Balm of the Gods

Author's Note:

Get ready for a long one! Don't worry; what happens here is big, important for the story (if you read the last chapter, you'll know why), and hardly lacking in the indulgent sexytimes you know you're here for. Hope you'll enjoy what's felt like a big crux of this story as I wrote it, and a big turning point for things going forward!

9. Godly Convergence

There was something off about Mina's condo tonight, but Cal only barely paid heed to that. Eagerness for Mina's body kept the thought from fully forming. The heat of her kisses and the press of her flesh were more-than-adequate diversions.

She was always so beautiful. She always knew what he craved. Even after a long, fun day and an evening he'd never forget -- the party at Jesse's, his time with Amanda and Jody, his burning promise with Kayden -- he didn't feel tired and still had plenty to give. That was his godly magic's gift. It made his lust endless. His desire insatiable. And as for Mina, she'd been in the mood from the second she'd picked him up from that party.

Now they were tangled in each other's arms, rolling across her bed, hands searching, mouths devouring one another. Cal's scent, undiminished even after every exertion of the day, intoxicated Mina, leaving her wet and wanting, her pussy begging to take his length. Everything about her was familiar by now, in the best way. Her curves, her cues, her desires. She was a constant in his life, and he adored that. He could never have too much of her.

Only something wasn't right here.

The thought returned, stronger suddenly, as his hands paused on Mina's hips and his tongue broke away from hers. Something was different. Not Mina. Not the moment. Something he couldn't quite place -- but it was there, and his senses, magic-heightened, could feel it. Like an itch at the back of his head. It was reacting to his magic, resonating with it, as though it were connected somehow. Though that hardly shed any light on what the problem was, Cal understood it implicitly.

Mina noticed the pause, his hesitation. Even then, her body still thrummed with need, but she held off. "What's up, babe?" she asked. "Everything okay?"

Cal blinked. He wondered how to tell her. "Do you feel that?" he asked. "Something's here. Something that doesn't belong."

A hint of fear crept into Mina's eyes. "Something bad?"

"Not sure." Cal kissed her again, softly this time, reassuringly. "Just a feeling. I'd better check around the place. I'll be quick. Stay here, okay?"

Mina nodded. "Please be safe."

Cal slid off the bed, and for a moment he just stood there, eyes closed, breathing. He tried to let his senses guide him. Something was here. Maybe not something dangerous, per se, but something that wasn't meant to be here. He frowned. The feeling was strange. His magic had never reacted like this before. His skin prickled, the coating of golden balm reacting to the presence that didn't belong. And it was coming from --

His eyes snapped open. He knew now.

Turning on his heel, Cal looked at the bathroom door, hanging ajar.

Mina, sitting up, called after him. "Cal?" But Cal didn't pause. His mind had already gone to a place of terrible, sinking fear. A fear he'd felt before. Maybe the one fear someone in his position would be justified in having: that the magic body wash that enabled his whole new life could vanish as quickly as it had come. That someone else could discover it, track it, and steal it.

And that this was happening right now.

A brimming dread seized him. He'd been careless. He never should have let the soap out of his sight. He had to get it back before it was gone -- the whole foundation of his happiness, his relationships, his future. If he lost that soap, it was all over. Determination rose in his chest as he rushed through the bathroom door.

And his eyes locked onto a pair of golden ones, wide and terrified.

***

***

There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. He'd sensed her. Because of course he had. He had magic meant for gods. And Kjelle was just a clumsy, stupid courier who'd already fucked up bad enough. Now, as his footsteps closed in, she felt close to panic. Her mind screamed at her to do something. Flee? Fight? Anything! But what? She was stuck, with that bottle of golden balm still clutched in her hands.

The door swung open.

They stared at one another. Lower Realms man and High Cosmos messenger. Finally, after all this time, their paths had converged. And Kjelle wondered if she might faint, or worse.

She'd seen him in dreams. It wasn't like she hadn't known what to expect. He was just the same in the physical world: a young man, lean and handsome, his ruffled brown hair hanging loosely around his face, his blue-gray eyes full of surprise and concern. He was... hot.

Oh, fuck, she thought. Not the right thought to have, but it was the one that came. Then Kjelle breathed in. Uh-oh. He was coated in the elixir, from head to toe. But she'd known he would be, even before her body began to respond. Her knees got weak. Her heart thumped. Her nethers throbbed.

