Chapter 19

Victoria, Cherrill, Michael and Macario were stretched out on the big bed in Lisa’s audience chamber. Cherrill, although fully human, was almost finished with her training to become a Phoenix – an evolutionary advancement of humankind’s latent psychic ability. Michael was the son of a goddess and as such was only three-quarters human, although that other quarter allowed him the capability of flight as well as advanced psychic abilities. Victoria was fully human, as was Macario, although many years ago Mac had been the recipient of an alien hybrid’s blood, which added several centuries to his normal life span, and keeps him young and strong.

“Would you really have stabbed me if I’d not tried to fight you off?” Cherrill asked.

“Well,” Michael replied, his fingers languidly tracing the curve of her stomach up to the bottom of her ribs, “my dear aunt did command it...

“However,” he continued, gently reprimanding her, “you should not have panicked. A Phoenix can’t be killed with a knife. Some Phoenix girls actually find knife-play erotic. Even the queen participates in swordplay, and nobody seconds for her, either.”

“So many stupid mistakes,” Cherrill murmured, disgruntled at her many obvious failures. “How can Lisa believe that I can ever become a true Phoenix?”

“Hey, you’re only human,” Michael laughed. “Like Lisa said – it’s a learning process. There are no failures. Her oldest friend, Tanya Tabor, is the weakest of all the Phoenixes. Yet, she is not a failure, and considers herself quite capable of handling herself under any circumstances. In fact, she is pretty much completely fearless!”

He sat up and kissed Cherrill before continuing; “You see, Red, you’ve got – what ... twenty, maybe twenty five years of human responses to avoid pain and injury programmed into your mind. It will take time to get used to the fact that you really can’t be hurt anymore. And you can’t die! That means that I cannot – am not capable – of killing you... even if you don’t resist!

“Not that it wouldn’t be fun to try!” he laughed as his fingers pinched a nipple, making Cherrill jump.

“Ha!” Cherrill laughed as she flinched to protect her sensitive nipples from his gouging fingernails. “You think I’d let you stick a knife in me just for the fun of it? Not a chance, sweetie!”

“Does not that thought excite you, though?” Michael asked, stroking his fingers down her bare belly and grinning as she twitched. “Doesn’t your heart beat faster at the concept of being penetrated like that?”

Cherrill knew that Michael was cruelly teasing her. He was psychic enough to feel her body react to his words. She was reacting to his touch, as well. It was like a gentle current of electricity flowing from his fingers and making her body twitch with excitement everywhere he touched her.

“I have a trainer already,” Cherrill said, trying her best to ignore Michael’s suggestive words and those damned sexy fingers stroking along her thigh, now. “I don’t need another...”

“You have evolved beyond your old trainer’s guidance,” Michael assured her. “He could only teach you how to die, or to endure pain, and maybe even embrace pain and death on a sexual level. But the guidance you now require can only be obtained from one who has already reached a higher level of ability.”

“Someone such as yourself, I imagine,” smirked Cherrill as she moved her leg away from his touch. “You’re just trying to seduce me!”

Michael laughed. There was no rancor in that laugh and his eyes danced with warmth and laughter. “I have already seduced you! Or have you forgotten this afternoon? Oh, my! Was my performance that forgettable? If that is the case, dear madam, I sincerely apologize!” He dropped off the bed and, on his knees, gazed imploringly up at the slender, naked redhead grinning down at him.

“I beg you,” Michael pleaded, ardently gesturing in an overly dramatic manner, “please – allow me to make up for my obviously inadequate performance of this afternoon!”

Cherrill laughed and, although she blushed at Michael’s endearing behavior, she happily entered into his little role-play and held out her foot.

“And what, pray tell, could you possibly do,” Cherrill grinned down at him, “to make up for such a devastatingly poor performance, young prince?”

“Allow me you show you, O beauteous one,” Michael replied and reached out. Taking her proffered foot in both hands, he kissed the top of her big toe and slowly moved upward, kissing and delicately licking along the top of her foot toward her ankle.

Cherrill was gritting her teeth to keep from laughing maniacally from the incredibly ticklish sensations her young prince was creating with his tongue and those magic fingers. Warm sensual electricity flowed up her leg and churned in her belly before concentrating in that special center of pleasure as she squeezed her legs together. She shook her head and arched back, her hair gracefully flying high overhead before dropping down around her shoulders and back. Her perky breasts jutted forward, her hard nipples screaming out to anyone who saw just how aroused this young godling made her feel.

Michael was halfway up her left leg, leaving a quickly cooling trail of liquid fire up the inside of her calf with his tongue and lips, his hands on both her legs with fingers gently flowing Phoenix fire into the nerve fibers just beneath her soft, smooth skin.

Cherrill lay back on her elbows, her pert breasts jutting toward the ceiling and her head dangling backward in sensual abandonment. Her breath was raw and ragged in her throat as she succumbed to Michael’s disturbingly effective caresses.

Opening her eyes for a moment, she saw Victoria’s face, upside down to hers, grinning as she and Macario watched their little performance. Victoria was lying on the other side of the bed, her back spooned into Mac’s torso. Mac had his arm over Vicky’s waist and was gently caressing her soft stomach with his fingers.

The spell broken, Cherrill dropped down with her back against the mattress, embarrassed that she’d completely forgotten about Vicky and Mac.

“Would you two kids like some privacy?” Victoria asked, grinning at Cherrill’s obvious embarrassment. “I’m sure that this young man,” she indicated Mac with a glance of her eyes, “could probably find us another room.”

“Uh-mm, yeah,” Cherrill decided. “That would be nice...”

Pushing up into a sitting position, Victoria turned to Mac; “I guess we’re not an appreciative enough audience, surf. Take me away from here at once!”