When the Other Shoe Drops

When the Other Shoe Drops

By April Grey

Author\'s Note: Warning--You are about to read an unedited rough draft version. Typos, grammatical errors, whatever abound. I\'m putting this up for curiosity’s sake. I will be working on One Foot In and When the Other Shoe Drops and combining them into one, hopefully workable novel. So that is why this one is posted unpolished. Read at your own Risk!


Chapter Six – You Can’t Rape the Willing


Josh picked himself up and looked around. The kitchen had been painted a bright yellow color, warm and cheerful. His imagine supplied Cindy walking around in there cooking, finding herself alone. No, not alone, cooking for Thor of the nasty facial tattoos and ugly demon portraits. Josh wanted to kick something, but restrained himself. He was picking something up.

This building. He hadn’t noticed it the first time, but there was something about the building itself. He walked outside the apartment into the darkening corridor and opened up his senses in a way he rarely allowed. It was a residue, not just of the dragon, although he could have pointed exactly to where it lived, but there were others. The beast had lived in the apartment opposite to Cindy’s, and there were other strange creatures as well. What had Cindy gotten herself into? His stomach lurched. And what were Cindy and her father? Who were they?

On the stairwell he looked up and down. Down, there was something very interesting down stairs, under the building. Josh proceeded there. He reached a small doorway which obviously lead into the basement. He put his hand on the doorknob and then withdrew it. The light was dimming and it would be dark down there. He’d need equipment to go exploring. But the problem was if he left the building, how would he get back in?

He didn’t have anything to tape open the front door lock. Josh searched his pockets and found a Starbuck’s napkin from earlier in the day. He jammed the napkin to the lock’s recepticle. It would have been best if he could tape it, but it would just have to do. He needed a hardware store for a strong flashlight and other supplies.

Returning from the hardware store, he sighed with relief that that door was still open. It was dark inside the building with only the light from the streetlamps entering the front windows, illuminating the entranceway.

Josh breathed in. It was there, it seemed as if the more contact he had with it, the stronger its effect on him. What was it, like magic it felt, velvety smooth but cool and exciting? It felt it tingling along his skin like some sort of erotic vibration. His breathing went faster as adrenaline flowed forth in response. It felt so good, how did he not notice it the first time? But it seemed to take time, the longer he stood there the sharper his senses felt. He wanted to laugh with the giddy, heady sense of power it brought him. If this was what Cindy felt—the thought of immediately sobered him up.

He tried to piece together what he’d heard. Someone named Jimbo had told them that she was contacting the Faeries—no, that wasn’t what they said—the Faer Ray. Okay. And then the mole man, at least he thought it might have been the mole man’s voice, had said she’d been taken by them. And they weren’t afraid of anything except demons. Shit! Maybe he had been dreaming it all. He should just go home and Cindy would be waiting for him.

But no, the feel of the building, the incredible longing he had to be there, down there in the basement. Yes, it was still calling to him and he needed to go down there. He removed the high powered battery operated flashlight from its box and using the little light coming through the windows put in the large battery. He flipped it on and was ready to head on down into the basement. If he had any doubt that this was where they had gone, he felt the weird sensation in his head crawl down his spine. Was magic real? He hadn’t felt like this since he was a child and he’d once come across—

Josh shook his head. Nothing, he’d been told nothing had happened and so he had put the memory aside. He just had a very fertile imagination as a child. That was what everyone said. Right, he’d gone into the arts in Junior High and never looked back. It channeled his energy, gave him something real and tangible to do instead of staring into space and seeing things that weren’t there. But what if they’d been real? What if he’d been teased and pinched by his older brothers to the point where he was ashamed to say anything? Was that how it happened? Fear of being mocked, of being laughed at and feeling shame that he was such a baby, pretending to see things that were just not real?

Tears swam in his eyes. Old pain, old fear. Josh breathed in deeply, he wasn’t a child anymore and he couldn’t be hurt like that anymore. He wasn’t afraid and he’d take on anyone who thought differently. Straightening his back, he flashed the light onto the narrow wooden stairs that lead down into the basement. He’d show them all what he was worth. Never fear.

Josh didn’t see anything at first, just a lot of old broken furniture and the boiler for the building. He shined his light behind him and saw that another roomed opened out from behind the one he was in. The feeling came even stronger, it wafted on the breeze filling his lungs with hope and joy. He suppressed his desire to run towards it. The floor was mossy and slick, ripe for a fall. Placing his feet carefully, he walked down the tunnel, forced to bend over to spare his head from being scraped by the overhanging rocks. He kept moving the light up and down to track how low the ceiling was going and how slippery the slope was getting. It was slow torture in that his back hurt him from the low crouch. He’d practiced such positions in karate, but he’d never had to maintain them for the length of time it was taking to get down this tunnel.

