Whereupon, being the dutiful fiancee, she"d rea.s.sured him that she had complete confidence in his abilities. Then she"d made his eyes roll back in his head and he"d forgotten all about science for the next hour or so.
The week before the festival, decorations made of beaten gold started appearing on stalls in the market square, and on the people who loved dressing up in their finest.
Annie caught a glimpse of Nerin one day, striding in his usual implacable style amongst the booths, wearing an impressive hammered gold collar and an armlet that looked like it must have weighed a ton. It was dwarfed next to his biceps. She shook her head, images of body builders flittering through her mind.
Kyle was spending more and more time with Ronnil and his other science-minded advisors, because a good thunderstorm was apparently going to be essential for his scientific equipment to work. He"d been a.s.sured that this was the right time of year for them, and even Annie, with her layman"s concepts, could understand the need for electricity.
Visions of singed eyebrows and smoke curling from lumps of burned hair were quickly brushed aside.
The front of the Sun G.o.d"s Temple had been festooned with brightly colored hangings and more gold than she"d ever seen in one place. And that included most professional athlete"s necks.
There was a small balcony in the very front of the ziggurat, which looked out over the square. It was here, Kyle had told her, that they would celebrate the symbolic union of the King of the G.o.ds and the representative of the G.o.ddess. This ritual was guaranteed to ensure fertility during the forthcoming year. Although he was the High Priest, Kyle had always designated another to represent him. Until now.
He was adamant that no one was going to bless anything with his High Priestess other than him.
The mention of fertility gave Annie reason to think, and she was very quiet several mornings before the festival as she and Enshilla made their way through the crowds.
"You are well, Annilin?" asked Enshilla, noting her friend"s unusual silence.
"I don"t know, Enshilla. The truth of the matter is, I"m wondering if I may be pregnant." There-it was out. Just saying the words brought a measure of relief to Annie.
"Do you feel unwell at all? Have you been vomiting in the morning?" Enshilla was practical and blunt.
"No and no," said Annie, feeling a bit foolish. How could she explain to Enshilla that she d.a.m.n well knew she hadn"t been pregnant when she arrived in Sumer, but that all the f.u.c.king she"d been doing with Kyle had certainly covered most of her ovulation cycle.
"Then I would not worry for the time being, my friend. You have experienced many new and wondrous things, Annilin. Surely you are not unaware that such happenings can interfere with a woman"s moon rhythm?"
Annie gazed at Enshilla and listened to the little voice inside her that told her she was an idiot for underestimating the intelligence of the Sumerians.
"Enshilla, you never cease to amaze me."
Enshilla grinned, a very naughty and quite un-Enshilla-like grin. "That"s what Ronnil said the other night." She blushed.
"Aha. So I take it that things are going well between the two of you?"
Enshilla sighed. This was not an exasperated sigh, however. This was a sigh of satisfaction, l.u.s.t andcontentment all rolled into one. "Oh yes. It is quite-um...awesome. I think that is your word?"Annie laughed. "Yes, that"s the word all right.""You did it deliberately, didn"t you?" Enshilla"s quiet question caught Annie by surprise."Did what?""Showed Ronnil and me some things that would make us get excited. So to speak.""Well, I have to say that we didn"t hold back, even though we knew you were there." Annie was surprised that she wasn"t more uncomfortable with this conversation. Her stay in Sumer was certainlystarting to affect her att.i.tudes towards s.e.x. Well, s.e.x with Kyle, anyway. Aw h.e.l.l, she"d take s.e.x withKyle any way she could get it. She giggled at her own pun.
Misunderstanding her giggle, Enshilla chuckled too. "Yes, you two certainly were quite uninhibited. That
will help during the New Year"s festival ritual too."Annie looked back over her shoulder at the ziggurat that loomed over the square. "You really can"t seetoo much, though, can you?"
"No, it"s all symbolic and ritualistic, this particular event. It"s the biggest one, of course, which is why ithas to be outdoors. People come from miles around to celebrate the sacred marriage, and see itsconsummation. But they can"t really see it, they just know it"s going on."
"Well, that helps," began Annie.
"My Lady, my Lady..." a voice called to them from a side street. Annie and Enshilla turned to see Ishkarthe brewer lumbering towards them with a big smile on his face and a pottery flask in his hand."It"s the first of the new batch, High Priestess," he sputtered, out of breath and panting loudly."Take your time, Ishkar, take your time," soothed Enshilla, patting his shoulder.Annie looked at the flask with interest. "You mean this is the first of the brew with date juices in it?""Yes, High Priestess. And oh, my Lady, wait until you taste it..."He held out the flask, and Annie cautiously took it, unstoppering it and checking the neck for signs of previous use. One couldn"t be too careful about hygiene, given that antibiotics were a couple of thousand
years away.
Then she remembered some of her beer drinking parties in college. She shrugged, raised the flask to her lips and took a hefty swig.
The brew slid down her throat like the finest light ale. She swallowed and closed her eyes in ecstasy. It was just magnificent.
