by Brey Willows
Dani was glad it was dark and Meg couldn’t see how the words affected her. “True.” She climbed onto her board and then helped Meg on. “Scoot forward a little more.” Meg did as she was told, and Dani tried not to stare at the perfect swell of her perfect butt, which had no business looking so damn good in the wetsuit Kanaloa had loaned her. “There. Okay, let’s go.”
Dani paddled again, and this time kept her balance as she popped up. Meg got up carefully and stood exactly as Dani had told her to. Gently, Dani pulled her back so Meg’s back foot was slightly behind Dani’s and her back was pressed to Dani’s front. She inhaled the spicy scent she’d always associate only with Meg, and when Meg wrapped her front arm over Dani’s, it became the most exotic, most sensual dance Dani had ever moved to. Every miniscule move Dani made, Meg followed. They glided along the wave in an effortless duet of motion, and when the wave ended, Dani loathed that the moment was over. The board lost momentum and they fell to the side of it. When they surfaced, they stood with the board bobbing between them, the ocean lapping at their thighs. Neither of them spoke, and the moment felt weighted with a thousand questions that could only be asked and answered by their bodies. Caution and hesitation no longer felt like an option, and Dani cupped Meg’s face in her hands and leaned forward. Their lips met, and Dani’s place in the world suddenly made sense. There in the moonlight, standing in the warm tropical waters by an island that didn’t really exist, she knew she wasn’t alone anymore. Death had found life, and the universe belonged to her.
Meg pulled back, and her eyes were wide and full of tears. She touched her fingertips to her lips and seemed like she was about to say something, but then stopped.
Kanaloa paddled up beside them and dropped into the water. He nodded, and his smile was understanding. “We can talk more tomorrow. For tonight, let go.” He pointed down the beach. “Just around that rock is another cabin like mine. It’s yours for as long as you’re here.” He picked up his board and splashed toward shore, leaving them to answer the night’s questions.
Dani knew what she was feeling, but Meg had yet to speak, and she felt a sudden pang of insecurity. “Meg, if—”
Meg shook her head vehemently. “Don’t.” She took Dani’s hand and started to splash toward shore.
Dani picked up her board and followed. Meg’s sunrise red wings caught the moonlight and turned it into a crimson promise. They walked along the beach together in silence, and when they spotted the beachside bungalow, Meg made a small noise of appreciation. Dani left the board beside the steps and continued to follow Meg into the house. She’d always thought she’d be nervous to the point of incapacity if anything ever happened between them, but all she felt in the moment was deep, ardent desire.
Meg went straight to the bedroom and turned to Dani when she was beside the bed. Their kiss was desperate, devouring, and full of need. Meg’s mouth was hot and her hands were all over Dani’s body. She pulled away and almost roughly turned Meg around so she could get to the zipper on her wetsuit. Once it was down, she tugged the material off Meg’s shoulders, then slowed her movements. She’d seen Meg naked before; Meg wasn’t shy about her body and showed it off whenever the moment was right. But this was different; this was for her, for them. Dani slid her hands over Meg’s shoulders, paying attention to every inch of her silky porcelain skin. She pushed the wetsuit down slowly to bare Meg’s breasts, and when her palms brushed against Meg’s nipples, she moaned and pushed into Dani’s hands. But Dani skimmed over them and slid the wetsuit lower, letting her palms stroke Meg’s soft stomach until she reached her hips. Impatient, Dani turned her around and pushed her gently onto the bed. She tugged the wetsuit the rest of the way off and flung it to the side.
White sheets glowed beneath Meg’s spread wings, her curves perfect and begging to be touched. Dani’s breath hitched as she stared at the woman she’d desired for so long, though never to this degree of painful aching. Her own clit throbbed, and she needed her skin against Meg’s. She shrugged out of her wetsuit and dropped it on the floor. The look of hunger and appreciation in Meg’s eyes told her everything she needed to know. She’d never felt sexier, more desired, than she did because of that look. They danced with flames, and she looked the stunning, magical creature she was. Terrifying, magnificent, passionate Meg reached for her, and Dani stopped thinking. She climbed onto the bed and lowered herself onto Meg, kissing her way over Meg’s chest, along her collarbone, over her neck, and finally to her mouth. She tasted of the sea, salty and real, and she tasted of excess and sex in its most primal form.
