Holly's Pledge

by Anh Leod

  “It won’t open,” she reported after she unsuccessfully tried to turn it.

  Cherokee, wild-eyed, looked around but the room was empty except for the sconces. Joe fell to his knees, overcome by a coughing fit. The door vanished then reappeared.

  “Kneel!” Cherokee ordered. “And cover your mouths and noses!”

  Holly crouched to the side of the door, knowing he was right. Smoke was worse higher up. The acrid smell was unbearable.

  Sam leaned against the other wall, holding Ellery. Holly knew his strength was waning as he was forced to inhale more smoke.

  Cherokee kicked the doorknob repeatedly. She could see the metal begin to bend. Five kicks later and he’d opened a hole in the door under the knob. He reached in and unlocked it somehow. The door opened.

  Holly waved her arm at Sam.

  “Claudia!” he yelled, then went through the door. Claudia crawled through and then the band and Cherokee followed Holly out of the hallway.

  The air was a little better backstage, maybe because someone had already opened the back door. They got up from their hands and knees and struggled toward backstage.

  “Watch out!” Joe gasped.

  Holly and Greg jumped back just as a smoking sandbag fell in front of them. Greg grabbed her hand and they jumped over it. Soon, other things were falling from the ceiling. They ran like soldiers in an obstacle course, dodging sandbags, pieces of scenery and burning rope.

  Eventually, Holly saw Cherokee holding the outside door open. It wasn’t vanishing. They dashed through it. Brandi stood anxiously on the other side. She threw her arms around Cherokee as he exited.

  “Do you think everyone got out of the club?” Dylan asked, visibly counting their group. He had a bloody scratch above one eye.

  “Hopefully. We went the opposite direction of everyone else when we saw smoke,” Cherokee said.

  “Are you okay?” Greg rubbed his palm over Holly’s shoulder.

  She looked down then realized she was naked. And considering everyone was dressed for a club or a show, no one had any clothing to offer her.

  “I’ll keep you warm,” Greg said and hugged her close. She felt pain from various burns and aches and realized she’d even lost a spike from one of her thousand-dollar-plus shoes in the past couple minutes but it didn’t matter.

  Claudia started to cry when she got another look at her sister, still in Sam’s arms. Sirens could be heard in the distance and the air was thick with smoke.

  “I don’t think she’s breathing,” Sam said in a low voice.

  Claudia clutched her mouth. Holly could see she was trying not to scream. She felt paralyzed with fear, confusion and horror.

  Cherokee leaned over Sam, checking Ellery.

  “What do you think?” Sam asked.

  “Can’t you do something?” Joe begged, his voice broken by smoke.

  “Me?” Cherokee’s voice was low and raspy.

  “I know you aren’t normal. I saw enough of what was going on in that office to realize the rumors are true.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Heal her!” Joe said, widening his stance, the hands on his hips reddened with bloody cuts. “Your powers have to be good for something.”

  “My father is the god of war,” Cherokee protested. “I have never healed in my life.”

  Brandi put a calming hand on his arm.

  Claudia was crying frantically now. Joe’s hands shook as he put them on her shoulders.

  “Could we do CPR?” Holly asked.

  “We can try,” Greg agreed. “I don’t think we can make things any worse.”

  Sam winced but laid Ellery gently on the ground. Holly went through the motions of CPR until she came to the chest compressions. With her hands inches above Ellery’s unmoving chest, she looked up at Cherokee.

  “We can’t lose anyone else tonight,” she begged, lowering her hands to the charred flesh. Greg moved to Ellery’s head to keep her airway open.

  Cherokee raised his eyes to the dark sky and began to mumble. As Holly counted out compressions, she sensed the sky lightening. She risked a glance up and saw one star in the sky through the smoke but it was growing brighter.

  “Panacea, goddess of healing, hear my prayer,” Cherokee said in English. “Join me everyone.”

  The circle of friends around Ellery repeated Cherokee’s words. As sirens grew louder, the star brightened further and began to fall. An aura of light hung weakly around Ellery and Holly felt a cool breeze on her skin. She shivered and remembered her nudity.

  “Granted, dear boy,” said a whisper a few feet above them.