He wondered how long it would take and what it would be like on the other side. A city? A town? Wilderness? He wasn’t prepared to rough it. But if it looked too awful, he could just head back where he came.

That is if the tunnel stayed stable. Wasn’t that the artist’s worry? He looked all around with the flashlight, and saw that the tunnel seemed to be worn away from the stone by water. It looked stable to him.

And with every step the feelings of miracles to come got stronger, threatening to overwhelm his commonsense and bring him to a careless and dangerous run. He wanted to be there so badly, that he could almost taste it, like a delicious liquor, sweet almost cloying. He picked up his pace. Soon, he thought, oh please let me get there soon.

As if in response to his prayer he felt a strong breeze of spring like air brushed the hair from his face. He turned off his flashlight. It occurred to him that he must have walked through the night because he saw light where it should have been dark. Could daybreak come while he was walking? He turned the flashlight back on. There was no purpose in getting himself knocked out on a low hanging ceiling before reaching his destination. He shook his head, no, that would be incredibly stupid luck. He slowed down and drew in deep, deep breaths of air. It was like getting out of the plain on a tropical island after having been in a tiresome winter city. He grinned at the irony. Wasn’t that what he been planning on for Cindy and him.

Why did she go? Was it because this place beckoned to her as it did him? That had to be it. He had a feeling that once there, he’d never want to leave.

He was within a few feet of the end of the tunnel. There was a large evergreen just a few feet in front of the entrance, hiding the entrance from view to all prying eyes. Took the final steps and found himself outside. It was just past noon, if he could judge by the location of the sun so high in the sky.

He stopped. Winter was gone. This time of year the sun should be much, much lower. Holy Fuck! he thought, and burst out loud in laughter. This place, this place was really magic. All the dreams and fancies, the odd books he’d read as a child—they were true! He laughed until he was weak in the knees and then he was kneeling, touching his fingers to the ground. It was a sweet, gentle loam which sang to him, just as the air in the sky and the brook nearby all called out.

“I’m home!” he said it out loud. “This is my home,” his voice lowered to a whisper of awe. “Cindy, how could you not have shared this with me?” His fingers scrabbled in the soil, soaking in almost imperceptible tingle of energy that called to him. He blinked away tears. “My home.”
He peeled off his winter coat and his sweater. He sat down and stripped off his hiking boots and socks. He rolled up his dungarees and almost ran to the stream. He put his hand in it and said, “Cold, too cold.” And the splashed the water on his face and drank some. “But so good.” He put his feet into the water and kicked about like he was a boy again. He was drunk with joy, with desire for the land, it’s air and it’s water. He felt like a king after a long exile. He brought his feet up from the water and stretched out, watching the sunlight glinting off the water and relishing the sound of the brook.

He stayed like that for almost an hour. He’d brought some food with him, protein bars and a bag of trail mix and to celebrate had half a bar.

He was obviously in a mountainous region. He looked down the stream and judged the incline, but also when he looked up and out through a clearing in the trees, it was quite clear to him that the area was probably thinly populated. Still this was a thoroughfare for the strange animal Folk, if the words of the mole man were to be accepted.

There would probably be a settlement not too far away. He sniffed the air. No wood smoke, nothing to indicate a population nearby. He saw a thin trail leading away from the mouth of the tunnel. Well, that would be the way to go then. He reluctantly put on his socks and shoes and started down the path. He found the vegetation similar and quite different from anything he’d seen in his life. The shape of the quaking aspen leaves were right, but had never been such a glimmering silver and sage. The grass was a deep emerald unlike anything he’d seen in the Emerald Isles and not to mention America. This color was unique. Every fern, every bush was different enough to not be called anything that he had a name for. Of course, he hadn’t been to the Far East, nor had he been to Australia or New Zealand. He couldn’t say that these plants weren’t native there.

Perhaps the tunnel had taken him clear through the Earth and he’d wound up on the other side? He laughed at his whimsy.

He had gone about a mile or two by his own calculations when he saw where a camp had been made. He senses had only grown more acute from touching the soil and drinking the water of this land. He could feel the mole man and White’s presence. They had been here. And that was the mystery. They couldn’t have had more than three hours start. Yet it seemed that they had spent the night. Josh shook his head. Time was different here. But how different? He heart beat faster. Three hours his time was how many in this place. More magic!

