The Untamable
Chapter 7
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I walked into the mansion nearly two days later. Sara and I had spoken with human resources and since the Planetarium was under the Federal jurisdiction, we were assigned a government lawyer. Sean was suspended and taken into custody. It would be a dirty business, but Sara and I endured the stares as we continued to go to work.
Cassidy watched us with troubled eyes.
At the mansion, I found Leo in the throne room, a messenger slowly debriefing him on what was going on in the heavens. Vega was a cute little thing and Leo seemed to enjoy his company. I waited patiently until Leo was free and met him at the door where he bid farewell to his messenger.
"How's your BFF?"
His concern seemed genuine, even if he didn't meet my eyes. "She's coping. It is difficult to come to terms with it suppose."
"What is?"
"One's own vulnerability."
"That's what makes you all human." He strode back to his throne.
I frowned as I followed him. "You think you're less vulnerable because you're divine?"
"Of course."
Shaking my head I stood before him and met his eyes. "You will never learn, will you?"
He watched me for a moment, his legs crossed, fist supporting his chin. Then his eyes golden flickered with something dark and he looked away. I was about to ask when he spoke, his eyes elsewhere. "I realize I should apologize."
Startled, I tilted my head thoughtfully. "What grave sin have you committed lately?"
At my lighter tone, he slid that infamous imperious gaze back to me. "For accosting you on that chaise without your permission."
He said it so matter-of-factly, that I reeled back a step. "What?"
He glared. "You heard me. Or is it that you would revel in watching a god grovel?"
I shook my head slowly, mouth still parted in surprise. "I…no. It's just…"
"It is said. Come." He rose and walked past me without a backward glance. "We have wishes to grant."
Unhappy with his dismissal, I caught his arm before he could be out of my reach and he snapped around in alarm as I met his eyes resolutely. "No. You can't do that. You can't say a thing like that and then just walk out like it was nothing."
"You look like you want to make it into something."
My anger lit like a match and I glared. "Stop it. Whatever has doing this 'holier than thou' act, just stop. You don't need to pretend with me."
He was before me in a heartbeat, his eyes blazing, almost accusing. "Why do you keep pushing me?"
Knees nearly trembling at his proximity, I swallowed and met his eyes with as much bravado as I could muster. "Why do you keep talking in riddles?"
"Do you think you can handle the reality of it?"
A gasp of air left my lungs. "I…would like to think we're friends enough to be honest."
His brow wrinkled. "Friends."
I opened my mouth to clarify, but he drew away and crossed his arms. "Yes. We are friends I suppose. Amusing, but friends. You have diligently helped remove my mark of sin. So I apologized because I realize how it must have made you feel. How you must have looked at me." Something flickered in his gaze. Like a memory. "How she looked at him."
"I did."
He looked slapped, but I sighed and shook my head. "Don't look wounded Leo. We've come a long way from then." The truth was, that had he tried to accost me in the baths, I might have actually allowed it. Might have even initiated it if we hadn't been interrupted. Then I would have been another notch in his bedpost. Maybe this was better. This way we could part ways amicably. With dignity.
"Do friends hang out?"
I blinked up at him. "Excuse me?"
His mouth twisted into a grin. "Did I stutter? I thought that was the proper slang for it."
"It is." I flustered for a moment. "I mean they do." I frowned up at him. "Why do you ask?"
"It seems I don't have a lot of time left here in your world."
"Your mark is fading. Everyone keeps talking about it."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes. I'm a pretty big deal up there."
I held back my laughter, because this time he didn't really speak of his awesomeness with arrogance but with weariness. "Where do you want to hang out?"
"Should we take your BFF out?"
And there he does it again. Something so sudden and inexorably sweet. I smiled up at him. "Yes. We should."
"It's decided then. We will commemorate our friendship together this Sunday with an outing with your loud BFF." Turning on his heel he made his way out of the parlor and I followed him, snickering when I heard him muttering about making friends with goldfish.
It was odd. Neither of us discussed why his mark was fading. Or perhaps not.
"Oh, he is fine, isn't he?"
I glared at Sara. "He's just a tourist. And he's going away. Stop ogling him like he's candy."
"But look at him. He's so sweet."
