Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) (32 page)

“Let’s discuss who controls who,” he said callously. Gage no longer wished to treat with Keli, sending a tongue of fire across her body, paralyzed by the seal.

She shrieked in pain.

“Let’s discuss strength,” he added, unbothered by the cries of agony, which were just noise to him. Another lash seared across her back; then another.

Her screams became unbearable.

Adrienne began to weep, shouting emphatically, “Gage! Enough! Let's get out of here while we can!”

When there was no reply, Joey rushed to him.

“J? What're you… No!” Marcus’ arm swung out but missed Joey's collar, the fabric grazing his fingertips. “Joey! No!” he cried, but it was too late.

Gage didn't hear his comrades calling to him, nor did he see one of them coming. In his current state, he may not have even cared. All he knew right then was Keli and hatred.

“Let's discuss payback,” he continued zealously, lashing her again with three blistering tendrils. Her skin bubbled, making any person in their right mind turn away. He did not.

Joey reached out and grabbed Gage, jerking his arm. “Gage, please come on buddy. Gage…”

A powerful gust knocked Joey back as a stray bolt of hellfire narrowly missed, striking a shield of ice Joey had summoned in the nick of time.

Gage blinked and for a split second, his eyes were lush green again. He looked down to Joey, helpless on the ground with shards of melting ice around him, and began to cry. Falling to his knees with a
thud
, the fires around him cried out as they died.

Though winded, Joey got up and came over, helping his friend back up onto his boots. Damn, Gage was a heavy fucker; he didn't realize that until now with all that weight slung on his shoulder.

Joey shuffled along toward the ship with Gage in tow, Marcus coming out to meet them. He positioned himself on the other side of Gage, taking some of the stress of Joey, and before long they were all underneath the bow, the wood hull creaking invitingly.

“Om,” said Marcus, his voice brimming with exhaustion, in tune with the faces of the others. “Get us out of here.”

Without delay, they were drawn up to the
Odyssey
and her engines flared as she sailed away to the north.

Back on the lonely mountaintop, Keli found herself alone again. She was burned beyond recognition, watching the Journeymen depart. They passed over the distant mountains, shrinking into a dot on the horizon before fading out of sight.

Keli was at last able to feel her legs again, though moving them caused excruciating pain. As a single tear escaped her good blue eye, the humiliation of another defeat hung over her like a raging storm cloud. Empty handed and crippled, she thought that perhaps everyone else was right after all.

IT WAS A GOOD
morning and Gage sprinted the entire way to the galley from his quarters, wearing gray sweats and a body-hugging tee. Stopping just short of the main door, he turned its handle, and cautiously pushed. Peeking in, he found it to be empty and before long was bounding to the pantry. He flung open the cabinets, shifting through the multitude of cans and boxes, hunting for something specific he heard Marcus casually mention on the way down from New York.

No… No… Ah! There you are!

Slowly, he pulled out a yellow box of pancake mix, tucked way back on the shelf as if trying to hide. It might as well have been glowing like one of the Solomon Six based on his beaming expression. He set about finding a large mixing bowl around the sink when Adrienne sauntered into the room.

She watched him for a few minutes, basking in the sight she had missed – his muscles straining against the confines of that all-too-small shirt and his sweats… he dangled loose and free in those, unashamedly if not proudly showing himself off to anyone who happened to be looking. Thank goodness for him being an attention whore and that it was her paying one-hundred percent of the attention.

“Ahem,” she said with a little cough, causing him to spin around and drop a couple containers into the sink.

“Oh hey there darlin’,” he said after composing himself, though his heart was still beating for a different reason. He showed evident signs of his gratification all over.

“You doing okay?” he asked her after noticing a red burn on her forearm. A flash of hellfire burned across his mind, but for a moment only.

“Doing alright,” she said as he turned around to resume what he was doing. With a smile she waltzed over, stretching her arms across his wide back.

“You’ve grown some,” she observed as he took the box and poured the entire contents into a large ceramic bowl, the smell of buttermilk rising from the piled up powder, “or maybe I’ve just missed this for some time.”

“Maybe a bit of both,” he said confidently, reaching back to grab one of her hands. He rubbed on it for a second before guiding it down into the front of his sweats.

He had been growing in more places than one. She grabbed hold of it, barely able to wrap her hand around, and gave it a few gentle strokes.

He continued preparing the mix while she rubbed, pouring in an ample amount of water then mixing it all with his hands. It made a sticky, wet sound as the batter came together, albeit clumpy.

“I think this needs a woman’s touch,” he said in a low voice, looking down to the creamy liquid, “help smooth things out?”

She didn't delay, lifting out her hand before setting them both into the bowl. There her fingers mingled with his for a time before stirring the batter into a silky sheen. “Looks ready to me,” she whispered.

“Yes it does,” he said, grabbing his shirt with those messy fingers and tugging at it slowly. After an eternity of fabric straining over brawn, he threw the heavily soaked cloth to the floor and sloshed his hands right back into the mix.

Her hands soon came up with his as he began to flex his chest, striated lines heaving with veins underneath the ink work. His clean skin didn’t stay that way for long as they started to rub all over, making an utter mess. The mix was warm and the smell really turned him on, a long stream of batter teasing its way down over his abs to pool against the elastic waistband of his sweatpants.