  Holly saw an ambulance, three police cars and a fire truck coming toward them. When she turned back, the radiance around Ellery was gone but she appeared to have some kind of wound cream on her skin.

  Greg bent forward. “I just saw her chest move!” he reported.

  Claudia clutched Cherokee’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  He nodded soberly. “I never thought Panacea would answer. We have a history.”

  Claudia sniffed. “I don’t care. If she ever asks you for a favor in return we’ll find a way to grant it.”

  There was a tiny hint of color in Ellery’s sooty face under the cream but she showed no sign of regaining consciousness.

  Grateful as she was, Holly wished for one thing more. That Glaukos wasn’t gone forever. Could a goddess of healing grant that?

  * * * * *

  A long night had been followed by another long day. Holly had talked Claudia into leaving the hospital for a while, taking a nap and returning with a change of clothes for her and Sam, which she had done. Now she was sitting in the cafeteria, cheek propped on her elbow, waiting for Claudia and Ellery’s parents to call since she said she’d pick them up at the airport.

  Ellery’s burns were the worst injury despite Cherokee’s miraculous intervention unless you counted what happened to Glaukos, who must have died from his horrific neck wound. Holly couldn’t think about that, it was too awful. Thoughts about thirty-day life spans and the fact that he lived in the Underworld circled through her mind anyway, chased by the idea that he’d died for the third time, and not painlessly. She knew he hadn’t planned for that though he’d probably known what Torc was capable of. But the thought that he’d died while the juices from their lovemaking were still moist on her thighs made it hard for her to stop weeping. Thankfully, Greg had been a rock. Girlfriend or not, he’d stayed by her side during the long wait to hear Ellery’s prognosis.

  While Panacea’s wound cream had perhaps brought Ellery back from death or something close, it had far from healed her entirely.

  Sam had been in-patiented briefly with smoke inhalation. Dylan needed a few stitches on his arm and forehead, which had been hit by flying glass. Holly was lucky to have escaped with nothing worse than a mildly sprained ankle. Whatever had been injured on Cherokee’s body had healed before they reached the hospital but Brandi had a large second-degree burn on the left side of her face. She and Dylan had been trapped at the stage door and hadn’t made their way backstage until the door into the hallway had vanished. Brandi had joked about her wounds and said it was a good thing she worked behind the camera. No one else had retrieved his or her sense of humor yet. Joe, especially, seemed shell-shocked by either what he had experienced or what he’d witnessed.

  Overall, the guys in the band had gotten off pretty lightly, with a mix of injuries like those of Brandi and Dylan. Holly hadn’t seen any of them tonight except Greg, who had run in and out of work today for meetings. Holly had insisted he go home at eight p.m. and catch up on sleep since he hadn’t even gotten Sunday off due to layoff planning meetings. She hoped he wasn’t in danger of losing his job. He’d looked very shaken when he left and was limping a bit from burns on his leg.

  There was no doubt they’d all had a taste of hell. Holly took a sip of coffee, but yawned anyway as she glanced at her cell phone, willing it to ring. Her phone said it was after ten at night and s
he still had to get up for her day job in the morning. Tomorrow was Monday.

  Without realizing it, she let her head slip from her cupped hand until her cheek was resting on the table too. Her eyes closed.

  Dylan walked by on his way to get a refill of coffee but decided not to wake her. This was the first time all day he’d seen her look peaceful.

  In her sleep, she turned her neck restlessly then settled her other cheek back down on the table and began to dream…

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Her bedroom was lit only by candles—thick white pillars that adorned every surface. What was normally a pretty ordinary bed was lit like a stage set, something from one of the cheesy movies her company produced.

  A man lounged across a leopard print throw on the bed, and not the man she’d have expected to see either. It wasn’t Glaukos, but Greg. She was happy with that, unable to think of Glaukos as he’d been when she saw him last.

  Greg’s smile faltered as he saw the expression on her face. “You okay?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  He pointed to a garment draped at the foot of the bed. “I brought you something more comfortable to wear.”

  She glanced down and picked up a bias-cut white negligee, the kind of garment suitable for a wedding night or a vampire bride. Why had Greg brought her this? Then she looked down and saw the burns on her yellow dress. She blinked and saw blood for a second but when she looked again it was gone.