"Mmm. This is great, Ishkar."Ishkar couldn"t have smiled any more without losing teeth. "My customers love it, and already word isspreading. A couple of temple representatives have asked for vats over the upcoming festival, and I even have a few early orders from outside Kushuk. I"ll have to hire a few workers back just to keep up."The man was so excited he was almost crying with it."I"m so happy for you, Ishkar," smiled Annie."Oh it would never have happened if not for you, my Priestess. With your permission I shall name this blend the Moon G.o.ddess"s Blessing."
Well, Budweiser wouldn"t have to sweat it, thought Annie. She bowed politely. "That"s a lovely gesture,Ishkar. I"m sure this will bring much success to your business in the future.""Oh, it"s you who"s done that, High Priestess," said Ishkar with wide-eyed appreciation. "You and Lord Kyall have truly blessed Kushuk. I know this will be the best festival ever."
He left the two women with a cheery wave, and Annie thoughtfully took another swig of her own personal brew.
"Well, another satisfied customer," said Enshilla with a wry twist to her lips. "He"s right, you know. You
and Lord Kyall have certainly made a mark."Annie turned to Enshilla. "If we had to leave, Enshilla...what would happen?"She tilted her head and stared at Annie. "Are you thinking of going somewhere?"Annie bit her lip and encouraged Enshilla to resume walking beside her. She needed to be somewhere a little quieter.
They wandered down to the banks of the river and rested for a while on a carved stone bench, watchingthe clouds scudding through the clear sky and the birds wheeling overhead."Enshilla, you have never asked about how I got here."Enshilla"s eyes flickered to Annie"s and away again. "I never felt it was appropriate for me to do so, Annilin. You appeared in the Temple of the Moon G.o.ddess. That was enough for me."
"I understand. But have you considered that..." Annie paused, trying to find the right words to use that
would not hurt her friend nor compromise her beliefs. What would Captain Picard have said, so as not to violate the Prime Directive? Annie wished for a Star Trek scriptwriter.
"Have you considered that the Moon G.o.ddess might not allow me to remain? That possibly Lord Kyall
and I might need to go elsewhere at the direction of our G.o.ds?"
Enshilla sat motionless and considered this idea.
"It would not be unexpected, I suppose..." she said finally. "Although I don"t know what Ronnil and I
would do without you."Annie felt tears start and gave Enshilla a big hug. "I know just what you"d do. After all, we showed you."Her chuckle lifted the mood and brought a blush to Enshilla"s cheeks. "Well, yes, Annilin. There is that, of course.""If I should have to leave, Enshilla, I want you to know that I shall always value your friendship, nomatter where I am." Or when.
Enshilla"s eyes teared up too. "Me too, Annilin. I don"t always fully understand the things you say or do,
but it has been a great pleasure and an honor being your friend."
"I want to say something, and I think Lord Kyall is telling Ron this too. I want you to take over as High Priestess if anything happens to me."
Enshilla gasped."Annilin, are you sure?""Never more so. You are the perfect candidate. Let"s face it, you would have been High Priestess if I hadn"t...er...flashed into the temple. And most probably Ronnil would have been a top candidate forLord Kyall"s job. So consider it done."
Enshilla was quite stunned. "Well, I don"t know what to say...""Then don"t say anything. Just think about next year"s festival. If we"re not here, it"ll be you and Ronnildoing the wild thing for the a.s.sembled mult.i.tudes."
Enshilla gulped.
It was late in the day when Annie and Enshilla made it back to the Sun G.o.d"s Temple. The sound of malevoices raised in song greeted them, and Annie raised an eyebrow and looked at Enshilla."Seems there"s a party going on, and we"re late," she said dryly."Indeed," agreed Enshilla. "Let"s go and find out what we"re missing.""Attagirl," grinned Annie.In one of the inner chambers, Ronnil and Kyle were sprawled over a couple of couches with several empty flasks between them.
It seemed that Ishkar had stopped by the Temple to thank the High Priest as well and left a few samples behind him. More than a few, actually, thought Annie as she counted the flasks on the floor.
"Twelve dead soldiers," she muttered, picking a flask out of an urn and tossing it onto the pile. "You guys
should be ashamed...""Aha," said Kyle, waggling his eyebrows. "The girls are here. Now we can party hearty, Ron."Ronnil burped.Annie put her hands on her hips.Kyle winced. "Aw, honey," he wheedled. "It was your idea to fix the beer. You"re the one responsible for making it turn out so good." His green eyes sparkled drunkenly at her.
She was completely helpless to resist. "You"re hopeless and I"m an idiot," she laughed, running over to the couch and leaping on top of him.
He grunted as she knocked the wind out of his lungs.
Enshilla beckoned to Ronnil. "I think we should leave, Ronnil. Now."
"Oh, oh." Ronnil stood, wavering slightly. "I think I"m...what was that expression you used, Lord? "Ups.h.i.t"s creek without a puddle"?""Paddle.""Oh. Right. Yes. Got to go now. Enshilla says so."Enshilla exchanged a speaking glance with Annie as she led her inebriated Priest out of the room. His voice could still be heard as he serenaded her with some variety of Sumerian love song throughout the
Temple corridors.