"Hey." He stayed calm as he spoke, but his assertiveness was clear in his tone and posture. "What are you doing here with that?"

"I..." Kjelle gulped. Her mouth felt dry. "I'm..."

"I don't know who you are," he continued, his voice steady and serious, "or how you found your way in here. But that's mine. You need to give it back." And he stepped closer.

Nothing Kjelle was going to say could get her out of this. Words were failing, anyway. In a sudden moment of pure freak-out instinct, Kjelle fell back on action -- and she lunged at the man with a scream.

"What the fuck?" His eyes widened, but his own reflexes kicked in. He caught her with ease, hands grabbing her shoulders, holding her tight. "Hey! Stop!"

Kjelle struggled, trying to break free. But he was stronger than he looked -- and that sensory aura put her at a disadvantage in the most compromising way. He held her fast, pushing with just enough force to pin her to the wall.

"Give that back," the man demanded.

Kjelle's knee came up against his gut. He grunted in pain, and for a second, his grip loosened. She slipped free, bolting for the door, hurrying out into the bedroom. She had to get out of here. She had to escape. She had to --

"No you don't." A dark-haired woman stepped out in front of her, blocking the door out into the hallway. Mina. Kjelle reeled so hard to stop her own momentum that she actually lost her footing, tumbling to the floor with a squeal.

The man was back a moment later, squatting in front of her as she desperately tried to rise. His gaze pierced her. Froze her.

"Stop it," he snapped. "No way out."

Kjelle knew he was right. One arm still clutched the precious bottle whose contents made the man in front of her harder to deny by the second. Amid the great need to flee, different urges were already rising fast. Intrusive thoughts that told her perhaps it was better not to flee. Better to give in... Oh, Great Cosmos, it was getting hard to think.

"Cal, who's that?" The woman's voice -- Mina's -- sounded from behind the man, and Kjelle saw her again out of the corner of her eye, hurrying from the doorway to join them. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," the man -- Cal -- replied. "She was in the bathroom. She's got the soap. She was trying to take it."

"Shit. She must have gotten in while I was out. But how did she... I shouldn't have left it alone. I'm so sorry, babe." Mina dropped to her knees, looking at Kjelle in some mixture of confusion and concern. "Who are you? Why were you trying to steal from us?"

"I'm sorry," Kjelle blurted. She wasn't struggling, wasn't fighting -- but her eyes were still darting to and fro, her body still twitching as if still looking for some opening to run off again. That made her apology less convincing. Cal glanced between the golden-haired intruder and Mina, looking uncertain. He didn't judge her as any real threat, but he wasn't about to let his guard down, either.

"I need it," Kjelle continued, keeping the bottle held tight. "I'm sorry, but I need to take it. It's too important. I'm... supposed to deliver it. It wasn't meant for you."

Cal's eyes narrowed. "What the hell does that mean?"

Kjelle's lips parted, but she didn't know what to say. How could she explain this? How could she explain anything? Should she even explain, or was the truth just going to make everything worse?

"Who sent you? Who do you work for?" His questions continued, each one hammering into her.

Kjelle bit her lip. "I can't... I shouldn't say. Please, just let me --"

"Why shouldn't you?" Mina demanded, her voice sharp. "Doesn't look like you're in any position to keep secrets. You're not going anywhere until we know what's going on."

"Please," Kjelle repeated in a small voice. But she was beaten, and she knew it. And... Goddesses damn it, that scent. She was losing control with every breath. Her body was heating up to the point of ache. Cal's gaze alone sent shivers through her. How much longer before it turned impossible for Kjelle to resist?

"Answer us," Cal insisted. "Who are you?"

And then Kjelle swore she saw something change in his face. A certain way his eyes widened and lit up. Like he recognized her.

***

***

Everything rushed back to Cal. Last night's dream. The face he'd seen in it, watching, perhaps planning. Through all the adrenaline and the shock of the struggle, he'd failed to notice the obvious: the would-be thief frozen before him was the same person he'd seen in that dream. The girl with the golden hair and the golden eyes. The voyeur who'd watched him with a face full of curiosity and desire.

He'd wondered how soon he might meet her. Now here she was.

"You were in my dream," Cal said, staring at her. "You were watching me. I saw you."

Kjelle's eyes widened. "I... I..."

