Lust in the City of the Dead

Her panicked mind raced. "My parents...I am supposed to abed already. Please."

He nodded with a knowing smile. "My sister should be dancing all night, if I know her. We can go to my tent." He walked her there and peeled back the flap.

She'd been holding her breath but her maid and his valet had turned down their beds and lowered the canvas flap between their "rooms." They were alone when he set her on his bed gently, pulling his cloak from her shoulders to the floor.

"Wait here."

He left and she knew he was walking to the mess tent to get ice from the ice box. Looking around, she took in his area with fresh eyes. He used his steamer trunks as armoires, turned on their sides. A small table by the bed held a lamp that burned low with a kerosene flame and a picture of their parents.

With great guilt she turned it away and glanced to the photo on the trunk. It was her, taken just the year before. She was posing with a complete skeleton she had unearthed of a woman, one of the few they had found at the site. She was smiling into the sun, her hair slipping from its bun, a few strands across her face.

Jonas had taken it with his new camera, a birthday gift she had given him for his seventeenth birthday. He'd spent the summer with her before going off to NYU, coming back a little bit taller, a little bit more filled out, and a lot more handsome.

"Here we go," he said, entering the tent. He secured the flap behind him and brought the bundle over, proving to be ice wrapped in a thick dishrag. He knelt by the bed and pushed her pant leg up, pressing the ice.

"Ouch!"

"I'm sorry, does it still hurt?"

She nodded, unable to speak with the feel of his hand on her flesh. Her eyes flickered down to the contact and his followed. Boldly Jonas stroked her skin. "Sometimes a massage can make it feel better."

Again she nodded and lay back, breathless. How wicked to keep up this deception with her own brother! But curiosity was winning over shame, and she was ever curious. That sense of adventure, the need to explore, to push boundaries, is what led her into her field. While most women her age lamented the lack of a husband she was gathering evidence to publish papers.

Now she had found a final frontier, a new, terrifyingly beautiful world to explore.

He lifted her legs and sat on the wide cot, setting them in his lap. He braced the ice pack between his thigh and her ankle, and gently began massaging it.

His hands felt good, strong. She couldn't help but moan, and felt his sure strokes falter for a moment. God, she had to remember how shy he was, sheltered. Back in New York he lived with their Great Uncle who been old since the Stone Age. Most kids would have used it as an excuse to run wild and free, but Jonas had always been a good boy. He was forever studying at home or in school, or out sporting with his friends but back by curfew to paint. As far as she knew, this could very well be the first time he touched a girl.

"Does that feel good?" he asked softly.

His massaging had returned, almost caressing her leg now, pushing her gauzy pants higher. "Oh, yes."

"I wish I could see your face," he murmured.

She felt herself stiffen. "Tonight, we keep our masks." The accent was getting harder to hold but she had to, for this madness to continue. She was actually considering the best way to seduce her own brother!

Her head swam with the absinthe and Nelson's Blood, and she couldn't make up her mind. Normally with men she was confident and bold, if reserved at times. With Jonas she felt almost shy.

His hands worked up to her thigh and she gasped, moaning softly. Behind the mask his bright eyes sharpened. "You feel so soft."

Trembling Susan could only sigh as both his hands began to stroke the soft, pale flesh of her thigh. Outside in the distance laughter came from the workers huddled over a fire and she became aware of the band in the grand tent striking up a jazzy tune.

It was a night for magic, a night to be away from reality. Ghosts walked among them and witches were surely casting spells, why couldn't she? Boldly she reached down and grabbed his gloved hand, bringing it to rest between her legs. She moaned and raised her head, meeting his eyes.

"I know that you are beautiful, but I wish I could see more of your face."

She sat up and peeled the vest off, stroking her hands down over her small breasts and firm stomach. "There is so much else to see."

She pulled the buttons on the side of her top and pulled it off, baring her breasts proudly. A small tremor passed through him and Jonas licked his lips. "Come here," she whispered, enticing him by stroking her hands across her hard nipples.

