Lesser Gods Ch. 17-19A

This is the second to last installment and I cut a chapter in half just to leave you hanging- it's a writer thing. I hope you are enjoying the story and the very light erotica.

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Seventeen

There were seven men at the meeting, as well as Genevieve and Zoe. Zoe had met all but two of them, who were quickly introduced to her as Sean and Guillermo. Grey called them to order and quickly reviewed the purpose of the meeting. Zoe was surprised that immediately after the briefing, the room became silent and everyone bowed their heads. She felt the hair on her arms stand up, and a tingle run down her spine. Realizing they were all praying, she quickly bowed her own head and asked for God to protect her, to protect all of them, and to stop whatever Z's plan for the Fist of Apollo might be.

Francis began to speak in a language Zoe didn't understand. It sounded strange, even a little scary. A couple of others began to make sounds as well. They all stopped abruptly and everyone's head came up.

Grey asked, "Does everyone agree, then? We will set up six safe houses, one in each district, and we will move Zoe between them and here at random intervals."

All the colonels said, "Agreed."

Zoe looked around the table, baffled. How did they come to agreement on a plan that was never discussed? There was something very powerful directing these people.

Grey continued, "I want no fewer than three guards on each house at all times. We can't make it obvious where she is, or isn't, by changing anything once we set up. Any questions?"

"Who will make the schedule of moves?" Francis asked.

"I will," Grey answered. "I will let each of you know when I deliver her to your safe house, but otherwise, only I will know where she is and when she moves."

Everyone nodded. "We need this in place within the day. We don't know when the abduction was to occur, so for the foreseeable future, we will be following this plan. Before each of you leaves, Zoe will read you for any additional information. She will also need to read all of your chosen guards, so send them here this afternoon. I don't think I need to stress how important this is. God speed."

Grey rushed to Zoe's side. He whispered, "I'd like to join you for the readings as much as I can. I don't want you to tell anyone anything that you see."

She nodded. He turned her toward Enrique who was still beside her. Enrique smiled at her.

"Go ahead. I don't mind if you read me," he said.

She felt Grey in her mind and opened to the visions. She saw Enrique setting up the guards, visiting the safe house, meeting in this room, and fighting at that battle where Z wielded the Fist. Zoe worried that the visions ended then. Did that mean Enrique wouldn't survive that battle?

Grey answered in her head, "God gives you what you need. You don't need anything beyond that point, so it is withheld."

Zoe felt relief. She smiled at Enrique and tiptoed to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later, friend."

"Soon, my friend," he answered and left the room.

"You told him?" Grey asked.

"More like he put it together. He's a good man," Zoe answered.

"One of the best," Grey agreed. "Genevieve?"

"Mon cher, but of course," she said, coming to stand in front of Zoe.

Zoe opened to the visions. She had a bad feeling about Genevieve, not really trusting any woman that beautiful who treats every man as if he was in love with her. Grey whispered in her head, "She is all show. Her heart is good."

Zoe was embarrassed Grey had witnessed her little snit, but refocused on the visions. With Genevieve she saw preparations and the battle, but no indication she would be involved with her abduction.

Next she read Lloyd. Again Zoe felt a deep resistance to her gift, and the touch of Lloyd using his gift to try to enter her mind. Zoe and Grey both frowned and Lloyd raised his hands in surrender, seeming opening himself to them. Again they saw the preparations and little else.

The remaining colonels filed past to be read, with no traitors found.

When everyone had gone, Grey asked Travis to remain as Zoe's personal body guard.

Looking surprised, Travis asked, "You want me to guard her? Because I did such a good job last time."

Grey looked at him very seriously, "No one will guard her better than the man who now trusts no one where she is concerned. You have learned from your mistake, and won't make another."

Zoe was sure she saw a tear in Travis' eye before he dropped to one knee, head bowed, in front of Grey, who touched him lightly on the shoulder.

Looking up, Travis said, "I will protect her with my life."

Suddenly Zoe thought she was going to cry. She threw her arms around Travis and hugged him fiercely. She had never touched him before, and he stiffened with the contact, then relaxing, he hugged her back, gently.

