Voracious Vixens, 13 Novels of Sexy Horror and Hot Paranormal Romance

by Travis Luedke

  “You really want to hear what we have to say?” Stupid Jr. asks.

  “Fuck this, enough talk. Let’s just pound his ass to the ground,” Idiot says, truly earning his name.

  “Perfect. But to get to him, you have to get past me; so hit me,” I reply.

  “Don’t think we won’t, little girl,” Brawny says.

  “Yeah, maybe we can teach you some respect,” Loser says.

  “Pryor, no. Let’s just turn back. It’s no big deal,” he says.

  “Don’t you think it’s sad you need a girl to protect you? God you’re pathetic,” Stupid says.

  “I don’t need her to protect me,” Randy says, coming to the front.

  “Look, freak has some balls after all,” Brawny says.

  “Yeah, I do. So what now?” Randy challenges, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

  His fear level rises with every passing moment. His levels are spiking higher than I’ve ever seen them. Yet, he stands ready to fight.

  “Forget it. You’re such a pussy; we can’t even bother with you,” Stupid Jr. replies.

  They nod their heads in agreement and start to go past us. I watch Randy’s wave of fear decline the further away they get. They are nearly out of earshot when Brawny says to Stupid, “He’s such a damn loser. No wonder his mom took off.”

  Randy moves so quick he reminds me of my uncle Jay, a guardian with the power to move at lightning speed.

  Randy bolts after Brawny and tackles him. All of us are taken off guard. Brawny’s friends are just as shocked as I am. Soon they snap out of it and pull Randy off of their friend. They throw Randy to the ground and start to beat down on him. It never occurs to them to keep an eye on me: big mistake.

  I yank Stupid by his collar and hurl him down the street with little effort. Idiot and Stupid Jr. swing at me from both sides. I duck their blows, plant my feet firmly on the ground, grab them both by the leg, and flip them onto the concrete.

  The other two come to help their fallen friends. They tackle me to the floor. I grab Brawny by his neck and press tightly. I can see the shock spread through his face. He is nearly twice my size and knows it’s impossible to do what I’m doing.

  I don’t choke him hard enough to kill him, just hard enough for him to wish he were dead. Then I throw him over to the side like a bag of trash. Loser, the last fool remaining, looks down at me on the ground with venom.

  He picks me up from the ground by my throat. My feet dangle helplessly in the air.

  Randy runs to help me by pounding on Loser, but it does no good. He thinks he has me, so he leans in and says, “If it weren’t daylight outside, my punishment would be more...personal.”

  He looks for fear and panic in my eyes but doesn’t find it. Instead I smile at him.

  “You’re really going to miss them,” I say, managing to choke the words out.

  “Miss what?” he shouts.

  “These,” I reply as I reach out with both arms and rip his nipples from his chest.

  He drops me instantly and cries out to Omnis. Blood makes its way down the front of his shirt. He holds his chest in pain as his friends come over to help him.

  “We can’t just leave them there,” Randy says, looking back as we make a run for it.

  “Nipples are not, in fact, essential to humans. He’ll live,” I inform him.

  Randy looks back at the bloody footballer and says:

  “You’re right about one thing; he sure will miss them.”

  *******

  It’s an hour later and we are at Randy’s favorite place in the world: McDonald’s. He eats so much junk; I have yet to figure out how he stays so thin. He has downed four burgers and a pile of fries. Now he sips his fountain drink, quietly.

  “What is it?” I ask, knowing how rare it is for him to be silent.

  “Nothing, just thinking,” he says.

  “About the plight of the bald eagle or about what just happened?” I joke.

  “Well, the eagle is a majestic bird,” he jokes.

  His smile doesn’t last long, however.

  “Randy, talk to me.”

  “You just pulled a guy's nipples off, you tackled like a gang of football guys. How the hell did you do that?” he asks.

  “I’ve got like the whole Buffy The Vampire Slayer series on DVD so...”

  “C’mon, Pryor. How are you so powerful and you know, so ‘kick-ass’?”