  She put the negligee on. Her skin glowed in the candlelight. Her body looked tiny next to Greg’s lankier form. She couldn’t remember what he had worn before, but now he had nothing on but a tight pair of cut-off jeans. They cupped his crotch, reminding her of what she’d seen Halloween night when she’d helped to repair his costume. Her mouth watered.

  “You’re overdressed,” she said, teasing.

  He grinned. “So are you.”

  “You gave me this nightgown,” she reminded him.

  “I can take it back too.” He reached over and slid the straps of the gown down her shoulders. The fabric slipped until the only thing holding up the bodice was her breasts.

  He lightly touched the hard points her nipples had become.

  “Your turn.”

  Her breaths came quicker as she undid the first button on his jeans. She felt crisp hairs under her fingers as she spread the opening after undoing the second button. He had gone commando, just as he had on Halloween. Boys never learned.

  He let her pull down the cut-offs then she dropped her face to his lap before he could protest. She took a deep lungful of the delicious tangy musk of his body. His cock was every bit as long and thick and gorgeous as she remembered. She parted her lips and took him in, swallowing it down but still unable to get the full length of him into her mouth. Her hands covered him to the root. Greg murmured words of satisfaction as she lubricated him with her tongue and began to work him in and out of her mouth.

  Unbelievably, he swelled further. In a couple of minutes, his cock began to leak a salty fluid from the tip. She focused on the head now, licking him and taking little bites, feeling him shudder. When it seemed he was at his limit, she swallowed his shaft again, moving steadily. One hand crept down to fondle his balls.

  “Holly,” he moaned. “God yes, just like that.”

  He was writhing now. Feeling dangerous, she pulled away, using only her hands to work him as she kissed the insides of his thighs.

  “You have no idea how desperate I’ve been to get my mouth on this yummy cock,” she said.

  “Then move your mouth back,” he ordered. “Now!”

  She grinned and took him in again. His hands grabbed hold of her curls, keeping them away from her face. She felt his hips begin to move and he took over the rhythm. He was moving faster now and cum was leaking steadily. She grabbed his ass with both hands and held on, willing her throat to open so he could take full advantage.

  “Holly,” he cried, shuddering against her. She swallowed all the tangy liquid he had to offer then kept laving him until his body relaxed. When she released him from her mouth, he pulled her against him, turning her so her back was against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding. Hers was beating hard too though it still managed to speed up when his hand crept up her thigh under the virginal nightgown and found its way into her damp folds. She writhed against him when he found her clit, cried out when he pressed two fingers inside her. Her aroused scent joined his. It hung heavy on the air with the sweet smell of beeswax. Excitement had grown as she’d gone down on him and it wasn’t long before his clever fingers had her convulsing with her own orgasm.

  “Greg,” she said, resting her head against his chest. “That was amazing.”

  “Greg?” said a deep voice behind her, sounding amused.

  Her languor vanished and she twisted around to find Glaukos behind her, his chest bare except for the gold medallion on its chain.

  “You’re dead,” she blurted.

  He smiled. “Third time’s the charm.”

  “That’s horrible,” she said. “Are you okay now?”

  “What do you think?” He wriggled against her. She felt his cock harden and wondered how it had resurrected so fast then remembered it had been Greg the first time.

  Unlike Greg, Glaukos was already naked. While Greg had a cock of legendary size, Glaukos had the cock of a young god, perfectly shaped for pleasure and it smelled so enticing that her pussy gushed cream when she came close. Her mouth salivated at the sights and smells and soon she was cradled between his legs, his cock in her mouth. He moved in and out of her from the start, setting a fast rhythm that had her grabbing at the crease of his thighs with her hands. His pleasure sounds were music in her ears as she sucked and licked his warm, smooth, golden length. The black curls at his groin tickled her face and her bare nipples rubbed against the bed and his legs as he moved beneath her.

  Keeping his cock buried inside her mouth, he got one thickly muscled arm under her waist and pulled her on top of him even as he stretched out on the bed. She felt the gown slither coolly down her body then she was naked to his touch.

