A Wicked Beginning (54 page)

I frowned, confused and hurt. “What do you mean?”

Cam took a deep breath. “Chér, I’m overwhelmed by you. I wanted to say something awe-inspiring today…something profound…but when it gets down to it, the only thing I can think to do is to offer you my heart and to give you this.” He turned to Mano who handed him the small pouch he had retrieved from the car.

With fumbling fingers, he managed to pull two rings from the pouch. He handed one to me and then took my hand, holding up the ring meant for me. I beheld the two golden circlets and gasped with wonder. The Cat’s Eye which James had given him had been cut in two. Each half had been set into an exquisite, yet simple, gold band. Each opalescent half still sparkled with a milky band of light. “Oh, Cam, they’re beautiful.”

He gently pushed my ring onto the middle finger of my left hand. “My ka…my light…my heart…” His eyes were moist as he beheld mine.

I pushed the larger circle onto the middle finger of his left hand. “My Earth…my joy…my bliss…” A tear streaked my face.

We stood, surrounded in the stillness of the woods, gazing at one another. Birds rustled about in the bushes. We could hear the running river. The breeze stirred the hem of my dress. I looked into Cam’s blue eyes, the color of the sky and sea. “When I look at you, I see the vast sky stretching over the Earth. I see water pouring through streams and rivers and oceans. I see endless pleasures of body and heart.”

“When I look at you,” he spoke in a low voice. “I see the sun and the stars. I see galaxies. I see the whole miraculous play of the universe.” He brought his lips up to my ear. “And I see being in bed with you for days.”

Now both our faces were wet with tears.

“Kiss her, bro. This is the time when you get to plant a big one on her lips.” Everyone laughed at Mano’s suggestion. Severe barked.

When Cam’s and my lips connected, I felt all the things that Cam was to me – sky, sea, soil, rock walls, rivers, play, bliss, and adventure. I felt our renewed commitment to one another – I was certain we had done this before. All these feelings and sensations rushed through me in a torrent. I placed my hands on either side of his face, felt his hands on either side of my cheeks, and gave myself over to the connection. When we finally came up for air, our friends all cheered.

“Hold up there,” Mano boomed. “Severe, go get the stick, girl. Go get it.”

Severe took off like a rock from a slingshot. A few minutes later, she returned, tail wagging, holding a large, colorful stick with jangling claws on the end, sounding with bone-like clatters.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Oh, just a new reminder of mine,” Cam replied, reaching for the branch. He shook it and turned in a circle. “Here’s to facing your demons and coming up with the prize of a lifetime!”

Chapter 49 – Chérie

Later, when our guests were in various states of intoxication, we said our goodbyes and headed towards the Land Rover. We had agreed to head up to Anacortes and take the ferry over to the San Juan Islands. We’d rented a room at a B&B for the weekend and intended to make full use of it. Walking hand in hand, we glanced up to see Natalie and Kayden leaning against the hood.
Uh oh…
I felt Cam bristle.

Natalie was the first to speak. “You two…” was all she said.

“Us two what?” I snapped.

“You do this sort of thing every six eons or so. Maybe you’ll make it stick this time so we don’t have to keep repeating ourselves.”

I rolled my eyes. “Forgetting is part of the fun.”

“For you maybe…” she replied tartly.

Cam and Kayden faced each other.

“Neanderthal…” Kayden said coolly, inclining his head, his arms crossed.

“Fabio,” Cam nodded.

“Cut it out you two,” I interjected. “Let’s make nice with one another.”

“We are making nice,” Kayden said.

“This is as nice as it gets,” Cam agreed with a snarl.

Natalie burst out laughing. “Child, you’ve got a lot to deal with here. Two feral beasts…I’ll leave you to it.” She stomped off into the woods.

“Just keep your smell off her, and I’ll survive,” Kayden declared.

“No dropping in and twirling in the air in the front yard.”

“The ka and I shall consort wherever and whenever.”

“Same here, pal.”

“I know…I participate in all your play.”

Cam’s muscles were starting to bunch and cords were forming on his neck.

“Boys, stop it or I’ll have to find a hose and squirt you down.”

