WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE LOVERS
We were finally camping. There was a range of hills about two miles downstream from Cats Kill that had exposed rock outcrops. We found a comfortable overhang with a view of the river, swept out the debris and dead leaves, and settled in for the night.
It was cool, but not really cold enough to build a fire. So instead, we huddled together under a large blanket. Rahne was tucked between Emma and I. She nodded off quickly. After all, she hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately.
Emma and I silently watched the moon rise. Somewhere nearby, an owl hooted regularly - calling vainly for a mate.
"I can see why you enjoy this," Emma said sleepily.
"It's not always this comfortable," I replied.
There was no answer. Emma was asleep.
The owl continued hooting, but there was still no response. I silently wished him luck.
It was still night when I awoke, but the moon was down. That meant dawn wasn't too far off. There was a fog obscuring the trees and stars. That was another sign that morning was near.
Rahne was curled up beside me, but Emma was not with us.
I scrambled to my feet.
"Hu'wha?" Rahne asked sleepily. Her eyes were open and she was beginning to get to her feet.
"It's fine," I assured her. It was an assurance that I didn't feel myself. The only way Emma could have left without Rahne and I noticing was if she'd used her psychic abilities to make our sleep particularly deep.
Leaving the shelter of the overhang, I began tracking Emma by scent. She was heading in the direction of the river. Off in that direction, I could see a hazy red light.
Moving silently through the mist, I followed the trail. I didn't have a clue what Emma was doing, but I didn't like it.
As I drew closer to the river, the fog became denser. However, the red light became brighter. The trees and rocks were grotesquely illuminated. The landscape had seemingly turned red and orange.
Squinting through the fog, I could make out an unclothed feminine form standing on a prominent boulder. She seemed to be staring out at the river. It suddenly struck me that the soft red light seemed to be emanating from her. It was a manifestation of her power that I'd never seen.
"Emma?" I called.
The woman looked over her shoulder at me. I could make out green eyes that were much like Emma's, but her hair was red, and I could now see that she was taller.
It wasn't Emma.
A thrill of absolute terror went through me. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before.
"Hello, Logan," the Phoenix said as she turned to face me.
What is the proper protocol for speaking to the deadliest avatar of a goddess?
I had no idea.
"I am not Logan, my lady," I said carefully. "He has been gone for centuries. However, I do seek after his spirit."
A distant smile came over the Phoenix's face. "I should have known. For your kind, it must seem as if so much time has passed."
Then she paused, as if further considering my words. "So Logan's not forgotten? Even after so many of your years?"
"Not so long as even one of the Blood lives," I replied without a second's hesitation.
She floated down from her perch on the boulder, landing softly on bare feet. The Phoenix was gloriously, intoxicatingly, beautiful. And now she was standing no more than a yard from me. She seemed to be studying me carefully.
"You're taller than him," she said thoughtfully, "but not as broad. And your face is thinner, but there's definitely a resemblance. And there is much of him in you. Your minds taste alike."
Then she glanced beyond me, back in the direction of our camp.
"The girl is much like you," the Phoenix added. "And I see you're continuing your grandfather's old habit of finding young girls to protect."
"We teach that if you seek the Old One's spirit, you will find it," I replied.
I took a deep breath and then let it out before continuing. "Oh Lady of Fire, where is your priestess?"
The goddess put a hand on her breast. Given her lack of clothes, that was distracting. And for a moment I thought I saw the body and the face of the Phoenix overlaying that of Emma.
"I'm borrowing her for just a moment," she said. "You know, I like this Emma far more than the original."
Then her eyes met mine. There were flecks of yellow and red amidst the green. Behind that I caught a momentary glimpse of black space and a whirling vortex of stars. I looked away. There were things in those depths that mortals were not meant to see.
"Be kind to her, seeker," the goddess said to me softly. "Emma is beginning to care for you - and that is a problem for her. She's like you. She's devoted her life to a mission, but because of the importance of that mission, she's not supposed to have attachments."
