Jove’s Realm

by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

  He shivered as the power of the truth resonated. “Yes, Skye,” he said. His voice was a hoarse whisper. “I love you.”

  Her lips curved into a smile and her eyes glittered, brighter than diamonds. “I thought you’d never admit it. I suppose you’ve figured out that I love you, too?”

  “I hoped.” He had and yet hearing her speak it aloud brought a curious sensation. His heart swelled and his spirits lifted. If he wanted, he thought he could fly like his eagles, on the wings of the joy rising in his soul. “I’m glad, my Skye.”

  Jay extended his hand and she accepted it. He pulled her from bed and they stood, both naked, face to face. Her hair danced in the rising breeze and he smoothed it back. “I want very much to kiss you,” he told her. “But I want to say this first. I have never told another mortal woman I loved her and I haven’t ever loved one.”

  In his emotion, he forgot to watch his speech and didn’t realize it until she wrinkled her face. “That’s beautiful, Jay, but what’s this ‘mortal woman’ thing? It sounds almost morbid.”

  Caught, he stroked her cheek. “It’s not meant to be, my dearest heart.”

  Although she had no way to know, as Jupiter he had nothing to do with death or funerals or any of the macabre customs of mortals. Nor did he want any. The very idea Skye might one day die, her spirit freed from the physical, upset him. Jay shuddered to even acknowledge the possibility.

  Skye shook her head. “Where did it come from? Sometimes you say the strangest things, Jay.”

  Stalling for time to think up a plausible answer, he said, “Do I?”

  “Yes, but it’s one of the little quirks I adore about you.”

  So she likes it. Good. Now, how can I find a way to explain, or is it time to tell her?

  His greatest fears were that Skye would not believe him and think him insane, a distinct possibility, or that she would reject him. Jay opted for a coward’s way. He kissed her instead, his mouth hungry on hers as if he had never tasted her until now.

  Her eagerness kept pace with his as she put her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest. She gave her mouth without restraint, lips hot with feverish zeal. Skye worked her tongue into his mouth and at the same time, her hand lowered to fasten onto his cock. Already hard, it roared to life with a rush of powerful desire.

  Earlier, Jay took her slow, with teasing caresses and tantalizing movements. Now he had no restraint. He lifted her into his arms and put her on the bed on her tummy. The curve of her back and the swell of her ass fired him as he rammed hard into her from behind. He gloried in the different position and gained deep access into her waiting pussy. His cock plunged into the inferno, her warmth and heat enveloping him. He rode her hard and fast but when he came, she convulsed too, carried to completion on the wings of his lust.

  They lay tangled together, sweaty and happy. Above, the sun still shone, but when Jay noticed a shift in the quality of light, he lifted his head to see black clouds invading from the west. Thunder boomed in the distance and lightning, not of his making, lit the clouds with wicked fire. He knew the pregnant clouds would drop heavy rain and soon, but loathe to move, Jay snapped his fingers. Full sunlight basked them and he cuddled Skye close, enjoying the feel of her skin against his.

  In a short time, claps of thunder resonated over the city and he inhaled the scent of ozone from the frequent lightning. The patter of a hard rain made a loud din and she lifted her head.

  “Is it raining? We should go inside?”

  “Sun’s still shining, my love.”

  “I hear rain,” she told him. “And the thunder sounds close.”

  “I think it will miss us, Skye.”

  For a short, sweet span of time, she believed him. A very loud crash brought her upright and she stared at the skies around them. Dark clouds rushed through the sky, split with jagged lightning bolts. Rain cascaded from the heavens and fell all around his building but not on the garden. “What’s going on?” she cried.

  Jay pretended not to know. “What do you mean?”

  “This is weird,” she said. “The storm is all around us but not above us. The sun is shining but just on the garden, nowhere else.”

  Hail erupted from the clouds and the clatter of it echoed in all directions. A few stray pellets bounced onto the edges of Jay’s garden as Skye stared with round-eyed horror. She scrambled out of bed and grabbed her clothing.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m going inside. This freaky weather is scary, Jay. I don’t like it.”

