by Kim Faulks
Reflex forced her hands out, gripping onto the hard muscles of his arms as she pulled him towards her with such force that it snatched the air from his body as he smashed into her.
"Make me bleed," she pleaded, sounding pathetic but not caring either way. Her need outweighed her sense of composure as she stared up into Hunter's eyes and allowed the fantasy to take hold.
"Sure baby, whatever you need," he said.
Her mind was unable to replace his voice with Hunter's, but it didn't matter for long as his hand clenched inside of her, lifting her off the ground. He was stronger than she had hoped, and the pain between her legs was enough to make her slam into that mountain again, fiercely climbing towards the peak. He withdrew his fingers, leaving her hot and fuming as he maneuvered his body between her legs, pulling his hand across his body and slapped her across the face.
The blow rocked her backwards and she stumbled as jarring pain shot into her head and neck. Samael drilled her with his gaze, his eyes wide and glassy, glittering back at her like jewels in the night.
She wiped her hand across her face, feeling bones and teeth broken inside her mouth and, through her curtain of hair, turned her gaze back to Hunter.
“I’m sorry…” he started to say, but he didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence before she flew towards him, knocking him to the ground. Dirt kicked up around her as the fantasy Hunter reacted, fighting at first until he was overpowered. He was no match for her, no matter how hard he fought and finally he stopped, staring up at her and panting with pure terror in his eyes.
“Don’t move,” she warned, her words garbled as the bones in her jaw knitted, painfully together. He lay underneath her, her thighs straddling his hips. His head lifted off the ground, as though he would make a run for it at any moment. She turned her head and spat on the ground, the white enamel of teeth hitting the dirt.
His leather vest lay open around him and she reached for his shirt, tearing the soft material under her hands until his chest lay bare. A soft, pathetic sound escaped his lips as she held his gaze, lowering her mouth until she reached his prickled flesh. She wanted to hurt him. Pain mixed with the desire to consume or be consumed was indisputable, her tongue trailing his nipple and her razor teeth lightly slicing the flesh in its wake. He was frozen, unable to move in fear or pleasure, but the combination was a powerful flood of pheromones and urgency as he swelled underneath her.
She licked the blood as it beaded, sucking deep and pulling Hunter into her mouth. His nipple hardened and he raised his hips off the ground, pumping into her as his hunger increased. Her hand reached behind her, sliding over his growing thickness as she ground her hips into his.
“Oh…” he whispered, throwing his head back onto the ground, pumping now with fervor as he too climbed to the peak. It was a pleasant surprise that he hadn’t screamed, or tried to run off. With the hunger that coursed through her veins and the pure need that drove her, she didn’t think he would get far.
Hunter’s image reached up, brushing the side of her face in an almost sensual gesture that caused her to pull away before he thrust his hip under her, grabbed her by the throat and flipped her over. His hand tightened around her throat as he fumbled with his jeans at the same time pushing hers lower. The cold night air reaching into places it shouldn’t as he splayed her legs wide.
His hand held her, forcing her harder into the ground as he pushed his hand between them, guiding his length into her. His hips thrust wildly, and with each brutal movement he tightened his grip, the air ceasing to fill her human form. She felt an almost undeniable urge to reach out to this image of Hunter, to wrap her arms around him and hold him tightly to her.
This momentary weakness was not lost on her, coupled with the illusion she maintained and the pounding between her thighs, she wondered would she ever be rid of Hunter. Her hands gripped him, pulling him harder into her, his arm crumpling under her force and she opened her mouth.
The illusion of Hunter understood what was happening, and even though she could smell the fear seep through his pores, he held her gaze, determined to stay alive, but willing to hand himself over to her for enjoyment.
"My chest, here," he said, placing his hand over his heart.
She licked her lips, her eyes reveling in the sight of his hard muscle. She would take her pound of flesh, and, with her teeth, would mark him. The implications of this pushed aside, as she rode her desire for Darrion Hunter.
