Guardian of the Earth House (32 page)

Job frowned after him, thoughtfully.

Kay screamed, again; a wordless, inhuman bellow of frustration and fury.

“Okay, here we go.”  Tessie smirked at her sister and gestured towards the Tablet.  “‘Chapter 25,730:  Draining the Health of a Divine Being.’  And look how simple it will be.”

Kay’s struggling stopped.  “You wouldn’t.  Without me, the universe ends.”

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you, yet.”  Tessie assured her.  “I’m going drain all that I can of your powers and then make you so fucking, irreversibly,
permanently
, sick that you’ll
wish
you were dead.  Which I think is very poetic after what you did to the Elementals with the Fall.”  She moved closer to her sister.  “Then, I’m going to find the
other
Tablets, and figure out how I can
take
the Khaos and finish you off, once and for all.  Honestly, I think the world will be a far better place without you in it.”

“I thought you didn’t want to find the Tablets, Tess.”  Job reached over to touch her shoulder.  “Are you sure that…?”

Tessie cut him off with a firm nod.  “I’m sure.”  The Tablets were dangerous, but for the first time she realized that they really were
hers
.  Part of her legacy as the Keeper of the Quintessence.  Her responsibility to protect.  With so many boxes exposed now and so many people knowing about them, they were at risk of falling into the hands of all sorts of creatures who would misuse them.

It was time to do what Parson, of the Wood House had wanted and gather up the boxes.  Tessie had Job, now.  And, what’s more, she finally had some faith in her own abilities.  She might not have a lot of power, but she had plenty of everything that mattered.  She was through with running and hiding.  Together, she and Job could keep the Tablets safe.

“I’ll wipe you all out of existence before I let you have my Tablets!”  Kay screeched.

“
Whose
Tablets?”  Tessie challenged.  “Who just kicked your ass?  Who’s the only one who can open them?  Who’s holding this Tablet right now?”  She shook her head.  “They’re
my
Tablets.  Tessie, Queen of the Earth House, Keeper of the Quintessence, and the
real
Divine, super-being in this family, bitch.”

Cross glanced at Job.  “Your queen is growing on me.  She’s mean and she keeps things entertaining.”

“Yes.”  Job nodded.  “I definitely Matched with the right sister.”

Passions are the elements of life.

Alexander Pope- “Essay on Man”

Job looked around his office and sighed.  The normally neat and tidy space was decimated.  Files lay scattered.  Everything had been swept off his desk.  His Aubusson rug was shoved sideways at a crazy angle.  For someone who never even forgot to use a coaster, the disorder was overwhelming.

And sort of... fun.

As a child Job had been tidy.  As an adult he’d been meticulous.  And God knew none of his ancestors had allowed so much as a candlestick to sneak out of place.  The Earth Palace had never seen this level of disorder within its hallowed walls.  Seeing the mess that suddenly faced him, Job felt kind of smug.  Like he’d accomplished something and broken free of Wiset’s legacy.

Job loved his grandfather, but he was never going to be Wiset’s ideal version of an Earth King.  He was just Job and that was plenty.  Job had a nephew who was actually starting to like him and an extended family of zany Water Phases.  He had universe to help save.  He didn’t mind messes and he apparently had a chaotic, adventure filled life.  Job wasn’t lonely anymore.

And, most of all, Job had Tessie.

Of course, Job had also lost the Justice Tablet that Oberon had apparently given him.  It was no longer on the hall table and all evidence pointed to Chason having stolen it.  But, Job figured he’d deal with that later.  Tessie assured him that Chason couldn’t figure out how to use the box anytime soon.  So, for now, Job had asked her to give Chason an opportunity to do the right thing.

Chason was broken and grieving, but Job still believed that he was good man.

In fact, Job was hoping that Chason felt guilty about stealing that box and would bring it back on his own.  For all his talk and militarization, Chason wouldn’t do anything truly dishonorable.  He might kill Parald, but he wouldn’t end the world in the process.  He didn’t have it in him.  Job believed in Chason’s integrity more than Chason did.  It was just a matter of time before Chason regained his senses, again.

And, in the meantime, Job had asked Tessie to do the one thing that really would bring a bit of belated justice to the world.  She’d used the Health Tablet to eradicate the Fall, once and for all.  If any speck of a germ had still festered anywhere in the universe, it was now gone forever.  There was a certain rightness in that.  They couldn’t undo the destruction the plague had caused, but it would never harm anyone else, ever again.

Job stood in the middle of his ruined office and soaked in the mayhem.  It was going to take a bulldozer to clean it all up.  Maybe he should just abandon this room and find another space to turn into his office.  It was a big palace.

