Monster's Ball :Shadow In Time

by Rainwater, Priscilla Poole

  Stepping back, Gavin's eyes widened as he drank in the sight of her full breasts, which were encased in a sheer white material, with shoulder straps fashioned from double strands of pearls. Gaze wandering from her breasts and downward, his knees almost buckled as he saw what was presently shielding the sight of her womanhood from him. She wore a covering of only four strands of pearls, held together by a gold ring, and on her full hips, a thin golden strap.

  Gavin knew that over the last 159 years things had changed, and there were wonders in the world he had never dreamed of in his day, and he also knew women were liberated and independent (some wore wore next to nothing, but the scandalous apparel, coupled with the gold heels on her feet, Rena was so beautiful he could only stand there staring at her in stunned silence.

  As the man stood there and stared at her, mouth agape, Rena felt her face heat up, and suddenly wished she had never listened to Ms. Skeet. She should never have purchased the bra and thong. She had known she didn't have the figure for it, but, encouraged by her neighbor, had bought the set anyway, wanting to feel sexy, if only for a night. Raising both arms and covering herself with all the dignity she could muster, she stammered, “I...well, you see, I usually don't wear things like this, but..”

  With tremendous effort Gavin tore his gaze from her treasures and looked her in the eye. Taking both her hands in his, he pulled her arms down gently, admiring her voluptuous body. “Nonsense, you should wear them. Your beautiful body should be adorned with the finest jewels.”

  Sensing he meant every word, Rena's full lips formed a perfect 'O' of surprise and delight. In all her life, never had a man uttered such a sweet thing to her. But before she could think of a response, he had stripped naked, then wrapped his strong arms around her waist, yanking her to his chest again.

  Placing one hand on her hip, his other hand ran up her back and buried his fingers in her silky, curly mass, then he kissed her. Not taking his lips from hers, he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his trim waist. Wasting no time, he took several steps back to where the large couch was, falling back and onto it, allowing Rena to straddle him as she returned his hungry kiss.

  Grabbing her hips, Gavin broke the kiss, and his lips seared a white-hot path down her neck. Grinding his rock hard cock against the flimsy barrier of pearls, he prayed that the last century and a half of celibacy wouldn't result in a hair-trigger orgasm.

  “Mmmmmm.” Rena moaned as the friction of the pearls being pressed against her already throbbing clit made her feel like she would cum from that alone.

  As Gavin felt rather than heard Rena moan into his mouth, her entire body suddenly spasmed, and he knew she was on the precipice of an orgasm herself. Tearing his lips from hers, he moved so fast the only protest she could put up was to release a small yelp as she found herself on her back, and him between her legs.

  “Give it to me, don't stop.” she demanded, burning with a need that only he could quench. Hair now in wild disarray, the tiara had fallen from her head and onto the carpet, and her luscious, swollen lips were pulled down in a frown, not happy with the fact he had just cheated her out of her orgasm.

  Speaking in a voice thick with passion, he rasped, “Rena, I haven't felt like this in a very long time, and I feel the need to cherish every moment, as I fear it may be a dream.”

  “It's no dream.” she whimpered, despite the fact the entire evening HAD been surreal. After all, she wondered, just how WAS it she could be so ready to make love to a man she had just met? It simply wasn't like her, at all.

  “I pray you're right.” he muttered.

  Just as quickly as they had appeared, all negative thoughts fled Rena's consciousness as she once again drank in the sight of his beautiful, muscular body. As her gaze drifted downward, her eyes grew wide at the sight of his large, engorged manhood. Damn, he's huge everywhere. She thought, watching as he moved into position with confidence and grace.

  Gazing down at her and taking his time (as he said he would), Gavin suddenly knew. It had taken over a hundred-plus years, but he knew he had fallen in love again. He had thought Thoth had been exaggerating when he had explained that for immortals, when they found their true mate, love was instantaneous, and couldn't be denied. When the man had tried to explain, Gavin had came as close as he ever had to calling the wizard a dreamer and a fool. Now he was glad he hadn't. As it turned out, the man had been right, about everything. Feeling an overpowering sense of gratitude towards his friend, he offered up a silent thanks.

  Lowering himself on the couch beside her, his hand resting on her full hips, he muttered, “Rena, I don't know where tomorrow will take us, but tonight I want to love you as I have never loved before.”

  Touching his bearded face with one hand, she replied breathlessly, “I feel the same way. I've never felt anything so intense in my life.”

  Rising up and above her, he situated himself between her legs again, pressing his raging hard-on against her pearl encased womanhood. Reaching out with one hand, he gripped the makeshift panties, then yanked them off , sending pearls flying in all directions, in between seat cushions, and tinkling onto the floor. A moment later, and the bra followed suit.

  Feeling both thighs twitch involuntarily, it was an incredible turn on for Rena, as she sensed that this man was normally gentle, yet desired her that badly.

  “Your scent is so enchanting.” Gavin breathed as he lowered himself on top of her, then entered her silky wetness with a decisive thrust.

