The Afflicted Zodiac Complete Series

by M J Marstens

  Well, fuck me, but this whole messed up scene is hotter than shit.

  I like these elemental men and plan to keep them.

  Now, to convince all my other men.

  CHAPTER 12

  NEPTUNE

  I watch as Uranus pulls his fingers from Zahra’s still pulsing core and licks them off while glaring at the elemental fucks.

  “Mine,” he snarls to them.

  I don’t waste my time saying anything, but instead, I get on my knees and pull the voluptuous pink goddess until she’s sitting on my face. I lick her clean, lapping at the juices overflowing from her sweet pussy. I don’t stop until I’ve licked up every last drop and I know my mouth glistens with her nectar. I shoot a biting smile towards the Elements. My actions speak louder than words, in fact, they scream don’t fucking touch my woman. Uran nods in approval.

  “Now, turn them back,” he commands to Zahra.

  “No,” she says, looking appalled at the idea. “They don’t like being abstract forms.”

  My twin looks equally appalled.

  “Who gives a fuck what they think?” he snaps.

  I watch the storm clouds roll into Zahra’s eyes, turning them a smoky teal.

  “Bratik, back off,” I warn on our mental link.

  “The fuck I’ll back off,” he shouts out loud.

  Zahra takes offense to his tone and marches up to him, cupping him through his loose pants.

  “I know your balls are actually blue, but I’m going to add some black to them if you keep using that tone of voice with me.”

  I see Uranus wince and I can feel the squeezing ache in my own nuts as our sweet, vindictive goddess clamps down harder around them. I know my rebellious twin will never back down, even if it means getting castrated. I, on the other hand, enjoy having two berries with my twig, so I need to intervene.

  “Zahra, the weather is what protects Merc’s domicile. That you’ve made them sentient is great because they’re not railing against us anymore, but they are not meant to be given form.”

  “Says who?”

  “Well, I’m sure Mercury would have something to say about it,” I respond.

  She lets go of my brother’s balls, and I sigh in relief. Sometimes feeling what he feels is a bitch. Something I said has made Zahra pensive. She looks sad, but shakes it off with determination.

  “Well, Mio and I can discuss this when we see him again. Until then, the Elements shall stay in human form.”

  Air shoots me a smug grin and bows down to Zahra.

  “Thank you, my goddess.”

  Fire and Earth wear the same look and mimic Air’s words and actions, but Water watches me warily. Smart fucker knows who’s boss between us; just as Air better watch his ass around my twin. I take a menacing step towards Water, but Zahra intercepts me with a glare.

  “Knock it off. We could use their help.”

  “Doubtful,” Uranus scoffs.

  “Remember your balls?” Zahra reminds.

  My twin cups a hand protectively in front of him before demanding to know how the stupid Elements can be of any use.

  “We need all the power we can get right now. And allies,” she says.

  I demand to know what’s going on. I also demand that Zahra put back on some clothes. Damn elements don’t seem to care that we’ve claimed her. She does as I’ve asked and then starts recounting everything that’s happened since Lina first separated us. Twenty minutes later, I regret asking.

  Her retelling is so convoluted, and she’s digressed so many times, I have no fucking clue what’s happening. Air and Fire keep nodding sagely, while Earth and Water interject from time to time with questions of their own. The little ass-twerps seem to have no problem understanding Zahranese or whatever language our goddess speaks.

  “So it’s settled then,” Fire suddenly speaks up. “Take us to the tenth dimension and we’ll see about helping with the Minor Gods.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Zahra cries, racing to launch herself into a grateful hug.

  Uranus catches her mid-lunge and Fire is left standing there, arms held out for a hug he’s never going to receive. Zahra glowers at my twin, but he pretends not to notice.

  “Venus, my pink kotyonok, can you please get these asstwer- I mean, these gentlemen some clothing?”

  “Ass-whats? And don’t call me your “pink kitty”. It makes me sound like a vagina. Or Mr. Bigglesworth.”

  Uranus’ sigh matches my own.

  “Ass nothings,” I say in exasperation, not even addressing the rest of her statement. “Let’s just get the Elements some clothing.”