  And what a touch it was. His tongue, tasting her cream as if it were the finest champagne, his murmurs of delight. His fingers, stroking and entering her. She felt sure he had at least three fingers inside her but it was hard to know with his swirling tongue sending daggers of insane delight through her system. The movement of her mouth on his cock became ragged but he kept thrusting.

  Cum, sweet and thick as honey, dripped from his cock. She ground herself on his fingers. They swayed and rotated on each other. She felt his hot breath between her legs, wondered how he could contort himself so, but then she lost control of her thoughts as her orgasm overtook her. She was scarcely down from the first pulsating high when he exploded into her mouth, dripping honey down her throat while she quivered with aftershocks nearly as strong as the first orgasmic convulsion.

  Instead of settling down on Glaukos after, she felt herself being moved again, pulled sideways until her pelvis was against the edge of the bed. Long fingers slid through her pussy, gathering moisture then speared her tender rear rose. First one finger, then two, lubricated her where she hadn’t been touched in years, and then she felt a warm body behind her, a long cock, and she was being stretched and opened and entered.

  Arms came from behind to stroke her breasts and she recognized those musician’s hands. Greg. But Glaukos was still there on the bed, watching her with wry amusement. She realized her mouth was open and shut it. Her eyes drifted shut too and she grabbed Glaukos’ leg for support as Greg’s thrusts became more powerful. She spread her legs to give him more access, feeling only pleasure at his movements in her rear entrance.

  Greg’s muscles bunched behind her, ready for powerful thrusts, and Glaukos’ hand was mischievously reaching for her pussy, fingers questing for her clit so she could come with Greg. Glaukos’ lips were so close to hers that she could smell the sweetness of his breath and then she realized his cock was s
till hard despite her oral ministrations. Desperate to fill her pussy, she braced herself against Greg’s assault and reached for Glaukos’ cock.

  He knew what she wanted and in the time it took to blink he was beneath her at the edge of the bed, feet braced on the floor, spreading her folds with his cock and opening her, leaving no defense against pleasure. She found his chest with her fists and pounded to the rhythm of Greg’s cock inside her. Glaukos matched their music and the duet of cocks broke her utterly. Tears of pleasure and pain dripped down her cheeks to Glaukos’ magic flesh as her lovers’ cocks moved inside her pussy and ass. Greg cried out his pleasure and she felt his warm cum gush inside her. His cock was still a thick rod spreading her deeply as Glaukos continued to thrust, his chest sweaty now under her beating fists. Her own orgasm was close.

  “Come for us,” said Greg’s sex-roughened voice into her ear.

  “Yes, rodi, shout your pleasure,” Glaukos urged, his arms sliding down her back. She felt the men link arms behind her…

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Holly shifted on the hard cafeteria chair and she wiped at her mouth, moving until her forehead rested on her hand. Her phone glowed and beeped with a text message, but it wasn’t loud enough to wake her. Music filled the air. At first she ignored it then the sound became more insistent.

  The room tilted. She lost her balance and woke, her face half off the table, a line of drool on the plastic. Her phone was vibrating by her ear. She grabbed it.

  “Hello?” Her voice sounded raw and scratchy, from her nap or too much coffee or both.

  Mr. Burden answered, sounding tired and anxious.

  “I’m on my way,” Holly assured him, letting her dream drift into the intangible corners of her mind. She’d revisit it if she remembered the details later. Why were her panties so damp? “Where should I meet you?”

  * * * * *

  Greg sat in the office building’s cafeteria waiting for Jewel. She’d said she was starved and went to the pizza bar, but he wasn’t hungry. Nothing had felt the same since Saturday night. At work yesterday, he had barely been able to glance in Jewel’s direction.

  Why was he dating her anyway? She’d never been to a Rotten Tomatoes show or wanted to listen to a rehearsal. Groupie, she was not. Their sex life had fizzled shortly after Halloween. Once he’d wanted to stop wearing the vampire costume that had seemed so sexy when they’d first gotten together, she’d lost interest. Maybe she was just a vampire groupie. He knew she’d seen that new teenage vampire movie at least five times and it hadn’t even been out that long.