CHAPTER 203

"I have to go home," she replied. "There are some things I need to see to right away. Try to make sure you're still alive when I return."

"I'll do my best." He stood and walked toward the door. "And again...I'm really sorry."

"I know." She stood and gestured to the door. "The others are waiting for you."

"They are. Now if only I knew what to do next." He chuckled. "I wanted to speak with you before I left, but I'm not certain how to go about leaving."

"I thought you just needed to go to the Underworld? Through the gate?"

Mike sighed. "It's disconnected. This place is a copy of the real one, which gets locked away until a new Caretaker inherits the place and summons it. I thought I could open it by using magic, but it didn't work."

"How did you summon the house the first time? Can't you just do that?"

"I..." His jaw flexed as his thoughts turned to Naia. She had appeared in his bathtub and fucked him, using her magic to bond him to the house. She was the guardian of the house, linked to the entity that controlled it, and the first woman to capture his heart. "I suppose I can."

"Then go do it." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the dog tags and threw them to him. "And take these."

He caught the dog tags. "I don't understand. I thought you would want them."

"Oh, I do." She smiled sadly, a single tear sliding down her face. "Consider them on loan, for luck. I want them back."

"Thank you." He slid them around his neck, the cool metal resting against his skin. "If you'll excuse me, I need to do one of the two things I'm well known for."

Eulalie nodded. "Sounds like you're getting lucky either way."

Outside the room, he ran past a small group of rats that were waiting out in the hallway, then slid down the railing of the stairs. Now on the landing, he hopped down, feeling a distant ache in his arm on impact.

Out back, everyone was just standing around talking. Despite the stormy weather overhead, which he assumed was related to the horsemen, they seemed calm. It may as well have been a regular day with a storm blowing in, rather than the end of the world.

Maybe it was optimism, or just a delusion, but he wondered if they were calm because they believed in him. No matter what trouble blew their way, he could be relied on to handle it. And if he couldn't do it alone, they were there to help.

Power hummed through the core of his body, and his magic came alive and spread out, sending sparks along his legs and into the ground. Gone was the destructive force that had powered it in Oregon. Instead, his magic briefly touched everyone as if making sure they were there, and his senses expanded to take in the scene. Different magic flowed through everyone, creating a kaleidoscope of colors in his backyard. Suly's was a ghastly hue of green that looked like mist, while Ratu's was red and black like lava. Amymone's magic flowed into the ground and spread out like roots, touching all of the plants in the yard.

And then there was Naia. Her magic flowed into the ground, deep beneath where her spring lay. In the center of her body was a core made of blinding light that spun like a tiny star.

Naia smiled at him and stuck her chest out as he vaulted the edge of the fountain and grabbed her around the waist with his good arm.

"Hello, lover." Her voice was a purr as his magic danced along the water in the fountain. "This is a surprise."

"I need you to connect me with the house, like you did before." His magic unfurled around him, and he heard Ratu scrambling away with Asterion's help. "Like on that first day. But mainly with the back yard. I need the gate to properly reappear so I can open it."

She cocked her head and laughed. "I guess we can try. I'm not certain what will happen, though." She moved in close, her breath cool against his neck. "We also have quite the audience," she whispered.

"It's fine. Apparently everyone has seen my butthole already." He pressed his lips to her, his magic causing the fountain to swell and overflow. The wind shifted upward, sending a spray of water toward the storm clouds up above. As her tongue wrestled with his, her magic seeped up his legs and into his groin. His cock was rock hard now, and she teased it through his pants.

"Anyone who isn't interested in getting seriously horny should head inside right now." Ratu spoke from the back door, a quirky grin on her face. "It's about to get really wet out here."

Everyone else ran for the door, except for Amymone, who couldn't.

"Eh. Trees like rain anyway." She licked her lips hungrily. "I just hope you're ready to share."

Naia broke the kiss and smirked at her sister. "I suppose I can make room for my sister. We're gonna need some serious--OH!" The water beneath her rushed up and swirled around her body, obeying Mike's whims. He mentally commanded the water to move up her legs and tease her Nymph's Pearl, causing her to gasp in pleasure.

"Looks like lover boy has learned some new tricks. But just to play Devil's advocate, is now the time for this?" The dryad put her hands on her hips and cocked them outward. "I thought you were going to the Underworld?"