by Gail Koger
“Take your clothes off,” Jake growled.
“Yes, my lord.” Imitating his favorite pleasure house dancer, I did a bump and grind routine, and slowly disrobed.
Jake pounced. The next thing I knew, my back hit the bed and he was kissing me like a starving man. His calloused hands stroked my breasts, sending pleasure cascading over me. “I love the way you taste, the way you feel.” His wicked mouth nibbled on my ear. “The way you respond to me.”
Tentacles undulated against my pussy, electrifying every nerve ending. I sucked in a shuddering breath. Jake was everywhere, touching my mind, my body. I heard my shallow, ragged pants as I squirmed beneath him, wanting more. Desire blistered my senses. “Fuck me now!”
With one flex of his hips, Jake thrust inside me. I gasped as the delicious slide of his flesh sent pleasure sizzling through me. I dug my nails into the powerful muscles of his back. “God. Oh God. You feel so good.”
“Mine. Say it.” Jake’s body moved against mine, hot, aggressive, and perfect.
“Yours.” I met Jake kiss for kiss, touch for touch. Multiple orgasms shook my body and I came apart in his arms.
Jake’s body bowed and shook violently as he came. “Mine!”
As I floated in the sea of oh-so-good, Mister Chatty said, “Admit it. You can’t live without me.”
“Gee, let me think.” I tapped my chin. “I would miss the sex. You? Not so much.”
Jake gave my right nipple a slow lick. “Liar. Fate brought us together. Think of all the bad guys we can bring to justice.”
“We do make a great team,” I agreed.
Uncle Jesse banged on the door. “Are you done yet?”
“Shit!” I launched myself off the bed and hurriedly grabbed an old tee-shirt and shorts out of the pine cabinet. “We’ll be out in a minute.”
“Just so you know, all that hollering chased off the wildlife and some of our ancestors,” Uncle Jesse yelled.
“You’re a real riot,” I yelled back and got dressed in record time. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.”
“Relax. It’s not like we’re teenagers making out in the backseat of a car. We’re adults and mated,” Jake remarked.
He had a point. My gaze fastened on his penis. His joy toys waved merrily at me. “Not a chance buster. Get dressed.”
“Yes, my lady.” Jake tapped his bracelet and the armor formed around him.
Uncle Jesse hammered on the door again. “The sweat lodge is ready to go. You coming?”
“Yes.” I yanked the door open. “We’re coming.”
Uncle Jess gave Jake a disapproving glare. “Did you use protection?”
“No. No. No. We aren’t going there and why are you wearing a Speedo?” I interjected.
Uncle Jesse shrugged. “It’s cooler.” His gaze fastened on Jake. “Did you use a condom?”
Assuming his warlord demeanor, Jake spat, “Coletti males can control their fertility and it’s none of your business, old man.”
“Old man?” Little bolts of energy crackled along Uncle Jesse’s body. “How’d you like me to fry that little pecker of yours?”
Lightning danced around Jake. “Bring it, old man.”
“Stop it! Both of you. Testosterone is the bane of mankind,” I snarled.
Jake flicked a glance at me. “He’s a shaman?”
“Not exactly.”
“I’m a medicine man,” Uncle Jesse said proudly.
Jake frowned. “What’s the difference between a shaman and a medicine man?”
“I’m a healer. Samuel is a warrior who uses his abilities to protect our people.”
I grabbed Jake’s hand and pulled him toward a miniature hogan. “I’ll explain it later. We have prey to track.”
Jake dug his heels in. “That’s the sweat lodge?”
“It is.”
“It’s too small, I won’t fit,” Jake protested.
“You fit in the back of my patrol car, didn’t you?”
Jake gave me the stink eye. “With my knees up under my chin.”
“If you sit crossed-legged and hunch, you’ll fit,” I said and crawled inside the sweat lodge.
“Fuck. I’m stuck,” Jake groused as he tried to follow me.
“Lose the armor or teleport inside.”
Jake’s armor folded away, exposing his well-muscled body. “This better be worth it.”
“I don’t want to look at his junk,” Uncle Jesse griped.
