by Kim Petersen
‘What the hell?’ she murmured, reinforcing the light-ray around her.
This time, she was ready for him.
Zane stalked around like a hungry tiger. His scaly bald head shined against the black sunglasses hiding his eyes as he stopped to take in the scene. He wore a black striped suit and chunky army boots, and he was closely tailed by two other hybrid creatures dressed identically. Arella could sense his thirst for blood.
He faced them, his teeth flashing with the huge smile spreading across his face. ‘Well, well, looks like we’ve turned up at the right time, fellas.’
He reached a hand out to Keira, his fingernails cutting zig-zags through the air as he beckoned her. ‘Come, come sweetheart.’
Keira rose to her feet and gave Regan an indignant stare while she smoothed down her dress. She kinked her lips and hissed at him, then strutted around the over-sized sofa into Zane’s arms with a flick of her long hair. She made sure she used the full swing of her hips as she approached him. Once there, she nuzzled her lips against his ear and whispered something that widened his sinister smile.
Zane flung an arm around Keira and turned his attention back to Regan and Arella.
‘My little birdy tells me you deny handing over the seed.’ He made tutting sounds and shook his head fast. ‘And after all we’ve been through.’
Arella’s gut twisted. ‘What have you done to my friend?’
Zane cocked his head. ‘You obviously didn’t listen when my boys told you she was no longer yours? She. Is. Mine. Now.’
His eyes stayed on Arella as he turned to Keira and protruded his forked tongue, leaving a saliva trail over her cheek as he gave her a generous lick. Keira responded with a smile and pushed her breasts against his chest as she crimped into him like an eager pussy cat.
Zane’s scales thickened as he gave Arella a smug look.
‘I was raised with certain breeding. I am capable of doing this the polite way. No need to be scared, my dear. Where is the seed?’
Arella recognized the lapis-blue streaking through Zane’s jet-black eyes and tried to stop the curl of horror threatening to overtake her. She took a quick breath as she scanned the two men standing behind him. They were both tall and built like trucks, and they stood with an air of menacing thunder radiating from their solid frames. She swallowed. Her throat felt like thick paste. He wasn’t getting the best of her this time around. She pushed her boots into the carpet and her aquamarine eyes flared like a raging ocean as she summoned the light-ray to amass in a glowing sphere above her.
There was a bare second of stillness. Zane’s eyes flitted nervously toward Jacques and Lenny, then back to her. They all moved at once. The two hybrid thugs launched at Regan while Zane growled viciously and pounced at Jacques and Lenny. It was at that precise moment the opaque light-dome filtered lower and spread its glow to encompass Arella, Regan, Jacques and Lenny like an umbrella of light, barricading the four of them within its protective barrier.
The two heavyweight hybrids smashed hard against the light wall, each of them bouncing back to the floor with a thud and writhing into the carpet as if a magnetic force had captured them.
Zane pounced. His claws flung out and his fangs glinted as a growl reverberated in his throat. He collided into the dome with the force of a cannon and rebounded just as brutally. His scaly head was crushed with the impact while his sunglasses catapulted across the room. His arms flailed wildly as he ricocheted in their wake with a loud crash into a pot plant in the corner of the room.
‘Oh! My palm! Pookie! My palm tree!’ Jacques cried out from the sofa.
Regan whirled and stared wide-eyed at Arella. He shifted closer to her, his fair hair blazing under the light-dome.
‘Okay, that was pretty cool,’ he smiled. ‘What now?’
She couldn’t help but return his grin. It was pretty cool.
‘Now we get the fuck out of here.’
She waved at Jacques and Lenny.
‘C’mon!’
Jacques squealed as Lenny grasped his hand and pulled him to his feet. Jacques moaned about collecting the bags he had packed as they scurried next to her and Regan. Arella eyed the small collection of overnight bags Jacques had already placed along the far wall of the living room. Luckily for him he had organized himself relatively fast before their visitors had arrived. She saw her own handbag sitting by the front door where she had strewn it aside earlier.
They huddled together under the protective ray and collected the bags before moving toward the front door. Arella stopped suddenly to look at Keira. She was crouched over a dazed Zane and murmuring. The other two hybrids struggled to move, their expressions mirroring their confusion as they rubbed at scaly temples and looked around in a stupor.
