Nona's Garden- Chapter 13
Welcome To Treasure Island
The rest of the ride went in silence… with occasional glances from Mateo as he kept checking my hands for the talons that were no longer there. I had finally got my emotions back under control, so my nails were their normal length… for now. I think Nikki had fallen asleep, but I didn’t check. I just enjoyed the quiet.
We entered the town of Treasure Island, Florida at a late hour. The ride took us only about 6 hours total, but we had a late start to begin with. I knew my sister was up so it didn’t matter… she felt me coming closer and would be getting a room ready for me. I wouldn’t come into Florida unless I was coming to her, she knew that.
The thrill at being with her again began replacing my other emotions and I let the excitement flow through me freely… I have missed her so much. We weren’t a loving family, like most mortals would imagine, but we were close. Being without my sisters left a void I couldn’t fill… it was like a giant hole was in my heart, parts of me missing. I haven’t seen her since we acquired these latest vessels… I always got to see them when we changed bodies but never in-between, and never for long. That meant I had to wait until an explosion, volcano, cannon fire, or some other disaster took one of us out, for a family reunion. Last time we started over, my sister had had a hurricane fling her into the sea… it was amusing because she had started the hurricane herself, after she let loose into an angry frensy. Where my sadness just caused rain… her anger caused hurricanes. Being the older aspect… she was always one step ahead of me it seemed. My other sister, she only can cause one thing no matter her mood… death.
I leaned my head on the car and looked through the window up at the star filled sky… I wonder if our mother will ever come to save us from this perpetual existence. She usually doesn’t speak to us individually… and even while we were together, she hadn’t provided answers to anything. She was the only one who had the power to put Him in his place for good, freeing me, and them, from this endless loneliness.
I glanced at Mateo from the corner of my eye… he looked to be lost in thought himself.
“We are here, Miss.” Kenny announced at the same time the GPS said that we’ve arrived at our destination.
I continued to watch out the window as we turned into a u-shaped driveway… the twelve story condo coming into view as we swung around. My sister never did do things small; this place was no different.
“Your sister lives in a condo?” Nikki asked, like she was somehow surprised.
“My sister owns the building.” I replied as I observed Mateo trying to get a better look from his side of the car. He was probably wondering how this was going to go down.
“Will you untie me now?” He asked, a hint of authority now in his voice. He was used to giving orders I could tell. “I don’t feel my hands anymore…”
“Depends… will you try to leave? I wouldn’t advise it.” Nikki would tie everything up, including his balls, if he ran.
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere… I think you should have asked for my help, instead of, you know… abducting me. But now I’m all the way curious to see what will happen next. It’s not everyday you get kidnapped, then find out the girl you tried hitting on, was the one responsible- plus she has claws. I don’t want to waste this whole experience. As long as my life isn’t in danger that is. I draw the line at death or being turned into a frog or something.”
“Asked for your help?” I looked at Nikki who was looking at us, she just shrugged her shoulders. “I… uh. I guess I could have tried asking first.” I cleared my throat. “But then, what if you’d said no?”
“Then you could have abducted me, I guess… at least you would have tried the nice way first.” He gave me a look like I was a child being taught manners. I had manners… I think. Depends on who was judging really.
“I’ll remember that for next time.” I said dryly.
“I will find my own place to stay, Dea… I don’t want to stay indoors. The ocean is calling me.” Nikki said as she turned back around in her seat and went to open the car door. “I’ve never seen the ocean before, so this is exciting. My compensation prize… among other ones. I’ll return in the morning. Call me if he gives you anymore trouble.” And with that, she left us alone… disappearing into the night.
Among other ones? I didn’t know what she meant, but I’ll ask her about it when we returned home. I couldn’t see the ocean with the massive building in the way, but I could hear it… I felt the call too. Maybe I’ll go out tonight as well. The moon was full, and the night air was warm and salty. It was perfect.
“Well, I guess we’re alone- excluding Kenny… I will take these bindings off, but you have been warned about behaving. I don’t die easily, and Nikki would punish you severely.”
“I would never hurt you.” The sincerity in his voice and on his face was genuine. “Your claws, on the other hand, look like they’d hurt me though.”
