Petroglyph

"Talking like that makes me nearly as horny as you playing with them," she told him. "Change the subject, please."

"Okay, what's this trip to Choco you're talking about taking?"

"I'd just like a chance to look at things for myself. You can go with me if you'd like."

"Count on it," he told her.

When they arrived home there was no one at the house and they unpacked and went for a walk under the pine trees, working the out the stiffness of the long ride. They went back to the house and Aden had returned. She was very glad to see them and caught Marley up on what she had been doing on the ranch.

They all changed into workout clothes and spent an hour lifting weights. Marley had been Addy's trainer for years and took Tobin under his wing as well. Addy had begun learning how to wrestle four years earlier and Marley had taught her the basics of Greco/Roman style and they had moved on into jujitsu and Muay Thai. Marley had been training in wrestling since he was 10 and in the other two since he was fifteen. He had become very dangerous in hand to hand fighting and had been teaching Aden since she was fifteen.

He believed that Tobin would be a natural. She was much stronger than most girls he knew and could even lift more than Addy who had been strength training for years. He put Addy and Tobin on the mat and it was an interesting struggle. Tobin's superior strength and greater weight against Aden's better technique and flexibility made for an interesting struggle. Addy was finally able to catch her in an omaplata and make her tap out.

"That's not fair," she complained. "I don't know how to do those things."

"What do you mean, 'fair?'" he asked. "If this is a sport or a contest where we have rules, then I understand. If this is a fight, there are no rules and everything's fair. I don't recall you two agreeing to any rules."

"We didn't, but if there are no rules why couldn't I just bite her leg when she was twisting my arm?"

"If this were a real fight I hope you would. Since it's friendly, you didn't. The truth is that even though you're a little stronger and heavier than Addy, you could never beat her in a fight right now because she's a better fighter than you are. You would have to be a lot bigger and stronger than her to make much difference."

"What do you mean? I don't understand," Tobin asked.

"Well, neither one of you would ever be able to beat me in a fight. I'm six or seven inches taller than you are. I outweigh you by at least 150 pounds and I am three times as strong as you are. It would be like me fighting a ten-year-old boy. If you got that omaplata hooked in you might be able to tap me out, Addy, because both your legs are probably stronger than one of my arms."

"What if I knew karate?" Tobin asked.

"Do you mean karate or is that a term for martial arts?" he asked.

"It's a term for martial arts."

"Well, things like karate are generally useless in a fight. Fighting isn't like in the movies where you jump up and kick someone. If Addy tried to kick me, my arm is longer than her leg and I would punch her in the face and the fight would be over. You see all the kicks and spinning around and it's just stupid. Why would you turn your back to anyone? That just gives them a free shot at the back of your head. Most of the popular kung fu type stuff is just aerobic exercise. It isn't fighting, it's just dancing."

"I didn't know that either," Aden said. "It looks so cool when they jump up in the air and kick people. I always wondered why you didn't teach me how to do that."

"The reason I didn't is because when you jump up in the air you've basically committed suicide in a fight with anyone who knows what he's doing. If you tornado kick someone it's likely that he won't go down, you'll just piss him off and he'll beat your ass."

"Teach me some stuff, Marley," Tobin begged.

"Okay, I'll teach you how to take somebody to the ground and I'll teach you how to clinch. Most fights you'll ever be in wind up on the ground or in a clinch."

He showed her how to get a double under hook on someone she was grappling with and execute a belly to back throw. She used Addy for a crash dummy and threw her a couple of times. He showed her a Muay Thai clench and a single and double leg takedown."

The two girls wrestled again, and Tobin managed to catch Addy in a double under hook and pulling the smaller girl close, she twisted her body, slamming Addy to the mat and landing on top of her, driving the air from her. She gasped for air for a moment then pulled Tobin's head down and kissed her on the lips. She gasped and sat up and Addy swung her legs up and around her, pulling her over backwards and swiveled into a full mount. Tobin grasped the top of the sports bra Aden was wearing and pulled it down, exposing her breasts. She rolled off laughing and they lay side-by-side, laughing and catching their breath.