Regan nudged her.
‘You can’t help her now. The only way is to find the seed. We have to go before he recovers.’
She looked up at him and nodded. She knew he was right. Still, her heart lurched as she turned for the door. The thought of leaving Keira with the likes of Zane Crais made her want to hurl.
The cold air sliced into Arella’s lungs when they reached the street. A light drizzling rain fell like ice against her face and seemed to drive in the reality of the circumstances that now held her captive. She suppressed a sob and immediately headed for her car.
‘This way!’ Regan called, jerking at her arm in the other direction.
She turned on him with fury.
‘My car is just here!’ She gestured to her white hatchback.
Regan’s expression was one of disdain.
‘Are you kidding me? That car won’t outrun them.’ He yanked her harder and gestured to Jacques and Lenny. ‘It’s this one, hurry!’
He pressed the remote on his car keys which unlocked his black BMW M4 Series and shoved Arella in the passenger seat. She scowled as the seat belt automatically secured her in and he slammed the door shut behind her. When he was next to her, the dashboard lit up like Christmas and the engine rumbled to life. She couldn’t help but throw him a dirty look.
Jacques shrieked behind her as the car roared down the street.
‘Oh my god! What was that? I mean, who and what were those guys? And Keira! She’s like them! Are they some kind of vampires?’
‘I don’t think so. Vampires have smooth white skin. The men’s complexion almost looked like snake skin. Besides, aren’t vampires supposed to be attractive?’ Lenny said.
Arella frowned at them. ‘How do you know all that?’
‘Yeah,’ said Jacques.
Lenny shrugged. ‘Research … and movies.’
‘He’s not far from wrong,’ Regan interjected. ‘Last night Zane mentioned Apepsis, the serpent god. This hybrid form has somehow definitely come from the serpent god. He’s been known to bestow morphed gifts to humans before this. The stories I’ve grown up with about the powers of the serpent god is enough to make you pee your pants …’ His voice broke suddenly, and he clamped his jaw shut.
Arella’s frowned deepened. ‘Is that where your powers come from?’
Regan glanced at her stiffly. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Why don’t you know? I know where mine come from, I’m a descendant of …’ She stopped short.
‘Of what?’
‘Never mind,’ she mumbled. ‘Where are you taking us?’
Regan’s eyes stuck to the road.
‘See the GPS? Type in your uncle’s address.’
Arella sighed and gave him a begrudging look.
‘Deal,’ she said, reaching for the GPS. ‘I can’t believe you grew up a black witch.’
He shot her a look. ‘I can’t believe you didn’t.’
‘And what is that supposed to mean?’
‘You don’t strike me as backward coming forward; figure it out.’
She felt heat rising to the surface.
‘Hey, I’m not the bad guy here! You’re the gangster-man! You were the one performing black magic tonight!’
‘I don’t
practice black magic.’
‘Well I don’t either!’ she retorted.
She glared at him through the dark. How dare he accuse me of such notions!
They all fell silent as Regan gunned down the motorway toward the western edges of the city. Arella submerged herself in thought as she gazed through the misty window. Would Ace know anything about the Serenity Seed? Would Keira remain a slave to Shabu and its evocative qualities? Would she be able to defeat Zane and his hybrid following? She was sure there would be more of them. She closed her eyes to tame the cyclonic thoughts.
‘Button,’ Jacques piped from the back seat, interrupting her unsettled feelings. He caressed her shoulder gently. ‘You were awesome back there, thank you.’
She squeezed his hand, grateful to leave the turmoil weaving through her mind for a tiny second. ‘Anytime. I love you guys.’
‘We need to get to the seed before that beast. Can you imagine what would happen if he got it first?’ Lenny’s voice trembled.
Arella shuddered and shook her head grimly. ‘I don’t even want to entertain that idea.’
She focused ahead. Her heart felt hollow as she realized the enormity of the possible outcome. The entire world would be in jeopardy if the seed fell into Zane’s hands; darkness and evil would reign over a future dystopian planet.
I can’t let that happen! Arella glanced at Regan. His striking features rose and fell with the shadows as he drove. She knew she would need all the help she could get, and like her, he also possessed supernatural abilities.
