Panthera Spelaea Ch. 11-20

She looked up into my face. "Can you remember what happened?"

"Not yet," I said. "Why don't we sit down." She led me to the living area, sitting me on the couch before sitting next to me. Anna sat on the other side. "I'm sorry about last night."

"I'm worried about you, John. Blackouts aren't a good sign."

"And showing up naked on the deck isn't normal either," Anna added. I had to agree with that. "What did you do last night?"

"At first, I just wanted to walk and think, so I headed to the park. As I got closer to the pond, I started to sweat, then I got really hot. It got so bad I went off the trail, stripped, and headed for the pond. As soon as my foot hit water it was debilitating pain, then blackness. I don't remember anything after that until I woke up by the sliding door."

Svetlana was doing the math. "He left here at ten minutes after eleven, and I found him at five. Figure twenty minutes to walk from here to the pond? That leaves five and a half hours of blackout."

I nodded. "Beats a week. You found my clothes?"

She pointed towards the closet by the door. I saw my clothes folded over my shoes with my wallet and keys. "Right where you said they were. You were right to send me for them; someone else would have found them by now."

I was so glad she did that for me. The last thing I needed was to lose my cash and credit cards. "Did you see anything in the park? Or by the pond? Anything to show what happened to me out there?"

"I think I found where you got the blood and feathers. There was a swan carcass by the edge of the pond, and there were feathers everywhere."

"That makes sense," I said.

"I've been watching the news, and there were no murders or attacks in the area, so that's something," Anna said. "I'd have turned you in if I thought you hurt someone. I can't risk my best friend getting hurt."

"And I would turn myself in before I'd let either of you get hurt."

"I can see that in your eyes, and I feel that in my soul. You are a good man, and that is why I searched for you," Svetlana said as she leaned into my side. My stomach picked that moment to growl. "You haven't eaten since last night? Hungry?"

I didn't want to impose on them to cook. "I buy, you fly? If I give you money to buy dinner, Anna, can you go bring something home for us?"

"Sure, I have a few hours until I head out again," the bubbly brunette said. "What do you feel like?"

"I don't know the food or the local places, so surprise me?"

The two talked in rapid-fire Russian before they agreed on something. Svetlana brought me my wallet, and I gave them more than enough cash to buy dinner. While we waited, Svetlana told me about her work and the research she'd done into blackout episodes. Blackouts were a potentially serious health condition, and there were dozens of potential causes to them. They were caused by strokes, brain injuries, heart conditions, epilepsy, brain infections, dehydration, tumors, and more. "Most of these we can rule out based on the tests we did in the hospital," she told me. "Your symptoms don't match up well, and we need to see what triggers it and what happens during your blackout period to find out why."

"What would the doctors tell me if I went to them?"

"They would want to run more tests; comparative scans, blood work, and a spinal tap to look for infection."

Spinal taps were on that 'things I never wanted to have' list. I'd already scratched off 'catheter' and didn't want more. "It's only happened once since I left. Can they diagnose me if I don't have another episode? What if the next one isn't for a month?"

"I know," she said. "I was thinking about what you said about Viktor. You are right; he would look at blackouts as an alibi for your criminal activities and use that to get you institutionalized for 'treatment.' I can't make you go to the hospital, John."

"I appreciate that."

"If it happens again, it's a medical emergency, and I'm calling an ambulance. Your life is more important to me than a police investigation." She moved her hand to my cheek. "I don't think you should be alone, just in case this happens again."

I didn't expect that. "How?"

"You need someone with you all the time. Anna would help, but you'd have to move in with us."

That didn't sound bad at all. My hotel room was nice but lonely, and I'd much rather spend time with my Svetlana. "Does Anna know about this?"

"I talked to her on the bus ride home. She wanted to see what happened when you woke up, and you passed that test."

I thought about it for a minute while I moved Svetlana to my lap. "A few conditions," I started. "One, you let me pay for room and board." She began to object, but I stopped her by putting my finger on her lips. "I'm sure it will be much cheaper than my hotel. I also want to hire the two of you to provide medical care."

She didn't like that as much. "I can't accept that!"

