by D. C. Stone
Things had been nonstop for weeks, his mind tripping, almost spinning, over and over again. Half the time he thought he was losing it, the other he wanted to get the shit over and done so they could move on. With the missions, the mind trips and a case of nerves, he hadn’t been sleeping at all. Bari turned his body under the spray, reached for the soap and began to lather the suds between his hands. He inhaled the clean scent, his mind picturing a fresh spring, the forest. He ran the suds over his skin and thought over what happened yesterday. It all seemed like a dream. It had to be. He’d never seen anything like it before. But even as he wished it a dream, his mind rejected it, refused to let him in on the secret, but recognized something lurking inside. He couldn’t seem to figure out what or who that was. It troubled and concerned him, and deep inside, scared the shit out of him that he would be anything like his birth father. The markings, his eyes in the reflection—left him with that only answer as he immediately recognized the beast he’d seen years before.
Starting at his chest, he worked in circles, rubbing the soap across each of his pecs before moving to each of his arms, washing away all the dirt and grime, blood and sweat, the coldness that had taken over yesterday. Bari’s body felt weak, but at six foot four, two hundred and sixty-five pounds, most considered him anything but. He built the lather against his palms before turning his attention down across his abs. He tilted his head back and let the water pulse against his neck. If he tried really hard, he could almost imagine…
How damn long had it been since he had a female’s hands on him?
His hands jumped at each muscle as they slid down his abs. Leaning his head back into the spray, he let the water run over his face as his palms caressed his body. For a moment, he imagined a female’s hands. His lips parted as suds rolled down his hips and hard thighs. It almost had the impression of a tentative touch and reminded him of one sweet night so long ago. It had been too long. His hand ventured south and as he took his semi-hard length into his hand, a deep growl gurgled out of his chest, a moan that mixed into the spray of the shower. Steam rose steadily, now encompassing him, wrapping its thick air around his body like a caress.
“Fuck…” His palm tightened around his length, and combined with the soap gathered he could almost imagine it was a woman’s tight, silkened touch gripping him. Lifting a hand, he caught it on the tile and continued to stroke himself, his breath now coming in pants. His palm ran down the length of his erection and back up. A groan filled the small bathroom along with the steam. He pictured Mackenzie’s body beneath his, her breasts jumping with each plunge he took into her sweet cavern. So damn sweet in his mind, he knew she was sweeter in the flesh. Fuck—as another moan sounded—he was so not going to last long.
His hand reached between his legs to his tingling sac, the skin tightening with the impending promise of release. He squeezed, his soap covered hands slippery. Heaven. Grunts sounded in his chest, his breathing picking up as he continued to stroke and squeeze over the long thick length. A shiver worked its way up his spine, started like a zap of lightning at the base. He stroked harder, his palm squeezing with more force, his breaths coming out in short, shallow sounds. His eyes closed, and he saw Mackenzie’s body, each pump he gave making her moan. Their moans intermingled as their bodies worked toward the euphoria. The tingling met his sac beneath his erection, and he pinched the head, growling loud, the pain-pleasure of the act bringing his ass to twitch as the buildup promised to let go. Her face flashed in his mind. One last stroke and his back bowed, the water raining down over his head and his seed gathering up then letting go. Spraying out along the tile walls, the orgasm hit him hard. His vision dimmed, and he saw stars. He moaned loudly, and his groan filled the air of the shower just as the steam had.