She was still reeling from the human emotions that wanted to make her theirs. Writhing on the desert valley floor, she felt him shudder, nearing the top of his incredible peak as she raced to the top of hers. She was a demon and would always be a demon. With a fierce determination to flood her being with the essence of her home, she growled, opened her mouth and bit.
His screams stopped life across the desert valley floor, and for those glorious minutes they were all she heard. The tearing sound of his flesh and his shrieks of torment as her mouth filled with his blood and muscle brought her to insanity. She looked to where his flesh once was as lightening erupted from within her, emanating from between her thighs until she was a shuddering mess.
A hole, marked out by her razor sharp teeth, sat over his heart, she lifted her hand to poke her fingers deeper, marveling at the amount she had taken. Her fingers dipped in, pushing against the warm, bloody mass until it gave way and, underneath the thin membrane, the pulse of his life was felt. She had bitten right through to his heart.
She sliced the flesh of her palm with her teeth, rubbing his wound with her blood as his screams stopped. The pain died away slowly as his flesh puckered and filled instantly, the outline of her teeth still visible in the raw flesh. He would scar and heal, once marked by a demon he was damned for good. But, for him she didn’t think that would be a problem.
She rolled off him, laying spent in the midnight air, peaceful and serene, enjoying the blood and bits of flesh still amongst her teeth, while his whimpers and cries tapered until only silence filled the night. “Fuck me, woman." he groaned "That was some seriously fucked up shit. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was good and all, but damn…”
He rolled over, cradling against her body, and she turned away, wondering what the fuck was going on. Was he spooning her? The illusion of Hunter had faded until blue eyes stared back at her once again, blue eyes that didn’t shine quite as brightly now, blue eyes that watched her carefully.
Her clothes lay in a pile in the dirt and she rose quickly, moving away from his need of protection and comfort. Bending down she quickly slipped them back on. Her hand had been forced by Hunter and all the other humans who occupied this forsaken plane. There would be no stopping the actions of what would now happen. She was almost there, almost free of these humans once and for all. She was going home whole, and damned if she wouldn't take a few of these fucking humans with her.
“Baby…” he cooed, and that was it for her. She ran, leaving him looking at her with a longing she was never going to fill.
The sound of the gunning engine behind her was not what she wanted to hear, and she couldn't help but swear and cringe as it back-fired, shattering the moments stillness. Dogs everywhere started barking and humans rushed out of their front doors to witness what they thought would be a drive-by shooting. But no, it was just Xeno’s heap of shit van, one that he used for all of his dirty work, and it pulled up just ahead of her.
She slowed her pace to an almost painful crawl as the side door opened with a squeal of metal on metal and a voice growled at her from inside, "Get in."
"Tell Xeno not tonight."
The Mountain moved out of the van in jolting movements that resembled the Terminator, until he stood facing her. "No. No fucking way, K. If you got a problem, you sort it out with him. My orders are to bring you back and that's exactly what I'm gonna do."
Xeno was her 'go to guy' and he bought whatever she 'obtained', and passed it along, either by melting the gold or selling it to others in his circle of friends. Normally he
wouldn't be so pushy, but times were tough and to these guys she was just another thief, made to work double so they could get their hundred percent just like Gerry.
She stepped off the sidewalk and into the van. It would do no good to piss X off, especially now that her money sat in the bottom of a storm drain in the Northside and she needed more time to get it.
Tony, a.k.a. The Mountain, nodded, content that she understood what was happening here and was playing by the rules. He stepped in after her and slid the door closed behind them. She sat in silence while they drove to the old warehouse where Xeno waited for them, her mind racing trying to figure out a way to work an angle on this turn of events.
They drove the long way there, taking detours and tiny one-way streets to make sure that they weren't followed, eventually pulling up outside a warehouse.
It had started to rain while they drove to where Xeno waited, and by the time they stopped and she climbed out of the van it was pouring. Her dark brown hair stuck to her skin and she brushed it off her face as she walked into the warehouse behind X's driver, Reno.
