Pushing Up Daisies (11 page)

A very black man wearing the white robes of the Sudanese Bedouin pointed a rifle at one of the Rizeigat he recognized. House leaped on the stranger before the man had time to realize he was there. In one bite, he tore through the man's skull, killing him instantly. The Rizeigat stared at him frozen with fear. House leaped forward leaving him behind.

He saw two of the raiders pointing rifles at the women bunched together wailing. He smelled Sarah. She was in the group. He leaped on one man knocking him into the other. Their rifles flew out of their hands as they screamed in mortal terror. House dispatched them easily. Blood spurted from severed arteries as he tore out one's throat and moved to do the same to the second.

The women stared at him for a moment, then one of the women picked up a dropped rifle and pointed it at him. He was gone in a flash, running toward the sounds of rifle fire. He found the Rizeigat fighting a large group of men mounted on horses. The horses milled and neighed, frightened of the shots and the smell of death. When House leaped into the middle of the mounted men, the terrified horses bolted.

He knocked one man off his horse, killed him quickly and turned, his tongue lolling, his silver eyes shifting as he searched. The Rizeigat did not fire at him. They stared frozen, their rifles pointed at the milling riders when suddenly another wolf leaped into the middle of the riders. It was Daisy.

A tall ebony man wearing a red turban and white robes turned his ancient rifle on House and fired. The bullet hit House in the shoulder. He grunted, but ignored it and leaped on the man carrying him off his horse. The raider's hot blood filled his mouth. He lifted his head and howled, sending the rest of the horses into a frenzy of fear. They reared and fought their riders, finally bolting to the west and the Sudan.

House and Daisy pursued the fleeing raiders. Faster than House, Daisy caught one, leaped on the horse's rump and tore the rider away. The frightened, bleeding horse continued running after the others. House finally caught one of the slower mounts, leaped, and took out the rider with one bound. The two wolves dispatched their victims quickly and stared after the routed group of raiders. Their eyes met, one set silver, the other set gold.

They rose off their kills and raced back to the camp. House and Daisy stalked through the gathered Rizeigat and into their tent. The Bedouins made no move to lift their rifles or shoot them.

When House shifted back into his human form, he stood for a moment staring at the hole in his shoulder. Very slowly, the embedded bullet emerged from his flesh and fell into House's open hand. He looked at it for a moment and tossed it into a corner of the tent. The only bullets that worked on his kind were made of silver.

He dressed slowly, sitting on the mat to pull his boots on and tie them. Daisy dressed with her back to him. He grinned, showing his teeth. Once again, he'd missed catching a glimpse of her rack. “Why didn't the Rizeigat attack us?” Daisy asked as she tied her boots.

“Somehow, they know what we are.”

The flap of the tent lifted and Sarah pushed inside. “The Bedouins are all saying you're shape shifters. I heard a lot of growling and the women were screaming, but I couldn't see. What's going on? What happened?”

House smiled when he saw her. The love he felt for her filled him. He couldn't stop smiling. “I don't know. What are they saying?”

“House, they're saying two giant wolves attacked the Misseriyan raiders and drove them away. They think you and Daisy are those wolves.”

House wrapped an arm around her, his entire body filled with relief she was safe. He knew for the rest of his life, her safety would be his first consideration. “We'll tell you later.”

“House,” she snapped. “Don't shut me out.”

He stopped and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “I won't, I'll explain later. Wait for us here in the tent. Coming Daisy?”

“Right behind you,” she said.

The Bedouins were putting their camp back together. They had several wounded. The men carried the two wounded into a tent followed by an older woman. “That's Abdulla's wife, Hanifa, she's the tribe's healer,” Sarah said.

House jumped. Sarah was right at his elbow. “I thought I told you to stay in the tent.”

“I'm a person, House, not a possession or a servant. I do what I want and I wanted to come with you.” She stepped back and jangled the beads on her veil. “See, I'm appropriately covered. I can go where I please.”

He sighed. She was right. He had no business telling her what to do. He grabbed her shoulders. “I am the leader of this mission, so next time I tell you to stay put, I will make sure it's only because it's necessary not just a whim. Got it? And then, you will follow orders. Am I clear?”

