20. Adopted by the Underworld Pet
Aleiraah
Time moves differently here, and it’s been a few weeks since I arrived at Duat, the Underworld of Egypt.
Anubis, my gracious host, informed me yesterday that it’s probably been a couple of days on Mytherra.
With the time I’ve spent sunbathing by the Nile, my skin’s got a warm glow.
Anput and Bastet have been keeping me company, not leaving me alone for long durations.
Because that's generally when I tend to spiral. And by spiral, I mean go awfully quiet as I fight to keep the memories at bay. I’ve put a tight lock on that night.
I'm not ready to deal with it yet. Maybe I'll never be ready.
I often wonder why the hell did I even build a life with such assholes? Cue, spiral.
Bastet loves dozing in the sun and reminds me of Silas’s big cat. It pains me to no end. When she’s not spreading awareness about learning self-defense, or preaching about safe-sex by showing up in mortal dreams, she drags me with her. Not allowing me to stay cooped in dark corners.
I can understand Anubis’s fascination with her as I myself have a little girl-crush on Bastet.
Whenever I’m overthinking, she appears with impeccable timing and lets me squish her toe-beans like free therapy.
She also keeps painting my nails a different color everyday, ranging from bright reds to pretty yellows and vibrant greens.
Anput has tiny gemstones attached to her nails, courtesy of Bastet.
I’ve never experienced friendship like this before—it feels unreal.
Anput is like an older sister I never had. Always exuding calm and poise. I daresay I look up to her and end up confiding to her about things I wouldn't have, before arriving at Duat.
One day while contemplating succubus-shaming, I blurted out, "Am I too much of a succubus?"
Anput had stared at me with a patient gaze, then asked, “Tell me Aleiraah, would you think a river is too much if it erodes the rocks along its way while it meanders from one place to another?"
Shaking my head I'd said, "No."
"It's the river's nature to flow. That doesn’t make it too much of a river. It’s certainly not acceptable to shame someone for what comes naturally to them. Your allure is a vital part of you. You could use it as a weapon even, should you choose to hone it. As for your husbands, the feelings of jealousy and possessiveness might have been amplified by the effects of the Veilmoon. But that doesn’t excuse their thoughtless accusations. They should have known better."
She had patted my hand, about to attend to whatever godly duties awaited. Then paused to add, "But, you might want to consider what insecurities plague them too.”
I had pondered for days on what she said, and felt that objectively she had a point.
Ifrinn certainly felt insecure about his learning disabilities. His dysfunctional family didn’t help him in any way. I know Zien has hang-ups about being a blood slave once. He never drinks from me to the point where he's full. He says he does, but I feel he holds himself back.
Baz worries about siring a half dragon who won’t be accepted in dragon-society, and his mother keeps berating him for diluting the precious Emberfang bloodline.
Archie and Silas’s worries are of similar nature but they believe an offspring with me isn’t feasible. Whenever I brought up the subject, they’d shut it down stating I'm enough for them. They all do. In some way or another.
Have I really been that much of a pushover? Just to maintain peace, I let so many fucking things slide. ––The thought is so disconcerting.
Take Alistair for example. He feels guilty about fucking that vile, used-up fae bitch Raine, but he doesn’t know that I know.
And I can't truly blame him. It hurts, of course. To think that the male you’re married to, who you love, was forced to fuck another female.
But what amplified the hurt a thousand times was that he kept it a secret from me.
I get that he was bound by an inescapable fae-command to fuck that gutter-scum. But he could have tried opening up just a tiny bit.
Whenever I’ve tried broaching the subject of Raine, he shuts down. I want to help him, absolve him because I know he seeks absolution. I can't even begin to imagine what he went through. Well, I may now.
But to protect him from the clutches of that whore, I built an amulet. It prevents him from obeying her commands. And he doesn’t even know I put it on him without his knowledge. Why? Because he refuses to discuss anything about that cunt.
And Azael, my fallen angel. He feels unworthy of the heavenly realm even though he chose to fall.
Sometimes I get the feeling that he resents me.
And the way he hides his monthly secret meetings with fellow angels reinforces that feeling every time.
They trash-talk about me every time and he remains quiet.
Bottomline? All of them have issues, then again, who doesn’t? Show me a fully functional supernatural and I’ll give up sex for a century! Hah!
But it still hurts. No matter how I try to rationalize––that mortal worm's trickery, the timing, blasted Veilmoon––my chosen mates, who I trusted with my battered heart, just assumed the worst of me.
The same males who'd filled the empty spaces in my life, that echoed so badly after Mother died. After Jadeth’s abuse. They made me believe in love again, only to rip me apart.
We can never come back from this. How I wish I had never met them.
As if sensing my mood, a small pyramid of fig and date scones appear on the table.
Duat. I smile. The Underworld––an ancient entity, has been looking out for me. Delicious food materializes at random places at all times of the day. Yesterday a huge pile of crispy lotus root with a massive bowl of fig and honey frozen-cream appeared on my bedside table when I was feeling teary.