  Her desire equaled his command. He shrugged his shoulders and raised one fist in the air. He opened it with force and the storm slackened. Within moments, the clouds receded. The hail halted and the rain vanished. The sun emerged to shine over the city in full glory and the sky reverted to a clear, unblemished blue.

  Skye gaped as she pulled on her jeans. “It quit,” she cried. “Just like that, it quit.”

  “So there’s nothing to worry about,” Jay said. Stretched out, head propped on one arm in a comfortable position, he didn’t want to go inside. “We can stay and enjoy.”

  She shuddered. “No, we can’t. I’m freaked out and I want to go inside.”

  His effort to bring calm served to deliver increased confusion. “It’s just weather,” he said. “I’m the best weather consultant around. There’s nothing to worry about. Don’t you trust me?”

  As soon as he spoke, he wished he hadn’t asked. Her expression shifted. Fear lurked in her eyes and she sighed. “Jay, I do. Or, I want to but I don’t know what’s going on, not at all. I need a drink.”

  If he couldn’t convince her to stay on the roof, he would go inside. “I have wine,” he said. “There’s a lovely new red Moscato I think you’ll enjoy.”

  The look she fired over one shoulder as she headed for the stairs could have seared him into ash. “I hope you have ouzo. If not, we need to go to the nearest liquor store.”

  By the time he reached the door, she had reached his kitchen and had a glass of the potent beverage in hand. Jay shook his head and reached for the wine. He poured a goblet, then sat down to watch her. Fear raged within her, it was plain, but why? He struggled to understand as she sat, silent and hunched into a tight knot. After a long silence, he drained his glass and said, “Skye, what’s really upset you? It’s more than the weather, isn’t it?”

  She nodded.

  “Tell me.”

  Arms crossed around her middle, she lifted a ravaged face. “This will sound crazy, Jay, but I have to ask. Can you control the weather?”

  The question hit him harder than a bullet or arrow. Whatever he said now would matter. He hesitated, struggling to come up with an excuse that wouldn’t be lame. After nothing came, he sighed. “Yes, Skye, I can.”

  Tears dropped from her eyes, each as perfect as a pearl, and dripped down her cheeks. “I was afraid you’d say that,” she whispered. “Oh, Jay, how do you do it? Is it science or witchcraft or a computer program or what?”

  Telling the truth wasn’t easy. His chest burned with pent-up emotion, and fear tightened his body. “No, it’s none of that.”

  “Then how?”

  Jay put down his empty goblet and stood up. He faced her, still nude. “It’s going to sound wild.”

  “Just tell me.”

  “There’s a reason for my name,” he said. “I go by Jay, yes, but you know I’m called Jupiter Jove, right?”

  Her mouth drooped and a sob escaped between her lovely lips. “Yes, but what’s that got to do with it?”

  “Everything,” he said. “That’s what I’m called because it’s who I am. I’m Jupiter. I’m Jove.”

  She swung her head back and forth. “I don’t understand.”

  Committed to the truth, he spoke with firmness and more than a little desperation. “I’m Jove. I was Jupiter. I’m immortal. I’m a god from ancient times. The sky is my domain. I control eagles and the weather.”

  Skye’s lips parted and her mouth dropped
open. She stared, her expression stunned. Silence stood between them like an invisible wall as Jay waited for her response. Two long minutes later, it came. “Jay, do you feel all right? Are you aware of what you said? Surely you don’t believe you’re a god, do you?”

  “No,” he said. Her taut shoulders relaxed until he finished. “I don’t have to believe, Skye, it’s what I am.”

  A weird combination of emotions played across her face. Skye took two steps forward and curled one hand against his cheek. Jay savored her touch. She hadn’t left yet. Maybe she wouldn’t. “When I asked if you could control the weather, I expected you to tell me no. Or, if by some strange fluke you said you did, then you would explain it with some scientific data or reason I could understand. But to tell me you’re some reincarnation of Jove or Jupiter, that’s not funny, Jay. If you believe that, you need help.”

