Bared Before the Gods Page 5

  At this pace, I found I could explore Mal’s strong back with my delicate fingers, feeling his muscles working as he thrust into me. There was something deliciously erotic about knowing the labor was for me, to bring us both to pleasure. I clung to that thought as I felt the pool that had started deep within my bell become a lake. As Mal plowed on, sweat glistening on our bodies, I felt that lake become an ocean.

  Mal’s pace sped up again until he was pounding into me. I could hear our wet skin slapping against each other, and if it weren’t for the euphoria coursing through me with each incredible thrust, I might have been embarrassed. But I couldn’t be bothered with such trivial things. All that mattered to me at that moment was the oceanic current in my belly, slowly rising and crashing against my insides over and over again. The waves spread throughout my body, carrying me toward ecstasy each time Mal slammed into me. I could feel his body tensing as I clutched him tightly. I felt a tide rising within me, a tsunami threatening to swallow me whole, and I couldn’t move a muscle as my body tensed as well.

  Mal released a growl, and I felt a warm flood in my canal. I realized he’d spilled his seed in me, and just like that, the tsunami crashed over me, rocking my body with blast after blast of raw, utter bliss. I could feel myself shaking against Mal, who was breathing heavily. He was still moving within me, milking himself, and I tightened my walls unintentionally, drawing a moan from him. It seemed like a good thing, so I made a quick mental note to remember that he liked that, but it was hard to focus on anything other than the vibrations rumbling through me, driving me wild with pleasure. It took many moments for it to pass, and then we just laid there with him on top of me until our breathing became even.

  It was better than anything had ever felt as a man. Aphrodite knew her business when she crafted a feminine form, apparently. I felt Mal slip out of me as my consciousness waned in the sleepy aftermath, and his arm wrapped lazily around my middle, drawing me closer. I felt happy and safe now that I was in his arms, which was a far cry from how I had been in my dream. I now found it easy to rest, and gently lulled myself off to sleep, cradled in my best friend’s embrace.

  Chapter 5

  I woke up with a pleasant sort of soreness clinging to my lower body, sending waves of earned throbbing through me. My eyelids fluttered, and I snuggled into the pleasant warmth at my back. It was solid, assuring and—

  I sat bolt upright, the covers falling from my naked form as last night came rushing back. I had been having a nightmare and…

  Craning my neck behind me, I saw Mal laying there, bare-chested and contented-looking in his slumber.

  No!

  We hadn’t! We couldn’t have… surely it was another dream. It had to have been.

  Was it?

  My fingers slipped down between my legs, and I didn’t even get over the base of my new feminine mound before the soreness and wetness confirmed what I thought.

  We definitely had.

  Mal stirred beside me, and I panicked when I saw his dark eyes opening, his long lashes sending slight shadows across his face in the summer sun. I stammered something, just noises really, and he shot me a relaxed, happy look.

  “I think I’m a bit hungry. You?”

  I couldn’t say anything. I just stared at him like he had grown another head and made a couple more unintelligible noises. He shrugged, slipping past me to put on his clothes.

  I looked away, my face flushing. It didn’t matter that Mal had just been intimate with me the night before. His nudity still made me uncomfortable. He was my brother. My best friend. Just because I was a woman now didn’t mean that he needed to be inside of me.

  And yet that was exactly where he had been only hours before, and my body throbbed at the sight of him like I wanted more. Which was ridiculous. I was going to get my old body back eventually, and it was going to muck everything up if we ever slept together again. There were some lines you didn’t cross with best friends, lest you ruin everything.

  He was soon dressed and walking off through the front door of the house, leaving me staring after him. I scrambled to put on the dress that Aphrodite had placed me into during my transformation, the only piece of feminine apparel I owned. It was a thin, sheer sort of thing with just enough material to cover my proper lady bits appropriately, but even with it on I still felt like I was in the nude.

