Balm of the Gods

Author's NoteThis is the first chapter in the second book of theBalm of the Godsseries, which I'm very excited to kick off here! As always, I'm thankful for the great reception to the last saga of this story and the enthusiasm many readers had for more of it, which is why I'm glad to be delivering something new -- with a lot more coming ahead!The main thing I wanted to do with this new storyline was expand what's known of Earth in this magic-inundated world. I referenced a lot of small things about Earth's hidden magical side in previous chapters, and it turned out that was what I found the most inspiration to expand on for a new story -- as well as wanting to explore different kinds of immortals and magical 'power players' who will all have their own reactions as a new god rises on the world's stage.Don't expect as much involvement from the higher realms this time; I do still eventually want to work through another saga directly involving the High Cosmos and the realms of other gods, but I think that's better saved for a little while later. I know I set up for some of that at the conclusion of the last chapter, and I definitely intend to follow through, so don't think I'm letting that go. Of course, this new story also happens to hinge on a whole other 'follow-through' with a certain character from an earlier chapter, whom you'll soon learn is much more than she seemed.Hope you enjoy, and look forward to plenty more of this story coming soon!16. Ghosts From The PastSasha was sick of her job.She leaned back in her chair, thankful it was at least one of those ergonomic models. Anything less comfy, and she probably would've just quit already by now. The hum of servers under the desk and the distant thuds of basketballs in practice courts soundtracked her mundane life day-to-day. Cutting-edge or not, the WNBA facility was still dull walls and fluorescent lighting, and when you were stuck behind a reception desk, that was pretty much all of it you saw. The team lived their badass baller lives; Sasha just got to see them come and go here and there while she twiddled her thumbs behind that desk.When she got a moment like this, free to daydream, it was hard not to think back to the day that had changed a lot.Sasha hadn't known who he was. Just a guest here to see Kaiyah McKenzie; a new squeeze, maybe, her inner gossip had theorized. Not bad-looking, either. But when he'd walked past, a scent had followed. Clean and exotic, invigorating,promising. That aroma had settled in her lungs and refused to leave. It had made him easy to talk to, easy to trust. Easy to drink in visually, too, while she ran through those little rote tasks to let him in past the desk.Not long after he'd gone upstairs, Sasha's brain, still pleasantly energized by that lingering scent, quietly suggested it might be a very good idea to check the security feeds.The feed from the weight room was grainy, but Sasha didn't need 4K to see the raw, primal power. She saw Chantae Ellis, usually so stoic and professional, bent over a rack of dumbbells, her toned legs spread as that man drove into her from behind with a kind of subtle strength that somehow matched Chantae's own athleticism. She watched Kaiyah's fiery red dreadlocks bounce wild as she rode him on a yoga mat, her muscular body glistening with sweat, her head thrown back in a silent scream.Sasha saw the three of them rearrange themselves into every configuration she could imagine, fucking like porn stars, like they were maybe evenawarethey were putting on a show. All while Sasha just sat there, mesmerized. It was the last thing she'd expected, but she'd watched the whole thing, from the moment she'd thought to drop in all the way up till the last explosive climax. She hadn't dared to touch herself then. Still too risky. Never mind that nobody else seemed to come or go past the desk through the whole crazy affair.But after her shift? Back in her tiny apartment? Her imagination, fueled by the ghost of that scent and the high-def replay in her memory, had given her one of the best nights of her lonely life.But that was weeks ago. Business as usual had resumed. The team did their thing. Sasha answered phones and signed for packages and admitted visitors who sadly smelled like nothing interesting. That day seemed like a dream. Sometimes she cursed her decision to wipe that footage, practical as it had seemed at the moment. If she could've kept a copy, she might have.Sometimes Sasha wondered if she was going crazy.Until Kaiyah and Chantae had cornered her yesterday after practice.Those knowing smiles told her everything. They knew she'd enjoyed their show. Fuck, they'd probably known all along, those lucky bitches who got to live it. But they hadn't come to threaten her with the expected 'if you ever tell, we'll pound you into the pavement' speech, which, for the record, Kaiyah McKenzie and Chantae Ellis could most definitely have backed up. They'd