by Tia Wylder
"Children, children, come on in the kitchen," Kira's Auntie called, and Kira swallowed her nervousness, following the sound of the other woman's voice. The kitchen was a bit brighter than the rest of the house, with lit candles scattered across every surface. A cup of warm tea waited for Kira at the table, and she breathed a sigh, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a sip. It had a rather earthy taste but was not altogether unpleasant.
“How… how did you know we were coming?” Hercules inquired softly. Kira’s Auntie offered him another toothless smile.
"Tell me, Hercules. Just how much do you know about curses?" She said slyly. Glass shattered as Kira's cup dropped to the floor.
Chapter Seven
Once the shattered remains of Kira's tea cup were swept away, her auntie returned to the room with an amused expression. Nothing seemed to phase the older woman, but Kira was apparently alarmed by the idea of any sort of curse. Hercules didn't seem particularly confident either, but he also seemed reluctant to take the older woman for her word.
“You were always such a clumsy little thing, baby,” Kira’s Auntie smiled, and Kira’s cheeks grew warm from embarrassment. “With that incident out of the way, and…,” the older woman paused, considering her niece. “With no breakables in Kira’s hand, let’s continue our little conversation, shall we? Hercules, dear, what do you know about curses? Specifically, the Orlando family curse?” She hummed, stirring her tea for a long moment before taking a sip. Hercules and Kira exchanged glances, and the ghost man cleared his throat before speaking.
“I’m sorry miss, ah…,” he paused, and the older woman smirked.
"Just call me Auntie, child," she crooned. His face twisted in uncertainty, but Kira gave him a slight nudge. It was evident he was in no place to argue.
“Alright… Auntie. I must apologize, but I’ve never heard of such a curse. I’ve always been told curses were old folk stories,” Hercules murmured. Kira’s Auntie nodded, resuming stirring her tea.
“Of course, dear. That’s what people would have you believe. After all, if people thought curses were real, don’t you think they’d spend a lot more effort trying to resolve them?” She retorted. Hercules seemed at a loss for words, so Kira stepped in to take over.
“So… you think Hercules is cursed? Is that why he’s a ghost?” Kira inquired softly. She set the diary on the table, and it began to quake violently as Kira’s Auntie drew it towards herself. She tapped the cover, once, twice, then the diary fell open to the very page Kira had marked. Auntie hummed to herself as she read over the pages, speaking in tongues that neither Kira nor Hercules could understand. After a long moment, Auntie fell silent and the words on the pages began to fade.
“Oh, honey. The curse is why he’s dead. Being a ghost just means there’s still a chance,” the older woman said with a smile. Kira watched in confusion as the red ink from the pages disappeared entirely, turning her attention to her Auntie once more.
“Why are the words disappearing? Has something gone wrong?” Kira said haltingly, and Hercules rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“What do you mean when you say there’s still a chance?” He asked for his part, and it seemed that something akin to hope was blooming in his chest.
"One at a time, children, Lord. Didn't your mommas teach you any manners?" Auntie sighed, closing the book and pushing it towards Kira. "The words are disappearing because I broke the blood seal. Tricky things, blood seals. It should cease all that screaming it's been doing, in any case," she murmured. She turned her attention to Hercules, quirking her lips in an excited smile. "As for your question… if you had not remained on this earth in some form, there would have been no breaking the curse. However, as you have stayed on the spectral plane, that means you can break it. You could potentially be returned to the mortal plane if things were to go just so," she said eagerly. Hercules tilted his head curiously, seeming to not understand. Kira, however, brightened immediately when she realized what her Auntie meant.
“He can be brought back to life?” Kira blurted, and Hercules turned wide eyes towards the both of them.
“Bingo,” the older woman grinned. “Now, it’s just a matter of laying this curse to rest,” she continued softly, meeting Kira’s gaze.
“H-how do we do that?” Hercules asked incredulously.
