Shifters, Beasts, and Monsters (65 page)

“Yes, my father told me.”

“Do you find that odd?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything you know that I don’t?” Emily
asked, peering at him.

“Nope,” Jason replied, rocking on the balls of his
feet. “I’ve not been the benefactor of secret information, but even if I were,
I think we can safely say that it’s above your pay grade.”

“Asshole.”

“But seriously, no. Why? You worried?”

“No, just suspicious.”

“Of what? That it was all a ruse, and you’ve been
pranked into flying half way around the world?”

“If that is the worst outcome, then we should count
ourselves lucky.”

“What about the diary? The one you’ve been reading
over and over again?”

“What about it, Jason?”

“Well, that could be evidence.”

“It could be a young woman’s sexual fantasy, as far as
I can tell.”

He grinned at her.

“Stop it.”

“But what if it’s all real? What if she really did
come face to face with a real honest-to-God Minotaur?”

“Then that means there’s one somewhere out in the
world, I guess.”

Jason clicked his fingers. “Exactly! Isn’t that
amazing?”

“Well, it’s certainly more amazing than simply seeing
a fossil of one, which is amazing in its own right.”

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Emily. If we
actually do see a Minotaur fossil out there today, I would count myself very
lucky.”

“I suppose you’re right. But, still, something about
this whole affair doesn’t smell right.”

Emily looked at the young boy, visibly bubbling with
enthusiasm. She wondered if she should tell him that this Michael Nimon they
were about to meet had asked for his family name specifically. She guessed that
maybe he didn’t already know, since it was likely he might have talked about
it.

Though, now that she thought about it, the fact that
he revealed he was part Greek might point toward him knowing it. Perhaps that’s
why he’d been called?

But how could part-Greek business owners who emigrated
out of Greece generations ago have to do with a Minotaur fossil found my a
scholar in the mountains of Crete?

Emily was fairly sure she was going to find out soon.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Jason asked quickly.

“No.”

“What do you know about your heritage?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know, like when I found out I was part-Greek, it
made me curious. I looked up as far up my family tree as I could. So, since you
seem like an inquisitive type, I’d be interested to know if you know about
where you came from, and who you came from.”

“I actually don’t,” Emily said, humming. “I’ve never
thought about it.”

“How much do you know? I mean, how far up the family
tree?”

“I know where both of my parents are from, and know
where my mother’s mother is from, but beyond that, nada.”

“Aren’t you curious now, though, since I’ve brought it
up?”

Emily looked at the boy, wondering why he was asking
this. The questions felt a little forced. “I guess so, yeah. Hey, when did you
find out that you were part-Greek?”

“Oh, not that long ago. Half a year, maybe.”

“How?”

“I found an old book in my father’s bookshelf. It was
in Greek. I asked my father where he got it from, and he told me that it
belonged to my mother, and had been passed down the family. He then remembered
that she had once told him that her ancestors left Greece a long time ago, and
after that, I looked the rest up myself.”

“Interesting,” Emily thought, unable to shake a
distant feeling of worry.

Worry brewed within her as she turned her gaze to the
incoming coastline of Crete.

*

The week finally ended! And Dallas came by today!
He looked just as good as ever.

He’s out doing work right now, but we chatted for a
bit. I learned that he always wanted to go to university, but he couldn’t
because he couldn’t afford it.

I told him that university wasn’t all it was
cracked up to be. I mean, look at me, right? I went to uni and I’m stuck
working on my parents’ farm.

He told me that it was nothing to be ashamed of.
Farm work was not anything to look down on. He said he had a great respect for
my family.

It was kind of him to say so, but the truth is that
farmers are looked down on. We’re treated like country bumpkins who don’t know
any better.

I didn’t say that to him, though. It’s not like I
want to sound all bitter and resentful on our first full day together!

He told me lots of things about himself as we
walked around the farm. He told me about how he’d worked in nearly every manual
job he could find, from being a car mechanic to an irrigator, and even pest
control! He drives a truck, but also has a motorcycle which he rides on the
weekends.

Like, oh my God, right? What a fucking hunk.

He seemed a bit closed off at first, but he opened
up the more I talked to him. He never seemed uncomfortable, even when I was
blabbering away like a complete idiot, he listened politely.

Seriously, this is like the perfect man just walked
into my life.

Now I’m left wondering how I’m going to keep him
*in* it.

I’m going to bring him some iced tea later. He’s
tidying up some stuff, and he’s got his shirt off, and I’m watching him from
the kitchen window.

He’s all sweaty. It’s really fucking hot.

I’m not going to lie to myself right now. Just
watching his body, all ripped and shiny… it’s turning me on.

Okay, secret time. Oh, well, it’s not like you
don’t know already, diary. You know all my dirty secrets.

But I’m going to write it down one more time
because I’m just so excited.

I’m a virgin.

And I’m hoping that I’ll find a way to lose it to
him.

It’s time to get my game face on.

Go get him, girl!

*

CHAPTER
THREE

“Where the hell is this guy?” Jason asked, pacing up
and down the pavement, his impatience worn on his expression. Emily agreed. The
ferry came in at a set time. The least he could have done was get there on
time.

