by Lola StVil
Across from them are tables full of werewolves—I can tell they are wolves because they have the same gold eyes that the Santos werewolves have. Up at the bar, there are no less than a dozen demons with black eyes arguing with each other. The place is dark, the blues music is loud, and the Sum is flowing. Once we enter, the whole place goes silent. Every single being at the bar bows down to Kane, including the bartender.
Kane stares at the spout flowing with Sum as the bartender fills up the empty mugs. His eyes glow red. The stream of alcohol pouring from the spout flashes red and then goes back to its dark brown color.
“What did you do to their drinks?” I ask.
“Once they drink the Sum, it will wipe their memories. They won’t recall having seen the two of us together. It’s best that way,” he says as he gestures for me to follow him to the back room. We enter and find two demons making out on the pool table while a dashing vampire drains the blood from the woman sitting next to him with her leg draped over his thighs.
“Get out,” Kane orders them. They don’t argue. They all quickly scatter. However, the vampire doesn’t run off right away. Instead he slowly walks out and glares at Kane menacingly on his way out. Once the room is clear, Kane waves his hand and a black door appears and seals the room.
“Wow, is that yet another one of your powers?” I ask in a harsh tone.
“Yeah.”
“I’m not impressed.”
“Little girl, I couldn’t care less about what does and doesn’t impress you.”
“Oh, I know that. I know you don’t give a damn about me,” I counter.
“You—I—ARGH!” he says, pacing.
“You don’t get to groan and act pissed off! You lied to me. We spent all that time together and you let me believe you were an angel.”
“I never said I was an angel.”
“No but…you acted like you were one.”
“Oh really? When did I do that? When I shoved you out the window? When I put a blade through the heart of the girl I was about to screw? Or when I savagely beat a werewolf to death?” he demands.
“It wasn’t all bad. You did ‘non’ demon things too,” I counter.
“Well yeah, none of that matters now,” he says, avoiding eye contact.
“So you were the Keysu all along?”
“I accepted the offer a few hours before we met. It took time for the new powers to come in, especially since I was grieving over Ella.”
“Well, your wings are black now, so I guess you’re over it.”
“Don’t do that! I will never…I haven’t forgotten Ella. It’s just that my wings have gone back to black because she isn’t the only thing on my mind.”
“Really? And what else is on your mind? Killing me?”
“I could have killed you a million times since we met.”
“You threw me out of a window.”
“At one in the afternoon,” he says.
“So what?”
“That’s when the mattress store next door loads up the truck and starts making its deliveries. I knew you’d land somewhere near there—maybe.”
“‘Maybe’? You are such an asshole!”
“I told you not to take on this quest. I warned you!”
“So I’m just supposed to sit by and let the world end?”
“Yes!”
“The hell I am!”
“What is wrong with you? You do know that this world is shit, don’t you?”
“That’s not true. This world is worth saving. Why can’t you see that?”
“You are so naive; I just want to shake you!”
“You lay a hand on me and I’ll drop you on your ass!”
“YOU CAN’T EVEN BRING WATER TO A BOIL!”
“How did you know about that? Are you spying on me?”
“I’m the Keysu. Spying on you is part of the job. So is ripping your insides out.”
“Then don’t do it. Kane, don’t be the Keysu. There has to be a way you can take back your consent.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you…you and I…we…” I look deeply into his eyes but I can’t bring myself to say it. He shakes his head bitterly.
“Look, Disney, I don’t know what you think is happening here, but whatever is it, you’re wrong. I am the Keysu. I will do my job and I will do it very well. I will dismantle your team, one body at a time. And nothing will stop me,” he says with all sincerity.
“Because you hate the world that much?” I ask in disbelief.
“I’m not a big fan of this world but that’s not the reason why. Arken will give me something I need. Something I can’t live without,” he says.
“Wow, let me guess: a kingdom you can rule?”
“No.”
“Powers. Is that it, more and more powers?” I reply.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” I shout.
