"I do not know. Everything between us is new."

Everything's new-and I'd give anything to know what the h.e.l.l this is about.

"He needs to be tested," one of the old men said. "Until he has proven himself, we cannot trust him."

Before Taron could point out that he could hardly hang around forever, the old man loudly clapped his hands. Maia stiffened. Then the knot of onlookers parted, distracting him.

A half dozen young women-or teenagers maybe-were walking toward him. Like Maia, they all wore see-through veil-dresses. Their bodies were-h.e.l.l, they were ripe.

"They are yours," the old man told him. "All virgins and ready for s.e.x."

Maia had called it mating; was there a difference between that and s.e.x? And more importantly, what the h.e.l.l was going on?

"You want... " He swallowed and tried again. "You want me to have s.e.x with them?"

"The decision is yours."

What red-blooded man wouldn't die happy after that kind of offer? Distracted from the question he'd just asked himself, he studied the young women. A couple were taller than Maia. One was overweight with amazing b.r.e.a.s.t.s that stuck up and out as only b.r.e.a.s.t.s that hadn't been attacked by gravity for long can. There wasn't a thing physically wrong with any of them, and although they giggled and stared openly at him as if he was about to be auctioned off, he figured he'd be able to carry on some kind of conversation with them, if given time and inclination.

"Perhaps your first choice would be a girl with wide hips made for childbearing and fun," another of the old men offered. "Kina, let him see."

Without so much as a blush-at least he didn't think she was embarra.s.sed, a girl with wavy hair and a small, upturned nose unceremoniously hiked up her gown until it was around her waist. She stepped close and turned in a slow circle, looking over her shoulder at him all the time. She was smiling. No two ways about it, Kina had a richly rounded a.s.s.

He felt nothing.

"You mated twice with Maia," the second old man continued. "Perhaps your seed-maker is worn out. We can bring you sweetbread and fruit, and your strength will return."

What was he to them, a breeding bull? Maybe so since, like Maia, they called him Taurus. Strange, he didn't remember falling down a rabbit hole to the Land of Oz.

"Look," he said, suddenly angry. "I don't know what this is about. I'm not sure I ever will. But I'm more than just a c.o.c.k. I also have a brain." One that's on overload right now.

"You took one virgin. You are not interested in another?"

Maia wasn't just a virgin. She was-what?

"That's not the way most men do things where I come from," he protested. "Usually -usually people have s.e.x because they care about each other, not because someone dangles a cherry in front of them."

"Cherry?"

When was he going to learn to watch what he said around Maia and her people? "Never mind. It's just an expression."

Because he didn't want to offend the still giggling girl-women, he studied each of them in turn, nodding approval. Then he dismissed them. He hadn't intended to connect with Maia, but his gaze settled on her. Even with that dagger around her waist, she reminded him of Tinkerbelle.

"Look," he said. "I don't know who or what you people think I am. h.e.l.l, I don't know who you are. But I'm not some stud you can put in a pasture full of mares in heat."

That garnered nods he took to be understanding. Heartened because he was with people who understood livestock if nothing else, he continued. "I don't know if you know this, but some animals, like wolves, mate for life. I'm not saying that's what's happened between Maia and me. We've just met." Met and f.u.c.ked. "But I don't sleep around." Hoping to give emphasis to his words, he covered her all but naked breast with his hand. She didn't try to remove it so he left it there.

"What do you want of me?" he demanded. "Why am I here? And-and there's something I need to make perfectly clear. I can't stay. I have... I have important things to do."

The woman Maia called The Lady clasped her hands over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "We are earth-people. From the time of our first ancestors, we understood that our existence depends on the sun. In spring, the sun is born anew and provides the light and warmth the crops need to grow. During summer, Sun is a mother who nourishes her children from her body, but at length she grows weary and needs to rest. The plants and trees, even the animals know that. They rest with her."

Maia nodded in time with the others. Covering his hand, she held it to her breast.

"But Mother Sun will not awaken from her sleep unless we, her children, honor her as we have since the beginning of time," The Lady finished.

The reverence in her voice, reinforced by the others' agreement and the way Maia held onto him left no doubt of how deeply they believed this; he couldn't begin to make fun of them.

"If that's your belief," he said, "I'm not going to argue with you."