"I know it was you. Don't deny it. You were planning this, weren't you? I should have known you'd be coming for me. For that." He nodded towards the bottle still clutched in her hand. "But I didn't think it would be so soon. Who are you, really?"

The golden-haired girl bit her lip. "I don't mean you any harm. I never did. I was only trying to find out where this was." She clutched the glass bottle tighter. "Please trust me. I just have a job to do. And if this... elixir doesn't get to its intended recipient? There's no telling what could happen. To you. To this whole world. Please."

Cal backed off a little. Maybe it was against his better judgment. But the girl didn't look like she would strike or bolt. Her eyes were wide and pleading. At first, anger and disbelief had driven him when he'd seen her with his magic balm. Now? If he was honest, he was starting to feel bad for her. She seemed scared. She seemed desperate. And, he had to admit, she was pretty.Beautiful,even. Like a fairy-tale princess. Her golden eyes searched him, maybe trying to read him, and the look in them made his chest tighten.

He helped her to her feet. She accepted his hand, standing slowly. The two of them stood there for a moment, facing one another, sizing each other up. Mina looked on with wary eyes, ready to step in if the stranger tried anything. But it didn't seem she would. Cal eyed the golden-haired girl for a moment longer before acting in a flash, taking the bottle of golden balm from her hand. She let it go, not resisting.

"You seem to know about this stuff," Cal told her, gesturing to the bottle. "More than I do. What can you tell me about it?"

It was an honest question. Amid all his fun and enjoyment, he'd wondered if the magic soap had some greater significance. Even suspected others besides him might be after it. But he'd never had a way to confirm anything. What if this intruder was right? What if keeping the golden body wash put him and his lovers in danger?

The golden-haired girl looked nervous. "I'm still not sure if I should..."

"Tell us," Mina cut in. She stepped forward. "You broke into my condo to get to it. You tried to steal it, and you clearly know something about it that we don't. Now you're asking us to give it up to some... client of yours that you won't even name? Not happening. Not unless you explain everything. Where this came from. Who you were taking it to. Why they want it. And what's going to happen if we don't give it up."

Cal laid a hand on Mina's shoulder, almost as a warning to ease off. He hadn't expected her to slip so readily into the 'bad cop' role. "It's okay," he said, looking at the golden-haired girl. "We won't hurt you. I promise. We're not bad people. Just please tell us what you know. I think we'd all be better off if you did."

The girl swallowed hard. She glanced at the bottle in Cal's hand. Her expression was one of uncertainty, but also resignation.

"Okay. I'll tell you. But I'm not sure how much you'll believe. Promise you'll keep this between us, too -- can you? And that you'll consider everything I have to say very, very seriously."

Cal hesitated a second, but nodded. "We promise." Mina echoed him.

The girl took a deep breath. "All right. My name is Kjelle. And I'm from another world called the High Cosmos."

Cal shared a glance with Mina.High Cosmos. The name puzzled them both, yet Cal felt a magical tingle -- as if the name resonated with the balm on his skin. Inwardly, instinctively, he found himself drawing an association between the name and the dreams that had visited him since he discovered the magic soap. That realm of gold and splendor that each vision had seemed to take place in, where he felt more like a god than a mortal, and each woman present, whether real or imagined, fell right into the role of an eager worshipper.

"Another world?" he asked. "You're talking, like... an alien planet?"

Kjelle shook her head. "Far more than one planet. The High Cosmos is another plane of existence. A whole collection of realms and spheres and universes, where everything's... beautiful, and organized, and... well, everything your world isn't. There's magic. There's power. There are things you can't possibly imagine. But the Low Ones -- you people here -- you don't know about it. Most of you don't, anyway. You're not supposed to. It's not your place to know. You're not ready. Anyone where I'm from would agree on that."

"Low Ones?" Mina repeated, her voice sharp. "Not exactly a flattering name."

"I didn't mean to offend," Kjelle insisted. "That's just the term we use. Your world is the Lower Realms to us. It's not a judgment. Just a fact. The High Cosmos is where I'm from, where that bottle of elixir was made, and where it was meant to be delivered." She nodded toward the bottle in Cal's hand. "I was just the courier. My job was to deliver it to someone... powerful. Someone who's still waiting on it. And might act rashly if it doesn't arrive."

Cal frowned. Kjelle was clearly afraid of this client of hers, whoever it was. "Who's waiting on it?"