"Too bad. I'm taking your time away from other things because I need medical supervision, and it is only fair to pay for that. It also covers me, because I can work with my lawyer on this to make sure what I tell you remains in confidence as you are part of my care team."

She thought it over. "Not too much money," she said.

"And finally, if I bring you or Anna out with me, I pay. It's not fair of me to expect you to go with me and pay for it as well."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Cantwell. It's like you are dating both of us!" We both laughed at that. "Fine, but we promise not to take advantage of you."

"I won't promise the same, Svetlana. I want you too much." I started to kiss her, and she let out a soft moan and wiggled in my lap. Our makeout session quickly heated up, and clothes might have started flying if Anna didn't come through the door with dinner.

She'd gone to an Arab eatery nearby and brought back shawarma. Similar to gyros, the roasted lamb and vegetables in a bread wrap were tasty. I had two of them as we talked and ate.

Anna was fine with the arrangement, saying it would help her finances. She could still go out at night when Svetlana was with me, and I promised not to keep her awake if I wanted to leave the apartment. "We should go in the morning and check out of my hotel," I said.

"Why don't we go back tonight and check out in the morning," Svetlana said as she reached for my hand. "I've never stayed in a place that fancy."

"As you wish, my lady," I said to her.

We caught a cab back to the Marina, and I arranged for Svetlana to get a spa treatment while I packed up. I had to use the bathroom, and with her out, I could stink up the place and get away with it.

My heart skipped a beat when I looked down before flushing, finding two small white feathers floating in the bowl.

Ch. 15

I had to flush again to get rid of the evidence. I knew Svetlana would return in half an hour, and I kissed her with this mouth? Ugh. I brushed my teeth three times and used the mouthwash.

What the hell had I done? Was I so out of it I was eating washed-up birds on a muddy pond bank?

Thank God I hadn't gotten sick from it yet. It was too late to get my stomach pumped now.

I took a shower, then put on clean sleeping shorts and went out to the room to wait. I left the light off but left the television on, watching the evening news for anything weird that I might have done. My mind kept going through the possibilities. How did I get back to the apartment building? Why didn't anyone call the cops on the naked guy? Hell, how did I climb up to the second floor?

I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. Aleksy, my driver and bodyguard, had texted asking where I was this morning because I didn't answer my phone. I sent him an apology and told him I would call him when I needed him. My lawyer was right; I couldn't trust him.

I texted my lawyer first. I was moving out of the hotel and asked to meet in person as soon as possible. I needed to update her on my living arrangements and formalize something making the girls my medical oversight.

Finally, I called home and talked to Mom. I told her I'd found a new place to stay and she could reach me by phone. She was worried about me, but I assured her I was working out and studying hard, and I'd be fine.

I heard a noise at the door and smelled Svetlana's unique scent mixed with massage oils as she came into the room. She looked happy and relaxed, dressed in a hotel bathrobe and heels and carrying a shopping bag she left by the door. My girl walked over to me, giving me a kiss that curled my toes. "спасибо Джон (Thank you, John). That was SO relaxing."

I turned off the television, leaving the room in darkness. I watched Svetlana as she walked around the bed to the windows, pushing the curtains aside. The moon was out on a clear night, and the lights of the marina and the city lay before us. She looked so beautiful, her hair glowing in the soft light. "What do you want, John?"

I rolled up to sit at the edge of the bed. "You."

She moved her hands, untying the robe, then let it fall from her shoulders. She was naked underneath. "Then come and take me, love."

You didn't have to tell me twice. I jumped up, pushing my shorts down and freeing my rock-hard cock from its confinement. I walked up behind her statuesque body as she looked out the window, able to see me in the glass as I approached. She kept her hands on the sill, shivering slightly as my hands went to her shoulders. I lightly pressed my body against hers as I kissed her neck. "Don't move," I whispered in her ear.

I kissed my way around her neck and shoulders as my hands moved down her arms. Once I reached her hands, I came back up the inside of her arms and repeated. I could scent her need, but I wasn't going to rush our first time. Kisses mixed with nibbles and caresses mixed with squeezes and pinches, but I stayed to her arms and back. Her nipples were hard, and she tried to move her body so my hands would touch them. I smacked her bare butt instead, the sound echoing through the quiet room. She didn't turn and slap me or ask what I was thinking; instead, she pushed back into my hand as it rested on her stinging skin. We were going to enjoy this. "No, love. I told you to remain still."

