet us. We can go live whenever you’re ready.”

“I’m worried about your safety, Madame President,” Lyden spoke up. “If the P.K.’s attack again, we might not get as lucky as last time.”

“I can handle that,” Gloria spoke up. “With your permission, Madame President, I’ll impersonate you. All you need to do is think what you want said, and I’ll say them. If we’re attacked, you can remain safe in here.”

Martha Louise mulled that over for a minute before nodding. “I don’t like hiding behind others, but you make a good point. If you’re really strong enough to stop Poseidon, then the Paladonic Knights shouldn’t be a problem.” She shook her head a second later and added, “But please don’t turn this report into an orgy. I’m not that high in the polls.”

Lyden looked at his children and the other women in the car. He focused on Jessica, and then Gloria before facing Martha. “If you’ll permit it, Ma’am, I would have my son and Gloria guard you.” Martha nodded and Shelly’s dad looked at Shelly and Jessica. “I want you two to accompany Brooke and Bridgette. Find out what you can about Varun’s death. If we have another Outsider here, I want to know about it immediately. Becky and I will talk to Gaia and see what she knows.”

It had been years since Shelly saw her father in this mode. He was a leader and knew how to take charge of a situation. She could see the brilliance behind his plan as well, as it split Jessica and Gloria apart, while playing to their strengths. Eldon could take the form of a Secret Service agent with a little bit of help, allowing them to blend in. Brooke and Bridgette could search underwater for clues, while Jessica and Shelly could try to talk to Marchosias again. She didn’t look forward to dealing with the demon, but at least he was easy on the eyes.

“The sooner I’m out of here, the better,” Jessica said as the two of them walked to the back of the car. Becky was by the fountain with Bridgette—no, she had changed to Brock. When had he done that again? Becky was casting a spell on him, and as she watched, water from the fountain burbled up and surrounded his lower body. Now he could leave the fountain, though Shelly didn’t know how he would move about. His fishtail wasn’t designed for walking. This didn’t make much sense to Shelly, but knew that Becky wasn’t a frivolous person.

They stopped and dropped Eldon, Gloria, and Martha off, before heading to their next destination.

“I was going to save this until your birthday,” Lyden said to Brock as he stepped back into the car after being gone for a couple minutes, “but it looks like you’ll need it sooner, rather than later.”

Shelly’s jaw dropped as she watched a mechanical set of legs follow after her father. He guided the legs over to where Brock rested in the fountain. Even with the water surrounding him, he’d preferred to stay in the fountain, rather than get anything else wet.

It took some effort for all of them to move Brock into the contraption, and Shelly saw that there was a hole with a harness set for him to put his tail in.

“Awesome! How does it work, Dad?” Brock asked as he got settled in.

“It has three modes: manual, follow, and of course, off.” As Lyden spoke, he pointed to where the control switch was. Shelly could see that it was set to off. “If you just want to follow someone, have them stand in front of you, switch this to follow, and when they start walking the legs will stay behind them by about four to five feet.” Lyden demonstrated as he spoke, and Brock moved around the inside of the Orange Bubble, staying right behind his father. “Off is self-explanatory.”

“I don’t see any controls for manual,” Brock stated, looking around the contraption that encircled his waist. The bubble of water that surrounded him overlapped portions of the machine, but apparently it was waterproof.

“Your fins control it,” Lyden told him. He moved the switch to manual and stepped back. “Imagine your tail fins are feet and try to walk with them.”

Brock lurched forward as the mechanical legs moved. Brock gripped the ring around his waist to steady himself as his tail swung around in the harness. Shelly stifled a laugh as she realized his tail looked like a giant dick, swinging between his metal legs. Jessica must have seen it too, because Shelly noticed her covering her mouth and hiding a smile.

Shelly was conflicted concerning the woman. While she didn’t entirely trust Gloria either, she felt that Jessica’s attitude crossed the line. Shelly knew a number of succubae, and even a couple incubae, and most of them were good people. Angela, as the defacto-ruler of the succubae while also being the Pillar of Fire, led with a compassionate heart. She tried to make sure that none of her subjects took an innocent life.

Even so, there were always a few bad eggs. Every now and then a succubus or incubus went bad, and Angela was forced to send a kobold after them. Had Jessica come into contact with one of them?

She glanced at the woman again and noticed that her hands were clenched beneath folded arms. She was about to go to her and ask what was going on, but the car stopped. Lyden and Becky got out, heading for the portal closest to Gaia’s realm.

Shelly didn’t know where they were, and it didn’t really matter. They didn’t need to drive. The car knew where they needed to go and would get them there safely.

After hugging her father goodbye, Shelly pulled Jessica to the back of the car to talk to her. The area still reeked of sex, but she tried her best to forget about that.

“What’s going on?” Shelly demanded. One way or another, she was going to get some answers. If Jessica refused to tell her anything, then she would refuse to work along with her. Jessica was a skilled fighter, and they would need her skills for this mission, but if Shelly couldn’t rely on her—

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Jessica interrupted Shelly’s thoughts. “It’s just… You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

“Then tell me,” Shelly replied, taking the other woman’s hand. “I can’t understand, unless you open up.”

“I know. I’ve been on my own for so long, and meeting your brother, and then you… And then finding out who your father is! I’m so confused.”

Shelly didn’t have a clue what her father had to do with anything, but kept her mouth shut. She knew Jessica was nervous around Lyden Snow. Many people were intimidated by the hero of the Chaos War and the only sanctioned ambassador between the two worlds.

“I’m sorry,” Jessica apologized again. “Can we just forget about it and move on?”

“No,” Shelly said, though she hated herself for it. She really liked this woman, but she didn’t like the way she behaved earlier and needed to understand. If she couldn’t understand Jessica’s racist behavior, then she wouldn’t associate with the woman.

Jessica dropped her head to look at her hands. Shelly waited, trying to be patient, but her mind continued to travel over the events earlier. Jessica had been cruel to Gloria. No one could say that the two got along perfectly, but there was no call for that kind of behavior.

Jessica sighed and looked up to meet Shelly’s eyes. There were bags under her red-rimmed eyes, telling Shelly that she was fighting back strong emotions. She wanted to pull Jessica into a hug and just ignore the whole thing, but she couldn’t. It hurt her to be this stubborn, but their lives may depend on knowing what was going on.

“My… My mom was a succubus,” Jessica said with a thick voice, full of anger. “I—She was… ugh, I’ve never told anyone this.”