When he draped over her, his face close, she brought his gloved hands to her breasts. Cautiously he gripped them, but at her little moans he was encouraged and grew bolder. Massaging still he discovered he loved how her breath hitched when he gently rolled her nipples between his fingers.

Her breath was hot on his face and he shifted, slightly embarrassed by his erection pressing into her. "Why?"

"Why not?" she asked in return. "I desire you, you desire me, and this is a night for madness made real."

She kissed him. His lips were soft and firm, and at first he kept them pressed together. Clutching his arms now she licked the seam of his lips and he figured out what to do, opening. He shivered delightfully when she slid her tongue in, showing him the basics.

It didn't take long until it changed and Jonas had taken command of the kiss. With shock Susan realized his hands had kept moving, drawing shivers and shooting heat through her. She let her hand trail down his arm, over his hip, and then settled it on his cock.

He groaned and his hips pumped reflexively. God, he felt huge, and so hard. She stroked, gripping it firmly, and his tremors delighted her. There was no question now that she knew he had never known physical love. Who better to show him than the one who loved him best?

He changed the angle of the kiss, guided by ancient instinct, and it was now Susan who shivered.

"Take your gloves off," she whispered against his lips. The image of him naked in the bath, those strong hands, it just wouldn't leave her mind.

Pulling back he did, his eyes unable to meet hers. Once bare handed he reached again for her breasts. The thrill was ice and fire. At last, those hands...and they felt better than she had imagined. He pressed her back into his pillows and she luxuriated in his touch. Drawing her arms above her head she arched her back, wordlessly begging for more.

Jonas bent and his mouth replaced a hand. Shifting on the bed, he lowered his hand to the waistband of her pants. Moisture rushed. This was so forbidden yet it felt so right. She threaded her hands into his hair, knocking his hat back. The bright blonde tresses glowed in the lamplight.

The sight of him bent over her, dressed so darkly, her own brother touching her intimately made her cry out with need. He looked so large, so masculine, her little brother all grown up. He murmured in response on her beast, pulling at her nipple pressed between his teeth and tongue. His other hand gripped her pants, pushing the cloth belt down.

Her heart pounded and for a moment she was the one without surety. Her lust swelled and she trembled as if this were the first time a man had touched her. Indeed it felt as such.

He fumbled slightly but worked his hand under and found her bare. He stroked at her damp curls as if fascinated and her hips urged him lower. His hand stroked all around, memorizing the soft lines of her body. Susan felt hotter and wetter than she could ever recall and then a finger parted her folds. When he found the little nubbin she cried out, a broken sound.

"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting his head.

"Y-yes, please, don't stop." She'd lost her accent, lost the ability to pretend any longer.

"How do you wish to be touched?" His voice was gentle, inquisitive.

"S-softly. Y-yes! Just like that!"

Two of his fingertips now trailed lightly over that nubbin and she found herself shivering.

"I read a book," he said, "a most scandalous one. It showed men and women and all manner of things to do."

"I would show you them all," she husked out, promise and surrender in one.

Awkwardly he shifted his hand and she felt two thick fingers slide inside her. Susan reached out and clutched his head, bringing Jonas to her for another kiss. At first he tried to move his hand rapidly but at her cry of "Slow!" he did as bade.

She reached down pushed the pants down her legs. He removed his hand to help her and when she was naked she guided his hand back. He slid in easily, the path cleared by her flowing juices. At her urging his thumb rested on the nubbin and he began to move slowly, gently.

She was so powerfully aroused that all it took was his gentle kiss and she peaked. Shaking with it she clutched at his shirt and cried out his name into his mouth, completely unaware of herself. He kept moving through it, moaning himself until it passed.

"That was amazing," he whispered, his eyes close to hers, the same green she always saw in the mirror.

"Let me show you," she said, and pushed at his chest.