“Well, I can’t spoil all the fun, can I? That’s for you and Kira to find out. However, I would be quick about it. After so long, your spirit will lose all ties to this world. After that… well, I’m sure you get the idea,” Auntie said with some finality. Kira’s eyes widened in shock, and she began to sputter out protests. Her Auntie was quick to silence her, however, guiding Kira and Hercules to the door and all but shoving them outside. “It was so very nice to see you two. Good luck, now. Come see Auntie again once you get everything figured out,” the older woman grinned. Then, the door was slammed shut in their faces. Kira shouted out angrily, banging on the door only to receive the sound of laughter in reply. Hercules made an attempt to phase through the door, but could not make it through. Defeated, they stepped away from the door and turned to face one another.
"So… we're back to square one, basically," Hercules said drolly. Kira sighed, realizing the diary was on the ground between them. She quirked a brow, leaning down to pick it up.
“At least we have this... and the knowledge that you’re cursed…,” she trailed off. He frowned, the intense sadness of his stare sending unpleasant chills down Kira’s spine.
"The knowledge that we have a time limit as well," he babbled. Kira inhaled shakily, drawing him close into her arms.
"We'll figure this out. Either way, we simply have to enjoy what time we have together," Kira murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Let's go home, maybe we'll find something more in the diary," she said, trying to remain confident. Hercules cast a final lingering glance at her Auntie's door, breathing a resigned sigh.
“I simply wish she could have told us more,” he muttered.
She couldn’t agree more.
Chapter Eight
There was an undeniable tension in the air as they stepped into Kira’s apartment, and Hercules seemed entirely intent upon slipping away to brood. However, Kira was quick to grab him by the arm, holding his strong bicep in her hand.
"Wait just a moment, Hercules," she murmured. He hesitated for a moment, turning to face her with an uncertain expression. "I wanted… I wanted to try something," she continued quietly. His face morphed into one of confusion, but he remained still and silent as she raised her hands to cup either side of his face in her palms. She could almost feel the stubble of his beard, the heat of his flesh, though she knew it wasn't truly there. If she could believe the illusion so intensely, however, what was the harm in exploring it further?
She stood on her tiptoes, leaning in to capture his ghostly lips with her own. He nearly jolted away in shock but settled into her embrace as she parted her lips to brush her tongue against his. She tangled her hands in his hair, hair that only she could see, hair for her alone. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sensations, feeling his stiff hands shifting from his side to rest on her hips. Her skin felt as if it were being set alight, and she pressed further against him as their kiss grew more passionate. Moments passed with them simply tangled in each others' embrace, before Hercules drew away to meet her gaze.
“What are you--” he began, cut short when she desperately kissed him once more.
“Just...j-just,” she paused, all but sobbing out gasps. “Please. I’ve never felt like this before. Please. I don’t even know if it’s possible, but can you just try,” she asked pleadingly. He considered her with a quirked brow, and she reddened beneath his stare. “Make love to me,” she whispered, moving to draw away just enough to pull her shirt off over her head. His eyes widened as she reached behind herself to unclasp her bra, allowing it to fall away from her sizeable breasts. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but the sudden rush of heat that swept over her certainly
was not it. He reached out to touch her, his hand quaking as he hesitated and drew away.
"I… if I start, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop," he murmured weakly. She smiled tenderly, reaching out to grab his hand. She placed it on her breast, marveling at how she could see her skin through his translucent form. He groaned gutturally, and she kept her grip on his hand, leading him to her bedroom.
"I just want to feel you," she murmured encouragingly, leading the apparition to her bed. She flopped back on the mattress, smirking up at him as he shifted on top of her. He pressed his hands to her breasts, taking a shuddering breath that he didn't need. She arched into his touch, and he gently teased her nipples to attention. She gasped out his name, pressing her thighs together. He gently reached between her legs, parting her thighs just enough to cup her at the apex. She ground against his hand as much as she could, the friction from her pants providing little relief. He slipped his hand past her waistband, dipping his fingers into her soaked entrance. He rubbed her at an almost agonizingly slow pace, brushing his thumb to her eagerly straining nub. "Hercules," she gasped out, struggling to swallow the words that wanted to spill past her lips.
