He kissed me deeply and showed me just how strong his feelings for me were. Then he pulled away and started to kiss, lick, suckle and caress me everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. He got me so turned on I begged him to make love to me.
Did the Earth move and fireworks go off in my head? No, of course not. It was nice though. Very nice. It will take a while for us to get used to each other’s bodies and find out what each other likes, but the experimentation is certainly going to be fun.
Robert was up, dressed and sitting by a newly lit fire when we eventually emerged from our tent once more.
“What the hell have you two been up to?” he asked angrily. “I have been up for ages.” I blushed bright red and Kris grinned. “Oh,” Robert continued. “On second thoughts, don’t tell me.”
“How long till we reach Death?” I asked, wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible.
“A while yet,” Kris replied. “We have to see the Fates first.”
“Fates?” I asked. “I’ve heard of them, but I can’t remember why.”
“In Norse mythology, they are known as the Norns and are said to have woven the web of life.” No, that didn’t help. “Their Greek names are Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos.”
“Hang on,” Robert said as something sprang to the forefront of his mind. “Aren’t they the ones that control the thread of human life? You remember watching Hercules, Rachel. They try to kill him by cutting his thread, but it turns gold when he becomes a god.”
“Vaguely,” I said.
“Yes,” Kris said. “You’re right. The Romans call them Nona, Decuma and Morta. Want to know how long your life lines are?”
“No,” I replied. “That would be like finding out when I was destined to die. I would spend the rest of my life worrying about it.”
“Stay down here and you’ll live forever,” he said, winking at me.
“So why exactly do we have to meet these old women?” Robert asked. “And can they really kill us just by cutting our threads on a whim?”
Kris grinned. “You guys don’t really believe they exist do you?”
“Why not?” I asked. “If you had asked me a month ago if any of the Greek or Roman legends were real, I would have laughed at you. The same applies for every tale or fairy story from any other country or people. That includes parts of the bible. Since then I have met the god of the underworld, and his mother, I have spoken to 3 out of 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, I have ridden a dragon and a hydra, had my life threatened by a woman with snakes for hair and I have fallen in love with a man who never ages and who seems to be able to do anything he wants just by thinking about it. So you tell me, is my life being controlled by three old ladies with a pair of scissors really so farfetched?”
“When you put it like that, I guess not,” Kris said.
“So they don’t really exist?” Robert asked, a little confused.
“No, they don’t.”
“Thank God for that,” Robert said, breathing a sigh of relief. “For some reason, the thought of meeting them gave me the creeps.”
I stared at him incredulously. “You are on your way to meet Death and you think meeting three little old ladies is creepy?”
Robert shrugged. “It’s all down to preparation I guess. I have known for a while that I would have to meet Death and am prepared to do so. Meeting someone who can kill me just by cutting a piece of string is different.”
I shook my head. “You really are insane.”
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. It was nice walking through fields and woods, over streams and around lakes, with the sun beating down on us. Kris’s hand never left mine while we walked and I began to wish that the day would last forever.
It couldn’t, of course, and all too soon the sun began to set and it was time to set up camp.
“So what do you feel like eating tonight?” Kris asked.
“Tandoori chicken, pillau rice, naan bread, poppadoms and mint yogurt, all washed down with bottles of Heineken,” I jokingly requested.
“No problem,” Kris said and proceeded to remove the dishes from his bag.
Am I the only one to have noticed that the realm providing things for us has skewed more toward the ‘want’ rather than the ‘need’ since Kris and I became an item? Coincidence? I hardly think so. I think I am going to have to have a word with that young man.
It had not been a tiring day, so we all stayed up for a while, talking.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said to Kris as we cuddled together around the fire. “Why did you volunteer to be our guide?”
Kris shrugged his shoulders. “Boredom, I guess. Death asked Ankou to do it, but Ankou, as you can probably imagine, decided he had other places to be. Probably had a date with some young lady up there in your world. I had nothing better to do, so I offered my services.”
“And why did all of your family get involved?”
“That part I am not really sure about,” Kris said. “All I know is that Death said that someone was coming to see him to take back his girlfriend and he wanted to put a few obstacles in his way to make sure he was really worthy of reclaiming her. Maybe everyone else was bored as well.”
I was watching Robert as Kris spoke and his face darkened as he heard what Kris had to say. Maybe he didn’t like the idea that we have gone through all we have just to entertain a god and his offspring. I can’t say I blame him either. I changed the subject.
“The first few days of our journey there were times when you were rather ratty and short tempered with us. I assumed that was because you didn’t want to be our guide, but it appears that isn’t the case.”
“You both irritated me,” Kris said. “At first your attitude was very annoying.” Looking back, I can understand him thinking that. “Then I began to get angry with myself for being so stupid as to fall for a mortal and took my bad mood out on you guys a little. Sorry.”
“There is nothing to apologise for,” I said and kissed him. Again. I can’t seem to be able to keep my hands off him.
