Hence the need for me to meditate. I wanted to ensure I was as ready as could be, and to get a chance to speak with her once more before bringing her into battle. Unfortunately, I was having a much harder time here. That made sense, considering what Vaper had told me about spiritual places, but it also worried me—if I couldn’t summon her here, would I be able to at the mansion, when we would need her to join the fight?

  I breathed in deep and looked out at the strange colors floating around me. Orange and pink strands of wind, similar to the clouds in the sunset, but much more vibrant and streaming past me, circling me as if they were cloths swirling in the wind. Aside from them, though, there was no regular wind. Not that I could feel, anyway. Little gold specks of light reflected nearby, indicating spiritual energy of some sort, but it completely failed in comparison to what I had been able to see at the Suicide Forest with Vaper.

  “No luck?” Suiko asked, floating out of my chest as a ball of blue light, then taking on her womanly form. Her long, black hair fell down past her breasts, her white kimono making her look very out of place here on an apartment rooftop in Glendale, California. Two palm trees stood behind her, one on either side so that they looked almost like a frame, with her and the vibrant colors like a very strange tropical post card.

  I grinned at the sight of her, then marveled as the balls of light, normally stable, floated around her as if in a dance. She eyed them too, with curiosity.

  “Not yet,” I admitted, answering her question. “It’s like I was someone else over there. Yes, Fuji was magical in its way, but just being in Japan seemed to open something in me.”

  “Maybe you’d like to return, in a sense?” she asked, and held her hand out as if offering me a gift.

  I stared for a moment in confusion, but then her meaning became clear.

  “That’s not a bad idea, actually,” I said, nodding. She floated over, and I closed my eyes as she merged with me again.

  We immediately went to our special place. A sort of mental haven where it was just us, and she was as she had been, holding out her hand. Only, now there was a small crystal ball there, one that had moving images within of my time in Japan. I chose a moment to return that that had been very peaceful—the onsen near Nikko. The one where I had gone with Ahlaksiz. There I was, in the memory, feeling the heat of the waters as I soaked, Ahlaksiz nearby, nude, her cute little cougar ears lying back as she breathed out in relaxation.

  I let the steam engulf my face, the water completely relaxing me, and yet I could still feel my body on that apartment rooftop at the same time. It was a trip! Tapping into my core, I was able to view the image Basty had given me before, to see the paths that opened to me. The druid route I had taken, but visuals for my other abilities as well, including the connection the Iridant gave me to the other world.

  To my surprise, Devasla flashed into my mind, fire all around her, a head exploding as she stomped on it. My mind spun, the image of her vanishing. It had been too much, to be on the rooftop, in the hot spring, and with her, all at once. I breathed out, looking at Ahlaksiz, and then let the memory flash forward so that we were making love on the towels, amongst the trees beyond the onsen. I had a reason for coming to this moment, because at the time I hadn’t known one of the monkey guards had been watching. Now, though, I turned as my cock slid into Ahlaksiz, and clicked my tongue. There was no way I would have seen the monkey woman sitting in the darkness without this power, but now I could make her out clearly enough. As I’d learned, she had a clear view of me from behind, and the thought of her watching like that turned me on.

  “Is this really what you want me to see?” Suiko asked, and I was pulled back to the rooftop, yanked out of our special place completely.

  “Oh…” I frowned. “You see… all of that?”

  She met my eyes, not showing how she felt about it, one way or the other. “The vision is only possible because of our connection. You can assume I not only see it, but experience it. As pleasurable as that was, I’m not sure we’re quite at the level where I should be experiencing the pleasure of your cock sliding into her.”

  “Fatima,” I said, grinning at the use of Ahlaksiz’s ‘codename.’

  “Right. My history with Fatima is complicated. My knowing of you has only just begun. Please do take that into consideration.”

  I gulped, unable to even start to understand what it would be like for her to be in my memory, feeling that moment as I’d felt it. Wow. And considering what she must have experienced in her life, I had no idea what she would be comparing it with. Life, and death, I should say, as she had apparently been a ghost for some time.

  “Why was she watching you?” Suiko asked. “The monkey woman.”

  I shrugged, but licked my lips with the thought of one idea of why. Desire on her part. But the answer I gave was the more logical, less interesting one, “They had to keep an eye on Ahlaksiz while she had the Eye of Ra.”

  Suiko considered this, then nodded. Tilting her head toward the rooftop door, she said, “I sense they are discussing you—maybe they’re ready?”

  “Or gossiping, in which case I don’t want to barge in.”

  She nodded, then started to sink through the rooftop at her feet. Before I could protest, she was gone. I stared at the spot for a few heartbeats, then watched as she reemerged.

  “And…?”

  Her smile gave it away. “You were right. Nothing you’d want to interrupt.”

  “Well, now I’m curious.”

  “Too late. I asked if they were ready for you, and they said they are.”

  I nodded, blinked so that the spirit sight, as I decided to call it in that moment, faded. What was left was the dark blue sky with a hint of orange and streaks of pink on the horizon. It was almost time to make our move on the mansion, so perfect timing for a quick snack. My joints cracked as I pushed myself up. To my relief, Suiko floated along at my side as I made my way back down. Not that I minded her being inside of me, but sometimes I liked having her company in the more traditional sense.

  Before we reached the last stair, I turned to her. “Sorry, about before. I didn’t realize…”

  “It was quite enjoyable,” she admitted, offering me a playful grin.

  “Oh. Good?”