  “Alright,” Zahra agrees, shrugging.

  Her acquiescence and carefree manner put me on edge. Uranus picks up on it, too and frowns. Ha, serves the fucker right. The rebellious dick has been a thorn in my side since the beginning of our existence with his antics. The only one worse is Mercury. And maybe Sun. I can’t help but enjoy my twin’s discomfort. He reads this easily through our bond and flips me the mental finger. I grin and we go back to trying to figure out what Zahra is up to.

  Surprisingly, she’s done as we’ve asked and clothed the Elements. Not exactly in what I would have dressed them in, but at least it’s not loincloths or speedos. Seeing one of those fuckers in a banana hammock might scar me for eternity. Worse than having to see their junk. It pains me to admit that Zahra has an impressive imagination for creating male genitalia.

  “Thank you, my queen,” Water compliments. “But what are we wearing?”

  “Robes, my good elemental. For Hogwarts!”

  “We must wear these to fight against warts from hogs?” Earth wonders.

  “No, no, no. This is the uniform you wear at Hogwarts, which is a wizardry school that teaches you magic.”

  The Elements look excited at the concept.

  Something dawns on me.

  “Bratik, wasn’t Hogwarts that school from-”

  “The fantasy fiction series for children that swept the Western world? Yes.”

  “I’m a Hufflepuff,” Air says proudly, looking down at the crest embroidered into his robe.

  “And I’m Slytherin,” Earth adds.

  “I’m Ravenclaw,” Water interjects.

  “And I am Gryffindor,” Fire finishes.

  “When do classes start?” Air wonders.

  I shake my head reproachfully at Zahra.

  “What?” she shrugs. “It was this or Captain Planet.”

  “Who?” Uranus asks.

  “Oh my god, you don’t know who Captain Planet is? What sad kind of childhood did you have growing up?!” She cries.

  “A Soviet one,” I respond dryly.

  “Yikes,” Zahra shudders. “Well, Captain Planet was a cartoon with five kids that represented the five elements. They all wore colored rings in association to their element and when in danger, would yell, ‘Earth, fire, wind, water, heart!’. Then a voice would yell, ‘By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!’ and this blue dude with green hair representing Earth would show up. He was kind of like a Superman meets Mother Nature type of guy. And I guess ‘heart’ would be like ‘spirit’. . . I dunno, what do you think?”

  “Just take us to Saturn and Mars,” Uranus orders instead, not impressed that yet another blue man is taking precedence in Zahra’s mind.

  Zahra mutters scathing remarks under her breath and the Elements look confused.

  I can only smile at the chaos and my brother.

  It’s nice to see him be the fed-up twin for once.

  CHAPTER 13

  ZAHRA

  I’m still grumbling about my twins when I pop us back into Bitchhole’s domicile. There was a slight tussle between them and my Elements, since I needed everyone to touch me to manifest us back to the tenth dimension. Now that we’re here, the twins look astounded at my capability. Things are a little weird between us, and I don’t think either of them has really internalized what I said about Nyam and Kane, or even about Caed and Lina soul-bonding with me.

>   They seem too preoccupied with the Elements.

  I mention this.

  Uran shrugs and Illu answers pragmatically, “We don’t know for sure about Sun. Jupiter’s powers were indeed amplified, but we don’t know why he didn’t feel Sun anymore. We don’t feel Moon, but it has never meant she’s gone.”

  “That’s funny you should say that. I don’t feel Lina either. . . it’s like she can mask her bond.”

  Another shrug from Uran.

  “She probably can. In all our earth years, we’ve never sensed her, but know she’s lurking. She gained the upper hand over us when she cursed us. And if she’s been using the Minors’ powers all this time. . . who knows what she is capable of.”

  I grimace at Uran’s words.

  They’re scary and super discouraging.

  Uran continues talking, oblivious to my distress.

  “As for Jupiter, he’s part of you now. His physical form is lost, but not his soul. You basically bonded it to you when you took his essence into yourself.”

  His words make me pause in our trek to the gem caves where the Minors are trapped.

  “Could I restore him somehow?” I ask.