“If you two are going to keep that up all evening, I’m going to bed,” Robert said.
“Sorry,” I said as I started to move away from Kris. “I promise we’ll behave.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kris said as he pulled me back onto his lap.
Robert sighed dramatically and made a big deal of stomping over to his tent, but just before he zipped himself in, he caught my eye and winked at me.
“He’s not going to be coming out of there again until the morning,” I said to Kris as I turned around and wrapped my legs around him.
“Your point being?” Kris asked me, doing his best to ignore the fact that I was unbuttoning his shirt.
“We’re all alone out here and will be for some time.” I started kissing his neck and worked my way down his chest between words.
“Get to the point.”
I lifted my head and I know there was a gleam in my eye. “I’ve never made love in front of a real fire.” I was undoing his belt as I spoke.
Kris slipped his arms around my neck and pulled me close enough to kiss me. “You, young lady, are a bad influence on me,” he said, but that didn’t stop him laying back and letting me finish what I had started.
It was fun; a lot of fun and neither of us were ready to go to bed afterward, so we stayed up, watching the flames light up the night.
“What are you thinking about?” Kris asked, kissing my neck once more. We were both naked, but neither of us cared.
“All the little things that made me fall in love with you, though I didn’t know it at the time.”
“Like what?”
“Like the massage you gave me to get rid of my headache. Having your hands on me felt so good, but I thought it was just because my head hurt. Now I know different.”
I could feel him smiling and he tightened his hold on me. “I’m happy to have my hands on you whenever you like. Keeping them off you is going to be a problem though. What else?”
<
br /> I didn’t have to think for long. Which to mention first was my only issue. “When we comforted each other after going through the ghost fields. It just felt so natural, so right. I was tempted not to go to Robert when his screams disturbed us.
“When you saved me after Fee pushed me over the cliff. I didn’t want you to let me go once we were on solid ground, not that I would have admitted that at the time. Not even to myself.”
“Anything else?” he asked. I think he was enjoying this.
“Can you remember all those days ago when we were talking by the fire about Bill?” He nodded. “I was filled with an overwhelming desire to kiss you. At the time I assumed it was because I was missing Bill. Now I know better.”
“It’s a pity you didn’t realise sooner. Think how much more enjoyable this journey would have been if we had gotten together earlier. Meeting my family would have been a completely different experience.”
“That reminds me of something else,” I said. “When you came into my room and asked about how your sisters had treated me. I don’t know if you remember, but I said they asked about what I thought of Ankou. You enquired what I told them. You asked so casually, but something about your manner told me you really wanted to know the answer. I thought it was because you didn’t want to hear about yet another woman falling for him and I worded my answer carefully as I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“It sounds like there have been so many signs along the way that we wanted each other you would have thought that one of us would have noticed the mutual attraction,” Kris said.
I pulled myself out of his embrace, turned around so that I was facing him and slipped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.
“What about you?” I asked. “When did you know you wanted me?”
“That’s easy. I wanted you the moment I met you. You are, after all, a truly beautiful woman.”
I laughed and kissed him. “I think, in this case, your opinion may be slightly biased.”
“Maybe a little. But if you mean when did I know that I wanted more than just your body, that happened the moment you saw Ankou. I was watching your face and the way it lit up told me how much you wanted him. You lusted after him as soon as you set eyes on him and I was gripped with a jealousy so strong it took all of my self-control not to react.”
“Is that why you said ‘shit’ when you heard he was staying with your aunt?”
Kris nodded. “I didn’t realise you had heard that. I predicted what your reaction would be and was not happy to be proven right.”
“You got the girl in the end though.”
“I did, didn’t I.” He went quiet for a while and we both enjoyed the feeling of just being together.
“Can I confess something to you?” he asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
“That depends,” I said. “Are you about to tell me you are actually married and have twin boys and a girl?”
He smiled again. “I’m not that stupid. If that was the case, I would keep quiet about it until I have had a lot more fun with you.”
“So what have you done?” I asked.
“Created a storm.” It took me a moment to realise what he had said.
“The storm that had us trapped in the tent?” I asked needlessly.
Kris nodded. “I went to see Hades the night before, while you and Robert were sleeping, and obtained his permission.”
“But why?” I couldn’t understand what possible reason he could have for trapping us all together for two days.
“Think about it. Stuck under canvas with you for 48 hours. If Rob hadn’t been there it would have been paradise.”
“You are a lot more conniving than I gave you credit for,” I said. “Anything else I should know about?”
“The detour to see Pegasus was a lot bigger than I let on, we didn’t really need to jump down the waterfall, or climb down then up all those steps; there was a much easier route. Want me to continue?”
I shook my head. “Why on Earth did you do that? My legs were killing me the next day.”
“That was kind of the idea. I was hoping you would ask for another massage.”
“You had better not let Robert know about any of this,” I said.