I stole at glance at Leo where he was purchasing cotton candy for us. There was no denying that I was a big fat liar. He wasn't just a tourist. He was fine. In fact, out here at the little theme park, in his usual black on black human clothes, he was very fine. So easy to mistake for a human. Approachable. Touchable. Which is why I preferred him in his white godly garb. And it wouldn't even have been that odd at the park. Everyone could have assumed it was a costume, but Leo insisted we play by the rules. His play at inconspicuous was lost though, people still turned to stare at him. Women especially.
I was gratified to see Sara smiling. Her near miss had finally begun to fade from her eyes and she seemed to be enjoying herself. Although, Leo was spending my money, he paid for all our food and rides while Sara and I went from attraction to attraction.
For all practical purposes my date was taking very good care of me and my friend.
"Why can't you keep him?"
I almost bit my tongue before the wish could form in my head. "Let's get on the Ferris wheel."
For a moment I wanted Leo to be gone. Because I was afraid if I kept thinking about him, he'd hear my wish.
The Ferris wheel though a slow ride turned my stomach. Or maybe it was anxiety. When Sara wanted to continue on to the roller coaster, I told her to go on without me. Leo as usual paid and stood by the metal fence to watch the people board. When I joined him, he blinked. "You're not going?"
"I think my stomach needs to sit this one out."
"I told you to share the popcorn."
I smacked the back of my hand on his arm. "As if. You devoured half of them even before you brought them to me."
The people began to scream as the roller coaster went up. We were quiet for a moment then Leo looked down at me. "Having fun?"
My eyes stayed mutinously on the swirling ride before me. "Sure."
I had expecting it to be the end of his inquiry, but his hand caught my wrist and I gaped up at him in surprise. "Come with me."
"Wha…" My question died on my lips as I was bodily dragged through the crowd. "Hey, wait!" Slipping my hand into his, I nearly lost my breath when he turned his head to smile dazzlingly at me, but he continued to lead me away.
We finally stopped in front of a bicycle vendor and I realized he carried a rack of bags, each holding a colorful fish.
"Something to remember me by?"
I stared. "A goldfish?"
He shrugged and pulled out the money and nodded at one of the bags on the left. "Close your mouth; you might confuse the poor little thing." He grinned at the old man. "The tiny one there. He seems sorry enough."
Too stunned to say anything, I could only hold up my hands as he dropped the bag of water with the tiniest gold fish I had ever seen. It was barely the size of my thumb. I looked down at it stupidly for a moment before lifting my eyes to Leo. I wished…
Leo's honey eyes darkened.
But I couldn't finish my thought as a muted, dull wave of sound went around us and everything stilled.
Leo was the first to notice him standing a few feet away, his violet eyes disturbingly smug.
I took a startled breath, my hands tightening on the little bag as I saw Libra lift his hands and begin to clap.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
He came closer with each beat of his hands, his eyes on Leo. "And here we are. I was waiting for just such a day."
"Libra," Leo rumbled low in his chest, his yes narrowing. "Following us, are you?"
"I thought there might be more to your shiny new demeanor Lion and I see now that I was correct." Libra's eyes bore into me like knives. "We meet again my lovely reincarnated goddess."
I swallowed the slowly building fear and met his eyes squarely. "I wish I could say the pleasure was all mine."
"Oh, but there's no need," Libra chuckled. "The pleasure, in fact, is all mine. Your story is infamous up in heaven. I can see you have retained some of your spine when the Almighty gave you another life. Pity, it won't be much use to you in the trials."
"Trials?" I turned to Leo with question and lost my breath instead. My previously playful partner had turned cold. His eyes not completely turquoise, his skin seemed to shimmer golden for a moment as he glared at his fellow deity. "Leo?"
His hand closed around my wrist like shackles and I cradled the goldfish bag against my chest as I was pulled against him. "Leave Libra. This does not concern you."
A violet eyebrow hiked. "Oh, but it does, great Lion of the heavens. Have you forgotten what I do? It is my ministry's job to delegate punishments when they are due. And this one has been due for a long time." He shook his head, his haughty attitude replaced with disappointment for a moment. "You should have known better Leo."
Bewildered I looked from Leo to Libra. "Excuse me; is anyone going to explain why I'm going to trial?"
"To decide your fate," Libra provided curtly.
"That's not very helpful. I've been doing what I was asked to do. Leo's almost ready to go back."
