Libby should have expected the elevator would mean trouble. Especially the way Markos kept managing to put his arm around her at the front desk, nibbling her neck and whispering into her ear all the things he intended to do to her.
The worst part was that she could not respond. She had to just stand there, smiling politely at the clerk as she ran the credit card. Meanwhile, beside her was the sexiest man on earth telling her that his cock would be hard for her all night long and that he wouldn’t rest until he had had her in every conceivable position. He even brought up the bondage again, telling her how he was going to tie her down to the bed and make her scream for sexual release.
She had thought he would at least wait until they got to the room, though.
“Open your pants,” he said as soon as the elevator doors closed.
“What for?” she asked reasonably enough.
“I am going to penetrate you,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Not in here, you aren’t.”
“Why not?” He worked his zipper, picking a very poor time to become an expert.
She glared mesmerized at his cock, the tiny bead of pre-come on the tip of it, the luscious veins and the way it pointed at her so enticingly. “Because,” she said hoarsely. “Someone could come in here.”
“While it is flying?”
“No, Mr. Literal, while it is stopped. This thing is going up fifty-three floors. The door could open on any one of them.”
“Perhaps they would like to join us.” Markos pulled her close, nibbling at her lips.
“That isn’t funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
“I mean it.” She squirmed as he stole maddening little kisses, featherlight, designed only to make her crave more. “You pull anything in here and the whole date is off.”
“I wasn’t aware this was a date.” He began opening her pants. “We haven’t eaten dinner.”
“You know what I mean,” she sputtered, though of course he didn’t know. Or maybe he was just pretending not to. That would be some technique, wouldn’t it, for seduction?
She managed to turn herself around but he was still holding her. She saw very quickly it was not a position that was going to work to her advantage. From this angle, Markos could take her pants and panties down and enter her from behind.
He inserted a finger into her sopping pussy. “Are you sure you don’t want me to penetrate you?”
“No,” she cried. “I mean yes, I’m positive I don’t.”
He played with her a little, just a few seconds of light teasing along the ridge of her gaping sex lips being enough to break down every single defense, not to mention her every propriety.
How did he keep doing this, pushing her harder than any man she had ever known and in less than a day? What would she be like after a full night of his lovemaking?
“You have the most magical sexuality of any creature I have ever been with, you know that?” he rasped.
Talk about a bizarre compliment. “Stop talking,” she said. “Just…do it.”
Wait, the condom. Fortunately they had stopped in the little store in the lobby to purchase some. But there would never be time to get one on before the elevator reached their floor.
“Oh, screw it,” she muttered, hitting the emergency stop button.
The bell started ringing, a teeth-jarring clang.
“Ignore it,” said Libby, tearing into the package. “Here.” She produced one of the latex rubbers. “Put this on.”
Markos looked at it, dumbfounded.
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll do it.” She grasped his cock, relishing the feel of it. Her breath caught in her throat. She would have to concentrate to get this done right. Fitting the tip of it over his uncircumcised head, she began to unroll the rubber, all the way down his shaft.
“There.” She admired her work. “All done.”
Markos shook his head. “You humans are the strangest race.”
“Philosophize later,” she chided. “Screw now.”
Just then the alarm cut off, of its own accord. The tiny compartment was starting to move. Crap. Somebody had overridden it.
“Markos, wait.”
Too late. He had her turned again, facing the wall, the head of his cock poised at the opening to her sex lips. The elevator continued to climb, giving her at once a sense of cocoon-like protection and dangerous exposure. They would never have enough time. He didn’t understand how fast these things moved.
Markos released a deep breath as he moved masterfully into her, piercing, penetrating, just as he had promised. Libby cried out, her tiny high-pitched squeal matching the tone of the machine as it signaled the rising floors.
They were going to be there any moment. This was insane.
Markos pushed himself in to the hilt. Suddenly she didn’t care about anyone or anything in the outside world.
“Yes,” she hissed, straining backward against him so he could get even deeper. “Oh, fuck, yes.”
Markos pulled back and took her again, this time with a powerful stroke that pushed her forward. She braced herself, cheek and palms happily against the cool, metal wall of the elevator, brass shiny enough to see her reflection.
The contrast of the tiny antiseptic chamber and the primal rhythm of the fucking was a turn-on all its own. She was so wet, so open and yet so full at the same time.
Oh god, there was the chime of the elevator. “Markos,” she gasped. “This is our floor. The doors are going to be open. People will see.”
He withdrew in one smooth motion, tucking himself away. She pulled up her pants and tried to compose herself. She could only hope no one was out there in the hallway because it was going to be pretty obvious what they had been up to in here.
The doors slid back onto silent emptiness. She heaved a sigh of relief. Before she had managed to exhale, Markos had her off her feet, this time over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes.
In spite of herself, she laughed. “Put me down, you brute.”
“I’m taking no more chances,” he informed her. “On letting you escape or make excuses. We are going directly to this room you have secured for us and you are going to be made love to. Period.”
Libby’s pussy flooded afresh at his words, not to mention the implications of being so literally swept off her feet. The man was going to have her and there was nothing she could do about it. He wanted her that much…
What could be a bigger turn-on?
She did have to help with the door, however. Unable to work the key card, he gave it back to her, turning her to face the lock so she could swipe it. Once inside, he turned alpha male again.
“Markos!” she cried as he tossed her high into the air and onto the bed. “What are you doing?”
The question was rhetorical. He was preparing her for lovemaking. For the one fuck he was being allowed.
