Chapter Four
Arctic wind whipped through the barren, bleak landscape. The swirling snow-filled gusts tore at tender living flesh, the cold stripping bone achingly bare. The howls and screams of tortured and tormented souls echoed in a haunting melody of agony.
The scent of noxious brimstone, warm blood and charred flesh laced the air. A mouthwatering demonic delicacy.
But darkness didn’t cover the void, leaving pitiful, bared souls stumbling, blind. Instead harsh, bright, unending white light revealed the most depraved sins and desecrations to all. No imperfection, no torture, could hide in the blazing light.
Bodies writhed and trembled along the ground, pleading for mercy, unheard and ignored. Crimson splashes broke the unending blue-white of snow and ice.
In the midst of this wasteland the demon lord Mograith smiled from his icy throne. His naked blue flesh flowed into his surroundings, camouflaging him from any would-be prey. Only the deep purple of his long hair and the piercing red of his eyes stood out from the colors surrounding him, alerting others to his appearance.
But now he didn’t seek prey for his dark pleasures. He sat contemplating his next great feat as he enjoyed the depraved and artistic work of others. He chuckled as one of his lesser minions thrust a woman to her stomach.
Mograith reached down to pump his throbbing, engorged cock as his minion began tormenting its victim. Her screams sent shivers of fervent delight through Mograith. His only regret was that all he had were these few miserable wretches for his entertainment. He lived for the times the barrier fell, if only for a few fleeting moments. So much could be done in mere seconds. All the innocent lives he could destroy. All the new, pure flesh to corrupt, to lead to his domain. All the stark terror to relish.
Finally his minion grew bored with its victim, leaving her lying on the ground. Her pitiful whimpers triggered Mograith’s own massive climax. His seed sprayed into the air, a sparkling silver fountain of frigid pain. Droplets splattered a few choice victims below.
Then a small current of fresh, warm air caressed his cheek. A soft, comforting beam of sunny light shone down on his throne. Mograith squinted, his face tightening in alarm. Too early. It was too early to be the end of his rule and the beginning of the new order. Too early to lose his position.
But the light wasn’t a sign from a higher, forgiving and fatherly power, looking to give the tormented a second chance. No, it was something much better. Something delicious. Something to be savored. Something Mograith hadn’t seen in his level of hell in over a millennium.
A tiny pinprick sparkled in the sky, a miniscule rip in the fabric standing barrier between dimensions. Negative energy building up on the other side had managed to punch through. As more energy gathered the tear would grow, allowing Mograith and his followers entrance, a moment to roam free and destroy.
As long as the blasted Three didn’t get in his way.
Mograith clapped his hands. A tiny creature appeared, floating and fluttering before him.
“Go forth. Take a human host. Break the bonds of the Three. They cannot be allowed to close the rift.”
The tiny, gnarled figure gave a precisely executed bow. Turning, it zipped through the minute tear. Once in the mortal world it would seek out a vulnerable human, cast out its soul and take control. In that guise it would beguile and torment those who sought to keep balance in the other realm.
Soon Mograith would have his fondest wish. A bridge into the human world.
* * * * *
Tim tossed his keys on the table as he walked in the welcoming apartment. The lights were low, soothing jazz played in the background. Tim’s mouth watered at the smell of tomatoes, melted cheese and garlic. Julian knew how to take advantage of all his weaknesses. Nothing could be better after a night of work than dinner, wine, slow music and a warm loving body waiting to take him.
A place to call home.
During their first year together Tim had held his breath, waiting for the moment Julian tired of him, kicked him out. He ate voraciously, even sneaking food into his battered laundry bag, thinking each meal would be his last. But time passed and Julian still loved him. One day, without Julian’s prompting, he threw out his tattered bag. Tim’s own love grew from self-interest, to caring, to true love. Julian had brought him a long way from the jaded, self-hating rent boy who trolled the streets for a quick, easy mark. Even after all this time, Tim couldn’t believe his luck.
So what if he had to risk his life to save the world from impending darkness? It was worth it. Anything was better than his early, bleak years. Years spent never knowing where he’d be sleeping. Years of trading sex for three squares and the slightest chance of keeping a roof over his head long enough to catch some secure, uninterrupted sleep.
Julian never looked down on him, never thought less of him for what he’d done to survive. Never thought to judge him, even subconsciously.
Julian loved him, pure and simple. He surrounded Tim with feelings of caring, security and peace. Never doubt or disgust.
And now Tim had a chance to bring her into his life as well. An earthy angel with a silver-blonde bob and scarlet lips. A woman with the body of a Forties pin-up girl and the sexual responsiveness of a modern-day porn star. Her heat called to him on a level only reached before by Julian. Another human being Tim could come to love and could love him in return. He didn’t remember as much as Julian did about his past lives, but he remembered the feel of her emotions washing over and surrounding him like a warm cocoon.
At least the whole world-saving gig came with fringe benefits.
