A Brief Moment of Insanity Ch. 05

All characters are 18 years or older. I hope this piece helps clear up spots from the previous chapter. This was a fun piece to write. Please, as always, vote and comment and tell me what you liked or didn't like about this story.

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Hotel Diabolique:

I love old places. Whether they are stone circles, abandoned American Indian villages or hotels, yes hotels. All of these places have a history and in some cases are history. The Hotel Diabolique is no exception; it had quite the history and drew me like a moth to the flame. It is hidden from the eyes of the public behind dead ends, subtle illusions and powerful psychic wards. How did I even find it? Well that is an interesting story.

I had just returned home after nearly a year abroad. I had traveled to Nepal to train as a gentleman thief. After that I wandered South East Asia living on the road and surviving on the kindness of strangers. I sailed to a remote island and stole a weapon that could slay a god. Yes, you heard that right, a weapon that could destroy an immortal being. I don't know what is stranger, that immortal beings exist or that someone went to all that trouble to create something that could end them. There were so many questions I had after securing said weapon. There were supposed to be three pieces to the Sicarius in three separate locations but I found them assembled at the first place I sought out.

"Why was the Sicarius in the caldera," I asked Miranda or should I say Loki, god of mischief.

"You have your great uncle to thank for that," she replied stretching her body like a great cat on my bed. "Before he died he managed to collect the first two pieces and carry them with him to the caldera. He was captured securing the third and final piece. The high priest was summoned and assembled the weapon and locked it in the metal chest. Your great uncle was put to death."

"Why didn't they tell the other sites about the thefts, or did they?" I asked absently stroking her right breast.

"They kept quiet. I assume they felt that if the others knew they would want their pieces back. Now, for the first time in ten thousand years the Ragnarok was in one piece. The temple was now the only true temple to me and it alone housed the god slayer. Besides, think about it, if someone did manage to sneak into one of the other sites and found it empty what would you think?"

"If it were me, I would think it was all bullshit," I replied pinching her nipple now.

"MMMM... exactly, no relic and all that security it must be a bunch of crazy people."

"I am glad I picked the right one," I said and she laughed. "What?"

"I think I had a little influence in that department." She said as she rolled onto her belly and looked me in the eye. "Come now, we've been an item since Fiji. Slipping into your subconscious was child's play."

"Point taken," I said and stroked her hair. "It is good to be home. I hated being so angry with them."

"They love you," Loki purred as she looked over at the three sleeping figures. "How are you feeling?"

"Strange," I said. "What did you do to me?"

"I just finished what Jeannie began. You were incomplete. Oh and speaking of Jeannie."

"Please don't," Jeannie said joining the conversation.

"Why not little one," Loki asked.

"Wait, you can hear her? How the hell can you possibly hear her?" I asked feeling fear well up inside of me.

"Tell him or I will," Loki demanded of my A.I.

"Show him and that will explain everything." Jeannie said and Loki nodded in agreement.

Loki reached up and removed the wrist device that housed Jeannie's consciousness. It rarely left my wrist these days. I watched as the trickster twisted the face of the device until there was an audible click. She lifted the disk that housed the holographic display. Beneath it was a burnt out crystal as well as some melted circuitry. I stared at the damage and it all became perfectly clear. When the biological had been injected Jeannie had gone into overdrive trying to save my life. She had overtaxed the crystal and burnt it out. So the only way she could have survived was to transfer her essence into me. The neural interface had become her new home.

"How the hell are you managing to access the internet and satellites?" I asked Jeannie.

"I know this is going to sound crazy but I am using your telepathy as a kind of Wi-Fi. You could call it Telemechanic if you want." She said with a lilt in her voice.

"Um... can I do that too?" I asked and Loki nodded. "Sweet, you are going to have to show me how it works. But not now," I said seeing that look in Loki's eyes.

Let's go... I have a special place to show you. It's here in town and I think you will like it. I promise we should be back before they wake up."

"Sure, why not," I said touching my chest where Loki had marked me.