She moaned as Meg’s wings encircled her, the feathers like silk over her raw nerves. She shuddered and pressed her leg against Meg’s hot wetness, and felt Meg’s answer in the way she pressed herself to Dani’s leg.
“Fuck me. Gods, Dani, fuck me.” Meg’s voice was breathless, her eyes half-lidded.
Dani didn’t need her to ask again. She slid her hand between Meg’s legs, entered her with two fingers, and took her quickly, pumping hard and fast. She’d heard Meg talk about her escapades often enough to know how she liked it, and she was damn glad she’d paid attention. Meg rode her fingers with abandon, writhing and moaning. She came but kept moving, and Dani gladly kept going. Being immortal was a blessing when it came to stamina. It took a lot to tire a god.
Dani pulled out and moved to turn Meg over. She pulled her onto her knees and then entered her from behind. Meg’s scream of pleasure nearly made Dani come right then. She’d dreamed of taking Meg in this position, and a zillion others, for centuries. Now that it was happening, she wasn’t going to miss a moment. If it never happened again, she’d always have tonight.
By Meg’s fifth orgasm and as many new positions, she finally began to grow quiet, and Dani pulled out. She pulled Meg back onto the bed and into her arms. Meg wrapped a wing around Dani, and she smiled at the feel of the feathers. She knew Meg’s snakes were in there somewhere too, but she couldn’t feel them. She liked the way Meg’s red feathers looked against her own bone-white skin. Death and passion. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the simplicity of the moment, trying to ignore the distant warning bell caused by the words.
“Can I taste you?” Meg asked quietly.
Dani grinned at her. “Have you ever had to ask before?”
Meg shook her head, looking shy. “Weird. No, I haven’t. But I feel like I should.”
“By all means, beautiful. I’d love to have your mouth on me.”
Without another word, Meg made her way slowly down Dani’s body, kissing and nibbling her way to Dani’s clit, which was throbbing almost painfully. The moment Meg’s tongue lightly touched it, Dani nearly shot off the bed from the intensity. Instead, she grabbed fistfuls of the sheet and closed her eyes. She wanted to feel—every caress, every move, every breath. Meg stroked in soft, swirling circles, and Dani knew she wouldn’t hold out very long. Sure enough, within minutes, she crested the wave and came with a hoarse cry, one hand buried in Meg’s hair, the other knotted in the sheets. When Meg went to continue, Dani tugged on her hair. “I’m not quite as quick to recover as you, beautiful. Give me a minute.”
Meg pouted but crawled back into her place at Dani’s side, her wing once again draped over Dani’s body.
Dani kissed the top of her head and held her until she felt Meg drift to sleep. Her heart felt like it could burst from the knowledge that Meg was really in her arms. It wasn’t a hot dream or a vivid fantasy. Not this time. No matter what the next day brought with it, no matter what the future held, this night would be the most precious of her life. Did she dare hope they could fashion some kind of future together? The world beyond their little island bungalow was full of chaos and an encroaching darkness. But the Fates had told Meg to find herself; could she do that with Dani at her side rather than behind her? Dani wanted to believe that it was possible.
She breathed in Meg’s scent and pulled her as close as she could. Dani had her own stuff to do, but somehow, she knew Meg would be there to help her th
rough it. It was Meg, after all, who had thought to bring her to Kanaloa. Was this part of the Fates’ plan? Did they foresee this? Or was this part of their cloudy vision? The thought of a blinded Fate was truly disturbing, and though Dani’s job would continue as long as there were humans, for the humans’ sake she hoped it wasn’t going to be as bad as the Fates seemed to think it could be.