"Good, you're both learning to fight dirty," Marley laughed. "Let's hit the pool."

They swam laps for half an hour and the girls climbed into the hot tub while Marley continued to swim. He had found that if he didn't religiously stick to a cardio routine he quickly got pudgy around the middle. His genetics allowed for huge muscles but also for a fat belly. He swam for another half hour and then they showered and dressed to go back to the canyon.

A phone call from Lila interrupted that plan. She told them that she had received a call from the sheriff informing her that the man who had attacked them in the canyon was dead. The man had somehow got his hands in front of him and torn open his own veins with his teeth. He had bled to death before anyone noticed. There was still no information about who he was or where he came from. They had recorded some of his speech and sent it off to the university but no one there was any more familiar with it than Tobin had been. The expert's opinion was that it was some branch of the Numic languages, just as Tobin had suspected but there was no hint of where he had come from. Equally mysterious was the source of where he had obtained the Brodifacoum. The sheriff suspected it was from some commercial source of rat poison but had no evidence that was actually the case.

Marley and the girls sat around discussing the suicide of their attacker until it was too late to go to the canyon. They decided to go into town and catch a movie. They watched Interstellar and were very satisfied with the movie. They decided to go out for Mongolian Barbecue afterward, and they drank beer with Aden sitting on the inside of the booth and sharing Tobin's glass so no one would see her.

Tobin wanted to tell her that she and Marley were lovers and he agreed that was best. Tobin didn't know quite how to broach the subject to her so she just finally put her arm around her and blurted it out.

"Aden, I think I'm in love with your brother."

Addy was quiet for a minute, then she slipped her hand into Tobin's and squeezed.

"I'm glad. He deserves to have someone like you in his life. I haven't known you very long but I see what he sees in you. I love you too, Tobin, and I wouldn't want you to disappear from our lives. We've been through a lot together over the last month or two and it's been great getting to know you. I don't like having to share Marley. I've had him all to myself all my life."

"You still have him," Tobin hugged her. "I promise I'll never take him away from you. I know you two are special to each other and I'll never try to come between you."

Addy kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Tobin. If I have to share him I'm glad it's with you."

"When are you going to Chaco?" Marley asked.

"I'm going Monday. The Hobson's are going to pick me up in the afternoon and we're going to stay until Friday. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've got a schedule problem at school and I need to go down there and figure it out. I think I'll go while you're at Chaco."

Marley carried her bags out when the Hobson' arrived and kissed her goodbye. She was excited about going but she cried a little at leaving him behind. She hadn't realized how much she was going to miss him until she looked back and saw him standing in the driveway waving.

She soon felt better and she talked to the Hobson's about what they were going to do at Chaco. They intended to explore some new discoveries and try to discover more clearly at what point the city had been abandoned. Tobin had brought her figurine and intended to try to match it to some turquoise samples in the area to see if she could identify its origin.

When they arrived they set up camp and unpacked their gear. The Hobson's went to survey their dig area and Tobin took her figurine and began to explore around one of the sealed rooms. The air felt very humid and tense, almost as if there was a thunderstorm brewing, but the sky was clear. She felt goose bumps rise on the back of her neck and she was inexplicably nervous. She went inside and noticed that there was more illumination than she had expected.

As soon as she noticed the source, she gasped in surprise. There was a faint glow coming from the sealed door, as if a blueish fire was burning inside. It shone through the cracks around the masonry work that blocked the door. She backed out into the sunshine and hurried off to find the Hobsons.

They were using surveying equipment to lay out a grid and she quickly told them what had happened. They dropped their tools and followed her back to the building housing the khiva. The blue glow had faded, but as she entered, she noticed that it grew stronger. The Hobsons had no idea what it was. They had never seen anything like this and Shelly had an idea.

She sent Tobin outside and as she left the building the glow began to diminish. She explained that she believed it was responding to Tobin's presence in some way.

Tobin made the connection and she gave the statue to James and had him carry it back outside. As she expected, the glow began to fade as soon as he left the building.

"It's the statue," she told them. "Somehow, when the statue is close the glow starts."