But could she trust him? He was as notorious as Zane Crais in Sydney’s organized crime syndicate, and she guessed he craved a driving thirst for power as much as his enemy. After all, he too showed up at her house as well as Jacques’ and Lenny’s apartment in search of the seed. Yet, twice he had protected her.
The cold chill of uncertainty circled her spine despite the heating in the car. She swung her gaze back to the window. Could she trust him? She wasn’t so sure, but she knew she had little choice but to find out.
Zane scratched his claws along the thick carpet pile until he tore through the mesh binding beneath it. Keira’s voice sounded like a repetitive echo in his ears. He lay face down on the shag pile among spilled potting mix and shards of terracotta. He lifted his head and blinked at Keira. She was huddled over him, whispering his name. He shook his head and looked beyond her, struggling to piece together what had happened, his surroundings unfamiliar. As the fog dissipated from his mind, a glowing rage filled him. He growled and tore a fistful of carpet as he scrambled to his feet and glared at the two men he had brought along with him.
‘Where are they?’ he barked, stalking closer to them.
The two men wore a bewildered expression as they peered back at him. Fucking dopes. One of the men dropped his chin and shook his head.
‘Sorry boss, we don’t know what happened. It was like some kind of invisible wall. And then we couldn’t move.’
The other motioned around wildly.
‘Nah, it was more than that! It had enough force to propel us to the other side of the room and knock us all for a sixer.’
‘Yeah, like it messed with our heads, boss! I couldn’t think right, I swear!’
Zane grunted at them. He wanted to rip their heads off then and there. He imagined the act would soothe the fury swirling inside of him. He took a step closer. The scent of their fear heightened his overwhelming drive to feast on their internal organs and drink their arteries dry.
Each man took an awkward step back. Sweat pooled across their foreheads as they looked at him uneasily.
‘B-boss? Are you okay?’ The taller man said, discreetly sliding a hand beneath his suit jacket.
Zane gave an unexpected chuckle. ‘Am I okay, you ask?’ He looked toward the ceiling. His arms flared out dramatically then suddenly he twirled around, his black boots twisting and soiling the carpet beneath him. ‘Am I okay, am I okay …’
Keira’s voice struck through his continuous pirouette.
‘Zane! Stop!’ she called.
He halted as suddenly as he had started and looked at her with a grin. ‘What sweetheart? Was that not entertaining?’
Her expression grew baffled. ‘It was rather awkward actually.’ She smiled and drew an arm around him. ‘Are you okay?’
He pressed his lips against her cheek before pulling back to gaze at the two men staring at them. He had been generous enough to share the precious blue drops of Shabu with them, granting those gifts they could only imagine, and this is how he was repaid? By allowing the woman with the seed to get away?
‘You know what I am, sweetheart?’ he drawled, keeping his eyes locked on the men.
‘Tell me.’
Zane grinned. ‘I’m hungry. How about you?’
He noticed signs of relief wash over the men as their shoulders relaxed and they began to move with a little more ease. The shorter man nodding his agreement.
Keira squealed next to him. ‘Oh, yes! Great idea!’
She shifted from his embrace. Her short dress shimmied up her smooth thighs as she spread apart her legs in an erect stance beside him. Shiny black knee-high boot heels dug into the carpet. He could feel her body grow rigid, and almost hear the gushing excitement rampaging through her veins. She began to claw at her thighs. Edgy fingertips danced as she eyed over dinner. She was ready for the kill.
The men gawked at Keira’s legs, taking in the creamy complexion of her skin against the hiked-up black dress. Her forked tongue extended from her mouth like a silky ribbon. She licked her lips and took a deliberate step in their direction. Their eyes almost bulged as her dress rode higher with each sashayed movement. Her lustrous golden-brown hair fell over her shoulder and into her face as she allowed her head to fall to the side. She slowly ran a finger over her bottom lip as she approached the taller of the two men. Keira stopped before him and swept her eyes over him. He gulped visibly as she ran a hand through her hair and clasped the length of the strands together in a bunch.
She gazed up at him, and through long lashes gave him a sultry smile.
‘Undo me?’