“I would never harm you either.” And I meant that. This man was somehow special… I felt it so strongly that I haven’t been myself since we stepped foot on the farm. “I am sorry we did this the wrong way. As with the other stuff… I will make it right. I even sent help to your business, so you wouldn’t be missed and your farm wouldn’t suffer.” I added.
“I think I need to call my father.” Alarm lit his face… like he forgot about his family missing him. “He’s going to freak out if I’m not there in the morning!”
“No, he won’t. I will explain… when we have told you everything. Your father and farm will be fine.”
He searched my face for a long moment, looking deep into my eyes… I didn’t look away this time, I just returned his gaze… I’m not sure what he saw but he seemed to relax. He turned around so I could untie him… I worked on the knots, but my hands were shaky. The rope kept slipping but I finally managed to free him. “Even after all this… I hope you can forgive me. I will drop you off home, and you’ll never see me again. I pro-”
The word promise was cut off midway as Mateo spun around, quick as lightening… he grabbed my head with both hands and pulled me towards him, pressing his mouth to mine. I didn’t even have time to react… my sound of shock was swallowed by his kiss.
It took seconds to register what he was doing… like my mind thought for sure he was trying to hurt me. I panicked; my nails shooting out as my mind raced to catch up. Then the panic turned into fire as I leaned into him. I have never been kissed by a human… I never wanted to be. Mortals were something I was satisfied with looking at from a distance, like window shopping but never buying anything. Their lives were just too short and their minds too closed.
But I wanted it now… it’s exactly what I had been needing, and I’d be damned if anyone took it from me. My hand slid up his arm and into his hair, loving the feel of it flowing through my fingers. I pulled him closer to me… trapping him, in case he thought to stop. He didn’t want to stop though… his one hand held my neck firmly, while the other wrapped around my waist, locking me in an embrace.
I relaxed my mouth, allowing him access to me more intimately… he took full advantage and deepened the kiss. This was Elysium, divine … the smell of him, the feel of him, the taste of him. I dug my claws in slightly. He gave a deep moan at the pressure, and I went to press my body into his warm chest…
“Uh hem…” a stern voice came from the opening where Nikki had left the door open. “I didn’t realize I would be interrupting something.”
I broke away from Mateo like a teenager getting caught after sneaking her boyfriend into her room. “Sister! I didn’t know you’d come to the car…” I went quickly to fix myself even though nothing was out of place… it was Mateo that had red whelps going up his arm, and his hair was a mess. He didn’t seem to care.
I shot out the car and wrapped my arms around my sister’s neck… she immediately returned the embrace. We stayed like this for what must have been an eternity… the hug had felt like one piece of a missing puzzle gliding back into place. A burst of energy ignited in my core… lighting up my insides with a fresh dose of newness and hope. It was ethereal… it was life. I was life. Not at 100% exactly but more than I had been. I had been so empty without her… except when I was kissing Mateo. But I didn’t want to think about that as I was savoring the feelings of reuniting with my sister. I didn’t realize I had tears running down my face until I pulled away from her.
My sister, although not usually as emotional as me, wiped her own tears away and when the moment calmed down, and our light faded… she turned to look at the man, who in her eyes had been pawing her little sister. Which was odd because we were in fact, the same age.
“And who is this man, Clotho?” My regal sister gave him a onceover… paying close attention to his shirtlessness.
“Clotho?” Mateo’s surprised eyes shot to mine… up until then he had been staring at us both wide-eyed. He must have saw the energy exploding from us.
Lachesis snorted elegantly, “Did she not tell you who she was, human? You were heavily making out with a Goddess, and you don’t even know which one?”
“Your eyes… they are glowing white! You’re a Goddess…? A real Goddess?” His voice went down to a whisper. “Clotho… I know that name.” You could see his mind working as he went through his memories, running his hands through his hair while he thought. The muscles in his arms flexing as he gripped the strands in concentration. “I learned about it in college.”
“Of course you did.” My sister crossed her arms as she stared at him from her tall height of five-feet ten-inches… “Everyone knows who we are.”
I guess the cat was out of the bag now, and there was no turning back, so I stood up tall and fully faced Mateo… “My real name… well, my first human name- given to me by the Greeks long ago… is Clotho, the Spinner. I am one of the Three Fates.”