I closed my eyes, relaxing in his arms, enjoying the warmth coming from his body, as well as the fire. I don’t think I have ever been happier.
Kris continued to talk to me in a soft, quiet voice, as though he was lulling me to sleep. He told me how eager he had been to reach his family. I already knew that, but not the reason.
“I couldn’t wait for them to meet you, and you them. I know that you weren’t mine then and deep down I didn’t think you ever would be, but it still meant a lot to me. I thought it went well. Until they almost got you killed, that is.”
“It was an accident,” I murmured drowsily.
“I never felt comfortable with their plan and warned them that something was going to go wrong. I didn’t react very well when I found out what had happened. I’m just glad you were unconscious so you didn’t see or hear it.”
“You told me to shut up,” I said as vague memories boiled to the surface.
“That’s nothing compared to what I said to my sisters and my parents for allowing them to go ahead with their idea. I think I have a lot of apologising to do next time I go home. Rob and I both got very drunk that night. We were not a pretty sight the next morning. I’m glad you slept through it so we didn’t have to face you. I haven’t been that hung over since college.”
“Why did you get drunk, may I ask?”
Kris shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. We were both very upset that you nearly died and wanted to drown our sorrows. We emptied one whisky bottle then Rob made the mistake of commenting that it was empty. I refilled it, so we carried on.”
I winced. Robert is not usually a whisky drinker, so I could just imagine how bad he felt the next day.
“Rob was barely able to walk when my mother and sister came looking for us,” Kris continued. “Spatha had to help him back to his room. My mother took away the bottle, announcing that I had had enough. She wasn’t too impressed when I made the glass refill itself instead. The more I drank, the more I thought, which in turn made me want to drink more. I wanted desperately to just hold you in my arms and never let go, but at the time I believed that you could never be mine. I managed to convince myself that you would throw yourself at Ankou the next time you saw him. I remember throwing the glass at the wall in frustration. It was at that point my mother called for my father and I was unceremoniously carried to my room. I was too far gone to offer any resistance.”
I was surprised by his admission. I couldn’t imagine him losing control of himself like that.
“My mother came to see me the next morning and suggested I let Spatha take over as your guide, but the thought of never seeing you again caused me so much pain I almost forgot my pounding head. Then she suggested that I extend the journey as much as possible and give you every opportunity to get to know the real me.”
“That advice seems to have worked,” I said.
“You can say that again,” he said and kissed the top of my head.
Kris continued to talk, but I have no idea what about as I drifted in and out of sleep.
I don’t know how long I was dozing by the fire before I felt him slip his arms under me and carry me to our tent, where he woke me up to make sure he exhausted me enough to sleep through the rest of the night.
Day 39
It has been a few days since I have written in my diary for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there has been nothing to write about except for endless walking and my sex life, neither of which anyone wants to read about. All I will say is that I am having a very enjoyable time and thank God (Hades, I presume) Kris knows how to sound proof our tent. Secondly, Kris has taken up all of my spare time. I am getting to know him really well, both mentally and emotionally, as well as physically of course. We are not getting much slee
p at night, as you can imagine, and are spending a lot of time talking.
Robert had me worried for a while. The closer we got to Death, the quieter he became. He was withdrawing into himself. It could have been me and Kris, but I didn’t think so. Something was bothering him, but he refused to talk about it.
On day 39 I found out what it was.
“We should reach Death’s place sometime this evening,” Kris said during breakfast. He did not sound like he was looking forward to it.
“About time too,” Robert said. “Does that mean this will be our last day in Hell?”
He said that word deliberately to wind Kris up, but Kris was too busy caressing my hand to even notice. “Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “I have no idea what is going to happen when we get there. Death may have Tammara there and just hand her over or he may want you to pass another test.”
“I have passed enough bloody tests,” Robert snapped at him, then apologised. Nothing we had been through was Kris’s fault; he was merely our guide.
“What happens to me?” I asked, not sure if I really wanted to hear the answer.
“That is up to you,” Kris said, smiling at me. “You can go home with Rob and Tammara if you wish or you can stay here with me. Think carefully before deciding because if you choose to leave I will be coming with you.” He emphasised the ‘will’.
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
“Both,” he said and kissed me.
“Will you two cut it out,” Robert said. “You carry on like a pair of lovesick teenagers.”
“No,” I said and proceeded to kiss Kris some more.
Eventually Robert persuaded us that it was time to go and we began the last leg of our journey. As usual, Kris led the way, with me walking beside him, holding his hand. My mind wandered as we moved along and I started to ponder how strange it was that I was in Hell, yet I was happier than I had ever been. If you had told me a few months ago that I had to journey through Hell, I would have told you to forget it, yet now all I wanted to do was stay.
The sun was beginning to set when Death’s castle came into sight. Yes, it was an actual castle, complete with turrets and a drawbridge.
Diary of a journey through Hell Page 25