Giving him the one finger salute, Jake squeezed through the opening and hit his head on the ceiling. “Fuck!”
“Hunch,” I instructed.
“I’m hunching. I’m hunching.”
Uncle Jesse wriggled in, took his place near the firepit, and poured peyote laced water on the rocks. Steam filled the sweat lodge. “Ancient Mother awaits us.”
I let the flap close and darkness engulfed us.
“It’s like being buried alive,” Jake grumbled.
I rolled my eyes. What had happened to the fearless warlord? “This is supposed to simulate a mother’s womb and your rebirth.”
“If you say so.”
Jesse beat on a drum and chanted, “Ancient Mother, we hear your call. Ancient Mother, we hear your song. Ancient Mother, we hear your laughter. Ancient Mother, we taste your tears.”
“Mitayuve, oyas, lecham, welo omakiya yo,” I intoned repeatedly.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”
I exhaled a long breath. “What’s wrong now?”
“I’ve got a Charley horse,” Jake answered.
“Uncle Jesse can you fix it, please.”
“If I must.” Uncle Jesse threw more water on the stones. “Hozhq sitsiji shivaagi.”
“Sonovabitch! It stopped,” Jake exclaimed.
“Good. Now open your mind to the Ancient Mother.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Mitayuve, oyas, lecham, welo omakiya yo,” I recited and concentrated on finding Jia Stanka. A blue Italian road sign appeared in my mind. It read San Gagliano 8 and had a white arrow pointing west. Good. Jia was still in Italy. I frowned as my vision shifted to a fancy restaurant. Our drop-dead gorgeous assassin was wearing a slinky black dress and could put that super model Cindy whatever to shame. Oh, my God. Fate was a twisted bitch. Her date was none other than my cousin Giovanni Dragos. He had the evil scientist vibe going with the wild, white hair, thick bushy eyebrows and a spiffy white suit that could double as a lab coat. A shudder shook me. He was studying Jia as if she were an interesting but odd specimen he wanted to dissect in his lab.
Jake exhaled sharply. “I think I’m hallucinating.”
My vision vanished. Resisting the urge to smack him upside the head, I linked with Jake and to my surprise he had connected with the esoteric plane. It was an eerie, shadow-filled void. The utter silence always gave me the willies. I knew as soon as the wraiths felt our presence, they would come for us. “Excellent. You used your budding shaman abilities to cross the veil that separates the planes of existence. Think of it as traveling to another universe.”
“Fucking creepy.”
“It can be.”
The quiet was abruptly shattered by the hideous howling of the damned. Out of the shadows hundreds of tormented spirits rushed us.
“What are those?”
“Lost souls that were unable to cross over.”
“How do we help them?” Jake demanded.
The apparitions swarmed us. Horrific scenes of their deaths rushed across my mind. I drew on my power and a crackling white energy barrier formed around me.
A groan tore from Jake. “Too much.”
“Strengthen your mental shields and open a portal. You know the chant.”
Walls of pure energy surrounded Jake. “Miraculin sepulcrum ibidem solus novum. Domum rotundam vivtorie construxit!”
A portal appeared.
The doorway’s iridescent glow drew the lost souls like a magnet.
/> “Go into the fucking light!” Jake growled.
All but two of the spirits obediently crossed over.
Jake stared at them in disbelief. “Mom? Dad?”
Huh. Jake was a spitting image of his dad. His mother resembled Kaylee.
Jake mentally hugged them. “What are you doing here?”
“Ancient Mother has a message for you,” his dad answered.
I strengthened my shields and whispered to Jake, “Hang on, you’re about to get your mind blown.”
His mother patted Jake’s arm. “The spirits have called you to this place. You and your mate are the only ones who can stop Giovanni Dragos. See what the future brings.”
A kaleidoscope of images spun across our minds. Rome’s historical treasures had been reduced to rubble. Charred skyscrapers rose like freakish skeletons from the once bustling city. Rotting bodies littered the streets. Suddenly, we were at an elementary school. The gutted corpses of children and their teachers were everywhere. Bile rose in my throat.
Jake rasped, “How did this happen? The Tai-Kok were exterminated.”