come with an invitation. Backstage pass, all expenses paid -- provided Sasha was interested.Was she fucking ever.Sasha's foot tapped nervously on the floor. Her shift was almost over, and she stared at the lobby door like she was waiting for the rapture. They'd be coming through there when they came to pick her up like they'd promised -- wouldn't they?She heard a sound behind her. Sasha turned in her chair. The wall behind her desk was coming alive with a hazy golden glow.As the portal opened wider -- because yeah, that was definitely a damn portal, no other word applied -- Sasha should've frozen up in terror, or run for her life, or... Never mind that. Why would she, when the familiar, intoxicating scent was pouring in through this rift in reality? She stood calmly, excitement rising, a grin spreading over her face.Kaiyah and Chantae stepped through to greet her, dressed in scandalous scraps of golden fabric that did little more than frame their magnificent bodies. They looked less like pro athletes and more like they were heading to an awards show on Mount Olympus. If that was weird -- and yeah, it most definitely was, wasn't it? -- the scent just pushed those questions aside. Not that Sasha would've complained either way. It was that kind of party, and Sasha got to go."Somebody looks overworked," Chantae remarked."Up for a vacation, honey?" Kaiyah asked with a smirk.Sasha just nodded. Her dry throat couldn't have formed a word if she'd tried."Figured you would be," said Chantae, taking one of Sasha's arms while Kaiyah slipped around to claim the other. Their skin was warm. The scent got stronger with their touch. They pulled her toward the portal. "Let's get you outta this dump."Stepping through was surreal. For a dizzying second, Sasha felt untethered, with all her senses overwhelmed -- but before any of it could become distress, her work flats touched down on marble. Sunlight poured down like warm honey, and her whole body seemed to relax in its presence. When Sasha looked around, her breath caught. She saw a huge luxury villa, flanked by courtyards and gardens, with a shimmering blue lake beyond -- all surrounded by forests that seemed impossibly green."Welcome to paradise," Kaiyah said, patting Sasha's arm.She was so beyond questioning any of this. Forget that she'd pictured coming with Kaiyah and Chantae to some ordinary party in some fancy pad, maybe with a hot tub if she got lucky. This place? This was a whole different world.Because that was literally what it was, wasn't it?"Hey, Kai, somebody's gawking," Chantae pointed out playfully. "Think she likes what she sees?"Sasha realized what she'd been staring at: not just the huge pool they were walking around on a winding path, but a trio of women getting busy on an outdoor divan beside it. She tore her eyes away, but not before her brain registered the three. A gorgeous, golden-haired girl in the middle, maybe European... but what was with that fancy headdress? Was that as much worth unpacking as the fact that two stunning Asian women were lavishing attention on her like she was a queen?"Don't mind them," said Kaiyah. "That's Kjelle. Our High Priestess. Yeah, I know how that sounds. Pim's the Thai cutie you see on the right. The other one? She's a newbie like you. Noriko." She gave Sasha's arm another reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, they're a lot of fun. We'll introduce you. Later."Sasha just nodded. Of course they would. High Priestess? Was this a cult? No; somehow that scent on the breeze convinced her that wasn't the right word. 'Court' was what she landed on instead -- and not in the basketball sense, for once, either. Like the kind that formed around royalty. Or something more. Hell; court, cult, whatever this was, Sasha absolutely, one-hundred-percent wanted to join.As they passed through the main villa's grand entryway, a dark-haired woman slid past. "Oh, you brought her!" the woman called out to Kaiyah and Chantae, smiling their way, but she was gone a second later, probably off to do some other important thing. "Have fun. Cal's looking forward to it.""Mina's one of Cal's originals," Chantae explained. "You'll love her. Kinda the 'den mother,' kinda the queen consort. Her cooking could bring you to your knees. Well, she could do that anyway, but the pasta's a bonus. Definitely stick around for dinner."Sasha kept nodding. Nothing could have fazed her now. Least of all the other name she'd picked up on. Cal. The scent on the air almost seemed to whisper it into her ear long after it was spoken.And when her two guides ushered her into a huge, open-air lounge area, her focus narrowed entirely on the one person in the room. He commanded her attention as soon as she saw him.The man in the golden robe was standing by a panoramic window. Tall and lean, with a relaxed confidence that was just plain magnetic. The scent she'd quickly grown obsessed with was strongest here, pouring off him in waves