Meg stirred and groped for Dani’s hand. “More.” She put Dani’s hand right where she wanted it and ground against it.
Dani was happy to oblige. The world and its future could wait. Tonight, Meg was hers and the world was magical. Tomorrow, she could learn how to be a god. Tonight, she felt like one.
* * *
Dani woke with the sunrise. Meg lay curled on her side, looking beautifully serene, even with her fangs poking out slightly. They’d made love throughout the night, stopping to doze, only to meld into each other again later. Dani closed her eyes and focused on her realm. She felt her crew everywhere, doing their jobs, bringing souls back and delivering them to the right afterlives. Those without a place were in her own realm, where she’d set up a small receiving room not unlike the ones the other gods had. Her phone buzzed, and she grabbed it.
She slowly moved out of the bed so she didn’t disturb Meg and took the phone outside. The cool tropical air felt amazing on her naked body, and she flopped into the hammock beside the porch. She saw the text message from Idona and called her back.
“Hey, boss. All good?”
Idona sounded concerned, and Dani knew she’d never ask directly where Dani was, as she’d consider it rude. Even after all these years. “I’m good. Really good. Best I’ve ever been, in fact.” She smiled widely and was glad Idona couldn’t see it.
“That sounds promising. You coming back soon? I’ve got something I’d like to run by you.”
Dani looked out at the waves. She couldn’t leave her realm for much longer, and she knew Meg would need to get back to work too. “I’ll be back by tonight. But what’s up?”
“You know that idea you had about rebranding? I want to take the first step.”
“Yeah? How so?” Dani left the hammock and wandered down to the sand, watching the sun’s rays light paths along the oceans crests.
“These souls in receiving. Can we allow them to take form again and open a space in the Nexus sector for them? I’m thinking we can let them start figuring out if they want to stay with us or if they want to check out other sectors or whatever.”
Dani laughed. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve been talking to Meg behind my back?”
“Not behind your back, exactly, because you weren’t around. Just…talking. And I think she’s got some stellar ideas. She explained them way better than you did.”
“Yeah, okay. I get it.” She thought about the ramifications and knew it could work. “Let’s do it. But I want you to have some of the more experienced Sundo on hand to greet the souls. Do it a few souls at a time, to make certain they get personal attention. They’ll need help adjusting.” She pictured the other things in Meg’s rebranding folder. “Get the library set up as quickly as you can, and if you liked some of the other places in Meg’s plan, run with it. I trust you.”
“I won’t let you down. Thanks for giving me some say.”
Idona sounded as excited as a kid with a new trampoline.
“Yeah, well, remember you have to take my place at some point in the very, very distant future. Make sure you’re happy with it. But don’t stress, either. I imagine we’ll hit some bumps along the way and have to do some learning. We can talk tomorrow morning, and you can tell me what you’ve got going, okay?” Dani had made Idona wait longer than any other deputy Death in history to take over. The least she could do was give her some autonomy in the rebrand. Not to mention it took some of the pressure off if someone else was helping make it happen.
“So frigging awesome. See you tomorrow. Tell Meg I said hey.”
She hung up before Dani could ask how she knew she was with Meg. It didn’t matter, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about Meg talking to Idona about the rebranding plans. A flare of jealousy hit her when she remembered Idona’s comments on Meg’s sexiness, but she quickly quashed it. Idona wouldn’t go there, and she felt certain Meg would’ve mentioned it had anything happened between them.
She heard a whistle and looked up. Kanaloa had his board under his arm, and he pointed to the water. She waved before heading inside. Meg was still sound asleep, and though the desire to crawl back in beside her was strong, she knew she needed to talk to Kanaloa about the god thing before they left. Plus, Meg really hated mornings, and a grumpy fury wasn’t a fun fury. She grabbed her wetsuit from the floor and took it outside so she wouldn’t make any noise. She picked up her board, jogged out to the water, and paddled to where Kanaloa sat on his board, waiting for her.
“Dolphins. And a few orcas to the north of us.”
