He looked toward Jake. “Your agents should have him here, soon.”
“We have one more problem before the night is through.” Marduk took the reins. Kulla knew what he would say, and cursed silently that his legs wouldn’t let him join the fight. “The demons will know where he’s headed, and they’ll have all their power focused on keeping him from entering the compound.” He looked around. “If ever we needed a time to kill Hell-spawn,” he sneered, “now is it.”
“Wait.” Kulla stopped the exodus from the room, and turned to Dorian. “Do Beletseri and Matthew know their prisoner is missing?”
The warlock gave an uncustomary indication of bewilderment while deliberating over his next words. “It’s odd, but I think Matthew knows…and…I’m not quite sure he cares.”
A strange thing to say. Jake called him on it. “What do you mean?”
“This is going to sound really strange, but as I left the kegs for the demons, I glanced toward the lodge, and I could swear Matthew stood at the broken window watching everything I did. He didn’t make a move to stop me, so I thought it might be a trick of the dusk light, but looking back—” The warlock shook his head. “—I think he let us take Ken away.”
“We’ll ponder that later,” Marduk screwed up his brow and nodded. If something appeared odd with Matthew, Kulla knew the thunder god would get to the bottom of it, but the boss determined, at this time, they needed to concentrate on the here and now. “Jake, call your team and have them let us know when they’re ten minutes out.” He looked at all the able bodies in the room: gods, goddesses, Lauernley, witches and humans. “Everybody grab weapons and take position. It’s fight to kill tonight.”
Dagon had information of his own to impart. “Gather round.” He reached for a napkin on the table. “I’m not much of an artist, but you need to know where the life essence of each type of demon resides.”
His mate, Holly, took the pen from her husband. “And you can’t draw worth shit.” She smiled. “Let me.” She proceeded to sketch out every demon the pair had come across in Hell, from the yellow chicken-like ones, to the fat, greasy tentacle-wielding variety, and pinpointed each species’ point of weakness. When everyone had taken a good look, the group broke up to get ready.
Kulla found Obedience once again by his side. “You’re not going out there,” he stated with finality.
“I am too,” she countered. “You last knew me as a young, fledgling witch, but in four hundred years I’ve become something of a master.”
Kulla didn’t try to hide his worry from her. He called to the last of the blue men who had yet to leave the room, almost like he’d been waiting for orders before departing. “Berylm, will you stay by her side and keep her safe?” He got a rare smile from the Lauernley, and an uncomfortable prickling of awareness.
“She’ll be the one keeping me safe.” The blue man actually winked at Bee-Dee. “You cast a spell to hold them down, I’ll wield the knife. What do you say? Are we a team?”
Obedience laughed and walked out conferring with the soldier, her head tilted up, and his dipping down. Kulla, left behind, fumed. He hadn’t seen it before, but it became obvious to him now. The overbuilt, musclebound Lauernley had the hots for his woman. The architect ground his teeth, and put hands to the wheels of his chair. When this wrapped up, he’d stake his claim. Then there would be no mistaking to whom Bee-Dee belonged.
Once Kulla regained his room, he head-called to Shamash the all-seeing, and had the god bring him a long-range, high powered rifle, and a cache of osmium bullets. He might be confined to the compound, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take pot shots from his balcony. It would just be a matter of holding open a small hole in the protective barrier before making each shot. He’d make sure to keep the fissure small enough that no demons could sneak through.
Ninety minutes later, the call came in. Jake broadcast it to everyone, and Kulla watched as all the immortals left the fortified enclosure. Engagement with the enemy launched right away. The odds were two to one in favor of the bad guys, but the superior weapons of the gods gave the Blue Hills gang the edge. By the time Kulla saw the van moving at breakneck speed up the driveway, only a small handful of demons not engaged made a beeline for the vehicle. The king and queen, who had elected to stay, dispatched their adversaries and rushed to the agent’s aid, when Kulla noticed a particularly nasty acid-spitting ghoul sneaking up behind Ereshkigal. He rested the barrel of his rifle on the balcony railing and took careful aim through his scope. He quietly whispered, “inside back, left elbow,” let out a slow breath and squeezed the trigger. He saw the shock on the thing’s face, then watched in satisfaction as it sizzled away into nothing.