“Take off your clothes.” He stood at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips.
She scooted backward on her behind. “And if I don’t?” She decided to play with him.
“Then I will rip them from your body.”
She melted at the raw animal implications. “You would never do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want you to.”
He grinned, seeing through her calm exterior. “Liar.”
Libby licked her lips. Looking into his eyes was like falling under a spell. They were so very blue and so deep. Not Earthly at all. He had told her she was heaven, but he was the one who promised something beyond.
Somehow just being with him was changing her, challenging her to dig deep within her own fantasies. She thought about her dreams. What was it about the centaur that appealed to her? His power, his commanding presence, the archer, mightiest among the zodiac signs, surely it spoke to her soul.
The Sagittarian, strong enough to say what he desired, secure enough not to use force to get it. A creature very much like…Markos.
A yearning came from deep in her belly. What if they turned up the heat, just a little? What if the tug-of-war between them shifted to dominance and submission?
“Markos?” Her voice was a whisper, a dry crackle. Her heart thundered, she had never been more afraid in her life.
“What is it?” he said, his voice innately reassuring, letting her know it was right to ask, to trust.
“I need you to…to take control. I need to feel like…I don’t have a choice.” She couldn’t even look at him, only at her own hands.
“Libby,” he said gently.
“Yes?”
“Libby, look at me.”
She did so, moist-eyed.
“You are ashamed of what you need to ask for,” he guessed. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “It doesn’t feel…normal.”
“Normal,” he repeated, sitting on the bed beside her, “is a word that has no meaning.”
She chuckled. “Coming from a man who doesn’t even know what fuck means, that’s reassuring.”
“I do know you, though,” he said, stunning her. “And I know I am here to satisfy you.”
Tonight…he should have added tonight, for by tomorrow he must be gone.
“Markos, I have so many hang-ups, I’m not free like you, or even like other women. You would be better off without me. Ask my therapist, god, she can tell you about you about my dreams. I have this centaur, hung like a stallion, he comes to me, but I’m too messed up to even have sex. In my own frigging sex dream.”
She saw the quick flash behind his eyes. It was her turn to be concerned. “What’s wrong, Markos?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It didn’t seem like nothing.”
“You must trust me,” he said firmly, “it isn’t anything to stop us.”
Libby shook her head. “This is starting to feel wrong.”
“No,” he declared as he grabbed her shoulders. “It is not. We have to let it all fall into place.”
Her eyes widened. “What did you just say?”
“I said we must let it all fall into place. Nature will find the way.”
Libby’s heart stopped for a moment. “What did you say?”
“I said we must let it all fall into place. Nature will find the way.”
The very words from her dream. Impossible.
“No more delays,” Markos decided. “We must move forward.”
“Yes,” she sighed, no longer able to fight or even wishing to. “Yes…”
“Remove your clothing,” he said once again, this time making it an order.
Libby removed her jacket and began to unbutton her blouse. She was doing as Markos willed, she was obeying him. He watched her, his eyes drinking in her every move. She was not disappointed by the smile on his face. She did not know why he was so entranced by her, but he wasn’t faking it. Men had told her before that she was pretty, a few had called her beautiful, but it had never meant anything, she had never fully believed.
Not in them or in herself.
Her breathing was rapid as she undid her bra, shaking it forward over her shoulders. In an odd show of shyness, she held the cups over her breasts for a moment, as though he had never seen them.
“Lower your hands, Libby.”
She did so, allowing the bra to fall forward.
His smile broadened. “Now the rest.”
She removed her shoes and pants and lastly her underpants. When she was naked he had her recline on her back. “Spread your arms, over your head.”
Libby luxuriated in opening herself. She slid her hands into place, palm up. Markos brushed strands of dark hair from in front of her face. He traced a line around her lips. “I never felt emptiness,” he confessed. “Until I met you.”
“Emptiness? But why?” she wondered.
“Because I do not know you as I want to. I am not connected with you enough.”
She tried to reach for him but he restrained her, with a word.
Libby settled back down, feeling warmth throughout her body, a light tingle combined with the tiniest sparks of anticipation. “If only…” she sighed.
“If only what, Libby?”
She didn’t answer.
“If only I were real, is that what you mean?”
“You are real,” she demurred. “It’s just that…”
“You think it’s too good to be true.” He caressed her cheek, inducing another sigh.
She smiled. “You do know how to read my mind.”
“Reality is of the moment. Your world, my world, what is anyone promised?”
Libby sucked her lower lip between her teeth. She arched her back as his hand moved lower, caressing her neck, running lightly over her breasts. “Are you ready to follow more commands?” he asked.
“Please…yes.”
He stood. “You will touch yourself,” he said. “You will give yourself pleasure while I remove my clothing.”
“I…I’ve never done that in front of anyone.”
“Good. I will be the first.”
Libby placed her hand on her belly. This was going to be hard. “Tell me again,” she begged. “Tell me…I have to.”
“You do have to, Libby, unless you want a spanking.”
Her pussy spasmed. Oh god, he wouldn’t, would he? Her ass burned in wicked anticipation. How did he know she had fantasized about that, years ago when she was in college?
“I won’t tell you again, Libby. Obey me, or roll onto your stomach.”
She touched her belly. She was tempted to take the spanking.
Markos removed his jacket and shirt and took off his pants. He had no trouble with the zipper this time. Her heart stopped a moment as he pulled down his boxers. His cock stood tall and proud, the condom still on, indicting he had maintained his erection. His balls were full as before, maybe more so. She remembered his words, about how he would be hard for her all night long.