They explored some of the other ruins with sealed doors and some of them displayed the same blue light they had seen in the first. Tobin suspected that they could now open those doors, but they didn't have permits for that. She thought about the sealed doors at the cliff house on the Dolan's property. She wouldn't need a permit to open those doors. She felt a little reluctant to share that with the Hobsons. She felt like she should talk to the Dolans before she said anything.

That was really the only exciting discovery she made. She compared the statue with local turquoise and found that it was identical. Evidently, it had originated here and been carried north for some reason. She stayed with the Hobsons for three days and they dropped her off at Lila's office on their way back to Colorado.

She sat in Lila's office until she was through with her last two patients. They talked for a while before leaving for home and Tobin told her about what had happened when they took the idol into the khiva room. Lila was very interested and suggested that they make the trip to the cliff house and investigate. She wanted to go along, but she wouldn't be able to go until Saturday.

"Do you think you can wait two days?" she asked.

"Hey, I've waited all my life; I don't see what difference two more days makes. It will take me weeks more to finish anyway."

"Tobin, are you dragging your feet about finishing this research for some reason?"

Tobin felt her cheeks turning red. "Why do you ask that?"

"It's okay, honey. I didn't mean to make you feel defensive. We love having you here. As far as I'm concerned, you can stay with us the rest of your life. I was just wondering if a certain red headed boy has anything to do with you staying."

Tobin's face flamed. "How did you know?"

"Well, let's see; there's a certain glow about a girl that's spent two days making love and you had it when you came back from Boulder, Marley can't keep his hands off you when he thinks I'm not looking, you rub up against him every chance you get and you and Addy seem to have something going on too. You don't talk about it, but I can tell. It's okay with me, Tobin. If you and Marley want to sleep together, I approve. I love my kids, Tobin, and I've come to love you too. I just don't want it to be awkward. I thought if I just told you that I know and that I approve, it would be less stressful on all of us. You can trust me, honey. I want what's best for you kids. Even if I disapproved, I would still support whatever you kids decided to do. You can tell me anything. I think they know that, but you don't. I'm trying to earn your trust here."

Tobin rose to her feet and walked around Lila's desk. She pulled the older woman up and embraced her. She held her close and cried a little.

"I do trust you, Lila. I just don't want to disappoint you and I didn't know how you would feel about Marley and I. I think I'm in love with him and I think I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I love Addy too. I don't know where that's going but I want to find out."

"I understand completely. Just go slow, feel your way, be totally honest with both of them and follow your heart. Nothing needs to happen in a hurry. Why don't you just move into Marley's room if that's what you want?"

"I do want to sleep with him. It's been driving me crazy ever since we got back from Boulder. Thank you, Lila. I don't feel embarrassed about it anymore, but I want to keep my own room. You probably think I'm a slut, but I'm really not. Making love with Marley was only my second time with a man. I was only with the other guy twice."

"No, honey; I don't think that. I know you're sweet and kind. You're too smart to be a slut. Marley is a special man. I'm biased, but not so blind I can't see that. You match him perfectly. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, inside too. If I were younger I'd make a play for you myself."

"Well, don't let a year or two hold you back," Tobin laughed. "Seriously though, I'm glad you made me tell you. Can we go home now? I can't wait to tell Marley."

Chapter Seven

When they got home, Marley and Aden were thrilled that Tobin was back. She told them about her experiences at Chaco Canyon and they were eager to try the sealed doors at the cliff house. She told them Lila wanted to go and that they were going to wait until Saturday.

Marley told her that the sheriff had called and asked him if he wanted to see the autopsy report on their strange assailant. He had taken a copy and it was very strange. The contents of the man's stomach had shown that he had recently consumed human flesh and a type of corn that hadn't existed for centuries. It was a progenitor of modern corn types but had only been grown in the American Southwest hundreds of years previously. He also showed evidence of having survived the Hunta virus. There had been no outbreaks of that virus in the world for more than forty years and this man's age had been estimated in the early twenties.