He took a sip of water from the bottle he’d brought with him. It tasted bland and lifeless after tasting the water here. He should have dumped it and re-filled it from the spring. Well, too late. He’d fix that as soon as he had a chance.

He continued along the trail. If they’d had that much of a head start he wondered if he would ever catch up to them. Cindy. He needed to focus on her and finding her. Well, if this place was magic, as he suspected it had to be, then why not work some of his own. He shocked himself with the thought. Could he work some sort of marvel that would lead him to her? What would it take? Something of hers? He opened his billfold and took out a picture of the together. An acquaintance with a digital camera had taken it in the park last summer and he’d printed it out on his computer after he’d received it in an e-mail.

Cindy and he were sitting together on a blanket under a pine tree with two goblets of wine, a loaf of bread and some cheese. It had been one of those summer concerts under the stars that you had to show up early for in order to get a good spot. They’d spent the afternoon and early evening, chatting, reading and simply enjoying being outside on a perfect summer’s day.

It was one of his best memories of her. He sat down and focused on the picture, remembering the scent of the air in the park, and the sound of Cindy’s laughter. The brought back the memory of the tastes of wine, cheese and bread along with her kisses. And later that night after then got home… No—best not to get too erotic with his thoughts, keep it clean. Back the feel of the breeze pressing through the pine needles.

There was a buzzing. Josh stopped drawn out of the memory. There had been no buzzing that day. No the buzzing was before him in the air, bright little flickers of light, swarming like so many knats about the water on a pond. But these were filled with quick sparks of color, that seemed to grow larger and then retreat. He stood up, not alarmed but quite excited. Something was happening, something mystical and unknown to the world he came from. Josh’s breath sped up with his eagerness to see what would happen next.

And what happened next was a little slice of the marvelous. From shining motes, they grew bigger until he could make out miniscule figures of creatures that appeared humanoid except for their beauty, which was staggering, their silvery-blue skin color and their pale, delicate wings. Fairies, Josh thought, or perhaps Faer Ray, again he used the peculiar accent on the last syllable that White had used. The buzz changed into small voices and laughter as the continued to swarm and move around him.

Some of them were naughty, landing on his nose or alighting on an eyelash, jumping up and down a few times and then leaving. He laughed quietly at the antics, not wanting to scare of disturb them and then sobering up when he realized that the growth rate was speeding up to the point where in only seconds they would be as large as he was. A silly grin plastered itself on his face as he waited with all the expectation of a six year old about to see Santa at the mall.

One of the females came up to him, still growing first only half his size, then three-quarters and then finally able to look him straight in the eyes.

“You have summoned us cousin?”

“Umm. No, but that isn’t to say that you are not very welcome.”

She tilted her head and a perplexed look spread across her face. “You are not of here I think. I wondered if you were one who had gone astray, but I see on inspection that you are too different. What are you?”

The others had all finished their transformation and Josh noted that many of them seemed armed and though for the most part naked, many had chest plates on and partial helmets of ornately hammered gold and silver. They were almost warrior like, but seemed rather under dressed for combat.

Josh decided to go for the truth. “I am human, and where I am from you are legend.” Josh liked the word legend, it had a kinder tone that saying you don’t exist. Legend indicated some level of fame and honor.

It seemed his new friends liked the term as well. Many smiled and poked each other in admiration of Josh, or at least he hoped that was what it was.

One of them seemed a bit smaller and less attractive. It wasn’t so much that he was objectively less handsome it was more of an attitude thing. He looked angry. His body was hunched over and Josh noted that there were some very large scars mostly hidden by his breastplate.

“Your name, cousin,” the Faerae asked.

“John Connor, at your service. And you?” He gave a small bow and a flourish, just like he’d practiced for his role of Mirabell in The Way of the World in his junior year at college.

This seemed to impress them, too.

“So John Connor, you have the honor of being in the presence of Tyrell.” He nodded and bowed. “I am the leader of this troupe and you are most welcome to join us. Though I sense that you are limited in your powers. You are of our blood but it is mixed.” His face had a nasty twist on the last word.

Josh thought back to the conversation he’d overheard. White had called him a “throwback”. Josh imagined that it must be like having a recessive gene, though without a doubt you could see that these creatures were related to him. However, the perfection of their bodies and faces were way beyond anything that was conceivably human. It was like they were the model of beauty and humans were pale and poor duplications.

“Well, I most certainly lack the talent to transform myself from this size,” he said giving a harmless smile to cover his nervousness. “I shall be glad to join you and learn as much as I can of you, if you don’t mind.”

A young female giggled but was silenced by a glare from Tyrell. Josh couldn’t help but wonder how just a sourpuss as Tyrell had gotten leadership of such a group. Probably he just didn’t play well with others, as the scars indicated and so it was easier to let him be in charge.