  “My dad is nagging me about being able to defend myself. So, he taught me some self-defense stuff.”

  “It’s more than that. What are you hiding?” he insists.

  I’m a Noru: A very powerful hybrid of Guardian Angel and the Angel of Death. Only five of us exist, and we are always in danger of being hunted by evil.

  “Randy, I’m not hiding anything. Now, why don’t you tell me why you tackled those guys?” I ask.

  “They never should have said the stuff about my mom. She only left us because she wants to make her dreams come true. That’s what you’re supposed to do with dreams: chase them until they come true. And they will. Someday she’ll be a famous singer and then she’s coming back,” Randy says.

  We both know his mom most likely will never show up. She took off five years ago to work with some music producer who was interested in her songs. Turns out, it was a scam. Randy’s dad asked her to come back to New York, but she telephoned and said that Randy and his dad were holding her back. She hasn’t been heard from since.

  “Sometimes, I can’t remember her face,” he admits.

  “I know it sucks big hair balls that she’s gone but you have me. And I don’t know if you realized it or not, but I’m quite a looker,” I say in a bad 1940’s accent.

  Randy looks at me strangely.

  “Sorry, I’ve been watching all these old movies with my mom. She used to do like quality time and junk with her mom and so now, it’s my turn to suffer,” I tell him.

  “Pryor, the whole ‘family together’ thing mostly sucks, right?”

  “Well, my little brother took my favorite sweater and gave it a green crayon makeover.”

  “Sam is gonna be a hell of an artist,” Randy replies.

  “My mom totally betrayed me this morning and talked about my love life in front of my dad.”

  “Someone dared to mention ‘he who shall not be named’? Someone actually said the name ‘Aaden’?” Randy jokes.

  “Ha, ha, it’s not funny.”

  “Seriously, when are you going to tell me more about this guy?”

  “There’s nothing to tell, Randy,” I lie.

  For the record, I don’t enjoy lying to him. I want to tell Randy everything, and I will one day. But I don’t want him to freak out. He might think I’m nuts. Or worse he might start to think of me differently somehow.

  “So...having a family is lame, right?” he asks.

  “You have a family. You have your dad,” I remind him.

  “Yeah, he’s alright. He likes to give me high fives, and he can’t figure out how to work a computer to save his life, but yeah, he’s alright.”

  I leap into his arms and hug him tightly.

  “I think I need one,” I say to him.

  “What, here? No.”

  “Please, Randy?”

  “No, it’s embarrassing.”

  I stick out my lower lip in a dramatic pout.

  “Okay, okay, put that weapon away,” he says.

  He then leans in and starts singing in my ear. His voice is beautiful and makes me feel like I do when I am flying in the air. Randy’s voice can make the drama that is high school go away, and that’s his special power.

  “So, what do you think?” he asks when he’s done.

  “I think your voice can move angels...”

  *******

  “Reesie!” Sam yells as I walk through the door. Although he often gets on my nerves, Sam is pretty cute. He’s the only four-year-old in the world that could lift our townhouse up over his head. He did just that a few months ago. Thankfully it
was late at night and my Uncle Jay was able to use his powers to convince the neighbors they didn’t see what they saw.

  I hug the rug rat and look down at him. He looks up at me, smiling. That usually means he wants something from me.

  “Chess?” I ask.

  “3D chess,” he says.

  His intelligence far surpasses kids his age, which is why it’s not a good idea to put him in human school. It would bring about unwanted attention, not to mention the fact that Sam is immortal.

  “Okay, set it up, and I’ll be right there,” I tell him.

  “Yes!” he says gleefully as he takes off down the hallway.

  I look up and find my parents looking at me with concern.

  Aw crap, how could they find out about the fight, I mean really, I just had it. Did the footballers tell? No, they have too much pride to admit a girl beat them up. Wait, are nipples really important to humans in some way I overlooked? Hmmm...I should have just ripped a toe or two from Loser. Damn it!

  “Reesie, your mom and I need to talk to you,” my dad says in a tone way too serious for my liking.

