Courting Crazy Read online

  Kristina kisses her cheek again, “Thank you for sharing that with me, Christie. You are mine. I am yours. I’m Kristina.”

  Corrina wraps her arms around Kristina, “But her lovers all call her ‘Krissie.’ You may notice we ALL call her ‘Krissie’ most of the time.”

  “I haven’t made love to everyone,” Kristina demurs.

  Corrina shakes her head, “Only because we haven’t worked the rotation around yet. Charli isn’t even into girls, but she wants a turn with you and calls you by your love name.”

  “C’rina! You make me sound like a slut!”

  Corrina shrugs. “You are, Beloved. We all are sluts for the love of each other. Jack is our man-slut, and we are his slutty ladies. Wear it like a badge of honor, Krissie. The rest of us do.”

  Kristina shrugs, too. “True. I’ve had more orgasms and loved more people in the last month than I have the entire rest of my life.” She looks to Christie. “You ready to join our slutty family, Christie?”

  “Oh definitely! Megan confessed all her unfaithfulness at the Thanksgiving party. I was jealous until she started sharing details of making love to you, Krissie.” She grins over her shoulder at Megan. “She actually got our names confused when I fucked her later that night.”

  “I did not!” Megan blushes bright red as the ladies all laugh.

  “Yep. You did. You just called her Kristina in conversation, so I didn’t know for sure until now. It’s okay, slut. I still love you.”

  Megan beams, “You’ve never declared that publicly, Christie! I love you too, my Darling.” They fight themselves free of the other hugs to wrap each other into a sloppy kiss.

  Christie holds onto Megan as she turns to me. “Jack, I almost didn’t recognize you when I walked in. You look like a younger version of yourself. There are fewer lines in your face, less silver in your hair, your seem bigger. Taller even.”

  Kristina adds, “And his cock is getting bigger. We need to all agree on end state or I fear he’ll be putting something the size of my leg inside me.”

  “Ew!” says Myra.

  Trina shrugs, “I’m getting enough now. I don’t need anymore.”

  “Okay, we can discuss my growth spurt another time. Christie, do you know everyone here?” She shakes her head. I see Geri has joined us in the suite. I point them all out - all eight of the Ravens: Geri, Charli, Daphne, Liesl, Marisol, Sowie, Solange, and Corrina. Each waves or hugs Christie as I introduce them. She’s already met Kristina, Trina, Megan, and Myra.

  “So Christie, who is the lovely lady you brought with you?” She grabs me and whispers, “Ignore her, Jack. She’s a Valkyrie. If you pay attention, it shames them because they are different.”

  “What? Bullshit! This is not a Sidhe court. I will not have my family treating anyone like that. If this is a court at all, it is the court of the Green Lord. All are welcome here, my Love. Even the ‘different’ or ‘defective’ or unwanted elsewhere. What is her name?”

  Christie is embarrassed by the vehemence of my response. “Her name is Tiffany, my Lord.”

  I kiss her cheek. “Thank you, Christie.” I walk to stand before Tiffany, who is trying to turn away from me while not leaving her post.

  “Tiffany, I welcome you as a guest to my family. My name is Jack. Will you look at me, please?” She turns and looks down shyly at my feet. “Why won’t you look at me Tiffany? This is not the Summer Court. All are welcome here. Look at me please, Tiffany.”

  She looks up at me with anger, “Why, Lord? So you can enthrall me and then tell all your friends how you fucked the freak? So you make me think you care and then laugh about it behind my back? I’ve been the victim of those tricks already, so you’ll have to be more creative than that!”

  “Tiffany!” Christie scolds.

  I hold a finger up in Christie’s direction as I keep my attention on the fierce eyes before me. “Apparently you have been abused, dear Tiffany. I will not abide that in my house. I am the Green Lord, and it seems love is my superpower. I collect the broken and heal them with my love however they need it. Do you know about the Ravens? How they are all considered ‘defective’ in some way. As a result, they are ostracized - becoming an elite bodyguard their only option to have any kind of place in Sidhe society. There are eight Ravens here. They are my family. I love them as they need it to make them whole.”

  Tiffany’s eyes are less angry, but the bitterness is still there, “You mean you fuck them.”

