Homelands Pt. 06 Ch. 06

"If anyone can help him, it's Flori," Eric replied.

That wasn't quite what she wanted to hear, but he refused to lie to his cousin. He couldn't possibly know for sure that Mike would be okay. But it was true that he couldn't possibly be in more capable hands than those of Nick's grandmother.

"What just happened?" she asked. "I can't believe I just-"

"Shh," Eric said, wrapping an arm around her narrow shoulders.

As they watched Flori ply her talent, Liv sobbed softly.

The courtyard dimmed and the air grew thick and heavy, hard to breathe. Like sludge. It only lasted a moment, but for a brief instant, Eric had thought they were under attack again, until he realized that what he was feeling was the sudden shift of the courtyard's supernatural center of gravity. Flori poured more energy into Mike in the blink of an eye than Eric might ever wield, and the world noticed.

No one spoke. Nor so much as drew a breath.

"That's it?" Patty squeaked at last. "Why isn't he moving?"

"He will, dear," Flori said. "He's just tired. More tired than you'll ever be. The body isn't meant to go through so much in so short a time. Not even our bodies."

"But he's okay?" Patty asked.

Flori nodded. "In a few days, though, it'll be like it never even happened."

"Won't even have a scar," Nick said as he put a hand on his grandmother's shoulder.

"See?" Eric told Olivia. "Everything's fine."

She stared back at him like he'd just asked her how she'd enjoyed the movie or something equally ludicrous and out of left field.

Right. Of course everything wasn't fine.

The poor girl had just killed her brother, right after watching him kill her mother. Well, him or Flori or maybe Patty. It was hard to say who exactly had struck the killing blow, what with there being so many Zoeys. Either way, though, things most definitely were not fine. His cousin might understand that what they'd done had been necessary. Might, in time, make her peace with it. But just then, the world must have felt like it was ending.

He probably ought to have felt the same himself. Taking a life should never be easy, especially that of your aunt. He'd loved her, the same as he had his uncle and all his family, growing up. Later, after discovering who and what they are, he'd also had the hugest crush on her. For the longest time, he'd had no interest in anyone but Olivia and her statuesque mother. Every time he'd go over Liv's house, he'd hope that today would be the day that Aunt Zoey would finally take more interest in him.

But he'd had no choice.

It was as simple as that.

Or perhaps he was a bit stunned himself. The true weight of what had just happened might hit home later. When the adrenaline and supernatural energy faded from his system.

"I...I should go," his cousin said, voice devoid of all emotion.

"Where?" Eric asked.

With that, Olivia burst out in tears. They didn't stream down her cheeks, as they had a moment ago. They gushed. Like blood had from her mother's forehead when Eric had buried his sword halfway into her skull.

Fuck.

Drawing a deep breath, he picked Liv up, one arm under her shoulder blades and one her knees. Then he teleported them back to the villa on House Moody's private island.

His mother wasn't pleased to see her, at first. After he explained that Olivia had saved Patty's life, though, Gabby softened up. She didn't even question him when he led Olivia upstairs and created a new bedroom for his cousin, nor when he took her inside and closed the door behind them. Just stood at the end of the hallway, watching, a disappointed but accepting look on her face.

Bringing his cousin to live with them didn't mean that he was any less in love with his mother, or that she'd have to fight for his attention now. There was only room for one woman in his heart. But Liv had no one left. Her father, mother, and brother had all been taken from her. Where was she to go? Back to the grandfather she hardly knew and didn't much care for? No, he and his mother and sister were her only real family now. She was, after all, still a Moody. No one could deny her that now.

Come what may, Eric would take care of her. If the ancients somehow got word of the role Olivia had played in the downfall of their temple, they'd have to go through him to exact their revenge. And if anyone in Summer said that she couldn't be trusted, that she be sent back to the Eternal Garden, they too would have to contend with him.

"Just leave me alone," she said to him, burying her face in a pink pillow.

"Liv," he said, stroking her back. "You did what you-"

"GO," she said. Then, peeking up at him out of the corner of a blood-shot eye, she added, "I appreciate the thought. And this. But right now, I want to be alone."

Eric nodded. He smoothed her hair out, kissed the back of her head, and left her.

