Rock Hard Read online

“I’m not sure if I can get up without help.” He shrugged apologetically at her look of disbelief, but held his breath as she reached for him.

  “She’s going to touch you!” Anshar keened, completely beside himself. He shifted anxiously from foot to foot. “You lucky bastard!” He bent double like he was in pain and covered his face with both hands. “I can’t look,” he groaned. “You so don’t deserve this.”

  The tension in the air crackled around his mouse like lightning, and he could see by her face that she felt it. She had to know she was playing with fire, but wouldn’t realize how hot until she reached out to make contact. Sure enough, the minute her fingers were engulfed by his, a shudder of epic proportions moved through his body and into hers. The air around them seemed to shift and explode, nearly rocking her off her feet.

  Marduk wanted to stay like this forever. Her warm hand was so soft, so alive. He fought the urge to bring those tender digits to his face, to feel their caress and inhale the scent of her skin. He wouldn’t weep—she might see it as another sign that he was crazy—so instead he called on the elements to reveal his emotions. The slightest rain, like falling tears, softly swept over them. Even Anshar, irreverent to the last, uncovered his eyes and stared longingly at their joined hands.

  Marduk saw Tess shake herself. What was the matter with him? What was he thinking? He was going to ruin everything if he didn’t get his elemental self under control. Finding out her secrets was the important thing right now. He turned off the waterworks and concentrated. She gave him a tug, which did nothing to aid him, but he came to his feet.

  The god’s voice felt delicious in its delicate exhalation. “What is your name, small mouse?”

  “Tess,” she squeaked. “Tess Abelard.”

  He had yet to relinquish her hand, and instead bent over it, breathing in her scent. “I am Marduk…” Then using his inner voice he added, …and I don’t think I’m ever going to let you go.

  Anshar apparently heard him and nodded his agreement.

  Chapter Three

  Deep within the earth, in the underworld of the gods, Nergal stirred. His eyes snapped open, staring. Something was happening up above, something disturbing. He glanced over at his queen. Ereshkigal, in her sleep, sighed. A small satisfied smile graced her lips.

  Damn the woman to hell…if she weren’t already here… Nergal kept his body still to bring his focus back to what had disturbed him, and to shield any discovery from his wife. Holding himself inert, his spirit raced to the earth’s surface. He sped to the East Coast of the United States, where last he had felt similar stirrings. Up his essence flew to the state of Massachusetts. Over the Blue Hills and across the water of the bay. Into the city streets, wending his way through the lighted towers of steel and glass.

  When was the last time he had looked to Boston? Automobiles moved where horses and carts once traveled. The streets were cleaner, or maybe just polluted differently. Gone were the troughs of human waste that used to flow in streams throughout the city. In their place blew loose trash, and the sky was dense with smog from the myriad of combustion engines that sat in gridlock, even though darkness had fallen and mortals should be in their homes. He grimaced. Humans were such unpredictable and filthy creatures.

  He continued to search.

  There, on the street below, beneath a lamp post in front of a food establishment, Nergal beheld three figures. His heart, thousands of miles away in the underworld, skipped a beat. There appeared before him an invisible god, Anshar. No cause for alarm there. There was also a human female, and next to her…the disturbance that had called him from his sleep—Marduk, in the flesh.

  Yes, it was the thunder god, and he possessed a body again. What the hell was happening? This was not something Nergal had expected. He need make haste back to his body to equip himself for this new development. He quickly inhaled the essence of the human for later analysis and sped off, his mind abuzz.

  Ereshkigal. This was somehow her doing. Marduk once again walked with a human body. Nergal had become complacent, and Ereshkigal had been sly, waiting so very long and patiently before setting this new scheme in motion. In the 1700s, when a hundred years had passed and she hadn’t resurrected her band of outcasts from their banishment, he’d thought that she had fully complied with his previous decree.