  I nod, “I make love to them. They are Sidhe. Touch is very important to their emotional health. Some of them are more needful of sex. Some of them are more needful of just caresses and hugs. They may eventually grow out of needing me to love them physically at all and go off to make families of their own. They will always be my beloved family. I am gathering more people to me all the time. They will not all make it into my bed.”

  I look in her eyes as she says, “Well, you wouldn’t love me.”

  “Why not? Why are you so broken no one can love you, Tiffany?”

  She is again fuming. “Because I look like this!” Her face and body shimmer and then reforms into something different. Before me stands the same 6’+ woman with blond hair, but now all softness is gone from her face. It’s all hard, sculpted, regal, and yet still beautiful and perfectly proportioned. Her skin has a light red tinge to it. Her eye sockets are more angular than is normal for humans, and they are the same gold with large pupils you would see on birds of prey. She has small white feathers for eyebrows. Her torso is nearly emaciated it’s so lean. She has tiny breasts on huge strong pecs, but her muscles are shaped differently as they connect above her shoulders too, connected to white feathered wings. She has a thatch of fine white down feathers where a human woman would have hair on her mons. Her legs are disproportionately thin for the size of her chest, but they are lean and muscular. Rather than human-style feet, hers are shaped more like a bird’s but covered in fine white feathers with sharp, four-inch talons. Her arms are banded in sinews like a swordsman’s with strong deltoids and lean, long biceps and triceps.

  She is definitely different. She is also stunningly beautiful in a wild, amazing way.

  She gets embarrassed by my frank appraisal and pulls her wings around to cover her nudity and then wraps a finely feathered, long tail around her wings above her knees.

  I place a hand gently on her wing where it wraps around her shoulder. “Tiffany, you are undeniably different. Your beauty is also undeniable. I understand why you wouldn’t want to walk down the street in your natural form, but why is it a source of shame?”

  I see a shadowy ‘cone of silence’ spin into existence around us.

  Seeing tears drop from those raptor eyes is unsettling. “Because my parents are both Sidhe, Jack. I’m a freak! All of the Valkyrie are FREAKS!” My ears hurt! Corrina is caught with Solange and myself inside the cone. Both of them drop to the ground. My hearing fades back in to hear, “We are abominations that our parents discard. No one knows how we exist or why families with no history of us suddenly birth one. We just show up and ruin everyone’s lives with our own miserable existence.” Tiffany collapses into herself on the floor at my feet. I can sense both Solange and Corrina are severely wounded from the audio assault. I place a hand on Solange and heal her. Then I do the same for Corrina. I help them up.

  “Ladies, you may want to stand outside the circle until I’m done.”

  “Solange, go. I’ll stay with our Lord,” Corrina orders.

  I lean down over Tiffany as she looks at Corrina with disdain, “As if a squad of Ravens could do anything to a Valkyrie, let alone a single one.”

  Corrina looks at her with a sad smile, “I recommend you ask Abraxas about that.”

  Tiffany’s demeanor slowly changes from disdain to disbelief. “That was you?”

  Corrina says, “I gave my word not to discuss it. Talk to her. Tiffany, I’m not staying to protect my Lord. If he wanted you dead, he would just shut your body down with a thought. I am here for yo
u, as one wounded bird to another. The only thing keeping you from happiness right now, in this moment and every moment of the future, is your own unwillingness to accept the love that is offered you. I know what it’s like to feel unworthy because I am not worthy of Jack’s love. I am not worthy of my team’s loyalty and love. I am not worthy of the esteem and love of my Queen Myra, or Krissie, or Trina. But they all give their love freely to me. And in my acceptance, I become worthy of them.” Corrina kneels down in front of her and kisses her temple. “Become worthy, Tiffany. Accept our hospitality. Accept our respect. Accept our friendship. Accept our love.”

  Tiffany wraps Corrina in a hug as she sobs her pain onto the Raven’s shoulder. I kneel next to Tiffany. “Tiffany, you belong here if you wish it. I will make you mine, and I will be yours. Not as your lover, but as the lord that serves you and protects you and loves you.”

  She looks at me leaning on Corrina’s shoulder. “You won’t make love to me?”