I mutter a quiet thanks and start nibbling at a scone.
I wish I had a fraction of the dynamics with my husbands that Anubis shares with Anput. What they have isn’t driven just by passion, but a deeper, steadier kind of bond.
They’ve a mutual understanding that Bastet gets to dominate Anubis’s attention whenever they’re together. But I’ve also observed the quiet kind of love that runs deep when Anubis looks at Anput.
I saw them lounging by the Nile one day. Anubis had his head on Anput’s lap and she was sifting through his dreadlocks, laughing at something Anubis said. Another day, they quietly danced on their terrace under a full moon.
I had woken up from a bad dream to the fading echo of a sibilant voice, and noticed the full moon through my window, and panicked.
I stepped outside to make sure it wasn’t the Veilmoon, while knowing it’s too soon for another one.
And that’s when I saw them—swaying to a quiet rhythm, wrapped in each other as the wind carried a gentle melody.
Watching them, a wistful ache stirred in my chest. Would that have been my fate too, with my mates, after centuries of shared time and love?
That thought had come to a screeching halt when Anubis got down on his fours and Anput stepped behind him with what seemed like a phallus shaped contraption in her hand.
Is that what I think it is? Then I need to sit. Or lie down. Or maybe scream while fanning myself?––I’d thought.
Suddenly, Anput snapped her head toward me, catching me off guard. Even from afar, I could see her slow smile followed by a wink. She then proceeded to stroke Anubis’s spine with her fingertips and I made a hasty retreat, mortified at being caught.
Centaur’s long schlong and my voyeuristic urges!
I was too hot and bothered to go back to sleep so I resorted to touching myself for a quick relief.
But I couldn’t climax until I thought about the first time Baz had taken me from behind.
He had stuffed his twin cocks into my pussy and rosette simultaneously, fucking me till I forgot my name.
It was such a novel experience. I had left him the next day, though, and continued on my journey, not sparing him much thought.
That’s until he arrived at my doorstep one stormy afternoon offering marriage and his undying love.
Undying love my ass!
Anput pulls me from my reverie, offering a shisha packed with dried hemp flowers. Once heated, the smoke is drawn through a delicate water-filled glass chamber before flowing through a pipe. It has become our evening ritual.
As I exhale a cloud of sweet smelling smoke, I hear heavy footsteps approaching.
Ammit in all her wild glory topples over a few shishas, and settles her huge crocodile head with a mane of unruly lion’s mane on my lap.
She parks her lion’s body and hippopotamus’s hind quarters on the rug at my feet.
Then looks into my eyes, fluttering her curly eyelashes.
No one would think that this is the fearsome creature of the Underworld that devours souls for a living.
And well, nutrition. Because diet is important no matter what or where you are.
“Hello, Ammit!” I coo, stroking her wild yellow mane. Secretly loving that she chose to crash on me instead of Anubis who’s looking at her petulantly.
“You’ve stolen my pet, Aleiraah.” He complains.
“There, there.” Bastet says patronizingly and Anput hides a smile.
“I’ve done no such thing!” I gasp in mock outrage. “She has adopted me.” I add while combing through Ammit’s mane lazily. “Who’s a good girl? Such pretty eyelashes!”
Ammit preens hearing the praise, letting out a satisfied purr.
“Uggh!” Anubis flops on the opposite divan, folding his arms across his chest, while aiming a look full of envy.
“Earlier I tried to put dreadlocks in her mane and she bit me. Bit me! Can you imagine?” He waves his hands in the air, looking offended.
“Well, maybe she prefers a different hairdo? Wild and free.” I point out helpfully.
“But they’re the rage everywhere!” Anubis exclaims. Ammit gives him a side-eye, huffs then sighs with pleasure, her head still on my lap.
Anubis looks on dolefully until Anput takes his hand and says, “Let her be, darling. You know Ammit loves you. She’ll come around. Maybe she remembers the mohawk you tried on her a few years ago and is feeling…apprehensive?”
“But she looked so beautiful and fearsome! The dead confessed their sins twice as fast, owing to her mohawk glory!” Anubis gushes with a glazed look in his eyes, obviously reminiscing.
“I'm sure she’ll love the dreadlocks too. Won’t you, Ammit? You’ll even match Anubis.” I try to coax the crocodile-lion-hippo chimera currently enjoying my attention.
“Ammit?” Anubis asks in a tearful voice.
Ammit lets out a bigger huff as the vertical slits of her crocodile gaze shrink, then pads over to Anubis.
She rests her front leonine paws on his gold chest plate and stares into his eyes for a few moments.
Anubis gives a watery smile and throws his arms around Ammit’s neck, letting out a deep sigh.
“I love you too. No, I wasn’t hurt when you bit me, you dummy. ” He muffles into her mane.
And I think pets do make your life beautiful. Wonder if my life will turn a little gray once I leave Ammit and Duat behind?