"Where is Patty?" his mother asked when he slipped back out into the hall. Her tone was merely curious. If she took offense at him making his cousin a priority when he still hadn't told her everything that had happened, it didn't show.

Could a guy ask for a more perfect woman?

So he explained what had happened to the young dragon, and everything else besides. As best as he could remember it, anyway.

"What now?" his mother asked when he was done.

Eric drew a deep breath. "I don't know."

"We need a new king," his mother observed, trying ever so hard to sound casual about it. Just an offhand remark.

Sometimes, he thought she believed that it was his destiny to be king. Like it be spitting in the eye of fate for him to refuse. It was flattering, to be sure, but it was also a lot of pressure. He hated the idea of disappointing her, but even more so, he hated the idea of taking power simply because he could.

"Or a queen," he said.

"Me?" his mother asked, draping a hand over her breast. "I really think you'd be better."

"I meant Flori."

His mother's went wide for a moment. Then her lips narrowed. "I see."

"Ma," Eric said, taking her hand in his, "Don't do that."

Gabby sighed and pressed a hand to his chest. "My little boy has really grown up."

Was she thinking again about how much he reminded her of Wes? Of Hank?

Lately, he himself couldn't help but think of his two father figures. Ever since he'd noticed her comparing him to them, which she probably thought he didn't know about. He had much to learn from them both, but he was also aware of their flaws.

Neither of them would take the throne. His uncle wouldn't do so even if he was the best man for it. His father would also back Flori, given the circumstances. Then he'd humbly offer to serve as Shadow, only to use the position for his own purposes. Neither of those were examples worth following. But the fact that neither of them would make the decision for the right reasons didn't make it the wrong decision.

"You know as well as I that she's the best candidate," he continued, though his mother had already effectively backed down. "That the court is still in danger, because of our little Debbie and the other purebred children. We need someone strong, someone experienced, someone with a level head, to steer us through the coming storm."

She gave him a wan smile. "You're right."

"I'm sorry," he said.

His mother laughed awkwardly. "What, for not being power-hungry? No need to apologize, baby. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. Someday. In the meantime, we need someone the world will hesitate to go up against. Somene just like Flori."

"She really is-"

"I know. That wasn't meant to sound sarcastic," Gabby said in an unnecessarily patient tone. Like she was talking to a child.

He drew a deep breath. It certainly didn't sound like she was arguing. But there was unmistakeable disappointment in her Libido. Understandably so. Eric wasn't in love with the idea of stepping aside either. Of course he liked the idea of calling himself king.

The court needed someone else though.

If she asked, he'd gladly serve as Shadow. And not the way his father had served Phil. It wouldn't be Flori that Eric would serve, but the First Court of Summer.

Eric and his mother stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. When a bemused smile spread across Gabby's lips, he chuckled at himself.

Then kissed her deeply.

Lust began to well up within him. All of a sudden, he needed to make love to his mother. To look up at her as she rode him, admiring her unrivaled beauty. To grab her swollen breasts and drink their milk. To feel his baby girl kicking inside her mother. His mother.

But there would be time enough for that later.

Lest he succumb to the desire that burned within him even more intensely at that moment than usually did, Eric pushed his mother away. Gently.

"We need to go talk to the Hardts," he said.

Gabby nodded.

"I love you, Mom," he added, for no other reason than because it was true.

She smiled. "I love you too, baby."

#

Her grandmother looked amazing as she walked barefoot down the stony shoreline. A cool breeze whipped her black robe about her voluptuous figure and played with hair that was only a little longer than it had been ever since Veronica had first glimpsed her true appearance. The silver diadem encircling her forehead was decorated with seashells rather than precious stones, and apart from it, her grandmother wore no jewelry or accessories.

She looked every inch the queen.

It was high time the court was ruled by a woman too, so far as Veronica was concerned. Perhaps, at long last, it would know peace.

All of Summer had come to witness her ascension to the throne. Hardts stood shoulder to shoulder with not only Moodys, but what remained of House Bravo as well. The members of the lesser houses stood farther back form the shore, but they too had come to see the new queen. Only the Fishers were missing. It wasn't clear, though, whether Summer still counted that once noble house among its ranks.

