bedeviled & beyond 06 - bedeviled & befouled (4 page)

I moaned as my sex convulsed around him. My eyes burned with the need to close, to pull away from the power in his gaze. But he held me there, and when the first wave of joy was spent, his magic gaze pulled me into the next. The second one so bright, so filled with power and need that it made me scream under its beautiful energy.

Dialle finally closed his eyes and let me fall away, only to bring me plunging back into joy when his body tightened in release, driving deep, fast and hard into my still-grasping sheath as he fought his way past the thin barrier in his mind that had restrained his orgasm.

As he gave that final thrust, burying himself deep inside the clasping glove of my channel, my body wrapped around his and held on, unwilling to release him from the delight he’d offered.

My eyes closed as he dropped over me, his breath rasping hard and fast in his throat, and I felt the sweet heat of his kiss on my gasping mouth. I wrapped my arms around his back, holding him tight as my body softened into a calmer state of relief.

My hands shook violently against his skin. My muscles quivered. I felt at once completely sated and totally super-charged. There was a dull pain at the juncture of my throat and my shoulder. It felt almost as if... My eyes shot open. I reached to touch my neck, where my mark had been. The area was cool and there were no sparks. Despair swept me. It was just memory pain. For the merest moment in time I’d thought I’d regained my magic.

Dialle kissed my lips and rolled to my side, pulling me tightly against him with a sigh. When I turned to look at him his gaze had returned to normal, no more sensual magic.

The magic had been replaced with sadness.

I propped myself up on an elbow and placed my hand on his chest, running my finger around a perfect, brown nipple. “Brina came to me today.”

“Mmm?”

“She said you were fighting demons.”

He frowned and his hand clasped my wrist, stopping me from doodling on his pecs. “I’m fine. Brina should mind her own business.”

My lips parted in surprise. Anger was the last emotion I’d expected from him at that moment. “You
are
her business. You’re everyone’s business. If you have a problem...”

His grip on my wrist lightened and he threaded his fingers through mine. “I have no problems, my love. I just worry for you.” His gaze darkened again and I felt terrible. If my problems were causing his unhappiness, as well as the decay of the court...

“I’ll be fine, Dialle. In fact, that’s why I came to see you,” I lied. “I’m going away for a while. Myra and Aubrey think celestial counseling will help me heal.”

I expected surprise, maybe even anger at this admission but he only stared at the ceiling, his dark gaze intense. “Yes. I think that is a good idea. They might be able to help.”

Nodding, I only wished he sounded as if he believed it. Tears pricked the inside of my lids and I looked away, flopping onto my back in the tangled sheets. My gaze immediately found the huge, jagged crack snaking across the ceiling above his bed. Looking around, I saw other signs of decay I hadn’t noticed before.

The windows looking out over the countryside were cracked and clouded around the edges. The furniture all seemed seedier than before, and the beautiful carpet that covered the floor of his rooms looked dingy and ragged. It was covered in debris as the floor in the throne room had been.

A deep despair filled my heart. I was the cause of all of the disrepair. I was the cause of Dialle’s dark mood. Brina had been right.

It was all my fault. Everything.

I suddenly knew that if the celestial counseling didn’t work I’d have to force Dialle to relinquish me. His only hope lay in finding a new queen, one who could help him rebuild the health of the court. Before the rot spread to his people. And, ultimately, to the human population who would pay the price for a damaged Royal Court through violence and unparalleled debauchery.

The realization nearly crushed me. I brushed a tear off my cheek and pushed upright, turning my back on Dialle so he wouldn’t see me cry. “Good. Then that’s what I’ll do. You’ll take care of yourself while I’m gone?”

Silence met my question so I turned. Dialle stared into space, his expression blank. Pain wrenched my heart and I knew I had very little time. With that thought in mind I started to stand.

His hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist. I looked at him and his black eyes were locked on me with a terrifying intensity. “Hurry back, Astra. I...” He took a shuddering breath. “I need you.”

My lips found his in a frantic touch, tears sliding from my cheeks to his. More bittersweet than passionate, the kiss tasted of the potential for loss and failure. And when I pulled away I knew I had only one choice.