“If your mom was a succubus…” Shelly started to ask. She wanted to be delicate, but wouldn’t that make her a succubus as well?

“My dad wasn’t,” Jessica said in a firm tone. “I’m—I’m a crossbreed. Now do you see why I didn’t want to talk about this?”

Shelly understood immediately. Crossbreeds were illegal and could be very dangerous. When two of the same species mated, there was no problem. The child would be the same as the parent. When different species mated, and there was offspring, there was no telling what the result would be. More often than not, the child could be extremely dangerous.

All of Lyden Snow’s children were crossbreeds. Shelly remembered being watched very closely growing up for any signs that she might be dangerous. The only reason she hadn’t been killed outright was because of who her father was. Gaia had interceded when Sheldon and she were still in the womb, guiding their genetics to help them. As far as she knew, only two of Lyden’s children were deemed dangerous. It was the reason Becky never had more kids of her own. Those two children were something her father and Becky never spoke about.

“That explains some of your abilities,” Shelly said with as much caution as she could put into her voice. “But it doesn’t explain why—“

“Because my mother all but abandoned me,” Jessica snapped. Brooke and Brock were at the front of the car. They both looked back at them, then quickly away. They didn’t have privacy, but the other two were trying to give them some space. “I had to grow up all alone. I never met my father. As far as I know, he doesn’t even know I exist.” Tears blossomed in Jessica’s blue eyes. She gripped Shelly’s hands in her own and looked deep into her eyes.

“My mother wasn’t cruel in the sense that she beat me, but I was an embarrassment to her,” Jessica continued. “She kept me locked away and I never had any visitors. Oh, she made sure I was educated, and fed. She hardly cared whether I was clothed or not, being a succubus. She told me stories of what would happen to me if anyone ever found out what I was. She used scare tactics to control me. She claimed that the world hated me, and that I was kept away for my own protection.”

She took a shuddering breath before continuing. “One day I got out. I was only about ten. I ran into a little goblin girl and we played in the rocks. She was my first friend. That is, until my mom found us. I don’t know what ever happened to that girl, but after that, I was locked away. I only ever saw the sunlight through my window, which was barred closed.

“The next time I got out, I ran. I wasn’t going to risk getting caught again. I wasn’t a danger to anyone, and that goblin girl showed me that people in the outside world could be friendly. I will never go back. I ran to Earth, and spent some time there, but some humans found me hiding in an abandoned warehouse. They thought I was weak and tried to rob me. Of course I defended myself. Mom made sure I knew how to fight. There were… other… issues that arose, and I came back to the Shadow World. I was left in peace, as long as I didn’t bother anyone else.”

“Sounds lonely,” Shelly said as she reached over to grip Jessica’s hand. She felt Jessica stiffen for a moment, then accepted the touch.

“It was,” she responded after a few seconds. “I wasn’t completely alone. The goblin girl showed me that not everyone was bad, but the humans made me wary. I’d make a friend for a night, or a week, but never longer. I never let anyone get too close. My mom’s words still make me worry, but I know I’ll be safe with you. You’re just like me. You’re proof that I’m not evil.”

It almost sounded like Jessica was trying to convince herself. Looking into her blue eyes, Shelly saw pain and anguish. She couldn’t imagine how it would be to grow up like that. To be told you were evil, or that you would be killed if anyone knew what you were. Eldon and she had seen a bit of mistrust from others because they were crossbreeds, but they had Gaia’s blessing. It was part of why they fought so hard to keep people safe. They wanted to prove that they weren’t evil. The fact that their father was a well known hero only made them fight harder. Shelly knew her brother struggled being in their dad’s shadow.

“When I saw your brother fighting those ogres, I saw an opportunity to prove myself again. He looked good in that form. I thought maybe he could keep me warm for a bit, if I helped save him. I didn’t know who he was at the time.” She shook her head, but Shelly felt the grip on her hand tighten. “I didn’t think I would get caught up in all of this. Your father, your siblings, and now the Pillar of Water is dead….”

Shelly’s heart broke. She saw in this other woman something that she might have been, if her father hadn’t been the legendary Lyden Snow, and if her mother hadn’t loved them as much as she had. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to comfort her girlfriend, but Brooke spoke up first.

“I’m truly sorry for what you went through.” Brooke stood and walked back to where the women were sitting on the bed. The redhead looked down at them with sorrow in her eyes. “I once hated the succubae as well. I was taught that they were evil soul sucking creatures. When I found one hanging around the man I cared for, I planned on killing her. Lyden stopped me, and I’m glad he did. We became good friends after that, each of us saving the other’s life multiple times. She turned out to be a good woman, and worthy of love and respect. I have met a few that only cared about what souls they could take while pleasing someone, but I have known many more that were like my friend.”

“I think Gloria is one of the good ones,” Shelly offered. For a moment, she thought Jessica was going to pull her hand away, but she ended up slumping her shoulders and looking at her lap.

“You’re right,” her voice was soft, but Shelly heard it in the silence. “I treated her poorly, and she’s done nothing to deserve it. I guess…. No, nevermind.”

“Please,” Shelly pleaded, squeezing the woman’s hand. She knew Jessica needed to get everything out in the open if she was going to work through her issues. “We’re your friends. I—I hope that I’m more than that by now. You can tell us.” Shelly’s heart hammered in her chest, thundering in her ears as she made that confession. She really liked Jessica. She wouldn’t call it love by any stretch of the imagination, but it was more than simple friendship.

“You are!” Jessica looked up and met Shelly’s eyes. She clasped Shelly’s hand in both of hers and held it between them. Jessica’s eyes shown with unshed tears. Her grip would have been painful, if Shelly didn’t find it so welcome. “I just… I don’t want to hurt you.”

Shelly’s heart dropped. She didn’t know what was behind the hesitation, but was afraid of it.

“If it’s the truth…” she trailed off, trying to sound encouraging.

Jessica looked at Brooke and she got the message. “I’ll go back up front. Sorry to get in the middle of you two.” She squeezed Shelly’s shoulder in comfort before walking away. Brooke was always compassionate to her husband’s children, but right then she felt awkward receiving that compassion from one of her father’s wives, while dealing with her own matters of the heart.

“I like you,” Jessica started in a way that sounded like there was a ‘but’ coming. Shelly let Jessica take a few breaths, waiting the other woman out. “But, I think I still like your brother, also. I hate that that succubus has her fingers in him. I shouldn’t have treated Gloria like I did. I’m… I’m so confused.”