  When the auspicious mark of 250 years had passed, he had relaxed further. Sometimes his wife was actually obedient. Perhaps he had worried for nothing. He had settled in, thinking that the next test might arise on the 500th anniversary. Pah! He had to give her credit, the cunning minx. Who would have imagined an awakening after 384 years? What kind of number was 384? It wasn’t even prime, for the gods’ sake!

  Nergal let the irritation of having his sleep interrupted dissipate and rubbed his hands together upon re-entry into his body. He conjured a deep feeling of glee. He’d been stalemated with his queen long enough. He laughed silently, elated suddenly, that once again the game was on.

  Interesting that she had chosen Marduk to be the first embodied amongst humans again. His history was entertaining. Arrogant but beloved by all, Marduk had, with no warning, left Babylon to famine and pestilence, even though he had succored the very same people for centuries. Ereshkigal had been forced to call him beneath the earth. No motive for his actions had ever been discovered, nor had Marduk offered any explanation. It was as if the god didn’t care what fate had wrought.

  Centuries passed, and Nergal had watched an endless flirtation between Marduk and Ereshkigal. As other and lesser gods were called below for infractions on humanity, his queen gave much attention to all these outcasts, until finally in the early part of the seventeenth century, Nergal had endured enough.

  “I am tired of all the favors you give to these fallen deities,” he had raged. “What say we put them to a test to see if they deserve your goodness? I suggest a trial.”

  Ereshkigal had been listening, even though she had studied her nails with a distracted air.

  Nergal then continued. “We will tie them to the fate of one troublesome human, and if, for the lifetime of that one, they can keep him from harm, they will have proven themselves.”

  Ereshkigal had yawned. “And what happens if they succeed…and what happens if they do not?” One haughty eyebrow had raised at her consort. She was not willing to give up her access to these cunning gods unless the amusement was worth it.

  “If they succeed, they can choose to stay on earth or ascend to the heavens. If they lose…” This was the tricky part, because Nergal was sure they would lose, and didn’t want the gods returning to the underworld to start up their trysts with his consort again. “If they lose, they will be tied to the human world, but will roam, unseen and unheard by earth’s inhabitants.”

  It sounded intriguing to the queen, and she had been growing bored with centuries of egotistical and predominantly male company. She thought swiftly of a twist to make the game more palatable, to prolong the suspense and the fun, then gave the king permission to put his plan in motion. He hadn’t precisely forbidden her manipulation of the rules. While he wove his magic, unbeknownst to him, she had secretly and craftily woven in a dramatic spell of her own.

  Nergal thought of Ereshkigal’s easy agreement at the time when the deal had been struck, and knew if he unspun the threads of the decree he had set upon the gods, he would find a weft of fine print. It was too late to change things now. He had won the bet first time around. He’d figure out Ereshkigal’s game and up the stakes.

  Nergal turned his energy to solving the new twist. He inhaled slowly, revisiting the essence of the female who had been accompanying Marduk. There was something strangely familiar about her…

  ****

  “What was that?” Marduk had seen Tess shiver as the darkness had closed in overhead. “And don’t tell me you didn’t feel it,” she demanded.

  Marduk opened his mouth to respond and then quickly closed it again. He consulted Anshar. How could she have felt it? What can I possibly say?
r />   You can’t tell her it was the dark one, Anshar spoke in a hushed tone, even though the danger had passed. It means trouble that he’s seen her. If he catches you with her again, he’ll really know something’s up and she won’t be safe. He wasn’t telling Marduk anything that hadn’t already occurred to the thunder god. This time, the visible Marduk remembered to communicate with his mind.

  So what am I supposed to do? he growled. We must, eventually, take her. Not only for the good of his comrades, but also to sate the curious hunger rapidly growing inside him. She obviously holds the key to unlock the prison of our existence…

  …or our nonexistence, as the case may be, Anshar rejoined wryly.

  Marduk rubbed his neck. We need to talk this over with our brothers.

  He switched venues to communicate with Tess.

  “It must have been the shadow of an airplane overhead or a large bird across the moon,” he soothed, staring directly into her eyes. “There are many birds of prey that nest on the tall buildings.”