No one spoke until she reached them. Nor afterwards, save when their turn came to bend the knee, kiss her feet, and swear fealty.

The whole affair passed Veronica by in a matter of moments. Or so it seemed. She remembered going to her knees, kissing her grandmother's feet, and speaking the words. She remembered watching Nick and her mother and grandfather do the same. Then there was a blur as the rest of the court followed suit. Before she quite realized it, the ceremony was over. A tented pavilion appeared out of nowhere. Within, they found picnic tables with all manner of food and drink spread out upon them.

Except this was part of the ceremony too.

It wasn't scripted. There were no rules about what they were to say, who they were to kiss, or where they were to kiss them. But, by ancient custom, they would all offer up their energy to the queen. A great orgy would soon take place, every man and woman in the court singing Flori's praise with their bodies. Their new ruler would move among them, stopping every so often to take a fresh lover, until she'd drank her fill.

Veronica's spine tingled. As did other parts of her.

Under different circumstances, she'd think the practice abhorrent. Say, if she'd been there for Phil's coronation. When her father had taken the throne, it had struck her as both incredibly patriarchal and yet wickedly exciting. Now, it seemed almost wholesome. As beautiful as any celebration of monarchic rule could be. It was like the Homelands might finally prove to be the magical land that Patty had been convinced it would be, back before either of them had first set foot on Summer's shore. Perhaps she'd been wrong to assume that her sister's visions of paradise were childish and unrealistic. And perhaps that feeling would last beyond this afternoon too, now that her grandmother, as wise and kind and just a woman as she'd ever known, was to rule.

True, Grandma Flori had already pledged to step aside and allow Eric to take over once the crisis passed. It was with great reluctance had she agreed to serve at all, and only then if Eric agreed to serve as Shadow. But many who assumed power in times of crisis changed their minds once they got a taste of power. Perhaps her grandmother would be the same.

Unfortunately, though, she didn't think her grandmother was the type.

Her brother would likely be a good enough king. Better than their father, at any rate. But Veronica couldn't help thinking that it was only under her grandmother that the Homelands might become the fairy tale her sister had dreamed of.

"Strange, not having Annie here to see it," Patty said.

Veronica pulled herself out of her reverie. "Yeah, it is," she said. "I wonder where she is. Where dad took her. You think she's happy?"

Mike slipped up beside them, snuck an olive off Patty's paper plate, and popped it in his mouth. While still chewing, he said, "My mother's no doubt trying her patience, but only because she's jealous of the obvious fact that Dad loves Annie more than he's ever loved anyone in his whole life."

Patty smiled and said, "Awwww."

"You think he really does?" Veronica asked.

Mike shrugged. "Could be wrong. He's not an easy man to read. But, yeah, if I had to guess, I'd say so." He cleared his throat then added, "I mean, who could blame him? Annie's clearly the hottest of his daughters."

"Hey!" Patty said, digging an elbow in their brother's gut.

Mike laughed as he wiggled away from the clumsy blow. "Watch it! Still tender."

"Bullshit," Patty said, pressing her hand against his chest. "You've been fine for days."

Veronica smiled whimsically to herself. It was good to see them laughing and teasing each other. For a while there, Patty had been every bit as distraught as she herself had been when Nick had been wounded. Perhaps even more so. She didn't know whether Annie had found true love in the arms of their father, but, against all odds, Patty sure seemed to have in the younger dragon. The idea of falling that deeply in love with someone she'd just met struck Veronica as crazy. It had taken her years to admit to herself that she was in love with Nick. But she couldn't deny that, looking at them, the two seemed perfect for each other.

As perfect as she sometimes liked to think she and Nick were for one another.

She glanced over his shoulder to the picnic table their mother sat at. Nick stood behind her, giving her a back rub. Despite his magic hands doing what they did best, their mother looked every bit as tense as she had since Grandma Flori had agreed to take the throne.

That image perfectly captured everything she loved and hated about her brother at the same time. He was so sensitive, so mindful of the needs of others. Lots of others. Was it so wrong for her to think that he should only be that way with her?