We slipped quietly from the king sized bed and showered in the master bath. I scrubbed her back and stared at my hand. I still wasn't used to it. The brand that Loki had placed on me was a surge of exotic energy. That energy had triggered the last of the changes begun by my A.I. Jeannie. Okay, that's not true; the crazy Nephilim Nikki had injected me with the blood of her elders. It was meant to kill me but because of Jeannie it had only changed me. The fundamental changes were on the outside but it was the subtle alterations on the inside that had profoundly transformed my life.

Loki turned around and grabbed my wrist. She kissed each finger and both thumbs. I wanted to pull away but I knew better. I had to accept this was the new me. Loki rinsed off and then took her turn lathering me up. She giggled like a teenager and used her breasts to luffa my back. While she reached around to take ahold of my semi-erect cock she whispered in my ear. I nodded and performed the illusion so that my hands would look normal. When I first tried it I couldn't maintain it very long. But now after only a few hours I could keep it going with little effort.

"I told you it would get easier," she purred in my ear. "Soon you'll do it without even thinking about it."

"I learned from a grandmaster," I replied as her hands continued to stroke me.

"Time to rinse," she said as she fled the shower laughing.

I growled and let the water wash the last of the body wash and shampoo from my body. I turned off the water, dried off and walked to the mirror. As I trimmed my facial hair Loki gestured summoning various outfits until she settled on a LBD, little black dress and stiletto heels. A few more gestures and she found a hairdo that pleased her. I checked my lines and was pleased they were relatively straight and clean. Loki nodded and with a final gestured clothed me in a dark gray suit, a black silk tie, a crisp white shirt and black leather shoes.

The night shift pulled the limo around and accompanied us downtown. We reached a quiet little neighborhood and we parked. I got out and offered Loki a hand up. She exited like a rock star and told the boys to watch the car. She took my arm and led me to a side street that hit an alley at a ninety degree angle. That alley must have been the cleanest one I had ever laid eyes or nose on. Halfway down the alley we stopped abruptly and Loki opened a chain link gate. The gate opened into a sculpture garden. We meandered through the stone and metal monuments. Some of the statues were works of art and were instantly recognizable while others baffled me with their cryptic imagery. Just beyond the garden was the back of a building. There was a single red door in the middle of that wall and guarding it what could only have been some one cosplaying an ogre.

"Bonecrusher," Loki greeted the doorman.

"Your excellency," he grunted. "...'Ere now, what's all this?"

"Easy killer, this one is with me," she purred and the ogre ceased to bristle.

"If you say so," he said.

Loki stroked his spikey black beard which elicited a sound from the doorman that was a blend of a giggle and battle cry. The door opened of its own accord and we stepped inside. The lobby of the Hotel Diabolique was a stunning blend of white marble, polished brass and open space. The vaulted ceiling belonged more to a cathedral than a hotel. I tried not to gawk but failed miserably. The being behind the front desk was as exotic as the interior of the building. Her skin was the color of a polished sapphire and any skin exposed bore interconnected tattoos that appeared to be some sort of runic language. She wore a tailored black jacket, a crisp white shirt and a blood red tie. The matching black skirt looked more like a kilt that a modern day garment.

"Are you checking in Lady Sutekh?" the desk clerk asked.

"No, I am here to entertain my friend here." Loki purred.

"If you need anything you have but to ask." She said with a naughty smile.

Loki led the way again and warned me about taking a Djinn as a lover. Their sexual stamina was legend and they were as strong as ten men. I asked about the markings and Loki explained they were binding spells imposed upon the entire race by Solomon the Wise. The hallway had three banks of elevators on either side but we ignored those. As we neared the end of the hall I heard and felt something. The pulsing sound began with my toes and hit my ears a few seconds later. But it was the buzzing sound in my head that caused me to slow my pace.

"Ah I forgot, you've never been near a group of other telepaths before," Loki said pursing her lips. "Try gently pushing the noise away. How is that?"

"Better, thanks I wasn't sure what was going on," I told her the buzzing now a faint background noise now.

"Do you know what they call a group of ravens?" She asked as we continued to the end of the hall.

"It's a murder right?" I replied and she nodded.

"And a group of Telepaths...?" she asked as she touched a part of the wall in front of us. I shook my head and she continued. "They are called a hive, a Hive of Telepaths. Ah, here we are."

