One in Ten Ch. 10

I stopped breathing. I was pretty sure my heart stopped. Angel was using our proximity to judge my reaction. This was piling on the dread.

"Israel? Israel, are you okay with this?" Angel prodded me.

"Wow...yes. Yes, I'm okay with this. Are we going to have a boy, or a girl? What about names?" I began babbling.

"Israel, calm down," she told me. I tried. "I'm not pregnant."

"What? Huh? Did you have a miscarriage?" I gasped.

"No. I wanted you to go through some of the emotional hurricane I experienced last night wondering where you were," Angel growled, "only to discover you ran off with a hit-woman."

"You're not pregnant?" I mumbled.

"No, but we are even now," she informed me.

"Babe, that was cold. Seriously, I think that was out of bounds," I protested.

"Out of bounds? Israel, I combed over the bodies of nine hundred dead males praying I wouldn't see your face," Angel explained harshly.

"Your bracelet gave off its distress signal then died. Your phone wasn't working. For nearly an hour I had every reason to believe you had died - with me only a few hundred meters away in the same building. I was getting ready to shoot some policewomen myself," Angel grumbled.

"Thoughtless and stupid," I described my actions. "We are even."

"I know it was a low blow...I didn't want to break down in tears and that was my only other option," Angel switched up her emotions from anger to anguish.

"I am glad we are on the same page on that," I nodded. Yeah, Angel had come back with overkill. That was her nature and since I loved her, I was going to have to deal with that.

"Is that the reason we ended up in the position we are in now?" I altered course.

"Oh no," Angel shook her head. "I have a thing for Amazon Princesses - in a purely heterosexual way."

"Good to know," I kissed the nape of her neck. "I think we should rejoin the others before we end up stuck this way."

"True," Angel agreed. "Any more time in your lap and I'm going to start getting possessive once more."

'That's right Angel. Driving everyone from the room so we could have sex wasn't possessive in the least', I kept that slice of sarcasm to myself.

Sometime during the process of our love-making, our audience had departed and the door to the bedroom had been shut. We dressed, put an arm around one another's waists and opened the door. We were immediately gifted with the aroma of a freshly cooked meal. Angel and I must have been at it a while because dinner had been served.

Thankfully there was plenty to go around. People were around this good-sized dining room table. Samantha, Kuiko and Roni were leaning against the wall with their plates on various pieces of furniture. Closest to me, in the end chair, was Capri. She was looking at me intently, gauging my level of sanity.

On the right side of the table were Venus and an empty chair. On the left side were Paisley and a girl who had to be Lavender. She was like a Paisley clone, except white-blonde where Paisley was dark. Otherwise, they shared the long-leg, over-endowed chest and beautiful, youthful countenance our host seemed to favor.

This was my first time seeing our host. Quite frankly, he appeared the oldest human being I'd ever seen. He was certainly the roughest looking. White, wiry hair billowed down past his shoulders. His thick, white moustache drooped five or six centimeters past his chin. His cheeks and chin were covered with white and grey stubble.

The man - Jethro McFarlane, I guessed - had hazel eyes flecked with gold sheltered under thick, white eyebrows. The eyes were a bit bloodshot, yet burned with a fierce intellect and defiance that belied his advanced years. This guy was scary at 67. I would have hated to meet him when he was my age. Hell, I would have hated to meet him when he was 40.

Jethro put his fork down, stood up and extended a hand my way. I walked around the table, past the spare chair and clasped his hand. I then screamed and fell to my knees. Jethro squeezed my hand, grinding the knuckles together... they popped out of alignment. He let go of my appendage and I pulled it to my chest. Angel was coming up fast.

"Want to try that with me, Old Man?" she seethed.

"There is no point," Jethro responded laconically. "You are a girl."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Angel sizzled.

"It means you are not a man so you wouldn't understand - Cop," Jethro matched her glare.

"Bastard," Angel growled. She put a hand on my shoulder. "Israel, are you okay?"

I was searching for the answer to that as well as Jethro's needless cruelty. I didn't know the guy. Had someone he'd known died because of something he thought I did? And what was this about being something only a man would understand?

I had heard 'you don't get it, you aren't a woman' plenty of times in my life. That was because men didn't have much time for 'group think'. No - men as I had known them didn't have group think but long before I was born it had been very different. No one said 'it's a man-thing' because men didn't have time for their own 'thing'.

