Homelands Pt. 03 Ch. 10

In part because I wanted to anyway, but also in part to wipe the smug look off her face, I put the animal back in his cage. When we started back up, I took my time seducing my mother. As I did, I teased her relentlessly. Every time she thought I'd finally finished the buildup and was ready to start really going to work on her little lady, I went back to kissing her hips or playing with her breasts, and she'd throw her head back, sigh in exasperation, and slam her heel against the floor.

"Please, please, baby, Mommy's begging you," she whimpered at one point.

Still, I did not relent.

When I did eventually pour everything I had into eating her pussy, she exploded.

Not to be outdone though, she then showed me what a tease she could be. And I quickly came to regret torturing her the way I had. She made me suffer, in the best possible way, before she finally set to work giving me a blow-job I'd never forget.

After that, we seemed to implicitly call a truce. We didn't make love. There was still an angry edge to it all. But we'd stopped trying to prove who was in charge.

Because there was no question that she was.

#

The evening I'd been both dreading and eagerly awaiting finally arrived.

Brianna and I strode into the banquet hall, arm in arm.

My father was the first to greet us. I found myself thinking that he looked about as good in a tux as any man ever had. Even now that I wasn't sure how much I should trust him, I remained somewhat in awe of him. Perhaps because I'd recently learned that my mother still hadn't entirely gotten over him. For good or for ill, my very conception of masculinity was largely defined by this man.

"Frank," he said, shaking my hand. "You look good. Should wear French cuffs with that suit though." As I busied myself with the correction, he turned to my cousin and held his hands out for a hug. "Brianna, don't you look smashing."

She certainly did. Her glittering emerald gown matched her eyes perfectly. Its modest cut hid what little curves she had, but that only made her look that much classier. Her hair had never looked better. And she wore a little more makeup than she'd gotten in the habit of wearing. I wanted to say I hadn't missed it, but it transformed her already gorgeous face into a wonder that was almost painful to behold.

My cousin gave my father a hug and the exchanged kisses on the cheek.

"I didn't think you could get any more handsome, Uncle Gus," Brianna said.

We found Kaitlin, Cindy, and Mark at the bar. They stood in a semi-circle, nursing drinks and nibbling at fancy hors d'oeuvres. Like me, Mark wore a nice dark suit rather than a tux. Kaitlin wore a black evening gown, Cindy a creamy cocktail dress that did nothing to hide the fact that she was pregnant.

That should have repulsed me. Indeed, would have at one time. But seeing the swell of her midsection, heavy with either her brother's or her son's child, only made me think that it was getting to be time to ask Brianna how serious she'd been all those times that she'd said she didn't want to have children. While the thought of grieving over the death of another child was almost unbearable, the idea of going through life without ever again knowing the love and the pride I'd briefly felt for Josh and Val was even worse.

I told Cindy how beautiful she looked, flashing a suggestive glance at Brianna.

She raised a quizzical brow. But I felt her Libido swell.

My heart raced. She'd caught my drift. And was receptive to the idea. Damn, why hadn't it ever occurred to me to suggest it before? After all the time I'd spent fantasizing about crossing the last line of taboo with my mother, I'd not once thought that maybe I should broach the subject with my cousin.

"Where's our beloved Matriarch?" I asked Kaitlin, after we finished with the greetings.

"A queen's work is never done," she said. "I can hardly keep up with her."

Right. That was believable.

"Bourbon," Dad said, handing me a glass.

I smiled as I thanked him. He was always trying to get me to convert from Scotch.

"And amaretto sour for the lady."

"Thank you kindly," Brie said as she took her drink from him.

"Since when do you drink those?" I asked her.

"Since when do you drink bourbon?" she replied. "Figured I'd try something new."

That was Brianna for you. If I ever figured out what her favorite anything was, it would be a day worth commemorating.

My cousin held her glass up, inviting me to join her in a silent toast. After the first sip, she plucked the cherry up from her drink, popped it in her mouth, and yanked the stem away. For a moment, I thought she might take the stem in her mouth and tie it in a knot. But she let the opportunity to be thoroughly clich\'{e slip by.

"I hear you've got some sort of democracy going over there," Mark said.

"Yes. Tell us. How is that going?" Kaitlin asked.