"Please." I worked my way down her back, kissing and massaging her until I reached the red mark left by my hand. The Gods crafted her ass, I swore, for it was worthy of mortal worship. I kissed the sting away as she tried shifting again to make me touch her molten core. Instead, I worked my way down her legs.

She was begging for my touch as my hands worked their way back to her hips. I moved her legs back a little, making her bend slightly at the waist, so her butt stuck up a little. The heels left her at the perfect height, and without any warning, I licked her juices for the first time. "JOHN!" I'd gotten Svetlana so worked up that she came at the first touch to her swollen clit. I held her hips as the spasms worked through her, keeping my tongue on her sex but not moving it. When she caught her breath, I started moving my lips and tongue around. Soon, I added a finger, then two. As she worked up to another orgasm, she forgot her instructions again, her hands moving to pull me closer.

I stopped and stood up, smacking her other cheek this time. "непослушная девочка (naughty girl)," I told her. Reaching down to the robe by her feet, I pulled the terrycloth tie loose. "Lean forward and put your forehead on the window," I told her. "Look down at the people on the street, going about their business while you are up here, naked in the window, with a man ravishing you from behind. See the rich people on the boats with their mistresses. All of the men wishing you were with them, and all the women green with jealousy." She shivered as she leaned into the window. I tied her hands together behind her back, then reached forward to pinch her nipples until she squeaked in pain and pleasure. "I'm going to make love to you, Svetlana. Then I'm going to fuck every other memory of men in your life right out of you. I'm going to make you cum so hard and often that YOU will blackout on ME."

She pretended she was struggling against the bonds, but her breathing and excitement betrayed her. "Are you enough of a man to take me the way I need to be taken?"

"You'll find out soon, my love. Are you on birth control? Tested?" She was a yes on both. "Good."

That's when I lined up on her and pushed forward. She screamed in pleasure as another orgasm washed through her with the sudden penetration. I filled her to the brim in one pussy-stuffing thrust. "о бля, так хорошо (oh fuck, so good)," she said as I held myself there and let her body adapt to me. I wasn't that long, maybe seven inches, but I was as wide around as a Coke can. When she started moving her hips, I slowly withdrew, then pushed forward until I was balls-deep again. She felt amazing, and it was going to be difficult for me to hold back my orgasm while surrounded by her velvety depths.

I kept up the slow torture until I felt myself getting close, then pulled out. "Please," Svetlana begged as she pushed her hips back towards me. Instead, I attacked her dripping pussy with my tongue and lips while reaching my hands around and up to reach her swinging breasts. I quickly figured out she loved nipple play and manipulation of her g-spot. I put both of those pieces of information to use, driving her to a leg-shaking orgasm.

I had to stand up and hold her in place as she worked through it. I pulled at the knot, freeing her arms. "Put your hands on the window and hold on," I whispered in her ear. Taking hold of her hips, I drove back inside her. I pulled back out and slammed forward, again and again, making her squeal in pleasure with each thrust. As I speeded up, the noises blended into a loud moan that sounded like a jet winding up for takeoff. I took her hard as her head moved from side to side, and words became impossible. Finally, she came hard, squeezing my shaft and setting off a powerful orgasm of my own.

"LANA," I yelled as I held on to her body. Jet after jet shot into her; her legs got weak, and I pulled her to my chest and sat on the nearby chair without pulling out. I kept my promise to her; she was out like a light.

When I'd caught my breath, I picked her up and laid her on the bed. I cleaned myself up in the bathroom, then went out with a towel and wet washcloth to do the same to her. She opened her eyes when the warm cloth started cleaning her up. "You weren't kidding," she told me.

"You are amazing, Svetlana." I helped her under the covers, then went in from the other side. She rolled over until her head was on my shoulder and her leg draped over my thigh. I kissed her goodnight, and she quickly fell asleep.

"I think I love you," I said as I looked at her in the dim light. Sleep was slow to come for me; my life may be a mess, but this part felt perfect.