  Gasping with pleasure, Rena wrapped her arms around him, marveling at the way the muscles in his back rippled as his perfectly timed thrusts settled into a rhythm. Feeling her earlier (postponed) orgasm building back up, she spread her legs to their widest accommodation, wanting to feel every possible inch of his manhood inside her. Closing her eyes, she felt his hot tongue darting from one nipple to the other, teasing, then felt the warm, wet rush of her own orgasm spew from her immediately as his mouth devoured half of her right breast, suckling with an urgency unlike any she had ever felt. “Oh Gavin...” she whimpered, feeling faint, but matching him thrust-for-thrust.

  “You calling my name with so much desire is enough to make me nearly lose control, but I won't, at least not yet. I want all my seed inside you our first time, ALL OF IT, it will mark you as mine.” Gavin panted, lowering his mouth to her left breast and giving it equal treatment.

  “Take your time, my love. If we're lucky, we'll have all night.” she sighed.

  “If we're lucky, we'll have all of eternity.” Gavin whispered.

  ****************************************

  Chapter 9

  Casually strolling through the beautiful ball room, Thoth smiled as he glanced in every direction, enjoying the sight of couples dancing to the slow music the band was playing. Thus far, several matches had been made. As a matter of fact, more matches had been made this night than any of the previous Balls. That alone should have made him happy, he knew, but for some reason he was still tense. It was one of those things he couldn't quite put his finger on, but something just seemed off.

  Grimacing, his thoughts drifted back to Prince Karayan. The young vampire wasn't happy he'd been denied access to his true mate, but the fiery young woman he had been pursuing refused to see him or speak to his representatives. In fact, her only message to him was that if he came anywhere near her again, she would rip his balls off, blend them into a smoothie, and make him drink it. While Thoth knew the young woman wasn't physically capable of harming the undead creature, the sentiment was still there. It was a bust. “No doubt Vlad will be contacting me about that spoiled brat!” he mumbled to himself. It was common knowledge amongst the immortals that Vlad overindulged the young prince, his heir apparent. But Thoth thought the young vamp needed to learn to put other's needs ahead of his own petty desires. When the young woman had insisted on going home, he had apologized again, then respected her wish. Erasing her memory of the ugly incident, he had been grateful she had had no time to discover their se
cret, as Rena had. All the young woman would remember was she had had a fine time, but grew tired and decided to go home. In the meantime he would contemplate inviting her again next year, in the hopes Prince Karayan would be a bit more mature by then. But he doubted it.

  Stopping for a moment to welcome a late arrival (a mortal female dressed as Wonder Woman), he pointed her in the direction of the buffet, then wished her a good evening.

  Continuing his stroll, his thoughts returned to Prince Karayan, and his reaction when he had found out his potential mate had left. Still furious, the foolish prince had demanded that she be returned, at which point he had had to remind him, somewhat forcibly, about 'the arrangement'. If a human refused a match, any immortal, no matter their status, must respect that wish. The 'young' prince would suffer through severe depression until his true mate bonded with him, and would live through a year of hell without the woman by his side. Surprised that the arrogant, hot-headed vampire had given up so easily, Thoth decided to weave a cloaking spell that would hide all traces of the girl from him. Although he knew the spell could eventually be breeched by such a powerful being, he was confident it would take months for it to happen.

  Putting on his best smile, he bowed his head slightly as he greeted Princess Chepi, daughter of the Fairy Queen and Elf King.

  ************************************

  Now in the east wing of the mansion, Thoth made his way to a large sun room (formerly the overseers office), that was filled with beautiful antiques and greenery. Glancing around, he saw the room was devoid of life, save for the large, brooding figure of a lone male.

  Seemingly deep in thought, Hades stood with his back to him, his right hand inside his pants pocket, and his left holding a lit cigarette. Taking a long, deep drag, he blew several slow, lazy smoke rings in the air as he continued gazing out over the formal garden.

  “Lord Hades, welcome to my home.” Thoth greeted him.

  Turning to face him, Hades was silent, scrutinizing him in a manner that would have made most people (even immortals), nervous.

  Bowing his head as a show of respect to The Dark Lord, Thoth chose his next words carefully. “You know humans say smoking is bad for your health.” he said, tactfully leaving out the fact he didn't like anyone smoking in the mansion.

  Taking another deep drag and blowing several more smoke rings, Hades broke his silence, speaking in a voice that held a bitter edge of cynicism. “Then how fortunate for me I'm not human.” he sneered in a condescending manner.

  Noting how the God sneered the word 'human' as if it was a curse, Thoth was amazed yet again at how most of the Gods held humans in such low regard. After all, didn't the Gods themselves want humans to love, fear, revere, and worship them? “Are you enjoying the festivities?” He asked through gritted teeth, doing his best to be a good host to the obnoxious being.

  Grunting noncommittally, Hades finally broke eye contact, then looked around the beautiful room as if it were a hovel. “I would prefer to be in my domain, but I promised someone I would come tonight.” he grunted, then took a final drag from his cigarette. Dropping it to the floor, he ground out the glowing ember with the right heel of his expensive loafers.

