by Poppet
“Thank you, Erra. Thank you for showing me unconditional love.”
His expression is tainted with heartache, but he's being strong, glowing his adoration and hormones at me.
“The road of reconciliation is long. I am patient.”
Pulling me onto him, wrapping powerful arms around me, he gives me a kiss that seeps warmth all the way to my toes, tickling my wings, making them want to burst out in ecstatic shimmering.
It's a last kiss. A goodbye. Something to put away safely, and remember with tenderness.
Tears are running down his face when he releases his arms, patting my tush.
“Call Dustin. It's time he took you home.”
Nodding, trying to breathe past the lump in my throat, I know he's asking me to leave, before we cross a line again.
Wiping his tears, I kiss him again. Then standing, disoriented by the darkness behind where we were lying, I step into the void, withdrawing my phone, and dialing Dusty.
Wrapped in his warmth, staring up at a sky freckled with light, I wonder how many of us are out there. Heaven's halflings, spread out, making mistakes, learning from them, sharing love, and righting wrongs.
The campfire burns low, barely a blue glow. It's cold in the desert at night, and I'm grateful for his warmth, and the comfort of the blankets around us.
“You'll do.”
It makes me laugh. That's what he said that first night, when he said we'd go camping. And here we are, alone, as if we are the only two beings left on earth. This must have been the way it once was. The world an ocean of pregnant possibilities. Wild, free, clean, when nighttime was intimate, and close enough to reach up your hand and stroke the frown off the moon's face.
“Are you happy, Dusty?”
“More than you will ever know.”
This is his home. It's in his skin. He smells like desert. A warrior of the land, belonging to the land, but belonging to no people.
“What is it, Ohpitsa?”
“I'm sad. I'm sad that life is this hard.”
“It's not hard. It's real easy. All you do is close your eyes and look in your heart. It's called the chest for a reason. You keep what's important to you in there. When you feel lost, you open your chest and examine your heart. The things in your heart are the only things you need to protect and keep safe. That's where you make your choices.”
He's right. My heart led me straight to him at the Holy Portal. The portal Erra feared he'd take me through. I wish I knew how these cosmic doors worked. He's in my heart. Right there, next to a white lily. My first love note. It's the most precious thing I have in my heart. I'll treasure it forever.
“You're crying. It seems wrong that someone should look so incredibly beautiful when they're crying.”
“I love you, Dusty. Thank you for helping me when I had no one.”
“I couldn't have made any other choice. There comes a time when a man must face the rest of his life with a decision facing him right now. My heart made the choice, when my brain was telling me I'd live to regret it.”
“You understand I love him too, right?”
“You always will. But whose arms are you lying in tonight? Mine. He promised he'd never hurt you again, and he meant it. And I think he proved it to you. And I promised to cherish you. And I will, forever.”
Wrapped against his superhero body, the fire lights his irises with a fairy's pen, showing me love. Sky-boy is now one with the Gan, and he's in the temple so quiet, made of sand and sky, and unexpected wildflowers. Cradled against the rock that will not be moved, the most powerful man ever created, Girl-Without-Parents has come home. She has a family now.
Bursting into tears, it hits me. I'll never be alone again. I'm finally loved. And God not only found me, loved me, forgave me; but is my best friend on earth.
I'm loved, I'm cherished, and I'm protected.
A strong thumb traces my tears away.
“You feel for the world. It's overpowering when you finally stop to feel for yourself. It's tough putting yourself first. But I'm glad you're doing it. It hurts a little, but you have me to lean on, I'll keep you safe when you're vulnerable.”
Cradled, rocked, I bury my face in his neck, smelling the wild in his hair.
“Have you ever felt unworthy? When love knocks, you are afraid to let it in, because it's so much bigger than you. I am in this place.”
“Shh...”
And though I am terrified, I'm also so free. Feeling the hurt, the fear, and the strange strength of love that can last an eternity, I kiss his neck, holding tight.