"You feel so incredible," he murmured, rutting against her thigh.
“I… I’m so close,” she managed, tensing her hands in his hair. As she clenched around his fingers, she squeezed her eyes closed against her oncoming ecstasy. The bed seemed to shake beneath her, and when she finally hit that unmistakable peak, a desperate yowl spilled past her lips.
The lights flickered, and the ghost man seemed to reach whatever height of pleasure he could manage in his current form. He hunched over, rubbing her aching clit to milk her for every drop she was worth. She continued to gasp and moan, reaching up to tangle her hands in his hair. She brought his lips to her own once more, swallowing the declaration that her afterglow had her wanting to shout to the heavens.
“That was…,” Hercules began, trailing off when he couldn’t form the words.
“Indescribable,” she murmured. “The best lay I’ve ever had, and it’s with a ghost,” she chuckled, receiving a playful nudge in turn.
“Well… if we can break this curse, perhaps you’ll be able to experience it with flesh and blood,” he teased. She grinned, allowing her head to droop on the pillow. She gripped his hand in her own, blinking when his presence seemed to… flicker, almost. She jolted upright, watching the fear and confusion dancing in his eyes as he seemed to be losing control of his form.
“What’s going on?” She blurted desperately, reaching out to grab him. The only way she could think to explain what she was seeing is that it looked remarkably similar to a computer glitch. His form became almost static-like, before disappearing from sight altogether. After a moment, the ‘glitching’ seemed to cease. He looked much paler than before, similar to the stereotypical ghost she had imagined in her books.
“I… I think I’m beginning to lose my tether to this world,” he muttered, examining his ghostly white hand. His eyes glowed a faint shade of red, and Kira had to swallow a sob as she attempted to gather him into her arms. She fell right through him, the parts of her that intersected the ghost man feeling unspeakably cold.
“No! No! We have to have more time,” she cried out desperately.
“Another episode like that and I don’t… I don’t think I can hold on any longer. Holding on, even now… it hurts,” he said weakly. She jerked away from him, considering his nearly invisible form with tears streaming down her cheeks.
It seemed she was running out of time. It was now or never.
Chapter Nine
Kira had never been suicidal. She had never even entertained the thought of killing herself. All she could reason, however, was that if a blood seal had attributed to this problem, so perhaps a blood sacrifice would solve it. At the very least, if the problem went unsolved, she could simply allow herself to bleed out. She rose from the bed, moving much like a zombie as she shuffled to the kitchen.
“Kira, I have something I have to tell you. Before I don’t get another chance,” Hercules managed, trailing after her with some difficulty. She paid him little mind, grabbing a pair of scissors off of the bathroom counter. She touched the edge of the blade with her fingertip, running it along the sharp edge. She winced as her finger was sliced through, but paid Hercules little mind as he cried out in shock. “What are you doing!?” He demanded, trying to grab the scissors from her hand.
“This is your last chance, Hercules. I don’t know what else to do,” she muttered raggedly, the blood from her sliced finger dripping on the bathroom tile. His hand continued to phase both through her and the scissors, and he cried out in frustration.
"Why are you doing this? I'm already dead! There's no sense in you being hurt too," he screamed. She turned away from him, sobs shaking her body. She pressed the sharp edge of the scissors to her wrist with the intent to slice through. "Kira, stop! If you did this to yourself, I'd never forgive myself. You have… you have a rich, full life ahead of you. There will be other men, flesh and blood men. Men who can marry you, give you a family. Men who will care for you, perhaps as strongly as I do. Maybe even more," he muttered as if the words pained him to say.
“I don’t want another man. I want… I want you. If I can’t have you, I don’t want anyone else. I… I love you,” she choked out. Her grip tightened on the scissors, and in one final desperate grab, Hercules reached out and snatched the scissors from her hand.