“If I stop this quest, he’ll take Ella’s soul out of eternal damnation. She’ll be at peace. She deserves that. And he’s going to tell me who the lady in red is and why she killed Ella.”
“And you believe him?”
“He took a blood oath. He’s bound by that. He can’t back out even if he wants to. Look, Ella deserves justice, and this is only way I can give her that.”
“There has to be another way,” I insist.
“No, there isn’t.”
“And you’re okay with that because you don’t care what happens to humanity. Fuck the world, right?” I push.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
I sigh loudly and sit down on the nearest chair. I rake my hands through my hair and hang my head.
“You’re disappointed,” he concludes as he looks down at me.
“When we were back at Pest’s house—in New Orleans—you were…there was another side of you. You could have killed me but you didn’t. I need that version of Kane. Is he in there at all?” I ask desperately.
“You need to drop this quest. Live the year you have left. Enjoy your life…while you still can.”
“I won’t do that, and even if I could, it’s too late now.”
“You received the first box letting you know what the first object is, didn’t you? What is it?” he insists.
“I’m not telling you. Your mission is to stop mine. How stupid do you think I am?”
“Disney, what is it?” he yells.
“I’m not saying, and you can stop shouting because you don’t scare me!”
He comes towards me; his movements are slight but menacing. His face is carved with rage and impatience. Okay, maybe he scares me a little.
“What. Is. It?” he says in a heated tone. I tell him about the veil and hope it’s not a huge mistake.
“You can’t get the veil. It’s an Immortal object. You’d have to be dead,” he says.
“Yeah, I heard. So we’re gonna figure a way around that,” I reply, clearing my throat.
“That would mean…you’re going to ask Pascal for a ticket to the afterlife? Do you have any idea how crazy that is? Even if Pascal agrees to grant you passage, even if you somehow make it past the enchanted gates, the River of Rage, and the army of Syths, Pascal is a sadistic fucker—he would close the door just to watch you get trapped in the afterlife.”
“Then help me.”
“For Orah’s sake! Haven’t you been paying attention? I am not the good guy here. I will never be the good guy. If you don’t get that by now, you are truly fucked!”
“I guess I am. I think maybe there’s more to you,” I reply as I stand up and meet his eyes. He shakes his head, grabs my hands, and waves away the door he created. He drags me out to the street. Night has fallen. Humans are walking around, shopping, dining and going about their everyday lives.
“I need you to get this: We are not on the same team. We aren’t on the same side—at all. I will end your quest. I am not the hero of this story,” he says with certainty.
“I saw something in you. Why can’t
you just try to see that too?” I ask.
“Okay. I’m done,” he says. He looks around, and then he drags me down the street towards a bus stop. The bus driver pulls over and smiles at us. He’s robust and has a pleasant face. He grins and gestures for us to enter the empty bus.
“I was just about to pull away, you guys almost missed me,” he says.
“Well actually, we’re not gonna take a ride,” I reply.
“It’s cold. We should get on,” Kane says. I look at him suspiciously. But before I can say anything, he’s taking me up the steps of the bus. The driver waits for us to get behind the yellow line. Then he starts to slowly pull away from the curb.
“Glad you chose to take the bus. It don’t matter if you only going a few blocks. You know Chicago in the winter is no joke. Boy, I tell you—one time, I think it was the blizzard of 2014, I was driving the bus and I couldn’t believe how much—” Before the driver can finish, Kane grabs him from behind and slices his throat. The driver dies mid-story.
“WHY DID YOU DO THAT? YOU BASTARD!” I shout as I attack him with my fist. The more I hit him, the angrier I get and the more unaffected he seems to be. He places his arm on my shoulder and we are teleported to the top floor of a high-rise building.
***
PLEASE NOTE THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT. YOUNGER READERS CAN SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER WITHOUT MISSING ANY PLOT POINTS.