Ready to be swept away in the storm of love, like Erra's wings and storms, now here, to wash away the pain, and hold us safely in his strong arms.
I'm setting you free world. It starts and ends with me. I forgive him. I love him. And now we're living each day as it comes, with only love in the chest holding our hearts, with only love guiding us forward.
I refuse to fear any man, or god, again.
My soul sisters, I love you. It's time you knew what love feels like.
Opening my eyes, staring at the darkest night sprinkled with a cosmos of stars, I smile. Mankind, the only thing protecting you from him, is me. That woman in your arms right this second, she keeps you safer than you will ever know.
Shutting my eyes on the responsibility of being the first light, I curl my fingers into the nape of my lover. Closing my wings around us, it's time for me to experiment with creating music, with light.
The truth has set us free. Now it's time to embrace the skeleton key.
~ The End ~
Biography
Poppet is published and signed to four publishers, has over 50 novels to her credit including self published non fiction, and writes in many genres. She started her career writing for magazines and now specialises in edgy fiction of the paranormal and ghoulish.
She writes mythology inspired fiction, leaning toward the heretical, blaming her sires for her preoccupation with the realms of gods and fallen angels.
Poppet is published with Eibonvale Press, Wild Wolf Publishing, Vamptasy Publishing, Thorstruck Press, and previously published with Night Publishing.
Links
Poppet's Wesbite
http://authorpoppet.weebly.com
Poppet's Blog
http://authorpoppet.wordpress.com/blog
Poppet's Amazon Page:
www.amazon.com/Poppet/e/B0046MYVO4
Twitter:
@PoppetAuthor
Facebook Author Page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Poppet/197111090356326
Poppet Shop
www.cafepress.com/teampoppetmerchandice
You will also find her on Goodreads and Pinterest.
~ Teaser from book 2 ~
ANGELIC LIAISONS
We're on a different road, twilight closing in fast, breathing darkness and anticipation into us as I stare at the collection of Hogs and Ninjas.
One man waits on a Hog, saluting me with two fingers, firing his baby up, and Hel gets on his bike behind him.
Charlie catches my hand, hooking my legs and hoisting me onto his back, running for his bike. They're all running!
Oh god! This is a race.
It's frenetic, bikes revving, growling, wheels spinning, rubber burning, when Hel gets up, ahead of the pack, turning around on her seat, standing on it and resting her cute ass on the stranger's shoulders.
Raising her arms, she holds a white bra in each hand, twirling them, “Knights, are ya'll ready?!”
Her answer is a loud roar of revs. With my arms around Charlie, I can feel his body coiled with tension.
Sven has Iris with him tonight. That bad boy sure does get around.
Karl draws up next to us, punching Charlie's shoulder. Kay sidles up on the other side, so close I can feel his thigh, and he reaches out, touching my hair, making his bike spit at Charlie with an angry rattle.
Charlie passes the punch on, into Kay. And it dominoes through them, shoulders hammered, facing f
orward in unison, thunder rolling up behind us like a beast gaining ground.
The bras light up with fire, and they all burst forward, the night growling with the gear changes of six bikes fleeing into the fading light, trying to catch the next dawn.
Booms resound all around us, the sky lighting up with guns pounding. It's a twelve gun salute from up high as Hel's angels embrace the night.
Laughing, I can't believe I didn't see that before. These are Hel's angels.
Hel waves, balancing on the back of mystery boy's saddle, waving for me to get up behind Charlie. Her hair is streaming out behind her, and she's yelling for me to stand.
Looking right, I see Iris standing up behind Sven, her hair snapping behind her. Flicking my disbelief back to Hel, she unzips her jacket, wrapping her legs over Mystery's shoulders, as if she's going to sit on them.
This is like pool fighting, on fucking motorbikes!
They're MAD!
Mr Mystery takes her jacket, stuffing it god knows where in front of him, while Karl roars past him, giving him the middle finger salute.