“Job?”  Tessie’s voice called from the hallway.  “You still in here?”

She’d told him to hang on while she went upstairs.  Job wasn’t sure what she was up to, but, whatever it was, it was fine with him.  Tessie loved him and had accepted the Match, so she could burn the whole Earth Palace down and it would be fine.

“I was just looking at what’s left of my office.”  Job turned to glance at her as she came into the room.  “Are you...?”  He trailed off when he caught sight of her.  Tessie had one of his Council robes wrapped around her.  It was so long that it hit the tops of her feet and enveloped every bit of her.  How the hell she managed to look so sexy in it was anyone’s guess.

His mouth twitched.  “Why are you wearing my clothes?”

“I didn’t want to get mine dirty.”  She hefted up a can of paint that she held in her left hand.  “I took a little side trip to get this.  It’s time for a home improvement project, honey.”

Job had the fleeting thought that some room in the house was about to become bright red or neon purple.  Not that he particularly cared.  He was a lot more interested in admiring how Tessie looked in his robes.  Job realized that he was never going to see the official garment the same way, again.

He took a step closer to her.  “Do we have to do this project right now?”  Tessie’s entire body was covered, but the Phazing energy still pounded at him.

Tessie grinned impishly and took a step back.  “It’ll only take a second.  I promise.  Then we can discuss other pastimes.”  She crooked a finger at him as she headed for the door.  “Come on.”

Job’s mouth curved into a full smile.  “You really are a tease.”

“Oh, it’s not teasing.”  She assured him over her shoulder.  “I plan to make good on all my promises...
eventually
.”

That was good enough for Job.  He followed her outside, down the neatly arranged gravel path and straight to the garden wall.  The spray painted words “Your Fault!” stood out vividly against the white bricks.  Job stared at the graffiti for a long moment, then at the paint can in Tessie’s hand.  “I take it this is our home improvement project?”

“It sure is.”  Tessie set the paint can down and pulled a brush from one of the pockets of the robe.  “Clean slate, honey.”

Job nodded.  “Clean slate.”  He agreed and leaned down to kiss her temple.  “Thank you.”

Tessie grinned and opened the paint can.  “Yeah, I love you, too, Councillor.”  The color she’d selected for his wall was a vibrant green that matched the streak in Job’s hair.  “But, you’re still not getting lucky until you paint.”  She handed the brush to him.  “Get going.”

Job actually chuckled.  “I think I’m very lucky.”  He said truthfully and dipped the tips of the bristles into the green paint.  He’d never painted anything before.  He stared at the wall for a beat, trying to decide how to start.

There was an unzipping sound and Job look over to see Tessie fiddling with the zipper tab of the Council robe.

She didn’t seem to notice his questioning frown.  “It’s not fine art, Picasso.  Just slap some paint on it.” The zipper inched down a bit.

Job stared at skin she’d revealed.  “Tess?”

“Umm?”  The zipper hit the middle of her chest and the interior curves of her breasts were exposed.

Job swallowed hard.  “What are you wearing under that robe?”

She fluttered her lashes Scarlett O’Hara style.  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”  The zipper edged to her belly button and there were still no clothes beneath it.

Job’s eyes narrowed.  He forced himself to focus on the wall, again, with a much greater sense of urgency.  The brush swept in two sweeping arches and then down into a point, so he’d created an outline of a very recognisable shape.

Tessie smiled as Job quickly filled-in his creation with a thick layer of green.  Where the words “Your Fault!” had once stained the wall in black spray paint, now there was a large, vivid heart.  “Perfect.”

Job stepped back to admire his work and found himself nodding.  “Perfect.”  He glanced down at her.  “So?”  He prompted, when she just continued studying the dripping wall.  “Why don’t we go inside and...?”

The robe hit the gravel walkway and Job’s mind magnet wiped.  He completely lost all sense of anything that happened before the fabric pooled off of Tessie’s nude body.

“So you weren’t wearing
anything
under it, then.”  He got out vaguely.  “That’s exactly what I was hoping...”  He trailed off, because he couldn’t really think of any other words.  The sun had nearly set, adding a golden glow to all the curves of her body.

Tessie giggled at his expression and stepped backwards towards the palace.  “So, what are the odds of some of your Elementals buddies popping over and catching me naked in the yard?”

“Don’t worry.”  Job cleared his throat.  “I can kill any trespassers with the power of my mind.”  He stepped forward covering the distance she’d created.  His energy brushed against Tessie’s effervescent powers, back and forth, until he could barely breathe.  “Come here.”

Tessie sashayed out of range, again.  “I don’t know.  It might not be legal for us to do something like this out in the open.  I mean, I could be encouraging you to break the law.  What are lewd and lascivious statutes here in the Earth Kingdom?”