“We can lend you some of our magic, that you may stay with us and learn.” Tyrell smiled and Josh got a chill down his spine. The Faerae leader was a scary fellow and not to be trusted if Josh’s feelings were right. He wasn’t sure if he was a guest or a prisoner, but felt that staying on warm terms was best in either case.

Two Faeraes, one male and one female with almond shaped dark green eyes and hair like snow came forward and took Josh’s arms, “Hi, are you two brother and sister?” She giggled and he nodded with a small smile.

Josh continued to take mental notes of their behaviors. The feelings he was noticing was the Faerae were cowed by Tyrell, but in general fairly good humored. He liked the feelings he was getting from them, warmth and good cheer, which had to be kept in check when the leader was around. He gasped when he found himself lifting into the air by the touch on his arms and then spinning, faster and faster as the world around him got larger. The girl was laughing at Josh’s shock and indicated to her brother with a raised eyebrow that they were going to have some fun. And indeed, Josh found himself spinning upside down, shooting up and the careening to the ground only to come out of the tailspin at the last second to fly high up in the sky again.

Sadistic little bastards, thought Josh, even as he started laughing himself at the fun the two were having at his expense.

“This is great,” he sputtered out at the teased a huge bird that was about to chomp on them. Faster and faster they careened about a meadow, now so small that the petals of the flowers were as long as buses and the blades of grass getting as long as a city blocks. Smaller they went and suddenly they were ontop of a very large mound or hillock, with grass towering over them.

The girl released him and threw herself onto the ground in a fit of laughter. Her brother his Josh’s arm in a friendly, we all guys here fashion. And sat down. Josh joined him.

“Thanks for the guided tour, you two,” said Josh.

“Never to mind it,” said the male Faerae.

“And do you have a name?”

“Web, sometimes called Cobby.”

“And your sister there?”

Web frowned, “She’s really more a half-sister, though we are alike, but she be also Web, we call her Pealsa.”

“Did you see him. I thought he’d wet himself for sure when that bird came for us,” she continued to laugh, wiping tears from her eyes.

Josh’s heart gave a little pang. She was so lovely that he really had a difficult time even looking at her without wanting to touch her, or stroke her hair. It hurt look at her because to see her was to desire her.

“Pealsa is a sweet name; it suites you,” Josh gave his half-smile.

“And you are trying to win points with me, Josh Connor.”

“Trying? I’d say pretty well won over,” said Cobby with a smirk.

“Would you have relations with us?” she giggled, “Look how he’s turning red. Do you get this red all over?” She turned to her cousin. “Let’s take off his garments and find out!”

“Now, stop that!” Josh realized that he might seem a bit overdressed, especially as the two he was with were quite naked. He back a little bit away.

“He’s shy.” Pealsa jumped up and grabbed at Josh’s coat. “You must be hot with all that on your body. Come on now, strip!”

Josh looked to Cobby for some support. Cobby was touching himself in a carelessly lewd way. Josh thought he wouldn’t get much help from that arena.

“I’d rather not have relations, if you please, I’m engaged to be married. Saving myself, don’t you know, for my wife.” He gave it every bit of sincerity he could muster

“Married?” Said Cobby.

“What’s that?” asked Pealsa.

Josh groaned. And the Faerae probably didn’t have a word for rape either. “Umm. Well, I’m not interested in being intimate with you or having relations with either of you.”

“What are you going to do later on when the festivities begin,” Pealsa was laying on her stomach, eyes wide and resting her chin on her hands, “you’ll look might silly then, won’t you?”

“Tyrell won’t be pleased. You said you wanted to learn of our ways,” he was still playing with himself and sporting a rather impressive hard-on.

Josh sighed and tried another less direct approach. “And can you tell me more of this Tyrell? Has he been your leader long?”

The two Faerae looked at each other. “We shouldn’t be saying anything,” said Cobby, taking his hands away from himself

“We could get in trouble,” she whispered sadly.

Cobby opened his arms to his half sister and she came over to him. He stretched himself out on his back and she sat down on his hardness.

Josh turned away. Didn’t have a word for incest either it seemed. He steadfastly ignored the two by staring up and out at the sky. Josh had walked out on more than one orgy in his lifetime. He didn’t mind one on one action, but two’s company and anything above to him was a crowd. Horny, hot-blood Faerae, wonderful, he thought. He should be considering it a paradise, but found it off-putting instead.

He had to find Cindy and get away from here. And it was his good fortune to be with the Faerae and on good terms. It would improve his chances.