"Is he?" Libra lifted knowing eyes to the vibrating god beside me. "Are you Leo? Ready to return? Because it doesn't seem that way."
"Enough!" Resisting the urge to growl, I yanked my wrist out of Leo's grasp and glared at them both. "Tell me what the hell is going on right now or I'm leaving!"
"You make it seem like you have a choice."
I turned to Libra with a scowl. "You don't scare me Libra and I always have a choice. So fess up, or get lost."
Fury blazed in his eyes for a moment and he seemed to grow in size. I have to admit that Leo used to scare the begeezuz out of me, but Libra really was quite scary. Where Leo was scary because he was all godly, Libra had something darker. Something much more sinister if any less powerful than Leo.
Visibly reining in his ire, the god of scales lifted his nose, his eyes now impassive. "Impetuous and excessively brave. I can see why you would want this one for yourself Leo."
My heart nearly slid of its kilter. One glance at the god in question and I trembled.
Oh. Holy. Crap.
"You will not touch her."
My mouth dropped open.
All of it shot to hell. Our casual disregard for whatever was between us, the silent questions, the unspoken answers. Everything was suddenly worth nothing and everything. Because while Leo and I had been declared friends, there was nothing friendly about the way he came to stand between me in Libra. It was all along the lines of possessive, protective and oh my god 'she's mine.'
And here I had it all perfectly planed. We'd spend the weekend. I'd say goodbye. Have one good cry back at my apartment, chalk it up to one more impossible love story and get on with the rest of my life. He'd be number four, I'd be number one million, something or the other and life would go on.
But this Leo. This was not a Leo that planned to leave amicably. Or dignifiedly. This one was going to make a scene and stake a claim.
Libra looked wounded for a moment. "Come on Leo. Don't do this. You know we're not supposed to play favorites. She's pretty amazing. I'm starting to see that, but still." He shook his head, his long purple ponytail slipping over his shoulder. "Giving her a favor? Changing the flow of time. You know we aren't allowed to do that. You brought this upon yourself and her."
And I made the mistake. I should have just stood back like the goldfish I was. But no. I'm the impetuous and excessively brave idiot.
I had meant it as calming gesture. What it became was something much more dangerous.
I reached out and touched Leo's shoulder and he exploded into light.
Blinded by the glare, I cried out and drew away, my skin nearly scalding, my eyes flickering with swirling little lights. I was sure I never wanted to open my eyes again, it was so painful.
But then I heard a stream of curses and none of them were Leo's. In fact, I heard the panicked cries of all the occupants of the mansion.
"Leo stop!"
"This isn't the way, man!"
"Cease this idiocy Lion, you'll ruin us all!"
"Please Leo, you have to listen!"
At the absolute fear in Aquarius' voice, I finally pried my eyes open and I gasped.
Maybe being blind was better.
Leo's auburn hair had grown longer, nearly touching the back of his knees. He wore a gold, fur-lined wrap around his waist that was held by a golden belt with large red jewels. There was a large golden collar necklace decorated with the symbol of the sun and red gems that nearly draped over his shoulders. His true form came armored in gold as the rest of him, his torso and stomach splattered with pale, swirling tattoos.
There was no mistaking his origin or nature now.
The Wild Lion of the Heavens was fully awake.
What was worse, Libra looked struck with equal fear. "No," he whispered incredulously. His eyes nearly gold as well with the light Leo was radiating. "No, you cannot let go of the reins." His eyes hardened, his fists clenched. "Bridle the power Leo, before it's too late."
"You. Will. Not. TOUCH HER!"
Leo was nearly painful to look at and the other gods cried out, stepping away from him. I watched with horror as Taurus and Scorpio began to speak of evacuating people. I saw two more deities appear, Cancer was one of them, as people began to vanish in groups.
Leo.
Oh Leo, you idiot. Shielding my eyes with one arm, I knew I had set him off. I knew this was my fault. I understood then why Libra said I must stand trial. And the sight of my poor lion nearly going supernova was heartbreaking and came with a clarity I hadn't felt in years.
A memory niggled through my consciousness.
"Last chance goldfish."
"I don't have all day."
I died the day a god fell from the heavens.
Without another word, I closed my eyes and threw myself into Leo, my arms wrapping around his waist as I pressed against him.
There was a moment of the most excruciating pain and then my world went dark.
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To be continued…