“I love you too, Kira. That’s why I can’t let you do this,” he managed, his voice and strength seeming to return to him. Kira continued to shake with sobs, all but collapsing on the floor. He crouched beside her, gathering her in his arms. Even if it was the last moment he had on this earth, he couldn’t think of another place he wanted to spend it.
"Hercules…," Kira began with a soft cry, turning to consider him. Her eyes widened in shock, and she reached out to touch his face. His skin was warm against her hand, looking as if it had been touched by the sun once again. Perhaps the most surprising thing of all, however, was the fact that she could not see through him. "You… you're," she sputtered, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I’m what?” He asked carefully, tilting her chin so that their lips may meet. She laughed almost hysterically, pressing a finger to the side of his neck. “What are you…,” he began, only for her to smash her lips desperately against his.
“Your pulse! You have a pulse,” she cried out excitedly. He quirked a brow, drawing away from her just enough to raise his hand to his own neck. Where scarce moments previous he had been pale and barely clinging to the afterlife, here he now sat with a pulse.
"I… oh my God," he choked out. The scissors were flung to the floor, forgotten. Kira held him tightly in her arms, nestling her face against his shoulder. "I'm alive," he managed.
“You are,” she replied weepily, pressing wet and what should have been disgusting kisses all over his face. However, he was certain he had never been more enamored with someone in his life. He slipped his arms under her, lifting her as he rose to his feet. He carried her back to the bedroom, a tender look in his eye.
“I love you so much,” he breathed, receiving a soft chuckle in response.
“Prove it,” she said daringly, pausing to lift his shirt off over his head. His eyes widened in shock at her seemingly insatiable appetite, though he couldn’t deny that the situation constituted celebration. “You did offer me flesh and blood, after all,” she said smoothly. He needed no further prompting, quickly shifting to shift his jeans down his hips. As she took in his magnificent manhood for the first time, Kira could do little but stare, mouth agape. He pushed her back against the bed, confidence radiating from his new and lively form.
“I’ll make love to you, good and hard. Like you’ve never had it before. Under one condition though,” he murmured, wrapping his hand around his own length and stroking it to attention. She quirked her lips in an excited grin, joyful tears still pricking at her eyes.
“Never scare me like that again,” he said forcefully, taking her injured finger and pressing his lips to it.
“That seems rather ironic coming from a ghost,” she said teasingly, tangling a hand in his hair. His real hair that anyone could see, but was still for her alone.
“Former ghost, technically,” he corrected, quirking his lips in a smile. “Now, promise,” he ordered. She caressed his cheek, lowering her hand to his pulse point as if to reassure herself. “Promise,” he breathed, gripping her hand and wrapping it around his own full length.
“I promise, baby,” she murmured. As he entered her for the first time, he was certain he had never felt so alive.
Chapter Ten
One Year Later
Kira busied herself with packing the belongings of her apartment, her bulging belly getting in the way somewhat. Hercules had promised to return later that day, mentioning that there was something important at the office that he had to take care of. She had smiled and kissed him before he left that morning, a passionate kiss that spoke volumes of her feelings for him. Though she looked forward to a future of perhaps being married, she knew she couldn't push Hercules into it. His asking her to move in was a rather big step, however, and she could only appreciate that he hadn't dumped her the moment she began to gain weight. As much as she exercised, she continued to sport the slightest gut on her normally perfect figure. Her old friends from work had suggested what might be causing the weight gain, but it couldn't be what they were suggesting. As much as she loved Hercules, and was certain he loved her, she wasn't sure the man was ready to be a father. After all, he had only just managed to get his affairs back in order, after claiming the person found dead in his home was someone else entirely. When attempts were made to recover the body, to identify whoever it may have been and confirm Hercules's claims, the body was nowhere to be found. Having attributed to the work of graverobbers, and with all the prints and medical records for the man checking out, no one could refute that the man who stood before them was Hercules Orlando himself. When asked where he had disappeared to, he simply explained that he was finding himself.