Shelly sat there for a few moments, trying to absorb that. Jessica still liked Eldon? But she’d rejected him. She’d broken his heart. Shelly loved her brother—in the familial sense only—but she felt jealousy at Jessica’s admission. She couldn’t pin it down. Eldon had moved on. Didn’t Shelly deserve to be happy with someone?

“Say something,” Jessica pleaded. The tears flowed from her beautiful blue eyes now. Shelly looked into them, and knew what her answer was.

It took her a moment to speak past the emotion trying to close off her throat. “I’ll let you have him. I don’t want to stand in your way. I know he still likes you. I can see it in the way he looks at you. I—” She had to stop to keep her voice from shaking. Jessica squeezed her hand, and she knew the other woman was about to speak so she hurried on. “I won’t stand in your way when we get back, but I won’t try to break them up, either. He likes Gloria too, and I think she is a good woman, no matter what you think of the succubae.” She had to look away, lest she reveal her emotions.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated the succ—er… Gloria. I was rude, and I can see where she didn’t deserve the way I treated her. The next time I see her, I’ll apologize.” She moved one of her hands and Shelly felt one finger turn her face back. The finger lingered on her chin for a moment before moving to cup her cheek. “Just because I like your brother, doesn’t mean I don’t want you. I meant what I said. I like you… A lot. I—It’s screwed up, I know.”

“Wow, that’s…” Shelly didn’t know how to complete that sentence.

“I’m sorry! Forget I said anything,” Jessica moaned. “I’m sick, and screwed up. I—”

“Would you knock that off,” Shelly snapped, getting exasperated with the woman’s behavior. Her emotions were in flux, and right then she wasn’t sure she could tell up from down without laughing and crying at the same time. Jessica liked her, but liked her brother also. Shelly loved her brother and wanted him to be happy, but she had a right to be happy also, didn’t she?

She didn’t know what made her do it. Maybe it was the fear mixed with hope she saw in Jessica’s eyes, or her own uncertainty roiling in her stomach, but she took her free hand and grabbed the back of Jessica’s dark hair. She pulled the other woman into a kiss, pressing her lips to Jessica’s soft mouth.

Jessica didn’t react at first, unless you count stiffening. Shelly held it for a moment longer before realizing what she’d done. She let go and backed away, tears already forming in her eyes. Before she moved a couple inches, Jessica released her hand and pulled her face back into the kiss. Jessica’s hands kept an iron grip on her cheeks as her tongue slipped between Shelly’s lips.

Despite her rollercoaster emotions, Shelly was quick to respond, meeting the invading tongue with her own. Her arms wrapped around the tanned woman as they fell sideways onto the bed. They rolled to the side, until Jessica ended up on top, gripping Shelly’s wrists and holding them over her head in a vice-like grip. Shelly moaned as she felt the other woman take control and kiss her with renewed passion.

“Ahem,” Brooke’s voice interrupted them.

Shelly came back to reality with a shock, as she remembered her stepmom and half-sibling in the car with them.

“Sorry,” Jessica mumbled, her cheeks burning as red as Shelly’s felt.

“I’m glad you two made up, but I thought you should know we’re almost there,” Brooke stated.

Shelly noticed a slight smirk on the mermaid’s face and her cheeks burned hotter. She sat up, straightening out her clothes and avoided looking at her accomplice.

“Relax, you two. I remember what it’s like to be young. At least I stopped you before anything embarrassing could happen.” She winked at them. Shelly wanted to crawl into the deepest, darkest hole and never come back out.

“Mom, leave them alone,” Brock came to their rescue, but Shelly only felt worse.

Brooke chuckled as she went to one wall of the car, then grew serious. She opened a hidden compartment that Shelly had no clue ever existed. The mermaid hesitated, then reached in and pulled out two long, thin blades. She pulled each one out of its sheath about an inch, then slammed them back in.

Shelly caught a glimpse of blue. She knew what those blades were. They were the blades of a mermaid assassin. Magical, they could cut through almost anything. She wished she would have had one when she saved Jessica from the Myrmidon. The watery blades were instant death to those fire-based creatures. They had one major drawback, however. Their wielder felt their victim’s death. It was supposed to harden an assassin’s willpower. If half the stories Shelly had heard about her stepmom were true, Brooke’s willpower had to be granite.

“I hoped never to wield these again,” Brooke whispered just loud enough for Shelly to hear.

She realized the opportunity she had before her. These weapons were rare. They were only given out when an assassin earned them, and usually recovered on their death. If she could touch one for just a moment, she could become one of those weapons. She didn’t know what that would do to her when she was used to kill, but the opportunity to replicate a magical weapon was too great to pass up.

“Can I see one of those?” she asked as she got to her feet.

Brooke tucked the weapons close to her chest and backed away. “I can’t let you do that,” Brooke pulled further away until Shelly retracted her hand. She understood that Brooke knew enough about the blades, and knew what Shelly was capable of, that if she didn’t want her touching it, it was likely for the best. Even so, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed at the lost opportunity.

They felt the car stop, and Shelly glanced outside. The sun was setting, but they were nowhere near the Bermuda Triangle, much less underwater. She couldn’t make out much through the distortion between the inside and outside of the Orange Bubble, other than they weren’t in any city.

“We’re not going straight to Varun’s demesne?” she asked, confused. She thought they were going to investigate the Pillar of Water’s murder.

“We can’t,” Brooke stated. “Though, I suppose we should start thinking of it as Poseidon’s demesne if he really took over. We’re too well known there. After the events yesterday, we’ll have to take another route in. That means a different portal.”

“But where?” Jessica asked with a note of nervousness in her voice. “If we have to travel underwater, I won’t make it.”

Brooke regarded them for a couple moments. Shelly didn’t like the frown that crossed her stepmom’s face. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to blindfold the two of you.”

“What?” Jessica spluttered and moved further up the bed, away from the mermaid. “Why? What about your…” she trailed off as she glanced at Brock before adding, “son?”

Shelly didn’t like the idea of being blindfolded either, but she trusted Brooke.

“Brock knows where we’re going already. He helped me build the place. Unfortunately, the place is kept top secret. The only people that know where it is: those that live there and those that helped create it. The fact that I have to take you there will cause more than enough problems.”

“Why does it have to remain a secret?” Shelly asked. She might not be the most privy to all that happened in the Shadow World, but she thought she was trusted enough to know some things. That there were secrets this big she wasn’t trusted with bothered her. Was it that she wasn’t trusted, that this secret was just that big, or something she didn’t understand?

