AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A student raised his hand, a bemused smile across his face. Nox offered a nod and gave him the floor. You had to stand if you wanted to speak: Nox didn’t tolerate backhanded observations or half-hatched thoughts. The young man rose and shook his head at the image of a naked woman.
“Why does it always have to be about sex? The Roman Empire might have lasted longer if everyone wasn’t obsessed with sex and sinning.”
“Whoa!” Nox laughed as he held out a hand. “Cite your sources, sir. Show me an empire that wasn’t shaped by sex and sin. And behold,” he said, with a wave at the younger man. “The white Anglo-Saxon Protestant with his deeply entrenched distrust of all things pagan.”
“I’m not—”
“Not you, literally,” Nox said and waved for the student to take his seat. Nox pointed around the room, narrowing his eyes dramatically. “The Puritans came to America in the 1600s but how many of you blushed and squirmed when you realized we were going to a brothel?” he asked, as he turned back to the board and showed them a picture of ash-encrusted bodies locked in an eternal 69 position. “What a way to go…” he mused, as his head fell sideways, causing a wave of hushed titters. “I often wonder if they were taken by surprise or if they both decided that their last moments would not be lost to fear and suffering.”
“I would have run to the church,” someone whispered, earning a hiss from Nox as he searched for the culprit.
“Who was that?” he demanded but shook his head at the room, not wanting to waste what was left of the period, shaming the chicken hiding in one of the back rows. “I didn’t include any slides from the temples, but they died there too. Many in far less provocative embraces, but they still only had each other at the end.
“Americans are still hamstrung as a culture by the Puritans’ fear of sex and paganism. But every empire has grappled with the power sex holds over man. Even the oldest and most successful of Roman empires, the Vatican City and the Catholic Church, haven’t been immune. The popes were not as pious as you think! John XII could have taught Caligula a thing or two,” he said with a faint chuckle. “Murdered while pleasing another man’s wife, John—aka Octavian, came to power in 955 and was between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four when he was made pope. He gave land to mistresses, murdered several people, and the Lateran Palace was described as a brothel during his nine-year reign.
“But, one of the reasons the Greek and Roman Empires lasted so long and were so successful was because they saw sex for what it was: a basic biological function and a great way to blow off steam. They didn’t divide themselves or abuse each other over who they had sex with or how, because sex was as important and as exciting to them as eating a meal or taking a bath. And they understood that sex work was as ubiquitous as any other form of trade, because there was no getting around the demand. Men will always want sex and the Romans were smart enough to respect those who provided it. In fact, I think you’ll find that the root of modern society’s opposition to sex work is that it would empower sex workers and give them more agency over the men who exploit them.”
There were soft claps from the women and disgruntled and confused frowns from most of the young men, making Nox grin. “The pagans didn’t see sex as profane because their gods did it too. They weren’t bodiless, invisible, and vacant. If you’ll recall, the gods took different avatars, and we often encounter theophany in myths and legends.” He pointed at a young woman in the front. “Give us an example.”
“Um… Zeus?” she attempted and Nox’s head cocked.
“Are you asking me, mademoiselle, or telling me?”
She ducked her head, averting her eyes as she blushed. “He turned into a swan.”
“That’s right.” He pointed at her and gave the tiny remote three quick taps and clicked his teeth at the image of a Roman marble rendering of Leda and the swan. “He was king of the godly fuckboys and was known to take many shapes, including a flame or a sun…” Nox stopped, distracted as he envisioned the sun shining through dark clouds and gray drizzle. He could feel it warming his face and it made him lightheaded, until he heard a soft cough. He jumped and offered the room a sheepish wince. “Just thinking about how I would watch every season of The Real Housewives of Olympus just for Hera. Because you know she held the wildest grudges and she was shady.”