  “I don’t claim to be reincarnated,” he told her. “I am Jove. I am Jupiter. They’re one and the same. The Greeks knew me as Jove, the Romans as Jupiter. Skye, please believe me. I’m not a man, nor am I mortal.”

  “Oh, Jay.” Her voice broke on his name as she yielded to tears. Skye turned from him and lowered herself onto a couch. She buried her face in both hands and wept. Her sorrow ripped through him with pain. He crossed the room and sat beside her. Jay rubbed her back and murmured soft words of comfort. Until she put down her hands, he hadn’t realized he spoke in ancient Greek. In English, he said, “When we met, we talked about my name. Don’t you remember? You knew Jove was King of the Gods. Think about things I’ve done, how the weather has changed to suit you. Don’t throw away what we have, Skye.”

  “You were perfect,” she whispered. “I love you. That hasn’t changed but you’re not who I thought. You’re troubled and delusional. I can’t deal with this right now. I need to go home, where I can think.”

  He didn’t try to argue or beg her to stay. Jay helped to gather her things and walked her to the elevator. Before the doors opened so she could step inside, he caught her in his arms. “Believe me, Skye, please. It’s the truth and I love you more than I have ever loved any woman.”

  Her lips twisted. “Any mortal woman,” she said. “I remember. Oh, Jay, I want to. I do.”

  “Then do.”

  “I’ll try,” she told him. Skye stood on tiptoe to kiss his mouth in a swift, desperate kiss.

  Before he could react, she was gone.

  Chapter Four

  His life reverted to what he had known before Skye, a mundane and very mortal existence. Each day began the same and ended as the one previous—alone. Before, he had few options and he hadn’t known how enriching it was to have someone significant in his life. Now he did, and the emptiness grated on his soul. After the first two days, he never left his apartment and made excuses of illness to his latest secretary, a capable young man named Preston. Preston ran the office and offered to make homemade chicken noodle soup. Jay, touched by the gesture, declined. He wasn’t ill. Immortals never were.

  A sultry morning dawned hot and still. Jay stood in the oasis, untouched by the beauty around him. He had pondered whether or not he wanted to wither it all and still might. The blossoms reminded him of her, their scent of her perfume. Thinking of Skye hurt but he tortured himself anyway. One week had passed since she left, seven days of lonely agony. Five days of pleading unspecified illness so that Preston would leave him alone to wallow in regret and bitterness. I shouldn’t have told her. I could have kept the lie alive and she would have never known. Then Skye would be here and I wouldn’t be miserable.

  Jay knew better, though. If she had remained part of his life, the time would have come when she aged, however gracefully, and he stayed the same. Questions and doubt would have crept in at some point, regardless. As much as he longed for her, he made no effort to call her or visit. If she returned, it had to be her choice.

  He brooded as he stared at the overcast sky from the roof. Last week, he would have brought out the sun but today Jay didn’t care. The lack of wind and the prickly sensation in the air brought a sense of unrest. Bad storms must be brewing somewhere but he lacked the interest to care. Part of him wanted to see damage and destruction to vent his inner emotions. The more human part of his psyche, the quality Skye evoked in him, didn’t. So he watched and waited, arms folded, and stared westward.

  Deep in concentrating on self-pity, he failed to hear the elevator or realize anyone dared violate his private oasis. When he heard footsteps, Jay whirled about, prepared to scold Preston, but his harsh words died before he spoke them.

  Skye stood near a blossom-laden rose bush, face dark with concern. When she spotted him, she flew toward him with so much speed he almost swore she had sprouted wings. “Jay,” she cried. “Oh, Jay, I’ve been so worried.”

  He opened his arms, delighted to see her and she ran into his embrace. “Hello, Skye. I’ve missed you.”

  For one long moment, she rested her head against his chest, then she pulled back. “How do you feel?”

  She placed one hand across his forehead and touched his cheeks, then she rubbed his belly.

  “I’ve been in a bad mood since you left,” he said. “But I’m fine. Why?”

  “Preston told me you’ve been very sick,” she said. “Didn’t he tell you I’ve been calling for days?”

  “No, he didn’t.” Once, Jay would have hit him with a thunderbolt for such a mistake. “I wish he had.”