Finally she could admire the whole of his body, free of any encumbrance. While she herself would never feel comfortable enough to go naked, she could clearly see why Markos would want to. This was not a body to cover over. This was a body straight and proud, the sheer essence of masculinity, broad shoulders tapering to a perfect waist, lean lines leading the eye from torso to strong thighs and long legs.
Very strong thighs, actually. As powerful as any she had ever seen on a male. And his torso was long too, more so than average. Interesting. He really did remind her of a statue. What was it she had learned in school, about how the proportions were altered so as to be viewed from a distance?
“You are not obeying me,” said the naked man from Constellia.
The man who spoke like her dreams and had a voice that reminded her of a centaur.
“No,” she had to agree. “I am not obeying you.”
His lips thinned. Amusement shown in his eyes behind his stern tones. “The lady is looking for punishment.”
“Perhaps…”
“Turn over, Libby.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
Libby inhaled, sucking in her chest. “Yes, Sir.” She rolled herself over, pressing her breasts into the comforter. She dug her toes in, bracing herself for the unknown.
Markos made her wait, just long enough. She could hear his breathing, she knew he was close, but he was not yet touching her. The anticipation built, worse she was sure than any punishment he could deliver.
She felt the displacement as he sat beside her. “When this is over.” He laid his hand on her buttock. “You will turn back over and you will do what you were told to before.”
Libby moaned slightly as he moistened his finger, sliding it along the edges of her sex lips. He wasn’t looking to masturbate her, only to gain lubrication so he could insert a finger into her tight anal opening. No man had been there before. Ever.
He explored briefly, loosening her, relaxing her muscles. She had nearly forgotten anything more was coming. Then he removed his hand and told her what to expect. “Ten spanks,” he said. “You will count them out.”
She cried out in shock from the first. It didn’t hurt, but it did sting.
“You neglected to count,” he said. “We will start again.”
“One,” she exclaimed as he landed the second blow, warm and firm. Her flesh reverberated against his palm.
He smacked her again.
“Two,” she moaned.
“You seem to enjoy this.” He sampled her pussy with his finger gauging her wetness. “Mmm…quite tasty.”
Libby groaned. Before she could think of replying she had been spanked afresh. “Three,” she confirmed, knowing she was only inviting more.
“I will come inside your pussy, Libby. I will make you scream until you lose your voice.”
It was not a boast, it was a statement of intention, one she had no doubt he would carry out. “F-four,” she managed to say.
His words cut through her, sharp as the blows of his hand. He followed up quickly with five and six and seven before she had a chance to think. She was clawing at the comforter by now, squirming and thrusting her belly downward, almost unconsciously as if she could build up enough pressure to come, to turn the whole scene in another direction.
“Lie still,” he cautioned, making number eight extra hard.
“Nnnn…” she responded, clenching her bottom. The fire was ripping through her, a steady pouring over her nerve endings. How would she ever lie back on her behind?
He waited for her to gasp out eight and then he went for nine. After this he paused, rubbing the superheated surface of both globes. Libby clenched her teeth. At this point the light contact was as explosively stimulating as the spanks.
“One more, my sweet angel, or should I say, my lovely lady justice.”
Libby didn’t feel much like a lady or an angel. She was down and dirty, pure and nasty female flesh, wickedly punished and delightfully eroticized.
“Ten,” she exhaled. “Mother…fucking…ten.”
“Over,” said Markos.
Libby wanted a kiss, a reward for her pliancy. As she flipped over onto her inflamed backside, she reached up for his lips. But Markos stayed out of range.
“You must obey,” he said, putting her mind into its proper framework.
She nodded. “I will, Markos.” And with that she slid her hand over her hip to the apex of her thighs. The flesh was slick with her fluids. The spanking had been an aphrodisiac, much to her shame and delight.
Libby shuddered at the first touch. She closed her eyes, reveling.
“Keep your eyes open,” he said. “Keep your eyes on me.”
Markos was alongside her, his head propped up on his elbow. She turned her head to see him, just inches away. “I want to be good,” she told him. “I want to be pleasing for you.”
“You are,” he said. “You are being a good girl.”
Her belly clenched. “Markos…” She flicked her finger over her clitoris. “May I come…for you?”
“Yes,” he said. “You may come for me.”
The fingers no longer felt like her own. They were an extension of him, instruments of his will and her body responded accordingly. The climax ripped through her, like a hot knife to the soul. No true pain, but agonizing nonetheless. The first orgasm was like a storm breaking over the desert, the hot, chafed land of her spanked skin. Flashes of lightning and roaring thunder.
From there came the second orgasm, an irresistible opening, rain, pouring down over her world, bubbles of bliss, gurgling, filling every bit of the void in her soul.
But it was only the beginning. Markos had yet to stake his claim, to take his place as orchestrator. This he did now, rolling on top of her and sinking his cock inside her in a single smooth motion so natural and practiced one would think he did it a thousand times.
The fit felt perfect. All along the length of her canal, Libby squeezed to accommodate, her inner flesh molding itself, as if to make an imprint to last forever. No other cock could fill her like this. In one instant, Libby felt spoiled, for any other man, for any other sexual liaison.
She felt the beating of his heart against her chest. Her breasts were squashed, her nipples burning holes into his hard muscles. Their chests fit, too, amazingly, and so did the sound of their breathing. Everything, from the mingling of their sweat, to the complementary shading of their hair spelled match. So too, the natural stubbornness of each. The proud, indomitable spirit.