  Seeing the guarded look on the God's face, Thoth's curiosity was piqued. Who (besides himself) would ever actually request the presence of this snobbish immortal? Wisely deciding to not push the issue, he found his thoughts suddenly wandering to one of the oldest portions of the property, but didn't know why. “Then I shall take my leave of you, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” he replied smoothly, glancing distastefully at the smudge the extinguished cigarette had left on the highly polished floor.

  With the tiniest hint of a smile, Hades replied in his usual discontented voice, “Oh, I'm sure we'll see each other again.” That said, he turned his back to the wizard, as if dismissing him in his own home.

  Doing his best to control his rising temper, Thoth merely rolled his eyes, then made his way out of the large doors, intent upon visiting a part of the plantation few ever ventured to these days.

  ***************************

  Alone with her thoughts, Fern Skeet looked out over the pond, marveling at the light of the full moon reflecting off the clear mountain water. As the fall wind blew down from atop the Appalachian Mountains, the spirit jars hanging from the low branches of two nearby oak trees jingled, voices from the past greeting her, welcoming her, welcoming her back home.

  “Welcome home sister, it's been a long time!” The disembodied voices of the long-dead slaves whispered all around her.

  The spirit jars were a way station , a place where spirits were able to ascend to a higher level, if so inclined. Each jar was a home of sorts for spirits, a place where they could also leave this earthly realm and enter other dimensions. This was where they more or less remained until they were finally ready to cross over to their final destination.

  Closing her eyes, Fern remembered vividly the day she and Thoth had hung the jars for the poor souls the evil mountain witch had murdered. Their deaths had been so traumatic, their spirits still roamed the plantation, not understanding what had happened, still not ready to take the final journey.

  Opening her eyes, a tear glistened on one cheek as she remembered the good times (as good as a slave's life could be, at least), before the events of that horrible night. As their voices drifted up from the pond, she took comfort in the presence of the long-dead. Hearing the giggles of slave children (who had labored from sunrise to sundown for an ungrateful mistress), Fern smiled sadly as she thought about the great pleasure the children had taken in the simple act of splashing around in the water. The pond had been their playground, a special place where the white overseers rarely ventured. As the children splashed around and played, the threadbare clothing they owned would be washed by the older slave children in charge, then laid out on several large boulders to dry in the sun.

  Catching a whiff of honeysuckle, a brief, but warm breeze caressed Fern's cheek, making her shiver with delight. Acting on sheer instinct, she turned in the direction of a large boulder nearby, and saw an image of two young women suddenly appear, two young women she knew were sisters. Watching in silence as the elder of the two braided her younger sibling's hair, Fern was struck for perhaps the thousandth time by the thought that despite the hard lives these children had led, they had never let it embitter them.

  Leaning forward, the elder of the two spirits whispered to her younger sister about her growing affections for her forbidden love with an overseer, making her giggle.

  Thinking of all the loved ones she had lost over time, Fern felt the familiar dull, empty ache in the very center of her being, then shook her head frantically. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, then began drawing in positive energy, forcing the dark away. Raising both arms in the air and forming a protective circle with them, her body began swaying back and forth slowly as she chanted:

  “ I call upon the power that is within me and the power that is around me!

  I call upon the sentinels of the heavens!

  I call upon all good spirits and all ministering Angels!

  I call for protection, defense, and safety! With white light, a force field is built

  around this place. May all who dwell within be shielded and protected at all times.”

  As she felt the positive earth energies pulse through her, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she silently thanked the spirits for hearing her plea. Suddenly a cool gust of wind blew, rustling her silver hair, and she felt a strong presence. Opening her eyes, her body tensed immediately.

  “My my, you certainly have changed, Lilith!” Thoth's voice called softly as he stepped into the clearing. “It's been, what, well over sixty years since the last time we met?” he asked, pinning her with a speculative gaze.

  Dropping both arms, Fern/Lilith's eyes narrowed as she returned his stare with equal potency. “Don't pretend to be surprised. You knew I would come to help Rena, she is the last of my
bloodline, after all.” she replied, referring to the fact Rena's great, great grandfather Zebadiah had been Knorr and Lilith's baby brother. He'd been sold as a very young child to a kindly doctor and his wife, who had no children. The well-to-do white couple had raised and treated him as an equal, like he was their own flesh and blood, despite the fact such a thing was virtually unheard of in that day and age. They had seen to it that he was well educated, and when they passed away, had left him a sizable inheritance, along with legally granting him his freedom. Knowing that in the south he would always be treated with contempt no matter his wealth, they had prearranged (via a trusted friend) for him to leave the country.

  “I only knew or began to suspect you were somehow connected with Rena when I smelled a familiar scent, a scent you always wore.” Thoth smiled wanly, wanting nothing more at the moment than to snatch her up in his arms, bury his face in her thick hair, and inhale her scent. That, he truly missed. Clearing his suddenly dry throat, he said matter-of-factly, “While I may be an immortal wizard, that doesn't make me all-knowing, my dear.” Feeling the all-too-familiar mixture of sexual tension and anger brewing between them, he stepped closer, but carefully, so as not to disturb her protective circle. “Why did you choose to hide your true beautiful form?” He asked, looking at the old woman before him with honest curiosity.