“Wait—what happened? Did you teleport me without asking? Where the hell are we?” I shout as I look around at the upscale, barely furnished space.
“Across the street from the bar. This is a condo I bought for Ella. It has the best view of Chicago. She never took it. Didn’t want to leave her old neighborhood.”
“You’re nice enough to get an old lady a condo but you kill a perfectly innocent bus driver?”
“I AM A DEMON! I DON’T NEED A REASON TO DO SHIT; I JUST DO IT BECAUSE I CAN! I DON’T CARE ABOUT HUMANITY, AND I SURE AS HELL DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU! DO YOU GET THAT?!”
“Yeah, I get it,” I reply as I turn and look for the door.
“Where are you going?” he demands.
“Home.”
“Fine, I’ll take you,” he says as he goes to place his hand on my shoulder. I move away before he makes contact.
“Don’t touch me,” I warn.
“Okay fine, but you need me to get you home—you don’t know anyone here.”
“You’re right; I don’t know anyone here,” I reply pointedly. I think my words hurt him, but then again, that might just be me being foolish again. Kane doesn’t get hurt; he has no damn heart. And I go and fall for him, what does that say about me? I find the door and march towards it. He calls out after me.
“Why were you crying?”
“What?” I ask impatiently.
“At the zoo. I followed you there. You and your team. You were crying. Why?”
“I missed my mom. It’s the last place we were together. Can I go now?”
“Yeah, just…you don’t have to do that—cry. Okay? Don’t…cry,” he says, unable to look me in the eye.
“Why do you care if I cry or not?”
“I don’t know, okay? I just…do.”
“You are so messed up in the head. Do you know that?” I ask.
“Yeah. I do.”
“You killed that poor man for no reason! You are a horrible, despicable, vile monster,” I rage, trembling with anger.
“I am,” he says as he backs away from me. I turn away from him and place my hand on the handle on the doorknob. I want to leave. But I also want to stay. The two forces are pulling me apart. I can feel his eyes on me. I open the door to walk out, then against all better judgment I close it again.
Unable to stay apart any longer, we run to each other; our lips meld in a series of long, ravenous kisses. Our tongues coil and dance around each other, igniting a passionate frenzy in our bodies. He wraps his large hand around my throat and pulls me in even closer. His kisses are possessive and demanding, leaving my lips bruised and begging for more. I wrap my legs around his waist and frantically seek out the silky inside of his lips.
Gripped by desire unlike anything I have ever experienced, I forget to breathe. I finally break away, throw my head back, and draw breath. He skims his warm, velvet, agile tongue along my neck. I inhale his intoxicating scent and my desire for him grows. I can no longer stand to be kept from his bare skin, so I rip his shirt off.
I feel his warm taut flesh against my fingers. He grabs a handful of my hair as I kiss my way across his pecs. When I get to his nipples, his breathing gets choppy and his eyes close involuntarily. He slams me against the wall—hard—as he fiddles with the buttons on my shirt. He swears impatiently as he tries to undo them. He manages to get one open and then another. He can see the fabric of my bra; the preview of what’s to come is too much for him. He rips my shirt off and quickly pulls at the clasp holding my bra together.
He groans incoherently as he kneads my bare breasts with his strong, wide hands. He whisks his thumbs back and forth over my nipples until they stand stiff and aching with longing. Just when I think I can’t get any more consumed with desire, he greedily takes one of my breasts into his mouth while using his hand to fondle the other one. I arch my back, giving him full access to me. He devours every inch of my exposed flesh until my body is humming with pleasure.
Shitshitshit.
Someone is calling out his name. Someone is begging him to have mercy. I realize I’m the one talking. I’m the one begging him. I’m too far gone in the erotic abyss. I have no sense of time or place. His control over my body is absolute. It’s terrifying. It’s all-consuming. It’s overwhelming. And I want more. I want so much more. I wrap my legs even tighter around him and bring him into me.
