“It complicated, Keira.” I knew he was being serious when he called me by my given name.
“Then uncomplicate it for me, Jared.” I said proving two could play that game. He rolled his eyes and ran a hand down his face in exasperation. He smoothed down his black wiry beard and pulled it more into a point which I knew was a habit of his. His almond shaped eyes held my wide ones for a moment before he closed the distance between us.
“Do you not think we have more important business to get to?” At this I made a huff sound before starting my rant.
“Yeah I do, but I have just had it to my neck and back with being double crossed or betrayed by people that are supposed to be on our side. For God’s sake I just spent over six months with a guy whose only real intension was to kill me and take over the world with a posse of old, pissed off gods that got their asses handed to them and kicked into Hell. So excuse me if I find it hard to trust again.” By this point he held up both his hands in surrender and said,
“Alright, alright, you have a point Pet, don’t go all bat shit woman crazy on me.”
“Tell me about you being Mr Big Bug.” He winced and said
“I fucking hate it when he calls me that… Jesus.”
“Yeah well he isn’t fond of anyone swearing either.” At this he rolled his eyes again only this time it wasn’t directed at me.
“Yeah well let’s just say he’s stuck in 1876 and being a demon hasn’t curbed his religious views or damn Western manners.” Jared said grabbing my arm and pulling me over to the flint stone wall that framed the courtyard and entrance to the Hellfire caves.
“Ok so I take it you trust him?” I asked and he gave me one of those ‘What do you think’ looks.
“Hey, like I said, you can’t blame me. Aurora said someone would be coming for me and I know Bill saved my life but I have to be sure on this one. Because whoever Aurora is answering to then she made it clear that they need me alive and if it had been left up to that Bitch then I would be roasting over a spit with an apple in my mouth and playing host in a Harpie buffet.” Jared growled at the mention of what had gone on and finally understood that I needed answers.
Jared went on to tell me how Sigurd had turned up at his club and as soon as he mentioned my name Jared knew it meant trouble. I asked how he had reached him so quickly after I left but he just winked at me and told me he had his ways, so I left it at that.
I was thankful when he told me how he had come to know Bill and that he was in fact the man that had sat opposite him that day in the Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. He told me that he had heard about the talents of the famous Wild Bill and knew he needed him for a job, one he refused to tell me about.
I wasn’t surprised when he skipped past this bit considering his face said it all. It was obvious that this matter was one that was both personal and painful for him, so I didn’t push for it. All I needed to know, he assured me, was that he sought out Bill for this job and once it was over then he would be free to live his immortality anyway he chose.
He became a member on his council and through the years working together they formed a friendship.
“I mean shit, if I could I would have offered his soul back decades ago but once you become blood bound then it can’t be taken back. In the end it wouldn’t matter…”
“What do you mean?” I had asked him and he shook his head and looked away. For a few minutes I didn’t think he was going to answer me.
“There was a reason he was in Tartarus, Pet.”
“Yeah I know, he came to save m…he wasn’t there to save me?” I asked when he started shaking his head.
“He was there as a prisoner.” I gasped and my hands covered my mouth in shock. I had no idea this was why he was down there and that his break out only mirrored my own.
“Alright, I am going to cut a long story short and we will leave it at that so we can get the fuck outta here and stop this Bitch.” I nodded my understanding and waited for it.
“Something happened a while back and he took the fall for it in hopes it would take him to those who could help with his mission. It’s fucked up complicated shit that I am not going into no matter how much you give me that puppy eyes crap, but just know that when it came down to it he followed my orders to save your ass and gained his freedom by doing so from the one that sent him there.” I was still trying to digest this when a terrible thought occurred to me.
“Oh no, please don’t tell me…”
“Yeah, it was your lover boy that sent him to that shit hole and only his word or the word of his next in command can give the order for his release...Lucky for you we all had a backup plan that even you didn’t know about. King Vamp got Snake Eye to track me down and seeing as I was responsible for Jim’s soul, I was the only one who could communicate with him.”
“So you were his possession officer?!” I shouted making him groan. I remembered Draven telling me about them not long after I had first discovered the Temple.
“Yeah, some shit like that.” He said and if I didn’t know any better I would have said he looked embarrassed.
“So you guys knew Aurora would double cross me?”
“We had an idea yes. Lucius tried to warn the King about her deception long before they became enemies but well, to be blunt your boyfriend can be a stubborn dick sometimes.”
“Oi! I mean I agree he is a stubborn ass on occasion…” He gave me a pointed look tipping his head at me and I rolled my eyes before I said,
“Ok, ok, so yeah most of the time but still, you could be nicer about it.” At this he laughed and it was booming.
“Oh Kitten, we are Kings, do you really think we give a shit about being nice about it! He rules his realm, one we all live in but there are plenty of creatures he can’t ever rule. The shadow lands of chaos, the demonic beasts of my kin thanks to my Hell’s bite, the Vampires Lucius creates…do you think he controls them all?”
“Well I…uh…well to be honest nobody ever really explains it to me, so excuse me for just guessing.” I said getting snippy making him smirk.