That was her signal to turn him around. As he did so, she brought down his pants, using a foot to drag them down to his ankles. He was ample as ever, expectant as that tantalizing river of batter continued on its way down to the head of his dick, mixing with his own wetness.

She dropped to her knees and cleaned up the mess, working his thickness between her lips. She could spend all day there, her tongue making sure every crease was clean before working its way up the shaft to his stomach.

Eventually, Gage came down to meet her and they kissed as they had done back at the Atomic Inn. He wished every time eating pancakes was this rewarding, savoring every delicious moment. He imagined that eating out from here on would never be the same.

Gage pulled back and stood upright, sliding his ass onto the counter in front of the sink. He was precariously riding on the edge and raging, he motioned for Adrienne to come closer with a simple swipe of his finger. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and made sure to guide her breasts around his shaft.

Using her hands, she guided them up and down his entire length, which was no short distance but the batter provided just enough lubrication for an explosive experience.

He paused just before losing control, unable to tow the line any longer, sliding himself off the counter and burying his face right in her chest. His thick tongue lapped up most of the cream while his beard managed to catch the rest, his fingers working overtime between her legs.

The feeling was so good, so agonizingly crippling, that her legs buckled. Adrienne dropped to her knees and she resumed pumping away with her hands around his engorged manhood. She could feel the throbbing as his veins pushed themselves against her enclosed palms.

She didn’t stop, instead going faster and faster; this time there would be no pausing or pulling away. Before long the nearly explosive experience became a reality as he unleashed the most primal bellow yet…

JOEY WAS WALKING
along on the upper deck of the
Odyssey
, meandering through deep thoughts when he thought he heard a distant moan. Thinking nothing of it, he picked a spot to stop against the barricade, he leaned forward with head slung low, looking down between the gap in his crossed forearms. It was a long way down and he couldn’t remember how high up Om said they traveled.

The sea of clouds rolled gently beneath the airship and he found himself unable to shake the boyish urge to drop something over the edge. Silly really, but no less fun. Not far off, a splintered section of deck beckoned. He looked around and didn’t see anyone, so stepped over and plucked off the tiniest chunk of wood. Moving guardedly back to the rails, he placed it between the gaps of the barricade and kicked it off the edge of the ship with the tip of his boot.

As it fell, he was reminded that the past month had been nothing short of intense to say the least. His emotions ever since Gage and Adrienne set off for Denver were no less tumultuous than the scrap of wood now flitting its way down toward the ground. When and where it would ultimately land was a mystery, just like the hapless direction Joey’s life had taken from his obsession with Gage.

It was obvious that he could never come between the two of them. Gage was again united with his love and she had even managed to come back from death itself to be with him.
Non omnis moriar
indeed. In fact, that determination to be loved is what led them all to get the second artifact, a feat that no doubt would have turned out differently without it.

Joey found himself saddened by the reality of the situation but in some way, however small that may be, he was content. Gage was happy, as was Ady. Some day that same luxury would be afforded to him, too, and he had the drive and determination to see it through.

Before long Gage’s distinct mop of hair appeared on the stairs, followed by the rest of the lumbering giant. Surprisingly, he had a shirt on, though it was obnoxiously a size too small for his build. Typical. He spotted Joey and made his way over to him.

“What’s up, big guy?” Joey asked, getting a massive palm on his back.

Gage squeezed Joey’s shoulder then took a spot next to him on the bannister, resting on the rail with his elbows. “Nothin’ much, just got done eating some pancakes down in the galley.”

Joey caught a glimpse of stray white flecks all up in his hair and traces still clinging to his beard, too. “You sure that was all you were eating down there?” he asked, picking off a piece of it from Gage’s scruff. Realizing what he was doing, or what it may potentially be, he flung it off his finger.

“Guess I need to make sure I give myself a thorough checkup, eh?” he joked, reveling in Joey’s aghast expression. “Oh geez man, it’s pancake mix, man, not the other stuff!”

“Yeah… either way, gross,” Joey retorted.

“Anyway,” Gage said, picking erratically through his hair and beard. “I wanted to come up here and catch a quick breather before I went down to Om’s quarters to discuss where we go next. Seeing ya here, all by yourself, made me want to ask if you’re doing okay?”

Joey looked away briefly before looking back at Gage. “Yeah, I’m… I’ll be fine. Came up here myself for some much needed perspective. Somehow all of my major problems seem so much smaller up here.”

“That’s because they are,” he replied astutely. “Look J, I want ya to know that absolutely nothing has changed between us; I don’t think that’s even possible. We have a relationship that goes far beyond just lust and those kinds of feelings. While that might be there, I like to think that our love for each other has meaning beyond material things. We’re still friends and much more importantly family, forever.”

“I feel the same man, I really do. But if I’m completely honest, I’m not sure where I’m headed… or if I’ll ever be able to think fully about someone else.” He looked up to the billowing sails, filled with a southerly breeze. His eyes were overflowing with tears. “Don't get me wrong, Marcus is a… welcome distraction. Maybe more, I don't know. Right now I wish I was as carefree as those sails, or at least as much as you are, G.”