I had to heal myself so I could heal Dialle.

Or we’d both most likely die of a broken heart.

CHAPTER THREE

Energizer halfling?

Everywhere our lady looks, surprising sights abound,

But sometimes one must cook the books, to turn one’s fate around.

White.

As far as the eye could see.

White floors, white walls, white ceilings. White inside and white outside.

Even the sticks up everybody’s asses were white. At least in my imagination.

I sat on a white chair in a white waiting room and read through the pages of white paper they’d given me to sign.

It seemed Heaven didn’t want me to sue their asses in case they scrambled my brain or something during counseling.

Yeah. That gave me the warm fuzzies. The worst part was the realization that there had to be lawyers in Heaven. I’d figured all those frunkers were on permanent vacations in the smoldering climes—walking around with fire extinguishers strapped to their thousand dollar Plutonian warthog-skin belts.

If you know what I mean.

The dark-haired angel sitting behind a white desk looked up and gave me an insincere smile. “He’ll see you now, Mx. Phelps.”

I scribbled my name across the bottom of the form and stood, grinning at the expression of horror on the woman’s face as her pale, blue eyes took in the vibrant hues of my clothing. In honor of my rebellion against a colorless, monochromatic world, I’d dressed in just about every color I could find in my closet. A frilly red blouse with bright green flecks topped a short leather skirt died bright orange. I’d slipped a purple headband into my dark, auburn hair and I’d even donned a brand new pair of bright-blue leather boots. It was a headache inducing getup and it made my heart light just to look at it.

The best part was the horrified reactions I’d been getting since Myra had deposited me on the celestial plane. You’d think the Big Guy had invited Freddy frunkin’ Krueger to tea. A couple of them had even suggested I might want to change into something a little less...bright...before meeting my therapist for the first time.

I’d briefly considered planting a bright-blue boot in their nether regions for their trouble. Looking down at said boots, I frowned. Did they look a shade less bright? Or was I being paranoid?

“Mx. Phelps?” She was standing in front of an open door with a pale-skinned hand splayed on its surface. I hadn’t even seen her move. When I looked at her she inclined her head toward the door. “He’s waiting.”

Stepping past the snooty receptionist, I noted the way she leaned away from me, as if touching the pretty colors would turn the stick up her ass into a rainbow. Personally I thought it might do her some good. I entered the room and looked around, not surprised to see that it looked pretty much the same as the waiting room. With one notable exception.

Bathed in silver light from a nearby window, a man sat behind another, much larger, white desk. He was skinny to the point of emaciated and, judging from the length of his long arms and legs, was very tall. He was dressed all in white and his large hands were folded in front of him on the desk. He had small, dark-brown eyes and a wide mouth, with lips that were just a shade redder than usual, and a frothy cap of bright-green hair.

I grinned.

He smiled back and stood, offering me one of his large hands. “Mx. Phelps, I’m Gus. I’ll be your celestial counselor while you’re here.”

“Nice hair, Gus.”

He reached up and patted the tangled, green mop. “Thank you. Enjoy it while you can.”

I frowned as he indicated the white couch across the room. “Would you like to sit? Or lie down?”

“Actually, Gus. I’d like to run like hell.”

Gus nodded but didn’t look surprised. “Why don’t we compromise and you can just pace.”

“Deal.”

Gus sat down and folded his hands on top of the desk. He watched me pace for a few minutes, saying nothing. Finally I stopped and looked at him. “Do you want me to start?”

Gus shrugged. “If you want.”

I frowned. Was this some kind of sick joke? “What if I said I just wanted to leave?”

Gus shrugged again. “You’re not a prisoner here, Astra.”

I stared at him for a minute and then it hit me. He was being tricky. “I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to impress on me that I need to work at this to fix it. That it’s up to me to make myself get better. And that if I’m not willing to try I’m not going to get better.”

Again he shrugged. He reached up and scratched the mop of green on his head with one finger.

I gritted my teeth against a wave of temper. Despite the fun addition of the green hair, Gus was starting to piss me off. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to get better.”