Tim walked down the darkened hall to stand in the kitchen doorway, watching Julian putter around the stove. The man took his breath away. Tall with black hair kept short everywhere but on top, well-muscled and tanned, Julian’s early military training surrounded him with an aura of strength and safety. Anyone he put under his protection would stay secure, no question. Even now, years after his discharge into civilian life, he reeked of hero.
Tim never thought he’d be the type to let himself be swept up by a white knight. He wasn’t a complete twinkie. But when this independently wealthy private eye-security specialist came along, Tim found himself living out Julia Roberts’ dream. This hooker made good and he never wanted to look back.
Sensing his presence, Julian looked up from a bubbling pot of marinara sauce. Dark circles framed his weary brown eyes but he gave a welcoming smile. The dreams rode him hard but he refused to show his anxiety to Tim. Tim didn’t know if he liked the fact that Julian wanted to shield him from worry or if it pissed him off. Either way, after tonight one hurdle would be over. Who knew how many more were to come?
“Hey, you’re home late. I was beginning to worry you’d met some cute young thing and got a piece of ass without me,” Julian teased as he put down his wooden spoon and stepped away from the stove.
Tim smirked at the half playful comment. Julian wasn’t typically insecure and didn’t give him a hard time about his job. But it didn’t stop him from needing the occasional ego stroking and reassurance from his lover. Normally Tim would take it as an invitation to stroke more than just Julian’s ego, liking to give physical proof of his commitment. But at the moment all Tim could picture was her sitting under him, arching into his body, fucking him with her clothes on. “Not exactly. But not that far off either.”
Julian put his hands on his hips, giving him a mock glare. “What do you mean, not far off?” he growled, eyes narrowing and glittering dangerously. “I was joking, and you’d better be too.”
Tim grinned at the possessive note in Julian’s voice. He reached into a jar of black olives sitting open on the counter, plopping one in his mouth. He let it roll over his tongue a few times before starting to chew.
Julian kept watching him, one eyebrow cocked and lips pursed. Finally Tim reached into his back pocket and tossed him a small, carefully folded piece of paper.
Julian didn’t say anything at first, just spread out the paper and rea
d. He looked back up, brow wrinkled in confusion. “What’s this? Lisa Harrington and what looks like a credit card number? Someone you know involved in credit fraud?”
Tim shrugged, struggling not to grin and to keep his voice soft and even. “I just wanted to give you what I could find from her bar tab. Figured it’d be enough for you to track her down.”
“And I’d track her down why? She in trouble?” Julian asked, starting to crumble the paper in his fist.
“She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Tim answered, letting awe and wonder fill his voice. “She keeps that shiny silver hair of hers short now, so it swings just above her delicate shoulders. Her blue eyes look straight into your soul, deep and piercing. Almost makes you miss that pouting mouth, with lush lips a man can’t help but imagine wrapped around and sucking his cock. And her sweetly rounded body was made to be ridden long and hard, throughout the night. Sound familiar?”
Julian’s face paled as he stared down at the name, the paper rattling in his shaking grasp. “You saw her. You actually saw her,” he whispered as hope and fear clashed in his eyes and his mouth thinned. “Are you certain it was her?”
Tim couldn’t resist cupping Julian’s chin in a firm grip. He swooped down on Julian’s mouth, his tongue flicking out to wipe away the strain before plunging in for a taste. A glow filled him as he pulled back and looked at the dazed expression in his lover’s eyes.
“I don’t remember all the things you do but I knew her the second I set eyes on her.” Tim stopped, still clutching Julian’s face and willing him to listen to every word, to understand how deeply the meeting had shaken him. “It was like the first moment I saw you. Complete, heart-rending déjà vu. Even before I got near her I knew the little whimpering sounds she’d make, how hard to caress her and what places to touch to get the best reaction. It’s her, no question.”
“Lisa Harrington,” Julian said, letting the innocent-sounding name roll across his tongue. “She came to the club?”
Tim stepped back and hopped up to sit on the cool black marble counter as he snagged another olive, tossing it in his mouth. He licked each finger before answering. “She was with a group of girlfriends. I got her alone for one dance. Then she avoided me like the plague. I’m not sure how much, if anything, she remembers.”
Julian carefully smoothed out the crumpled paper, his fingers lingering reverently on the loops of her name as though he wanted to absorb the ink through his fingertips. “I’ll run this info through the ‘Net,” he murmured, eyes still staring off into space and into the twisting ribbons of possible futures. “It shouldn’t take me long to find her. Then we need to plan how to approach her. Time’s short and we’ve got a lot to make up for. Gaining her trust won’t be easy. Never easy.”
“We can’t let her get away,” Tim replied, his heart growing tight in his chest and threatening to crawl out his throat. He didn’t remember everything that happened. Julian had had to tell him about their pasts, like a story involving other people. Nothing he could relate to or remember. But he felt the scar of their failure hard and deep in his soul. “Seducing her won’t be enough. We’re going to have to bind her to us if we want the ritual to work. Tie her heart and soul to ours.”
Julian nodded, still staring down at the innocent, wrinkled paper. “You’ll go first. She relates better to you. You can read her, use your powers to your advantage.”
