Clash of Flames: An Ian Dex Supernatural Thriller Book 7 (Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department)

by John P. Logsdon

  That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Not the part about him being stuck in my mouth. That was bad. I meant the part about him never being the same again.

  I looked down to find that my suit was completely ruined.

  I pulled the ripped sleeves off and kicked away what was left of my pants. That left me stark naked, except for my red tie and the collar of my dress shirt. I guess my legs and butt had grown so much during the transition that even my boxers had been shredded. That seemed unlikely, though. I glanced up at the valkyries and noted the one who was staring at my junk was also spinning my undies around with her index finger.

  Nice.

  So there I was, essentially nude in front of everyone.

  “Honestly, dude,” The Admiral said with a defeated sigh, “this is one illness that will never fade.”

  Valerie stood up from her throne and began walking across the field toward us.

  “The damage caused is permanent,” lamented The Admiral. “There’s just no returning from something that horrific. I’m done for.”

  Valerie’s three soldiers came to attention, taking a single step backward as their leader approached. The one holding my boxers had tucked them into her leather belt. My assumption was she wanted to keep them. I didn’t want to know why.

  “We may as well put up an ‘out of business’ sign,” The Admiral continued his tirade, “because it’s really, truly, deplorably that bad.”

  Valerie walked around me, looking me up and down the entire time.

  “I’ll never be the same again, man,” my dick moaned. “I’ll just never be the same.”

  “Your training is done,” Valerie declared in a stern voice. “We will now discuss the various methods by which you will pleasure every single one of us.”

  “I’m cured!”

  Chapter 24

  Not only did we discuss it, we enacted a few of the seedier scenes from the roleplaying that was suggested by the valkyries.

  My favorite was the one where I was the king and they were all members of my harem.

  I’d made Warren the court jester.

  He was not pleased.

  Griff and Chuck had gone elsewhere, deciding not to participate, for obvious reasons.

  Two hours in and I was exhausted.

  As if fighting a battle wasn’t difficult enough against these ladies, sexing with them—while amazing—was like waging war with your naughty bits.

  Don’t get me wrong here. I wasn’t complaining. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it was by far the best sex I’d ever had in my life, and that included the succubus orgy I’d attended before joining the force. I felt bad putting Rachel as third in my list of all-time greats, but she couldn’t possibly compete with a harem of succubi and another of valkyries. Fortunately, she knew that. Her smile was so painfully wide that it was clear I was no longer in her first place position either…assuming I had been before.

  Once we were all spent, Griff and Chuck rejoined the group, looking rather disheveled themselves.

  “That was far better than we had anticipated, Ian Dex,” Valerie cooed, still swooning. My sex-touch would do that to a lady. “I daresay that was even better than when the gods visited so many millennia ago.”

  “Gods?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

  “Yes,” she replied. “Zeus, Odin, Aegir, Ganesa, Poseidon—”

  “You are mixing various mythologies there, my dear,” Griff pointed out.

  Valerie turned to him with bright eyes.

  “Technically, I’m mixing human mythologies,” she replied. “The reality of the gods is different than the stories that have been told. Some of the gods carry different names, depending on the society they visited, but are actually the same person. The only true differences come from the fact that there were multiple cultures experiencing them.”

  Griff said, “Hmmm.” He then wagged his finger at her. “That is quite fascinating. I would thoroughly enjoy a solid banter on the subject at some point, should the opportunity avail itself.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” Valerie replied with a genuine smile.

  Everyone was busily getting dressed again, except for me. I could only put my tie back on, and I didn’t even bother with the piece of my dress shirt that remained.

  The Admiral was back in full spirits, but he did request that we never mention what happened again. He insisted that if we just forgot about it, bury the memory, and act like it was naught but a terrible dream, we would eventually recover fully.

  I agreed.

  “Chief,” said Chuck, his eyes locked on my dangling rope as if he were in shock by the size of it, “what the hell do you feed that thing?”

  “Women,” I replied without hesitation.

  He jolted and looked up at me, blinking.

  “Oh, no!” he said quickly. “I wasn’t implying that…” He looked away. “Right.”

  Griff patted his arm in understanding.

  I turned around, walked up to the chick who had my boxers, and put my hand out. She pouted but finally relented and gave them back to me.

  Now I had a tie and boxers. It wasn’t much, but it was better than being fully nude.

  “What’s the plan?” asked Rachel, still glowing from the mind-blowing sexcapade.

  “I have to speak with Valerie alone,” I replied. “There are some questions I have regarding the levels here. Since none of you have traversed them, you’re not allowed to hear the secrets. It’s in the rules.”

  Rachel tilted her head in such a way that implied she wasn’t sure if she believed me or not, but she eventually shrugged and walked away.

  I took Valerie by the hand and led her a good distance away from everyone else.

  “You do know that your words were untrue just then, yes?” the Amazonian woman asked me.

  “Yeah, I know, but I had to speak with you alone and that was the only way I could think of that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.”

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  “Why would there be any suspicion?”

  “Because, Valerie,” I said, feeling like a heel for what I was about to say, “I need to leave them here as I go topside and deal with the people who are hunting me.”

