Gods and Monsters (6 page)

Danato looked her over. She was apparently asking a lot not to be locked up. “I’ll need to speak to Belus. He might have some ideas on what to do. In the mean time I will need to have you guarded.”

Cori nodded. “I understand.” She was more than agreeable to that prospect. She was looking forward to talking with Ethan again. He was still going to be her best chance at getting this figured out.

12

Cori hadn’t planned on Danato choosing Gypsy to guard her, especially since she had just kicked her ass. On the other hand, he probably figured it would give Gypsy a chance to redeem herself and earn back her pride.

With her pistol firmly in hand, Gypsy showed the same detached authority that all the guards showed. Even though she had to be feeling sheepish at her comeuppance at the hand of a veritable stranger, she hid it well.

While Belus and Danato argued in the office about how to handle the new troublesome female in their life—an argument that unified timelines and realities—Gypsy walked her down to the gym. Cori was relieved to see Ethan in the gym waiting for them. “Ethan,” Cori started to say something in explanation of her arrival, but he tossed her a sword from a display near the entrance, interrupting her thoughts. “What is this?”

“A rematch.” He tossed Gypsy one as well. She caught it and holstered her gun. Ethan in turn un-holstered his and took the job of guarding her while Gypsy started to do some warm up swings with her sword.

“Great,” she mumbled leaning on her sword. “I don’t suppose I can just apologize for kicking your ass, and be done with it?” Cori glanced back at her, but she didn’t answer. She wasn’t listening anymore. Her mind was focused on her meditative warm up. 

“Not likely,” Ethan offered for his partner as he leaned against the wall by the door. “It was a cheap shot anyway. She deserves retaliation for that alone.”

Cori wanted to object, but he was probably right. She had the upper hand with her surprise attack. “I’m not very good with the sword. Belus has mostly been training me in hand to hand combat. I only use the sword when I fight the dragon.”

Ethan repositioned his gun momentarily to offer her double mock violins with his finger-tips. “Excuses, excuses.” She couldn’t get over how arrogant he was. He reminded her of an immature high school boy who didn’t open his mouth unless it was to insult someone or to make a crude joke. She didn’t like this Ethan.

“Ready,” Gypsy announced behind her. Cori looked back and saw her in perfect form with her sword directly up and down. That must have been the appropriate starting position for a sword fight.

Cori cussed and lined up in front of her. “This is just mock sword play right. I mean we aren’t playing for fingers or anything, are we?” No one offered an answer.

As soon as Cori’s starting position was locked, Gypsy attacked. The clang of the sword was not so much the melodious ting of a television sword fight, but the clank of metal on metal. It probably sounded better from a distance, but to Cori is just sounded like trash cans lids being slammed onto their bases.

She should have been prepared for the vibration, but there was a big difference in hitting dragon scales, and hitting another sword. She was certain, if she wasn’t afraid for her life, she would have scratched the painful tickle from her palms.

Gypsy was good. Clearly this was where she was proficient. The sword may as well have been an extension of her arm. She batted away all of Cori’s sluggish attacks and forced her back with each impact of the sword.

To add madness to misery, Gypsy started doing back flips and handless cartwheels to avoid Cori’s last ditch lunging attacks. It was bad enough that she was better at sword fighting than her, but to practically be a gymnast was just the type of slap in the face Cori didn’t need right now.

Cori wanted to just give up, but that wasn’t the point of this. She needed to bend over and take her spanks like a good little girl. She danced around doing her best to avoid the hits, but Gypsy aptly cultivated her revenge with five or six gentle jabs and broad side pats to her torso. By the time the so called rematch was done, Cori’s ego was on the floor wallowing in dejected self-pity, while Gypsy was swaggering with the hip sway of a winner.

Gypsy tipped her brow to Cori, before meeting Ethan for a high five and elbow bump. He congratulated her on a triumphant win and she offered a humble declaration that basically pointed out that Cori was pathetic, therefore the battle was not deserving of any grandiose compliments.

Cori applauded her as she panted her recovery. She offered it partially because Gypsy had earned it, but also because she wanted to break up the back patting party. They both looked at her crossly, interpreting it as sarcasm, so she stopped. “That was amazing.” They glanced at each other not offering any comment until they knew her meaning. “No, really, I’m sure I’m not the best opponent for you, but I can see you are an excellent swordsman.”

“You think I need you to tell me that?” She said wagging her head and bringing her sword to rest on her shoulder.

“No, I imagine you don’t, but I think the compliment is in hearing me say it.”

Gypsy smiled. “That it is, but I would have been just as satisfied at you curling into a fetal position and bawling.”

Cori bit her lip so she didn’t retort with a scathing curse that would no doubt incite a bigger argument. She was good at humility since her self-esteem never let her get too pompous, but she was not good at sycophancy. “I imagine at first glance, someone as strong minded as you, might think that about me. Needless to say, you can think what you want about me, but it’s been a really long couple of days for me, so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t meet up to your high standards of feminism.”

Gypsy scoffed at her comment, but Ethan seemed less amused by the statement. He eyed her carefully, seeing something different in her. “Now my turn,” he announced and approached her.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Haven’t I already proved my ineptness with a sword?”

“Yes, you have.” He took the sword from her hand and tossed it to Gypsy. She caught it gracefully and took both of them back to the rack on the wall. “Let’s try your skills at hand to hand combat.”

“Oh, please!” She said.

“You think you’re that good?” Ethan asked misinterpreting the direction of her cynicism.

“No, I think I don’t fight men who can bench press four times their body weight.”

He glanced back at Gypsy who crossed her arms in response to Cori’s intimate knowledge. “I’ll go easy on you. Don’t we mock fight in your version of reality,” he said advancing slowly, making the space uncomfortable.