Ch. 16

My sleep hours were all messed up after my blackout, so I woke at four in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep. My lady was sleeping on her back, softly snoring away. Cute, ladylike snorkles.

Nobody is perfect, are they?

I slid out of bed without waking her and walked over to the window. We'd left the drapes wide open last night. I closed them so the morning light wouldn't wake her up. I grabbed my workout gear and swimsuit out of my bag and took them into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later. I pocketed my phone and room key, then I wrote her a note and headed out the door.

The hotel was quiet as I took the elevator to the basement and the pool. I had it to myself, so I was able to swim laps without bothering anyone. I swam fast, effortlessly slicing through the waters, but the pool was so small I couldn't let myself go. After twenty minutes of this without getting winded, I got out and changed into my running gear. I walked to the treadmill, but that wasn't what I needed this morning. I needed the sun in my face and the wind in my hair. I continued to the elevator, going up to the lobby and out the door to the street.

It wasn't a smart thing to do, but I still took off on my own. The morning twilight was enough to light my path as I set off at a punishing pace for the park. I felt so far beyond good that I don't know how to describe it. Alive? Energized? Invulnerable? I didn't just want to run. I NEEDED to run.

It was freedom.

And run I did. My senses were alive, even sharper than before. I would pass people on the trails and pick up scents I'd never noticed before. My ears were picking up conversations thirty meters away like I was standing next to them. My eyes saw everything in sharp detail, and my feet pounded the pavement as I put the miles behind me.

I ran the previous route I'd taken at my fast pace and wasn't even winded. I kept going past the pond, continuing south and west until the streets forced the trails back to the northwest. I was still going strong as the paved paths carried me past the rear side of the Central Clinical Hospital before turning for home. I sprinted the last two kilometers, finishing up in the parking lot of the hotel.

Even in the prime of my collegiate soccer career, running five days a week plus games, I'd never had a run like this. This speed and stamina I showed this morning are way beyond being in shape. It was beyond Olympic-level running, and I'd barely started training after my accident. And what was happening with my senses? No one woke up one morning to find out their hearing had doubled, even tripled in its sensitivity. My nose was off the hook, with my mind struggling to interpret all the information it was giving me. I looked across the parking lot, and I could read the newspaper at fifty feet.

What the hell could explain this?

I had no idea, but I knew in my gut that the blackout periods had something to do with it.

My heart rate and breathing went back to normal a minute later, so I went back into the hotel lobby and up to my room. Svetlana didn't move as I walked in. I took a quick shower and slid back into bed with her.

Sleep eluded me, so I thought about what I could do with Svetlana during her time off. If we were always together, Anna wouldn't have to watch over me unless she wanted to join us. I sat up, stuffing pillows against the headboard while I did some searches on my phone for things to do. Svetlana rolled towards me in her sleep, settling down again with her arm across my hips. I had a few ideas now, but they would have to wait. Svetlana yawned, her blue eyes opening and looking up at me. "доброе утро (good morning)," she said softly.

"How did you sleep, love?"

"Good, except when I woke up to use the bathroom, and you weren't here. Thank you for the note." She sat up and stretched, making my breath catch as the sheet fell from her body. Her body was perfection; obviously, God had crafted more than just that ass of hers. She saw my jaw drop and smiled. "Like what you see?"

"Like is too mild a word. Love. Desire. NEED."

"You aren't bad yourself," she said as she leaned over to kiss me. Her hand pushed the covers down, exposing John Junior, who was wide awake by this point and looking to get in the game. She kept the kiss going as her hand encircled my shaft, softly pumping it a few times to check its hardness. "Is this for me?"

"And only you," I told her as my hands moved to her breasts.

"I'm still a little sore from last night. It's been a while, and you are more than I've had before."

"I'm sorry I was rough on you," I said as I cupped her right breast and pinched the nipples.

"I'm not. You made me cum so hard I lost consciousness, and I loved every second of it. You're not sticking that wine bottle of yours in my ass without some serious preparation, but I won't leave you like this without my loving attention." With that, she slid down my chest until her head was resting sideways on my six-pack. I felt her tongue lick around the head of my swollen cock before taking the mushroom head into her mouth.