She turned her back to him, winking toward Zane while the man fumbled with her zipper. ‘Don’t want to mess up my new dress,’ she murmured.
Zane smiled back her. That’s my girl, he thought, feeling himself stir. His pulse began to race as his mind fell into a steamy haze, churning with desire. Electric blue blazed through his black eyes; his mouth began to salivate. He couldn’t tear his eyes from her as the dress fell over her hips to her ankles and she stepped from the piled fabric wearing only a black lacy thong and knee-high boots.
Keira cupped her breasts as she turned to face the men. Talon fingers teased swollen nipples that poked erect and darkened against alabaster skin as she rolled and stretched them invitingly toward them. The taller man moaned under his breath, and without missing a beat ventured closer to the lure of her milky breasts. He leaned in, stroking a mammoth palm around her bosom before bending to take her in his mouth. He needled his tongue against her nipple, his other hand slipping down to fondle her backside, while he pressed himself as close to her as possible. She dangled her head back, sighing in pleasure as she thrust her chest forward into his mouth. She gave a sleepy smile and beckoned the other man forth with a gesture of her hand.
He didn’t need much convincing. He tore off his jacket and swaggered over to her, all the while caressing the prominent swell in his pinstriped pants. He paused next to her and wrapped a fistful of her hair around his knuckles, tugging her head backward to place a trail of kisses over her throat before crushing his lips against hers. Keira groaned into his mouth and hungrily returned his kiss while guiding his other hand down the slope of her body. He withdrew his lips from hers, tentatively glancing over his shoulder at Zane who gave him a nod. He dropped to his knees, tangled his burly fingers into the flesh of her hips and gripped her, before maneuvering her legs to taste her sweetness with his forked tongue. She moaned, a d
eliciously sexy tone that flamed the hunger in Zane’s belly and stoked the heat in his groin. Reaching the end of his decree, he rolled his head and growled. He was king. He was the lion. And he was going in for his prize. He ripped off his own jacket and shirt and stalked toward them, the swell of his ravenous craving puffed through his chest while he moved in to stake his claim.
He approached the taller man from behind as he sucked on Keira’s breast and rubbed his stiffness against her leg like a wild dog. Zane’s lips curled into a smile when he recognized the exhilaration flowing in Keira’s eyes as she gazed at him. He arched his neck back, displaying his glinting white fangs before he thrust his face forward and submerged his teeth into the man’s neck.
Blood spurted from broken arteries and gushed from the man’s throat while Keira gripped his temples, holding him steady while Zane savagely tore into his flesh. Teeth chomped and sliced into skin, gnawing and severing through sinew and arteries. The succulent taste of blood and shredded flesh danced over his tongue, delivering a rush of euphoric frenzy to Zane’s mind.
Blood mixed with mangled meat fell onto the man below. It was then the other man realized something was amiss. Blood splattered in his terror-filled eyes as he looked up. A ghastly sound tore through his throat while he tried to turn and scramble away as Zane and Keira simultaneously released the first man and allowed his body to slump to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
As the man stabilized himself on his knees and started to rise to his feet, Keira pounced on his back. Her sharp claws slashed into his eyes as she gouged through his pupils. He let out a bloodcurdling scream while she stabbed her teeth into the side of his face, gashing and probing her prey like a feral cat while hoarse screeching noises echoed from deep within her throat.
The man collapsed under her. His body rippled while his chest sucked in rasping breaths. He sputtered. Blood gurgled and foamed from his mouth with the last of his breaths, as Keira knelt beside him and rolled her head with the pride of a tigress. She leveled her face and glimpsed at Zane.
He grinned at her. Her blood-soaked face dripped with blood. Strands of hair smeared and stuck against her cheeks while her generous breasts were now stained a bright burgundy. His gaze fell to her nipples. They appeared like rigid cherries ready for the picking. He groaned inwardly, relishing her raw, gory beauty. Had he’d known it would feel this good to kill together in their mutated form, he would have begun these sessions long ago. His chest filled with satisfaction. There would be plenty of time to perfect their hunting skills together once he got the seed. The thought sent a tide of elation through his pulse. Me and my girl. His eyes dilated with her every move. Her progressing evolution fascinated him like an intoxicating drink.