Page 27 of Midnight in the Garden of Okay and Meh
“Yes, but this is important. No, do not shy back like I’ve insulted your manhood, which—” She paused to look between them, where his rod was happily nested against her sublime belly. “—in no way is deserving of censure. Desi, I tire of meeting only for a day or two every equinox and solstice. I want to spend more time with you. I want more than these short moments.”
“As do I, my love, my stars and moon and sky above,” he said, his hands skimming her body until, somehow, she was as naked as he, her warmth soaking into him in a way that drove his passion higher. “But I cannot leave Abaddon in the hands of the other demon princes.”
“Surely, it would run itself—” she protested just as she always did.
“It would, but only so long as the other princes had control of the blood moon, and to give that up would be to spell disaster for us both.” He ran a finger along the line of her cheek, down to her jaw, gently brushing his thumb across her luscious lower lip. He loved that lower lip, loved to kiss it, loved to nibble delicately on it, loved to pay it homage until Parisi sighed in pleasure.
“You could make up an excuse to leave Abaddon for a dozen moons,” she said, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and sadness. “Take your relic with you so none could harm you. Then, I could do the same with the Court, and we would be together for much of the time. Yes, we would both have to return to our domains now and again, but there’s nothing to stop us from taking extended breaks from it so we can live in harmony.”
He shook his head, his heart singing a dirge against the cruelty of fate that bound him to a woman he couldn’t have. “The others are already suspicious of me, my love. They have been actively trying to gain power over the blood moon, but there is nothing that can master it. As it is, they are resentful of me and reluctant to heed my dictates. To leave them alone for any time is to court disaster.”
“I know,” she said, slumping against him, her arms around his waist as he held her close, feeling his sorrow mingling with hers.
“We must be grateful for what we have,” he said before kissing her with all the passion that flowed through him, but he knew there would be a price to pay for the joy she brought him.
He just hoped he could survive it, because he certainly couldn’t live without the only person whom he loved.
EIGHT
May
“What do you think? Will she be able to help?”
I rubbed my arms, feeling a bit chilled due to the damp weather, and considered Aisling’s softly asked question. “I don’t know. I hope so. I just assumed a reaper would be ... you know. Someone who looks like they herd the dead around. Not pretty and feminine, although I realize that sounds highly sexist.”
“I know what you mean,” Aisling said, nodding. “She doesn’t look at all like someone who shepherds dead people, but as we both know, appearances in the Otherworld are often deliberately misleading. I don’t think that’s the case here, though.”
We sat in Aisling’s living room, since Gabriel had recently given up the house upon which he’d held a lease, allowing us to shop for something more permanent in the area. Mabel had left the room to take a call, but reappeared in the doorway just as Jim came into the room from another entrance.
“Hey, the reaper chick is here. Hiya! Name’s Jim. Well, it’s Effrijim, really, but I never liked the whole thing, although now I can ask my mom and dad why they stuck me with it. Whoa. Like ... what’s wrong with your legs?”
We all looked at Mabel. She was a little taller than me, pretty, with an oval face and dimple indents on each cheek, and waist-length strawberry blond hair, but as I looked at her legs, I could see what it was Jim noticed. She stood with her feet forming an angle of about 160 degrees.
“What about my legs?” Mabel said, looking down at herself. She was clad in black leggings with a wrap top, and I had to admit, her legs were pretty buff looking. Clearly, she did not skip leg day at the gym.
“They’re pointing east–west,” Jim said, moseying over to snuffle her in its normal method of greeting.
“That isn’t east–west,” she answered, then shifted slightly so that her feet were in a straight horizontal line. “This is. It’s also first position. I’m a ballet dancer. Hence, I tend to stand like that, since we strive for perfect turnout.”
“That would explain you saying you were stretching,” Aisling said, gesturing to a chair next to me. “Please make yourself comfy. And how exciting to meet a real ballet dancer. Where do you perform?”
“A small country called Beck. It got swallowed up after World War I, but regained independence about fifteen years ago.” Mabel glanced at the clock on a mantel. “I hate to be a pushy reaper, but the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can go back to a wonderful physical therapist who seems to have magic hands when it comes to Achilles injuries.”
“Wow. A dancer, huh? Can you do the splits?” Jim asked, giving her feet a second snuffle.
“Yes. Now, what information do you have on”—she pulled out a small notebook—“Parisi. She’s in the Beyond?”
“Yeah,” Jim answered before anyone else could. “Can I see you do the splits? ’Cause I’ve always wanted to meet someone who can do it, but dragons are kind of stiff around the hips.”
“That is utter rot,” Aisling said quickly, giving Jim a quelling look. “You know full well that Drake’s hips are as loose as they come. He’s an excellent dancer!”
“The reason Gabriel and I are here is to act as your protection in the Beyond,” I told Mabel. “I’m a doppelgänger, so naturally I can slip into it. And Gabriel can join me, although not in physical form. We thought it would be better if you had protection. Just in case.”
“Like ... when you do the splits, does it hurt?” Jim asked.
“Oh for the love of Pete—don’t answer it, Mabel,” Aisling said, thinning her lips at the demon.
Mabel heaved a dramatic sigh and, to my utter and complete surprise, stood up only to bend down to touch the ground a couple of times before standing on one leg, her other leg lifted so the toes pointed straight up to the ceiling, effectively doing a standing split. “It hurts if I’m asked to do it without first stretching sufficiently. Happy now?”