  “Of course, you’re right,” she agreed. “It was silly, but I momentarily felt…” What had she felt anyway? She shook it off, rationalizing that her day had been anything but normal since she’d met…Marduk. And what kind of name was that, anyway?

  “It is ancient Mesopotamian,” he answered evenly, showing perfect white teeth under his tanned face. Which was ridiculous because who has a tan in April?

  “I’ve been traveling.” He raised eyebrows as if daring her to argue.

  Now Tess looked totally freaked out. “You know I haven’t been talking out loud, don’t you?” she accused, with real panic in her voice.

  Marduk hadn’t realized it, but she was correct and he was equally unnerved. He hadn’t been able to read human minds before—hell, ever. He could force his thoughts into an individual’s brain, compelling them to do his bidding, but never had he heard their introspection in return.

  Tess closed her eyes and rubbed where a headache was forming between her brows.

  Oh, shit, groaned Anshar.

  “Oh, shit is right,” she answered, but didn’t see the shocked look that Marduk and Anshar exchanged when they realized she had just responded to the invisible man.

  Marduk recovered, just barely. “Of course, you spoke out loud,” he reasoned. “It seems like you’re getting a headache and feeling confused.” He made a quick slashing sign across his throat when he thought Anshar was about to speak. If the idiot couldn’t keep quiet, the next stop for Tess would be the psych ward.

  “You’re probably right,” she sighed. “In that case, it may be a migraine coming on, and I better head for home.” She looked toward the Kenmore T station. “Are you going back to Quincy,” she asked. “We could catch the train together.”

  “Thanks, but I’m staying in town a while longer.” Marduk cursed himself. He needed to be with her, find a way to take her, but there was no way he was getting into that small tube underground to hurtle back to Quincy. Talk about puking!

  “Why don’t you meet me on the beach tomorrow?” He forced her attention so she was looking directly at him. “Come to the seawall where we met before. Ten in the morning. I will bring coffee.” The need for coffee had been biting at him ever since he’d regained his body; the smell was everywhere and had revived a centuries-old addiction. Anshar groaned appropriately, privy to Marduk’s craving

  “Why not,” Tess agreed.

  Communicating with her was becoming bewildering. Thank the gods she wasn’t reading his inner dialogue…yet. He caught a look on her face that he couldn’t decipher, and let himself into her head again.

  Tess was picturing him naked on the beach!

  He reached for her, but she bolted, as if terrified of her thoughts. She waved her hand over her shoulder before dashing toward the train station. Marduk sighed.

  “Well, that was all a little too weird,” Anshar quipped, stating the obvious. “I was reading her thoughts, too, toward the end, and that’s the second time I’ve had your naked, sorry self in my head in the last half hour. If you guys are going to keep that up, you better move it to a different channel.” Then he made what Marduk considered an understatement. “We have to find out what the hell’s going on!”

  “Well, considering we just had a visit from Nergal…” Marduk tried to ponder the rationale behind today’s happenings. “I’m thinking that he and Ereshkigal are playing games again, and we’re the entertainment du jour.” Despite his trepidation, Marduk was intrigued…with everything, but especially Tess.

  The woman inflamed a lust that he had worked hard to keep under control over the last few hundred years. But why her; and why was she the only human in eons who had wielded the power to make him visible?

  Marduk relished the feel of the sidewalk under his feet as he turned back toward the ballpark, but the sensation ended abruptly. With Tess’s departure, Marduk was invisible again.

  Let’s go home. He took to the sky with Anshar at his heels.

  The Blue Hills loomed up before them. Called blue for the large quantity of riebeckite stone scattered across the land, the hills represented comfort rather than majesty. They nestled into the countryside unobtrusively and offered thousands of acres of green space in an otherwise metropolitan area. It was a haven for hikers, mountain bikers, and cross country skiers.

  As the godly pair passed over the Blue Hills Reservoir headed toward the Great Cedar Swamp, they circled an area between the network of human paths they had long since claimed as their own. With a quick look to make sure no airplanes were overhead, Marduk called in cloud cover to block satellite detection and the invisible barriers they had erected beneath them parted. The pair descended to their private compound. Marduk quickly closed the opening behind them so that the illusion of undisturbed forest was once again intact.