Xeno was not what you would call your normal distributor. He was young, about twenty if she had to guess. Human years were difficult for her to estimate, but the degree of viciousness in a human she could measure easily enough. Xeno was not only cruel, but cold and calculating. Any other time she might have been interested to find out just how deep those cold veins ran inside him, but right now all she was interested in was getting her cut and getting back home. The rest of her problems, like X, she would deal with as she went along.
Xeno was one of those guys who made sure that everyone, including her, knew that he was in control. He sat hunched over a bright lamp, moving around and looking at stones under a microscope until he deemed that she had waited long enough to grace her with his attention. Lucky for him, she found this cute and waited patiently.
Finally, he turned around, leaned back in his chair and looked her up and down. "Well, look what just showed up."
She shrugged and stared back at him. "There's nothing like being kidnapped by the best and brightest in the middle of the night."
"What's that s'posed to mean?" Tony asked from behind her.
"Nothing, don't worry. This bitch is just trying to rile you up, is all," Xeno said, his eyes darkening and taking on that demonic look that made her all aflutter inside. He was what you would call a punk, young and good looking. Dressed in suits and ties and covered in gold that sparkled even brighter against his ebony skin. He was wearing her work, she noticed and lots of it.
"Ooo, you're such a charmer," she said and winked at him.
"Well, where is my gold?"
Now that the flirting was done, he wanted to get straight to the point. Any other time she may have gone along with the cat and mouse game of who was the alpha in the room, but she was in a cruel mood, so she couldn't help herself from answering back, "It's not your gold, Xeno, until I give it to you."
"When you bring your gold to me to sell it, any future gold automatically becomes mine. If you think that’s not the case, good luck trying to off-load it to anyone else."
He was right, she realized. She had made a deal with the devil for the second time in her life, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"You know, you concern me," he started, his gaze searching her body and her face. "You come here with no reputation, no names of those who will stand up for you. Nothing. Expecting me to let you in on a little slice of this game, and what do I get for it? Fucking attitude, that's what."
"This is getting boring, Xeno. Tell me what you want so I can leave. I'm in no mood to pander to your every whim."
"You will pander to whatever I tell you to. When I say jump, you say how high. That's how this works, and don't you forget it," he said, standing to look at her eye-to-eye. She noticed that humans had to measure themselves physically against their opponent, as though their gaze and their words did not carry enough strength alone, it wasn't a problem, usually.
"Fuck you," she said softly.
She watched his eyes turn dark and wild as he screamed, "No, fuck you!"
"Sure," she said, her eyes sparkling with her anger. "Ever been fucked by a demon?"
He stilled, his mouth hung open as he stared at her, until he burst out laughing. She waited, watching him while he grabbed his sides and laughed until he cried, then abruptly stopped and looked at her. "Demon, huh? Yes, well, get me my gold, demon, and we may just see how much of a demon in the bedroom you really are."
Yes, the gold was what was important, without the gold there was no animal shelter, but after ... yes, well that might be fun and she imagined how much Xeno would scream when she bit him. She smiled, showing him just a glint of what he would be getting - yeah, she knew what she was ... she was a flirt.
He paled under his chocolate brown skin until he looked almost white while his eyes focused on her mouth. "What the fuck, man..."
"Yeah, I know. Nice, huh? They're new."
The sound of his throat trying to swallow almost made her blush, but he forced his voice not to waiver as he spoke, this time getting to the point of their mid-night meeting, "The problem that you have, this cop ... I want him gone."
Even the mention of Hunter made a small piece of her cringe, while another wanted to lash out and draw blood. She looked to the floor, not wanting to scare Xeno any more than she had already done tonight, before she turned, and walked out of the warehouse, passing The Mountain as she went. Reno stood and made his way to the van to drive her back.
"Don't worry, Reno. It will be quicker if I run."
"What...?" He said, but she was gone before he finished and finally headed for home.