She nodded. “Perfectly.”

Daisy snickered and he narrowed his eyes at her. “Something funny?”

“No, House, nothing at all.” She coughed. “Got something stuck in my throat.”

Sarah stared at House and Daisy. Something had happened today, something no one wanted to discuss. The women ignored any questions she posed and she wasn't allowed to talk to the men. She'd finally been given some soap and a wash rag and was headed up the creek to find a secluded spot to scrub her hair and body free of sweat and dirt.

House was in the leader's tent talking about things too important for women. Daisy had been included which pissed her off somewhat, but then Daisy wasn't really a chick. She was a warrior and the Rizeigat knew it.

After clambering over rust-colored rocks and circling around the herd of camels, goats and horses along with their herders, she found a spot sheltered by an overhang and the most twisted, stunted tree she'd ever seen. Thick leaves covered it along with strange flat beans. Its roots ran into and under the stream so it was thriving.

Casting one look over her shoulder, she slipped the burqa over her head and then the purple and green flowered dress. After unbraiding her stiff hair, she took off the bra and panties, and sat in the shallow water, bar of soap in one hand, wash rag in the other.

The water was cold. She forced herself to sit in it. As she grew accustomed to it, she soaped up her body and bent over to soap her hair. She was hunched over on her knees trying to rinse it in the shallow water when a man cleared his throat. Fear stabbed into her so sharply, she almost swallowed her tongue. Slinging the wet hair over her shoulder, she gouged the soap out of her eyes and looked through the resulting haze to see House standing at the edge of the water.

“Who told you this was a good idea?”

“No one,” she stuttered as she crawled to the water's edge and grabbed her burqa to cover her nakedness. “I asked for the soap and a wash cloth and came up here by myself.”

She wiped her eyes clear of soap and stared into his handsome face. “You should have told me,” he said. “We've been attacked twice. Did you happen to notice? This is a dangerous land.”

Conscious of her nudity, she sat on a flat rock with her feet in the water and her back to him. “My clothes are stiff with sweat and I smell. I needed to get clean to feel like a human again.”

“All of us are filthy and all of our clothes are stiff with sweat. This is the desert. The men stink and the women reek. It's the way things work out here.”

The cold water swirling around her feet had her shivering as she sat in the shade of the only tree for miles. “I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.”

Strong hands lifted her by the shoulders and turned her. “You're beautiful in the daylight,” he said in a low, husky voice as he enveloped her in his huge arms.

She felt vulnerable and quivered inside his embrace. Far away, she heard the strange honk of a camel as he lifted her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. They gleamed silvery gray in the afternoon sunlight filtering between the leaves of the stunted tree. When he kissed her, her legs turned to jelly and he had to hold her up with those massive arms.

He reached down to cup the left cheek of her ass and lift her up to his height.

“I hope I'm not disturbing you.” Daisy's voice dripped with venom and sarcasm as she stepped out from behind the tree.

Sarah pushed House away and stood naked, her nipples stiff, her body gleaming in the shining light of day. Without hesitating, she walked the two feet separating her from Daisy and inserted herself into Daisy's embrace. She reached up and boldly pulled Daisy's head down. When she kissed Daisy, the warrior woman's lips were hard, but their fullness quickly softened and Daisy grabbed her and pulled her tight as she kissed her hard.

“Wait a minute,” House growled.

Sarah turned and looked at him, Daisy's hand on her breast. “I know you've been dying to see Daisy's rack,” she said. “Daisy, show him.”

The atmosphere between the three of them was suddenly charged with intense sexual energy. House lifted an eyebrow. Daisy tilted her head and slowly began pulling off her body armor.

Sarah moved to House, pulled his T-shirt out of his pants and slid her hands under his shirt and across the hardest, flattest abs she'd ever seen. She ran her hands across pecs that bulged, the nipples hard nubs, then slid her hands across the taught skin to pull the shirt over his head. When his shirt was off, she moved to unbutton and unzip his pants. She felt him suck in his breath.

“Holy shit,” he gasped.

