“You’re going to help us?”
Scor looked ahead of him. His eyes got glassy a moment as though just realizing what it would mean. He nodded his head slowly.
“You tell anyone this, I’ll kill you.” There was a pause as though he reconsidered confiding. He scowled, exhaled through his nostrils, and spoke. “I’m glad Figaru caught me. I was an animal before. When I saw all the other Reevers die, I was ready to die too. He didn’t kill me. He picked me out of all the other monsters. One monster with a second chance. All my kin were dead. I didn’t have to prove myself to anyone anymore. It was over.
“When he first came to fuck me I thought I had to fight. It was all I knew. He said, ‘Be still. I won’t hurt you,’ just the way Figaru says everything. Be still? Don’t fight? What fucking world was this? ‘I won’t hurt you.’ All there was in life was pain. I thought, ‘What if I do it? What if I don’t fight?’”
Scor paused to wet his top lip with his tongue. Jinady focused on keeping still in the dim room. Scor wasn’t looking at him. He tried to help Scor imagine he wasn’t there.
“He was gentle. I didn’t even know that word back then. I was still full of Reever anger, sure, but I was ready to let it go. I wanted something different.”
Silence followed this. Jinady became aware of the sound of the rain outside. He concentrated.
“Figaru told me what happened when he beat you,” Jinady said. “He…he really regretted it. I saw tears on his face.”
Scor moved his eyes toward Jinady but didn’t turn his head. “I don’t need anymore selling. I’m on your side.” He took a deep breath. “Rowan wants to kill most of the demons and humans here. He’s going to enslave the rest. I thought he just wanted revenge on Figaru. He’s got a grudge against fucking everyone. Leatha was supposed to be his best friend. You don’t want to know what he’s got planned for her.”
Jinady tore skin off the side of his thumbnail. He was angry and scared, then angry for being scared. The last of his sympathy for Rowan was gone.
“I told his mother, that succubus with the wings. She said they all deserved it.”
“Did you see Galla?”
“See her? I must have fucked her for ten hours. But yeah, I went to her first after Rowan finished ranting. She’s a moron. She just brought me to Swan.”
“Take off that shard and talk to Figaru.”
“Nope. He’ll kill me the second he sees me.”
“I doubt it, but I can’t talk to him for you. I have the residue still.”
“I had to come to you. He might be watching.”
Jinady bit his bottom lip. “Where is he?”
“Far enough away to where Figaru can’t sense him. Close enough to attack when the sun rises.”
For a while neither spoke. Jinady contemplated what to do next. He saw Scor’s eyes widen.
“Fuck. Scratch that. He’s coming fast.”
“What?”
Scor grabbed Jinady by the arm and yanked down his pants. He screamed and then kicked with both legs.
“Yeah, moron. I’m going to rape you. Fight me.” Scor ripped open his shirt. He threw him back on the bed and climbed on top of him.
Jinady shrieked. Then the words registered. “What are you—this is pretend?”
“Shut up!” He pulled out his cock and pushed back Jinady’s knees so they were against his stomach.
Jinady’s pants had come off one leg. He was exposed from the waist down. His torn shirt revealed one nipple. His mind raced. He didn’t trust Scor. This was a real rape to him.
“No!”
Scor spit on his cock, lifted Jinady’s ass, and placed his stiffening member underneath him. He started hard convincing thrusting. His cock rubbed painfully hard against his tailbone. The door flew open.
“Figaru!” Jinady was in tears now.
“Not quite,” Rowan said. A pillow blocked his side view of the scene.
Scor continued his furious mock intercourse. “How about some privacy? I want to savor this.”
“Bring him to that open range area in an hour. Just like that. Ripped shirt and flaccid little dick showing.”
Scor stopped thrusting. “An hour? Yeah, sure.”
Rowan made a wicked smile. The rain had thinned to intermittent drops behind him. He turned to go. “Thanks for delivering that message for me, Jinady. You and Figaru will be together real soon. You know, in the afterlife.” He left and closed the door.
Jinady kept fixed on where he’d stood. “No.”