It seemed like he was wrapped up in an endless orgasm and had to catch himself on the wall as his legs threatened to give. He panted against the warm tiles as he pulled out the last of the pleasure from his cock, shuddering as he squeezed it. A strange ambience settled on the back of his neck. The waves of rapture fled, replaced with a keen sense of awareness. Bari turned and stared at the dark plastic covering the shower stall, trying to figure out if his mind was about to start fucking with him again or if the feeling was actually someone, or something…
Chapter Six
Tyler stood outside the door, his lean body against the wall, hat drawn low over his green eyes. Anyone looking would see someone indolent, almost as if they were unaware of their surroundings, but Tyler saw it all. Even shit he didn’t want to. He had a job to do, and right now it was making sure Bari adjusted to the change coming. For years he waited and watched from afar before he joined up with the Special Forces unit. There had been hints, whispers of the transformation surging up. The change was different for everyone, like fingerprints on humans. No two were alike. The change only started to come as the mind recognized the third dimension, a world built deep in the patterns of another, when everything clicked that much, like how the world was round—life defined in a Justice Demon’s eyes without a starting or ending point. That time was coming for Bari. He hoped the guy would make it through.
The bathroom door opened, and Tyler glanced up, his eyes making a lazy path across Bari’s tall, muscular body—scanning and tracking for any additional damage, making sure things were underway. The thing about being able to see everything was he saw it all. The body’s health, the mind’s worries, the hint of a soul.
“Morning, Sunshine.” Tyler smirked as Bari scowled. “How are you feeling?”
“Like hell,” Bari responded, his voice rough as he crossed the room and grabbed for a pair of sweatpants. Pulling them over his legs, he settled the pants low on his hips. Taking the towel off, he gave one more rub down on his head before tossing the cloth aside. His eyes turned and latched on Tyler. “You wouldn’t happen to have brought some smokes, would you?”
“No.”
“Thanks a lot, fuck head.”
“Sure thing, Princess.”
Bari scowled.
Tyler gave an answering laugh.
“What are you doing here? Hell, what am I doing here?”
Tyler pushed off the wall and turned toward Bari, hooking his hands in the loops of his jeans. “I’m here to check on you.” Tyler paused and fought with how to get the information out without pushing Bari away. He needed the guy to trust him. “Bari, what do you think of paranormal stuff?”
Bari arched an incredulous brow. “What, like vampires and shit?”
Tyler sucked air between the back of his teeth and shrugged. “Sorta. More like all of it. Demons, angels, vampires, and ghosts.”
Bari made a face, scrunching it up and looking at Tyler as if he was two seconds from calling the mental hospital. Hell…
“There’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to come right out and say it, bro. Not that it’s going to make anything easier or even more sense. You’re going to be experiencing some changes soon. But I want you to know that everything is going to be alright. You’re here because you need to be. You need to trust me on this. Things will be coming full circle soon and have been set in motion for the future as well as the past. For all that is in between.”
****
Bari’s eyebrows drew down tight, the complexity and strangeness of Tyler’s words sending him off kilter. “What? Who? What the fuck are you smoking?” At six foot three, Tyler stood an inch shorter than him, which didn’t mean much. The weight though, that made up for the difference between the two men. Tyler was also about fifty pounds lighter with green eyes Bari swore weren’t home grown. The dark as night hair made his color stand out even more. There had been times out in the darkest part of the desert that he would have sworn they glowed to light the way. But now, Tyler’s gaze held nothing but understanding … and concern? More so, despite Tyler being shorter than he, suddenly Bari had the impression he was only two feet tall, swimming in a puddle of confusion.
Bari didn’t know how long they stood there, the sil
ence continuing as Tyler stared back. Not understanding a single thing Tyler said, he shook his head and crossed the room to stand in front of the window. Biting the inside of his cheek, he mused over what he knew and what he suspected Tyler was trying to tell him. Trees bent under the hard northeast winds outside, swaying back and forth. Pieces of trash tumbled across the parking lot. A woman darted after her hat as it flew through the air. Life went on outside, like normal, when here he felt anything but.
He registered Tyler’s eyes on him. People normally walked a wide berth around him and always avoided his gaze. Many referred to him as the human equivalent of a pit bull. Tyler’s eyes held a steady gaze, sent silent reassurance of patience. He didn’t understand what he felt inside, the other presence, actually grew anxious over becoming anything like his father. Bari clenched and released his fists under the onslaught of fear, then settled as Tyler set a hand on his shoulder. Immediately ease washed through him. Another feeling he didn’t understand, but he had given up long ago on trying to. Tyler exuded a calming effect on him; all the guys in his team did. He didn’t experience it with any others.