Sarah turned to see Daisy dropping her sports bra into a growing pile of clothing. Her firm breasts stuck straight out, the nipples erect, long and dark red. Sarah smiled and moved toward Daisy. She looked over her shoulder. “Pants,” she snapped at House. “Get 'em off.”

She couldn't keep her hands off Daisy's breasts. The hard nipples pressed into her palms as she caressed them. When she dropped her head to suck each one and nip the tip, Daisy groaned.

“What are you doing?” Daisy breathed.

“I'm not a bone to fight over. I love you both, so let's share.”

She unbuttoned Daisy's pants and slipped her hand inside the khakis and the underwear. “Boots,” she whispered into Daisy's ear as she cupped Daisy's sex and slipped a finger between the folds. The exotic feel of another woman's pussy made Sarah moan. Sarah opened her legs as Daisy grabbed her entire sex in her hand and squeezed. “Boots,” Sarah repeated.

House came up behind her and she felt his erection poking her in the back. Smiling, she turned to see he'd followed her instructions and his glorious body was naked. She lifted her head, grabbed Daisy's hair and pulled her face close to kiss. “Get naked,” she ordered and turned into House's waiting arms. He'd laid his clothes out along with her burqa to form a bed.

He lifted her into his arms and kissed her hard, his tongue hot and demanding. She opened her legs and wound them around his waist. Daisy finished undressing and wrapped her arms around her from behind, lifted her breasts and pulled on the nipples as House dropped her necessary inches needed to impale her on his cock.

Daisy's hands kneaded her butt, pulled the cheeks apart and squeezed them. Sarah felt like her heart was going to explode with joy and sexual excitement. This was a dream she never had but would now never forget.

When Daisy began stroking House's cock as it slid in and out of her and squeezing her labia around it, she exploded with an orgasm that made her cry out. House shushed her and laid her on the improvised bed. He turned to Daisy as Sarah lay on the bed panting and enjoying the residual effects of her climax. She watched Daisy throw back her head and poke out her chest. House grinned. “That is without a doubt the finest set of tits I have ever seen,” he said as he nodded his head.

Daisy walked one pace closer. “Bet you wanna touch 'em.”

House nodded. “Indeed I do.”

“No man has touched me since I left the barrio. You know how I roll.”

Sarah propped herself up on one elbow. “Lie down beside me, I want to suck your pussy until you scream.”

“Sarah!” House shook his head. “Such language from a lady.”

“Come on,” Sarah said. “Let him touch them and then sit on my face.”

Daisy laughed. “You know how insane this is? We could be attacked at any moment.”

“You guys can fight off anyone,” Sarah said. “I doubt if I've ever been safer.”

House put one hand on Daisy's shoulder and drew her closer. “Best rack ever,” he whispered as he lifted Daisy's breasts and stroked them. Sarah could see his cock throbbing against Daisy's belly.

* * * *

Daisy was so confused. She couldn't take her eyes off Sarah, naked, spread legs, wet, pink sex calling to her, and House, standing in front of her hard and ready. She didn't do men, but this was House. They'd been partners and friends for four years. She trusted no man like she trusted him. And he obviously loved Sarah. She read it in his every gesture, yet he was standing back and inviting Daisy to share her. The dilemma was acute but her traitorous body was unbearably aroused.

She allowed House to stroke her breasts, but she never took her eyes off Sarah, lying on the makeshift bed, her nostrils expanded, her hand now stroking her own open pussy. Daisy's swollen sex dripped juice down the insides of her thighs.

She pushed House gently aside and dropped to her knees between Sarah's open legs. House knelt behind her and lifted her breasts. He kissed her neck and she shivered as her excitement level rose. If Sarah wanted this, she would play.

Straddling Sarah, she pushed her own sex hard against Sarah's and kissed her. House lay down beside them and grabbed her ass. Sarah tugged on her. “Sit on my face,” she insisted.

It sounded like a great idea. She eased up and squatted over Sarah's face. Sarah's hands were greedy, grabbing her ass and pulling her down closer to her mouth. Daisy felt House behind her, holding her steady as Sarah grabbed her clit in her mouth and sucked while her fingers delved the depths of Daisy's sex.