“I’m starting to wonder if this is some kind of
prank,” Emily said.

“Just starting?”

“Really think we’re going to see actual fossilized
remains of a Minotaur?”

Jason shrugged, and adjusted the shoulder strap of his
expensive camera. The exposed lens glinted in the sunlight. “Don’t know. I hope
so. That would be pretty amazing.”

“You should put the cap back on your lens.”

“Nah,” he said, looking down at it. “What if I want to
get a spur of the moment action shot?”

“What if you get it scratched?”

He sighed dramatically. “These are the sort of risks
us intrepid journalists take, Emily.”

She rolled her eyes, before looking around. The
incoming terminal for the ferry was drab and dull, without any of the character
the natural scenery offered. She saw bored looking people sitting at counters,
a bunch of what she assumed were taxi drivers standing around by the only exit
to the building, and a man sitting asleep in a row of chairs.

Emily touched Jason’s shoulder, distantly aware that she
left it there longer than she had to. “Think that’s him?” she asked.

“What? The old guy?”

“Yeah, the old guy,” Emily echoed. The man asleep in
the chair wasn’t
that
old, but he did have whites in the side of his
hair, and a rather unkempt greying beard.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Jason said.

“How do you know?”

“The beard? That boring shirt? The messy hair? I don’t
know about you, but if this guy specializes in myths and legends, that is what
I would expect him to look like. Ever seen that guy on television who believes
we are all alien offspring or something? Descended from ancient aliens?
Remember what he looked like?”

“They look totally different from each other,” Emily
said, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Yeah, well, whatever,” Jason replied, grinning. He walked
over to the man and shook him awake by the shoulder. “Hey, are you Michael
Nimon?”

“Yes,” the man said, his voice hoarse and his accent
strange. He looked up at Jason, and Emily saw the old man’s face light up. “You
must be Jason Harris!” he exclaimed.

“Uh, yeah.”

“I’m glad you made it.” He looked toward Emily and she
smiled at him, walked toward him and shook his hand.

“Emily Worthington. It’s good to meet you.”

“Yes,” Michael Nimon said. “Yes.” He returned his
attention to Jason, seemed to study him for a moment. “You look not how I
expected,” he commented after a moment.

“Uh,” Jason sounded, looking between the scientist and
Emily. “Did you expect me to look a certain way?”

The man shrugged. “Not really, I guess. So, want to
see the Minotaur fossil?”

“Yes,” Emily replied, even though she wasn’t being
addressed. “We would, and quickly, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s not easy to drive up there,” Michael said, his
tone grave. “It may take a couple of hours.”

“That’s okay. Do you have a car?”

“Yes, just outside.”

“Are you the only one we’ll be meeting?”

“Yes,” Michael replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I just assumed you might have some colleagues, or
maybe research assistants or something.”

“Oh, no. This is my own project, and I work alone.
Can’t trust assistants. Information is too easily shared today.”

“Aren’t you working for a university?”

“I do work for a university,” he replied, nodding and
setting off. Emily got the distinct impression he hadn’t answered her question.

*

Oh my God!! We kissed! We totally kissed!

It was really awkward at first. I brought him a
glass of iced tea. He cleaned up a bit at the sink, splashed his face with
water and washed his hands. Then we sat on a couple of logs we use as stools,
just outside the shed.

Anyway we talked a bit more. I could smell him. I
really remembered that. He smelled… well, it was strong, but really sexy. I
can’t explain it. Maybe my hormones or pheromones or whatever were just totally
out of whack!

But then this quiet came between us. It was really
awkward for just this short moment, and we looked at each other.

It was just like a movie!

And then he kissed me. He just leaned in and kissed
me. It felt like electricity was shooting through my whole body! It felt like
my heart had jumped up into my throat, bounced off my jaw, and plummeted into
my guts.

I kissed him back of course. It was exactly what I
wanted to do. Each time his lips took mine, it felt like I was being shocked by
the paddle of a paramedic.

He had such nice lips!! So kissable. They weren’t
mean and thin, but passionate and generous. His upper lip, his lower lip… it
didn’t matter, it felt so good to have both of them in between my own lips.

I can remember the sensation now of his stubble
grazing my face. It was so…. Uh! Manly! I’ve never kissed a man before. Only
boys when I was a much younger girl.

And like a storm suddenly forming, his arms were
around me and our kiss turned so urgent. He was feeling my body, and I was
feeling his.

And then…

Well…

I’m sort of embarrassed to write about it, and I
don’t even know why. I’m blushing. I’m grinning like an idiot.

He went down on me!

I know, right? Can you believe it? Well, can I
believe it? I still don’t know if it even happened or not!

But it was great. Oh, God, it was fantastic. I’ve
never had a guy go down on me before but I could tell that he really knew what
he was doing.

He teased me first, just inched me along, before he
zeroed in on my clit and massaged my g-spot inside me.

I came so quickly! It was kind of embarrassing. Not
to mention that we were just doing it out there like that!

I can’t believe that happened!

He had to go. The day was up. I wanted to ask him
to stay but thought that might be too forward.