  “Yes, but only at your expense. When one houses the soul essence of another god, their physical form must be given in exchange to bring that god back. Universal law,” Illu says.

  I stumble and the Elements reach to catch me, but Uran pushes them back with a gust of wind. Illu is the one to stop me before I face-plant for the eleventh thousandth time. He’s watching my face closely and just seems to realize now he’s told me something he shouldn’t have.

  “Didn’t Mars explain this to you?”

  “No,” I say tightly.

  “Must not have wanted you to know,” Uran comments absently.

  Illu glares at the obtuse douche canoe, but he really only has himself to blame since he’s the one who spilled the beans. Damn, Caed’s ass is going to be sore from spending so much time bent over my barrel. Poor Uran is in for a surprise, too. The four Elements seem to instantly pick up on my vexation and shoot me sympathetic looks, since Uran won’t let them near me.

  I lead us into the glittering caverns and the twins suck in a breath, feeling Lina’s presence. I should reassure them she’s not here, but I’m going to let them sweat for a minute. I yell for Caed and Khal to come out, instead. They quickly manifest in front of us and their eyes bulge when they see the Elements. Caed is the first to speak and addresses the issue with all the finesse of a man. Trust Tree Sisters, men can be smooth, but when it really counts, they always seem to fuck it all up, ya know what I mean? Like when you say you’re sick, but they tell you that your vagina’s not.

  Oh, it’s sick, alright. Damned sick of you, assburger.

  This is one of those times.

  “Who the hell are these fucksticks?” Caed sneers. “And what the fuck are they wearing? Are those robes? Is it Halloween?”

  “We’re the four Elements,” Fire answers back with matching scorn. “And these are the clothes our goddess made for us. They are special and are for the wizarding school we will be attending to learn more about magic.”

  The twins snarl when Fire emphasizes the word our, but I’m too busy enjoying the verbal smackdown between these two fiery men to glare at Uran and Illu. Also, I should probably tell my Elements sometime that Hogwarts doesn’t exist. . .

  Or does it?

  Something new to manifest!

  Before I can get carried away with the idea, Caed is bellowing, “Listen, you little shit wizard, she’s not your any-fucking-thing! And if you think so, you’re going to find my foot up you-”

  “Ok, that’s enough. Shit wizard? I like it, but Khal says no to new swear words. Besides, the Elements are here to help us. You should be thanking them, not threatening them. They also saved my life, so. . .”

  The four Elements puff up with pride at my words.

  Khal joins in glowering at them.

  “I agree. I don’t want the little shit wizards anywhere near you,” he sides with Caed.

  “Hm, really? Well, too fucking bad. And while we’re talking about things we don’t like, I’ll add to the list. I don’t like Caed. He’s a lying cum-nugget who can eat a bag of dicks. And choke on them. While I ninja peg his ass.”

  I flash a mental image of this to my Wildman, as well as an image of my recent revelation from Illu.

  He winces.

  Good.

  He knows he’s in deep shit.

  Or, he’s pitying his mental self and the rough ass-fucking it’s getting.

  Before I can go on, Earth suddenly speaks up and breaks the tension.

  “What a glorious hole! It’s just perfect for spying. Who made this hole of glory?”

  Khal and Caed groan and before anyone can stop me, I’m throwing myself into Earth’s arms. He sweeps me up into a spin and then twirls me into a pretty dip. I smile into his eyes and he gazes passionately down on me. I lean up. He leans down. I close my eyes. . .

  And land flat on my back.

  And not in the sexy way you and I were both hoping for.

  But because freaking Caed knocked Earth unconscious and the ground Element dropped me on my ass. The poor guy fell like a sack of potatoes and is lying next to me. I turn my furious gaze to Caed, but of course the asshat looks completely unrepentant. Khal claps a congratulatory hand to his back, and the twins nod smugly.

  Ahhhh!

  I’m surrounded by dicks!

  And not in the good way.

  How did I even fall in love with this dickwad?

  “Because your heart recognized mine,” he whispers in my head.

  I snort.

  Now he’s smooth.