Bari’s eyes shuttered close. Well, except for Mackenzie.
As soon as that thought hit his head, a sense of urgency stole the moment from the air, his own body prickling with awareness. Something hadn’t been right for years and with the letter last week that dropped out of thin air, could this be the warning he needed?
“Tell me something, Tyler.” He stared out through the blinds, letting the sun wash over his sensitive skin. He tried to maintain an outward calm he did not feel. Something hovered on the horizon, about ready to pounce, wanting to take him under. “Who the fuck is coming?” He turned his head, and his gaze tracked over to Tyler’s SIG sitting just inside the front of his jeans. No one else would be able to see it. But he did. He saw a lot clearer than he had yesterday. “What the fuck is happening, Tyler?”
Tyler turned and studied Bari. He fought against an insane urge to run and get the hell away from it all.
“Something else is out there, a new kind of world older than humanity, a different kind of justice than any of the countries here on Earth. This justice is of another kind, a higher power, set in play in order to battle against evil. Level out that which is good and bad.”
Bari shook his head and stepped back, his hands lifting to his head. “Stop,” he rasped. The information, the knowledge rushed into him. He knew it. Christ, so damn naïve he’d been in thinking he could escape it.
Tyler didn’t stop though and continued.
“It’s always been tricky, a fine line, almost like walking along a precipice, balancing. Things on Earth have to stay level in order for life to continue as it is. When evil tips the scales, wars and famine break out, plagues shoot across the Earth faster than a blink of an eye. It’s been witnessed countless times in the past, each of the wars fought on Earth not being a result of governments fighting for control or even who was right or wrong. But rather because a Justice Demon, our kind,” Tyler paused and held his gaze, emphasizing the word, “also referred to as the Eurydice, had failed to execute their duties and failed mankind.”
Bari turned away and pressed his hands to his temples, a sound of anguish screaming up his throat. This couldn’t be happening.
“We’ve been set in place by the rulers of our kind. Justice Dealers have walked the Earth since the beginning of time, intermingling with humans and passing as human. Our lives are built on solitude, patience, and strength, a responsibility higher than anyone could imagine. If we fail, life would forever change on Earth and many would perish.”
Bari turned back to Tyler and leaned his weak body against the wall. He already recognized all this. Never heard it before, but it was almost like the words had been ingrained into his DNA. He didn’t want to admit to the truth, refused to accept it, but he couldn’t turn away. His ears strained to hear the next words.
“The responsibility has, in the past, become too much of a burden on a few of our kind, and when such burdens were unable to be fought, punishment came down, swift and harsh. Worse than death, more horrendous than the outcomes of such hesitation in our duties, the pain being more than any human could tolerate. What I’m saying, Bari, is if a Eurydice turns, accepts the evil he tries to fight every day of his life, then our death would make anything we’ve caused to go wrong on Earth seem like child’s play. From the worst sicknesses to the most vicious type of war, you can’t even begin to understand the responsibility we hold. Hell would be considered heaven for the justice brought down on one Eurydice who had lost control.”
Bari hit the back of his head against the wall, looked up to the ceiling and cursed his own existence, hated what he was to become.
“This is why I’m here, brother. You’ll be susceptible to the evil if not trained to fight against it. You know what’s happening, Bari. It is in your mind. Now you must accept it before it’s too late. Dig deep, and live.” Bari felt a presence slide into his head and brought his head down, his gaze snapping to Tyler’s in question.
“It’s a talent of our kind, a tool used to dispense and gather measures for justice. Seeking out other minds is much like taking a second breath. It’s difficult to take a trained demon’s mind, but with you barely coming into your own, it’s manageable. You need to be brought up to speed, Bari, and we need to get you there quickly. If there were time, I would have given it to you, but the clock is ticking down, and I need you to understand now. Time doesn’t exist for us.”