  I sat on the bed, trying to think, but then my lower back pulsed. My hand went to it, massaging, and I wondered if it was from the vigorous bout of sex we’d had. Feeling a little lower, I realized that my posterior had indeed changed in size. Before it had been all muscle and firm skin from running and other challenges, but now it was plump with a satiny sort of skin.

  My hand glided over it, doing the seeing that my eyes couldn’t, but that stopped when one of my fingers hit a bruise, and I winced. Mal had been none too gentle when he had held me the night before.

  But I liked that. Even though I was embarrassed now, I distinctly remembered that. So, what did that mean for me?

  I didn’t know, and I certainly didn’t get an answer before Mal was back with a heaping plate of bread, cheese, and olives for us to share. We dug in in silence, quickly devouring it. For a moment it was almost easy to forget what we had done and think that we were just going about business as usual.

  “So, you got the crown,” he said suddenly, as the plate dwindled down to just a few remaining olives.

  I looked up at him sharply, my eyes going wide again. “How did you know that?”

  “It fell to the bottom of the mountain with some of…” He hesitated, his face going pale. “Your bones.”

  “My bones?” I asked. “I was struck by lightning, not turned into a skeleton.”

  “We, uh, we thought perhaps some animals got to you.”

  “Ah…” That made sense I supposed, but what a strange thing to talk about. No wonder Mal had been so torn up at my funeral. I would be traumatized if I ever founded random pieces of his body.

  “I can’t believe you did it. You really did.”

  “It wasn’t that hard,” I said nonchalantly, though privately I was pleased by his admiration. Then a strange sort of longing came over me. “Can we go see it?”

  “What?” he asked, his voice sharp.

  “The crown. I died for the stupid thing. It’d be nice to hold it.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Please?” I asked, batting my eyelashes at him. I remembered a tavern girl or two in my life had done that trick on me, and it had always made me want to give them whatever they were asking for.

  Mal released a long, heavy sigh. “Fine. But we do it now. I don’t want to be at my family’s mausoleum anywhere near dark. It gives me the creeps.”

  “They buried it with my remains?” Something in my chest made a funny sort of murmur as I processed the statement more fully. “Wait… Your family put me in their mausoleum?”

  “Of course,” he said like it was the most obvious thing. “I wasn’t going to let them spread your ashes on the river like some unknown beggar. You’re a part of all our lives.”

  “Huh,” I said. “I guess it’s selfish of me to take up two spots in your tomb.”

  He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Let’s not talk about that. This time you’re going to stick around a lot longer.”

  “If you say so,” I muttered under my breath. “But if Zeus finds me again I’m not so sure about that.”

  “That’s why I think it’s a bad idea to go see the crown. I’m sure he’s already sent one of his minions to fetch it. I wanted to burn that too, but I didn’t want the whole town to be cursed.”

  “Hey, you already said we could go.”

  “I know.” He sighed and uncurled from the bed, putting the plate aside while offering my hand. “Let’s go. The sun will be high if we leave now.”

  I nodded and let him pull me to my feet, swaying slightly. I still wasn’t quite used to my new center of balance, and the movem
ent wasn’t lost on Mal.

  “I imagine it feels pretty different being a woman,” he remarked. “You’re certainly not taking on five bandits at once now.”

  “Who says I’m not!” I objected. I hated the thought of being weak. I knew plenty of incredibly strong, wise woman.

  Okay, maybe I didn’t know them personally, but I had heard legends about them. Maybe I could be one of those women.

  “Fine. If you say so, you’re still just as lethal. Just must squishier… and prettier,” he added belatedly.

  That thought made my cheeks color, and once again the conversation petered out between us.

  We walked through town, no one giving us a second look, which I found rather strange. But why would they? I was just a woman, and he was just a man. There was nothing unusual about us. No one could tell by looking at us that I had once been a strapping young hero, cut down cruelly in my prime.

