by Kim Faulks
The beggar threw the snake to the ground. Creed lost sight of her, slithering between heavy boots and dainty heels. An inhuman howl of rage and pain ripped from the demon, shaking the windows, making the steel around them hum. The demon wrenched back its fist. It screamed and punched Creed in his chest, piercing his flesh and bones, melding opposites like oil and water.
The disease of The Corrupt overwhelmed Creed. The poison from its claws ripped through his spirit, severing his connection to Ares.
Pain wracked his body. Creed felt his grip weaken and fall away as the demon shoved its essence deeper into his chest. He screamed as the darkness whispered his name. His first true name…a name he hadn’t heard for so long he'd forgotten who that boy was…William…Come to me, William.
Creed’s skin burned in his god’s name. The glyph was his coven's name laid over the name of his god. The circles and arrows flowed into one another, no line was broken. The mark on his skin reminded him of who he was, and reminded him of why he was fighting. He fought for freedom.
He focused on his hand, feeling the blade he imagined in his grip as though it were real, forcing his power around his palm until the hilt felt solid. He whipped his hand through the air, cutting across the Corrupt's chest. Although no blade was seen, the beggar’s chest sliced open. And with that act, the deafening sound of screaming horses returned and his god filled him, expelling The Corrupt like a disease.
Creed wrenched the beggar close and growled.“You tell your mistress to come and find me. I’ll be waiting.”
His power surged and the air inside the train crackled like a thunderstorm. Creed shoved that power inside The Corrupt, giving him a taste of his own medicine. The beggar’s eyes widened, until there was nothing but black orbs, and in one long hiss, the demon dissolved and disappeared, leaving Creed clutching nothing but air.
CHAPTER THREE
At first, Helaine thought the scuffling sound at her back was her imagination. The footsteps behind dogged her every step of the way. They were fast and getting faster by the second.
She lengthened her stride, trying to put distance between them until her thighs burned. The sound of her heels sped her heart and her steps quickened in turn, one beat competing with the other. Why was no one around when she needed them? She searched for someone to help her, but the city streets were quiet, too quiet. Something scampered over the garbage cans as she turned the corner. She held back a scream and skirted the brick wall of the alley.
Helaine held her breath, trying to listen for the footsteps over the thrashing beat of her heart. Her apartment was still four blocks away…four blocks. I’m not going to make it.
She tried to think of somewhere she could hide. Somewhere she could get help. The darkened shops were barricaded with metal screens. Only an all-night Laundromat was alight—a dead end. She’d be cornered. Helaine hurried past.
She should’ve called a cab or stayed at home. Hindsight reared to slap her in the face. The one night she couldn’t stand to look at same four walls any longer had to end like this.
Maybe it’s Claire? Maybe she finished work earlier and decided to come out after all? Helaine reached into her bag and stabbed the screen of her phone. The screen lit up, the words misspelled as she quickly typed out a message. Wherw arr you?
The footsteps behind her sounded closer. The bleating tone of an incoming message rang out in the night. Please, please let it be her. Helaine’s phone lit up. Still at work. She closed the message, and with a sinking stomach, dialed triple zero.
“Emergency services, do you require fire, police, or ambulance?”
“I need the police. I think someone is following me.”
“I’m sorry. Did you say someone’s following you?”
Footsteps echoed behind her. She turned and caught a glimpse of something in the shadows…someone.“Yes, hurry.”
“Please stay on the line. I’ll put you through to police communications.”
The steps sounded louder. The sound echoed as though they were right behind her. Maybe they’re not after me at all?
Then why don’t they call out? Why don’t they stop, or slow down? Because, whoever it is, is herding me like a damn cow, waiting to corner me in this alley. The toe of her boot caught the pavement. She tried to stop herself from falling, but there was nothing to grab. Helaine sprawled forward. Her phone fell from her hand and hit the pavement. The tiny sound of breaking glass sounded loud in the darkness.