  Four brothers waited on the front steps. They had taken to calling themselves brothers because when the “gods” moniker got going, every one of them would hotly declare themselves the secret king of the gods. It was a touchy subject and, even though Marduk was inevitably in charge, there was constant bickering and grumbling amongst the others.

  Their names had long since been forgotten in the annals of history. Marduk knew the only thing they could do to assuage their egos was posture—whose powers were greater, whose command of earthly elements was most important, and even whose godly beauty was the most intoxicating.

  In the past few years, he was highly aware that their volatility had increased. They were desperate to change their monotonous existence. Something had to happen or the earth would be in deep trouble. The gods would go rogue, and nothing would be able to stop them. Marduk was hopeful that if he brought good news, it could calm the whole group down and refocus their energies.

  He and Anshar misted into the meeting room, an atrium of sorts with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides and a long, highly polished pine table taking up the center space. An early French Aubusson carpet in muted earth tones graced the floor. The gods assumed positions in their plush chairs that were meant to offer mental relaxation only to the unembodied, but the tension was palpable. Enlil was the first to speak.

  “We sensed your contact with the human woman. We want to know what happened.” He stood with upper torso bared and muscles bulging, while crossing his arms over a massive chest. He faced Marduk aggressively. “Why didn’t you abduct her and bring her here?” the golden haired giant demanded, raising a small murmur of assent from the other deities. Within the group, he was one who was not afraid to challenge Marduk for power.

  Thousands of years before, Marduk had usurped Enlil’s position as head of the pantheon. After constant conflict in hell, the two had come to an agreement and had worked together quite well when sent back to earth with bodies. Their affiliation had only become adversarial again when they had lost their physical selves. It made for a volatile relationship that tried Marduk’s patience. Of all the gods, when the pair sparred in the gym, there was an underlying violence between he and
Enlil that was disquieting.

  “I didn’t bring her because I have no wish to frighten her.” Marduk threw his commanding voice the length of the hall before pinning Enlil with a feral look. “Or have you forgotten the luck you once had making women feel at ease.” He raised an eyebrow, reminding everyone that Enlil had a long and vivid past that included the questionable seduction of numerous goddesses.

  Enlil immediately reacted. “I never once forced a human woman while we were at Merrymount,” he reminded his brothers. “All women came to me willingly and derived great pleasure at my hands.” His braids swung as he looked to his best friend, Shamash, the sun god of law and justice, for confirmation.

  Shamash obviously refused to be drawn in. “Let’s not go there right now, Enlil,” he continued diplomatically. “I’m more interested in hearing what happened.” He gestured that Marduk should continue.

  “Once again, I regained a tangible form in the presence of the woman, Tess, and followed her to make contact.”

  “Did you touch her?” the voice floated up amongst the brothers. They held a collective breath waiting for his response.

  “I did.” Marduk’s voice belied the emotion that surely choked them all. After a pause, he cleared his throat and continued, his tone low and emotional, “It was everything we remember…and crave. I want you to know that I won’t stop until I find out what’s going on and determine a way to make it happen for each of you again. Now we know it is possible.”

  Questions bombarded him from every direction.

  “Wait! Wait!” He held up a hand for silence. “As the humans say, there’s good news and bad news.” The room quieted instantly, and they waited uncomfortably. “You’ve heard the good news, but the bad is that Nergal found us when we made contact with the woman. I’m sure he scanned the situation to ascertain what was going on. We can’t be sure, but hopefully Ereshkigal is on our side and allowing this to happen.”

  “So we’re part of their game again.” Enlil huffed. “We’ll just have to win this time…regardless of rules.” He smiled and his golden eyes gleamed. He looked around at the assemblage. “Last time, Marduk had us play nice with Thomas Morton, and look where that got us. This time, I say we use all the guile and cunning we have to win our freedom. What is the consensus,” he demanded of the room at large.