Thanks, Kulla. The queen balanced at the portal that opened for the van, and gave him a long-distance thumbs up.
Anytime, my queen. Kulla kept the deities covered, and witnessed the one, last-ditch effort by two mud-colored, yellow-eyed uglies to stop the transport. Wouldn’t you know, Bee-Dee and her overstuffed Lauernley, stunned then decimated that final pair of foes, giving each other a high five as the bad guys sparked out…followed by a hug? Kulla felt a growl move up into his throat, which he must have inadvertently broadcast to all his brothers.
He got back an instant spate of shit.
If you’d just fuck her, she wouldn’t have to look elsewhere.
I hear blue-dick is hot this spring.
When underwater guys go down, they don’t have to come up for air.
Fuck off. Don’t you have anything better to do? Kulla grew so incensed, he forgot to think about not being able to mist out, and somehow ended up outside on the front portico just as the agents lifted Ken from the van. He landed quickly, hurtfully, then hard on his ass when his legs were not yet able to support him. But at least he witnessed the tail end of the goings on.
“Careful, careful.” Dr. Dani on the scene took charge. “Keep him flat, and on his stomach.” They’d fashioned a litter out of blankets and Ken’s abused body, naked and bloody was gently carried inside. Kulla made a point to find Vesca in the crowd and studied her face. As he expected, tears streamed from her eyes and she scrambled to get to the agent’s side.
“I can help,” the nursemaid cried to Dani-Lee, wiping the moisture away from her cheeks with the back of her hand. Dani didn’t question the offer.
“Let her through,” she said, and the entourage disappeared from view.
Chapter Fifteen
Obedience felt like she spent way too much time in Dani’s infirmary. First Kulla, and now Ken. She had been appalled at the injuries to her god, but being an immortal, he would heal. What had been done to Ken was a travesty, and the jury remained out on his recovery. The poor mortal’s flesh had been flayed from his body. He was consumed with fever, and his testicles were horribly swollen from the abuse they’d taken. Obedience had witnessed torture before during the witch hunts she’d escaped, and here, a vivid reminder caused her gorge to rise.
The poor guy lay comatose on his stomach. Doctor Dani hooked him up to blood and antibiotics, cleaned the dirt from his wounds, and stitched the worst rents, leaving his back open to the air for a short time while she consulted with the two older witches about which herbs to mix with petroleum jelly to keep his cuts moist. She’d packed ice between his legs, but it had caused Ken to shiver so much that the cold had to be abandoned.
Lenore with her Lorelei blood, sang her little song, keeping the agent calm for his few lucid moments, and Bee-Dee wove a spell to keep the worst of his pain away. They both looked up as Vesca walked back in. She had observed the doctor doing her job, and left the room shortly thereafter. She reappeared now carrying a jar of something.
“What’s that?” Obedience asked.
“It’s something I can do for Ken,” Vesca replied. “I have the approval from Dani.” She sat next to Ken and unscrewed the lid. The ladies in attendance got a good look at the contents.
“Don’t tell me that’s…” Lenore’s words got stuck in her throat
.
“Yes,” Vesca ducked her head, then must have thought better of it and raised it instead. “It’s breast milk,” she confirmed. “And one of the reasons I’m a wet-nurse is that mine has healing properties.” She dipped two fingers into the opaque liquid. “Of course it’s better if the afflicted one drinks it, but topically it’s quite effective, too.”
The goddesses watched in fascination as Vesca started with a few of the periphery stripes on Ken’s arms, then wiped the liquid gently over the breadth of his shoulders. Ken moaned beneath her fingers, and at a look from the nursemaid, Lenore commenced to sing again.
The smaller wounds immediately responded, and lost their angry color. The deeper gashes absorbed the milk as if they were parched desert sand, and they ceased weeping as the goddess worked her way slowly down Ken’s back.
