A Wicked Beginning (4 page)

“After you,” Cam said, holding the door open and gesturing to Cheerio with his hand.

Cam slipped in beside her and slammed the door shut behind him. As they drove back to where the Land Rover was parked, they held each other’s hands, gripping them in silent communion and apprehension.

Chapter 3 – Manoko

Manoko was lying on the couch in the basement catching a few Z’s, his immense frame spilling over the edges of the generous couch when Severe came home. The brown and white Tasmanian Devil of a dog streaked down the stairs, leapt on his belly, and smothered his face with slurpy kisses. “Hey, Severe…get down…get down…get on the floor.” Severe bounded to the floor and sat down, wagging her tail in violent sweeps along the rug, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, eyes wide and bright.

“You down there, Mano?” called Jayze.

“Yeah…come on down. Help yourself to a brew on the way down. Bring one for me.” Manoko sat up and ruffled Severe’s fur as the dog wiggled and wagged. “You have a good time at the park, girl?” He stood up and stretched.

Jayze and Marilyn, a friend of his, and her partner, came clomping down the stairs. Jayze handed Manoko a beer and twisted the top off of hers.

“Where are your dogs?” Manoko inquired.

“Oh, we dropped them off at the house before we brought Severe back. Those two are going to sleep the afternoon away after the doggie park.”

“Not Severe…” Manoko cautioned, eyeing the wriggling beast. “You just got her pumped up, right, girl?”

Severe twirled her tail and barked in agreement. Jayze and Marilyn took a swig of beer and sat down on the couch. Jayze, a slender, short, blond haired woman with an easy laugh, eyed the man cave with appreciation. There was a huge flat screened TV, a Bose sound system, a pool table…there was even an old pinball machine in the corner. “You sure have a sweet set up down here, Mano.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing what hard work will get you.” Manoko had worked most of his life, doing this and that. The oldest of five kids, he’d had to take care of everyone when his father died. He worked at a gas station to help his mother out, drove his brothers and sisters to school, participated in school sports – he was considered an animal in football – drove home, slept, got up, and did more of the same, day after day until his mom got back on her feet. When he finished high school, he moved out on his own and kept on going, working two or more jobs, saving money until he could buy this place.

Marilyn, a similarly slender woman with jet black hair and penetrating aquamarine blue eyes, fingered one of her lip piercings. She had two lip piercings, a small gold spike through her septum, and a hoop through her eyebrow. An edgy, intense woman, she had a ‘fuck with me and you’re dead’ demeanor, and unless you really knew her…then again, whether you knew her or not, you kept your distance. She scowled as she responded. “Yes, isn’t it amazing?” Even an idiot could hear the sarcasm.

Jayze looked over at her girlfriend with a frown. “Marilyn…why the attitude?”

“I just wish
you
worked this hard.”

Jayze’s face betrayed hurt and anger. “I told you…I have a contract in the works for my sculptures…it’s with a gallery.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that before…” Marilyn snarled.

“Hey, ladies, keep it civil.” Manoko advised. “There are delicate ears over here.” He took a pull on his beer then scratched Severe’s head, unperturbed by Marilyn’s snarky comment. There wasn’t much that could ruffle his feathers. In his work as a bouncer at the Re-Fly High Club, he kept the peace on many a night. “Say, I’ve gotta get back to the kitchen. Want to join me for dinner? Cam and Chérie are coming over…or at least Cam is. Do you know him?”

“Yeah, we’ve seen them both at the gym,” Jayze answered. “They’re interesting.”

“More like odd,” Marilyn added. “And thanks, Manoko, but I…” She glared at Jayze. “…have to work tonight.”

Jayze shook her head. “Marilyn, you’re such a bitch. I’d love to stop by, Mano. What time?”

“Oh, you know, around six will be fine.”

“Hmmm, I have to finish up a piece and put it in the kiln. I might be late. Just roll along, and I’ll get back here when I can.” Everyone knew Manoko’s dinner parties could stream through the night as he tried recipe after recipe out on his guests.

“Yeah, that’s cool,” Mano said, tossing his beer bottle in the recycling bin he kept in the basement.