The door hung open slightly and she groaned, remembering she needed a new lock. She pushed it open and made her way inside, looking around. There was something different in her apartment, and she stopped and turned around staring at what sat on the floor. A pile of winter blankets and a shopping bag sat next to the mattress. She walked carefully over and picked it up. The plastic crunched under hand and she pulled it open. Inside there were packets of soup and tinned food, as well as a loaf of bread and jam.
Who placed this here, and why? She asked herself, looking around for some other trace of who had been in her apartment. Spying a slip of paper sitting on top of the blankets, she bent down and picked it up.
You look lost and I hope it was okay that I dropped these off for you, as it will soon be cold and you look like you could use a friend. Lucy 2C
Look lost ... could use a friend? What the ... She didn't know what to do. Should she go over and hand them back? A big part of her wanted to do just that, to go over and throw them back in her face ... this, Lucy in 2C. She wanted nothing to do with these humans. She grabbed the blankets, swiveled around and marched out of the room and along the hallway until she stood outside the yellow door. The number 2 hung limply to one side and the paint broke off in slabs that showed the numerous colors the door had been at one time or another.
She knocked on the door a little too harshly and heard someone yell out from down the hall. The door opened a little and between the crack and a set of wide brown eyes stared back at her behind thick rimmed glasses. The door closed and Kellah heard the rattle of a chain before it opened wider, and there stood Lucy from 2C.
She was skinny and the clothes she wore had seen better days, although the holes had been carefully sewn and patched. Kellah knew she should throw the blankets back in her face; this woman needed them more than she did, anyway.
"I see you found my letter, would you like to come in?" she asked as she stepped aside. Kellah could hear a hiss and a low pitched wail and she looked down, staring at a fat black cat that obviously didn’t care for the interruption. "That's Sooty, and she is all hiss and wind." she said chuckling to herself and Kellah bent down, holding out her hand. The cat looked at her before moving carefully towards her, rubbing her back along her hand, as the insistent cries of others echoed from inside the ap
artment. She looked up at Lucy. "I rescue strays in the neighborhood. Just don't tell anyone or I'll be kicked out, okay?"
The way Lucy looked at her, so sympathetic and caring, caused the walls to close in around her, suffocating her. She opened her mouth mumbling, "Thanks for the stuff," turned, and walked away.
The bang of the door slamming shut reverberated behind her. She wanted to slam the door shut to all of them, and for the first time in ten years she felt as though she was unraveling inside. She needed to get home with an almost desperate longing, and she turned on the shower taps, praying the scalding water would soothe her frail nerves.
Chapter 14
Darrion scrambled for his pants as he yelled at Stephanie, "Stay down!"
Gun fire, he thought at first as he pulled on his pants and made his way to the window. Pain shot through the sole of his foot and he cursed, knowing he was cut, deep by the feel of it. He pulled the curtain aside, looking out into the night. What the hell was happening here?
He could sense Stephanie move around behind him and he turned, walking toward the far wall and flicked on the light. She avoided his gaze, which stung at first, and then he realized he kind of expected it.
"Yeah, this is all a little too much for me. I'm sorry, Detective. It was fun ... at first."
"No," he said muttering as he walked a bloody trail towards her. "I'm sorry."
She dressed, not even bothering to zip up her skirt as she walked out. That was how much she wanted to be rid of him. Her parting remark was nothing sweet, like she had tasted only moments before, but straight to the point. "Lose my number, won't you?"
He nodded, but she was already gone, leaving him standing in the middle of a room amidst shattered glass and blood oozing out of the bottom of his foot. He waited for her car to start before searching for the object that came through his window and spied the rock under his dresser. He winced as he stepped forward, bending down to pick it up. It was large, too big to have been kicked up by a passing car, and as he turned it over his finger pushed into something soft. He looked down at the gum with his transmitter embedded in it. Feeling the blood drain away, ignite, then rush back to his face, he realized what had just happened. Kellah Slater had just paid him a visit.