They didn't know what to make of that, and it remained a mystery. Tobin spent the rest of the day working on her paper and Lila and her children did ranch work until dinner. They watched a movie afterward and Lila went to bed. Tobin told Marley and Aden that she wanted to talk to both of them, but one at a time. She went to Aden's bedroom with her and they sat on her bed.

"What's up, Tobin? You seem like you have something important to say."

"I do. I'm in love with your brother; you know that. It turns out that your mother knows too. She confronted me about it this afternoon. It was sort of awkward for a while, but she told me if I want to sleep with him, she approves."

"That's great, Tobin. I knew she was cool with it. She's never been someone you had to worry about not having your back. Marley and I don't tell her everything, but we could. She's very loyal. So what's the problem?"

"You're the problem, Addy. I don't know how you feel about me.

"I love you, Tobin. You know that. I hope you marry Marley. I'd love for you to be my sister. What do you mean, 'I don't know how you feel about me?'"

"That's not what I mean. I love you too, but I don't want you to feel like I'm taking Marley away from you."

"I don't feel like that. I'm happy you will share him with me. I'm not jealous of you Tobin. I know Marley loves you and I love you too. You're not jealous of people you love."

"Well, that's not all," Tobin said. "I don't want to weird you out, but I'm... I'm... "

"Just spit it out," Addy laughed.

"I think I might want to make love to you," Tobin blushed furiously.

"Oh, my God," Adddy breathed. "Really, Tobin? Oh, my God; that makes me so happy. I didn't think you would! I want to, Tobin. You have to tell Marley though. How do you think he'd feel about that?"

"He's a man!" Tobin laughed. "He'd think it was so hot! I need to ask you something else, Aden. Have you ever thought about, you know, fucking him?"

"Yes, ever since I was old enough to know what it meant," Addy confessed. "We've danced around it for years. I don't think either one of us would ever do anything about it, but I know he likes to look at me. I tease him and flash him all the time."

"I noticed," Tobin giggled. "If I got the two of you together, do you think you'd be up for the three of us together?"

"Jesus, Tobin, you really swing for the fences, don't you?" Aden smiled. "If you can talk him into it, I'll fuck both of you until you can't walk. Talk to him about it and let me know."

Tobin was very relieved and she hugged Aden and went downstairs. Marley was still there and she went down to where he sat on the sofa. She straddled him and lay against his huge frame, snuggling in. She felt his heart beating in his chest and she kissed one nipple. He had on only gym shorts and she ran her fingers across his pecs. He flexed one and made it jump up and down. She laughed delightedly.

"Marley, I've never known anyone with big enough muscles to do that. You've amazing."

"Yeah, I've got lots of tricks you haven't seen yet," he told her.

"I can only imagine. Marley, I talked to your mom about us sleeping together."

"What did she say?"

"She was fine with it. She even told me that she approved."

"I knew she would," he laughed. "Come and visit me tonight."

"Marley, I have a confession to make."

"You're not really from New York. You're from Olympus. I already know," he said.

She giggled. "No, noting so tame I'm afraid. I want to fuck Aden, Marley."

"I sort of knew that too," he told her. "Are you asking my permission? If you are, it's good with me. I'd like to fuck her myself. I understand. She's very fuckable."

"If you really want to, she said she'd fuck both of us," Tobin said.

"Really? Oh, my God, Tobin. I can't believe you asked her! I can't believe she'd do it. Oh, my God."

Tobin laughed. "That's exactly what she said. I'm going to sleep with you alone first."

At two AM Tobin padded naked down the walkway to Marley's room. He awoke with her lips moving over him and he rolled her over and took her. They made love three times and the last time wrung every drop of energy from Tobin as she lay face down on the bed while he took her from behind, her groans filling the room with erotic sounds.

Tobin slept until the afternoon. When she awoke, Marley and Aden were sitting on the end of the bed, talking quietly.

"Rip Van Winkle is awake," Aden laughed.

"Hey, you'd be just like me. Marley wore me out last night. I see we're all cool, right? This isn't going to get awkward?"

They laughed. "We've decided to make you our love slave," Marley said. "We're just talking about the little outfits we're going to make you wear."

He slid his hands over her breasts and she moaned and pushed them away.