Scor covered his mouth with his hand. Jinady looked at him. The demon’s yellow eyes were on the door. He started to hump the space between his back and the bed again.
“Hear that you little bitch? You’re as good as dead. You might as well enjoy this. Maybe if you come for me I’ll keep you alive. Come on. Stroke it. Uhn! I said stroke it you little whore!”
Jinady trembled with tears through the charade. Rowan must have still been watching. He could hear hoof beats growing distant when Scor stopped thrusting.
Scor rolled off him and stuffed himself back into his pants. “I realize this ain’t the time, kid, but it took a whole lot of will not to stick it in you for real.”
Jinady covered himself with remains of his shirt. He snuffled. “Why is he so sure of himself?”
“Because he can do it. He’s got the power now. Figaru’s in trouble.”
“If you save Figaru’s life, you can go ahead. Go ahead—and do it.”
Scor eyed him and half-smiled. “I already told you I didn’t need anymore selling.”
Jinady stared at him with welling tears. It made Scor turn away. He scowled.
“I’ll be lucky if I can just keep you alive.”
Chapter 22
A misty dawn ended the last trace of rain. Rowan stood in the large circle of bare earth that had been used as an archery range. His hooves were planted wide and his fists were clenched.
“I can sense you, Figaru!” he yelled. “Must be you,” he said to himself, and then, “I’ll start killing people one by one til you face me!”
There were no soldiers about. Rowan scanned the line of cabins for movement. He heard his hoof beats before he saw him. Figaru emerged in is customary attire except his sword and dagger were no longer on his hip. He took slow steps toward Rowan while fixed on him. Rowan kept locked with his gaze. When he stood mere feet away Rowan noted he was still smaller than his father.
“Where’s your sword?”
“I’m not going to fight you, Rowan.”
“I’m alright with that. I could do it either way. You bumbling around trying to fight me, but just getting whupped to death, or me killing you slow and painful.” Rowan folded his arms. “Either way, I want everyone to see it. Get them out here.”
“The camp has been evacuated.”
Rowan clenched his teeth. “No. It’s going to happen like I want.”
“Consider this a rehearsal then.”
He made an incredulous sneer.
Figaru continued in his steady dulcet tone. “What are you going to do here, Rowan? Tell me.”
Rowan wet his lips with his tongue and smiled with narrow eyes. “Alright. First part will make you happy. I’m going to let everyone know you’re my pa.” His gaze moved off Figaru. He behaved as though he were addressing an invisible crowd. “That’s right. I’m his son. Guess he wasn’t always faithful to his wife after all, huh? He knew I was his kid when he took me in his house, when he wooed me. This is your great noble Figaru. He’s sick. He tortured me. Then Scor—you all saw how he beat him after he saved two men’s lives. This demon right here.” He pointed. “Your king is a monster!”
“You’re killing me for the sake of justice?”
Rowan scowled at him. “That’s about right.”
“Then you’ll rule in my stead? As the noble leader they were deprived of in me?”
His scowl turned into a vindictive smile. “Oh no, pa. I ain’t about to do what you always wanted me to. I’m tearing down
everything you built.”
Figaru looked downward. His anguish spurred Rowan on.
“First one to die will be Leatha. I’m going to feed her eyes, guts, and cock to her birds, then I’ll get the tanner to stretch her skin into leather for book binding.”
Figaru spoke without looking at him. “You would be so despicable?”
Rowan laughed. “Oh, pa. Leatha’s getting off easy. I’m going to castrate Van while Scor rapes him. After he’s done fucking him I’ll nail his chest to a tree and let Scor pull his legs off in his beast form. If he’s still alive after that I’ll just leave him on the tree to rot.
“Everyone who went to school with me gets eaten by beast Scor, except Manny and Doun. I’m going to put them on stakes, big sharp wooden ones right up their asses and out through their mouths.”
“I’ve heard enough.”
“Don’t you want to know what I got planned for you?”
Scor emerged pulling Jinady along with a hand in his armpit. He wore only the scraps of his long shirt. He clung to the shreds to conceal his nudity. His face was flushed from crying.