She watched as the dolphins dove and played all around them, the clarity of the water allowing her to see them passing under her feet. “Weird. They usually stay away from me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to them.”
He nodded and patted the nose of a dolphin that popped up next to him. “Things are changing all over, aren’t they?” He turned to look at her. “Even Death is transforming.”
She nodded and spoke past the lump in her throat. “I’m not sure how to handle it. The persona of death has always had a small following in various places in the world. But never enough to give me deity status. Lately that’s changed. I’ve got millions of followers, and if I go through with the kind of rebranding Meg is talking about, it could be a lot more.”
“Rebranding of the gods. A sign of the times for sure. Tell me something, Dani. Why do you want to rebrand? Personally.”
She’d given it a lot of thought, and the answer came easily. “Human lives are fragile and short. They’re here for an instant, and some of them manage to leave some kind of legacy for other generations to follow, while others simply live out their given time without really noticing the gift they’ve been given.” She smiled as a dolphin nosed at her leg and clicked at her before dropping back into the water. Not alone anymore. “But pretty much all of them are afraid of leaving their existence because they don’t know what comes after. That fear has lessened a little bit, thanks to the gods walking among them, but now that they have a choice of where to go when they die, they’re confused. That confusion has called Dis back to the world—”
He hissed slightly. “She’s hit our islands as well.”
Dani nodded. “But the fact is, they did call her. And now they’re afraid of dying because not only do they not want to leave this life, but they don’t know where they want to go. Death isn’t just scary anymore. It’s terrifying.” She looked out at the vast ocean and imagined the human population. “Human life is difficult enough. They face obstacles every day, some worse than others. I want to help ease their way into the afterlife. Maybe that way they can stop worrying about what’s to come and just enjoy where they are.”
Kanaloa was silent for a while as he clearly considered her words. “I’ve always liked you, Dani. I think you’re one of the kindest, most ethical Deaths there has ever been. And I like your logic. Once the humans have settled down, your hypothesis will be put to the test. Don’t you think fear of death gives them a reason to fight to stay alive?”
It was a question Dani had turned every which way and still didn’t have an answer to. “Maybe. I think that’s evolutionary. But maybe they can evolve to live in the moment if they don’t fear death to the exclusion of living life as best they can.” She shrugged. “I think some of them fear leaving life behind more than they fear actual death. If they can set aside a fear of the afterlife, maybe they can really pay attention to life in the moment. I think making their world an easier place to live would help give my own job more meaning too.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “And that’s what’s going to make you a god worth praying to. I hope you’re
right, and I’ll be behind you all the way if you need anything. Let’s talk about the other stuff. What do you want to know?”
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure why Meg brought me to you, out of all the gods. But basically, I don’t know how to deal with becoming a god. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I don’t want to let down people who believe in me.”
Two orcas surfaced in the distance, blowing water high into the air before they submerged again. Their size and beauty took Dani’s breath away, and she wondered if she could actually swim near them now.
As though reading her mind, Kanaloa said, “Those aren’t the vegetarian type. They might mistake you for a snack.” He motioned behind them. “Let’s catch a few waves before we get stiff.”
He moved away to catch the next wave, and Dani admired his grace and form as he rode the small tunnel to the end. She started paddling and popped up on the next crest. The water flowed past her, over her, under her, and she felt like part of the planet. She laughed out loud when the dolphins joined her, riding the wave beside and in front of her. When she fell into the water at the end, she got nose and fin bumps before they darted back into the ocean.
“That was awesome in the truest sense of the word.” She felt tears of appreciation and serenity fill her eyes. It was like her body was too small to contain the wonder of her world now.
“Come on.”
She followed Kanaloa back out to beyond the point break, where they just floated on the light swells.
“You’ve had people praying to death for a long time. Have you never answered them?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, many prayed their loved ones would be delivered to the afterlife they wanted, and I deliver the soul no matter what, although I never helped dictate if they went to the cloud gods or the underworld. Some prayed for the health of their loved ones, and like any god, there’s nothing I can do about illness.”