“No!”She fumbled for her phone on the pavement. Pain lashed her palm. Something bit deep. She jerked her hand to her side and scrambled to her feet. There was nowhere to run. It was too late to turn back.
The steps behind her quickened. Her heart burst with pain, ready to explode. The muscles of her calves tightened. She shot forward, heading deeper into the alley.
The muffled sound of music drifted out of nowhere. Helaine searched the walls and caught a thin crack of light. She trod on something big and soft. The clink of cans rang in the night and she fought the urge to run.
It’s just rubbish…someone’s rubbish. She pushed against the boards and the sheeting shifted. The gyprock swung upward like a blade, leaving a gaping hole into a hallway. Helaine took a quick glance inside before she stepped through and let the board fall into place behind her.
The overhead fluorescent bulb buzzed like a dying insect. The light flickered in code; blink, buzz, blink, blink, blink, blink. Helaine scanned the dirty, white hallway, looking right and then left. Where the hell am I? A heavy beat resounded through the hall, like the pulse in the center of her palm. She lifted her hand closer and squinted.
A thin shard of glass stuck out from her flesh. She winced and plucked the fragment free. The deep cut beaded with blood. She threw the shard to the ground and pressed the wound. A boom thundered from the wall next to her, followed by a shriek filled with pain. She screamed and scurried backwards like a rodent, searching the empty hall. He was coming after her. She had to run.
The clattering of her boots was all she could hear, but there was no time to stop and take them off. She risked a glance over her shoulder. The hallway was empty. No one followed her, still, panic drove her and she couldn’t slow her steps.
The music grew louder. A party? She felt a surge of hope. Someone in there might help me. They’d at least have a phone I could use.
Her hand stung, her blood flowed. She dug her fingers into her palm to staunch the flow. Surely there'd be a door at the end of this corridor.
Black markings seemed to form from the grime on the walls and ceiling. They curved up like some ancient lattice she didn’t recognize. The city was covered with graffiti, some was even beautiful. But these markings were like nothing she’d ever seen. In a blink of her eye they were gone, leaving the stark hallway bare. She shook her head and stared again. I’m freaking myself out.
The concrete floor seemed to hold onto her boots. Helaine stared at the now-blank walls and the ceiling as she walked. Each step became heavier, slower. The skin on her arms prickled and a soft buzz filled her head, like the tail-end of a migraine. She stopped at the door, listening to a man’s voice that chanted through the music. The muffled voice was seductive and smooth and a big part of why she reached for the handle.
A flash of light sparked. Electricity leapt from the metal and into her hand. The jolt stung her fingers and raced along the nerves in her arm. Helaine wrenched her hand back and the circuit was cut short. The pain dulled, leaving her body buzzing in its wake. What the fuck?
Casting a fearful look over her shoulder, she tapped the handle with the back of her hand once more. The music called to her, working hand in hand with her need for safety, enticing her to reach out again. Her heart pounded and the skin along her arm tingled. The hallway behind her was empty.
Maybe they’re gone? And maybe they haven’t. Am I going to take that risk‘cause I’m too damn gutless to open a door? Helaine steeled herself and gripped the handle. The spark lashed her palm, but the sting wasn’t as
bad as before. She pushed the handle, feeling the lock give way. The door swung open.
The sudden heat hit her like a blow. She sucked in a lungful of the sultry air and stared into what, at first, looked like a nightclub. From the back of the crowd she glimpsed flesh…a lot of flesh. Half-naked bodies coiled around each other, moving to the beat, melting into each other only to move and become whole again.
Helaine took a cautious step inside, glancing right then left. A warm breeze lifted her hair, blowing it off her shoulders. The door closed against her boot, reminding her to grow some balls and step inside. She swallowed, eyes down, fighting the urge to look. Still, it made no difference.
The chanting was seductive—hypnotizing. His words permeated her determination, seducing—weaving some kind of magic. As Helaine moved through the crowd, she felt her body rocking back and forth. She had no idea what he said, or what language he spoke—all she knew was, whatever he said was enchanting. Whoever was singing was speaking to her, urging her to take one more step into the crowd. Just let yourself go. Let everything go, all the hurt and the pain. Let me take care of you—this is where you belong. His deep voice sang and she felt her nipples harden in response.