“And there’s no need to be a smug bastard about it.” I snapped. He laughed and said,
“But I am a smug bastard, Kitten it comes with being one of those arrogant Kings.” And then he winked at me.
“So where is this party we are talking about?” I asked and he smirked down at me before pulling something from his leather biker jacket that looked older than most men. The bright green envelope was covered in mermaids that on closer view were actually mermen dressed as women as they all had boobs and moustaches.
“Pip!” I shouted knowing that it couldn’t possibly be from anyone else. Jared nodded as I tore into the green paper and was instantly met with googly eyes that sprung out at you when you pulled it free. I laughed when Jared groaned,
“Jesus.”
I opened it up and had to shake out the confetti shaped like little pink willies and my little ponies. It read…
‘That’s right bitches, it’s my party and your ass is invited!
So what are you waiting for, you don’t have long to go get me a present and I don’t want no cheap ebay crap from China you hear!
Boozy punch is included along with a punch up from boozy men lol ;)
Bring your shanizzel and be ready to dance like no one is watching, (although everyone will be watching, as it is a party you dune buggy! So bring the funk to my funky town and be ready to have the time of however many lives you have lived!
Be there or be the square in this bitchin’ heart shaped hole!
Boo Yeah!
Love Pip
X
P.S…Oh yeah, I should mention it’s at Witley Court and starts when the last mortal is out for the Devil’s count!
“Witley court?” I asked looking up at him.
“Been there before by any chance?” He replied sarcastically and I looked down at his feet and decided to get him back by saying,
“You know sparkly penis confetti an
d tiny my little ponies suit your bad ass hotness persona, I would so keep it.” He looked down seeing it scattered all over his boots and groaned again.
“Ha! Yeah well when you have so much bad ass hotness it can pull off anything.” He said being all cocky and I laughed.
“Then I am so buying you a rose petal tutu for Christmas this year.” I said walking past him to where Bill was walking back to the group of bikes. Jared caught up with me and then calmly whispered in my ear,
“And if you do you will find yourself over my knee before New Year.”
“Smug royal bastards.” I muttered under my breath. I was just following him over to where the other bikers stood when I thought of something else I wanted to know.
“Wait!”
“Bloody Hell woman, you’re worse than a nagging wife!” Jared said stopping and storming back to me.
“Yeah, like you were ever married.” I said but it was one of those awful moments in life when your mouth speaks and your brain doesn’t think that it might not actually be a wise thing to say quickly enough. His face said it all.
“Oh Jared, I am so sorry I didn’t know and…” I stopped speaking as soon as he held up his hand.
“Its fine, just ask what you were going to ask and lets not speak of it.” I lowered my head feeling guilty and only when I felt his fingers raising my chin could I look at him. His beautiful almond shaped eyes and deeply tanned skin, gave him an exotic look but it was when his startling silver eyes that were ringed by a thin black ring looked at me like that, that’s when my guilt doubled. He must have seen it plain as day because he laughed once.
“Don’t feel guilty Keira, you didn’t know, in fact, not many do.” I nodded so he let go of my chin.
“Does Bill know?” I asked this and his response answered more than just one of my questions.
“Yes.”
“You knew didn’t you…that he was going to die that day?” I asked referring to when Bill was shot in the back of the head. Jared’s reply shocked me.
“Who do you think tipped Jack McCall off?” I was mortified by this response and started stepping back. How could he do that?!
“How could you…” He took only one step towards me and said
“He didn’t know it at the time but he was in the first stages of Cholera. He would have been dead soon anyway and I needed him sound of mind to accept my offer, not vomiting and shitting all over himself in a bed somewhere dying of thirst.” Ok so the way he said it did make being shot in the back of the head sound a much more appealing way to die.
“Ok, so you’ve made your point.” And yes, he very much did with that disgusting mental image of how people died back then if suffering from that particular disease.
“I thought so.”
“Umm…” I started to say something before he could walk off again and his shoulders slumped and he muttered a curse to himself.
“Just one more question.”
“Of course there is.” He commented dryly, one I ignored.
“Why do you call him Jim?”
“Because his real name is James Butler Hickok and because it is my way of showing respect for a soul I own.”
After this shed load of bombshells about a man I didn’t really know but had saved my life, we walked over to Jared’s men all stood around their bikes. I recognised a few of them from the battle we were all involved in last year and it was a weird thought to have. So much had happened since then and just like history was repeating itself we had come full circle. Only now I was the one who was supposedly dead and soon Draven would be told as much with the evidence of my hair and message used as proof of the fact. I didn’t know what Draven would do when he woke, if that hadn’t already happened but I could only hope he would read my letter and understand the reasons I did what I had no other choice but to do.
He of all people should understand the lengths some people would go to for love. I had once thought that pain, suffering and hatred had been the strongest emotion a person would act upon but after all we had been through together I now knew differently…
Love conquered it all.
“Are we gettin’ a wiggle on or what?” Bill said pulling me from my thoughts. Bill was looking at us both stood slightly away from everyone else. I gave him a little smile and as soon as he saw it he gave me a nod as if this was all he needed. It was a sweet gesture and I was starting to grow a soft spot for my new friend.