Before men counted lionesses, women counted lions. My mind wrapped around that analogy. When a young lion walked into an established lion pride, the lionesses didn't rally to drive him out, the Pride's lion did - lions in rare instances. I didn't have a twin. I certainly wasn't a lion, but my lionesses couldn't help me and would be at a disadvantage if I did nothing.

I couldn't win...it was most likely I couldn't win. I had to continue to fight even without hope of an obvious victory because I had to be able to live with the consequences of my actions. For reasons I didn't understand, men of a dozen nations, fighting under the French flag died in a hopeless cause two hundred years ago. The last six, out of ammunition, charged their vastly superior enemy.

This tiny snapshot of history didn't apply to me. It applied to Jethro. He was one of those six.

"I'm doing fine," I pushed myself back to my feet. "I don't think we've been properly introduced," I extended my hand to Jethro, "I'm Israel Jensen." He took my hand in his. This time I wasn't surprised by his steely grip. It took me five seconds to wince in pain.

Jethro let go of my hand and sat back down

"Nice to meet you," he said as he resumed his seat. "I'll get you something to eat. You look like you need it." He followed this with, "Paisley, get Mr. Jensen a plate full."

Paisley hopped to obey like it was nothing. She even smiled at the old timer and sashayed around him on her way to the kitchen. He slapped her ass in passing - again, like it was nothing.

I surreptitiously scanned the table. Only Lavender appeared to be taking this interchange in stride. It wasn't like we didn't know that there were Alpha males. They existed, but they hid it well because instinctively Alpha females went after them - the lust for conquest is genderless. The thing was, in our society, the male couldn't win.

Women had the power and their culture put a low premium on independent-minded men. The lady had the law and numbers on her side, thus the lioness analogy. Stupid Alpha females took a man on alone. It wasn't that they couldn't win, except why play fair? No, they gathered three or four friends, cornered a guy - taxis worked wonderfully - and wore him down.

Unless they physically damaged you, the man had no recourse. This meant Alpha males were very careful. They chose their dates carefully and exited in haste with their prize. If confronted with an Alpha female, they knuckled under like every other man, took their medicine and waited for the ordeal to be over. Alpha males certainly never advertised the way Jethro was.

"Here you go," Paisley placed the plate in front of me. She patted me on the shoulder before making her way back to her seat.

"Thank you," I responded. She smiled then went back to eating. Angel had to go get her own grub. This was awkward for me because I looked to Angel for protection and Jethro scared me.

Life became more difficult to comprehend. Kuiko moved to my side, between Jethro and me, knelt and started trying to feed me. Where the hell was that coming from?

"Kuiko, I've got this," I told her. "I've pretty much been able to feed myself for the past seventeen years."

"Please?" Kuiko looked up at me. No one was of any assistance.

"Okay - a few bites," I conceded. Kuiko lit into my steak, cutting it into several pieces, rubbed a chunk around some sort of sauce then pushed the piece of meat to my lips. It was different than any beef product I'd ever tasted - way different.

"Thanks, Kuiko," I mumbled as I chewed. After I swallowed I addressed Jethro, "Mr. McFarlane, what is this?"

"White-tail deer," he replied. He reached out to pat Kuiko on the head. My response was unexpected, even to me.

I met Jethro's gaze with an intense stare that very effectively communicated an answer to his challenge. Jethro eyeballing me and the hand movement were a possessive expression and for some unknown reason I was NOT okay with it. I had never been possessive of any person my entire twenty-one years - until now. Kuiko was mine, ours. I would not sit by and allow him to undermine our group.

I thought no one noticed the exchanged. Jethro certainly didn't back down. He patted Kuiko's head, she turned and smiled at him then returned her attention to me. She had to prod my lips with my next slice of deer because I was still grappling with the concept that I had not wanted Kuiko to be with that man.

Angel returned with her dinner, took a station behind me and glowered at Jethro the entire time. I didn't have to see her to know that was what was going on. She didn't comment on Kuiko feeding me. I did send her away after three more bites. I was a grown man after all. Funny tasting water - it came from a well out back - and something called Wild Cherry - which tried its best to incinerate my digestive track and succeeded in making me gasp and cry - were handed around as beverages.

It was not much of a consolation that most of the women, Paisley and Lavender included, had my reaction. Jethro drank it like I'd drink a Coke - effortlessly. As the meal wound down, Jethro stood up, ordered the women to clear the table and motioned me to come with him.