The wound on her hand pulsed. She clenched her fist, feeling a stab of pain tear through her palm, reminding her why she was here. She searched for someone she could ask for help and caught a couple to her right kissing deeply, hands wandering underneath clothes.
Her face flushed with heat. She looked past the preoccupied couple and into the shadows at restaurant-style booths and tables. Surely someone here had a phone she could use.
Someone pushed into her, moving out of the way as someone came into sight. Helaine followed the movement. The woman’s dark skin shone under the strobing lights and there was a lot of skin to see. Helaine caught the glint of metal and her eyes drifted to what looked like a leash in her hand. The way she held it over her shoulder rooted Helaine to the spot. Her pulse thrummed, excited and horrified as she followed the chain to a collar wrapped around a man’s neck. He stabbed a glance toward her before the leash was yanked tight.
“Please Sarah, I’ll do anything you ask—kiss me. Fuck me.”
His voice was thick with need and a thought ripped through Helaine. He likes it. The innocent girl inside was overwhelmed. She’d had her fair share of sex, but never sex like that. She swiveled, as the words echoed inside, or any of this. This sexual frenzy was all too much. Helaine moved between throngs of gyrating hips and ravenous appetites of the flesh, trying to push her way through to the far side where the tables were arranged. The tangled forest of bodies blocked her steps no matter which way she moved.
A doorway was to the right, draped with a beaded curtain. Some kind of red light pulsed inside, beckoning her. She turned toward the doorway, curiosity calling, and for a moment she forgot why she was here. She forgot everything but the desire to know what was behind that curtain. This felt wrong. The memory of the man on the leash returned. Her steps halted, her desire to step through waned. I’m not here for a good time. I’ve got to get out of here. I have to get home.
She turned away and tried to move around the crowd, but the more she tried, the tighter they closed in. Her steps slowed. She swayed, suddenly drowsy, swept away by an irresistible feeling of…power.
Something bumped her left side. She spun, ready to snap, and stared at a half-naked man who bent to capture a woman’s nipple in his mouth. The woman groaned and threw her head back. She wrapped one leg around his waist, drawing him into her. Helaine felt a spark tear through her body, leaving a lick of heat in its wake. Leaning back, he drew out the peak with his teeth. Jesus…
She couldn’t look away as they sank to the floor, bodies moving with the beat, flesh hungry for flesh.
Those who danced near them moved, like a parting of the sea. Helaine stumbled forward, then back, following the glistening trail of tongues and lips that shone under the dimmed lights. The muscles on the man's back and shoulders rippled with his efforts. His whole focus was on the woman in his arms.
Helaine’s heart pounded. Her breaths came light and fast, taking with them all the moisture in her mouth and throat. She tried to swallow and gulped instead. The desert in her throat was but a minor annoyance, because another place became much wetter. She felt ashamed staring, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the man. His shoulder-length black hair shone like the glistening feathers of a raven. She fought the urge to reach out and slide her hands down the sides of his face, just to feel his slick hair give way to hard muscles.
The woman turned and sprawled forward, bracing herself against the floor with her hands. His hand fumbled, sliding over her creamy ass, taking her skirt with it as he exposing black garters. Helaine tried to step back, desperate to tear herself away from such a private act, but bodies jostled her from behind. There was nowhere she could go. The man slid his hand down the center of the woman’s back, his touch coasting over the curve of her ass to disappear underneath her crease.
Helaine whimpered at the sight as desire clenched deep inside her body. The man jerked his head up. Dark, lined eyes bore into hers and her body shook with the impact. A ripple raced through the hollow between her thighs. It had been so long since she’d felt the touch of a man—and she’d never been touched like that. The ache inside her turned to hurt as the man fumbled with his zipper and rose up on his haunches. Helaine punched her way through the crowd.
