ThirteenNights (7 page)

Annie blinked a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes.
She felt Tai bolt up and heard Marta pace across the wood floor. “What I’m
supposed to be doing, sleeping with my assigned breeding partner.” The ice she
projected in her voice hid the fear, anger and frustration erupting inside.

“He’s supposed to leave after he delivers his seed. You’re
acting like lovers. I know you went away together. I used your text to trace
you.”

“It’s discouraged, not forbidden. This way, we have
increased the number of exchanges. It’s what we would be doing now if you
hadn’t interfered.” Annie lashed out at her sister, pissed off at the
interference but aware now that Marta shared her anomaly, her mind reached
below Marta’s surface anger—fear and below that, sadness. Her sister was driven
by fear—whether it was for Annie or for herself she couldn’t be sure—but maybe
that was the lever. Maybe Annie could make her see.

“It’s considered dangerous. I’ll have to report you.”
Marta’s pacing increased. “Why do you do this to me?”

A warmth on her buttocks, Tai’s hand in a form of support.
Fortunately, her warrior was not the average hothead, ready to fight at any
perceived insult. Ice instead of fire, he held back and observed, working out
the most efficient response she guessed. His eyes never left Marta, his body
coiled to pounce—pure Tai—silent and lethal.

“Marta, you do this to yourself. You’re like me—you deny the
empathy. Punishing me for it won’t make it go away.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m not like you. Never say
that.” Quiet words. Marta’s pacing stopped, the tic that tattooed along her
jawline the only indication that anger pulsed through her body.

“There’s nothing
wrong
with me either. My empathy is
a talent, a gift. It makes me the best negotiator the warriors have.”

“Mercy weakens the warrior.” Marta wrapped her arms around
herself and the pacing began anew.

“In a world where our numbers our rapidly dwindling, and we
interact more with humans and other races, that mercy is necessary for our
survival,” Tai responded, his hand tightening on her thigh, his anger with
Marta barely contained. “If we don’t change our breeding rules, we face
extinction.”

“Keep your small dog leashed, Antiope. His words bury you
deeper.” Fury coated Marta’s voice.

“I quite enjoy him unleashed.” A smile to her sister, a
reminder that they both preferred male lovers, a secret they shared growing up,
admiring celebrity photographs in magazines they snuck into their bunks and
read with flashlights. Marta’s return grimace, a rejection of Annie’s
outreached hand.

“He’s also right, Marta. Let me show you.” She popped out of
bed and dug out Phoebe’s research. “Look at this, really look at it. The Elders
suppressed it, but the numbers don’t lie. If we don’t change, the warrior races
will die out.”

Marta threw it away without a glance. “No, Antiope. I won’t
be swayed. The warriors do not need a new way forward, they need to recommit to
the old ways. We are at a fork, you must choose.”

A fork in time.
Sylla’s words. Her decision now might
decide the fate of the warriors. Tai’s love wrapped around her—a psychic
embrace. He was projecting, trusting her empathy to pick it up—loving and
accepting all that she was. “Yes, I must choose. I choose a new way forward. My
empathy will never allow me to give up my man…or my child.” There, it was out.
Now what did they do? By telling her sister, Annie threw the gauntlet, blew the
horn of battle. Instead of months to figure it out, they had hours, maybe a
day.

Marta’s face hardened, her lips thinned she was clenching
them so tightly. “If you are indeed pregnant, I am duty-bound to bring you
home.”

Before Annie could blink, Marta tried to grab her but Tai
was too fast. Off the bed, he had Marta pinned on the floor, face smashed to
the wood, her hands behind her back in a steel grip. “Get me some rope, twine,
anything to tie her up with. We can’t let her contact the Elders until we get a
head start.”

“Bastard runt. You’ve corrupted my sister.” Marta cursed
into the floorboards and bucked but could not break Tai’s hold.

In a flash, he had Marta tied up, mouth taped, and in the
corner with a TV on. They dressed as quickly and headed out. “We’ll have
someone get you as soon as we’re safe,” Annie promised. “For whatever it’s
worth, we truly believe we’re doing this for the good of our people.”