“Giovanni Dragos wants to create an army of super soldiers by injecting Tai-Kok and Rodan DNA into human males,” Jake’s dad replied. A picture of the guinea pigs formed in our heads. They were no longer human. Their bodies had been transformed into hairless, white skinned monstrosities with an elongated snout filled with sharp crocodile teeth. Blood-red eyes and claw-tipped fingers completed the horror show. “You must destroy his lab before he can create more of these creatures.”
A wave of horror swept over me. “Is he insane? The Tai-Kok live to eat and the Rodan aren’t much better.”
“Giovanni is quite mad,” Jake’s mother responded. “He thinks his soldiers can defeat Central Command and drive the Coletti from our world.”
“How does Giovanni plan on controlling these eating machines?” There was a hard, angry edge to Jake’s voice.
Fury flared in his father’s eyes. “He doesn’t. The bastard’s going to release them on the population.”
“And while we fight to stop them, Giovanni hits his real target. Central Command,” I said.
His mother beamed at me. “Exactly.”
“Do you know where his lab is?” Jake asked grimly.
His dad nodded. “You’ll find it in the catacombs underneath a medieval church in San Gagliano, Italy.”
“Jia Stanka is in San Gagliano, Italy too,” I interjected.
Jake stiffened in surprise. “Fuck. How is she involved in this?”
“I’m not sure, but she was dining with Giovanni.”
“Is Jia planning on assassinating Giovanni or is she his partner in crime,” Jake mused.
I gave a mental shrug. “Don’t know, but I don’t think Trayon will care one way or another.”
“He won’t. Once he takes Jia off planet, she’s his problem not ours.”
“Jia Stanka is the key to stopping Giovanni and the Rodan,” Jake’s mom advised.
“Of course, she is,” I grumbled.
Jake’s dad added, “She is death and she is life.”
Okey-dokey. That was as clear as mud. I noticed the portal was shrinking. “You need to cross over before the portal closes.”
His mom kissed my cheek. “Promise me you will take care of our son.”
“I promise.”
“Tell Kaylee she couldn’t have saved us,” Jake dad said and hugged Jake tightly.
Raw emotion choked Jake’s voice, “I will. I miss you so much.”
“Love is eternal. Remember that.” His parents joined hands and crossed the threshold. The doorway vanished.
Jake dragged me into his lap and teleported us outside the sweat lodge. He let out a shuddering breath. “Is it always like that?”
“My mother has never paid me a visit, if that’s what you’re asking.” I brushed my lips over his. “I like your parents.”
“It’s easier knowing they’re still together.”
“And watching over you and your family.”
Uncle Jesse crawled out of the sweat lodge. “Ancient Mother says in three days Giovanni will unleash his creatures on Rome.”
Jake erupted to his feet, pulling me up with him. “We start our hunt now.”
“I’m going with you,” Uncle Jesse declared.
Before Jake could protest, I said, “Good idea. I have a feeling we’re going to need a healer.”
“Shrek’s a damn good medic,” Jake countered.
“Shrek won’t blend in. Uncle Jesse will.”
Jake grimaced. “Not in that Speedo.”
Uncle Jesse gave him the one finger salute.
I let out a sigh. “Have you informed Zarek and General Jones?”
“He has,” General Jones said from behind us.
I jumped about a foot. Why hadn’t I sensed him? Was my radar on the fritz? I turned and my eyebrows rose. The General was wearing a black tee-shirt with Yee-Haw on the front and jeans.
His appreciative gaze swept over the ruins. “Zarek, CeeCee’s father and Trayon will join us in Italy.” He handed Jake a backpack. “Put some clothes on.”
“Yeah, no one wants to look at your nasty-ass junk,” Uncle Jesse added.
Jake yanked a pair of jeans out of the backpack and tugged them on. “You’re pushing it, old man.”
“How about we use all that testosterone on Giovanni?” I gave them the evil eye.
The General nodded. “An excellent idea.”
“Are you sure we can’t leave him behind?” Jake groused.
“Positive.” I grabbed a go bag out of the hogan and headed for the shuttle.
Uncle Jesse called, “Wait for me.”