  We reached the Mausoleum in good time, and I silently entered. I was confused as to why Mal was acting so normal, as if we hadn’t just made love the other night, but I tried not to let my mind dwell on it. I was relieved, actually. It was best not to think about any of it. Not his strong hands, or the way he’d nipped at my neck, and how it had felt so good when he—

  But then I stopped myself. No. We hadn’t made love. We’d just had sex. A perfectly normal, perfectly common bodily function. A thing men and women did for fun sometimes. That was all it was, and I needed to calm down and act normal just like he was.

  Easier said than done.

  But when my eyes landed on the green crown, the cause of all my troubles, most of my other thoughts slipped away. I approached the stupid looking thing sitting atop the space that held the ashes of my old body, wondering how such a tiny little thing could have cost me my life.

  “Are you alright?” Mal asked, approaching carefully.

  I didn’t respond. My hand lifted, and my pale fingers tentatively traced the edge of the crown.

  That was a mistake.

  As soon as my fingers made contact with the first leaf, a shock went through my system, rippling outward. I stumbled back, and Mal caught me under my arms before I could fall.

  “What was that?” He asked, shock evident in his voice as he helped me upright.

  “I… I don’t know,” I answered. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

  “Right. I told you this was a bad idea.”

  “Yeah. Maybe one day I’ll start listening to you.”

  “I doubt it.”

  We headed out of the Mausoleum, his arm around my waist. Sunlight flared on my face as we stepped into the brightly-lit the graveyard, and I took a deep breath.

  “Hello there.”

  My spine stiffened, and I snapped upright. Turning around, I saw a man leaning against the family grave.

  “What brings you two here?”

  I looked the speaker over, and I instantly knew who he was. He had the same olive skin as I and the people of the town had, but his hair was a light sort of shiny copper, curled tightly to his head. He wore a fine, detailed toga, but it was really the legendary pair of winged sandals that gave him away.

  Hermes. Messenger of the gods.

  “What brings you here?” Mal replied, stepping around me to stand between us. “This is my family’s plot.”

  “Oh, is it? That’s funny. I heard they interned a young man here recently, and as far as I knew he had no one.”

  “He had me!” Mal snapped before thinking better of it. “But, uh, he’s dead now. Don’t you know you’re supposed to let the dead rest in peace?”

  “Why, of course. But that’s only if they stay dead, right?” His eyes flicked to me, and I felt the blood drain from my face. “What do you think about that, miss?” He moved too fast to be seen, and suddenly he had inserted himself between Mal and I and was peering closely into my eyes. “You look familiar. Have I seen you around?”

  I tried to puff up my chest and act like nothing was amiss. I was a terrible actor.

  “I leave offerings at the base of Mount Olympus a lot,” I said.

  “Ah, of course you have. You’re a pious woman, aren’t you?”

  He reached up, looking like he was going for my long, dark hair, but Mal’s hand caught his wrist. My eyes went wide, flicking from his straining muscles to Hermes’ cool expression. “I don’t know who you are,” he lied. “But I think you should go.”

  Hermes just shrugged and moved so fast that he was already leaning against the mausoleum before I could blink. “Don’t worry about little old me. I’m just checking up on things for someone much more important.” He winked at us, and I felt a chill run up my spine. “I’ll be seeing you two around. It was nice to meet you…” His eyes zeroed in on me, his gaze a blazing lavender that seemed to bore right through me. The gods were certainly a colorful-looking lot. “I don’t believe I caught your name.”

  “L-Lucia,” I sputtered before I could think better of it.

  “Lucia? Why, that sounds a lot like Lukas.”

  “Does it?” I murmured weakly. “I never noticed.”

  “Uh-huh, I’m sure. Well, good day to you, Lucia. I look forward to seeing you again.”

  And then he was gone, leaving me shaking.

  Aphrodite was right; I needed to hide from Zeus. Too bad I was pretty sure that I had just ruined that.

  Chapter 6

  I hummed to myself as I walked through a garden. I didn’t know where I was, but that didn’t seem to matter. All I knew was that I finally felt safe, like I had no worries–not even Zeus or my new body.