The hidden door slid into the wall revealing a flight of stairs going down. The music roared at us as we descended. I could see the flashing lights illuminating the bottom of those stairs. Loki reached the bottom of the stairs and paused. I could feel a power building up inside of her and as she stepped into the club she unleashed a surge of energy announcing her arrival. I called it her divine aspect made manifest. The crowd went wild! She gestured and I walked in after her. Every being in the club stared at the Lady Sutekh with awe and worship and I was a part of that aura. I learned later that I was the god's favored and that earned me a great deal of respect as well as enmity. Many had tried over a great deal of time to earn her favor and failed. I on the other hand had simply been granted it for reasons only the goddess knew.

"Lady Sutekh," the rakasha bartender purred at her. "...The usual?"

"Please," she replied. "Oh and a bottle of your finest tequila for my pet..."

"Of course," the tiger headed entity replied.

I remained at the bar while Loki / Sutekh worked the crowd. Her presence affected different beings differently. A majority of people simply fell to their knees when she approached. A minority greeted her as an equal, a very small minority. That buzzing sound grew stronger and I turned to come face to face with a gorgeous woman with the most amazing eyes. Where her iris should be was a star-like radiance. The light illuminated her entire eye and was nothing short of mesmerizing. She cocked her head to the side and smiled at me.

'You don't need to hide here,' she sent to my mind. 'I can feel the illusions upon you.'

'Very well,' I replied and dropped the illusions around my hands and my eyes.

'K'Ta'Viiri,' she squealed in her mind to any in reach of her thoughts. 'I know those eyes anywhere. Oh and the hands of course. Be welcome and if you want company while the goddess is busy, it might be a while.'

'I imagine she won't mind,' I said and grabbed the tequila and a shot glass.

She took me to her table where six other beings were sitting. Two of them were of the same race as the girl with the shimmering eyes. The other four appeared for all intents and purposes as dark skinned elves. I was informed they preferred the term Fae. There was a buzz of mental conversation going on. That all stopped when I arrived. I felt as each of them greeted me with a gentle caress of mental contact. I am not sure words can describe the intimacy of that simple gesture. I returned their touch and each of them giggled as my mind brushed theirs.

'I don't understand,' I asked. 'Did I do something wrong?'

'No, it is just unusual to find a virgin,' the girl that had come to the bar explained. 'You've never met another telepath have you?'

'Not really, my only exposure has been with Loki um I mean Sutekh.' I told them.

'Wait, you have shared thoughts with the goddess?' One of the dark elves asked.

'Yeah... she has helped me accept my new self,' I said sensing their amazement.

'Wait, you weren't born Althan then,' another of the dark elves asked.

'It's a complicated story, but no I wasn't.'

'But the seeds were there,' Jeannie added as she joined the conversation.

'WHO IS THAT... WHAT IS THAT...' the collective shouted alarmed at Jeannie's sudden appearance.

'I apologize,' Jeannie said obviously hurt from their reaction.

'It's okay Jeannie, you just surprised them is all,' I sent to her and the hive. 'Jeannie is my constant companion. She is an artificial personality, an A.I.'

'A machine, a thinking machine,' the girl with the stars in her eyes replied. 'That is amazing!'

The rest of the hive greeted Jeannie as they had me. Jeannie's reaction was a soft almost erotic purr. She responded in kind and touched their minds one after the other. I felt it as she did it. Was this how she felt when I used my telepathy? What other connections did we share? I had to explore this, but not now. I looked up and saw the expressions on the faces of the hive. It was awe, pure unadulterated star struck awe. It was only then that I noticed that the music had ceased. The spot lights, lasers and other illumination had dimmed.

"She is standing behind me isn't she?" I whispered and they all nodded.

I slowly turned and there was Loki Sutekh standing there in all her stunning glory. She had performed another wardrobe change and was now wearing a Middle Eastern style belly dancer costume. I wondered what had inspired this. The DJ, perched in a box above the dance floor, spun a new tune for his audience. Let's be honest, it was always HER audience. The music began softly but slowly built in power and rhythm. I couldn't keep my eyes off her hips. They moved in a fashion that was both a liquid and a wave. It took everything not to let my jaw drop as she danced for me. Everyone present knew who her attention was on. The single spot light followed her movements across the dance floor keeping the goddess framed in its illumination for every sensuous motion.