Their fingers interlaced. She locked her ankles behind him, wanting him as deep as a man could get. He stayed like this, perfectly still for a long time, offering soft kisses along her forehead and eyebrows. These had always been special spots for her and most men overlooked them. Markos was not most men.
She made a little mewling sound, shifting her hips in a gentle hint. She wanted sex, rough and fast. Markos did not immediately oblige. He continued calming her, slowing her pulse even as he tightened the invisible cords connecting her pussy to every other part of her.
The implications were clear. When he did start to move she was going to be like a wildcat. Unstoppable, not at all open to reason. The heavens could open, a thousand people could walk through that door to watch and she would not be able to stop.
“Patience, my lady.”
“Now you want me to be a lady,” she complained.
He laughed lightly, the motion making his cock swell inside her.
She uttered a mild epithet. This time he replied with action, rearing back. He showed restraint yet again, this time holding himself just an inch inside her. Desperate to keep connected, she lifted her ass.
“No, Libby.” He spoke sternly, a definite turn-on.
“Fuck…” she hissed, collapsing.
“I want to treasure this moment,” he said. “Your face as you anticipate. This is going to end so fast, you know…our whole lives will end fast.”
“In that case, what are you waiting for? We’re not getting any younger.”
Markos slammed himself down, driving her into the bed. “You asked for it.”
Libby grunted. “Fuck, yeah, I did and I want more.”
He lifted himself and did it again. “Is that what you had in mind?”
“More,” she dared him. “Or don’t you have it in you?”
Markos obliged, though she could tell he was restraining himself. A man like this could really cause her pain, but it was not in his nature. Erotic spankings, yes, and even a little painful wrestling. But he was a gentleman.
Or was it a gentleconstellian?
“Libby,” he said, his face intent and full of marvel. “This…is…it.”
He pumped her a half dozen times in rapid succession. She could have measured it by heartbeats but it felt like it went on forever as she ascended with him to the top of the icy mountain. Or was it a volcano? At any event they erupted together, his semen blasting from his cock on the sixth downstroke. Her arms were thrown about his neck. She dug her small teeth into his shoulder. She was coming too, though she could not breathe, nor could she move of her own accord. She was an extension of him, a part of the living symbiosis that was their mutual sexual fulfillment.
Such perfect timing, the rhythm, exquisite, the sharing, ideal. One woman, one man, a shared journey. She could almost feel the glue pouring out to bind them, their memories and hopes. Like they had always known each other.
And yet they hadn’t even had a real conversation. She had no clue who he was and in all likelihood he didn’t either. Libby thought glumly of those women who marry men in prison. She always thought that to be incomprehensible and here she was having feelings for a man who probably needed serious hospitalization.
Damn it, did she say she had feelings for him?
This was just sex. A one-nighter to get things out of their systems.
After removing the condom, Markos turned her to her side and slid up against her back. She felt so very comfortable like this and so completely protected. Even her sore behind felt soothed by the contact of his skin. She could sleep so well. Without dreams. Who needed them, after all, when one was getting the real thing?
Markos’ arms wrapped around her. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear.
“For what?” she marveled.
“For sharing yourself.”
She had another lump in her throat. He sensed her freezing up. “Libby, you have to tell me what’s wrong. We can’t ignore it any longer.”
“I don’t have to share everything,” she said, a little more caustically than she might have wished. “You don’t.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” he agreed. “It is true, I have not revealed everything to you. I can’t take a chance and overwhelm you, that’s all.”
Libby sat up, her fragile peace shattered.
Should have figured it wouldn’t last, right?
“Don’t give me that mumbo jumbo you can’t handle the truth stuff,” she declared. “You are not Jack Nicholson and I’m not Tom Cruise.”
As usual her brilliant barb went over his head.
“Tom who?” he asked.
She threw up her hands. “Honestly, what is the point of being so culturally savvy and ironic when you’re hanging out with Mr. Spock. And don’t ask about him, either, it’s too complex. He’s a guy with pointy ears who likes to be logical.”
“Pointed ears like an elf, you mean? Because I have known some in my day and they aren’t logical.”
Libby took both her hands in his, settling herself, Indian style. “Markos, I really like you. Not like like, but I like you as a friend. So as a friend, I need to tell you, you have to get some help.”
“Help with what?”
Here goes, she thought. The part where she wasn’t liable to get much credit for being bluntly honest. “Help with your…delusions. I know you’re into this Constellia and all but it can’t be real, you know in your heart it can’t.”
To her amazement he started to laugh, very softly, almost to himself.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking how as a child I used to be chided by my elders for telling stories about human beings. No one believes in them, you see, where I come from. Oh, we have some biped creatures that look like you, the Aquarians, the Geminis, the Virgos and the Libras, but they aren’t anything like you Earth people.”
Libby sighed heavily, despairing now of ever getting through to him. Best to cut her losses, keep from getting hurt.
“Where are you going?” he asked as she rose from the bed.
“I need to get home, tomorrow is a workday.”
“I had hoped we would have the night.”
“Thank you for the offer, Markos, but…no.”
“I have upset you,” he reasoned.
“No, you haven’t done anything.”
“Libby,” he said, affecting his tone of control. “Come back here.”
A shiver went down her spine but she didn’t react. “I can’t play that game anymore, I’m sorry.”