  Her eyes searched over him, head to toe. “You look fine,” she said. “Jay, I’ve been so worried. I called after the third day apart to tell you I was sorry—and I am—but Preston said you were sick. He wouldn’t tell me anything else, no details, but after so many days, I came over to see for myself.”

  He should be chuckling with glee that she cared enough to show up, but his heart ached instead for the unnecessary anxiety he had caused Skye. “Immortals don’t get sick,” he said. “Although I’ve been heartsick, I think, missing you and wishing you would come.”

  “I’m here.” Her voice emerged soft and tender.

  “And do you believe me?”

  A single tear tracked down one cheek as she met his gaze. “I want to, Jay. And I’m trying very hard. I’ve been over it a thousand times in my mind. I remember things that happened, how the weather was always just right, and I want to accept it. I almost do and then I remind myself how crazy it sounds. I tell myself it’s impossible. Then I’m back where I began.”

  “And you’re here,” he told her. “That counts for something.”

  Skye nodded. “I love you, Jay. When I thought you were ill, I couldn’t stand to be away from you. I’m relieved to know you’re all right.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I’ve longed for you to come, thought about you, dreamed of you, and wept.”

  “You cried?”

  Ashamed at what he considered weakness, he nodded. “I did. May I kiss you?”

  Her smile emerged, bright and beautiful. “You don’t have to ask, Jay. Should a god ask a mortal for permission?”

  “If he loves one, yes,” Jay answered. Then he gathered her into his arms and kissed her. All the pent-up longing from a week apart, the desire that burned brighter than ancient watch fires, and his powerful love toward her, combined to make it potent. Her lips yielded to his, delicious and without restraint. His body notched up to a new rhythm, fast and intense. He wanted it to last but he needed instant satisfaction.

  Jay kissed her for several long minutes, glorying in the taste of her lips, the satin of her mouth against his. Then he swooped her into his arms. “I can’t wait,” he groaned. “Forgive me, Skye.”

  His hands stripped away her clothing with enough force to tear her blouse. Jay didn’t care. He would buy her another or a thousand more. When he placed her nude body on the bed beneath the pergola, his cock pressed against his trousers and fought for release. He stripped naked and took her, without any more foreplay or tender caresses. With his hands braced against the mattress, Jay pumped int
o her with force and urgency. He had never been this rough with her, in fact, with very few women, but he lacked restraint. Taking her body reassured him their love remained between them, alive and vital.

  Skye made no complaints. Her arms twined around him, reminding him of grapevines, and she held tight for purchase as he ravished her. When he entered her pussy, she tightened the walls until they stroked him and when she convulsed with delight, he came too, swift and with a completeness which wiped away everything else.

  He saw stars and his body exploded in a series of pleasure spirals. In those moments, Jay wasn’t god or man, just a carnal being. But once he collapsed onto the bed beside Skye, his heart beat hard and filled to capacity with love. Jay teased his fingers along her body, from her lips down to her hips. He tweaked her nipples one by one and he used his palm to massage her sex. He ached for more but Skye lacked response. Her lips pouted and she stared beyond him.

  “What’s wrong, love?” he whispered. “Was I too harsh?”

  She shook her head. “No, I loved every minute. I needed it.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Jay noticed how stiff she had become, her shoulders taut and her mouth tight into a thin line. A crease marred her forehead and her anxious eyes darted to and fro.

  “It’s the weather,” she told him. “This is tornado weather and I’m afraid. There have been watches and warnings out all day.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I can make it go around us. It won’t touch us here.”

  Skye shuddered. “I hate tornadoes. I’ve lived in Texas long enough to know their wrath and I grew up in Oklahoma which is just as bad. When I was thirteen, a twister leveled our neighborhood and left me owning nothing but the clothes I was wearing. My grandparents were killed in the same storm.”

  He might be king of the skies, master of weather, but right now he wanted to enjoy Skye. Tornado or blizzard, he didn’t want any kind of storm to interrupt their reunion. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

  She sat up and rubbed her arms. “It’s too still, Jay. I think the storm is coming.”