“Danato would never allow that,” she said trying to turn her body so her retreat appeared to be a change in direction, rather than the back peddling it really was.

“He doesn’t allow me…the other me, to fight my own wife. Doesn’t he trust me?”

“I don’t know if he forbids it for my safety or his ease of mind…or your discomfort.” Ethan quirked an eyebrow not understanding her meaning. “It’s a long story, but let’s just say, you would be very distraught at inflicting any lasting pain on me.” He paused his advance.

“He,” he pronounced the word carefully, but it didn’t lend any reason for it being spoken.

“Excuse me?” She asked.

“
He
would be distraught at hurting you, not me,” Ethan clarified.

Cori looked him up and down. He looked like her Ethan, but he was very much not him. Two years and a thousand different variables had changed his motives and devotions. “Clearly,” she said hoping that it might hurt him a little, but knowing it wouldn’t.

“Your Danato isn’t here. My Danato isn’t here. What do you say to a little one on one?” An index finger curl begged her to attack, but she didn’t. She looked to Gypsy hoping that she might have the rational mind to break this up. She, however, had settled into the wall just as Ethan had earlier. All she needed was a cigarette and a fist full of twenties and she would have been placing bets on this cock and hen fight. “Come on, Mrs. Pierce.”

She sighed and rolled her shoulders back. She never would have been nervous fighting her Ethan, despite Danato’s concerns. He had always been careful with his strength. This Ethan however, was egotistical, brazen, and lewd. She had no doubt in her mind that this was just his excuse to get his hands on her again. She wasn’t sure it was possible to be afraid of the same face that she loved, but the possibility was rapidly turning to probability.

“What the hell!” Cori said abruptly and clapped her hands. “Gypsy it was nice meeting you. Ethan…not so much.”

Ethan chuckled as he squared off into a wrestling stance. Cori did the same. They waited several seconds before either of them would move. Ethan must have gotten tired of waiting, which was another sure sign that this was not her husband. He lunged at her, and she spun out of his way taking a kidney shot on the way.

He whipped around barely affected by the move. He shoved her back, almost making her fall, but she regained enough purchase to kick him in this face when he charged again. She retreated watching him check his face for blood. His head would never be affected by any number of her kicks or punches, but it didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt.

She tried not to squeal when he cut off her retreat and lassoed an arm around her neck. She tucked her legs and let her body weight draw her through the crook in his arm. Once her butt hit the ground, she took a less than gentlemanly crotch shot with her fist. Dragon juice or no, that particular region was still vulnerable.

Ethan groaned and hissed. She rolled away and shot up jack rabbit fast. He glared at her offended she had broken the cardinal rule of fair fighting. “I’m sorry did we clarify no below the waist hits?”

“No, we didn’t,” he ground out.

She couldn’t help, but let a smile slip, which prompted another round of battle that was more kick boxing than wrestling. Cori was no longer thinking about clever repartee. Belus’s guidance and the memory of Efrat’s many murder attempts focused her into survival mode.

Ethan must have noticed the change, because he increased his speed to meet her vigorous defensive tactics. She was impressed that he wasn’t using his full strength. At least he wasn’t a complete ass.

Cori managed to get in a punch to his stomach and an elbow to his face. He grabbed her from behind when the elbow receded, but she was already prepared for that.

Ethan’s compacted muscle was certainly heavier than Efrat’s, but under the strength of her legs she still managed to flip him over her back. One gravitational body slam later and Cori drove her fist as hard as she could into his intercostal muscles of his ribs. He clenched his teeth in irritated pain.

Gypsy hooted by the door. “You go, girl!” She applauded.

Cori couldn’t afford a glance at her, but Ethan did and she tried to twist his shoulder out of socket like she had with Gypsy’s earlier. Embittered by either Cori’s slight upper hand, or Gypsy’s cheering duplicity, he growled and pulled back on his arm with full strength.

No match for his full strength, she was pulled over him and onto the floor. She would have preferred to skid across the glossy white floor, but Ethan kept hold of her hand, and she yanked to a stop as soon as she landed. With a quick tug on her arm she was under him with his hips pinning hers and his hands pressing her right hand and left shoulder down hard.

His panting mimicked hers, but not to the same degree. He was mad to say the least. It wasn’t every day that a few cheap shots got past him. She didn’t bother fighting him. It was certainly always his intention to win. It was just a matter of how long he let her flounder. His intention was probably to watch her embarrass herself, or at least evaluate her skill. He was obviously displeased that she wasn’t a complete klutz. 

As his breathing slowed he let his eyes travel her body, but only for a moment. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He looked up at Gypsy who was offering a thumbs-up at the door. “Go find out what’s keeping Danato and Belus. Either we’re testing her or we’re not.” Gypsy gave a compliant nod and headed out the door.

“Gypsy,” Cori called much too late, when she realized this was just his excuse to get her alone.

Ethan released her arm and shoulder, but stayed on top of her. “You’re pretty good,” he admitted without exception.

“Belus is a good teacher,” she said looking at the door. 

“Yes, he is. I recognize some of his work.” He leaned on his hands to release some of the pressure on her hips. He was still straddling her, but now on all fours.

“Does that mean you are starting to believe me?”

He shrugged as best he could in his current position. “Anything’s possible in this place, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it really is.”

Ethan relaxed down slowly putting the weight of his body back on her more evenly. He kept himself propped on his elbows so he could look at her. “I am starting to see how you and I could be an item.” Cori didn’t answer or even move. Too many different thoughts and too many different emotions were crowding into her mind to offer anything more than a blubbering sputter. He leaned down and kissed her lips, gently. It was familiar, and unfamiliar, which unfortunately made it exciting. “What do you say we continue what we started in the office?”

She felt him shift against her and he moved in for another kiss. At the last second she pulled her face away. “No.”