"Then you believe?" Maia asked.

He hadn't heard her voice for too long; at least his c.o.c.k must feel that way because he was now thinking about putting it where it had already been twice recently. "Honey, all this is too new to me for me to say yes or no about anything," he told her.

"The priests are not like that," the first old man said. "They do not understand; they do not try to understand. All they do is forbid."

"What priests?" No two ways about it; Alice in Wonderland had nothing on him.

"There." The old man pointed down the hill to where Taron had spotted the stone structure. "They and the soldiers they brought with them say that Bel-fire is the work of the devil."

He wasn't about to get into a religious argument, especially when he didn't understand where either these people or the priests were coming from. However, he felt aligned with those who were part of Maia's world. Maybe she knew what he was thinking because she all but wrapped herself around him. She obviously had no hesitancy about pushing her pelvis against his.

"What do you want from me?" he asked the old men and The Lady. Where the h.e.l.l had that question come from? I should be asking how I go about getting off this merry-go-round for the insane.

"Use your power to make the priests leave us in peace."

No problem. I've got a machine gun in my back pocket. How about I pick up a phone and call the National Guard?

"Powers?" he said instead. "I'm afraid you've got me confused with someone else. Superman maybe?"

"You are Taurus," The Lady stated.

"Not you, too?" He groaned. "Look, that's what Maia calls me, but my name is Taron. I'm a twenty-first century businessman, end of discussion."

"Taurus the bull is potent. No creature is more powerful than he."

Given the way he'd performed so far tonight, he was hesitant to argue with that. "Interesting," he said. Maia's hand was now only inches from his c.o.c.k. Not at all concerned with anything else that was going on, his c.o.c.k responded.

"Taurus' blood upon the land fertilizes it."

"Blood? Wait a minute. Sperm, yes. I've got no argument with that, but I'm not interested in spilling any blood, especially mine."

"Sperm?" That came from Maia who seemed to be taking great pleasure in seeing what she could get his c.o.c.k to do without touching it. "What is that?"

"s.e.m.e.n. You know, c.u.m." He indicated her hand. "I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered.

"Where will you come?" she asked.

In my briefs if you aren't careful. "s.h.i.t. Never mind. I'm talking about my-my seed-bearer and what comes out of it when we have s.e.x."

"Ah. Yes. Life's juice."

The first old man had spoken, and now everyone was nodding. The Lady stared at the bulge in his slacks and smiled with what he took to be approval. This place might be a close kin to Oz, but he had no objection to what appeared to be their open and enthusiastic view of s.e.xuality. A man could get used to this.

"Ah... " He cleared his throat. "Let me get something straight. Are you being literal? I was brought here because-because you people want to indulge in a little blood letting?"

No one answered, leaving him to study the wise old men, The Lady, and other people who obviously believed they were part of this discussion. A few of the younger men looked strong enough to make good on their threat to turn him into a blood donor, if that's what it was. If he grabbed Maia and used her as a hostage- "Taurus, your blood will not be spilled," she said softly.

Despite his efforts, a sigh escaped him. "I hope I can believe you."

"Not your blood," she continued. "Your life juice." With that, she closed her fingers around his standing-at-attention c.o.c.k and tugged on it.

Gzz Louise! "Maia," he warned as self-control faded. "I hope to h.e.l.l you know what you're doing. Much-much more of that, and I'm going to explode."

"Explode?" Still holding his c.o.c.k as if she had claimed ownership of it, she frowned.

"Jack-off. Is that what you want, for me to shoot my wad in your hands?" s.h.i.t!

"Shoot? Wad?"

Right there in front of everyone, she unzipped his slacks, found the opening to his briefs, and pulled out his c.o.c.k.

"Never-never mind," was the sum and substance of what he could think to say.

To his shock, The Lady stepped close and leaned over. She was still taking her measure of his c.o.c.k when the trio of old men shuffled up and did the same thing. He heard mutters of what he took to be approval. Several women giggled.

s.h.i.t. He might as well be a breeding bull.

"He is big," the only old man not to have spoken yet said. "Maia, he did not cause you pain?"

"A little the first time." She ran her forefinger over the tip of his c.o.c.k. As he could have predicted, a little pre-c.u.m oozed out. "But that did not last long."

"Was it enjoyable?" The Lady asked.