Dani’s soft footsteps sounded behind them, and Bee-Dee moved aside to let the doctor see. She gasped at the difference the liquid made. “Vesca, start at the top again, and as soon as you coat a wound, I’ll seal it in with the petroleum mixture.” Vesca nodded and complied. This time the women worked in tandem, dipping and coating the length of Ken’s back.
When they reached his flanks, Vesca’s hand stilled.
“What’s the matter?” Dani asked the question that hovered on Bee-Dee’s lips.
“I’ve never…I’ve never touched a man here before,” Vesca admitted. Color moved up into her fair face, and she resembled a timid maiden more than the self-assured goddess they’d come to know.
“Get used to it,” Lenore said with a hint of laughter, but gently and kindly. “I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more of his ass in the future.” Her lips curled upward. “And you want it to be every bit as delectable as possible, so spread that milk around, sweetie.”
Obedience took pity on Vesca, and with a look that begged permission, she received the goddess’s nod. Bee-Dee dipped her fingers into the milk and moved to Ken’s other side, where she applied a small bit to the maligned skin of his bottom. Vesca took a deep breath and continued her ministrations. One hurdle overcome. Bee-Dee didn’t even want to think what would happen when it came to Ken’s balls. The poor things needed help just as badly as his back, and if the breast milk could bring the swelling down, it would have to happen.
“Whas…ooohm,” Ken moaned unintelligibly as he woke. Lenore brought her head closer and Bee-Dee saw the agent’s eyes blink open. “Lenore?” he mumbled. “What am I…?” He tried to lift his head and grimaced, sinking back to the mattress. A hard tremor shook his body. “Shit. I remember.” Without moving this time, he let his gaze roam about the room. His head turned to the left, so he could see Lenore and Obedience.
“I’m at the compound.” His tongue darted out to wet his parched lips. Bee-Dee saw the motion and popped up to get him a cup. Vesca moved into the witch’s position. Ken’s regard grew thoughtful. “I’m naked, aren’t I?” he questioned gruffly, following the trajectory of her hand, and flinched when he felt her touch his ass.
“I’m sorry, Ken,” Vesca allowed another tear to escape from the corner of one eye. “Am I hurting you?”
Bee-Dee, leaning down to feed a straw into his mouth, saw him contemplate the question. His brows drew together.
“Oddly, I don’t think so.” He looked puzzled. “What are you putting on me?”
Before Vesca could answer, Dani-Lee stepped in. “It’s a goddess-given substance that Vesca brought us. It promotes healing,” she assured him. “It’s already taken away the smaller lesions, and along with the herbs and jelly the witches concocted, we’re hoping you’ll heal faster and minimize your scarring.” She wiped her hands and picked up the infrared skin thermometer, pressing it to his forehead. “Amazing,” she said, incredulously. “Your temperature is dropping already, and it’s too soon for the antibiotics to start working.” She smiled at Vesca. “You ought to bottle that stuff.”
The women all shared a giggle while Ken merely looked confused.
It became obvious to Bee-Dee the minute Ken took stock of the rest of his body, and realized he not only lay completely naked, but face down with his legs spread. He attempted to close his thighs and let out a strangled cry.
“Whoa, whoa.” The doctor rested a hand on Ken’s head. “Stop. You’ve got some pretty serious swelling where the bitch-goddess whipped you.”
“No shit,” Ken said between gritted teeth. “Is there anything you can do?” At that moment he leapt beyond embarrassment.
“We’ve tried ice, but the agitation from the cold makes you move too much. I’m afraid it’s a matter of giving the inflammation time to subside.”
“What about that stuff Vesca’s using on my back?” Ken’s brain functioned properly again, and the question hovered.
“Vesca?” Dani questioned.
“I don’t know,” the goddess answered, holding the jar out toward the doctor. “You can try.”
“No.” The veto came from Ken. “I want you to do it, Vesca.” Ken must have noticed the varying reactions to his words that rounded the room―from amusement to horror―and toned down his request.
