Chapter 35

Chapter 35
Father Time
He snapped back into awareness as his new body disintegrated, an agonized scream hanging in the air as he drifted away. Fire came from below him, mixing with the air to catch the millions of pieces his body was in as he floated away. Not long after, he was guided gently to the ground, where the earth opened to a cocoon, and his fire and air were a protective layer. The fire and air stayed above him while opening below him for the wet soil to seep into him. His body slowly began to piece itself back together, drawing on the four elements for strength. As his body finished solidifying, a voice in his head weakly mumbled Locust.
If he was back, then so were his other pieces, making him wonder if they were at this Locust his host seemed to be so desperate to get back to. Every time he had been brought back to consciousness, he was attached to a human, one that was easy to take over. This body was definitely not human, judging from the flashes of animalistic hunger that kept moving through his mind. He lay nestled between his elements, sifting through the memories being played for him like a movie, stopping when he saw four women laying next to each other in bed. Each one held different colored eyes, depicting the power they held inside.
Brown eyes for Earth, blue eyes for water, grey eyes for air, and the last one had amber-colored eyes for fire. His Elements were encased in stunning human bodies. His new host knew them all. He could lead him to them. He desperately needed them to return to full strength. He inhaled deeply, sucking the fire into his lungs and letting it burn his insides to speed up his body’s healing enough so he could draw on his other half’s powers that had now been identified as a witch’s.
It amazed him that he had also picked up on dragon, sabertooth tiger, and vampire. It was rare to have a quad-species person, and even rarer to have such conflicting species as a dragon and a sabertooth tiger in one body. Their powers and very DNA canceled each other out.
He gingerly sat up with the help of the wind before spreading wet mud all over his body to protect his skin while it struggled to connect to itself again. He kept taking deep breaths to suck in air as his skin absorbed the earth and water on it. When he was strong enough, he pushed himself up before raising his arms into the sky, asking the air to take him to Locust. The air wrapped tightly around him, shielding him from view as it carried him to where he needed to go, before slowly unveiling him to the couple walking upstairs. He leaned against the wall, trying not to collapse on the ground, as the man eyed him.
“Who are you, and what do you want?” He asked.
Father Time lifted his head to meet his eyes and had to bite back a dry cough as he wheezed, “I am Father Time, and you have some people that belong to me. I want them back.”
‘Brother. Merlot,’ his other half whispered.
“Merlot?” He repeated out loud, making the man’s eyes widen in shock as he set the woman in his arms down.
“There’s no fucking way!” He said as he picked Father Time up. “Margo, open the doors.”
Margo opened the doors as he rushed inside and up the stairs as Father Time lay almost limp in his arms. He ran up the stairs with the woman close on his heels to stop outside of a room. She opened the door, and Merlot stepped inside. The four women huddled on the bed, clinging to each other, all looking up at him before scrambling off the bed to come to his side as he set the frail man upright.
“Keith?” Fire asked in shock.
“Father Time,” Merlot said, eyeing her.
Fire shook her head, sending her luscious brown hair dancing around her shoulders. “No. You’re only half right,” she said as she threw herself at Father Time, breathing out heated air over him. “He’s both.”
They almost didn’t notice as Merlot and Margo slipped out of the room as they tended to Father Time. They got him into bed with his head on Fire’s lap while Earth and Air curled into his sides as Water straddled him. They all placed their hands flat on his body before pushing their individual powers through him as his eyes closed. His body mended rapidly, and his strength returned, making him relax under their touch. His host grew stronger, allowing him to push forward more, calling softly to their women while feeding him more information on who was who. When his eyes opened again, Fire, which was Saphire, leaned down to kiss him.
“I love you, Keith,” she whispered. “I should have told you before. I love you.”
He reached up to touch her face. “He knew our Fire; he knew.”
She turned her head to kiss his hand. “I promise to never let another day go by without telling you how much you mean to me.”
He smiled at her. “We never have to be apart again. The Goddess has brought me back for good. She has requested that we fix the Earth. That’s why she gave me a shifter host, for longevity. When you are ready, we will comply with the Goddess’s wishes.”
Air, Kennedy, stroked his cheek. “Will you let us see Keith?” She asked shyly.
He lifted her hand to his mouth, brushing his lips over her knuckles. “Yes. We are one now. You will have us both, and we will have you all, just like it’s always been meant to be.”
Earth, Easel, kissed his cheek. “We felt you die.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “I know, but now feel me live. I live for all of you. I cannot be here without you all.”
He reached up to pull Water, Gary, down to press a soft kiss to her lips. “Father Time and His Elements.”
Keith took over. “And Keith and his mates.”
Fire giggled. “I thought you had multiple personalities before.”
Earth grinned at her. “What’s the harm with one more?”