  “Tiffany, you don’t trust me enough for me to make love to you. When you come to trust me, you will decide if you want me to make love to you or not. If you want me, I will be there for you. I find you beautiful physically, and Christie’s regard for you speaks for your character. If you want someone else in our family, I’m pretty certain they will be there for you, too.” Corrina nods. “If you decide you want to make love to someone outside our family, you will have our blessing, but woe be upon them if they hurt you because I and your new family will visit your pain on them 100 times over what they visit upon you.”

  Corrina pitches in, “The bottom line, as Jack is fond of saying, is that you are no longer alone. Your princess is very loyal to you and cares deeply for you, but she doesn’t understand your pain. I do. I am here for you to lean on. I am here to talk to. I am here for whatever you need. All you have to say is ‘I want this.’ All you have to do is accept us as we accept you.”

  Tiffany looks at Corrina, then at me, then back. “Please!” Looking back at me, “I want this. Please make me yours!” she whispers.

  I hug her, “It is done, darling. You are mine. You are Corrina’s. We are yours from this moment forward.” She squeezes us both to her as she sobs. ‘Damn! The girl is hugely strong!’

  “Tiffany, you are welcome to leave off your illusion when we are all alone together. There will sometimes be people from the facility that come by here tonight. I’ll let you choose if you want to hide, use illusion to disappear, appear human, or just claim you’re in costume. You do what you feel you need to do. I’ll support you whatever you choose. When we are home, I want to see you as you really are. Okay, darling?” She nods to me.

  Trina sticks her head in. “How we doing in here? They just dipped the lights.”

  I kiss Tiffany’s temple, stand and walk to Trina to collect a hug and a kiss. “Thank you, Pet. You can drop the circle.”

  Trina shakes her head. “It’s not mine. I’m assuming it’s Corrina’s.”

  Corrina nods as she helps Tiffany up. The cone dissipates. Corrina calls out, “Ravens, come welcome our sister.” Weapons are returned to their caches.

  Solange wraps her arm around Tiffany’s wings, turns her chin to her and presses a kiss into her lips warmly and gently. “Welcome, Sister! You know me. I’m Solange. I’m on duty tonight. I’ll relieve our sisters on the door so they can welcome you. Then you you can hang with me, okay?” Tiffany nods as she looks shocked into Solange’s warm golden brown eyes.

  Daphne holds Tiffany’s face in both hands and presses a kiss onto her lips. “Welcome, Sister! I’m Daphne. You need anything, come to me. I’m here for you.”

  Tiffany balks when Sowie comes up to her holding her hands up. “Peace, Sister. Old grudges are gone. You are my sister, and I am yours. You belong to me, and I belong to you. I will gladly fight beside you and kill your enemies and those of our family. Let me kiss you, Sister.” Tiffany reaches for her shoulders, and Sowie presses a kiss into her lips.

  The Ravens rotate through until only Corrina stands before her. Corrina kneels and kisses each of Tiffany’s clawed feet. She sits back into seiza and looks up. “I am the captain of our squad, Tiffany. I ask that you join us when you are with us. I will serve you as your leader to ensure that all our sisters guard your flank and your principal charge, while you help us guard our charges. Will you do this?”

  Tiffany nods slowly, “I’ll try, my Captain. I’m not good at working with others. I’ve trained to stand alone against all comers.” She reaches her hands down for Corrina, who takes them and rises.

  Corrina folds her into a hug, and Tiffany wraps her wings and tail around them both. Corrina kisses her cheek and says, “Then we will learn together.”

  Christie walks slowly to Tiffany with tears streaking her face, shaking her head gently from side to side. Tiffany watches her carefully and releases Corrina to face her princess alone. Corrina steps to the side, but stays close to her newest charge.

  Christie says, “Tiffany, I’ve been a poor liege and a poorer friend. You’ve always been here for me, and I’ve never comforted you in the way these strangers have. I never thought to question the way Valkyrie are treated. It’s just ‘always been this way,’” she says making the air quotes. “I never questioned whether you might be lonely, or hurting, or if someone was making your life difficult. I never invited you to confide in me or lay your burdens down at my feet. And then my Lord showed us both the error of my ways, and the ways of the Court of Summer. Can you ever forgive me?” She sinks before Tiffany’s feet and folds in on herself.