“I’ll write you a pardon for public indecency.”  Job promised.  “I’ll write
both
of us a pardon.  Besides, you’re a bad girl, remember.  What do you care about rules?”  He reached for her arm, the Phazing energy reaching unbearable levels.  “Tess, come here.”

Tessie evaded him with a mischievous shake of her head.  “It’s not gonna be
that
easy.”

Job had spent his whole life longing for someone to play with, but Tessie’s brand of fun edged towards torture.  “Tess, you’re killing me.”  He groaned.

She made an “aww” sound.  “Poor baby.”  Then, she took off running.

Job eyes narrowed at her wicked laughter.  Tess thought that she had the upper hand and she was determined to make him suffer.  She was definitely a tease.  But, his Match had no idea who she messing with.  Job didn’t have much experience with games, but he still knew how to catch her the quick and easy way.

Not even Job could jump to different, consecutive spots in his own Kingdom.  Jumping was a way to travel
between
realms or Elemental lands.  You couldn’t teleport around your house with it.  That wasn’t the way it worked.

But, Job
could
jump to the human realm and then instantly jump
back
to the Earth Kingdom.  And, in doing
that
, he could change his position and jump himself back so he was right in front of his errant Match.  It took a lot of power to complete the journey so quickly, but Job couldn’t think of a better way to expend his energy.

“Oh, Tess?”

She turned to smile at him over her shoulder and arched a challenging brow.  “Yes, Joby?”

Job felt his mouth curve.  “That’s it.  You asked for it.”

With that, Job jumped.

He actually took in Tessie’s shocked face for a spilt second as if she couldn’t believe he was leaving her.  Then, Job landed in the dead center of Red Square.  Not that he had been aiming for Russia, exactly.  He just picked the first spot he “saw” and jumped there.

It was cold.  Freya would love it.  Job had a brief impression of the mulitcolored domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral and then he jumped himself back to the Earth Kingdom, again.  He landed right beside Tessie on the gravel path.

She was still staring at the spot where he’d vanished.  When she felt the surge of his powers, she spun around to face him, again.  “There you are!”  Her eyes sparkled in delight.  “Bastard.  You scared me.  How’d you do that?”

Job grabbed hold of her and pulled her against him.  “Didn’t you hear?  I’m very powerful.  Everyone says so.”

His hands slipped down to caress her breasts.  The weight of them had Job biting back another groan.  He would never ever get enough of touching them and knowing they were right there waiting for him whenever he wanted to touch, again.

She arched into palms, her nipples budding against his skin.  “I think it’s just shocking that the High Seat on the Council has such thing for “D” cups.”  She teased.

“Just yours, Tess.”

“I’m pretty sure I gave them to
you
last night, so they’re all yours, honey.”  She watched his hands move over her supple flesh and her eyes drifted shut.  “You take such good care of them, it’s only fair.”

He leaned down to nuzzle her temple.  “My God, you’re soft.”

“My God, you’re hard.”  She retorted with nip at his chin.

Job swallowed.  “Just hold on, okay?  We need to go inside.”

“Oh... alright. You convinced me.”  Tessie wound her arms around his neck and rubbed against him seductively.  “Lucky for you, I’m pretty talented.”  He wasn’t sure how she did it, but Tessie somehow shimmied his way up his body, so her legs were around his hips.  “Ready.”  Her tongue slid into his ear.

Job nearly dropped her.

Holy Gaia.

He could feel the heat of her right through his clothing.  They needed to go.

Now
.

Job wrapped the edges of his coat around her with one hand and used forearm to support her with the other.  He didn’t want to land in the middle of a crowd with Tessie naked in his arms, but Job couldn’t resist lowering his head to kiss her even as he jumped them back to the human realm.

He aimed for the least populated spot he could think of in his foggy mind, which happened to be somewhere in Death Valley.  A quick flash of sand dunes, and an endless desert that looked remarkably like the Heat Kingdom, and then they were jumping back to the Earth Palace.

Job’s bedroom was still a mess and they landed right in the middle of it.

“You are. 
So
.  Cool.”  Tessie’s hands went to the front of his shirt.  “You need to strip.”

Job chuckled as buttons went flying.  “So, it’s official.”  He nodded towards his closet.  “You’ve now destroyed
all
my clothes.”

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”  Tessie gave a mock pout.  “Forgive me?”  Her hand slid down to find the zipper of his pants, massaging him through the fabric.  The Phazing energy grew to new heights.

“Yes.  God.”  He let out a shuddering breath.  “I don’t care about the clothes, at
all
.  I swear.  Start wiping-out all of my shoes next.  Just don’t stop doing
that
.”