"Then it is settled," Grey continued as Zoe and Travis disengaged and stood up, a little embarrassed, "Travis, you will never leave her side unless she is with me, and Zoe, you will sacrifice privacy and independence for safety."

They nodded, sheepishly, both feeling responsible for the last occurrence.

"Zoe, I think you should get some rest before the guards begin to come in this afternoon," Grey suggested gently. At her nod he continued, "Travis, please take her to her room and stay with her." Then he reached out and touched her cheek. She felt a rush like the dizziness of standing up suddenly, and fell into Travis' waiting arms.

*****

She awoke to find herself in her own bed, and Travis sitting facing the window. He must have heard her stir, because he turned to her and smiled. "Do you feel better?" he asked.

"Actually, I feel really sick to my stomach, and my heart is racing," she replied as she sat up. "Oh, and my head feels like a freight train ran through it."

"We'll let Grey know. It's from the drugs. He'll help you out," Travis said, assisting her to stand up.

They found Grey in the command center. Zoe had never seen it before, and wished she felt better because she would surely be curious about the equipment if she didn't feel like death at the moment. Travis explained her condition to Grey.

Walking to her, Grey said, "I'm so sorry we had to use those drugs. I'm glad we learned what we did, but the next few days are going to be rough." He placed his hand on her head and she felt the headache lessen, and her heart settle, but the nausea remained.

"Is that better?" he asked.

"Some better, yes," she answered, "Grey, I really want to stay here with you. Are you sure moving me around is the right thing to do?"

He placed his hand on her cheek, "I want you here with me also, but the council agreed that moving you around was the best course of action. I'll be with you as much as I can."

She nodded sadly and he leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. She smiled weakly at him.

"What is the Fist of Apollo?" she asked, suddenly remembering the other visions she had that seemed of interest to Grey and his men.

"Just what it sounds like," Grey answered with sorrow. "Right before they killed Apollo, they amputated his hand and cast a spell over it to have it retain Apollo's strength. It took more than a century for us to get it away from them, the dark ages of human history. We couldn't destroy it, so we hid it. The guardians eventually all died, and its location was lost with them. Apparently it is coming back into play."

"So whoever wields the Fist is imbued with the strength of Apollo?" Zoe asked, "I expect that's pretty bad for us, huh?"

"That's putting it mildly," Travis answered.

"But not something we can worry about right now," Grey said, "I have someone watching for Abigail and looking for the Fist. We don't know where it is, so we will have to wait for it to turn up, then work on getting it back.

Again remembering something she wanted to ask about, Zoe continued, "Who is Abigail? You seemed surprised she was with Z."

Grey turned away from her, which was an unusual thing for him to do. She wondered if she'd said something wrong.

"She's my sister," he said quietly.

"Your sister?" she repeated, confused.

"I need to tell you about my family, but we don't have time now," he turned back to her, "But soon. I promise."

She just nodded. A knock sounded at the door. Grey looked at a monitor, pushed a button and the door swung open. Three men stood in the hall. He motioned them in, beginning a long afternoon of reading Grey's men, and a few women. Everyone cleared scrutiny. If there was a traitor in the Legion, he or she was not among the soldiers chosen to protect her.

She hated to complain, but the nausea was becoming unbearable, and her body was beginning to shake uncontrollably, her anxiety skyrocketing. Before she could speak, Grey was beside her, hand on her head, pouring calming neurotransmitters into her brain. The shaking stopped, but the nausea continued. She looked up at Grey, tears in her eyes.

He knelt beside her, holding her as she cried. When the hiccups became heaves, he held her hair back from her face, and placed a cool cloth on her neck. Eventually her body realized there was nothing left inside her stomach, and she sat back, exhausted.

"I'm so sorry, Zoe. There's no easy fix to the nausea. You need to start sipping an electrolyte solution, which will help a little," Grey said with such sympathy, Zoe tried to smile.

"I feel so horrible! How could anyone feel like this and use more of what caused it?" she asked.

"Some people will do anything to avoid going through the withdrawal," Grey answered, "While you want nothing so much as to get away from the root of this experience. You don't have the heart of an addict."

"Right now, I just wish I didn't have the stomach of one," she said, trying to smile.