Kjelle swallowed before she answered, as if scared even to speak the name. "Nymphadottir. A deity whose domain is in Universe Twenty-Three. Major Goddess of Attraction and Infatuation." She didn't miss the way Cal's lips twitched at the long string of names and titles, as if he found it amusing. "Don't laugh. She's not the sort to cross. She's... not exactly known for her patience. A Goddess like her can be very, very dangerous when she's pissed off. And she wants this elixir. Badly. It's an alchemical creation meant to make her even more powerful than she is now. And if she finds out you have it? You're in trouble."

Cal let that sink in. A Goddess. Universe Twenty-Three. The names and terms were like something out of a fantasy novel or a video game. But the fear in Kjelle's eyes was real. And he'd already seen enough magic firsthand to believe all this could be real, too. "Let me get it straight, then. You were supposed to deliver this... elixir to this... Nymph-whatever. This Goddess. But it ended up on Earth?"

"I got careless." Kjelle blushed hard, receding into herself with shame. "I was portal-jumping my way along. There was a hyperspace bus, and... fuck, that's not important. The bottle fell through a dimensional rift and landed here. In the Lower Realms. I've been through hell and back trying to find it. Now, here it is. And here you are with it."

Mina's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And you're sure about all this?" she asked. "The Goddess won't come after us, or send anyone after us, if we give up the elixir and let you take it away?"

"I... don't even know if I can guarantee that." Kjelle looked even more nervous now. "You've clearly been using it a lot down here. Nymphadottir might take offense that a Low One spoiled her present by dipping into it and using it on a bunch of... Earth women. That alone -- what you've already done -- might be grounds for her to incinerate you. Or worse." The golden-haired courier shuddered, and Cal didn't like the look of it. "I don't know what she'll do if she finds out. She's a powerful deity. And a vain, jealous one. And she's just one side of the equation. The alchemist who made this stuff? She's here too, trying to get it back before even I can. Probably trying to cover her own ass from Nymphadottir's wrath. I just happened to beat her to you. That's lucky for you, because you'd have had a worse time up against her. That's not even to mention -- there's even someone fromyour realmwho's been after me for a while."

Cal and Mina both blinked. "Someone from Earth?"

"I don't know her name," Kjelle explained. "But she works for some... agency, I think. She's a human, but she's aware of the High Cosmos. Or at least of me. She's smart. Relentless. I've stayed ahead of her, but I'm not sure how long I can. And I don't think she'd like learning about you and the elixir, either. Your realm must have some... policy against magic. Anything from outside your universe gets marked as a threat. And this agent? Whoever she works for? They're the clean-up crew. That they haven't noticed you and come for you is a miracle."

"Fuck," Cal muttered. He looked at the bottle in his hand. "This is a lot to process."

"I know," Kjelle replied hastily. "But it's all true."

Mina's brow furrowed. "Let's make sure we've got this straight. According to you, our options are either to keep the soap, keep living our newfound life of magic and power, and be on the hook for an alchemist, a jealous goddess, and a secret agency -- or to give it up to you. Then we go back to the way things were before. No more magic. No more... everything. And the goddess might still come after us anyway?"

Cal picked right up where Mina's thoughts left off. "Seems like it's better for me to hold onto it, then. Besides --" He felt a reassuring tingle of power as it spread over his skin. "It's bonded to me now."

Kjelle's mouth fell open. "Bonded?"

"That's the word, I think." Magic bolstered Cal's confidence. "I think no one else can use it to its full effects now, because I used it first. Maybe not even a goddess. The first user gets all the perks, forever. At least, that's how the dreams have explained it. And that's definitely how it's worked so far." The shift of the power dynamic felt palpable as he stared down the golden-haired courier who'd been trying to intimidate him a moment ago. Now Kjelle shrank back. "The only way someone else can get even the smallest use out of this soap now is if they're bonded in turn to me. And that's not even the full power. It's a way of sharing it, not giving it up."

Kjelle felt her face redden. She knew what he meant by 'bonding,' and the thought of that made her feel hot and dizzy.Oh, fuck, that scent.She'd been trying to ignore it, but it hadn't gone anywhere, even as they'd talked so seriously. It was still in the air, and on his skin, and in every breath she took. And now, as he spoke, her thoughts were drawn back to his body, and the things he could do to her. Everything she'd seen in his dreams came back to the front of her mind again.