  Green parted for me, flowers bloomed under my feet, and soon I came to a babbling brook. Crystal water rushed over smooth rocks, and I knelt down to take a drink.

  As I stood, refreshing water dribbling down my chin, the creek began to crest and buck, building on itself until Aphrodite herself was standing before me.

  She was nude, just as she had been at her birth when she emerged from the sea. I gaped at her beautiful body, and she just giggled, seemingly pleased at my reaction.

  “Sorry for visiting your dreams, but with Hermes flitting about, it was too dangerous to do so in person.”

  I blinked up at her, confused. “A dream?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m sure you noticed a certain sort of peace here that doesn’t exist in your human world.”

  Oh. Right. I should have known.

  “I can’t stay long. I needed to tell you something. Zeus suspects you might have somehow returned, but I think you can make things right. You just need to return the crown to him; he may forgive you.”

  “Really?” My eyebrows rose. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

  Aphrodite shrugged. “Well, you already died. I think that’s punishment enough.”

  “Isn’t he the same god who forced someone to roll a rock up and down a mountain eternally?”

  “Ah, well yes. But that was a more nuanced situation. Besides, Zeus is a sucker for a pretty face. Bring the crown to him, and I’m sure all of this can end. Then, you can return to your male body.”

  “…if you’re sure.”

  “Honey, of course I am. I’m a goddess, after all.”

  ***

  I sat bolt upright in bed, my heart fluttering. Despite the pleasantness of my dream, I was covered in a cold sweat. I went to roll over and wake Mal, but I found that he had slid into bed with me, his arms wrapped tight around my middle as if he was afraid someone was going to try to rip me away.

  I thought that perhaps I should be angry for a moment at him inviting himself into my bed, but I wasn’t at all. I felt comforted by him there. Seeing him try to protect me from a literal god the other day had been something else, and I felt gratitude wash over me that he cared enough about me to risk his own life in that way.

  He looked so peaceful there, far less worried than he had been the entire rest of the day after we left my grave. I was reluctant to wake him up, but I had no choice. I wasn’t sure how much time we’
d have.

  “Mal!” I said, shaking his arm. “Wake up!”

  He jerked up suddenly, his fists raised to fight. “What?! What is it?”

  “We need to go back to the mausoleum.”

  He looked at me like I was crazy, which I might have been. I wasn’t sure anymore. “You want to go back there?”

  No, I thought. But I nodded anyway. “Yes. I need to get the crown, so I can return it to Zeus and grovel for forgiveness.”

  “Do you really think that’s going to work?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “Yeah. Aphrodite told me it should.”

  “What? Aphrodite? When did that happen?”

  “In my dreams. She visited me.”

  Mal shook his head and slid out of bed, clearly trying to wrap his head around everything. I didn’t blame him. Dealing with the gods was incredibly exhausting.

  Thankfully he didn’t argue with me. Instead, we rushed back to his family grave. My stomach fell as soon as I saw it, however. The outside plants had been trampled by what looked like dozens of people trying to get in at once.

  “Oh no,” I whispered.

  We ran inside, and my worst fears were confirmed.

  The crown was gone.

  “No!” I cried, dropping to my knees. “No, no, no!”

  Mal picked me up, wrapping his arms around me. I pressed my face into his chest, truly feeling like all hope was gone as I cried into his warm skin.

  “It’s alright,” he whispered into the top of my head. “Obviously it was stolen by thieves. We’ll get it back. We’ve done crazier things.”

  I sniffed, looking up at his face. He looked so handsome and strong in the morning light. “But I’m a woman now. I don’t even know if I can hold a sword anymore!”

  He smiled and cupped my face in his hand, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “Please. I know you. All you need is a weapon sized for your new body, and you’ll serve anyone their ass.”

  I smiled slightly, but it was weighed down by all the doubt inside of me. “If you say so.”