"In a matter of days, you will be past this. Since I can't be with you constantly, I have asked the doctor to provide you with a tapering dose of Ativan. It will keep the shakes and anxiety at bay, and should help a little with the nausea," Grey instructed, but seeing Zoe's sour look at the mention of another drug, he turned to Travis, "You may need to force her to take it when things get bad. If you absolutely can't get it into her, contact me." Then turning back to Zoe, he continued, "Don't make this harder on Travis. He feels enough remorse without watching you suffer needlessly."

Feeling like a child, Zoe dutifully answered, "Yes, sir."

Grey smiled at her, his eyes glowing that brilliant blue, and she saw a vision of the two of them, both looking down and touching her expanded abdomen. A baby! She smiled at him, feeling herself glow for the first time. Travis cleared his throat.

"I feel like I just walked inadvertently in on an intimate embrace, and you two aren't even near each other! How do you do that?" he said sarcastically, "No! Don't tell me. I'll just wait outside."

"No, it's time to make our first move," Grey said, walking over to where he could reach them both, and suddenly they were in a different room.

Travis immediately paced the room, checking out the windows, then moved on to the rest of the house.

They were in a nice home, upper middle-class, comfortably furnished, but not lived in. There were no personal items anywhere, and no clutter. They stood in a great room, well-appointed kitchen on the left, family-room with big screen TV and leather sectional to the right.

Grey led her to the sofa and sat down with her.

"Please stay indoors, and away from windows. Stay close to Travis," he started to review the rules again.

"I know, Grey," she interrupted. "I'll be good, I promise. I don't ever want to see Z again."

"I wish I could stay with you," he said with real regret. "I have so many things to do. I think we will forego looking at any more of those memories. We both want to end your interaction with those drugs. Oh, and here is your prescription. Take one for headaches and anxiety, tomorrow take a half." He reached out to touch her forehead and she felt the soothing release of neurotransmitters. "You should be okay for an hour or more. I will try to get back here before bedtime. There is food in the kitchen."

He stood and she thought she might cry. He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't cry, my love. I can't bear to see you so scared," he said huskily, holding her tightly, "I'll be back soon. I'll try to get everything finished so I can stay with you tonight."

Even though she didn't know what he meant by that, it reassured her. "I don't want you to feel bad leaving me," she said in a small voice, "I know you have more important things to attend to..."

He interrupted her, "Nothing is more important than you! The other things I have to do are related to keeping you safe. I will do anything it takes to keep you safe."

She nodded. Pulling back and looking up at him, she said, "There's something you need to hear before you go."

He stiffened slightly, preparing for what, she wasn't sure. She smiled, saying. "I love you, Grey."

He relaxed, smiling widely, speaking softly, "That sounds even better than I thought it would. I love you, too, Zoe. I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed her forehead, backed away from her, and disappeared.

Eighteen

Zoe and Travis watched TV, ate a little dinner, and argued over whether she should take one of the pills Grey had left for her. Though she was obviously in pain and shaking uncontrollably, as well as having her dinner threatening to make a second, less appetizing appearance, she was refusing to take a pill.

"You are the most stubborn woman ever! You promised Grey you would take these when it got bad, and it's bad!" Travis ranted at her.

"No, I agreed not to make it harder by suffering needlessly," she said through chattering teeth. "I'm not suffering needlessly. People suffer when they get off drugs. It's part of the learning experience, thus it's not needless."

"Well, I can't say you aren't thinking clearly. That was the most cogent argument I've ever heard for a wrong-headed idea! Zoe, take your medicine," Travis demanded, towering over her with the pill bottle.

She hunkered down in the couch, pulling her throw over her head, "No," she said. She expected more arguing, or even for Travis to try to physically force her to take the pill. Instead she heard his phone flip open and the tone from him pushing and holding an auto-dial number. She whipped the throw off and furiously shook her head as she grabbed for the phone. He held it above his head as it rang once and was answered.

"What's wrong, Travis?" Grey asked, his worry coming across the miles loud and clear.

Still holding the phone high, Travis answered, "She is miserable and refusing her medication. You want me to hold her down and force her to take it?"

By this time, Zoe was standing on the couch and trying to reach for the phone, but she was so shaky she had to hold onto Travis to stay upright, so he simply held her shoulder with his free hand, keeping her at arm's length.