Jonas stood and held out his hand to help her stand. Once she found her feet he pulled her to him and she gasped. She had not truly noticed how much he had grown, easily as tall as their father now. He looked down at her and let his hands cup her ass, kneading the cheeks.

"Does your ankle still hurt?"

"It will feel better if you lie down. Take off your shirt." She went up onto the toes of her uninjured foot and nipped at his lips, sucking on it firmly.

Rubbing against him like a cat she felt him harden even more. Confident now she helped him with the buttons of his shirt. When his shirt opened, baring his body, she left him to shrug out of it, captured as she was by Jonas' body. He was strong and tanned, his skin smooth, only the barest sprinkling of hair covered the defined muscles.

"You're beautiful," she said reverently. He chuckled but shivered as she brushed her own fingers across his nipples. "Sit."

He did as she bade and sat on the cot. Susan sank to her knees and spread his legs wide. Settling between them she looked up at him, winking through the red lace mask as she unbuttoned his pants.

His cock sprang out and new moisture rushed between her legs. It was just as it had felt beneath his pants, thick and smooth, hard as rock. He was frozen, gripping the metal frame of the bed, his breath held as her hands found his staff and gripped it firmly.

"Oh, god," he whispered reverently.

Stroking his cock, she leaned and licked the tip, pulling the moisture leaking from him onto her tongue. Jonas gasped and his hands came to rest on the gauzy lace restraining her hair. His hips twitched as she covered the tip with her entire mouth, teasing him.

"Please," he whispered tenderly.

It was that that spurred her on, the care and consideration that was always present in her brother, a defining characteristic that endeared him to one and all. She wanted to show him pleasure, to give him this gift, and so she engulfed his cock, taking as much as she could. What she couldn't swallow she covered with her hand. Susan began to move, sucking him, sliding her tongue along his shaft, teasing the head. Before she could even work a hand into his pants to cup his balls he sweetly built up, nearly shouting, and filled her mouth.

Susan moaned, delighting in his pleasure as he came, spurting hot cum down her throat. She swallowed it all and when the spasms passed she lifted her mouth. His head was thrown back, his throat working as if searching for words. His chest heaved with breath, covered with a light sheen of sweat.

God bless youth, she thought. Soon he would be hard again and they could cross that line from which there was no return. Did she tell him? Would he turn from her in horror, push away despite the depth of the love between then, expanded now into something beautiful with this new dimension?

He did not speak but pulled her up and shifted them to lay on the cot. He held her, pressed her to his chest, her face buried in his neck. She smelled the shaving cream his valet mixed up, the oil in it local and smoky. The night was so exotic already. The wondrous holiday where the rules of normal behavior fell to the wayside had spurred her to the realization of just how much she loved her brother.

It was time.

"Jonas," she said simply and sat up. First she peeled off the layers of cloth from her hair, letting the golden waves fall to frame her face. Then she untied the mask, eyes closed, held her breath and finally looked at him.

"My sweetest Susan, did you think I didn't know?"

She was shocked to her core and pliantly let him pull her into a kiss. Pulling back he reached up and removed his mask. She cupped his cheek, admiring the beauty of his face, the youth, the virility he so easily possessed. "Why?"

"Last summer I- I can't explain it. I saw you not as my sister, but as a woman. A beautiful headstrong woman. All the workers watch you, most of the archeologists too, and you never even notice. But when you looked at me, I saw the love there, shining in your eyes.

"I was so happy when I came back and I had finally grown into a man. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to see me as a man, see me for who I am. To see the desire I've so long felt for you. There has been no one else, not even the girls at school. I have waited for you for so long."

"I fought it," she murmured and let her fingertips dance over his chest. "But slowly it dawned on me. All those times I walked in on you in the bath. You looked like one of your paintings, like a pharaoh from a relief. But it wasn't until tonight, the one night of the year we aren't ourselves and anything is possible, that I dared."

"So this is the desire that was discussed in the séance," he teased.