Tai’s computer and Phoebe’s research in hand, they got in
Annie’s car. “What now, game-changer? How do the two of us take on the Elders?”
Annie asked, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Homeless and at sea,
she’d never felt so alive. Choosing to be with Tai, to make an attempt to
create family, gave the warrior a personal war and a purpose. Bring it on,
Elders. She was ready for a fight.

“We go to Neutral Ground.”

* * * * *

They entered the club, three hours before it was scheduled
to open. The aroma of freshly ground coffee, cinnamon scones and blueberry
muffins tantalized Annie’s senses. Sylla had dragged her pastry chef in early
that day and greeted them as if they’d been on her calendar for months.

“Expecting us, old friend?” Annie asked after she chugged
several mouthfuls of coffee Sylla had shoved into her hand.

“Of course. What I don’t know is what I need to do after you
eat breakfast.”

Annie quickly explained the events of the past eleven days,
hoping Sylla had some insights as to what they could do. Her networks were
global, and given the unique role of Neutral Ground in the pantheon universe,
she’d cultivated an extraordinary knowledge of supernatural rules and
regulations. If anyone could help them plot a course of action, Sylla topped
the list.

“You have one best option. Present your case to the Council
of Pantheons Tribunal—it is the only body that can overrule your Elders without
any avenue for appeal.”

“That body passes judgment only when it crosses pantheon
lines. We’re both subject to the Greek gods.”

“Tai hacked the database and allowed a breeding that was
forbidden by the Amazons because of your unique heritage, for which he is
subject to death. The Gargareans have no such problem with the coupling. Under
their law, Tai is a warrior so any male child he fathers is a warrior too. For
that alone a tribunal is justified.” Annie wrapped an arm around Tai. With him
by her side, she felt no fear for the future. Not like when she’d been brought
to an Elder tribunal by her sister and faced the music for saving Quicksilver,
alone.

“Even more importantly,” Sylla continued, “Tai is a
game-changer. The decision will affect the future, which reverberates beyond
the warriors into the supernatural world. It will take me twenty-four hours to
pull it together.”

They both nodded.

“We have rooms and a full-service gym on the top floor. Make
yourself at home. Tomorrow’s going to make Hades look like a walk through the
park, but it does give you a chance.” She threw them a key. “Your warrior
regalia has already been brought to your rooms.”

“Let’s get in our battle gear and hit the gym.” She heard
what he didn’t say. They needed to feel strong, powerful. A good, sweaty
workout was just the thing.

Annie had to admit Tai looked sexy beyond her wildest
fantasies in the leather loincloth on his hips and the weapons that crossed his
chest. His clothing—if you could even call it that—exposed every muscle, every
scar, and the tattoo—a natural proclamation of potency and toughness. Her
outfit wasn’t much different. The chain mail armor covered her vital organs and
her sex and not much more. The links crisscrossed between her breasts, covered
her heart and ribs but left the mounds bare. Amazons designed their gear to be
functional—it used their barely contained sexuality as a weapon to distract
their enemies and provided easy access for the sexual release required after a
heavy battle.

Tai’s eyes bugged out when he saw her dressed and he let out
a long wolf whistle. “Hell.”

The gym had a running track that circled the exercise
equipment. They sprinted five miles. Tai pushed her to a grueling pace.

Pumped up from the run, Annie headed to the chin-up bar.
When she reached to grab it, Tai positioned himself in front of her and circled
one tight nipple with his tongue, then the other, drawing a moan from the back
of her throat.

“I’m going to watch you.” His body remained so close her
breasts slid against his chest and the leather of his weapons holster with each
up-and-down motion.

When she was in the up position above the bar, her fiftieth
chin-up completed and lust firing through her bloodstream, Tai wrapped her
thighs around his neck. “Stay there until you come.” He licked her clit in
long, slow laps, circled it in an evil tease. “You taste good. I could do this
all day.” Then he drew lingering figure eights.

“You’re just being cruel.” Her needy cries echoed through
the room. Her biceps began to cramp but she had no intention of moving.

“You like it.” He nipped at her thigh then returned to lick,
suck and tease her wet, hungry sex. One hand reached up and massaged her
breast. When her arms began to shake, he suckled harder while pinching the
nipple. Her body splintered in an orgasm so violent she fell off the bar into
Tai’s arms. He held her through the waves of pleasure.