that made Sasha's head spin and her core clench with a sudden, desperate want. He turned as they approached. And his eyes laser-focused right onto Sasha's. Cool and blue and impossibly kind, they held a depth that made her want to bare her soul to him. And, well, bare a lot of other things, too.He was, of course, the same man she'd admitted into the facility all those weeks ago. He just looked a lot better here. Because this was where he belonged."Kaiyah, Chantae," he calmly greeted the athletes. But his attention stayed on Sasha. "Thanks for escorting our guest.""Thanks for lending us your portal-magic," Chantae bid him back, raising one hand and enjoying the way the borrowed golden light danced around her fingers. "Seriously. Using your power feels like getting handed the keys to a hot-rod.""Mm, and speaking of hot rods..." Kaiyah squeezed Sasha's arm. "About time you two got acquainted, don't you think?"Sasha found she could meet his stare -- not intimidated, not confounded, not even entertaining the start of a second thought. She didn't look away as he stepped closer. "Sasha, I take it?" he asked."Yeah. That's me.""I'm Cal Robbins. We've met. Once." A slow, easy smile spread across his face. Sasha's womanhood, already aching with need, flared even hotter. "A lot's happened for me since then. Of course, a lot must have happened for you, too.""A lot of boring work and a whole lot of replaying a certain security-tape moment in my head," Sasha blurted. Her cheeks burned at her own forwardness. The two pro basketball players behind her chuckled.Cal laughed, too. "Glad to hear we left a lasting impression. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you properly then. I got preoccupied. And things ran away from there. But I don't like leaving business unfinished." He stepped closer. Sasha half wanted him to pounce, and half wished he'd keep the suspense going just a little longer. "I'm not here to pressure you into anything. If you'd rather just have dinner with us, talk a while, then head home, I'll make sure that's what happens.""And if I'd prefer to get a closer look at that show I got to watch from behind my desk?"Cal smirked at that. Sasha had really just said that, but hell, if the godly man standing in front of her seemed to love it... "We can definitely arrange that, too. Kaiyah and Chantae had a lot to say about your... enthusiasm. Believe me. They've been hassling me nonstop about following up with you.""Hey, babe, no pressure," Kaiyah cut in. "But you know I'd be super disappointed if you left a big fan hanging like that.""Ditto," Chantae confirmed, her smirk just as wide. "Girl's been squirming in her panties for weeks over our little grainy sextape, while you're in here living it. Don't you think she's earned a turn? No excuses about goddesses and cosmic politics now, either. You and I both know there's always time for a pretty thing like Sasha."Cal's gaze drifted from Sasha's blushing face to the curves her work polo did little to hide. Sasha hadn't yet considered that she was in a realm of golden splendor and filigreed robes and diaphanous silks, yet still wearing the clothes she'd worn to a day at the reception desk. The mismatch made her suddenly self-conscious. But that was when Cal lifted one hand, fingers loosely curled. A warm golden light washed over her body. In the space of a breath, her drab clothes had dissolved and shifted -- and a crimson silk dress, cut daringly high on her thighs and plunging low at her bodice, now clung to her every curve. A simple gold chain circled her throat. Shoes and socks vanished last, leaving her barefoot.Sasha gasped, looking down at herself, then up at Cal with wide, wondering eyes. "How...""Magic's pretty cool, isn't it?" Kaiyah provided. "We should know.""Not bad for your first taste of it," came Chantae's own commentary. "Well, if you don't count catching that awesome scent as the first taste. But that's if we wanna get technical. I'm thinking we wanna get busy."So magic was what all of this was. That explained a lot. As for what Cal himself must have been, all Sasha had to go by was an off-hand mention of 'goddesses' and a 'High Priestess.' She could figure what that implied the existence of. Whatever he was, it was a million steps beyond human. Whatever he was, she wanted it."So," said Cal, taking her hands in his. "What do you think, Sasha?""You're really gonna make me say it, aren't you?" Sasha's laugh was a little shaky."Floor's all yours, girl," Kaiyah cheered. "Not that Tae and I won't stick around to watch. Call that returning the favor.""Fuck it," Sasha said, and she closed in for the kiss she'd been fantasizing about for weeks.Her hands slid up Cal's chest as their lips met, sliding under that loose golden robe. She opened her mouth to him, letting his tongue explore her. His warm, strong hands moved to her back, pulling her closer against him as the kiss deepened -- and he pulled her along, deeper