Charlie bellows a roar with Karl as we surge ahead with him, And I'm trying to unhook my now jello legs from gripping onto Charlie's, to get up on the saddle.
Oh my god!
Getting one leg bent under me, his hand appears over his shoulder for me to hold onto. Gripping it heart and soul, I get my other leg up, precariously straightening my legs, locking my knees, while the wind sandblasts me, stinging my eyes.
“Woohoooooooo!” screams in stereo from both sides of me, from the wildcats.
Charlie guides me. I can tell he's done this thousands of times, letting go of the bars completely, getting my legs around his shoulders, hooking my knees under his arms, before leaning forward again and screaming the bike ahead of the pack to show me off.
I'm afraid to look behind me, the asphalt is blurring past at a horrific speed, and I'm worried I'll get dizzy if I look.
Sven pitches forward, roaring, flipping the bird, with Iris sitting against his back as if she's out for sundowner cosmopolitans on a deck in Bali.
Unzipping my jacket, it takes all my strength to wrestle it from the wind bitching at me like I stole her boyfriend.
Leaning down, his soft hair in my cleavage, I give it to him to hook under his thigh, finally looking at my bad influences.
Oh-my-god!
Sven roars with laughter when he sees my face, blaring the horn on his bike to announce it to everyone to look, and in perfect synchronization the men bellow into the wind, louder than the thunder chasing us.
~ Teaser from Book 3 ~
ETHEREAL LIAISONS
A man appears at the other end of the entrance hall, and I'm stunned silent.
Holy smoke! There's two of them!
“What are you doing here?” speaks from behind me.
Turning, I notice Shar is scowling worse than me, his blue eyes turned to flat ice picks.
Snapping my gaze back to the new guy, I survey him. They're identical, except for the length of their hair and color of their eyes.
“I popped in to tell you some news. But you have company, so I'll just go,” the new guy says.
Hmmm, he has the same deep voiced sexy baritone that literally caresses up and down your legs like a velvet hand.
Shar steps into view, “Tammy, this is my brother, Erra. Erra, Tammy.”
He looks pissed.
Erra smiles, walking toward me, extending his hand.
“How wonderful to meet you,” he says, clasping my hand and kissing it no less!
His onyx eyes swivel their attention to Shar, and I get the feeling I've missed something. Like he's been expecting me.
“Twins?” I ask, just to make sure.
Some brothers look identical even though they're not twins.
“Yup,” grumbles Shar, opening the front door again and literally insisting with his facial expression that his brother leaves.
Erra continues to hold my hand, it's warm and inviting.
Staring into my eyes again, he whispers 'interesting', before releasing my hand in a reluctant manner and grinning at Shar.
Slapping his shoulder, Erra moves to the door, “I'll call in the morning. And you'd better answer, not that degenerate bitch you have working for you.”
Hello?
Watching him walk away, I'm getting a pretty good idea of the build Shar has hidden under his shirt. Erra's wearing a tight black shirt that clings to wide shoulders and muscled arms. You don't see men built like that everyday.
Glancing at Shar, I wonder why he left his shirt untucked, hiding so much under long loose sleeves, when to dress like his brother would have put him center stage at Sally's gathering.
Wow, Erra's legs are really long - and elegant.
Smiling, I turn back to face the entrance hall when Shar closes the door.
Surreptitiously watching him from the corner of my eye, I spy the same muscles in his thighs pressing against jeans.
It must be so cool being tall like that.
“Right, let's get that coffee,” he says, pulling the band out of his hair and stalking away in long strides.
His hair is marginally shorter than Erra's, falling almost to the bottom of his neck in a long bob, but just as glossy and silky.
He pauses, turning back to look at me, and I snatch my gaze off his legs and smile automatically to cover up my perving.
Grumpy features watch me, “You coming? Or do you want to hang in the living room?”
Take your bad attitude and shove it up your ass.