Bodies brushed against her. Strangers reached for her, touching her arms, caressing her breasts. Helaine focused on getting through the horde, but moving through the throng was like fighting the damn sea. She shoved her way through gyrating hips and barely-dressed men and women. She clenched her jaw and dug through until she smacked into another wall of flesh.
Helaine stumbled backward a few precious steps, and as she found her feet, she slowly raised her eyes. The man she’d bumped was huge. His shaved head glistened with sweat. His body was hard, urgent. Helaine found herself drawn to his massive arms. Thick, black markings ran in a line from his shoulders and down the center of his arms to end on his middle fingers.
Helaine followed the tattoo to his hands, which were wrapped around a woman's waist. She lifted her eyes to the woman’s face and her gaze caught on the brightest red hair she’d ever seen. The woman wrapped long, pale legs around his waist, hiking her black leather skirt higher. Her red blouse gaped open, exposing the soft peaks of her pale breasts. Sex…everywhere they’re having sex.
She propelled herself out of the mass of dancers and into a darkened clearing filled with dark lounges and blood-red carpet. Helaine’s boots sunk deep into the carpeting as she moved. The walls disappeared into shadows, forming hidden pockets where someone could disappear.
Her chest ached. It was so damn hot. Helaine reached for one of the couches, needing to catch her breath. A moan came from the shadow, the sound bordering on a growl. Helaine squinted and focused and the shadows came alive. Words drifted out of the darkness. Words that made no sense. Drawn by the sound, she stepped toward the shadows.
A woman lay against a wall. Her arms were spread wide, exposing her breasts and stomach, as well as the woman who crouched between her legs. Helaine swallowed, staring at her body, barely covered by some kind of robe. A hood draped her head, hiding her face. Although she couldn’t be sure, Helaine sensed this woman felt her presence.
The cape draped either side of her curves. Helaine had never seen a woman’s body like hers. Her small breasts were curved and up-swept. Helaine wanted to move closer. She wanted to reach out and touch this woman. Her heart raced with the thought. She struggled to pinpoint this desire as that same sense of familiarwashed over her, pricking her skin, urging her to…stay.
The woman moaned and whispered something. Helaine dropped her gaze to a new movement. The cape shifted, revealing another woman between her legs. Her head was pressed between the woman’s thighs.
Helaine felt consumed by these people…this place. She tore herself awa
y and ran through the clearing, knocking into tables, spilling drinks, and still she didn’t slow. Helaine caught sight of the stairs a split second before she tripped and smashed into them. She scrambled, needing to get away from the disturbing scene below. Eventually reaching a platform that overlooked the dance floor, she froze. Her heart raced like the beat of a hummingbird’s wings. Helaine inhaled deeply, willing the flutter in her chest to calm, and stared at the man in the middle of the floor.
He stood like a statue, watching over the crowd. Helaine blinked, trying to get a better image of him, but all she saw was black. His robe was full-length, scraping the floor. Is this some kind of religious sect? That would explain the chanting, the strangeness.
It’s none of my business. This idea didn’t help her to get out of here, or get home. The concern shook her back to reality. She took a step onto the platform.
Helaine strode forward. Her insides quivered, her heart still raced. She caught a subtle shift of his head as she neared. The dim light from the dance floor below illuminated his chin and mouth, but kept his eyes in shadow. Helaine caught a soft rumble and the quick movements from his lips.
His lips.She studied the sculpted lines of the upper lip, such a perfect foil to the sensuous fullness of the lower lip, wanting to touch them. Wanting to kiss them—to kiss, yes, but there was more to the feeling. She licked her own lips, wanting those lips on hers. They moved again, a symphony of perfection even in silence. A sound pierced her consciousness and the low tone strummed a chord in her breast. Slowly, as though hypnotized, she realized he’d spoken.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I said. How did you get in here?”
Down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass.Those words almost toppled from her mouth. She swallowed and searched for an answer that wasn’t insulting. Or didn’t involve begging him to touch her.