He’s coming back tomorrow though.

I can’t wait.

*

“Do you know the story of the Minotaur?” Michael Nimon
asked. Emily couldn’t help but find it a little difficult to follow his accent.

“Vaguely,” she said.

“And you, Jason?”

“Um, not really,” he admitted sheepishly. “Give us the
quick version?”

“There is nothing quick about it, young man, but I will
do my best. Minos, the man on the throne of Crete, prayed to the god Poseidon
to grant him a perfect, white, bull. He got his wish, but his wife fell in love
with the bull. She mated with the bull, and the Minotaur was the monstrous
offspring, a beast part bull, part man.”

“Body of a man, but head of a bull,” Jason said.

“Yes. But the Minotaur was a ferocious being, perhaps
even feral. He became a danger, and so a maze was built to contain it, so that
it might never find its way out.”

“A maze?” Jason asked. “Could it be solved?”

“Sorry, my English is not so good. The correct word is
actually labyrinth.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Young man, if you say maze, you imply that there is a
path from the center, to outside the maze. That it is escapable.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, nodding.

“The word labyrinth has no such connotation.”

“Oh,” Jason said.

“The labyrinth, or as some might say, prison, was said
to have been built near the Palace of Knossos, right here on Crete, right?”
Emily asked.

“That is what is said.”

“But it has not been found?”

“No,” the man said. “But some scholars think that, due
to the great number of rooms and corridors in Minos’ palace, that
it
was
actually the labyrinth.”

“Interesting,” Emily said.

“Anyway, enough history for now. These are just myths
of course. Not meant to be taken literally, you see. As with all ancient Greek
stories, everything is metaphorical; allegorical. Meaning within meaning, words
that say one thing but mean another. Many of these people will have actually
existed, but their stories will have been exaggerated or manipulated in order
to get
meaning
across. Meaning is the true heart of communication. Take
Icarus, for example. You know of Icarus, am I right, young man?”

“Yes,” Jason said, grinning at Emily and half-rolling
his eyes. “He flew too close to the sun.”

“And do you think he literally did?”

“No, of course not.”

“So it is metaphorical, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Funny that you know of Icarus and not the Minotaur,
considering your heritage.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked, looking at Emily,
confusion on his face.

“Well, you are part-Greek, are you not?”

“Wait, how did you know that?” Emily said quickly,
leaning forward.

“Look at him, it’s obvious,” Michael Nimon said, his
intonation matter-of-fact. “We Greeks can always tell.”

“Is that right?” Emily asked. Once again that feeling
of uneasiness had returned. There was so much more to this than Michael, or
perhaps even Tom, had let on.

“But I also meant that it is funny because Icarus
helped to
design
the labyrinth, with his father Daedalus. So you know of
one man connected to the myth of the Minotaur, but not of the myth itself.”

“Ah,” Jason said, leaning back in the seat and
shrugging. “If we’re to believe you, it’s no myth at all. Assuming the Minotaur
fossil really is up there in the hills.”

“And there you are right,” the man said, looking over
his shoulder and winking at Jason. “It is no myth, and you are about to see
that for yourselves. Now put on your seatbelt because the road is going to get
rocky, and I am not always a patient driver.”

*

It’s finally the next day!

Oh, God, I’ve never been so giddy like this before.
I can’t really explain it. My heart rate is just constantly elevated. It pounds
in my chest and I get that nervous excitement and energy in my belly just thinking
about Dallas.

I know what I’m going to do today. I’m going to fix
him a scrumptious lunch, and then I’m going to talk to him. What happened
yesterday was so… well, it was so unexpected and, more than that, it felt a
little isolated. I don’t even know how it happened! It’s kind of ridiculous to
think that he just hoisted up my skirt and pleasured me.

Not that I mind him doing that, but it’s time we
talked.

I get the feeling he likes me. I really hope he
does.

Because if I know one thing about myself, it’s who
I like.

And I like him.

-

Well, we chatted for a bit, and now he’s working.
He said he likes me, too. Said he would like to take me out to dinner sometime.
He said that he can’t afford anything too fancy, but if I’m okay like that, he
knows a good place for ribs.

“Pam, you like ribs? I can’t take you some place
fancy, but I do know an excellent mom and pop place that does fantastic
barbecue ribs.”

I love it when he calls me Pam.

Are you kidding me? Of course I’m okay with that! I
don’t want to get all dressed up and go to some fancy restaurant, either! I
want to be relaxed, comfortable, and want to just be able to talk to him
without worrying about keeping up social etiquette or whatever.

Just watching him work, get all sweaty, from the
kitchen window… it’s doing things to me. He turns me on a great deal. I can’t
explain it. I’ve never felt this way about a man before.

Anyway, it’s time I start fixing together something
nice for him. Then we can talk more about the date we’re going to have tonight!

Oh, yeah, did I forget to write it down, diary?

It’s TONIGHT!!!

*

“Wow,” Emily said, wincing and peering at the apparent
hole in the rock face on the side of the mountain. “It’s almost invisible when
you’re more than fifty feet or so away.”