  “Very good, but, not again until I’m ready. If I’m ever ready.”

  I nodded, opened the door for her, as if she needed it, and we made our way to my apartment. The door across the hallways was closed, so I had to assume Alex and Arturo were either busy or away. When I’d been around more, they’d leave the door open, claiming that doing so made them feel their apartment was bigger, as if the whole hallway were theirs too. I figured it was really because they wanted more company, as I or others who lived there would often stop by to hang out.

  Ahlaksiz had been the one to make food, apparently having gone for a grocery run while I was gone. She had made several dishes, but the one that excited me most was lasagna.

  “Perfect timing,” she said, cutting into it as I entered.

  “How long was I up there?” I asked, amazed that she had managed to get so much done.

  “Not long, but I have some tricks up my sleeves.”

  I nodded, eyeing the lasagna, but then also the plate of tacos, seaweed salad, and some raw meat at the side of the counter where Kinara stood. Milrae was munching from a plate of fully loaded nachos, while Jalee and Koharu leaned against the wall, staring out the window. The two had apparently been in the middle of a conversation, but now that I was back, everyone turned my way.

  “Don’t let me interrupt,” I said, ignoring the sly smiles some of them shared with each other. The room was quite crowded, it being a small, studio style apartment. The main room was both my living and sleeping area, and connected directly to the kitchen.

  “Don’t eat too much, we need to head out soon and don’t want you cramping up,” Ahlaksiz said.

  “Then why’d you cook so much?”

  “We have a big group now.” She shrugged. “Plus, you never know when or if we’ll have time. Good to have leftovers.”

  I shrugged, not able to argue with that. Taking a spot at the counter, I accepted a slice of the lasagna and dug in. Damn, the woman knew how to cook! This wasn’t some watery, skimpy lasagna, but full of meat and marinara, and I was guessing at least seven types of cheeses. She had clearly let it cool, or found a way to make it cool faster, as it didn’t burn my mouth in the slightest.

  “Oh my God!” I exclaimed, relishing the taste.

  “I’m glad you like it.” Ahlaksiz dished up some for the others, then leaned back against the fridge, eyeing me with a serious look—down to business.

  “The mansion?” I asked.

  “Actually, I was thinking of another, but related matter. Do you think you’re ready?”

  “Ah, to call on this new monster…” I took another bite, looked away, and shook my head.

  “What do you mean? Is that a no?”

  I finished chewing, then swallowed. “It’s a… maybe. I managed to get in touch with her, in a sense, but am still not quite at the point of it working every time.”

  “How’d you manage?” Koharu asked, walking over and reaching past me for one of the tacos.

  I blushed, remembering the memory I’d entered, and how she had watched. When I didn’t respond, she gave me a confused look, then turned her focus to the taco.

  “What matters is we have our team, and I think I’ll be able to manage it. Maybe.” I eyed Basty, who was burying his face in a plate of seaweed salad. The sight of him eating like a little gremlin made me laugh, but caught me by surprise, as I didn’t remember him eating vegetables before.

  “I’d argue that what matters is our success rate,” Jalee countered. “But what do I know? I’m just here to have fun.”

  “Bullshit,” Kinara said, shaking her head. “But if that’s the story you want to tell yourself, sure. It might help with the sting if we don’t succeed, but I argue for simply not letting that be an option. Ferris, whatever it takes. We didn’t go all the way to that mountain and search out Vaper only for you to choke up when the moment comes.”

  “Harsh,” I said, but nodded. “I’ll get it done.”

  “Good.” She ate more of her raw meat, nasty blood dribbling down her chin.

  “And Amabie?” I asked.

  “I’ve been thinking about her,” Ahlaksiz said. “There’s no lake on the way, but there was the lake in the backyard.”

  “You want to call for her there?”

  Ahlaksiz took a deep breath, then sighed. “Unless you have any better ideas.”

  Considering that I didn’t, I said so and agreed—we would head to the mansion complex, try to get Amabie with us before our adventure into the mansion, and then get to work. First, though, and as Jalee, Milrae, and Koharu helped Ahlaksiz store the food and pack some for the car, Kinara excitedly announced that she had cookies for the neighbors.

  “What?” I asked.

  “They like cake, and I thought that cookies with frosting would be perfect, so… voila!”

  “Learning new words?” She grinned. “Yeah, Ahlaksiz was telling us about all these places she’s traveled on Earth. After seeing Tunisia and Japan, I’ve got the ‘travel bug,’ as she called it.”

  “Me, too,” I admitted, then finally looked at the cookies she’d held up. Oreos! I had to laugh.

  “What, no good?”

  “Oh, they’re great. Arturo especially loves them.”

  “Perfect!” She skipped across the hall, knocked on their door, and stood waiting. I frowned, not sure if I should tell her they probably weren’t home.

  Then the door opened, and standing there in her cop uniform and with a pleased grin was none other than Ahlaksiz’s daughter—Bloodsong.

  (Find it on Amazon and KU)

  About the Author

  Jamie Hawke

  After working on Marvel properties and traveling the world, Jamie Hawke decided to settle down and write fun, quirky, and sexy pulp science fiction and superhero books. Are they all harem? Oh yeah. Oh yeahhhh.

  It all started when Jamie was eleven, creating nude superhero comics with his best friend. What perverts! But hey, they were fun and provided good fodder for jokes up into their adult years. Now the stories have evolved, but they capture that same level of fun. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as the author loved writing them!

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  Jamie Hawke, Monster Girl in the Shadows

 

 

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