I felt my mouth dry and I thrust my hand out and someone behind me poured me a shot and placed in my grip. I downed the shot but never did my eyes leave her. If I died from seeing her purest unveiled beauty then so be it. After three of her veils hit the floor there wasn't a male present that wasn't painfully erect or a woman completely soaked. No one moved except her. We were all of us frozen in place until the final veil struck the dance floor. Time became meaningless in her presence and I understood her power like never before. She was the Trickster. She was the Dark One. She was also the Giver of Fire and the Great Teacher. Loki Sutekh shed her last veil and the spell was broken. The song ended and what followed was thunderous applause.

She walked up to me and kissed my lips. I was burned with that kiss. Just as she had laid her hand on my chest and marked me she did so again. She slipped the jacket from my shoulders and it struck the ground. Then she pulled me to the center of the dance floor so that all could see what followed. She ripped open my shirt sending buttons flying everywhere. The collective gasp from the crowd was equally deafening in my ears. I looked down and there emblazed upon my chest was the Great Seal of the Family. It had somehow migrated from my left ass cheek to the center of my torso.

"He is mine," Loki said.

The music blared over the speakers and the revelry began. Smiling she escorted me back to the table of the hive. She snatched the bottle of Tequila and led me away. The club wasn't limited to just a bar and a dance floor. Oh no it was much larger than that. Most of this entire level belonged to the club. We passed through two sliding doors and silence descended. I felt a psychic chill in the air but not fear, never fear when Loki was beside me. I followed her to a second set of double doors. Beyond them stood a group of six couples and they were the source of the emotional cold I was feeling.

"Warren, I would like to introduce you to the Twelve. These are my children, the progenitors of the Nephilim. Hello everyone..."

"He bears the Great Seal," a stunningly gorgeous blonde said licking her lips.

"What does this mean," a man dressed in a dark Victorian suit asked.

"After all this time you have selected a consort," spoke a woman behind us.

I turned to see a drop dead gorgeous redhead. The dark green dress did little to hide the curvaceous body beneath. But it was tantalizing in the way it hid her erect nipples and trimmed sex. The geometric cut outs showed so much but in the end showed so little. The curses and anger welling up from the Nephilim Elders forced me to throw up a mental shield to protect my sanity. I think it was only Loki's presence that kept them from rushing the new comer.

"Good, all of my children are here," Loki continued. "Well... all but one... anyway I wanted you all to meet Warren Harrower, the Primarch of the Family. Warren, but a dear and don't move a muscle. The Twelve are going to seal the covenant that your ancestors forged thousands of years ago."

They circled me; well the Twelve did at least. The Eldest posed me with my arms outstretched away from my body. They were ethereal beings and moved with a grace and majesty that Loki alone outshone them. I almost didn't feel their teeth upon me. It was quick and surgical, like a dozen paper cuts all over my arms, chest and back. They had tasted my essence and the pact was renewed. The thirteenth approached once the others had returned to their side of the chamber. She twirled and moved, my eyes locked with hers. The green hell that was madness personified. I plunged into the depths of her soul and felt the weight of ages upon her. I knew her name. It blazed in my mind as fiery letters.

"Khora Dhaine," I said as she pressed her body to mine.

Her arms slid around my neck as she placed her head against my chest. A moment later I felt the force pulling us up off the floor. My toes left the ground as we levitated above those assembled. She was whispering something as we reached the apex of the levitation. I dropped my mental shield and heard her voice. The language was alien to me but it was silvery and erotic.

'I will give you my gift now. Let the others wait for ceremony and ritual. I have no patience for such things. Harrower I bestow upon you my fire and my cunning. I grant you the Ebony Flame!'

She struck so quick I had no chance to react. Her hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head back and to the side. It was painful because of her fierce strength. Then her teeth struck and she drank from me. This was no token blood shed this was rape and violation! She bit her lip and kissed me. Her blood flowed down my throat and reflex forced me to swallow. It burned. I felt like acid had been poured down my throat. I wanted to scream but I was powerless before her. She broke our kiss and let go. My body tumbled to the hard stone floor. There was a loud sickening crack as my skull impacted the unyielding marble.