“Mon amour, I just wanted to look your Neanderthal in the eye, and tell him that I approve.” Kayden locked eyes with Cam.

“Gee, thanks, Dad, can I have the keys to the Camaro now?” Cam was getting pissed.

“We’ve got work to do when you’re done with your little honeymoon moment, ma chère.”

I pushed the two apart and stood between them. “What kind of work?” I asked Kayden while keeping my palm pressed on Cam’s chest.

“Connecting with the ka’krisch – your people are wondering where you are.”

“No wafer comments,” I barked at Cam, referring to an earlier incident when we were not together. I looked at Kayden. “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you noticed that there’s an absence of people at the temple?”

“I guess I never thought about it.”

“Surely you don’t think we live in isolation up there.”

“No, I guess not.”

“When you return, we’ll talk all about it.” He nodded to Cam, and then with a wicked look, he swept his hand up the back of my hand causing me to arch and lift up off the ground, pulsing with blissful sensation. “Lest you forget who is responsible for what,” he said to Cam.

“Well, get this pal.” Cam pulled me to the ground and gave me an intoxicatingly narcotic kiss, full of tongue and orgasmic intention. His lips released with a loud smack leaving me with trembling knees about to buckle. “Look who’s still here. Look who hasn’t disappeared.”

“Point taken,” Kayden acceded, graciously. “But your physical gestures are so much more enjoyable when I’m in the mix, adding this…” He blew a silky breath towards my heart, making me clutch my chest and utter sounds I did not know I could make. “Another point for me, good sir…and now I’ll bid you adieu.” He gave me a pointed look. “But I’ll be with
you
the
whole
time. We’ll make it a splendid occasion, you can be sure.” He sent me one more erotic wave of sensation before fading into the ethers.

“Damn Fabio,” Cam muttered.

I was struggling to recover from their erotica competition. “Cam…” I started to say, gasping, when Jayze came running up.

“Don’t leave yet. You haven’t seen your gift. I was preparing it when you were saying goodbye. Follow me.”

Grateful for the distraction, we both followed her over to Mano’s pick up. He was standing there along with the rest of our friends. In the bed of his truck was a huge shape covered with cloth.

Jayze was full of excitement. “Ready?”

Cam and I held hands. “Ready,” we both said at the same time.

Jayze removed the cloth with a flourish to reveal a large, gorgeous depiction of the star dreamling. It appeared as if it were leaping with a snarl and would pounce on us at any moment. Another figure was shooting out of his heart with arms outstretched as if he were doing a swan dive into the heavens. On closer inspection, we realized it looked like Cam.

“My God, Jayze, how did you get everything to look so real?” I walked over and caressed the burnished bronze. “It’s beautiful.”

“Oh, it just sort of took care of itself. Once the dreamling convinced me to take out the trash, that is,” she said, referring to Marilyn’s departure. “Marilyn did leave me with a parting gift, though. She slashed the chest of the clay, showing me where Cam was to exit the beast.”

Cam stood beside me. “Nice work, Jayze. I don’t know what to say.”

“Keep doing good work with the kids and that will be thanks enough. And keep it real and loving with Chérie, okay? No rough stuff. There’s too much of that around on the planet.”

I considered the miraculous sculpture. “Where shall we put it? At the house? In the garden?”

“I don’t know, babe. It seems a waste to keep it all to ourselves. Say, James, what about that spot in front of the High Road building where they tore out that old abstract art sculpture? Something has to go there. Maybe it could serve as a reminder to the kids that they’re greater than they imagine.”

“Or, it could make them poke fun at you, Cam,” Lightning Rod offered. “I know I would, seeing your body being launched out the chest of a wild cat.”

“Yeah, well nothing wrong with a little dual purpose, kid. Get them to loosen up and laugh a little and wonder about themselves…wonder if there’s more to them than meets the eye.”

James considered the gift. “I think that’s a fine idea, Cameron. I’ll talk to the board and see what they think. I suspect they’ll agree to it.” He faced Cam and me, looking ever so slightly tipsy. “Now you two, get on your way. You have all our blessings. And I sense more than a little mischief is ready to come out of you both.”