On the other side of the pavilion, Eric was giving his mother a back rub too. But unlike Nick, Eric had room in his heart for only one woman. Gabriela alone could know that he would tend to her every need. Sure, he took other lovers. Especially Patty and Olivia. But they all did that. Including her. She didn't mind that Nick sometimes slept with their mother, or their grandmother, or their sister. It was everything else. The little touches that made it seem like there was more to their relationship than mere sex.

With a disgusted groan, she turned her attention back to her unholy pile of food.

Her mother assured her that their kind didn't experience pregnancy the way mortal women did. The aches and pains and cravings and morning sickness were all much milder, though their babies did have certain other appetites that would be manifested during sex. Veronica had no idea what mortal women went through, so she couldn't say that her mother was wrong exactly, but if the cravings and everything else that she was enduring were mild, then it was a wonder that the mortal race hadn't died off ages ago.

"That, um, a dish you invented?" Mike asked, noticing the unusual arrangement.

"I guess," Veronica said.

"Honey," Patty said.

"Well, at least it's not ice cream with fruit and baked ziti mixed in," Mike said.

"Exactly. Though I don't know what would make you bring that up. Sounds absolutely horrible," Patty said, pointedly looking away.

Mike laughed and kissed the top of her head.

Veronica smiled to herself as she raised a cracker piled high with chocolate and cheese and meat and whipped cream to her lips. "You guys talk about where you're going to live yet?" she asked around a mouthful of the unreasonably delectable concoction.

Patty leaned back against Mike and wrapped his arms around her belly like a seat belt. "Next door to you and Nick, of course. We'll let you two sort that out. I'm sure you two have strong feelings about acceptable school districts."

"So happens we do," Veronica confessed.

The telltale sounds of lovemaking suddenly filled the air. A glance over her shoulder told her who was responsible. Who else? Nick and their mother. Grandpa Randy too, for that matter. Because apparently her mother was a big, huge fan of dick these days.

In her brother's defense, it wasn't just them. The Bravos were going at it too, as were most of the members of the lesser houses. Eric was helping his mother out of her dress.

Veronica suddenly found that she'd lost her appetite.

For food.

It was strange, how these things worked among their kind. Like a standing ovation. Once they saw others doing it, they all felt compelled to join in. Only it was worse than that. When the urge struck them, it was often completely overpowering.

As Veronica set her plate of food aside, Mike unzipped Patty's dress. Veronica helped her sister out of her clothes, running her hands over the shorter woman's beautiful body. Pregnancy had done nothing to detract from Patty's beauty. Quite the contrary. Whereas she'd always been cute, almost childlike, in the past, no one could look at the blonde bombshell now and deny that she was a woman. That she had the power to give life.

For her part, Veronica just looked fat.

At least, in her mind. Nick swore that she didn't. But he always told everyone exactly what they wanted to hear, so that didn't count.

"Gotta say, Patty," Veronica said as her hands ran over her sister's abdomen, past her hips, and down to her luscious thighs. "Motherhood suits you."

Her sister blushed. One slender finger trailed over Veronica's midsection, and her dress went up in smoke. "No less than it does you, Vee."

"You're both beautiful," Mike said, nibbling at Patty's ear.

He'd hardly even glanced at Veronica, yet somehow, the words rang less hollow than they did when they come from Nick's mouth.

The promise of finally sharing her sister's big catch made Veronica tingle. Mike was built like Eric and as sweet as Nick. His skin was pale by the standards of Summer, more akin to that of ordinary mortals, if not those who lived in LA. Yet, compared to the emerald scales that had covered him when she'd first met him, his current complexion struck Veronica as strangely exotic. And his gray eyes, so unlike those of his father, were absolutely beautiful.

Fittingly, Patty was the focus of his attention initially. The two of them took turns kissing her and sucking at her breasts. Then her hips and her womanhood. But after the two of them brought their sister to climax, he instructed Veronica to lie on her back so that he and Patty could do the same for her.

He didn't have Nick's tongue. Her sister did more for her than Mike did, down there. But that was no insult. Patty gave great head, and Nick was a god. By anything approaching reasonable standards, Mike was quite talented. And his strong hands held her just right, squeezing when and where she wanted and caressing the rest of the time.

When he told her to bend over the table and eat Patty out again while he took her from behind, she found out exactly why her sister had fallen for him so quickly.