She decided to trust in her stepmom. She went to Eldon’s dresser and grabbed a couple of his shirts. Her shirts would be too small to make a good blindfold.

“Trust me,” Shelly told her girlfriend. “I would trust Brooke with my life, and you can too.” She waited for Jessica to nod before tying the shirt around her head. She made sure her black hair wasn’t in the knot. To make sure it was secured, she held her breath and put her face in front of Jessica’s. When she didn’t react, she pressed her lips firmly against the other woman, and smiled at the way she jumped slightly.

Brooke tied Shelly’s blindfold on, leaving her in darkness. She waited for the mermaid to guide her, and jumped when she spoke in Shelly’s ear. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t use the same trick to make sure you can’t see.”

Shelly’s cheeks burned as she heard the smile in the woman’s voice. A moment later she felt a hand slip into hers and squeezed it, somehow knowing it was Jessica.

“Okay,” Brooke spoke up, “We don’t have to travel far, but keep a hold of my hand. Brock will follow after, and I’ll let you know when it’s safe to remove the blindfolds.”

Brooke grabbed Shelly’s other hand in a firm grip that belied her small frame. She placed one foot forward, testing the floor of the car, then berated herself. She knew the path was clear and would be until they got out of the Orange Bubble. She would have to trust Brooke to watch her footing after that.

“Step out of the car now,” Brooke guided her as she heard Brock’s mechanical legs following them. “Good. Now the path is mostly flat, with only a few turns until we get to the building. I’ll let you know if you need to avoid anything. Okay, Jessica, go ahead and step down. There you go. Now just follow me.”

Brooke guided them a small distance and true to her word, whenever something might slip them up in the slightest, the mermaid warned them.

Shelly had no idea where they were, or if they were even in the same country. The Orange Bubble could travel faster than airplanes, and was infinitely safer. Chances were that if they weren’t still in the U.S., they were in Canada, but there was no way to know for sure. The humidity in the air was tolerable, and not overpowering, and the temperature was somewhere in the eighties.

“We’re entering the building where the portal is. The floor is smooth, but we’ll have to go down a few flights of stairs. Don’t worry Brock, those legs were designed to be able to maneuver in any terrain. Your dad wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be limited to one place anymore.”

Shelly didn’t know what Brooke considered a few flights of stairs, but her legs were tired by the time they were informed that they’d reached their floor. Brooke guided them for a couple more minutes down winding hallways, or what Shelly assumed were winding hallways.

She knew the moment they went through the portal. The solid floor turned to dirt and rock beneath her feet and her ears wanted to pop from the change in pressure, but the blindfold wasn’t taken off right away.

“Who are they?” a deep voice demanded, followed by what Shelly thought sounded like an angry purr.

“I’ve told you about Shelly Lance, and this is Jessica…” Brooke started to answer, but trailed off when she didn’t know Jessica’s last name.

“I’m Jessica Angel,” she replied for herself.

“Yeah, well, what about… By the Pillars, is that Brock? Nice legs man!”

“Thanks Erwin. My dad just got them for me.” There was no doubting the amount of pride in Brock’s voice at his new gift.

“Humph,” the man grunted. “That doesn’t explain why you brought them here, Brooke. This place is supposed to remain hidden. What do you think you’re doing by bringing them here?”

“Varun is dead, Erwin,” Brooke’s voice was solemn.

Shelly itched to take off the blindfold, but she remembered Brooke’s warning to wait. She didn’t like the way this Erwin guy was treating her stepmom but she also sensed a subtle danger about him. She could shift into the form of a shield or sword with a simple thought, and since Jessica was still holding her hand, she would be armed or protected as needed. She was hesitant to do so, not wanting to turn this situation into something more dangerous than it already was.

“Sucks to be him, then.” Erwin’s response to Brooke’s statement shocked her. “Seems we’ve been losing Pillars a fair amount in the last couple decades. That one was a bit too uppity for my tastes anyway. Did your hubby finally do him in?”

“This is serious,” Brooke stated in a tone Shelly knew well. It was the same tone she used when teaching the twins how to fight, and she thought they weren’t trying hard enough. Sheldon had received that tone more than Shelly, and every time, her brother ended up sprawled on the ground, a new bruise forming somewhere. It wasn’t that Brooke was violent, but she didn’t tolerate fools very well. “Remember the amount of chaos that followed the Chaos War? Lysa and Angela did their best, but a lot of bad things happened while they were learning to control their powers.”

“Heh, they should have called that time the Second Chaos War. Volcanoes going off all the time, and windstorms whipping up enough sand to shred an ogre in seconds. Hell, remember that new volcano that suddenly appeared in Egypt about a year after your hubby destroyed that outsider? Baffled scientists, until our world became common knowledge over there.”

“That’s why we’re trying to find out who did it,” Brock piped up. “We don’t want them doing it to any other Pillars.”

“Meh, they could take out the Pillar of Darkness for all I care. He’s not exactly a friendly guy either. And that Pillar of Light? I hear he’s pretty stuffy and won’t see anyone.” The man chuckled, but Shelly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The Pillars were what allowed them all to live in this world. That’s why they’re called the Pillars! “None of them matter to us down here. It’s not like the water can hurt us after the way you built this place, and as long as Gaia doesn’t find out we’re here, none of the other Pillars will learn of us.” Erwin’s voice gained a hard edge as he continued to speak. “But bringing strangers here is a good way for others to find out about us. You know the rules as well as I do, Brooke. They need to die.”

Shelly didn’t understand what was going on. She was blind, but what the man was saying made no sense. Gaia knew about everything that touched her ground. It didn’t matter whether it was in this realm, or Earth. She didn’t watch everything at once, but to think that there might be something going on under her nose was laughable. Unless… This wasn’t ground under her feet, but something else.

The sounds of blades being drawn broke the momentary silence. Shelly decided to act. She’d seen Jessica fight with a sword and decided that would be the perfect shape to take. Sheldon’s shirt fell away from her eyes as she formed her hand into the hilt and the rest of her body twisted into a sharp, three foot long blade. She had to shift much of her mass out or she would have been too heavy for Jessica to wield. She didn’t know where that mass went, only that it was there for her when she needed to change back. When she formed into things with greater mass, she had to absorb mass from objects around her. She hated doing that, though. It made her feel bloated for days afterwards.