  “Wait, before you say anything, I didn’t know it was a useful body part; honestly,” I vow.

  “What are you talking about?” my mom asks, confused.

  “Um...nothing. Never mind. So no one called you guys?” I ask casually.

  “No,” my dad replies.

  “Good, so...what’s up? Oh wait, I know: I’m grounded. No Internet. No phone and no flying.”

  “This isn’t about this morning,” my mom says with deep sadness in her voice.

  “Okay, well tell me. What is it?”

  My mom comes over, takes my hand and guides me towards the staircase. It’s our special spot, ever since I was little. When she had to explain something she knew I would have a hard time with, she would sit down with me at the top of the stairs.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?” I ask, growing suspicious.

  I wish I could read her fear level, but I can’t read my family members. However, I only need to look into her eyes to know something very bad is coming.

  “Mom?”

  “Carrot, I have something to tell you and I want you to know that I did everything I could in order to stop this from happening. It’s out of my hands,” she replies with a pained voice.

  “Stop what?”

  “I was at work today and I received the new Bytrin for the week.”

  You know how there’s supposedly a list that Death has of people that are going to die? Well, it’s not a list. It’s actually an app on iTunes. Or at least it is nowadays. The app is called Bytrin.

  Bytrin shows a 3D map of the human world. On that map there are complex patterns that come to life. And every week, a new piece of the pattern reveals itself. Within the patterns are names of the soon to be dead. The Bytrin’s patterns are so complex, only Time, Fate and my mom can make them out.

  “Mom, stop with the pausing, I can’t take it. Whose name did you see on the Bytrin? Who is about to die?”

  “Randy.”

  CHAPTER TWO: THE GATHERING

  Panic creeps between my toes, up my spine and spreads to my heart. It feels like someone has yanked the only solid ground I had right from under me. Now I’m floating away into the abyss. Anytime I ever felt that way, I always had Aaden. Now I don’t have him. All I have is Randy, and I’ve just been told he’s about to be taken away.

  “Mom, you can’t take Randy. Please, you can’t!” I shout as I stand up and latch onto her.

  “I tried to reason with the other Council members, but I’ve looked at the pattern and there’s no way around it; Randy has to die.”

  “No, he doesn’t. Please, I need him. He’s my friend.”

  “Honey, I know how much he means to you, and I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

  “No, it doesn’t have to be like this. You have to talk them out of it. Randy can’t die, Mom, please.”

  “Believe me, if there was a way to stop this from happening, I would. You know that,” she pleads.

  “How can you take him from me? He’s my only friend. He’s a good guy; he has never hurt anyone,” I shout at her.

  “You know death isn’t always a punishment. It’s a part of life, Pryor.”

  “It’s not fair! Randy can’t die. You have to do something,” I beg.

  She goes to take my hand but I pull it away.

  “Pryor, please try and understand.”

  “I understand, Mom. My only friend in the human world is going to get killed by you.”

  “It’s a very complicated pattern, and Randy needs to die.”

  “No, I’m not gonna let you take him,” I reply, running down the stairs.

  She runs after me. I make my way into the kitchen where my father is watching over Sam, who is setting up the game.

  “Dad, did you know what Mom’s going to do?” I ask, devastated.

  “She told me. Reesie, your mom spent hours looking at the pattern on the Bytrin. There’s no way for Randy to stay alive. I’m sorry.”

  “No, stop saying that. Randy is not going to die,” I shout.

  “Can we play now?” Sam asks, looking up at me.

  “Dad, please, you can’t let her do this,” I beg him.

  “Pryor, you know we’ve come to love Randy too,” my mom says behind me.

  “You love him so much, you’re willing to kill him?”

  “Pryor, that’s not fair. Your mom doesn’t have a choice,” my dad reminds me.

  “Randy has never done anything to anyone. He’s just a good human and he doesn’t deserve to die,” I plead.

  “Sometimes to keep the balance of good and evil, good people have to die too,” my mother says.