“In that case, I shall plead.” His eyes were soulful as he came to her. “Stay with me. Give me a chance to show you what is in my heart, what I know in my mind.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, but it’s probably not a good idea.”
His hands slipped around her waist. “Give me one chance. Please? If you are not convinced, I will leave you alone, just as you asked me before.”
Libby felt a tug at her heart at the idea of never seeing him again. She wasn’t all that keen on leaving his side now either, truth be told. “One chance,” she agreed. “And that’s it.”
He smiled broadly. “I knew I could count on you. I promise you, what you see will convince you.”
Her brain burned with curiosity. What did he intend to do? Show slides?
“So now what?” she asked.
“We go back to bed,” he said.
She took a step backward. “Oh, no, you’re not convincing me with sex. We tried that route.”
“It’s not sex.” He shook his head. “It’s something potentially even more interesting for you.”
“You’ve piqued my interest, that’s for sure.”
She watched him as he went to his pants pocket and pulled out a silver disk with very fine etchings on it.
“This is the amulet I need to help us connect in our minds. There are different words to say which would transport us physically.”
Libby was less concerned with the words, which made no sense, than with the movement of his lips, full and rich…and his eyes which promised everything. Such a paradox. The steadiest soul she had ever encountered. Tough and brave, a natural leader. He could have been any number of lawyers or cops she had known. Even a soldier.
A few moments later they were side by side in bed again, this time on their backs, holding hands, eyes focused on the plain white ceiling. “Are you ready to begin the journey?” he asked.
“Sure,” she lied. “Any time you are.”
“This will require concentration, I want you to have an open mind. And you mustn’t be frightened by anything you see.” He squeezed her hand, which felt good, even if she didn’t put much stock in what was going to happen.
“You know I would never let anything bad happen to you, Libby.”
She turned her head, delivering a quick kiss to his cheek. “I know that, Markos.”
He had her take a deep breath and close her eyes again.
“Argos gave me the words,” he told her. “It’s a spell of mind link.”
She listened as he repeated a series of nonsense syllables. Deep and guttural, but quite elegant. It did sound like a language and for the first time she began to wonder if maybe he wasn’t right.
“Velak moor-tay enamig, toras, day-ee,” said Markos. “Teran, vorel constelloram.”
He sounded so sexy, she wanted to climb up on top of him. If he wasn’t holding her hand, she could reach for his cock, make it hard again. Then she could ride him or draw him deep into her mouth, tasting and milking his Constellian goodness.
There was to be no moving on her part, though, not any time soon. For her limbs were feeling heavier with every word he was saying. His words sounded slurred, though she suspected it was her own ears. She was sinking, into some kind of abyss. He sounded far away.
Not good.
Libby opened her mouth to call out to him. No sounds registered that she could hear. She could not feel her lips or any other part of her. Okay, this wasn’t funny anymore.
“Mar—kos…help!”
Was she saying that out loud or thinking it?
She was definitely falling now, though it was in slow motion. She was in the middle of a vortex, which smelled…purple. Damn it, had he drugged her? Some kind of crazy date rape thing? But that was silly. They had already made love. She had driven to the hotel even.
Libby wasn’t sure, but it felt like she was picking up speed. She could see a little again and she was starting to feel like she had body back. There was air around her, some kind of sky, vaguely tangerine in color. She could taste it, like flowers. Stars were there, too, though it was not a night sky. Her own hand was there, vaguely in front of her face. And were those mountains underneath her, pink and yellow?
This is what I get for being with a strange man and on an empty stomach, she thought. When was the last time I ate? Not counting the granola bar I wolfed down before court this afternoon?
Yes, those were definitely mountains, Libby decided with amazing calm considering she was heading straight toward them.
Wonderful, I’m going to die in a dream. And it’s not even mine. Won’t Aggy find this hysterical.
One of the mountain peaks was directly underneath. She was going to land on it headfirst. Her hair was fluttering wildly, she heard the roar of the wind. Warmth on her skin, a cool heat that didn’t quite feel like the sun. She thought of the strange sky, the daylight stars and wished she had had time to look at them more.
She wished she had time for everything. So much yet to do. Funny, she didn’t think of her job. That would go on. If there was one regret she had it was that she didn’t get to see where things might have gone with Markos.
Libby was a heartbeat away from the precipice, beautiful and deadly when something, someone, swooped out of the air and grabbed hold of her.
Familiar arms, holding her tight, muscular arms, smooth and powerful but entirely loving. She breathed deeply of the scent. Markos’ scent. Like a forest, damp with dew, rich and pungent, mysterious and dark and deep and utterly masculine.
She clung to him tightly, smiling. She could picture her smile as she closed her eyes. If there was a model of her own happiness, if it could be captured in one image, this would be it.
At last a dream really worth repeating.
“It’s all right, Libby,” he said. “You’re just adjusting to the flow between our minds. You are inside of mine. We will be on the ground again, but you must prepare for what you will see.”
She wanted to tell him it didn’t matter, so long as they were together. She didn’t have the time, though, for at that instant, they touched down, heavily on the ground. It was a noisy landing, small booming sounds, though he did not drop her or even jostle her.
“We’re here,” she heard him say. “We are on Constellia.”
Libby opened her eyes, expecting to be back in the bed in their room. Her head was nestled against his chest. She kissed the fine layer of hair. “You should turn the air off,” she mumbled. “It’s cold.”
“Air cannot be turned,” he told her. “At least not here.”