Had her characteristic perpetual sneer gotten worse since I'd last seen her? Become less cute and more bitchy? Or was it just my opinion of her that had changed?

Aunt Cindy gave her mother's elbow a playful slap. But if Grandma noticed, she didn't give any indication. Just stared at me with those hazel eyes.

"Fine, actually," I said, though it was news to me.

Was Natalie a wide-eyed reformer? I suppose that shouldn't have surprised me. What little I knew seemed consistent enough with that. But how was it that this was be the first I'd heard that I was living in a democracy?

Of course, I had done my best to remain as ignorant as possible.

"Hmm," Kaitlin said.

Dad snickered as he sipped his drink.

"And where are all the little ones?" I asked. "I hear I've got lots of new cousins. Or brothers and sisters. Or whatever they'd be."

"They'd be none of your business," Kaitlin said. "My dear."

Cindy rolled her eyes at her mother. "They're doing well, thank you. Three little boys and two little girls. I have a feeling this one's going to be another boy," she said. "Sometimes you just know."

"What about you guys? Have you thought about having kids?" Mark asked.

Brianna looked a question at me.

"Not yet," I said.

"You have children of your own, though, right?" Mark asked.

I cleared my throat.

"What's it like trying to be Shadow while living in Daphne's shadow?" Brie asked Kaitlin.

Mark probably hadn't meant anything by it, but I was still more than glad to see the subject changed. Which, no doubt, had been the point. For just a moment, I thought about grabbing her and kissing her. But I managed to behave myself.

My father snickered at that just as he had his mother's dig at me a few moments ago.

I'd forgotten how much like Todd he was. Except, of course, it was Todd who was like him. In both of their eyes, a good zing was a good zing. It didn't matter who was on the giving end anymore than it did who was on the receiving end.

Damn, but I actually did miss the bastard.

Kaitlin flashed her pearly whites. "Delightful, actually. That girl doesn't listen when I talk sense. But she does when it comes from Daphne."

"Have you met Lady Winter?" Mark asked. "She's amazing. In so many ways."

"Haven't had...the pleasure," I said.

I actually really wanted to ask more about Daphne and her big plans, but I knew what kind of answer I'd get if I did. So there was no real point. The more often her name got casually dropped into the conversation, though, the more I grew irritated. With Mark, it might have simply been tactlessness. But that was harder to believe of the others. They wanted me driving myself nuts, wondering what she was up to.

I was quickly growing tired of the reunion. Yes, I now realized just how much I'd actually missed my father. And it was getting easier to realize that I had no reason to hate Mark or Cindy. But Kaitlin alone was getting to be more than I could take. If I had to smile through another of her barbs, I just might start poking her with the little plastic cocktail swords that came with the hors d'oeuvres.

Or worse.

Thankfully, Iva arrived shortly thereafter.

She apologized for being late, but wouldn't tell us where she'd been.

I wanted to be frustrated with her. For that, and for so much more. But as hard as I tried to be, I only partially succeeded.

She was genuinely excited to see us, and it showed. She'd masked her Libido so well that she was utterly inscrutable to my metaphysical senses, but the warm smile on her face alone made that clear. Some people could fake smiles like that, but I'd never gotten the sense that my aunt was among them.

And, damn, did she look good.

She wore a red gown with diamonds studding the hips and bust, black leather gloves with diamonds along the knuckles, a pearl necklace, a hooded half-cape trimmed with ermine, and the tiara she'd worn the last time I'd seen her. She carried the scepter as well.

In the back of my mind, I knew that this was the same aunt who liked to pinch my nose and tease me about how little I knew about the Homelands, a young woman with a playful sense of humor and a nerdy side that she didn't always hide all that well. But when I looked at her, all I saw was a majestic being of great beauty, with power that was greater still.

What I should have been seeing was a tyrant. A woman who was in league with a monster. I should feel some kind of animosity towards her.

Yet, here we were. One look at her, and I was weak in the knees.

A quick glance at my cousin confirmed that she was struggling with the same thoughts.

There was a wariness there. Fear even.

You should be anyfuckingway.

But anger or frustration? No. She too was far too much in awe of the Matriarch for that.

I remembered that when Iva had first told me that she was going to put Brianna in the same prison with me, she'd said that she wanted the two of us to get to know each other better. And it had sounded like she was going to say something about the three of us. Was Iva dreaming of some day getting away from politics and moving in with us? Was that the idea? The three of us living as one happy trio?