“My turn,” Tai said, eyes all appetite as he put her down
and headed over to the bench press. While he lifted, Annie sauntered over,
reached under the leather loincloth and began to stroke. She loved the feel of
him hardening in her hand, the soft silk of his skin as she pumped him, the
beads of pre-cum that tickled her palm.

On his last lift, the heavy weights held over his head, arms
locked, she inserted his cock inside her and began a slow, sweet ride. Her
hands glided up and down his chest with each thrust. Revenge. Tai’s eyes locked
on to hers, glinting with wickedness, daring her to do her worst. He’d never
accept less than what she was. How could she not love him? “You feel good, just
keep those arms up ’til we’re done here,” she taunted.

Another one of his smiles.

She rode him harder, but moved one hand to her breast and
the other to stroke her clit.

“I want to be doing that.”

“We have all day and all night. You can do what you want to
me. Anything you want. After we’re done here.”

“I like that idea. Let’s start on the mat, shall we? I’ll
finger you hard while you hold a backbend, fuck your pussy and your ass from
behind when you’re doing dog kicks. When I’m doing sit-ups, I want that pretty mouth
of yours all over my dick.”

She pumped him fiercely, stroked her clit faster.

“After I’ve made you orgasm on every piece of equipment in
this room, I’ll take you back to the bedroom, tie you up in ribbons and torment
your breasts for hours, until you come from that alone. Then I’m going to
worship every inch of you until my love for you is tattooed on every cell in
your body. Baby, you’re going to limp into that tribunal room tomorrow with a
satisfied smile and the knowledge that you’re fully loved and will be for every
minute of every day for the rest of your life.”

“I love you, Tai.” Her body exploded and it took him with
her. Tai tossed the weights to the side and circled his arms around her after
she collapsed on top of him. After sufficient recovery time and several deep,
toe-curling kisses later, she went to the mat and did a backbend.

Dressed in his battle clothes, Tai took Annie’s hand and
headed to the courtroom in the basement of Neutral Ground. Full warrior regalia
stressed their commitment to their heritage, their conviction that their
actions were about building a better future. A justice nymph led them to a long
table that faced the tribunal bench, set for five judges.

Tai laid his hands flat on the table and sat stone-still as
the tribunal judges entered. His thigh touched Annie’s lightly. A small
comfort, but that Annie allowed it in such a setting spoke volumes of her
courage.

“Andromache,” Annie whispered, as a tall, white-haired
Amazon Elder strode in, her muscles still warrior-honed in the Amazon uniform.
Wrinkles from age and anger radiated from lips clenched tight. Her gaze skated
up and down Annie’s body and settled on her breasts. “Damn. I thought Sylla was
my friend,” Annie said. “Andromache assigned herself as my sexual mentor when I
turned eighteen and still does not understand why I don’t return to her bed
since she trained me. She sent me to retraining and rendered judgment on
Phoebe.” Her voice pitched low to his ears only. “She looks pissed.”

“Strike two,” Tai said, his tone equally hushed, his eyes
following the Elder Gargarean who took the seat next to the Amazon with his
arms crossed and eyes narrowed, his anger displayed for all to see. “Ajax is
known for his zealous traditionalism.” He pressed his leg tighter against her,
taking as well giving comfort.

“Themis.” The Greek goddess of divine order, law and custom
entered, clad in a silk toga. “She’s a true unknown—with a leaning to support
existing law and tradition,” Annie whispered. “This is not looking good.”

“Wait a sec. That’s Wenchang Wang, the Chinese god of
literature and scholarship, the patron of scholars and reputed for compassion
and leniency. One story says he started as a warrior, killed in a rebellion.”
An elderly Chinese gentleman, gray at the temples but resplendent in silk
robes, a pencil-thin moustache over thin lips pressed firm. His eyes shone with
kindness and ruthlessness. He could be mean when crossed.

“Oh my,” Annie breathed, a smile tugged at her lips.
“Ganesh, the Hindu god of intellect and wisdom and remover of obstacles.” His
elephantine features were unique among the pantheons. “I’d always wanted to
meet him, but not like this.”

