Chapter 6

 

 

 

 

He started feeling so comfortable around her that he let his guard down.  And when he was feeling at ease, his shifting control slipped and his true nature took over, showing his fox marking. Sparrow waited for her to accept what she was seeing. When she reached toward him she touched one of his ears too lightly, tickling him and making it twitch. She pulled her hand back, but redoubled, the next touch firmer. “Oh my God,” she whispered. Then she tugged on his ear sharply.

“Ouch.”

Chloe gasped. “How?”

“I told you, I’m a kitsune.”

“Yes, but…do you understand how hard that is to believe?” She turned to face him on her stool and ran both hands over her hair to pull it into a ponytail at the back of her head, only to let go of it again. “We’re told stories when we’re kids, and we grow up and know that they’re not real. They don’t exist.”

Sparrow tilted his head. “An unfortunate trait in humans, refusing to believe in wonders. But it makes life in the other realms easier, I suppose.”

Chloe rubbed her fingertips over her forehead. “Other realms…this is mind-blowing. You realize that, right? Unless I’m losing my mind, and I don’t realize it. I suppose that’s possible.”

“You’re not losing your mind.” Sparrow drew his ears in, and she gasped like a delighted child, patting his hair where they’d just been. “You believe me now?” Slight disappointment crept in when her smile faded.

“I believe there’s more to you than I thought, yes. That you’re something…special.”

“And that you are the goddess Gaia?”

Chloe smirked. “I could strain myself until I had a stroke and no ears would pop out of my head.”

Sparrow felt good now that he was making progress with his goddess. “You don’t have ears, my goddess. You’re not a fox, don’t be silly.” He cupped her cheek. “But you have powers beyond your imagining. And your reincarnation means its time you used them to help restore your kingdom.”

“My kingdom?”

“This realm. You rule over the earth, over flora and fauna and all living beings. They’ll start to wane without your attention. The sooner your gifts are restored, the better.”

Her eyes narrowed. She seemed convinced by his ears, if nothing else, but wasn’t quite on board with the whole truth yet.

“How do I do that?”

“We do it.” He took her hand and leaned closer. “We consummate our union, and that will bring you to the fullness of your power.”

Chloe smirked, a sign he was learning to recognize as disbelief. “That’s convenient. We have sex, and I’ll become a goddess?”

“You believe the rest, but that’s unbelievable to you?”

She sighed. “It’s all unbelievable, when you boil it down. But I don’t know how to explain it, so I’m choosing to believe you, at least for a while. The consummation bit, though? Sounds like the worst pick-up line ever.”

He scoffed. “It’s not. I am your consort. If only you’d give me a chance, you’ll see that all of it’s true.”

The suspicious look never left her face, but one corner of her mouth turned up. “So, you’re saying if we have sex, I’ll be able to do what you did? Zapping me to heal me, getting here so fast?”

“Gaia, your power dwarfs mine. Your influence keeps the entire planet in balance. My powers are like cheap tricks compared to yours. My power is nothing like that of a holy deity like you.”

“Why do we have to have sex for me to regain my power?”

“Each time a new Gaia is reborn to a new vessel, the holy power is sealed within your center.” He touched the middle of her ribcage. “It’s sealed for good reason. If a new Gaia wields power before the Awakening, the consequence is disastrous. Untrained power emanated through the holder’s emotion. If a Gaia is in despair, this realm will be blanketed in ice and snow. And if she is in a rage, terrible draught and heat will scorch this earth, spelling doom for every living creature. And as your consort, it is my duty to unseal that power and teach you how to use it. The unsealing process requires intimate skin contact in order for my mana to enter your body. Thus, the act of love-making is the easiest and fastest way to unseal your power.”

“What’s mana?”

He pondered. “I guess the easiest explanation is it’s the source of energy that allows us to use magic.”

“Was there a former Gaia who didn’t have sex with her consort in order to regain her power?”

Sparrow furrowed his brows, thinking hard. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe there was a Gaia who came to hate her consort and she refused the intimate act.”

“What happened to her?” She wanted to know.

“She didn’t become fully Gaia and her power passed to her next incarnation.”

“Does she have human lifespan? Or was she like, immortal or something?”

“Gaia is a living human goddess and so she lives a human lifespan.”

“What happens to the consorts?”

“They die when their goddesses die.”

Her expression showed him that she didn’t expect that answer. “Why?”

“When a Champion wins the Selection, he binds his soul to serve his Gaia. And so he perishes when the lifespan of his Gaia ends.”

“Hmmh. Curious.”

“Indeed.” Sparrow studied her face. “Does making love with me repulse you? I’m considered desirable among my kin.” He leaned forward and gave her a conspiratorial wink. “I’m also a great lover.”

Her eyes widened. Blush followed. “Oh. I didn’t mean that. I find you very attractive. A very, very attractive man.”

She seemed have more to say but was reluctant. He waited.

Chloe waved her hand dismissively. “It just that a decent woman doesn’t jump on a man she just met, does she?”

“But you’re not just a woman. You’re Gaia.”

“I’m still processing that I’m a reincarnation of a goddess. You know how crazy that sounds?”

“To common folks, perhaps. I know, I shall give you a little demonstration.” Sparrow snapped his fingers to illustrate, sending up sparks. 

Her eyes widened. “Show me?”

Sparrow never expected his goddess to be so skeptical of him. This doubt should be rectified immediately. He nodded, then moved several feet away from her on the other side of her kitchen. He would rein himself in, but hopefully still convince her. Last time he let loose with the full depth of his power, he’d blown all the nearby transformers. He’d only been trying to stop what humans called a “mugging” and hadn’t meant to plunge the whole neighborhood into darkness for several hours.

Sparrow kept his human form, but his ears re-emerged as they always did when he let his guard down, and he let his true form come through, not just the kitsune or the demon, but the combination of both.