Figaru turned away from Rowan to look at them. His face contorted with distress. “Jin…nady…” He collapsed to his knees and then caught himself with one arm on the ground.
“No! Figaru!”
Scor tossed his shard amulet to Rowan. “Have a snack.”
The light from the amulet extinguished when Rowan caught it. Figaru lifted his head slightly.
“Give me Jinady.”
Scor held on to him. “Don’t kill him, babe. He was so tight. Figaru must have never had a chance to fuck him.”
Figaru tried to look at Jinady. The embers in his chest made him strain. Rowan lunged for him. Figaru leapt between them, but Rowan caught Jinady’s wrist making him scream. The remaining glow in his chest died at once. Scor jerked Jinady back by the arm. Then thrust him behind him and released his grip on his arm. Figaru looked at Scor from where he crashed to the ground.
“Are you protecting Jinady, Scor?” Rowan said.
Scor’s voice became sweet and desperate. “Can’t I have him, baby? Just till he stops crying for me?”
Figaru rose to his feet. He stood between Scor and Rowan. He was within arm’s reach of his son.
“I’m killing him now, and Figaru gets to watch. He already knows you raped him.”
“Won’t it hurt worse for him to know I’m going to keep raping him? That his pretty little lover boy is going to be my sex slave?”
Kill him, Rowan,” Figaru said.
Rowan glowered at him.
“He doesn’t deserve to suffer.”
Rowan kept fixed to his gaze. Without any change to his expression he said, “Fine, pa. Guess that’s the least I can do for you.”
“Fuck,” Scor said.
Figaru closed his eyes.
Rowan took a step towards Jinady while staying fixed on Figaru. The larger demon didn’t move. “Hmph. Either you’re calling my bluff, or you really want me to kill him.”
Figaru looked at him with a furrowed brow.
“He’s all yours, Scor. Take him into the middle town and get everyone…”
“Don’t jolt,” Vandrel whispered into Jinady’s ear.
Jinady’s eyes widened. He stood against Scor’s back though Scor no longer clutched his arm.
“I’m invisible, and they can’t sense me.”
“Scor didn’t rape me,” Jinady whispered toward the voice. “He’s on our side.”
“That’s what I thought.” This was whispered quickly and the last word started to grow distant.
Jinady heard nothing more. He saw Scor’s head move slightly toward the side Vandrel had been on.
“…and fetch Leatha from the school too.” Rowan concluded his orders to Scor.
“Is that how you imagined it?” Figaru said. “The soldiers will scatter the settlers in all directions if you go into town. They won’t assemble for you. Leatha couldn’t even if she wished to. Vandrel put a sleeping spell on her.”
Rowan swung his arm while flaring his clenched teeth, but did not connect with Figaru’s ribs. The larger demon lurched back out of reach. He dove as Rowan shot white hot energy from his palm. This time his shoulder was caught. He tumbled to the ground gripping it. Rowan sped toward him.
“Run,” Scor said to Jinady.
Jinady’s face contorted in a moment of hesitation. He headed for the nearest trees.
Figaru rolled out of the way of Rowan’s next blast.
“Yeah fight. We’ll take it all over the town. That will bring them out.” His next missed shot boomed and made a smoking crater. “You know, if you keep dodging I’ll just start killing the humans one by one til you stay still.”
Figaru knelt in the dirt clutching his cauterized shoulder. He braced for the next bolt three yards from Rowan.
Rowan stood with his legs planted broadly and one arm poised to strike. “You’re not even fighting back. You’re just running.”
“It won’t be a fight,” Figaru said, and then, “There are some things I want to say.”
Rowan sneered at him and lowered his arm.
“I loved you as a son, even if I never knew you.” He knelt on one knee and then lifted himself to his feet. “I wanted to know you. I needed you. You were what had been missing from my heart: A life, and a connection. I was in anguish when I found you because of all I’d missed. All I’d deprived you of. You can never understand how much it hurt me, Rowan.”
“You’re scared,” Rowan said. A slow smile appeared on his face.