"We are not your damned servants," Venus groused. Jethro slowly turned and regarded her.

"Did you like the deer I shot? Did you like the alcohol I brewed? Did you like the vegetables my hard work paid for?" Jethro calmly responded.

"I..." Venus stuttered.

"Then shut up and pitch in, you stupid bitch, because if you are adverse to work you can leave right now," Jethro glared.

"Don't call Venus a stupid bitch," Angel and I said at the same time. I was standing right next to Jethro while Angel was a few steps behind me. If someone got clobbered for opening their big mouth, it would be me. Jethro shrugged and kept walking.

"Come on, boy," he called out. Angel and I followed him around to the kitchen and the door leading out to the backyard.

"Stay, Cop. This is man stuff," Jethro stated calmly.

"Listen up, Caveman," Angel growled, "I'm not letting you walk off into the woods with Israel. I don't fucking know you."

"In case you missed it, Bitch," Jethro gave Angel a measured stare, "that wasn't a request."

"You seem to have a problem with me," Angel shouldered me aside so she could come face to face with Jethro. "Why don't we step outside and settle it right now?"

"When I finish with sissy-boy here, I'll come back and we can settle things, Officer Kristi," Jethro smiled. "I haven't killed a cop in a long while so I guess I'm due."

"I'm not letting you take Israel," Angel countered.

"That's not your choice to make. It is his," Jethro reposed.

"Let's get this over with," I placed a hand on Angel's shoulder. "If he wanted me dead, he could have killed me in my sleep." Angel very reluctantly stepped aside.

Jethro and I walked in silence some way from the house until I was lost in the woods with the last rays of the Sun fading in the West. Out of nowhere, Jethro turned and punched me in the gut. I folded up and fell over. Jethro shook his head then offered me a hand up. I took it so he punched me in the eye. Down I went again. He offered me his hand again.

"Don't be like that," Jethro chided me as I pulled myself away from him. "Come on." My hand touched on a downed branch. I swung with what limited strength I could from my prone position. Jethro twisted his hips and took the fragile branch on his boot-covered shin. It snapped into pieces. I fully expected hate to start raining down and to hear myself crying out for help.

Jethro looked down at me then gradually smiled. I crawled away then returned to my feet.

"That's the first lesson," Jethro related. "Never accept help to do anything if you can do it yourself. If you become used to being helped, you'll wait around for help to come when you could do the job on your own. That goes for both sexes."

"Second lesson; men are warriors. It is our nature. We scrap, we establish pecking orders, and jockey for resources. Women can do these things, but it is not their job. Women want to talk shit out when a thirty second brawl will settle the issue. If you beat a man then treat him right, he will work with you. Women exist to back-bite and argue. They need men to keep them in line."

"That's not to say you don't listen to a woman's advice. Women are just as smart as men. It doesn't mean we should let them make decisions, though. Men make decisions because they are the ones who should be putting their lives on the line first and foremost. Being a warrior is more than just martial prowess, it is the willingness to make decisions and be responsible for them."

"There are too few men to behave that way," I responded.

"Bullshit. Kuiko tells me you've been fighting for your life for the past five years. You kept it together during some really tough shit," Jethro said. "Where you went wrong was that you kept trusting other people to save you when things went wrong."

"My friends are helping me get my life together," I challenged him. "I don't think that's wrong. They give a crap about me and that's not wrong."

"Don't be stupid, Kid," Jethro sighed. "If you get gut-shot, see a doctor. If your car doesn't run, see a mechanic. If you have a problem you can't solve, there is nothing wrong with going to someone who can solve the problem for you."

"Trying to do something you are unprepared for is stupid, not macho," Jethro stared at me. We were walking back for around a minute when, "Why did you eye-ball me over Kuiko?" I had to think over my reply because I wasn't sure myself.

"I saw your move and I grew angry," I worked out.

"Nothing wrong with that, Kid," Jethro chuckled. "Besides, Kuiko's like a daughter to me. I'm not trying to get her to jump in bed, or anything. Good to know you are willing to let another man know where the property line is."

"Kuiko isn't my property," I stated angrily. "I love her."

"How do you figure that - the not property part?" Jethro smirked.

"Ah - she's a human being. People shouldn't own people," I answered.