"Yes. That was the moment I finally realized it."

"I'm glad you did." He kissed her again and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. Now that everything was in the open she wanted everything he had to give, to give him all she had.

His hands smoothed over her skin and glided back down to stroke her pussy, teasing her. He tugged her nether curls, teasing, and drew out more moisture. Reaching down as well Susan found his penis hardening. As she gripped him and stroked, his fingers cleverly followed the steps of the dance she had shown him. Quickly she was gasping, climbing towards another peak.

She stopped him, pushing his hands away. "Let me show you."

He looked puzzled but helped her remove his pants and shoes until he was naked. Susan rolled him to his back and climbed astride him. She took a moment to loving stroke his arms, his shoulders, his face. Jonas reached out and smoothed his hands over her hips, skimming up to her breasts.

"Just let go, Jonas. Let me watch your pleasure. Hold nothing back. Give it all to me," she ordered softly.

"I love you," he said with a smile.

Biting her lip Susan rose, feeling like an ancient goddess from one of the pyramid walls, conquering an initiate into her cult. With that thought she slid down and took him inside. Nothing on earth had ever felt so good to her as that moment.

When their hips met Jonas pulled her down and let his mouth settle on her breast. Gripping the metal cot frame now, Susan began to move over him. Against her swollen skin he made the most delicious noises as she showed him this pleasure, taught him the ancient dance filled with love.

Again and again she rose and fell, feeling him so hard inside her, brushing every point deep inside that made her ache and whimper. She kissed his forehead, murmured words of love and longing as he cried out at each new plateau of desire.

Soon, so soon, sweetly she felt it, he was there. She had been holding back, desperately on edge. Knowing she had brought him there with her she exploded, shivering, crying out his name, pumping her hips with brutal voice.

Beneath her Jonas thrashed, caught in the whirl of the most powerful orgasm of his life. He filled her and thrust up, his face pressed between her breasts as he shook with it.

The climax passed like a sandstorm, having consumed them whole, it left them in total eerie peace and calm once it had swept through. Susan came to herself kissing him. He tasted so sweet, a mixture of Jonas' own unique flavor and that of her juices.

With a sigh she rolled to the side. "What do we do now?"

Jonas laughed. "So far you are by far a better teacher than any I have ever had. I love you. I don't care if you're my sister, to me you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I want to be with you. I want to stay here. I'll be your secretary, your personal tomb digger, hell I'll be your maid since we'll have to fire her and my valet."

Cupping his face she felt her heart swell. "Do you mean it? Tonight is not just a once in a lifetime meeting?"

He laughed softly. "It may have taken Halloween in a land far away, a night of ghosts and masks, a night where we were never ourselves, but we finally found the courage to do what we should have done ages ago."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say this was planned. Ellen kept giving me absinthe."

Jonas smiled. "Where do you think she got it?"

She gasped and laughed. "You are naughty!"

"I love you, Susan Ann Minter."

"And I love you, Jonas Allen Minter."

They kissed again and it led to deeper explorations. This time when he took her Jonas was the aggressor and instinct guided him. Sated easily, they found themselves hungry and giggling helped each redress. No one knew Jonas was the Highwayman and only Ellen knew she was the harem girl.

And so with the masks in place they returned to the party and danced in each other's arms, basking in their love for all to see. Just two anonymous lovers lost to the magic of the night that was Halloween.

In the corner the medium watched, her body given over to the great Pharaoh Snefru. One too he had loved his sister, married her, and their son had built the great Pyramid beyond. Now these two had found each other from their union would spring a dynasty of another kind.

They would know the secrets of the dead.

Smiling, Snefru slipped from the woman's body and stepped outside and called to his brethren buried beneath the shifting sands. Hetepheres appeared, shining brightest of all the spirits, and once more he was joined with his bride, his sister, his queen, and his lover.

To the tunes of the modern band, across the ancient land, the dead rose on a night never before celebrated in their lands, and danced the night away.