I glanced over my shoulder and groaned as my uncle pulled on his favorite going to town shirt. It was bright red with snarling blue coyotes. “You forgot your pants.”
He looked down. “Right.” Uncle Jesse disappeared inside the hogan and came out wearing yellow Bermuda shorts.
“Is your uncle colorblind?” Jake asked.
“Nope. He says bright colors drive away the Coyote.” I entered the shuttle. “I’m flying.”
“Good idea. It’ll give Uncle Saul and me time to locate the catacombs,” Jake said.
The minute Uncle Jesse’s butt hit the seat, he was asleep and snoring like a chainsaw.
General Jones switched to mind speak. “Reminds me of Derek.”
“Is it true Uncle Derek snored so loudly, the Marines gave him his own room in basic training?” Jake queried.
“It’s true.”
“I can beat that,” I said. “Uncle Jesse’s snoring stopped a Tai-Kok attack on a school.”
Jake snicker. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. He had just done an all-nighter healing people hurt in a car accident and pulled over at the elementary school for a quick nap. Ten minutes later, the Tai-Kok landed. His snoring worked better than my freeze ray. It put them in a catatonic state. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“What did you do with their Marauders?” The General’s rock-hard gaze was fixed on me.
I hurriedly took the pilot’s chair and fastened my harness. “Ah. Well. Uncle Jesse impounded them.”
“You have a Marauder sitting in your vehicle impound lot?” The incredulous note in Jake’s voice had me smiling.
“Actually, we have eight Marauders in our impound lot.”
“And you didn’t think to let Central Command know?”
“We’re a sovereign nation and don’t answer to Central Command,” I responded.
Jake slid into the co-pilot’s chair. “You do now, buttercup, and we’re gonna confiscate those ships.”
“Gotta find them first.” Ignoring, Jake’s irritated glare, I did an accelerated takeoff. “We’ll discuss it later. We’ve got a mad scientist to stop.”
Chapter Thirteen
San Gagliano, Italy is a centuries-old medieval settlement
filled with quaint stone houses and an abundance of olive trees. Majestic snowcapped peaks rose behind the town, and to the east was the Adriatic Sea. The crystal blue water called to me. “I’ve always dreamed of swimming in the Adriatic and touring the Colosseum,” I yelled.
Jake stroked the side of my face. “Once. Giovanni. Jia. Tourists.”
“What? I can’t hear you over, Tyranno-snorusus Rex!” I shouted.
“I said, once we’ve dealt with Giovanni and Jia, we’ll make like tourists,” Jake said in my head.
“Deal.”
General Jones tapped away on his bracelet, seemingly oblivious to Sleeping Beauty’s sonorous rhapsody.
“Have you found Giovanni’s lab yet?”
Jake hit an icon on the command console. The rubble strewn remains of an old pre-Roman building appeared on the main screen. “According to Central Command’s database there are catacombs beneath these ruins.”
“Huh? Why aren’t they showing up on the scanners?”
“The iridium is blocking our sensors,” Jake replied.
I frowned. “There’s no iridium in Italy.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve found Giovanni’s lab,” I said gleefully.
“We have.”
“What’s the plan?”
Jake hit the controls and a ravine filled the viewscreen. “Twenty meters down the gorge there’s a hidden entrance that leads directly to the catacombs. We locate the lab, take out the mad scientist’s security systems and do a tactical entry.”
“And if he sic’s his super soldiers on us?”
“We kill them, but Zarek wants to interrogate Giovanni. Take him alive,” General Jones instructed.
“Yes, sir.” I had a few questions of my own. Like who had sent all those bounty hunters to kill me? Had my sperm donor been responsible or was Giovanni the real culprit? “Where do you want me to park the shuttle?” The coordinates popped into my mind. “Thanks.” I set the shuttle down behind a grove of olive trees. The crawlies hit me. I opened my senses and searched for the source. Huh. Jia was hiding in a tree. Not only was she wearing camouflage face paint, skull cap and tactical gear, she had enough weapons on her to start a small war. I flashed the info to Jake and the General. “I don’t think Jia’s in cahoots with Giovanni.”
“Uncle Saul and I will circle around behind her.”