He takes off my skirt and then slides my panties down my legs. I unzip his jeans and release him. He pulls away from my chest, throws his head back, and groans. I feel his hardness behind a layer of clothing. I stroke it once; he inhales. Twice; he growls. The third time, he swears and lowers us to the floor.
He moves with such speed everything in my view is a blur. He looms on top of me with his wide, tight abs and muscular arms. He starts to kiss me with more fervor than before. I reach up, wrap my arms around his neck, and return his kisses with vigor. Soon, my body can’t take it anymore. Every inch of me is pulsating with need, from the tips of my eyelashes to the soles of my feet.
“Kane, please…please…” I beg.
He parts my legs and I whimper with anticipation. He lowers himself into me. We are on the brink of unimaginable ecstasy when something stops him from going any further. He looks down at me with a mix of confusion and anger.
“You’re a virgin?!” he says breathlessly.
“Yeah. I guess.” I reply in disbelief that we have stopped. He sighs with frustration and then gets off of me. He rakes his hands through his hair and clenches his teeth. I swallow hard and cover myself with the nearest piece of discarded clothing.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’ve never had sex before?” he asks.
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I…honestly, I forgot,” I reply mostly to myself.
“How do you forget that you’re a virgin?” he says.
“Easy—I’m with you. I forget everything when I’m with you. I’ve dreaded the first time because I always saw it as a situation where I would be clumsy, brimming with insecurity and self-doubt. But here with you I felt no doubt. No insecurity. No need to fear…I know it sounds crazy, but it doesn’t feel like the first time—not with you. It just feels…right,” I reply.
He doesn’t say anything. He just keeps looking back at me with an expression I can’t really figure out. All I know is that a few minutes ago I was in heaven and now…
“Okay. I’ll go,” I reply, determined not to be anywhere I’m not wanted. I don’t know what his issue is with virgin
s. I start to gather my clothes, and he calls out to me. I turn to face him, not sure there’s anything else to say.
“Disney, you should have told me you’re a virgin.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Your first time is going to hurt,” he says.
“So?”
“So I don’t want to be the one that hurts you.”
“Kane—”
“Atlas, I’m the Keysu and you’re the Seeker. Hurting each other is inevitable. But I just wanted one night where I wasn’t…I didn’t want to be the bad guy tonight. The guy who brings you pain….”
I drop the clothes I was holding and study his dark expression. He’s gripped by regret and concern. I walk back over to him and place a hand on the side of his beautiful face.
“Kane, it’s going to hurt no matter who I do it with. But with you it’ll be different.”
“Why?”
“You know why,” I challenge.
“Disney…”
“You have to say it. We both know. We knew from the moment our lips touched. Kane, why will my first time be better with you than with anyone else?” I plead.
“Because…I’m in love with you.”
“Good; now show me.”
He leaves the room briefly and returns with a plush white comforter. He spreads it out in the middle of the floor. He takes out a small vial filled with blue liquid. He tells me it’s called “blue honey.” It’s the birth control of the Shadow world. It works as long as one of us takes it—male or female. He pours a drop of the sticky mixture onto the tip of his finger. I guide it towards my mouth and slowly suck on it. He sighs.
We sit down on the comforter and he places me so that I am facing away from him. He starts touching my body. His frenzy has been replaced with curiosity. He explores the nape of my neck and nibbles his way down my spine. He glides his hand down my back so lightly, it’s like he’s made contact with something fragile and fears damaging it. The spots he touches with his fingers, he doubles back and kisses—over and over again. His slow, deliberate movements make me shiver with pleasure.
The ecstasy he ignites with his subtle touch is building. Soon I have to arch my back to try and combat the flood of feelings going through me. He makes me lean back into his arms as he nuzzles my neck from behind. I guide his lips towards mine and we share a series of long, earth-shattering kisses. The more we get of each other’s lips, the more we want. But this time our need isn’t driven by hunger. It’s driven by something far more powerful—wonder. We explore and marvel at what we find in each other.