  “I’m always smooth, little girl. Don’t be angry at me. I should have told you about Jupiter, I mean Kane. I just know how selfless you are. . . I love Jupiter, but I love you more, Zahra. I can barely breathe without my brother, but I can’t live without you.”

  My eyes prick with tears at his words.

  “I’ll think about forgiving you. . . if you wake up Earth. And be nice to all my Elements.”

  “I’ll wake him, but fuck if they’re yours, little girl. You’re ours. Always have been. The universe created you for us. Not those shit wizarding asstwerps.”

  Despite myself, I laugh out loud and hoist my prone body off the ground. I watch as Caed revives Earth, but he doesn’t apologize or even look repentant. In fact, he looks like he might knock him out again at any second. I grab onto the Elements’ robes and manifest us into the cave chamber where the Minors are trapped.

  CHAPTER 14

  ZAHRA

  I wait for the guys to catch up and join us. Within seconds, the small, sparkling room is packed with gorgeous men. I’m not going to lie- I love the feel of all my guys pressed against me. The moment is ruined when Edgar presses his face to the moonstone. He looks like Charlie Bucket staring into the candy store. It breaks my heart a little and totally kills my libido. I motion for him to go get the others. He disappears and the hot closeness I felt a moment ago now feels claustrophobic.

  It’s too quiet, I can hear myself think.

  With everything that’s happened, I honestly don’t want to reflect on anything.

  As the seconds stretch on, I feel Caed trying to get into my head.

  Good luck trying to figure out the bundle of thoughts in there, pal.

  Edgar finally returns with Vesta, Ceres, Pallas, and Juno. Beside me, the Elements gasp in unison, and I watch them stare at the four Minor goddesses in absolute adoration. I feel an irrational twinge of jealousy. I made these men. They’re mine. The Minor women don’t seem to care about this and press their hands against the moonstone, as if compelled. The Elements follow suit, and when their hands touch with the girls’ through the rocks, light arcs from their fingers.

  The whole room glows with an otherworldly brightness, and the moonstones and pearls come crashing to the ground. The Minor goddesses collapse forward and the Elements c
atch them in their arms. Vesta smiles weakly at Water, who’s holding her. Earth has Ceres. Fire has Juno. And Air has Pallas. I look on in wonder, as I realize their coloring all matches, except for Vesta and Water, but even they seem to mesh together perfectly.

  As if they were made for each other.

  A lightbulb goes off in my head.

  “You guys are Minor gods, too!” I exclaim. “Does this mean you need to buy me a Mother’s Day card, Mrs. Gerty?”

  I joke, since I created the Elements and I’m like a pseudo-mother-in-law to good ol’ Gert.

  None of them answer me, though, as they are too wrapped up in one another to care. Dammit, they are ruining my awesome humor by not acknowledging it. I pout a little, but Khal walks over and cups my face gently.

  “Yes, you did make them, to help free the women and Chiron. Obviously, this wasn’t a conscious act, but after you left, Caed and I talked about the ‘tug’ you felt. Since Jupiter gave you his expansion powers, it allowed you to still feel the bond with the Minors. It was muted, but there; whereas the rest of us couldn’t feel a thing. In truth, I had thought the Minors were dead because of our lack of connection. Luckily, your powers were strong enough to find them, and because you are, well- you, your subconscious found a way to free the Minor gods from their imprisonment. You gave Merc’s ambience sentient form based on your astrological knowledge, and in doing so, made them a perfect pairing to their asteroid counterparts. You saved them all from Lina draining them of their powers. Woman, you take my breath away. I love you, kaṣmīmī.”

  I inhale sharply, my heart stuttering over Khal’s sweet words.

  This stubborn, dominant, overly-disciplined man-god loves me?

  I look over at the Minor gods; their happiness shines from their faces because of finding their other halves.

  Then I look at Edgar. His face is desolate as he stares back at me.

  He will never have what the other Minors have because I can’t give that to him.

  I can’t give it to Khal, either.

  I thrust my hand out for him to take. The maroon man, who haunted my dreams for months on end, looks thoroughly confused when I simply shake his hand, give him a blank smile and a nod, and then turn and practically run away.