"Well, he"s no Frank Sinatra," said Annie, grinning. "Although, come to think of it, neither are you. What the h.e.l.l was that you guys were singing? Some Sumerian drinking ditty?"
Kyle pulled Annie closer and rested his hand comfortably over her breast. "Not exactly." He smiled asher nipple tightened beneath his palm."What exactly was it, then?""You really want to know?""Yes." She wriggled beneath him, responding as always to his touches. "I really want to know."
Kyle slid her down beneath him and relieved her of her robes.
"Well, it"s a poem of sorts, a pa.s.sionate description by a G.o.ddess of her interaction with the Shepherd Dumuzi. Dumuzi was her consort, apparently."
"Apparently..." echoed Annie, losing her focus for a moment as Kyle licked his way around her leftnipple."The words are lovely.""Are they?""Wanna hear them?""Hear what?""The words to the poem."
"Oh. Yeah, sure..."Kyle"s mouth continued its journey across her sensitive b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he spoke the ancient words of theG.o.ddess"s love poem.
"He shaped my loins with his fair hands,The shepherd Dumuzi filled my lap with cream and milk,He stroked my pubic hair..."Kyle"s lips followed the progress of his words.
"He watered my womb.He laid his hands on my holy v.u.l.v.a.He caressed me on the bed."He gathered Annie in his arms and carried her to his chamber, laying her on the bed and following her down. He"d managed to shed his own clothing on the way, and the feel of his body against hers was asensation that Annie could never get enough of."That"s beautiful. Is there more?""Oh yes. She goes on to say...
Bridegroom, let me caress you,My precious caress is more savory than honey,In the bedchamber, honey filled,Let us enjoy your goodly beauty,Lion, let me caress you,My precious caress is more savory than honey."Annie writhed as Kyle slid his fingers over her most sensitive areas with the confidence of a man who was learning how to pleasure his woman."More savory than honey," he whispered, bending his mouth to her ready flesh.His tongue teased at her c.l.i.t and she moaned, wanting him inside her already."Kyle, love, please...""Please what, Annie?" asked Kyle, glancing up over her mound to see her eyes closed and her tongue trying to moisten her lips."Please come inside me. I need you to f.u.c.k me now, please Kyle, f.u.c.k me..."Hearing her need stoked the fire in Kyle"s loins to a roaring blaze. Without further ado he thrust himself deep into her willing c.u.n.t, heaving a sigh of relief as he felt her body welcome him home."Yessss..." she hissed. "This is what I need. Your c.o.c.k right there, Kyle. Right there..." She squirmed beneath him as if trying to pull him even deeper. His b.a.l.l.s pressed tight against her and he swore he couldfeel her womb throb around his hardness.His b.u.t.tocks burned as his muscles clenched."I have to move, Annie.""If you don"t, I"ll have to kill you," she encouraged.Their bodies responded to each other as their eyes met in an unfocused gaze of pa.s.sion.Kyle knew he"d never been as content as he was when buried deep inside his Annie. She was his other half, his mate in the truest sense of the word.
Filling her with his c.u.m was turning into the most satisfying experience of his entire life. G.o.d, he
understood so much more now. The drive within him to possess her, brand her, shout to the world thatshe was his.To give her his seed and plant a child within her."Do you want children, Annie?" he gasped, hanging on to his sanity with his back teeth."Not. Right. This. Minute..." gritted out Annie who was tensing beneath him.Kyle lost it. He gasped and grunted and came, thrusting so far into her he was afraid he"d hurt her.Her cries were not of pain, however, but of fulfillment and her flesh seized his as her o.r.g.a.s.m took her.He was pleased to note that it took her as long as him to recover."Dear heavens. Don"t ever ask something like that again when I"m milliseconds from paradise, Kyle,"
gasped Annie, clearly still struggling to regain her breath and her wits."Sorry," he grinned, looking anything but."Yeah right. You"re forgiven." She reached up a hand and caressed his cheek. "I know we haven"t used anything here for protection, Kyle. There"s nothing to use anyway unless I want to resort to some ancient tricks. Which I don"t." She stopped his mouth with her hand before he could speak. "Sure there"s a chance I may be pregnant, but I don"t mind. Having your child would be a joy."
There was silence as Kyle sought for the right words.
"Well, let me rephrase that. Being the mother of your children would be a joy. I don"t think having themactually falls into that category."Kyle laughed. Leave it to his Annie to find the humor in an emotional moment."And there"s not much we can do about it anyway," continued Annie pragmatically. "But I must confess that I"d prefer to have been home in our own time if we"re going to talk childbirth."
Kyle settled them both comfortably beneath the covers, cuddling Annie in her favorite post-f.u.c.k position, on his chest with one thigh draped over his.
"Annie, I think my device may work. But it"s risky. I need to ask you something here, and I want you to
think seriously about it."Annie nodded, her hair brushing Kyle"s chin."Are you sure you want to go back to our own time?"Chapter 17 Annie lay silent as Kyle"s question hovered over their bed. Did she want to go back to the twenty-first century? To her empty apartment? To a life where she was a romance writer and Kyle the head of a big corporation? Could they have a future there?