“No, Julian,” Tim was quick to disagree. That felt wrong. “It needs to be you. She likes me. We fit together, quickly. I could tell that much from meeting her again. No memories needed. You have to approach her, connect with her. You’re the one who needs time to build a relationship. This one’s up to you, lover.”
Julian didn’t look surprised with Tim’s observation. But he didn’t look happy or convinced either. His lips almost disappeared in his grimace and his brow furrowed, giving him an endearingly lost look. A needy look Tim knew Julian would hate if he knew showed so clearly, even to his lover. “You think so?”
“I feel so.”
Tim watched as Julian’s face hardened with resolve. He knew what lay in his lover’s battered heart. Julian’s fear and desperation. The desire and despair. The excitement and guilt. Finding Lisa opened new doors for both of them, created hope out of bleak depression. At the same time it brought back memories of defeat. Of lost trust and betrayal.
“Did it seem like she remembered you?” Julian whispered, turning his back on Tim and gripping the edge of the counter. Avoidance and distraction couldn’t take away from the raw desperation filling his voice.
Tim wanted to reassure Julian, to give him something to hold on to, some little hint of how Lisa felt. But he didn’t know what to say. He could read her emotions with more ease than he could a complete stranger. But that didn’t tell him what caused those emotions, where they were formed. “I’m not sure,” he replied, settling on honesty, not allowing false hope even to comfort the love of his life. “Maybe she does, or maybe not. She acted like something clicked, a connection between us, but I don’t think it was conscious. A part of her might feel something familiar but I doubt she understands what it is or where it comes from.”
Julian sat the paper on the counter before turning back to the stove. He grabbed the wooden spoon and stirred his sauce again. Tim felt him struggling to contain his emotions, to not let them get out of his control. “So we’ll approach her with caution,” he said in a deceptively steady voice. “Take things as slow as we dare.”
Tim lifted an eyebrow. That wasn’t the way he would’ve thought they’d meet her the first time. “We?”
Julian nodded, turning from his sauce to the boiling pot of rolling noodles. He grabbed the pot by its heat-resistant handles, carried it to the sink and poured the steaming contents in a waiting colander. He didn’t reply until the large pot sat empty and cool on the counter. “We need to approach her together, not separately. She’s already met you. If I start showing interest in her alone then bring you into the picture, she’ll have every reason to mistrust the situation.”
Yeah, I’d love to date you. By the way, have you met my gay lover? Tim almost laughed at her imagined response to that. “I guess we don’t want to start there.”
“No,” Julian answered with a grimace.
Tim gave a supportive smile and tried to break the tension. He leaned forward, giving his best come-hither smile. “As long as you’ve got a reason. Here I thought you wanted me to hold your hand.”
Julian let a bit of the devil Tim fell in love with shine out of his dark, savage eyes. He stepped away from the sink and between Tim’s legs. He put a hand on the counter at either side of Tim’s hips and leaned forward, pushing their pelvises together, letting him feel the wood he already sported. “If you’re holding anything of mine, it’s not gonna be my hand,” he whispered against Tim’s lips.
Tim wrapped his arms around his lover, enjoying the feel of the other man’s hard, warm body against his own. “Hey now, can’t a guy have a few minutes after work to rest and recoup before being jumped?”
A wet tongue swiped at Tim’s neck before Julian’s deep voice rumbled in his ear. “A few minutes, I guess. Just be ready for the jumping as soon as dinner’s over. I’m needing some support.”
“Support, my ass.” Tim stopped at his own words, grinning. He cocked his head, glancing coyly from under lowered lids. “But I guess that’s right. It is my ass you’re wanting for support.”
Julian shrugged as he stepped back, a half-smile curling his wicked lips. “Well, it’s such a nice, curvaceous ass. What do you expect?”
The two men continued their sexual banter, never noticing the smoky scent filling the air or the strange shadow crouching nearby, watching their every move.
The Three are not joined. The two males doubt the Third’s commitment. Lord Mograith will be pleased.
Chapter Five
One hundred and nine degrees in the shade and rising. Hazy waves danced out of the concrete and asphalt. A furna
ce-dry breeze whipped through her hair. Swarms of people milled about, pointing at every little distraction, mobile driving hazards. A never-ending cacophony of chatter, screaming, pyrotechnics, splashing water, music and traffic blared around her. Las Vegas was a madhouse, pure sin-filled bedlam. And Lisa couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world, even when stuck dealing with big-city, petty nastiness.
She slipped into her personal parking space, her hands trembling on the wheel. She sat for a moment, jaws clenched and eyes narrowed, staring into space. She finally closed her eyes and took several long, deep breaths, taking in the comforting smell of warm leather. Normally that would be enough to ease her tension, even after the worst traffic snafu. But not today. When she finally stepped out she slammed the door of her precious violated baby. The sound of the metallic crash echoed from building to building, a testament to her frustration.
She couldn’t believe someone could defile her cherry red ROUSH Mustang, her one extravagance.
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