"What is Emma's mission?" I asked.
The bright smile that came over the Phoenix's face was like the breaking of dawn. "Why, she's supposed to protect the world from me! The poor, sweet, dear thing. Her and her kind - always watching and waiting for the day I return. They don't realize that in my own way, I never left."
Then the goddess leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine. They were unnaturally warm. I felt her heat flow through me in a wave the radiated into and down my body.
All fear vanished. I took the goddess in my arms and kissed her back.
And then something changed. Suddenly, somehow, it was Emma that I was kissing. Yet the goddess - Jean - was still with us.
I can't explain exactly what that meant or how I knew it to be, but it was the reality of what was happening.
And then...
And then circling around us, there was something else. Someone else. I could feel a fourth presence. It was powerful and masculine and had the ferocious focus of a hunter.
It became part of me. I tangled a fist in Emma's hair and bit her on the cheek as a growl snarled out from low in my chest.
Emma pressed her body urgently against mine, her nails raking at the back of my jacket. "Don't stop, you bastard," she whispered. Her voice was both hers and someone else.
"No way, sweetie," I rumbled in a voice that wasn't completely mine.
"For pity's sake," Rahne said in utter disgust.
With a grunt, I opened my eyes. The sun was up and the morning mist had burned off. Just beyond a line of pines, I could hear the river.
Emma and I were intertwined on a large, flat rock. Neither one of us was wearing any clothes.
Emma slowly sat up and accepted the blanket that Rahne was holding out for her.
"The sheer hypocrasty of you two is amazing!" Rahne snarled.
"The word is 'hypocrisy'," I said as I searched for my pants.
"Whatever! You two keep me and David..."
"'David and I'," Emma corrected.
Rahne closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she took another one. The she opened her eyes and went back to glaring at us.
"You two keep DAVID AND I on a short leash. But every time I turn around you two are doing... doing... this!"
"Ah!" I exclaimed triumphantly. I'd found my pants.
"Young mistress, could you step a little closer please?" Emma asked in a very tired voice.
Rahne seemed surprised, but she did as Emma asked.
The crack of Emma's palm against Rahne's cheek was hard enough to make me wince.
Rahne just stood there, her mouth open in shock, with a hand pressed against the red splotch on her face.
"We are adults," Emma said flatly. "You are not. Therefore we can do things you are not allowed to do. That is the way of the world and you will respect it. The master has made it clear that you have two limits with David - you cannot marry at this time and you are not to get pregnant. Given what you were doing when I found you two in that hayloft, you obviously know ways to be intimate with each other that don't violate those rules. So shut the fuck up, go back up to the camp, and get my damned clothes."
Rahne gave me a shocked look of mute appeal.
"Do you see my jacket anywhere?" I asked.
A wise men allows the women of his house to sort things out without interference.
Rahne glanced around. Then she wordlessly picked up my jacket and handed it to me. She frowned in surprise as she noticed the rents on the back.
"Go start breakfast - and get Emma's clothes," I added patiently.
It's difficult for a girl of Rahne's size to angrily stomp away, but she made a creditable effort.
"That didn't do a lot for your role as a Folk servant," I suggested to Emma.
Emma shrugged. "She already knows I'm not what I seem. She just can't make up her mind what I am."
Then Emma squinted up at the sun.
"When you became a seeker, did anyone tell you that something like this might be one of your responsibilities?" she asked.
"No," I said with a shake of my head. "How about you?"
"When I gave my oath, I did offer my body and soul to Lady Grey. Apparently that was more literal than I realized."
Her eyes met mine. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
"Absolutely not. And we should tell no one else."
Emma ran her fingers through her hair. "I suppose we could tell Rahne that we got drunk and decided it would be fun to screw next to the river."
I shrugged. "Or we could just tell her some of the truth."
Emma cocked her head at me, waiting for me to continue.
"We had visitors," I said as I pulled on a boot. "They hadn't seen each other for a while. We were able to help them get reacquainted."