Images assailed Bari’s mind, the brunt of them causing pain to splinter against his skull.
“I didn’t give you permission, fucktard!” Bari’s fists pressed into his temples, his brain giving him the perception as if it were going to spew out from his ears. He cried out at the intrusion and switched his grip, setting his palms over his pounding skull. Vaguely he wondered just what kind of mind trip he was on now. However, he knew and felt Tyler in his head. Almost a physical touch, Bari could basically taste the “presence” of Tyler on his tongue. The invasion grated on his nerves, pushing anger hot and steady through his veins. This was all too rushed, coming at him too fast. He felt trapped, clawed at his invisible cage. He didn’t like his privacy invaded, always protected his thoughts, even when he couldn’t protect anything else. His eyes snapped up to Tyler’s, focused on the green gaze and began to center on the invisible line that held Tyler in his head. It was as if he could see the braid of information, a link full of colors his mind immediately recognized as his teammate, his friend for so long, a brother. None of it made any sense, yet at the same time, it did. He understood it, yet had a million questions, and all the while, desperately craved answers. He didn’t understand how he distinguished it, but recognized what Tyler was doing, how he was inside his head. He instinctively knew how to get inside of a head on his own, also how to push someone out.
Turing toward the window again, he dropped his hands by his sides and clenched them to resist the urge to lash out.
“Get out of my fucking head, Tyler.” A warning.
Bari tried to process all Tyler revealed to him, understood he was meant for something different. He turned when Tyler didn’t let up, still pushed images of their past at him. Men and women identified as Gods. Pristine rooms so large they seemed to fit entire colonies.
He stalked over to the bed. His breakfast left unattended, the eggs looking about as appetizing as day old grits. Dizziness pushed at Bari having Tyler poking around, still pushing information into his cranium. Grabbing the apple from the plate, he polished it on his pants before biting into it. Sweet juices flowed into his mouth. His mind stayed on track, pulled in the mounds of information Tyler shoved at him. He blinked quickly, trying to understand it all, and focused on breathing in and out, clinging to remaining calm.
“I’m supposed to protect the human race? If you don’t mind me saying so, asshat, I don’t think they need much protecting. Nor do I think they care with all the fucked up shit they seem to be doin
g across the entire planet.”
“Can you feel me?” Tyler sounded intrigued.
Bari ground his teeth together, his jaw snapping under the pressure, and sent Tyler a droll look. “Yes, I can feel you in my fucking head.” He didn’t want to try to explain why it seemed normal for Tyler to be there. “Get the fuck out, bro. This is the last warning. You got a question, you can ask me yourself. You want to tell me a secret, how about you open your mouth and speak.” Tossing down the apple, he let the discarded fruit fall into the trashcan and turned toward Tyler. He concentrated on his presence, got a grip on it, that invisible braid. He wanted his own privacy and wanted Tyler out of his head. He focused on the link in his mind and started to erect mental barriers, pushing him out. It could only be described as picturing the building of a brick wall. Sweat beaded at his brow under the onslaught of this new sense, and he ground his jaw together, closing his eyes to focus. “Tyler, you got three seconds to get out. I’m not fucking kidding, dawg.” He wouldn’t hurt him … not much.
The anger built deep inside Bari as he focused on the link and inhaled. His lungs filled, ribs swelled, and the pain of broken bones sang out in sharp stabs, adding to the fury. Pushing out the breath of air, he focused and also pushed mentally. The link snapped, the tightness of it surprising him and knocking him backwards a few steps. Tyler’s eyes widened in response; his mouth snapping open as surprise crossed over his features. The jolt of the severed connection caused both of their entire bodies to flinch. Bari’s temper didn’t calm. He was pissed his life had changed so much in the past days, pissed because none of this made a lick of sense, yet at the same time, it did. And that, that statement alone didn’t make much sense either. Congratulations, Bari! Tell him what he’s won now, folks! A trip to the mental hospital! In his world where shit had been regulated for so long, he was thrown off kilter and in a piss poor mood as a response.