She felt the breeze in her hair. She blinked once or twice allowing in the light, subtly pink. “I think I’m still dreaming, Markos, pinch me.”
“It’s not a dream.”
“Put me down,” she said, still cold. “I’ll take care of the air conditioner.”
Markos set her feet on a smooth surface, like glass. “Watch your step.” He clung to her hand. “It’s a little slippery when you’re not used to it.”
“Where’s the carpet?” She wriggled her toes.
Markos laughed. “It’s on Earth, where do you think?”
She looked him in the eye. “This is silly, Markos, you know we are still on—”
The words caught in her throat. She was looking at him below the waist. His legs were gone. Or rather they were…replaced.
“I know, it’s unbelievable, but this is my true form,” he told her.
Libby didn’t know what else to do but laugh. “You’re a…a centaur?”
His brow furrowed. He obviously was not expecting this reaction.
“I’m…sorry,” she sputtered. “I don’t mean to offend you…it’s just, oh god, it’s just too funny.”
Markos straightened his back. “It is a shock, I imagine.” He tapped his left front hoof. “Although I’ll admit, I had not expected this.”
She took his hand. “Oh, Markos, I’m not making fun of you, I promise.”
“The centaurs are a noble race,” he said. “I will admit, laughter is nothing I have before engendered.”
“It’s just that I’ve had this dream and it’s been about you. And now here you are. Apparently I’ve resolved it and now we don’t need to have sex anymore. I’ll wake up in the morning and…and I’ll never see you.” Tears were filling her eyes as she continued to laugh. She was sounding hysterical. Just how much of this was a dream? Had she fallen asleep at her desk this afternoon? Was that where the man who talked to horses had come from?
He frowned. “I will still be there. We will still be in bed. On Earth, I bear the disguise of a human.”
“Sure you will,” she humored. “Or maybe we’ll be in bed here and I will be a centaur. They do have girl ones, don’t they?”
“Actually no. All centaurs are formed male from the womb of the sun.”
“Please.” She held her stomach. “No more.”
“Libby, you must get hold of yourself. You must focus. Stay in control.”
“In control? That’s a good one. I just spent a hundred fifty bucks for an imaginary hotel room to have sex with an imaginary creature. What about my credit card statement next month? Is that going to be imaginary, too?”
Markos moved to hold her, but Libby resisted. He muttered a curse and looked to the sky. “Argos,” he called out to the empty air. “This is your doing. Where in the House of Aquarius are you?!”
“You don’t need to yell.”
Libby turned to see a crustacean, bright blue with silver stripes, with claws, a foot long each. The crab had green eyes, quite intelligent-looking. “I am Argos.” He extended a claw. “Doctor of Metaphysical Arts, Philosopher Extraordinaire to the court of Her Majesty, Queen Aquaria.”
“How nice to meet you, I’m Libby, soon to be patient of County General for hallucinating talking animals.”
“I assure you, we are quite real,” said the crab. “Though at the moment we are all of us meeting in mere spirit only. I regret the choice of locations. Even to imagine a place closer to the centers of power would risk detection by our enemies.”
“You regret it?” said Markos. “A fine understatement for sending this poor girl here to the Mountains of Tragedy.”
The crab clicked his left claw open and shut, producing from thin air a cloak of royal purple. “Do stop complaining and cover your latest conquest, will you?”
Markos took the cloak and put it about Libby’s shoulders. “She isn’t a conquest,” he said with surprising force.
A new voice chuckled. “You hit a nerve, Argie. I think the boy’s in love.”
“Centaurs don’t fall in love,” said Argos to the talking ram.
The ram, tall and golden-fleeced with silver horns, laughed, the sound echoing through the bright mountains. “No, not at all. Only a dozen times a week.”
“Libby, this is Dalion,” Markos introduced. “Everything he says is a lie.”
“It’s true, I’m lying right now.”
“Which means he’s telling the truth,” said Argos. “Which means…?”
“It can’t be true that everything I say is a lie,” Dalion completed with a twinkle in his eye.
They both laughed. Dalion tapped his beautiful horns against the claws of Argos in a kind of astrological high five.
Astrology…was that the common denominator. “The crab.” She pointed, one by one. “And the ram and the centaur. You’re all zodiacal signs.”
Markos and Dalion appeared not to comprehend. Argos nodded his large, plate-like body. “Indeed, on your world, that is how we are known. The same set of stars governs us all.”
Libby clutched the cloak about her body. “So what else will I be meeting?” she wondered. “I hope not any bulls or scorpions.”
They looked at each other.
“What did I say?”
“Don’t mention scorpions,” said Markos. “They are a sore point.”
“One in particular,” said Dalion. “He is a bastard among bastards. It’s his doing that Markos is on trial for his life.”
“What do you mean for his life?” asked Libby, unable to keep the worry from her voice even in a dream.
“Don’t trouble her with details right now,” said Markos. “I don’t want her overwhelmed. We are here to try and prove to her we exist, that’s all.”
“I certainly exist,” spoke up Dalion. “Although I’m not sure you could call what Argos does existing.”
“It beats banging my head against walls,” said Argos.
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Both of you, enough,” said Markos. “Can’t you see she’s upset?”
“See, Argos?” Dalion teased. “You’re upsetting Markos’ sweetheart.”
Libby flushed at the label. “I’m not upset. I would, however like the answer to a few questions.”
“Uh-oh,” groaned the red-eyed ram. “Interrogation time.”
“We will tell you what we can,” said Argos. “Just ignore him, his bark is worse than his bite.”