Josh didn’t want to think about it, but had too. If the Faerae had his woman, had they already forced her to partake in their festivities?

The sounds of lovemaking were disturbing him. He was getting hard quite against his will and was more than a bit grateful that his coat hit his erection. My they were noisy, weren’t they.

He took a small glance behind him. They had changed positions with her on her hands and knees, and him slamming into her. By the looks on their faces and the loudness of their moans they were quite close to climax and—

Josh forced himself to turn away. He tried to think non-sexy thoughts; like of Sister Mary Bertha of the Immaculate Heart Parochial School. She was over six foot tall about 300 lbs and had chin hair and warts. Whenever he had had an embarrassing moment during puberty the thought of her always brought him down. So why wasn’t it working now. He was aching for release. In his minds eye he saw her lean forward and rub her ruler his hard-on. His cock jumped. Damn, that was awful and he was getting more turned on by the moment.

He had to think something else! His mind supplied something. It was worse.

That demon-loving, painter Thor was naked with Cindy; him on top and slamming into her. Watching them, seeing their faces contorted in lust. Josh’s hand slunk down to his crotch where his cock was twitching and straining for release. He didn’t want to do this. It was some sort of erotic magic, something like a Spanish fly in the air, forcing him to want to participate. And why hadn’t they come yet. He looked over his shoulder. They’d changed positions again, damn them. He was on top of her with her legs draped over his shoulders and he was going at it still!

He hand started to undo this fly without him willing hit. He brought himself out, and caressed his balls, squeezing them rhythmically. Then his fingers moved round and encircled his cock. He was still watching them much to his shame; his eyes were riveted to them. Again they changed position. He understood what they were doing. Every time they were close to climax, they’d move and start all over again. With some horror he accepted that that way they could do it for hours!

And what would happen to him? He was losing the battle not to participate. He clenched his hand and slid his thumb over his cock head, allowing the fluid at its tip to lubricate his hand. He was sobbing with the strain of stopping himself from full out masturbating right there. He was trembling with the need for release.

He vision of Cindy being fucked by the beast came back in full force. And he shook his head. No, he didn’t want to think that either. This was torture. His breath was coming in short gasps at the tension of trying to control himself.

It was suddenly very quiet. Josh looked up and over at the fornicating couple.

“See, he’s ready for us!” said Pealsa.

Cobby was walking over to him, his bright cobalt blue cock bobbing with every stride.

“No,” said Josh trying to cover himself.

“So very shy,” laughed Cobby as he started ripping at Josh’s coat. Josh tried to hold onto to his clothes, but once Pealsa had joined him and started working off his jeans it was a lost cause. The jeans caught on Josh’s hiking boots and he was suddenly on his back with his feet trapped.

Cobby’s mouth went down on Josh’s prick and Josh cursed. He’d never been with his own sex and… and damn. His hands were trapped in his shirt and he felt helpless against the mail Faerae’s strength or the tender ministrations of his mouth and hands.

Josh closed his eyes. He was being overwhelmed by the sensation of how good it was to be in this being’s mouth. And then Pealsa’s mouth touched his and Josh moaned. Her kisses were gentle at first and then she transferred her attention to his nipples. She played with one, rubbing and pinching it as she tongued the other.

“Please,” Josh sobbed, knowing that he was quite helpless and beginning to accept his fate.

Pealsa pulled away and kissed him deeply, playing her tongue over his teeth and exploring every bit of his mouth. Josh’s mind focused on her, forgetting the sex of the person who was pleasuring his cock so fully. And then, just as he was about to come. The mouth came away from his genitals. His breathing was so rapid the thought he’d pass out from the excitement. And then Pealsa kneeled on either side of Josh’s head.

He’d not noticed it before, perhaps because he was one to stare, but her lower body was completely without hair. He could see every detail of her nether lips and clitoris, and when she ground herself onto his mouth he tasted her completely.

She didn’t taste of a woman. No, it was the taste of sweet grass and wild mint. His tongue stretched into her and he lapped at her. He sucked her clit and wished his hands were free that he could press his face more fully into her cleft. He paid no attention to the fact that his cock was being neglected. That was until his felt his legs being lifted into the air and then supported, almost bending him in half. A wetness came over his balls as he felt first one and then the other sucked into Cobby’s mouth. He screamed into Pealsa’s vagina at the intensity of the sensation. Again he was trembling. But that was nothing as he felt Cobby remove his mouth from his balls and pierce Josh’s anus with his tongue. At that invasion, Josh was silent having gone into shock and sensory overload.

What happened next, Josh would spend years trying to forget, but it was the most intense orgasm of his life.