Jayze and Marilyn did the same before following him upstairs.

After he let the two out, he and Severe walked back to a small room in the back of the house, next to Cam’s room. A deeply spiritual man, Mano employed rituals from his ancestors and a few that just came to him, to keep centered and keep the energy of the house in good order. The basement needed a good smudging to clear the energy from Marilyn’s bad attitude. He wished Jayze got another partner. She’d been a friend for a long time. But Marilyn…a recent acquisition for Jayze…she was one pissed off woman. He had to wonder what his friend saw in her.

Just outside the door to the ritual room, he commanded Severe to sit. This room was sacred and even Severe had to stay outside. Her frenetic energy frightened the spirits. He picked up a bundle of sage, lit it with a match, and deeply inhaled the fragrant smoke, using his hand to sweep it up over his head. Standing in the center of the room, he turned in a circle, evoking the four corners of the North, the East, the South, and the West, finishing by lifting his hands above and gesturing below. When he felt complete, he took the burning sage down into the basement and repeated the process. Then, for good measure, he waved the smoke up the stairway and out the front steps.

Walking back upstairs, he closed his eyes, listening and feeling. Sensing something else, he walked back into Cam’s room. Usually he gave his tenants privacy, but there had been some strong energy back here today – he’d explain when Cam got back. He paced Cam’s room, invoking his ancestors on Cam’s behalf. Then he stood before the bathroom door. Holy shit, the energy here was even more intense than before. He could make out a faint glow where none was discernable before. Man, that cat had left more than a mark. He had left a calling card to not only warn, but also inform, all passerby star dreamlings and spirits of…of what? He knew the basic warnings – the star dreamling tells all others to stay away, that this one’s mine…but there was something else here. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Suddenly, he felt more excited than he’d ever felt in his life. He’d done major training to prepare him for this. Since he was 16, he’d participated in secret gatherings on solstices and equinoxes, in the middle of the night in the woods, at the sea, wherever he was called to go. He’d done rituals, been purified in searing sweat lodges, done medicine journeys, worked his behind off serving others and now it was going to pay off. He was going to be a Spirit Tracker. His Uncle Evers was a Spirit Tracker. He’d gone with him on many hunts. The elders had always told him that he would assume his rightful position one day. “Just wait…” they’d said. “You’ll know when it’s time.” Well, now, sure as the Sacred Mothers surrounded him, was the time. And there was a lot at stake. If he didn’t figure this out – and soon – his friend Cam would either become a more amazing man than anyone could dream…or he’d be dead, his soul consumed by some spirit beast in one quick swallow.

“Come on, Severe, we’ve got work to do.” He hurried down the hall to begin his research, new purpose in his stride and fire in his eyes, Severe scampering by his side with glee. He was going to do what he was meant to do on this Earth. He was going to save a man’s spirit…if he could…or perhaps die trying if he could not.

Chapter 4 – Cam and Chérie

The Land Rover had sat all morning and afternoon baking in the sun, windows closed, doors locked. After Cam and Chérie got back to the vehicle, they sat in terrified silence in the sweltering heat, unwilling to even crack a window, until they were oozing sweat out of every pore.

“What are we going to do, Cam? Do you think it’s the star dreamling out there?” Chérie finally asked, gently fingering the golden hairs on Cam’s arm. She thrust out her jaw, blew breath at her face, and pushed her wet hair off her forehead. “Geez, it’s hot.” She peered out the front window at a circling hawk, high up in the sky. The bird let out a harsh scream.

“Fuck. I don’t know. You know me – I don’t believe in this kind of shit.”

“Yeah, but what about those ripples in the water? We didn’t make those up.”

Sweat was pooling in the collar of Cam’s shirt before soaking into the high tech fabric. “Let’s not give into this…this…whatever this is. I’m burning up in this hot car, and I’m starving. Let’s go eat. There’s a clearing right over there between the trees. We’ll have plenty of time to see what’s coming, if something tries to follow us again.”

“Really...? You want to stay here to eat?” Chérie looked dubious.