“First I want to know if this is a dream, a hallucination or what. I must be asleep, but this feels way too real.”
“Consider it something in between,” said Argos. “Our bodies are where we left them, but our minds have connected. As the host, I have chosen this place, on the frontier of Constellia.”
Libby reacted, hearing the name from the lips of someone other than Markos. “So there is such a world.”
“There had better be,” said Dalion. “Or there won’t be much point to my harassing Markos any longer.”
“Constellia is certainly real,” said Argos. “Though I doubt you humans will ever find it by normal means. It is not a place in space and time as you know it.”
Convenient, she thought, for hallucinations.
“Okay, leave the physics aside. Tell me how Markos got to my world. And why did he look human if he’s a centaur?”
The crab’s antennae shook in a gesture that reminded Libby of a Cancerian version of a shrug. “Magic, my dear, I have no other word for it. I sent Markos to you in a form you would find normal.”
Recognition began to dawn. “You intended to for him to find me in particular. Those dreams, were they from you?”
“Very perceptive, young lady. I was trying to accustom you to the idea of a creature such as Markos.”
“So you already knew me?” She turned to Markos. “You knew me from the dreams.”
“No, Libby,” he said somberly. “I had no dreams of you. Though I sincerely wish I had.”
“You will have them,” said Argos. “They belong to your future.”
“That makes no sense,” said Libby.
“You’re catching on. That’s how Argos operates,” quipped Dalion.
Libby shook her head. “I think I would like to go back to dreaming about screwing assistant district attorneys.”
“You may go back at any time,” said Argos. “We cannot compel you, either to stay with us now or to come to Constellia in the flesh.”
Libby decided to review just for the hell of it. “So let me get this straight, we are here now, just our minds, and I’m still a person talking to a crab and a ram. Markos is here, and he’s a centaur. But his real body, or rather his magically transformed body, is human and it’s lying in a bed with me in a hotel.”
“Basically, yes,” Argos concurred.
“I think she’s catching on,” said Dalion.
“Catching on? I don’t have a clue what I just said.”
Dalion walked up to her. He stood as high as her chest. “It doesn’t matter if you do or not,” he said, his voice full of fierce intensity. “What matters is Markos is going to be put on trial for a murder he didn’t commit. And he is going to be found guilty unless you help him.”
Libby felt raw fear for Markos, still she could not comprehend it all. “What can I do,” she exclaimed. “I’m hardly qualified to practice law among your kind. I doubt I would be ready to pass a Constellian bar exam.”
“When were you born?” asked Dalion.
“October sixteenth,” she said. “Why?”
“There you have it,” said Dalion.
“Have what?” asked Libby.
“You are a Libra,” said Argos. “That gives you the right to stand for justice in the court of Constellia.”
“Libby, you don’t have to do this,” said Markos. “I can find another way.”
“No, Markos,” said Dalion. “You haven’t any more time. Scorpos has announced that you will be tried tomorrow in absentia. You’ll be found guilty and you will never be able to return home.”
“Scorpos will have won,” said Argos. “We will have helped you escape in vain. You will live in exile, knowing your people are under the claw of a tyrant.”
“No pressure,” muttered Libby.
Markos frowned. “I am breaking the link, Argos. Libby needs to rest. This is too much for her.”
“Markos, I’ll decide for myself,” she said, though she was secretly touched at his deep concern for her.
“No argument,” said Markos. He lifted his hand. He was holding the same amulet of silver. It reflected in the pinkish light, off his smooth chest. He began to recite the words, the very ones he had used before.
Realizing she would be seeing him as human again, she did her best to memorize his centaur form. The tawny hide of his horse body, the hair healthy and shiny. His tail was slightly darker, long and bushy. It flicked back and forth when he talked. His hooves were strong and they clacked on the ground here and there as he talked.
It made sense now, much of her observations before, about his long torso and his strong thighs. He really was made to be a horse. His independent spirit, too, his adventurous, bubbly, seductive nature. That was pure Sagittarian.
How did Sagittarians fit with Libras?
A lot better if the Sagittarian wasn’t a literal horse, she thought glumly. Although she had been plenty turned on in her fantasies. She was tempted to ask him to take her for a ride. Bareback.
“Give me your hand, Libby, don’t let go,” he said, his voice brooking no opposition.
She moved to his side, almost shyly. She felt strangely subdued standing next to him. Her body felt warm and sexual. She wanted to rub herself, she wanted him to bend down and nuzzle her neck.
Markos did something even better, he lifted her onto his back.
She was thankful for the cloak to cover her bare body. Her legs were split as she settled her body into place. The surprisingly fine coat of hair on his back lightly brushed her pussy lips. Libby sighed, moving forward to wrap her arms around his chest.
“Farewell,” said Markos to Argos and Dalion. “You are the best friends a centaur could ask for.”
“Which just goes to show you,” said Dalion. “That centaurs are not a very intelligent race.”
“You will return soon?” asked Argos.
Markos did not reply. “Hold on tight,” he said to Libby.
With that they were off, Markos’ legs springing forward into a quick gallop. Libby gripped his back, delighting in the feel of him. She had no fear, even as Markos reared back, preparing to leap off the edge of a very sheer cliff made of green and black diamonds.
She had to remind herself this wasn’t real, just a space of the mind. He was getting them home and this must be the route.