He cocked his grass colored head. “Really? Are you sure about that?”

I frowned. “Is that a trick question?”

“Do you realize you answered a question with a question?”

“Is that bad?”

“Don’t you know only therapists are allowed to do that?”

I looked at him. He looked at me. I grinned. He smiled. “How is this gonna go, Gus?”

His smile widened. “Would you like to sit now?”

With a sigh I admitted defeat. “Would you be pleased if I did?”

He snorted. “Would you care if I was?”

I sat, crossed my legs, and clasped my hands in my lap. Frowning, I noticed my pretty boots were no longer bright blue. They had turned a soothing shade of sky blue. Well, just shit.

Gus spread his long fingers over his desk and, in a flash of light, a book appeared in front of him. He perused it for a while, one finger sliding down each page as if he was speed-reading. I assumed it had something to do with me and my problem so I waited, my fingers twining nervously. In the interim, I looked around Gus’ office.

Despite my initial perception, the office wasn’t entirely white. At least not always. Every now and then an item would burst into color and then slowly fade back to white. A picture frame on the wall of bookshelves burst into blue and began to lighten. The large plant near the window, beyond which only a fluffy bank of clouds could be seen, erupted into deep green and then eased back to white.

It was obvious that Gus, like me, was trying to buck the system, with only limited success. But I appreciated his efforts. No wonder they’d given me to him.

Gus finally closed the book and looked up.

“Does the story in that book have a happy ending?”

“Again with the questions.”

I snorted. “This time I really want the answer.”

“Then I’ll try to get you one. But I don’t have it yet.”

“Fair enough. So, where do we start?”

Gus stood and came around his desk. His hair had turned the color of young moss, softly green rather than vibrant. Apparently Heaven leeched all color out of things. I found that disturbing on so many levels. There had to be a way to fix it.

Gus stopped in front of me and I started to stand. He placed a hand on my shoulder, holding me in my seat. “No, sit. I just want to delve into your aura a bit. Are you all right with that?”

I wasn’t sure if I was all right with it or not. But I realized I was going to have to trust him or the counseling thing wasn’t going to work, so I nodded.

“Good. Now I just want you to sit very still and try not to tense up.”

Easier said than done. Especially when I felt the first, invasive, spectral touch sliding over the place, deep inside my body, where my magic used to live.

It was all I could do not to leap out of that chair and run screaming from the room.

“Close your eyes, Astra, and tell me when you feel a surge of power.”

I did as he asked, but didn’t really feel anything except invaded. His spectral fingers danced along the edges of my aura with deft gentleness. Despite his attempts to be gentle, however, I soon realized my shoulders were encroaching on my ears and forced them down.

“Relax. We’re nearly done.”

“I don’t think it’s work— Whoa!” A jolt of power speared through me and I jumped. “What was that?”

Gus removed his hands and stepped back, frowning slightly. “That was a tiny bubble of errant magic that you had stored.”

I felt my eyes go wide. “Stored? Is there more in there?”

He turned away and walked back to his desk, dropping into it and sitting forward. Gus rubbed his palms together and looked at me, his brown gaze filled with questions even I could see. “I’m sure there is. Not enough to do anything with, of course, but it proves one thing...” He trailed off and I nearly leapt from my chair.

“What?”

“Hmm?”

“What does it prove?”

“Oh. I’m not sure. I’ll need more tests.”

Swearing like a Venutian soldier, I jumped to my feet and started to pace again.

~SC~

I spent the next several hours being poked and prodded and sent through large, white tubes that made my skin crawl under a series of intrusive pulses and tones. By the time I was led, shaking and exhausted, back to Gus’ office, my clothing and pretty boots were pure white and I was pretty sure my hair was too.

Gus was sitting behind his desk again. His hair was bright orange. He smiled when I walked in. “There you are. I have really good news for you.” He stood up and I smiled. Good news could only mean one thing.

“I can get my power back?”

Gus grabbed a hat off his desk and started toward me. “What? Oh, I don’t know that yet. But it’s time for lunch and Tuesdays are meatloaf day.”