Once she was done, she allowed herself to see from just above the cross guard. It was the most stable place to be able to look around.

They were surrounded. She didn’t recognize any of them, or what they were. Many of them were misshapen, and twisted. Their leader was a tall, dark man with what appeared to be cat ears on his head, and whiskers by his black nose. His fingers looked dangerous with their claws, but it was the twin daggers in his hands that worried Shelly.

A quick glance towards the woman holding her showed that Jessica had removed her blindfold also.

Erwin purred with excitement as he grinned at them. Shelly could tell that he was excited to fight. She didn’t feel as confident in their survival.

“Erwin, put those blades away!” Brooke snapped in a tone that implied he was an idiot, without saying the words. Shelly noticed that the mermaid hadn’t drawn her blades. “Think! I know what the risks are if any of you are found out. If I didn’t think they could be trusted, I wouldn’t have brought them.” She turned to Shelly and Jessica. “And you two! I told you not to take off the blindfolds. I swear you’re almost as bad as your father was when he was a teenager, Shelly.”

“But—” Jessica used Shelly to point at those surrounding them.

“No buts!” Brooke shouted. Brock and even the creatures around them took a step back. Brooke might look like a small woman, but all knew what she was capable of.

Shelly let herself change back, but kept holding Jessica’s hand just in case. Brooke waited until she was fully changed, before turning back to the rest of the crowd.

“Do you really think I would endanger all of you after what I went through to make this place?” Erwin looked sheepish as Brooke berated him, but he didn’t put his blades away. “Erwin…” Brooke placed her hands on her own blades. With as much grace as a frightened cat has, Erwin sheathed his daggers.

“Damn it, Brooke,” Erwin muttered. “I was just making sure. We can’t be too careful. If you vouch for them, we can let them be.” He must have found a bit of his backbone as he looked back up to meet Brooke’s green eyes. “But if they tell about this place, it’s on your head.”

“They won’t tell,” Brooke promised for them.

Shelly wasn’t sure what it was she wasn’t supposed to tell. All she knew was that a bunch of creatures she didn’t recognize were hiding—even from the nearly all-knowing Gaia—and Brooke had somehow helped build this place.

Erwin turned to Brock and held out his hand. “Welcome home, Brock. We’ve missed having your smiling face around for a bit.”

Brock shook it and returned the aforementioned grin. “Glad to be home, Mr. Schrödinger.”

* * * *

Shelly realized she was staring. It couldn’t be, she thought. There’s no way. He should be dead. She thought she’d heard something about the man having committed suicide, but that must have been faked, if this was really Erwin Schrödinger.

“We haven’t had any trouble down here,” Erwin said between bites of his fish. Shelly had a strong stomach, but she felt queasy as she watched the cat-man eat. The ground felt unsteady, but it looked solid enough. “I was sad to hear that Varun had captured you, but you understand why we couldn’t come help.”

“The secrecy of this place is more important than one life,” Brooke agreed as though it hadn’t been her life in the balance. “That’s why we have our rules.”

“Rules that you broke,” Erwin gestured to Shelly and Jessica.

“This place is more important than one life, but not all lives,” Brooke returned. “There may come a time when you have to leave here and return to the world above.”

Shelly hadn’t noticed her surroundings when she’d lost her blindfold, but they were deep underground. What she had at first mistaken for a sky, was a vast array of glowing gray moss on the ceiling above a huge cavern. Houses were built up, some of them built out of the very ground, but she couldn’t tell where they got the materials to do it. There was no vegetation in sight.

“Why should we fight for anyone?” Erwin responded. “If they knew we existed, they’d kill us without a second thought.”

“You’re crossbreeds!” Jessica spluttered, making Shelly jump.

She looked around and realized what should have been obvious from the beginning. It explained why she couldn’t identify most of the creatures around her. She cursed herself for not having caught it. She was too wrapped up in the cat-man’s identity. Erwin Schrödinger. Schrödinger’s cat. Schrödinger was a cat, or at least a cat-man. Was he always that way, or did something happen?

“Yes, most of us are,” Erwin glared at Jessica. “Some of us are just cursed, but Brooke and a few others have gone out of their way to help us. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go around telling anyone about us. We’ve worked hard to keep this place a secret from the Pillars. I’d hate to think what they’d do if they heard even a whisper about us.” While his words seemed casual, his tone conveyed the threat behind them.

“But how do you hide from Gaia?” Shelly asked. It didn’t make any sense.

“This is a floating underground island,” Brooke smiled. “Gaia can only see what’s touching her Earth. Since this chunk of rock isn’t touching her Earth, she can’t see it. It also means that nothing will grow here, without her influence. We’re constantly working to supply this place, while keeping everything secret.”

Something in the mermaid’s voice told Shelly she wasn’t saying everything, but Shelly knew better than to ask. The fact that they were on a floating island explained why she was feeling queasy also. She saw Jessica nodding to Brooke’s words. Shelly wondered if she was going to bring up her heritage, but Jessica remained silent. Shelly didn’t blame her. Sometimes you kept a secret for so long, you continued to keep it when it didn’t matter.

“When Mom comes to visit me, she brings me stuff and I bring it here,” Brock said. “We’re quite the clandestine operation.” He seemed quite proud.

Something else clicked in Shelly’s head. “That’s how you plan on getting into Varun’s, I mean, Poseidon’s demesne. This place is connected there somehow.”

Brooke nodded. “There is a large tunnel with an underground river going from here to the Pillar of Water’s area. We’ll use that to infiltrate Poseidon’s area while you and Jessica talk to Marchosias.”

Shelly tried not to let her shoulders slump. She didn’t know where in the Shadow World they were, but she knew where Marchosias’s island lay, and it was a far distance from the border between Earth and Water. She was exhausted from the lack of sleep last night, followed by the fight for their lives against the Paladonic Knights and Daughters of Respite. Knowing that she would have to travel that distance, then try to get information out of Marchosias didn’t appeal to her.

Jessica must have sensed her emotions, because she reached over and gripped Shelly’s hand. Shelly felt comforted by the gesture and squeezed back, earning herself a smile from her beautiful girlfriend.