Markos took off straight up. Libby closed her eyes tight, feeling the ground give way beneath her. Her stomach dropped out somewhere beneath her and her head was vanishing into the air. She felt the cool brush of air, opening her mouth she tasted something fluffy and sweet.
They were flying through something semisolid, not much thicker than foam. An edible cloud? Like cotton candy only infinitely finer. It was a treat for her empty stomach. Libby only managed two bites before it started to rain. She put out her tongue, tasting. It was a bit like lemonade, with some other fruits she couldn’t identify.
Wanting to feel it on her body, she released her arms to shake off the cloak. It was at this point she lost her grip and began to plunge downward. Straight into the mountains.
She tried to reach for Markos, but he was being sucked upward.
He was looking down, but she did not think he was hearing her final words, the last thing she wanted to say before her death.
I love you, Markos, even if I don’t know who you are.
* * * * *
Libby was falling.
Markos had to reach her before she hit the ground. But in the shock of having her fall off his back he had let go of the amulet. Stupid fool! Now he had no way to bring them out of the mind link. If she reached the mountains below, her spirit would be shattered. She had be left in a million pieces, scattered across the realm of magic.
He had to get the amulet and her both. Otherwise he could not return her spirit safely to her body. The first priority was Libby. Taking just a moment to fix the trajectory of the amulet in his mind, he dove after her. He had his arms in front of him, his legs tucked back, his tail whipping in the wind. While centaurs could not actually fly, they were capable of graceful movements in air.
Especially in matters of life and death.
Libby was below him, flailing her arms. Her nude body looked so frail and yet so very beautiful. Her dark hair floated above her in the void. He could hear the faint sounds of her voice, calling out for help.
This was all his fault. He should never have allowed her to enter into this trance. He should have let her be. Surely he could have found some other lawyer to represent him. The truth was, he had been biased from the start. Yes, he had looked in good faith for a suitable personification of Libra, but the moment he laid eyes on Libby he had decided she would be the one, whether or not she was right for the task.
He wasn’t seducing her in order to get her help, he was seducing her because he wanted her to care for him. A dangerous game for a Sagittarian. Centaurs did not settle down. They loved freely with abandon, one conquest after another.
Conquest. Such a coarse word. He wished Dalion had not used it.
Libby was only a few yards beneath him. He was going to catch her in the nick of time. Grabbing her around the waist he braced himself for impact. He took the brunt of it with his back legs, brutal compression against unforgiving stone. He winced as his front hooves touched down next. His whole body quivered, but he stayed upright.
Though his muscles screamed out he couldn’t rest. Taking a deep breath, he was off again, running to get a good flying start. He headed straight for the nearest cliff side. They were miles below where they had started. He hoped the timing was right.
Just as he reached the edge he saw the tiny glimmer in the air. The amulet! Wasting not a second he went after it. He had one chance left to catch it or else they would end up in the Sea of Ice Lava at the very bottom of the mountains.
The real sea would freeze a creature to death in seconds. He wasn’t exactly sure what would happen in this mind-created sea. In all probability they would be swallowed up, lost to consciousness forever.
Markos dropped fast off the cliff edge, trying to catch up to the amulet. He had a stroke of luck as an updraft of wind sent it wafting back upward. Markos reached out, just missing it. He had only one hand as he was using his other to try and keep the very woozy Libby in place.
The amulet did a flip and sailed past to the right. Markos strained his limbs, groaning as he made one last attempt. At first he thought he was going to miss again but then he felt the cool metal against his palm. He squeezed tight.
Success!
He screamed out the words of the spell, gasping for breath. With two syllables left they were just above the water. His front hooves touched the unspeakable cold, sending searing pain through his body. He managed the last syllable and suddenly everything went white. The water disappeared and the sky and his own body.
None of that mattered.
All he cared about was Libby.
He was still calling out her name when he woke up in the bed, covered in sweat, the amulet clutched so tightly in his hand it had left an imprint on his skin. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it didn’t matter because Libby was there, nestled beside him, her head on his chest.
Markos said a small prayer of thanks to the stars, kissing the top of her head over and over. She smelled so good, like a spring rain cleansing away all the darkness of winter. Strangely, though he had been with her now in a most satisfying way, he did not feel sated. Invariably a centaur craved to move on when he had captured a female’s mystery, but this human woman seemed to hold more charms than he had so far unlocked. What was it in her head, under those dark tousled curls that intrigued him so? What in those curves of hers made him ache for more and more?
If only he had time to find out. If only he were not committed to returning to his own world, to face certain, if unfair, judgment. He knew now that he must go back and he must go alone. It was wrong to involve others in his troubles, least of all Libby who deserved to live her life here, with her own people.
He couldn’t risk her being harmed by Scorpos or somehow getting trapped on his world. He had nearly lost her once, he wouldn’t put her at such risk again.
Markos contemplated waking her to say goodbye, but that would be too hard for them both. She would have too many questions. She might even insist on going with him.
No, better to make a clean break. He would use the amulet, say the alternate set of magic words, those which would transport his whole person back to Constellia, back to the court, where he would face the justice of the corrupt Scorpos.
“Farewell.” He blew Libby a kiss, beholding her sleeping form. “I shall never forget you as long as I live.”
Which was not going to be long once the court was through with him.
Pressing the amulet to his chest he spoke the memorized words. The world went white again, he felt the changing of his form, the vanishing of his human-self.
His human-self. He could say that now, thanks to her. Libby had taught him there was more to life than being a centaur.
A brief spark passed through him, like a string of very fine lightning…and then he was gone.