"She's trying to grab the phone, isn't she?" Grey asked, sounding weary, but slightly amused.

"You know it, boss," Travis answered, pushing down gently on Zoe's shoulder to get her seated again. She crossed her arms and refused to look at him.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Try not to kill her," Grey said as he clicked off.

Looking down at her, Travis expected an angry outburst, but she just sat there in stony silence.

"You knew that was what I would do," he said, defensively. She still wouldn't acknowledge him. "You know you want him here. Don't pretend it doesn't make you happy to know he'll be here soon."

She did know that, but it didn't change the fact that Travis had betrayed her. He had done exactly what Grey had told him to do and it made her angry. She felt horrible, and he tattled on her like a five-year-old.

Suddenly she realized how childish she sounded, even to herself. She didn't look up, but she whispered, "Sorry," with the inflection of a child forced to make an apology.

"Apology accepted," Travis responded with a smile, "But only because you're not yourself right now. Behave like this after the withdrawal is over and I'll pin you down and make you take your medicine, or whatever is at issue."

Travis sat back down and started channel-surfing. Zoe sat and shook, rubbing her temples.

Grey popped into the room and immediately knelt in front of her. He placed a hand on her head and her headache eased. The shaking subsided as she looked into his eyes. As before, the nausea remained, but it was tolerable without the headache and shaking. She started to feel really bad for how she had behaved.

She turned to Travis. "I am sorry, Trav. You're right, I'm not myself. Please excuse my behavior."

"Don't sweat it. I've got pretty thick skin," he answered, barely looking up from the TV. "You two want the room?" he added, glancing over at Grey.

"No, thank you. I'm taking her up to her room," Grey said, taking her hand and rising, "She needs rest."

"Goodnight," Travis said, back to channel surfing.

Zoe followed Grey up to the room she was to stay in while in this safe-house. She wasn't sure what to expect. He was an angel, after all.

"I can feel your hesitation," Grey said as he led her through the door, closing it behind them. "You can relax. Part of what I want to talk to you about is our relationship."

She immediately felt cold. That sentence never seemed to precede anything good.

"I said you can relax. You are not very trusting, even though I've told you I love you, that I want to spend eternity with you," he continued, leading her to her bed and sitting down.

"I forget you feel everything I feel. That could become very irritating," Zoe admitted.

"It has its benefits as well, but we'll discuss those later," he said, patting the bed beside him, indicating she should sit with him. She did.

He turned and looked deeply into her eyes. "I do love you, Zoe, and I do want to spend the rest of my life with you," he hesitated and she heard a "but" coming, "I think we need to plan for our wedding as soon as possible."

She was stunned into silence. Her mouth opened and closed a few times. Grey smiled, looking like he might actually laugh.

"I've done it! I've rendered you speechless! Who would have thought it would be that easy," he said, shaking his head.

"I thought you were going to give me some line, something about taking it slow, not committing this early, I don't know, maybe you were going to tell me about a wife you already have! Anything but that," she said, eyes still wide in shock. "You really want to get married...soon?"

"I think...because we have seen our future together, it makes it...easy...to commit. I know how happy we were in those visions, so the in-between stuff doesn't seem very important. I understand if you feel you need to get to know me more, I mean, I know all about you, while you know almost nothing about me..."

She interrupted, "No. I mean I want to know all about you, but I don't feel like I need to know everything first. I think getting married soon is a good idea," she hesitated, "but is it even possible while all this other stuff is going on?"

He lifted her hand to his lips, "We'll make it possible." He kissed the back of her hand, looking into her eyes all the while. Suddenly he stood and paced a few times back and forth.

"What's the matter?" Zoe asked, confused, standing and putting a hand on his arm.

He turned abruptly and pulled her into his arms, crushing her mouth under his. His hands moved up and down her back, restlessly. After ten or fifteen seconds, he moved his face away, and said huskily, "This."

She was breathless, one hand tangled in his hair, the other caressing his shoulder. "Oh," was all she said.

"I want you, and the temptation of having you constantly so near is unbearable," he said, voice strained. He kissed her gently. "I can't bear to not be with you every possible minute."