“If you think we’re going to embroil ourselves in your affairs just because you created this space for us, you’re wrong.” Erwin pounded the table, making Shelly jump. Unfortunately, his hand struck his fork, and sent it flying into Brooke’s chest. It fell to her lap where she looked at it for a moment. With more calm than Shelly could have mustered, the mermaid picked up the fork, examined the chunks of food still stuck on it, then flung it back at Erwin with lightning speed. The cat-man flinched as it brushed past one of his black pointy ears and embedded itself on the wall behind him.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Brooke said in a tone that made ice seem hot by comparison. There was no anger on her face, and she appeared perfectly calm, but her green eyes matched her voice. “But if you think that hiding out here will keep you safe while the Pillars are struck down, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought.”

Erwin glared at Brooke, but the effect was ruined as he licked the back of one hand, then used it to wipe at his offended ear. “I learned a long time ago not to meddle in things that I shouldn’t.”

“You couldn’t have known that the cat you were using for your experiments was the favorite of a fairy,” Brooke replied. Her voice warmed, but it was the difference between an Antarctic night and an Antarctic morning. “This concerns you and every other creature living in this world. If the Pillars fall, this world goes with it. Perhaps all of creation.”

“Bah!” Erwin growled and his lips curled, showing sharp fangs. His golden eyes flashed as he met Brooke’s stare. “We heard the same thing during the Chaos War, and look how that turned out. Someone will always come along and save us.”

“There was a prophecy that time,” Brooke stated. Her voice lost whatever warmth it had gained, and if anything, grew harder. She still looked relaxed, but Shelly noticed one hand was close to the blade on her left hip. “And my husband didn’t do it alone. A lot of good creatures died, ensuring this world survived. Lyden wasn’t the only hero.”

“And now we come to the crux of things.” Shelly heard Erwin purr as he spoke, as though he’d caught a mouse he was ready to pounce on. “You need fodder for your armies. You want us to sacrifice ourselves so our betters can live on to fight another day.”

Shelly couldn’t believe the audacity of this man. Brooke had helped create a space where he and other outcasts could survive without being persecuted, and his way of repaying her was to act like this?

“You are the most pompous, egotistical, self-righteous man I have ever met,” Jessica spoke up. Erwin looked away from the mermaid with an expression that said he was shocked anyone would dare interrupt his conversation with Brooke. “She hasn’t asked for your help, you imbecile. She was warning you of what might come.”

“Jessica—” Brooke tried to intervene, but Jessica kept going.

“A Pillar is dead, and the rest are in danger. How can you choose to sit here in your little hole, pretending the outside world doesn’t exist? Hell, you can pretend your balls are the size of watermelons and your cock is as big as your arm, but from where I’m sitting, neither one of them even exists. Pretending whether something is real or not doesn’t make it exist, or mean you can ignore it.”

“My cock and balls are plenty real, girl!” the werecat snarled and jumped to his feet. He reached into his pants and laid his genitals on the table. “That real enough for you?”

Shelly was impressed with the man’s boldness, if not with the material presented. Sheldon’s is bigger, she thought, then shrugged that uncomfortable idea away. Why would she think of him? She’d been with other men who were larger than this guy. Erwin was just a little bigger than average.

“That depends,” Jessica sneered. “Does it bluster and preen itself like its master, or does it actually do something?”

“Jessica!” Brooke snapped, losing her calm demeanor.

Shelly saw Brock trying to hold back his laughter at Jessica’s insult. Shelly found herself struggling not to laugh at the comical way Erwin’s black-furred face turned slack at Jessica’s words. Jessica didn’t look away from the cat-man.

After a couple of tense seconds, Erwin’s lips curled up as he burst out laughing. “By the Pillars, you’ve got a sharp tongue on you, girl. You’re right. I’ve spent so long trying to hide who and what I am. I was once a great scientist, you know that? Then one day a fairy catches up to me. Imagine my surprise in finding out fairies are real! Ends up, one of the strays I’d used to prove a hypothesis had been his favorite. As punishment for my actions, he made me into this. I still remember the way he chuckled as he flew away. That was almost a century ago. Not only did that little sprite curse me, but he made me immortal to boot so I could suffer for all time. I had to fake a suicide to hide what had happened, and that wasn’t easy! He made sure his insult was felt all the time also. When no one is looking at me, I’m a normal human, but the second I’m observed, I become this cat-person. I had to hide what I was, until Brooke found me. It looks like it took someone like you to help me remember my humanity.”

“I didn’t ask for your history, old man,” Jessica said, though she’d lost her anger.

Erwin chuckled some more, then turned to Brooke. “You’ll need some supplies, though you know we don’t have much. It also looks like you’re about dead on your feet. Get some rest. We’ll have the boat prepped and ready for you when you wake up.” He stood and walked to the door, leaving them alone.

“Can we trust him?” Shelly asked as soon as she felt it was safe. Chances were that with those ears, Erwin had exceptional hearing.

“We can trust him to keep his skin whole,” Brooke said. She looked over to Jessica with a shrewd look. “That was a very foolish thing you did. Erwin is their leader here. No matter how much Brock and I have helped them, if he told this community to kill us, they would.”

“Sorry,” Jessica apologized. “I just couldn’t take any more of his self-righteous bullshit.”

They were all silent for a while. Shelly was still trying to understand how this city came to be. The amount of energy required in creating this space, or the floating island, and set up the whole thing was more than she could imagine. Then, for there to be a portal here from Earth… She thought only the Pillars were strong enough to fabricate those. That meant that at least one Pillar knew about this place, but which one? The most likely answer was Aunt Lysa. She was a crossbreed, just as all of Lyden’s children were. Though she wasn’t really the twins’ aunt. She would have been the most likely to sympathize with this group. Were there others strong enough to create portals? What about the Firsts?

If there was a First working with them….

Her thoughts were interrupted by Erwin returning. “I already have food being prepared for you at Brock’s hut. It’s a little crowded in there for the four of you. I have room here if you girls want to stay.” The way Erwin purred as he added that last statement gave Shelly the creeps.

Before she could respond, Brooke spoke up. “That’ll work great, Erwin. But I think the girls should stay at Brock’s place. I think they’d be more comfortable there. If you don’t mind, Brock and I will stay here. It’ll give us the chance to set down more plans for tomorrow and let them rest.”

If Erwin was disappointed, he hid it well.

“Come on!” Brock said cheerfully as his mechanical legs carried him past them. “I’ll show you where I live.”

In all the years she’d known her half-brother/sister, it never occurred to her to wonder where he lived. She’d never had any interest in seeing the home of the sibling that made her uncomfortable to be around.