  Tiffany squats in front of her, wrapping her arms and wings around Christie. “Princess, you are my world. The sun rises and sets on your happiness. I didn’t know you were a poor liege. I still don’t. No one else in the court would have thought to warn the Lord away to spare me embarrassment. They would have watched and laughed at my discomfort. Not you.” She kisses the crown of Christie’s head. “Now we know there’s an even better way to be than what we were before. It’s very frightening, my Princess. I don’t think I will be able to make it if you’re not standing with me. You’re the only good thing I’ve known until this day. I will never be happy if you don’t come with me into this beautiful family. Join me, my Princess. Make me complete.”

  Christie raises her head and cups Tiffany’s face in a gentle caress before planting a careful, lover’s kiss on her lips. Tiffany returns the kiss in equal measure. When they break the kiss, her face shines with joy.

  “Tiffany, I’m not drawn to women like the ladies of Winter. Megan drew me in. I don’t know if I will be able to love all these beautiful ladies of Winter like they love each other. You, I do love. If you need love and aren’t ready to face our lord or one of his ladies, or just want my love, you come to me, Darling. I am yours. You are mine.” She kisses Tiffany’s lips again as they rise together.

  “May I hold you tonight, Princess?”

  “Yes, Tiffany. You may, but you will have to call me Christie. I insist my lovers call me Christie. Okay.”

  Tiffany nods, “Yes, Princess, er, Christie.” They hug again. “Now go love your man and your sisters. I’ll be here for you when you need me.”

  Christie smiles at her Valkyrie and caresses her cheek as she moves out of her embrace. Morgan, Trina, and Kristina all queue up to welcome the newest lady in the family. Then Solange pulls her into a hug and whispers into her ear. Tiffany nods, and the two ladies take the chairs on either side other table holding Kristina’s roses.

  We all caress Tiffany on her shoulder or cheek as we traipse down into the event seating. Myra leads the way, Kristina follows dragging me by the hand while I have a silly grin pasted on my face. Christie is sitting to my right with Megan sitting between her and Geri. Daphne, Corrina, Trina, Sowie, and Charli sit in the second rank while Liesl and Marisol cover the door. Solange and Tiffany sit in the center of the room against the wall, keeping an eye on the door.

  I’m expecting some holiday songs as well as some of Andre Rieu’s signat
ure waltzes. They start with selections from the Nutcracker followed by a selection of Christmas carols. I run back to pop open a magnum of Moët et Chandon brut that has been chilling since before my arrival. I hand flutes to Trina who then hands them out to the rest of the ladies in the gallery as the orchestra plays the 2nd Waltz. I pour myself a flute as the Kaiser Waltz starts. I see Tiffany waltzing by herself and Solange is at the door as I’m turning to return to my seat. I set my flute on the bar and intercept Tiffany as she turns. Her surprise turns into joy as I lead her through the music. As the song ends, I kiss her cheek and bow before thanking her for the dance. She smiles and points behind me. I turn to see ten ladies biting their lips and reaching for me to dance. I laugh as I grab a quick sip of champagne, and then I take Kristina’s flute and hand it to Myra. I grab Kristina into a dancing clench and spin her into the dance as they play the Blue Danube Waltz. The ladies let Kristina have the entire song. I bow at the end, then clinch her up and dip her as I kiss her. Kristina grabs both flutes from Myra and kisses her quickly. She nods towards me as the band starts Wiener Blut. I pull my queen to me, and we spin into the dance. Myra takes several turns around the floor with me, and then Trina cuts in. Trina and I have history on the dance floor, and she is an awesome partner. I normally don’t mess around with a waltz, but I know Trina will go with me no matter what I do. We do some complicated turns and twists, and my Pet glows. I am about to spin her into another turn when I see a hand tap her shoulder. Trina frowns and whispers something about ‘turn-about’ as Corrina steps in to take her place.

  Corrina is followed by Charli, Daphne, Sowie, Christie, Geri, and Megan. They all dance well. At some point the Ravens must have swapped at the door because I end up dancing with Liesl as we go into an intermission with a short presentation from our local PBS station. I pull Marisol to me and promise her my first dance after intermission. She wraps me into a hug punctuated by a wet kiss and asks, “May I have a date night too, my Lord? Krissie looks to be having a lovely time, and I heard about your dinner and dancing date with Trina. I would like that.”