into the lounge room.Sasha barely kept track of her motion when it felt like she was walking through a dream. She stayed aware of Kaiyah and Chantae's presence behind her as their own arousal and amusement added to the heady atmosphere. Cal guided her till their legs met the edge of a sofa, then sat like a king on his throne. Sasha knew just where her knees belonged. So she put them on the floor. Deftly, she pushed the golden robe up Cal's thighs to reveal the prize she'd been craving. His erection stood proud and ready and presented to all her senses like the most delicious thing in the world.There was no more asking questions or drawing things out. Just one last breathless gasp before she closed her lips around the head of that cock and sank down, taking him as deep as she could manage."Now, that's how you worship, honey," Kaiyah murmured somewhere behind her. Sasha heard the soft thud of two bodies landing on the couch to either side of Cal, but she didn't pay them mind. Not yet. That didn't mean she wouldn't pay them plenty of mind later. Sasha was already making plans to get her hands on those athletic bodies and thank them properly for bringing her here.But right now it was all about her and Cal and that delicious cock in her mouth.Cal made damn sure she knew she was welcome. He ran his fingers through her blonde-dyed curls; stroked her caramel-colored cheeks. She moaned around his shaft.So good.She'd never been this turned on by a blowjob in her life. She'd never been this turned on, period. The taste and scent and feel were magnificent. 'Best end to a work shift ever' was what she thought somewhere in the blissed-out back of her mind, before a different thought came unbidden, ineffably: this could just as soon be the end of a lot more than that. And the start of a long, long vacation. With a lot more of this.If she wanted.But then, who wouldn't want that?Sasha sucked harder like she'd just found her new religion, bobbing her head as she took him deep while her hands stroked what her mouth couldn't cover. She could hear Kaiyah and Chantae's murmured praise and soft kisses as they made out with their god -- yeah, that was what he was; why deny it? -- their hands roaming over each other's bodies as much as over Cal's. Sasha loved the intimacy and the sharing and the open lewdness and the freedom to feel like a total slut and a goddess at the same goddamn time.She wassogonna take that vacation."Fuck, Sasha," Cal groaned out, pulling her up for a hungry kiss. "You were worth the wait.""You're telling me," she breathlessly replied as he guided her onto his lap. She straddled him, one knee on the plush velvet of the couch on either side of his thighs. Her dress slid away with another sweep of sensual magic, leaving her bare to him -- just as bare as Kaiyah and Chantae, whose golden garments had long since vanished. Three sets of hands worked together to line her up. A kiss of that cock on her dripping-wet entrance made her gasp. Then Sasha sank, and her world dissolved into a cascade of sensations.His hands on her hips guided her into a steady, rocking rhythm. Sasha just held on for the ride. Her head lolled back. Every pleasured gasp drew in more of that intoxicating scent and lit up her body all the more. Kaiyah's hands fondled her breasts. Chantae's teeth nipped at her shoulder. They were all in this together. Of course they were.Sasha's climax came on like a flash flood. She arched her back and screamed through every cathartic convulsion. Cal held her tight, fucking up into her as she rode out the storm. He didn't stop fucking her even after her orgasm passed, not letting her down from the plateau of pleasure she'd reached. All she could do was hang on to the two athletes who held her from both sides like loyal bodyguards and worshipful lovers. A second orgasm didn't take long to come crashing in. Then a third.Cal finally lost control with a deep groan. Divine seed shot forth, and oh fuck it felt good, getting filled up with that. Something about the sensation spread out from Sasha, too, somehow, and set off Kaiyah and Chantae -- was Sasha gonna question that? Not a chance. Both cried out their own pleasure as the shared, godly ecstasy chained them together in a knot of bliss.For a while they stayed tangled together on that sofa, but it didn't feel like an afterglow, because 'after' would've implied 'done.' An intermission, maybe. If this was like that footage Sasha had seen? It was going to go a lot longer. She was up for that. And for doing this all over again after dinner, and again the next morning. Fuck, maybe forever, if she could get away with it.Wasn't that how this place worked?"I can think of a lot of others who are gonna love meeting you," he told her softly as he stroked her hair. "That is... if you'd like to stay a while?"Sasha just gave him a slow, satiated grin. "Don't worry, loverboy. You're not getting rid of me that easy. Vacation's just started, right?"