Now that she knew what to look for, she took in her surroundings once outside. The air was humid, but not cloyingly so. The ground was solid, but she could sense the slight motion as the island rocked on the water. Some of the homes were built out of wood, and because they were underground, they didn’t have to worry about bad weather. More were made from the ground itself, dug out of the very rock they lived on. High overhead, moss gave off a strong grayish white glow that reminded Shelly of an overcast sky.

Brock—wait, now he was Bridgette. She hated when he did that—led them to one of the homes built into the rock. A tall hill rose up, and carved into the side were some steps leading down to a wooden door. Bridgette placed her hand against the door, and a moment later Shelly noticed a gentle glow rise and then fade before the door opened. Even in a place inhabited by those that relied on one another to survive, they still had to lock their doors.

Jessica stopped Bridgette before she could lead them in. “You know, it can be a bit disconcerting when you keep changing genders like that. Why don’t you pick one and stay that way?”

Shelly had often wondered the same thing, but was afraid it would have been rude to ask. Bridgette didn’t seem to mind, though, and smiled.

“Honestly? Because I know it bothers some people and those that it does, deserve to be bothered.” She walked inside as she continued speaking, though her words filled Shelly with guilt. “I used to get teased a lot when I was younger, but Dad showed me that there was nothing wrong with who I am. He taught me that it didn’t matter what my gender was, as long as I was happy with who I was. Some situations work better when I’m a woman, and some work better as a man. I like being Brock around Dad. I think he relates to me better that way, though I know he loves me no matter what. Erwin likes to stare at my breasts when I’m Bridgette, so I usually stay as Brock around him. I decided to be Bridgette now, so it’s just us girls.”

Bridgette showed them her small but cozy home, while Shelly reexamined her feelings towards this sibling. She’d always been uncomfortable around him/her because of her ability to change genders, but how was that any different than the twins’ ability to change shape? It was still the same person inside.

This home made the house she shared with Sheldon look huge. There was a small entryway that doubled as a sitting room, an equally small cooking area, and two smaller rooms attached.

“Mom doesn’t stay here often,” Bridgette told them. “So, I don’t need a lot of room. Since I was always bound to the water, I never left my room.” Shelly poked her head in and saw that the room was nothing more than a pool of water. “There’s an underwater tunnel that leads to the back door, and that’s how I usually come and go. I can’t believe Dad got me these awesome legs!”

“They work well for you!” Shelly told her, deciding to treat her better from now on.

“You two can sleep in here. The bed is a little small, but neither of you are big so you should be fine.” Bridgette showed them Brooke’s room. The bed was big enough that they’d both fit, but small enough that they’d have to cuddle. She didn’t mind that thought at all. In fact, as she looked at the bed, she had to stifle a yawn. The day had been a full one, and she was looking forward to some sleep.

“I’d better get back to Mom,” Bridgette said with a smile at Shelly’s yawn. “Erwin is all right, but I’ve seen the way he looks at my chest when I’m in this form. I swear, if he weren’t half cat and hated getting wet, he’d have tried to get with me a long time ago.”

Shelly laughed at the thought of a cat trying to get with someone who was half a fish.

“He won’t try anything on Brooke while she’s alone with him, will he?” Jessica asked. Shelly appreciated that her girlfriend was concerned about Shelly’s stepmom, but Jessica couldn’t know what Brooke was capable of.

Bridgette laughed before answering. “No, he wouldn’t dare. Mom could kick his ass, and he wouldn’t dare do anything to offend Dad. Everyone knows what Dad did and respects him.” She looked around for a moment before adding, “Sorry there’s not much in the way of accommodations, but help yourselves. I’m sure Mom will come get you in the morning.”

Shelly’s odd sibling left them, though she resolved to become better friends with her in the future.

“You dad seems like a pretty cool guy,” Jessica stated as the door closed behind Bridgette.

“Yeah,” Shelly said, wondering where this was coming from. “Some people don’t like the fact that he has so many wives, or that he has so many powerful friends, but I tend to like him.” She meant to say it light heartedly, but knew she meant it.

“He’s smart, open minded, strong—“

“You’re not crushing on my dad, are you?” Shelly asked, bothered at the concept.

“What?” Jessica asked with wide eyes. “No! Eww. It’s just that you don’t meet many men like that. I can see parts of him in you that make you so wonderful.”

Shelly couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. She knew her dad was awesome, but this was the first time she’d ever been paid a compliment like this.

“I know you’re tired,” Jessica said as Shelly felt her hand rest on her lower back, “but I was kind of hoping I could apologize for my behavior earlier.”

Shelly turned to her and smiled. “You already apologized.” She placed her hand on Jessica’s cheek and looked into her blue eyes. “We all make snap judgments. The hard part is realizing our mistakes and apologizing, which you’ve already done.”

“But I wanted to apologize,” Jessica stressed and used her hand on Shelly’s back to pull them close.

Understanding flooded Shelly as she felt the other woman’s lips brush hers. “Well why didn’t you say so?” Shelly asked as a grin split her lips. She was tired, sure, but sleeping could wait.

Jessica’s arms tightened as Shelly placed hers around the back of the woman’s neck. Their lips were soft as they came back together. There was no urgency in the kiss, no driving passion, but it was filled with tender care. The two women stood there for a moment in each other’s arms, enjoying the security they felt at having one another.

Despite enjoying the slow pace of the kiss, it was Shelly that first opened her mouth to let her tongue explore the other woman’s. Jessica opened to her, and their tongues met in a slow dance, twisting and brushing against the other. Jessica’s mouth was sweet as their bodies pressed together.

Her heart quickened when Jessica lowered her hands to Shelly’s rear, fondling her. Shelly brought her hands between them, moving to the hem of Jessica’s shirt and pulled it up to her neck. Neither one wanted to break the kiss, so she reached around to her back and undid the strap of her bra.

Jessica slipped her arms out of the shirt and bra, though the shirt still hung around her neck. Shelly capitalized on the other woman’s free breasts and took each of the perfect mounds in one hand. Jessica moaned into their shared kiss as Shelly brushed her thumbs her girlfriend’s nipples.

She felt Jessica’s hands slide up her rear to her shirt, and soon her shirt was around her neck and her bra was on the floor.

Shelly had to release her girlfriend’s breasts as Jessica pulled them together again. Her own breasts molded around Jessica’s firm mounds. She wrapped her arms around the slender woman, tightening the press between them. The feeling of bare skin on bare skin sent a shiver through her.