Even with everything that had happened, would I have said no to that?

We didn't chat long. Her late arrival had already held up dinner. But she assured us we'd talk more after we ate.

Once she'd said that, three tables appeared. Each was draped in white linen and had fine china and silverware laid out upon them. Brianna and I took one. My father, Aunt Cindy, and Mark sat at another. The Matriarch and her Shadow claimed the last.

White envelopes lay on our salad plate. Our names had been written on them in golden ink. I looked at Brianna, who shrugged, and then opened mine.

Inside, I found nothing but a business card bearing a single word, also in gold. "Iva," I read aloud. "You?" I asked my cousin.

"Kaitlin," she said, with just a trace of disdain.

And, by "just a trace," I mean a healthy fucking dollop.

We set the cards aside as the first of five courses materialized out of nowhere. Salad with candied walnuts and apples. Next, we had a baked potato soup. Then a small bowl of pasta, followed by a choice of steak or salmon. Finally, an excellent tiramisu for dessert.

I scooped up a bit of mine and wiped it on my cousin's nose.

"You little," Brianna started. Then she broke into a laugh. "Come here." She grabbed my neck and pulled me close to her. "Lick it off."

I happily did as instructed. We then kissed, long and slow. I stared into her emerald eyes as I pulled back.

There had been a time I found it hard to believe that I could fall for her. Now it seemed strange to believe that it had taken so long to happen. And it seemed even stranger than I needed to see Cindy, pregnant, to finally think that I wanted Brianna to bear my children.

"So. What do you think?"

"About?" she asked, smiling lazily back at me.

The waves of warmth rolling off her Libido were intoxicating. Far more so than the bourbon I'd been drinking. "About the little suggestion I made earlier."

She frowned.

"What I'm asking, Brie, is if you'll have-"

For an instant, there was only pain. As it subsided, I gained enough presence of mind to notice the black spots swimming across my vision.

"Fuck you, Frank."

"What?" I asked. "I thought you knew what I was getting at."

"I did, you jerk. And when you left it as a subtle suggestion, it was hot. But you're really going to ask me now? Does this really strike you as a good time to talk about it?"

"Oh."

She snorted. "`Oh,' he says. How can you be so smart, so sensitive, and yet so stupid?"

I stared at my empty plate. "I don't know. Look if you don't want to-"

Her voice went from its usual high pitch to truly shrill. "Ohmyfuckinggod, that is sooooo not the point! Of course I want to. But-"

"Wait, what?" I asked, interrupting her. "Was I supposed to know that? After you said so many times that you don't want kids?"

"How could you take me seriously? That was obviously a defense mechanism, you idiot." She fixed her hair, which had fallen out of place when she smacked me. "I've been wanting you to ask me that for a long ass time. When Josh and Val died, I hoped you'd want to have kids again. Then I hated myself for thinking that. I cried for an hour, wondering what kind of monster I could be to let myself think about that while you were suffering. Fuck, yes, Frank, I want to have your kids. But you really should have waited and asked me back at home. Without any fucking Farriers around."

Just at that moment, Iva stood up, clapped her hands, and the tables cleared themselves. The Matriarch then announced that it was time for the next stage of the evening's festivities. She snapped her fingers and the tables all turned into chaise lounges.

"Sorry. We'll talk more later," I said.

Brianna glowered at me before offering the barest hint of a nod.

My father, Cindy, and Mark stayed where they were, while my grandmother and I switched places. Part of me thought the timing couldn't be worse. And part of me thought it couldn't be better. The last thing I wanted just then was to fight with my cousin. There was too much on my mind already.

I didn't bother undressing. With a three piece suit, that would take too much effort. I just willed the clothes to melt away, and suddenly they were sliding down over my hard muscles as though they'd been made of water in the first place.

"Been awhile," I said to Iva.

"Too long," she replied, unfastening her cape. "Look at you," she added, eyeing me up and down. "Where's the confused, overeager young man I once knew?"

"Still confused," I said.

Back then, I'd known next to nothing about our kind, about what I could do with my powers. What I knew for sure was that I trusted the aunt I'd never met before. Completely.

Now it was pretty much the exact opposite.