“This tribunal is not acceptable. Only those from the Greek
pantheon may render judgment on the Greek warrior races,” Andromache’s deep
voice echoed through the walnut-paneled room. A sharp nod from Ajax showed the
Gargarean’s support.

“The decision taken today will reverberate across all the
supernatural races, so the Council of Pantheons deemed others to be included in
the final judgment,” Sylla said.

Tai swallowed hard. He hadn’t really put much value on his
designation as game-changer. That the membership and approval of the tribunal
was overseen by the Council of Pantheons, the highest body in the supernatural
world, changed that. He wanted Annie, believed it was the right future for them
and for his people, but never fully understood he had set in motion an action
that touched all the supernatural races. Is that why his mother in the end
didn’t take the research above the Elders? Wenchang Wang’s presence in this
room signaled its value.

“As the defendants are Greeks, Themis has the deciding
vote,” Sylla continued. “Two judgments must be rendered—the first shall be
whether Tai and Annie, and by extension all other warriors, can choose their
partners, form families and raise their children, and the second on Tai’s fate
for hacking the database and mixing DNA forbidden by the Amazons.”

As the decider of the final verdict, Themis would remain
silent throughout the proceedings. Three pieces of evidence were put on the
table for consideration. Phoebe’s research and conclusions on the fate of the
warrior races, a reproduction of the way in which Tai hacked the database and
Annie’s and Tai’s genetic histories.

Andromache’s stance never wavered—custom should be
preserved, Tai put to death, Annie’s child to be raised by the camps, and
henceforth, Annie’s breed partners were to be selected by the Amazon Elders.

Ajax echoed her support for custom and the need to maintain
the camps for child rearing but he argued vigorously for Tai’s life. “Given
Tai’s unfortunate birth,” he argued, “his hacking skills and battle victories
offered undeniable proof that warriors are trained, not born.” His next words
were crystal clear. “A proven warrior may choose his breed partner—the Amazon
predilection for genetic approval is unnecessary and frankly undesirable. The
Gargareans believe the genetic toying has reduced the Amazons’ fertility.” No
way the male warrior would admit that his people were shooting blanks.

Wisdom apparent in the gleam of his eyes and precise,
controlled movements of his nose, Ganesh seemed to understand that the Elders’
fear of change was the obstacle to be overcome. Tai swore the elephant god shot
a tag-you’re-it look at Phoebe, who had snuck into a seat at the back of the
room ten minutes after the Tribunal started. Phoebe stood and asked to speak—a
transgression to proceedings that both Ganesh and Wenchang Wang allowed over
the Elders’ protests.

Themis remained mute but only two approvals were required in
the admission of additional evidence. Phoebe stood and approached the bench,
grabbing a table then a chair as she made her way to the front of the room as
if her legs needed the help. She squeezed Tai’s shoulder though she never gave
him a glance before she settled her hand on the table. Annie’s thigh pressed
his harder. Only the knowledge that an obvious display of affection would work
against them kept him from pulling her into his arms. This trial could not be
about them—but the future of the warrior races, and the pantheons, he
suspected.

“I’m here to admit to my greatest failing, my single
regret.” Phoebe’s knuckles turned white, she squeezed the table corner so hard.
“That Wenchang Wang agreed to oversee this tribunal speaks to the importance of
my research. But I let it be squelched when I could have appealed, I let them
take my son, because I too feared the changes my conclusions demanded. So I
returned to my duty and though I participated in many Thirteen Nights rituals,
I’ve never conceived another child.”

Now hard truths will emerge
, Tai thought.

“When Antiope dared to find me, dared to bring my son to me,
I understood how fear kept me quiet. I wasn’t brave for giving up my child, as
the Elders insisted, I was a coward.” She blew out a breath. “Through Annie’s
and Tai’s courage I’ve found my own. No more running from you. Our reproductive
conditions must change. I’ve emailed the research report to every Amazon and
Gargarean I could dig up. As historian, my database is extensive. No matter
what decision is taken here, most of the warriors will have the research and
know it’s been approved by Wenchang Wang.”

As if they’d been rehearsing together for weeks, Ajax and
Andromache bolted out of their seats in battle-ready stance, their eyes bugged
out in unison. Pride vied with love in Tai’s heart as his gaze volleyed between
Phoebe standing tall and Annie biting her bottom lip so hard to suppress a
laugh that a drop of blood formed. He stifled a vampire-like need to lick it
off.