Even though they had fooled around in the Orange Bubble earlier, Shelly felt her crotch slicken with desire. When in the car, it had been a mad rush to get each other off and heal, but this time they could enjoy themselves.

“Come on,” Jessica pulled away and smiled. She grabbed Shelly’s hand and tugged her into the bedroom, while pulling her shirt over her head with the other hand. For the briefest of seconds, Shelly was uncomfortable with the idea of having sex on her stepmom’s bed, but when Jessica turned and gave her dazzling smile, she didn’t care. She could always remove the sheets first, or do it on the carpeted floor. When Jessica bit her bottom lip, reached out and thumbed her right nipple, then pulled her into another kiss, she quit worrying and just enjoyed her girlfriend’s hands on her body. Her thighs grew slick as her pussy leaked out its desires.

Shelly stripped off her shirt and they both removed their pants before falling to the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Shelly ended up on her back with Jessica’s right leg between her thighs, pressed up against her moist slit.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Jessica said, sending a thrill through Shelly at the compliment.

“You’re a sweet talker,” she replied and then moaned as Jessica pressed her thigh hard against the juncture of Shelly’s thighs. “But I like it,” she finished and pulled Jessica’s face down to hers. Shelly ground her snatch against the other woman’s leg. Her hips lifted and fell as her crotch slid across Jessica’s naked thigh. Every motion sent sensations of bliss through her, radiating up from her clit and blossoming into her stomach and chest.

Jessica pulled her head away, then dropped it to nuzzle into Shelly’s neck. She felt her teeth graze her sensitive skin, though she didn’t bite, sending another thrill through her. Jessica moved her leg away, causing Shelly to groan in frustration. She was getting close! A couple more seconds and she would have cum.

Jessica’s mouth trailed down Shelly’s collarbone, but it was the woman’s hand against her moist sex that made Shelly gasp. She felt one finger slide in, easily slipping between her damp folds. She gasped again when Jessica’s lips brushed across one stiff nipple. Shelly gripped the sheets as waves of pleasure washed over her. She tossed her head from side to side as she soaked Jessica’s hand.

It took her a few breaths to regain her senses. She tried to sit up, but Jessica pressed her back down.

“I want to return the favor,” Shelly moaned, wanting to press her lips against every inch of this fantastic woman.

“Maybe when I’m done apologizing,” Jessica grinned. “Besides, I’m enjoying myself.

Shelly decided to let her have her way. Besides, it wasn’t like she wasn’t enjoying Jessica’s ‘apology.’

Jessica dropped her head down and trailed kisses across Shelly’s flat stomach to her right hip, and then her thigh. She felt hot breath pass her vulva before Jessica nipped lightly on the inside of her other thigh. She jumped, but it turned into a moan as she felt a tongue slide along her thigh, back towards her hungry heated pussy. Jessica used her mouth to open Shelly’s petals. She felt her tongue poking at her hole, lapping up her juices. Jessica moved her muscle around in a random pattern, keeping Shelly on edge, but not sending her over that proverbial cliff. Her clit felt ignored as Jessica continued to focus on her opening. She tried to shift her hips to let the woman know what she wanted, but Jessica seemed to anticipate her movements, moving perfectly in time to keep from touching that magical button.

Just when she thought she was going to lose her mind, Jessica shifted up and sucked hard on her clit. At the same time, Shelly felt fingers penetrate her again and rub along the top wall of her burning canal. This didn’t just tip her over the edge, but launched her off it. Her body shuddered as she screamed in rapture. She was no longer in control of her body, but she couldn’t think clearly enough to care. Her entire world centered on the tingling in her skin, the fluttering in her stomach, the curling of her toes as she thrashed around on the bed, and the feeling of those fingers still pumping into her, stretching out her blissful orgasm.

“Okay!” Shelly croaked as she reached down and pulled the fingers out of her. “By the Pillars, I’ve never had an orgasm like that before!”

“Am I forgiven?” Jessica asked with an impish grin crossing her face.

“I already told you that you were,” Shelly sighed in exasperation. “Now get up and, so I can return the favor!”

She tried to pull Jessica up, but she was a bit weak after that powerful climax. Jessica didn’t resist, though, lithely moving up Shelly’s body until they could kiss. Shelly tasted her own juices on the other woman’s lips. It increased her hunger, and she reached down to grab Jessica’s firm butt cheeks. This time the kiss was filled with passion. It was almost scary how much Shelly desired this woman. Any fear she might have had was pressed to the background, however, as Shelly needed to please this woman.

With a growl, Shelly rolled them over, almost knocking Jessica off the small bed in her haste. They readjusted, this time with the black haired beauty on her back.

Shelly dove for her perfect breasts, lavishing the nipples with her tongue as she lowered her right hand to Jessica’s cunt. It was soaked, the viscous liquid pouring from her swollen petals. She slipped three fingers into her, before she was aware of her desire to do so. Jessica bucked against the invading digits, moaning in rapture. The sound of her moans went through Shelly like a lightning bolt, fueling her desires and driving her on.

She lowered herself down Jessica’s fit body without removing her fingers. She didn’t have the patience to tease as Jessica had, and attacked the nubbin at the juncture at the top of her inner labia. Jessica jerked as Shelly brought her over the top, ramming her fingers into her well saturated pussy.

Shelly wished she had a large cock to ram her the way she was pounding her fingers into Jessica. Her insides felt empty. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a thick piece of meat thrusting into her, but for some reason she thought it hadn’t been that long ago. Hell, she’d even accept Erwin’s average penis right then. If Brock walked in right then, she didn’t know if she could keep herself off of him. She was so horny right that moment, the fact that it was her brother only slightly bothered her.

She was just debating on going to get him, when Jessica got her attention again by pulling her back up and into a kiss. She wrapped her legs around Shelly’s thighs, giving her whole body a strong hug. Despite none of her erogenous zones being stimulated, Shelly felt another climax crash through her. She couldn’t remember ever being this aroused. What was it about this woman that turned her on so much?

“Get some rest,” Jessica whispered as she tucked Shelly under the covers. Shelly still felt empty inside, but after three powerful orgasms, exhaustion won out. Maybe she could talk to Erwin before they left tomorrow. She had no doubt he would be happy to fill her holes.

Jessica walked to the door of the small room and looked back, but Shelly barely noticed as her eyelids drooped and sleep overtook her. She thought Jessica might have left, but when she woke the next morning, her girlfriend was holding her tight. Warmth spread through the twin as she remembered their shared bliss, but not much else from last night’s coupling.