  She stood at full height and crossed her arms as she stared down at me. Clearly, she was no more fond of my plan than my crew would be if they’d known the truth.

  “It is unwise for you to walk into the belly of the beast without assistance, Ian Dex.”

  “That’s probably true,” I agreed, “but I’ve rarely been accused of being wise, Valerie.”

  She grimaced. “Why do this?”

  “Because I don’t want them to die,” I replied, staring into her eyes. “You saw me on the field of battle today. While I was no match for your warriors, do you think that any of them in that group over there are a match for me?”

  “Not even together,” she answered, lowering her arms in defeat. “You have become very powerful since your first visit here. If you had fully utilized your magic, I fear that not even my three soldiers could have contained you.”

  “Exactly,” I agreed, even though I found that incredibly challenging to believe. “So now think about the fact that there are four more of me topside right now.”

  I looked past her and stared at my crew. Yeah, it would piss them off something fierce when they learned I’d left them behind, but better that than all of them pushing up daisies. Some of them were immortal, yes, but only as it related to living in normalcy. Wooden shards striking a vampire heart erased that immortality pretty quickly. Killing werewolves, mages, and wizards wasn’t all that difficult either, if you had the strength and the know-how. And pixies? Simple, assuming you could catch them.

  “You do realize that not even you could manage to succeed in battle against four who are your equals?” Valerie questioned.

  “Normally, yes,” I answered, “but I don’t think they are my equals.”

  Granted, everyone reported seeing my ‘brothers’ sporting fangs
and doing magic, but it couldn’t have been to the level I was at right now. If it had been, they’d have blown right through my team’s defenses and taken, or killed, everyone in a matter of minutes. Probably sooner.

  “Still,” she stated after a few moments of silence, “your friends have a right to die by your side, Ian Dex. It is not up to you to decide their fate.”

  “I’m their chief, Valerie,” I countered. “It’s absolutely up to me to decide their fate.”

  She slightly bowed to me.

  “Well said, Ian Dex,” she remarked as one leader to another. “Very well said.”

  Chapter 25

  After we had agreed on our story, Valerie closed her eyes and a thin glow could be seen where her lids pressed together. Finally, she opened them and gave me a nod.

  “My soldiers have been informed of our plan,” she stated. “Some were unhappy, but all will follow my commands and keep the truth hidden.”

  “Cool,” I said as I reached out and touched her hand. “I really appreciate you doing this for me…and for my team, too.”

  We walked back to the group. I took the time to put on a serious face and to build my angst. If I played it too aloof, they’d know what was going on. That was especially true of Rachel. She could read me like a book.

  Which reminded me…

  “You keep your mouth shut, got it?” I instructed The Admiral, knowing how easily Rachel could overhear our discussions.

  “Of course I will,” he replied, sounding miffed. “And next time just ask, pal. You don’t have to be a douche about it, you know.”

  “Uh, Chief,” Chuck started as we approached, “about before. I was—”

  “It’s okay, Chuck,” I replied, patting him on the shoulder. “I know you weren’t implying anything.”

  “Actually, I kind of was, which is why I feel bad about it.”

  “Ew,” rasped The Admiral.

  “Oh,” I said and then cleared my throat. “Well, let’s just call it water under the bridge, Chuck. Cool?”

  “Cool,” he said, adjusting his hat.

  With a nod, I stepped out and stood before the entire team. They were all glowing slightly, which made sense seeing what we’d just been through. Leaving them behind was going to be rough on both them and me, but they’d be able to play some more down here, and as long as my story held together, they wouldn’t know I was going topside anyway.

  I just had to be smooth about it.

  “Valerie and I just had a conversation regarding the various levels of this place,” I started. “I know you’ve all been to the lowest level before, which is why I can share this tidbit of information with you.” I gave a moment for that to sink in. “It seems that the basilisk has the ability to put controls on my mind, but only insofar as I allow it.”

  “So?” asked Rachel, looking concerned.

  “It means I can ask him to limit how far the magic can take me, Rachel,” I explained. “That would give me the ability to cast spells only strong enough that the power won’t overtake my mind.”

  “That would be ideal, actually,” Griff affirmed. “My concern is knowing what the basilisk will request in return.”

  “Multiple things,” I replied. “Each of which can be retrieved by going to the other zones. It will take some time, though.”

  “But—“ began Griff.

  “Plus, Basil owes me a favor,” Valerie lied on my behalf, using the basilisk’s chosen name. Well, at least I assumed it was a lie. “And seeing as how I do not wish to lose Ian Dex, I shall spend that favor to get him what is needed.”

  I gave her a sad smile and nodded. That wasn’t play-acting either. I genuinely felt sincerity for how much the valkyries had helped. I wanted to believe there was more to it than merely sex, but I had the feeling there wasn’t…at least not yet.

  That’s when I locked my eyes onto Rachel’s and direct-connected to her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, speaking specifically about the sex. “As I’ve said before, there’s a big difference between fantasy and reality, babe.”