She laughed, and gave up fumbling with her clothes. Instead, she did as I had and made them all disappear at once. Except her stockings and heels.

"You know, this is exactly how you've looked lately. When you come to me, at night."

"Is that so?" I asked.

Iva ignored the question. "Tall, sleek, and without all that bulk your mother favors. The air shimmering around you, like the air above an open fire. Do you even see that? It's like reality itself is bending its knee in homage at your passing. Your Libido is so bright, so hot, so intense, I can barely stand it. And yet, you've got this expressionless look on your face. Confident would be too strong a word. Just completely unimpressed by everything you see. Fuck, Frank, it makes me weak in the knees. I don't even know if that's from fear or desire. I haven't been able to figure out whether I've been having dreams about you, or nightmares."

What was I supposed to say to that?

"You're something of the mystery woman yourself, these days," I said.

"I suppose," she said, frowning. "I don't know what to say. There's so many things I want to tell you. But I don't know if I can trust you."

"You don't know if you can trust me?"

"There's just too much on the line to roll the dice," she said. "I'm sorry. It seems like every time our paths cross, they diverge again. I wish things could turn out differently. I wish I could ask you, the both of you, to...but it's just not in the cards."

"Maybe someday," I said, and started to kneel before her.

But something wasn't right.

Perhaps it was the way she didn't acknowledge what I'd said.

Or maybe the fact that she was staring across the room.

To where Kaitlin and Brianna were.

I spun around.

"I'm sorry, Frank," Iva whispered.

My grandmother was standing up from the chaise lounge that had been the table Brianna and I had shared during dinner. The way her skin glowed, like a thousand candles burned beneath its surface, left no doubt about what she'd just done.

A split second later, I stood behind her, reaching between her legs.

And then Kaitlin, like Brianna, was no more.

It was not the first time I'd Devoured a woman. But it felt like it. A powerful orgasm passed over me. Intense, but brief.

What lingered was the newfound sense of power. Had I thought I was strong before?

I could level mountains. Boil oceans. Create and destroy entire worlds.

With a mere glance, I could end my aunt's life.

As she could mine.

There could be no doubt about that. I was far stronger now than I'd been a mere moment before, but I'd be a fool to think that gave me anything but the slightest edge. If any.

We stared at each other from across the room.

Cindy shrieked. My father gestured for Mark to lead her out of the banquet hall. He trailed behind his sister and his nephew, suddenly wearing a full suit of glistening lacquered armor and holding a broadsword in his hands.

His eyes were locked on mine. But he was threatening me. Just looking to protect Cindy.

For fuck's sake. Was that really how my father saw himself? The knight if shining fucking armor? Did he even know what Kaitlin and Iva had planned for this evening?

"I'm sorry," Iva said again. "I couldn't."

"Couldn't...Devour me?"

What a strange thing to apologize for.

She nodded. Then disappeared.

#

My sister was waiting for me. Her cheeks were puffy, her eyes red, and she was shaking.

"What's wrong, Nat?"

My sister gave a start then looked up. After a few deep breaths, she said, "Everyone. Everyone who comes near me dies!"

You and me, both.

But there'd be time for hating myself, and for grieving for Brianna, later.

Right now, I needed to focus on what my sister had to say.

"Tell me what happened," I said, going to stand by the edge of my bed, where she sat. I pressed her face against me, felt her warm tears against my abdomen, and stroked her hair.

"I was with Vince and Ismail," she explained. "And this thing-"

She started sobbing again.

It took her nearly five minutes to finish saying what I'd already guessed.

"And then I did to him what he did to them," she eventually managed. "I don't even know how I did it. How I knew how to do it. I just did it."

She recounted the gruesome details for me. In stunning detail. Not that I needed them. But she apparently needed to let go of them. So I listened patiently.

When she came to the end of her tale, and seemed too numb to say anything else, I told her what happened to Brianna. What Iva had apparently planned to do to me. And what I'd done to our grandmother.

We cried together for a while.

But eventually, we decided we had to figure out what to do next.

"We only have one option," I said.

"They're too strong, Frank," Nat insisted.

"That's why we need an ally. Like House Furcas."

Then I explained to her what Mel had planned.

"I'll gather everyone up," she said when I was done. "We make this decision as a court."