“I mean, it is something you came up with.”
“Too true,” Lenore chortled.
“And you, ummm, have a soft touch,” he ended lamely. Obedience noticed that Ken had run out of steam with that proclamation. His body had been through so much, and even as a layman, Bee-Dee knew that the vital thing for him would be to sleep. She put her best, no-nonsense voice forward, and handed Vesca a washcloth from the table.
“Vesca, use what you have left to soak this and wipe it over his testicles.”
At the goddess’s hesitation, Bee-Dee became brisk. “Ken needs to get some sleep. Snap to it.”
Vesca proceeded tenderly, albeit with pinked cheeks, and she must have done an admirable job, because after a few tense minutes, Ken’s breathing evened out and he fell into a deep slumber.
Obedience, with the milk finally depleted, took the cloth from the nursemaid’s trembling fingers. “You did a great job, Vesca.”
The goddess stumbled to her feet. “I have to go feed Girin now.” Bee-Dee knew the baby godling probably screamed bloody murder at this point, waiting for his meal. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m finished—” She thrust her chin up in the air. “—and I’ll bathe him once more.”
The trio of women remaining refrained from breaking into hysterical laughter until after she left the room.
“Oh my. Love is in the air again—” Lenore smirked. “—and Ken doesn’t even know it.”
The whole charged atmosphere had Bee-Dee’s hormones singing. Time to pay a visit to her man. “I’m off, you two. If you need me just give a call.” A look passed between Lenore and Dani.
“We have plenty of warm bodies to sit with Ken.” Lenore told her. “Go find a warm body of your own.”
“Goddess’s rock.” Obedience sent over her shoulder before heading out the door. Kulla’s room lay just down the hall.
She knocked gently when she got there, hoping she wouldn’t disturb his much-needed sleep. Although he’d managed to go invisible, ending up in an undignified heap on the front steps, but transporting nonetheless. He must be getting close to complete regeneration. The thought pleased her immensely.
“Come in, Bee-Dee.”
Dammit. How did he always know?
“Because I’m starting to get more attuned to your thoughts,” he informed her as she walked in. “Think something nice,” he said, smirking in her direction.
Bee-Dee had seen a male posterior in very sorry condition earlier, and sought to usurp that picture with a much more appealing pair of cheeks. She pictured Kulla, stark naked and facing away from her, looking out the large window of his room. She made the vision so realistic, that she could feel her hands roaming up his sides and molding to the contours of his ass.
“Okay. Enough.” Kulla sent his gaze to the ceiling. “It’s bad enough I have to look at my own backside, without also imagining your hands all
over me.” He put on a mock pout.
“You could have those hands any time you want,” Bee-Dee reminded him. “You’re the stubborn immortal who won’t let me have my way with you.”
“Why can’t you understand that I have to do my penance first?” he asked. “You better watch it, or I’ll make you wait until after the mating ceremony too.”
“Yeah…about that…we might need to talk,” she brought up quietly.
“What’s there to talk about? You’re my Chosen and we both know it.” His voice held surety, and Bee-Dee backed down. Now was not the time. She reached into her pocket.
“I snagged some of the lotion Dani has in her infirmary for muscle-aches,” she taunted.
“The only muscle that aches right now…”
“Hey. Cut the lusty bluster. You made the rules, so quit talking and turn over. I brought this so I could give you a nice rub-down.”
“A massage?” His eyebrows went up and he looked interested.
“Yup. I’ve got great hands, as you witnessed in my little fantasy earlier.” Obedience could see it wouldn’t take much persuasion. He jerked his shirt over his head to reveal his broad, golden hair-sprinkled chest. Without asking, he slipped his sweat shorts down his nearly regenerated legs and tossed them on the floor. Brazen god.
“You want me to have a good long look, don’t you,” she complained. She pointed to his rising cock. “I’ll be having that soon, just so you know.” Obedience wouldn’t put up with his shit today. “Now turn over and let me work the lovely muscles you’ll let me touch.”
Erecting Barriers Page 15