  “It was amazing,” she replied, her eyes sparkling. “Seeing you pleasuring them all was such a turn-on. I could seriously watch that every day. Also, I found it beyond hot to play with them myself!”

  “Oooookay,” I replied, unsure of how I should feel about those admissions. “We’ll have to see about that. Anyway, for now, I need you to stay here and keep the team occupied. If that means more playing with the valkyries, that’s fine by me.”

  “What about Warren?” she asked.

  “If you mean you want to play with Warren, then no fucking way,” I replied flatly. “Remember, I didn’t ask to bone these chicks. You asked me to do that.”

  “Babe, relax,” she said before I could go on a verbal rampage. “I was talking about letting him stand in your place with the valkyries while you’re gone.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.” I had to hold back a laugh at the thought of Warren replacing me, though. Okay, yes, I had quite an ego when it came to pleasing the ladies. Then again, he had spent the night with Felicia, Jasmine, and Serena. Maybe there was more to this wizard than met the eye. He was stuck in the jester’s outfit while I was king, after all. I shrugged. “Yeah, sure, that’s cool, as long as his magic wand doesn’t touch you.”

  Before she could reply, I clapped my hands and brought everyone’s attention back to me.

  “Okay, so that’s it then. I’ll probably be gone for a while as I work through this.” I stared off for a moment, working to add some dramatic effect. “Hopefully, I’ll be back soon enough. It feels like we’ve been away from the Strip too long as it is.” The fact was that we’d been flying blind without the ability to speak with anyone topside. “The sooner I get started, the sooner I’ll be back.”

  At least that much was true, except for the supposition that I’d be returning.

  That was a promise I couldn’t make.

  Chapter 26

  Valerie targeted my office and sent me back topside. One of the nice things about working with people in the nine levels under the Badlands was that they could pinpoint your return.

  It would have been bad to show up somewhere in the middle of the Strip wearing nothing but boxers and a red tie. This was especially true because I was carrying Boomy with me as well. No, I didn’t really need him at this point in time. My current skills were plenty deadly all on their own, but I had to stay away from the magic as much as possible. I also had the skeleton key that Turbo had lent me. That was infused in my finger so nobody would be able to spot it.

  There wasn’t a full suit in my office, but there were a pair of slacks, a button-up shirt, socks, and some basic black shoes. It didn’t exactly ring ‘Ian,’ though. Still, it was better than walking around naked. There hadn’t been enough time to go back to my condo and get a full ensemble. Besides, who was to say that my ‘brothers’ weren’t waiting there for me?

  “Is that you, puddin’?” asked Lydia as I pulled on my shoes.

  “Hey, baby,” I replied, trying to keep cool. “Just got back from reintegration. Still waiting on the others. Anything happen while I was gone?”

  “No,” she replied. “You were attacked before leaving, though, and I never heard anything after the initial reports.”

  I had to be careful here.

  Lydia might have been on my side most of the time, but she still worked for the Directors. If she had been another human, I could see trusting her, but she was code. Incredibly advanced code, yes, but there was no way to know if she was programmed to edge out her loyalties to me when requests came from my bosses. My guess was they carried more weight than me. That would seem sensible anyway.

  The problem was that she’d heard our earlier conversation, so she already knew about the amalgamites.

  “Just some werewolves and mages that we pissed off at one point, I suppose,” I lied, which seemed to be something I was doing a lot of tonight. “They caught us by surprise and we had to run. But now that I’m back, I�
��ll be doing a little searching for them. Once the team returns, we’ll get the criminals sorted out.”

  “I thought the crew said they were amalgamites like you, honey tush?”

  “They did,” I affirmed, “but we all know I’m the only one around. Plus, these guys had vampire fangs and were doing magic. My guess is those fangs were fakes.”

  “Hmmm.”

  She wasn’t buying it, which meant I had to use better data points. One thing I’d learned over the years was that if you fed someone bullshit emphatically, they were more likely to believe it, especially if you cited sources that seemed credible. Whether those sources were actually credible or not was only a problem if the person you shared the information with was smart enough to fact-check.

  Most people weren’t smart enough to fact-check.

  Too bad Lydia wasn’t a ‘people.’

  Still, if I used my team as those credible sources, she would have to go on historical reference.

  In other words, there was a good chance she’d believe me.

  “Based on what Griff and Jasmine said,” I explained, leaving out Rachel since she wasn’t around the other amalgamites when they had attacked, “the people hitting them were a little too polished.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Griff said they were very coordinated, like they were working from a script or something.” I quickly added, “And Jasmine saw one of the guys pushing at his teeth. She thinks maybe he was having trouble with them staying in properly.”

  “I see,” she said, still not sounding convinced. “This information came from Griff and Jasmine, you say?”

  “Yep,” I answered without hesitation, even though it didn’t. “You know me. I trust my people more than I trust anyone. That includes you, of course.”

  “Thank you, sweetums,” she replied, sounding chuffed. “I suppose we must rely on the instincts of our teammates.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” I responded emphatically. “We are a team, right?”

  “Most certainly,” Lydia affirmed in a serious tone.