"Yet it is okay for that cop to own you?" Jethro turned things around.

"Angel doesn't own me. I love her, too. I also love a third woman named Zara, but that's it," I responded.

"Ha," he laughed. "Yeah, I heard you were hell in the sack. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Still, this Angel-girl has a gun and appears comfortable to tell you what you can and can't do. In my experience, guns and authority go hand in hand."

"Bullshit," I countered. "She let me go to the Arena. She was worried about my safety, for good reason. Just because I don't live my life like yours doesn't mean I'm not a man."

"Thus endeth the third lesson," Jethro chuckled. "In the final accounting, each man has to live his own life. I'm going to tell you some useful shit over the next few days. Take it, or leave it as you see fit. I don't want you to be me. I want you to be the man you should be."

"Who is that supposed to be?" I mumbled. I already had too many people in my mind.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," Jethro assured me. "Think of this. Wolves run with wolves, dogs with dogs and lions with lions. Don't worry about being a cougar, leopard, or tiger. You are not a loner."

"Okay," I finally replied.

"Shit, you have been fucking buried in their culture," he shook his head. "Boy, look at the women you chose to surround yourself with - that's who you are." That made no sense what so ever. I abhorred violence yet I chose women skilled and comfortable with it. It hit me far harder than Jethro had. Those women had something else in common; they protected people.

As we approached the house, lodging, whatever Jethro's domicile was called, he reached to the small of his back and pulled out a revolver.

"What's that for?" I hesitantly asked.

"I'm going to shoot your cop friend," Jethro said matter-of-factly.

Attacking him was pointless. Screaming to warn Angel wouldn't as useful as it might have seemed. We were in the dark; she was in a lit building.

"Don't," I took a deep breath, "I'll take care of it."

"Remember - be firm," he advised.

"Are you telling me how to deal with my woman?" I gulped. Did I just say 'my woman'?

"Yes," he affirmed. "You haven't a clue what you are doing and I don't want to make Kuiko cry when I kill her friend."

"Oh...in that case, thanks," I nodded.

When we entered the space lit by the floodlights, Angel came storming out. Like Jethro, she had her gun out and pointed down.

"Stop," I held up my hand and basically pleaded with my lover. Angel wasn't paying attention to me.

"ANGEL!" I screamed. That brought her up short. "Get back in the house."

"What?" Angel sounded incredulous.

"You don't know what is going on, so get back in the house," I stated in a steady voice that belied my inner fear and turmoil.

"Israel," she got out.

"NOW!" I yelled at her. There was a hush. Even the wildlife had gone quiet.

"That's not how it works," Angel growled. Her baleful gaze flickered from Jethro to me.

"You are acting like a child," I countered aggressive. "Now get in the damn house."

"No," Angel defied me. I struggled for the reaction, or words. I took a few steps toward her.

"I'm disappointed in you," I said softly. I tried to move past her. She grabbed my arm.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Angel demanded.

"I know what's going on. You don't, yet you won't listen to me," I grumbled.

"You aren't ignoring me because I'm crazy, or in danger. You are ignoring me because this is a violent situation and I'm a man," I explained. "That shames me because I love and trust you."

Angel blinked. Her mouth opened and closed.

"Let go of me," I commanded. "I'm going inside. You and this old man can start shooting at each other whenever for a reason, or reasons, I don't understand."

"He hit you," she pointed out.

"Yes. I am well aware that he hit me. It is my problem, not yours. Had I needed your help, I would have called out. You could have assumed that since I didn't, I had the situation well in hand...but you refused to," I outlined for her. She had no comeback to my logic.

"Israel...I apologize," Angel whispered.

"Apology accepted," I stroked her cheek. "Now get your ass in the house." She stared at me.

"If you slap my ass, I'm going to arm-bar you," Angel warned me as she headed inside in front of me.

"I'm more of a massage kind of guy," I sighed, both happy and weary. I was also true to my word. I caught up with Angel, put my hands on her tightly clothed posterior and massaged those wonderful pieces of female workmanship. This time around, the Wild Cherry was a welcome distraction from the stress permeating the house.

We retired to something Lavender called a 'Man Cave' though it wasn't subterranean. I made the brilliant decision to make use of Jethro's home gym. Only when I got my shorts and shirt, came back and began adjusting the machines did I realize they weren't on a man's setting. A woman had been the last one to use these.