“Hell, yeah. I’m not going to let some imaginative idea get in the way of me and food.” Cam grinned at her. “I’ll be there to protect you, anyway…unless you get turned on somehow and get your sexy power rolling. I’ve seen what you can do, remember?” He traced a finger down her neck, which was dripping with perspiration. Chérie blushed and turned away, but she did not, Cam noted with satisfaction, push his hand away. Finally, Cam grabbed the door handle and opened the car door. “Hell, it’s hot in here. Let’s go eat.”

Chérie had packed a great lunch of sandwiches, chips, and beer, covered with ice in one of those thermal picnic coolers. Thankfully, the cooler had kept the ice from melting all the way in the locked car. Cam pulled it out of the back of the car and snatched a blanket off the floor. They walked to the center of the meadow, and after scanning the woods in a 360, spread the blanket out on the carpet of grass. Sitting down, Cam opened the cooler and handed Cheerio a beer. “What a surprise –Mac and Jack’s – it’s your favorite.”

“Of course…what did you think I’d bring…wine coolers? Those are for sissies.” Chérie pressed the cool bottle to her cheek before twisting off the top. “Here’s to a great day of paddling.”

“Here, here,” replied Cam, tapping his bottle to hers.
That’s not all he’d like to tap
, he thought, taking a furtive look at her hips. He quickly looked away and took a long pull off of the bottle.

After they’d finished munching their sandwiches, they sat side by side, their legs stretched out, barely touching. “Glad the sun is going behind those trees,” Cam commented. “It’s starting to get tolerable out here.”
At least temperature-wise
, he thought. He was oh so conscious of Chérie’s nearness, and he pretty much knew that Chérie felt the same way. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer and reached out to touch her soft cheek, red from the sun. “So, I recall you saying you missed my kisses.”

“Mm hmmm,” she uttered, closing her eyes.

“I could remind you of what they taste like…how they feel,” he said, resting his hand on the back of her neck and pushing his thumb up and down along the muscles and veins.

“It’s a possibility…” she said, eyes still closed.

“What do you think…want me to remind you?”

She opened her eyes, now drenched with desire, and just looked at him. God, she was “torch his shorts hot”…and he didn’t mean from the sun. Her hair looked like a red sunburst in the light and her amber eyes –beholding her eyes was like falling into warm water after being chilled to the bone. A wave of passion pulsed in his cock. “Is that a yes, Chér?” His voice sounded all raspy and thick. She’d better give him an answer, or he was going to climax in his jeans.

Chérie bit her lip and continued to gaze at him. Cam sucked in his breath from the intensity pouring out her eyes. Time just seemed to hang there as his cock grew harder and harder – he wondered if there was a little dude with a bicycle pump jumping up and down on the pedal and pumping air into his shaft. He swallowed hard, afraid to say anything else, lest she say no. Chérie broke the gaze and looked away. Goddamn, was this a yes or a no? His manhood was straining against his jeans and realized he was holding his breath. Exhaling, he saw Chér look back at him. And the answer is…?

A simple word left her lips. “Yes.”

Oh, God, he wanted to savor this moment, to make this the best kiss he could possibly give. He leaned over, gently grasped the back of her neck, parted his lips and connected with hers. Oh, sweet Jesus, sizzle and burn, this was fucking extreme. The craving pouring through him was more intense than anything he’d ever felt. Chérie responded to him, yielding to his mouth, opening hers, extending her supple tongue into his mouth. He swirled his tongue along the soft tissue of her mouth, savoring the taste of her, the feel of her, the everything of her. Unable to stop, he eased her back on the blanket and rolled on top, allowing her to feel the erection he had for her and her alone. “God, babe, I’ve missed you.” He looked down, their eyes locked, the heat between them hot as the sun which was slipping behind the trees. He was in an energetic whirlpool with her, and it was dragging him deeper and deeper and deeper. His lips moved back to hers, and he kissed her again, long and slow. Careful not to press down too hard on her slender body, he savored the sinuous, muscular length of her underneath him. And then he experienced something strange…she was rippling, undulating with energy like the river they just ran. Fucking incredible… She started doing that “glow lit like a light bulb” thing she’d done so many moons ago when they were still together. What had freaked him out before now had this hypnotic effect on him.