“Uh, James…alright…okay…” Cam said, his face reddening.

I didn’t think Cam ever blushed. It was funny to witness. “Thank you all…for holding space for us…for honoring us. We are the ones who feel blessed.” I gave them each another hug and waved as we walked away. “We’ll see you in a few days.”

“I’ll prepare a feast for when you get back. Everyone here is invited. Bring your friends. We’re going to do this right.” They were all laughing, talking and whooping as Cam and I made our way to the Land Rover and piled inside, eager to celebrate our pledge to one another.

Chapter 50 – Chérie

Cam reached behind my head and plucked a salacious strawberry off of the white porcelain plate on the bed stand. Holding it just out of reach of my lips, he pulled out of me until his hardness hovered at the opening of my desire. “Want this, babe?”

“Mmmm, yes, Cam, oh, yes.” I opened my mouth, eager for the tasty fruit, and pulled on his hips, trying to get him all the way inside of me. I was intoxicated by the feel of his skin in and around me, mixed with the scent of our combined musk. I’d heard it said somewhere that if you didn’t like the way your lover smelled, forget about it. If that was true, I was in the Land of Jackpots. I loved the way Cam smelled.

He moved the berry further away from my lips and easily resisted my efforts at pulling him in deeper. “Still want it?” he teased. Then, he popped the luscious, gleaming fruit in his mouth. “Yum,” he said, licking the translucent red juice from the corners of his mouth.

“Hey! You know I could turn the tables, don’t you?” The ka had been roaring through me ever since the river a couple of days ago. It would take no effort at all to flip Cam on his back or even chuck him across the room if I had a mind to. I extended my tongue to capture a succulent drop that had fallen on my lip.

“Peace, ka,” Cam said, reaching for another berry. He stuck it between his teeth and held it close to my mouth. The moment my teeth closed around the sugary, summer berry, he penetrated me, slurping his half of the sweet ruby delight into his mouth. “Bigger yum. Want another?” Without waiting for my answer, he removed another strawberry from the plate, bit it in half, and placed the other half into my waiting mouth, letting me suck his fingers into my mouth. “That’s the last one, babe. But there’s plenty more of this…” he said, stroking my yielding body with his cock.

“Ah, geez, Cam…” I let out a long sigh. The ka’kriyayaga was starting to howl with hunger and need…again.

“Let’s go.” Cam rolled onto his back, pulling me on top. “I want to experience the force of nature.”

I bucked and arched against him, stirring the inner seas into froth. The rapturous energy started streaming through us both, bringing us both to the edge of orgasm. Wanting to savor the moment, I released him, rolled over onto my stomach and wriggled my legs onto the floor. Cam leapt behind me, tossed a pillow on the floor for his knees, and grabbed my hips.

“You know that’s my temple, right?”

“Oh, sacred beauty, allow me to enter the temple,” Cam uttered in a voice thick and low.

“Kisses first. Pay homage.”

He pushed apart my legs and planted slow, sensuous kisses along my inner thighs. His tongue explored my sex with slow lazy licks, making me shudder and howl. “How am I doing? Feeling suitably honored?” He swept his tongue up my ass, and then proceeded up my back with kisses and caresses. When he reached the top of my spine, he bit me, held my neck between his teeth, grabbed his shaft with one hand, found my opening, and pushed inside of me. With his other hand, he reached around to stimulate that exquisite spot between my thighs from which pleasure emanated.

I grabbed the bedding and bunched it into clumps, my head rolling back and forth, convulsions spreading up my spine. When I pushed up onto hands and knees and began crawling along the bed like a lioness, Cam wrapped an arm around my tummy to keep from slipping out of me. I slunk onto the floor with Cam struggling to stay inside, laughing. I reached the wall and stood, pressing my stomach and breasts against the smooth, cool marble, my fingers splayed along the wall above my head. Cam pushed up inside of me, growling. He grabbed my hair and torqued my head to the side, exposing my neck. Then he bit and sucked my skin, not caring if he left marks. Things were starting to heat up.