Figaru walked toward him.
“I thought I had been a victim in all this. All my sins were committed through ignorance or with good intentions. But I am responsible—I was careless after I’d found you. I should have done better for you after a lifetime of not being there.”
Rowan no longer smiled. He glared at him without sympathy. He stood still as Figaru neared. His father rested a hand on his shoulder.
There were tears in his eyes. “Forgive me.”
His hand slid around Rowan’s back. He brought his other arm up behind him, and then pulled Rowan against him in a tight embrace.
Rowan’s arms slowly rose. He closed them around Figaru. They stood holding one another as Figaru wept.
Rowan gave a sigh of bliss. He rested his head on his father’s shoulder.
“This doesn’t change anything, pa.”
Figaru swallowed. He took a deep breath while still clinging to Rowan. His arms opened. As he stepped back he clutched the remains of the blood chain and yanked.
The howl of pain Rowan gave made the ground shudder. The chain tore up more hidden links under his skin leading toward his heart. It was like vine roots being pulled up from the ground. Blood sprayed through his torn shirt.
A blinding glow of energy burst from Rowan into Figaru sending his fiery body hurdling back. His crash to the ground caused a shockwave of energy that knocked Jinady off his feet from where he watched in the trees. He scrambled back up. There was a ring of fire around the crater Figaru’s body made. He couldn’t see him. He covered his mouth. Tears ran down his face.
Rowan reached for the bloody chain that was now twelve links long dangling from his breast. His hand trembled. It felt like Figaru had tried to pull out his soul.
Of course…of course…Figaru had some trick planned. He placed a trembling hand over the wound.
Colored tendrils flew toward Rowan from an invisible source. His instinct was to start blasting, but the magic bound his arms around his middle. Each blast was absorbed into swirling colored mist.
Vandrel appeared beside him. He was kneeling with his hands extended toward the magic bindings. Beads of sweat formed on his red-skinned face.
“Grahh!” He struggled in vain. “Scor!”
Scor came around from behind him. “Right here.” He grabbed the chain on his breast and yanked.
“Aaaiieeee!” Rowan collapsed to his knees. One more link had been pulled
free from his flesh.
Vandrel kept focused. He sounded as though he were in pain. “Hurry.”
Scor pulled with both hands. Rowan cried out again. This time nothing budged.
“Ah, fuck!”
“I’m going to…lose it,” Vandrel said.
Rowan was in tears. “I wasn’t going to kill you, Scor. You were…you were the only one. I trusted you.”
Scor grit his teeth. He yanked again with all his strength. Rowan’s scream was interrupted by gurgling blood. It ran down his chin in a stream.
The chain had not moved.
“Scor, please!” Vandrel was drenched in sweat. His entire body trembled.
“I love you,” Rowan said.
Scor met his eyes. “I love you, too, babe.”
He renewed his grip on the chain. The flesh on his palms were shredded. Blood dripped onto Rowan’s lap. Scor braced himself for a final pull.
Figaru’s hand went on top of Scor’s. Scor looked at the demon who had crept next to him. His throat and torso were grotesquely wounded. His other hand came around Scor’s. The touch was light, but Scor could feel the chain moving. He closed his eyes and yanked.
Several things happened at once. The chain uprooted Rowan’s heart from his chest. Scor and Figaru fell backwards in a cascade of gore. Vandrel collapsed. His magic dissolved from around Rowan, and once it no longer held him, Rowan dropped.
Scor was the first to move. The heart on the chain was still beating. He ripped it apart with a swipe of his claw. Then he went to Rowan.
There was a gigantic cavity in his lover’s chest and a pool of blood in his open mouth. The life was gone from his eyes. Scor swallowed back the pain that swelled inside him. He closed Rowan’s eyelids.
Jinady ran to Figaru’s side. He knelt and looked down at him quaking with tears. “No. No.”
The flesh from his throat to his navel had been seared off. Jinady couldn’t force himself to look at Figaru’s middle. He saw the white of a rib from the corner of his eye and shrieked.
Incubus Master: Complete (Yaoi) Page 18