“Head up!” Jared said before catching a small helmet and stuffing it down on my head.
“You did that just to shut me up, didn’t you?” I said lifting the visor so I could speak again.
“Well we wouldn’t want this pretty little head of yours to get hurt now would we human.” Orthrus said just before he started his engine.
“Cut giving her shit, Orth!” Jared said scolding his brother.
“Ignore him.” He added turning back to me and squeezing my hand for encouragement.
“You still remember how to ride one of these things right?” Jared asked Bill as he led me round to what I gathered was his own bike.
“Don’t make me clip your horns Big Bug, I ain’t no Cultus Corncracker!” Bill said getting irate putting his hands on his hips and making his long jacket flare out at the sides.
“Weren’t you Hell bent for 50 years?” One of the other men asked and I gathered this meant the length of time he was imprisoned for.
“50 years?” I whispered to myself in disbelief.
“53 but who’s countin’.” Bill said like it was nothing. I was beginning to notice that Bill was completely different around other guys than when we were alone and I put this down to old fashioned manners, ones that obviously didn’t count around his fellow men.
Jared nodded to one of his men and in less than a minute he was wheeling a new motorbike in front of Bill making him whistle.
“Well it ain’t no Crowbait that’s for dang sure!” I didn’t know what a Crowbait was and so was surprised when it was Orthrus who leant closer to me over his bike and shouted over the engine,
“A Crowbait is a shit horse.”
“Ah.” Was all I could manage from shock that he had spoken normally to me. Bill's ride at first glance looked like what I can only guess was a Harley type bike. But it was clear to see it was custom made and no expense spared. There wasn't the normal lavish chrome work and fancy glossy paint but instead rich shiny brass and copper.
The bike looked like it was made from parts of an old fancy steam engine. In fact it wouldn't be hard to believe that it could run on coal and I wondered if it had a steam whistle in place of the horn! It most definitely went with his ‘Steampunk look’ that was for ‘Dang’ sure.
“Are you jesting with me Big Bug?” Bill said nodding to the name and I bent at the waist to see what he was looking at.
“Annie?” I read out the name hand painted on his bike’s tank and Bill smoothed his hand over it like it was his baby.
“Well I knew you always wanted to ride her.” Jared said making everyone laugh and Bill just tipped up his hat at him and winked, mounting his Annie.
“Then let’s go for a ride and see if I can break her in.”
“Am I missing something here?” I asked looking back to Bill’s Big Bug.
“He had a thing for Annie Oakley. Now get on Kitten, time to crash a party.” Jared said and all at once the men mounted their bikes and started up in a chorus of roaring engines.
“Annie Oakley as in the cowgirl?” Jared didn’t answer me he just patted his seat as a way to get me to hurry my butt up.
“What bike is this?” I asked as I cocked my leg over the leather seat to his sexy looking black bike.
“Now this beautiful girl here is my Triumph Rocket III Roadster and no, before you ask I don’t have any pansy ass name for her, now in the words of my lawman here ‘get a wiggle on darlin’.” I laughed, did what I was told and Jared shouted,
“Hellbeasts, roll out!”
Chapter 66
This Is W
hat I Am Packin’
On the road we certainly were a sight to be seen and I had to feel sorry for all the people who tried to take pictures of us as we rode past. We just seemed to leave a stream of people all looking at their broken phones in utter amazement and confusion as to why it had happened.
I must say I did slightly let it all go to my head as most would, because I gotta tell ya, being on the back of Jared’s bike and riding with his posse made you feel dangerously invincible! Most of the time everyone gave us a wide berth even on the motorways. I did feel a bit bad at one point when driving through a town and one of the mothers dragged her child inside as if there was going to be some kind of shootout. People slammed doors and shops’ signs were suddenly closed for the day.
But I suppose putting myself in their shoes and looking at it as an outsider these were all wise decisions to make. It wasn’t as though I could even say that if they knew them better they wouldn’t react this way but this was most definitely not the case. Because let’s face it, if people had seen half of the shit I had seen then they would be moving to the wilderness and learning how to survive on berries just to hide.
I heard Jared saying something as we slowed down about the dickheads behind us and I braved turning my head to see a black Range Rover behind us with tinted windows trying to cut them up so it would split the group. I saw one of Jared’s men trying to motion the driver to pass them all but he washaving none of it. Orthrus outright gave him the finger and this was when he chose to make his move. He cut us up on the slip road, enough to make Bill, Orthrus and another of Jared’s men have no choice but to swerve so they wouldn’t get knocked down.
The car passed Jared, me and two others of Jared’s men giving us the wanker signs as they passed. I felt Jared’s growl vibrate through him as I had my arms around his waist and was holding on for dear life. They then sped off no doubt thinking this was the end of their fun, what they didn’t get was it had only just started for the ones they had pissed off…And one thing was for certain, they had pissed off the worst type of wrong people you could imagine.
The Pentagram Child: Part 2 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) Page 23