Ganesh and Wenchang Wang nodded their approval. Just as the
Elder warriors looked ready to storm out, Themis hit a gavel on the table. “I
will pass judgment now.” The Elders sat, respectfully—powerful as they both
were, neither were strong enough nor stupid enough to defy the Titan goddess of
justice, the mother of the Fates and the ruler of the oracles. Even if the
magic of the pantheon gods was waning, Themis remained formidable.

“Antiope, you carry the descendant of Hippolyta, the
greatest of all Amazon queens.” Annie nodded, but Tai felt her shoulders and
back stiffen. Themis was the most powerful deity in the room, her mind her own,
her decision final, and they had no clue how this would play out.

“She ruled well and used her empathy to do so.” Gasps
escaped from Annie and Andromache. “Empathy that the Amazons have been trying
to eradicate from your line for centuries. Some failures should be praised.”
Appearances be damned, Tai clutched Annie’s hand, proud to call her lover, proud
to display his love. Their fate lay with Themis, let her decide from truth.

“The current laws and customs pursued by the warrior races
are leading to their extinction, which I cannot permit. The knowledge is out,
it’s time to allow the change. Warriors will be permitted and encouraged to
breed with non-warriors. Any who choose can take the blood oath and raise their
children in their home on the condition that their children still receive
training as rigorous as any other warrior. All children will be required to
take and pass all tests mandated by the warrior code.” The time to celebrate
had not yet arrived. While his DNA was now permitted, Themis had yet to decide
on his personal fate. Gods could be fickle, he could still lose everything.

“I have a second judgment to make. Tai’s hacking broke
Amazon Law before this judgment was rendered,” Themis continued. Annie’s thumb
stroked along his hand, calming him, assuring him. He wished he felt that
confident. Andromache looked at him with pure malice in her eyes.

“Since he didn’t break the Gargarean code, no punishment is
warranted. Good luck to you both. May your bravery turn the tide and ensure the
future of the warrior races.” The sound of the gavel echoed through the room;
the decisions made that would change a part of the pantheons’ world.

Stunned, he only half heard Sylla, who now stood in front of
them. “A new road has been chosen, game-changer and my old friend. You will
lead and many will follow. With your success as a beacon to others, new
game-changers will surface and challenge the archaic rules and rituals of the
pantheons. My door is always open should you need it.” Sylla exited with the
tribunal leaving Tai, Annie and Phoebe alone in the room.

Adrenaline replaced the shock and it raged through Tai’s
bloodstream. His brain registered one song on its playlist—carry Annie back to
their room, show her his joy, and start planning their lives. Phoebe’s presence
forced him to expand the selection. His hand tangled in Annie’s hair, he faced
his mother. “Thank you,” he said, not sure what else to say.

“No, I should thank you for giving me the courage to do what
I should have done thirty years ago. I hope one day you’ll learn to forgive
me.”

“I want our child―our children―to know their grandmother.
Thanks to you, we have a chance of having more.”

She nodded, eyes wet with unshed tears.

“We’ll be in touch after we settle in. There are so many
things we’ll need to work out.” Tai and Annie both put an arm around Phoebe and
walked her to a room Sylla arranged for her in Neutral Ground, a safe haven
recognized by the Council of Pantheons. With the launch of the research,
everyone felt it was safer for her to stay here until things settled down.
Phoebe’s fighting skills might be legendary but even she could only handle so
many attackers. The extent of any backlash against her actions was a true
unknown.

Once in their room, Annie kissed him—open, wet and all
woman. Her scent wrapped around him. When he broke away, he brushed a chocolate
curl behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on her cheek. “A half-hour ago,
all I wanted to do was love you to Olympus and back, but I have every day of
our lives to do that.” The smile he gave her hurt his cheeks it split his face
so wide. “I’m going to hold you tonight, just be with you.”

“Breaking another rule, Tai? It’s the last night of the
Thirteen Nights Ritual. We’re supposed to screw until we drop.”

“Yeah, I am. I like the results when we break rules
together. Up for it?”

“Always.”