The room erupted into laughter and several quality jokes were shared, tickling Nox. Kids were so clever these days… He raised a hand, gathering their focus and imaginations for just a few moments more. “It’s a tale as old as time and it will plague us for all of time,” he said with a forlorn sigh. “Sex has always been our favorite curse,” he told them, then held up a finger and raised his brows suggestively. “It’s also one of the few games we can win whenever we’ve gone toe-to-toe with the gods.”
Nox turned and glanced at the clock, noting that it was almost 11:00. “I think that’s a good place to stop. Don’t forget to read through the last two questions on this week’s assignment very carefully. I’m not asking for your opinions on colonization. You probably already wrote that paper for sociology. I want you to look at its effects on the survival of an indigenous population’s culture and how its traditions, religions, and art are either erased or appropriated,” he explained, then clapped and waved his hands, making everyone more alert and willing them to be kind and careful. “That’s it, my precious pupils. Be brave, but be safe.”
He gathered his notes, organizing them for the next lecture as the class cleared out and smiled when he felt a rush of pride and safety. Nox turned and lost his breath when he found Nelson leaning against the door, waiting.
“Hey, I wasn’t expecting you until later,” Nox said in greeting and gestured for Nelson to come in, noticing his frown. “Oh, you look serious.” He didn’t like how heavy Nelson’s steps were as he pushed away from the door and sighed.
“Tony’s on his way to take over. We have to go to New Castle.”
“Why?” Nox asked, his hackles rising as he caught the whiffs of dread and danger in Nelson’s aura. He didn’t like that his lover was so troubled and Nox’s instincts warned that the quiet bubble that they’d existed in over the winter was about to burst. “What happened in New Castle?” He wasn’t amused at the cosmic turnabout either. It was Nox who had ruined Nelson’s day when they first met with a surprise trip to New Castle.
They were both frustrated by the lack of progress in the case, but going back to New Castle was like going backward and getting stuck, in Nox’s mind. And not just with the investigation. Nox saw the toll the case and its aftermath had on Nelson and how it had changed his entire existence. Nelson no longer cared about pleasing his superiors and reinstating his name and reputation within the bureau. His loyalty had shifted, but instead of being a liberating event, it had left Nelson with larger questions about his identity and priorities.
Nox was navigating some identity issues of his own and had taken shelter in Nelson’s unwavering loyalty and their strange and beautiful connection. Unlike Merlin and Clancy, Nelson’s devotion wasn’t split or tainted with any agenda. All he wanted was Nox’s safety and happiness.
That’s why Nelson was dreading New Castle. There was so much darkness there and Nelson saw how it had changed Nox whenever they went back. Nox had noticed that he was changing before he met Nelson. It had been subtle at first, and Nox had been able to carry on without anyone noticing that he was hearing things, tuning out, and having visions. But Nelson kept catching the shifts in Nox’s presence and it happened the most when they talked about the new, ugly Tuath Dé, Julian, and their victims.
New Castle was particularly triggering and Nox’s control over his moods and his focus deteriorated whenever the topic of the MacCrorys came up. Nox’s grip on his psyche slipped a little more each time he went back to New Castle and learned more about the evil that had occurred on the MacCrorys’ compound.
Nelson nodded over Nox’s shoulder when Tony rushed in with his arms full of notebooks and papers. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright for the rest of the week?” Nelson asked Tony, raising Nox’s alarm.
“Yeah! We’ve got it covered,” Tony said with a distracted thumbs-up.
Nox hurried to get his bag, leaving his notes for Tony and thanking him profusely. “What happened?” he asked as he followed Nelson out.
“Ma MacCrory’s dead,” Nelson said, then caught Nox when he tripped.
“She’s dead?” He already knew it wasn’t from natural causes. They wouldn’t be in a rush to get down there if she’d had a stroke or had been in an accident.
Nelson held onto Nox’s arm. “That’s not all,” he warned and grimaced at the Continental, parked on the curb. “Julian wants to talk to you. His lawyer notified us a few days ago, but I wasn’t sure if it was safe and didn’t want to go until I knew what he was up to.”