"Very. I did not know I would like it so much."

"Ah, look," Taron interrupted. Although it was obviously way too late for that, he regretted drawing attention to himself. "I know you people think you're giving me a compliment. But..." He pointed at his naked and ready-to-service c.o.c.k. "Where I come from, this is hardly the way a girl acts when she takes a boy home to meet her family."

No one laughed, poking a major hole in his attempt to turn the most embarra.s.sing experience of his life, bar none, into something humorous. s.h.i.t, he'd endured several detailed physical exams in order to qualify for a multi-million dollar life insurance policy and had managed to get through them without getting a hard-on. However, this time Maia and not some doctor had hold of him.

"Maia, what is this about?" he ground out.

"We are sorry," The Lady responded. "You are not from our time. We should have known you could not simply come here and understand our ways. But you will."

It'll take awhile. "Would-would you like to start?" I'm just not sure I can concentrate because, strange as it may seem to you, this is the first time I've had the family jewels on public display.

"Understanding will come," The Lady said. "But not now, later."

Chapter Eight.

"You want me to what?"

Maia had been lost in the comforting notes of the spring-song her clans-people had been singing and thus was slow to realize that Taurus didn't feel the same way. After his seed-maker had met everyone's approval, she'd covered it with his clothing, and the two of them stood in the place of honor as the Bel-fires were lit.

Because it had rained recently, it had taken awhile for the fires on all the surroundings hills to catch fire, but now, in defiance of the priests' orders, flames leaped into the sky and turned the night from black to deep red.

Taurus had been content to stay with her through Bel-fire's opening ceremony, and the longer they sat with their thighs touching, the more eager she'd been to spread her legs for him. In truth, it had been hard to think of anything else, and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s ached to feel his hands and mouth on them.

Wondering if her flushed cheeks gave away her thoughts, she looked up at Father Kaylen. As the oldest of the old men, he carried great wisdom from the ancients, and she 'd spent much of her childhood listening to him talk about the beginning of their people.

"It is time," Father Kaylen said. "For Taurus to prepare for his journey by leaping backward through the fire three times followed by three forward jumps."

Excitement propelled her to her feet. When Taurus remained where he was, she reached down for him. Reluctantly, it seemed, he stood. He continued to hold her hand.

"Look," he said. "I ran under that d.a.m.n burning arch when Maia told me to, and granted, I came through that unscathed, but if it's all the same to you, I'd just as soon not tempt fate."

Hopefully the day would come when she understood her mate's words. Until then, however, she'd have to be content with the act of mating itself-which she was.

"You must do as our father says," she explained. "Otherwise, you will not be prepared for your journey."

"What journey? Look, the only one on my agenda is related to my business. There's so much at stake there that-"

"Your journey can be a dangerous one," Father Kaylen interjected. "You will need a great deal of luck."

"Danger? I don't need to be told that. Besides, I'm going to need more than luck to keep from burning myself."

Taurus' continued reluctance bothered her, but she didn't know how to get him to explain why he felt that way. Hoping to remind him of what they were to each other, she drew his hand closer to her woman-place.

"Now wait a minute," he said and pulled free. "Maia, you know how to get to me; I' ll give you that. But this isn't a game, all right. Why in the h.e.l.l should I jump backward over a pile of burning wood? It makes no f.u.c.king sense."

On the brink of trying to rea.s.sure him, she became aware of heat at her side. At first she thought her body was responding to his, but then she realized the warmth came from her dagger. Releasing his hand, she pulled the dagger out of its sheath and held it close.

In the red jewel she saw a great, all-encompa.s.sing shadow. There seemed to be a small point of light in the middle of it, but she didn't let that distract her from the truth she knew would emerge.

"What is it?" Taurus asked. "What are you looking at?"

"My future."

"Your..."

"When I looked in it before, I saw you but nothing more. Now something else is coming."

Maybe Taurus understood her need to concentrate and maybe she'd gone past the point of being able to think about anything except the jewel's message. The Lady had said she didn't know where the dagger had come from; she'd prayed for guidance in protecting her people's future, and it had been there when she opened her eyes. The thought that it might have always existed and would continue to long after she was dead, caused Maia to regard it with awe. Most unsettling was the conviction that her tomorrows would soon be revealed.