  “Don’t feed me the company motto, okay? Randy has nothing to do with good and evil. He’s just a human with good math grades and bad skin. What could he do to the balance of good and evil?”

  “You may not know why but for some reason Randy’s life has to end. There are millions of others just as good as Randy who have died. That’s just the rule: death is natural and unstoppable.”

  “Then break the rules,” I shout.

  “Reesie, you know I can’t do that,” she says.

  “Why not? I read all about the missions you and Dad went on. You and the Guardians broke every rule there was. In fact, all you guys ever did was break the rules,” I remind them.

  “Pryor, this is different,” my mom says.

  “No it’s not. You broke the rules to be with each other. So you can break the rules to save my friend. He’s all I have.” My voice cracks.

  I really hate that because it means I’m on the verge of tears. Angels can’t cry but since both of my parents were once human, some human traits linger with me and the other Norus.

  “Carrot, we love you. You and Sam are the most important things to us. If we could do anything, anything at all to stop you from feeling this hurt, we would. You know that,” my mom begs.

  “You don’t get it. Randy is the only reason I didn’t lose it when Aaden—please, don’t take him from me. Please, I’ll be good. I won’t fight anymore. I won’t talk back, please, please, Mommy.”

  I grab on to her tightly. She embraces me back and tells me she loves me. I pull back and look into her eyes. She looks over at my dad, pained and deeply saddened. My dad looks back at her with regret.

  “I know how much this hurts, believe me,” she whispers.

  My dad comes over to us and strokes my hair.

  “Mom, please don’t take Randy.”

  “I’m so sorry, Pryor; it’s out of my hands.”

  “Liar! If Sam and I were about to die, you would move heaven and earth to stop it. Randy doesn’t get that kind of consideration because he’s not a Noru or a Guardian. Well he may not have powers but he’s my best friend and if he dies, I will never forgive you!”

  *******

  My parents knock on my door repeatedly, but I don’t let them in. Yes, they are both strong enough to blow
down my door effortlessly. Yet they don’t. I guess they think I need time to be alone. They are wrong. What I need is a way to save Randy.

  I spend the next few hours poring over old books trying to figure out a way to stop death from coming for my best friend. I find nothing useful. Exhausted, I plop down on my bed and bury my face in my hands.

  That’s when I hear footsteps just outside my door. Then I hear multiple voices. I raise my head up, get off the bed and head over to the door. I open it just enough to get a look at the group gathering in the kitchen: the entire Guardian team.

  My mom must have called them. Even though my mom doesn’t really go on missions with them anymore, all of them are best friends and usually gather when there is a crisis. I guess killing your child’s best friend counts as one.

  I sneak out into the hallway and stand just outside the kitchen to listen in. It may be a good thing that the other Guardians are here. Maybe they can talk some sense into my mom. If there’s anyone she would listen to, it’s the angels standing beside her.

  During their missions, they became very close. Especially Uncle Rage and my mom. Uncle Rage has dark hair, jet-black wings, and a dangerous smile that reminds me of Aaden.

  Aaden...

  Uncle Rage is Aaden’s dad. He’s also the First Akon. That means he’s the top-ranking demon among demons. He shoots these crazy fireballs that kill on impact. He used to be really bad. He tried to kill my mom a few times but then he fell in love with Aaden’s mom, Ameana. She was an angel and he changed his ways to be with her. Unfortunately, Ameana died in battle.

  I wish I had met her. She sounds so badass from all the stories I’ve heard. Another super badass would have to be the gorgeous Japanese and Korean angel standing next to my mom, Miku.

  Miku has an alter ego named Redd. Redd came about when Miku lost her twin brother, Rio. She was in such deep rage and despair, evil took over her body and she Turned. Turning is what they call it when an angel becomes a demon. It’s rare but it does happen.

  Anyway, Redd is a cool, evil, “kill or be killed” chick. She has red wings and black eyes. Although Miku was able to fight off her evil side, the tips of her wings still remain red; we are told it’s because she still feels guilty about all the killing she did when she let Redd take over her body.