“Immerse yourself in the depth of the world, huh?” he repeated softly.
In his head, thoughts swirled like ink in water and Adrienne's supple form solidified, walking slowly down a long highway. She was alone, the sun setting in a dazzling display of churning light and cloud before her. In the distance, the smoky figure of a man loomed against the brightness and as she continued toward him, he began to stride toward her. Step by slow step he advanced and soon Gage’s distinct features crystallized from the roiling dark.
Soundless, he stood in front of her before taking her close for an embrace. They held each other for a moment, locking hands together before continuing into the setting sun. As they grew distant on the horizon, their forms merged and became one with the sunset and the land.
“Yes indeed,” he said. “I made the right decision. Well, we did. Love may certainly bring with it pain but together we can, and shall, endure the challenges ahead.”
He sat for a moment longer before a modest whiff of a bad odor caught in his nose. Lifting an arm, he took a breath and discovered his deodorant was on the verge of giving out. It was likely the pendant’s doing, as he’d felt strangely feverish ever since putting it on.
After the day’s crazy events and the fact Adrienne wasn't back yet, he decided that a shower was certainly in order. Pushing himself up off the bed, he walked over to the linen closet, collected a towel from middle shelf and made his way into the bathroom.
ADRIENNE WENT BACK UPSTAIRS empty handed. It seemed that during the excitement of the day they had forgotten to get any fresh food supplies. She supposed that finding ghosts of dead relatives did tend to shift one's priorities. Eating the MREs Charlie had stockpiled in the cellar wasn't an option, even though they had over twenty delicious years of shelf life left. Her stomach however didn’t care and still grumbled in admonishment.
As she entered the bedroom, the dim light from the bathroom fan caught her attention as it fell out into the surrounding darkness. She walked toward it and the sound of running water could be heard whilst steam wafted out of the slightly open door.
Pushing it open, she peeked inside, watching keenly as the warm drops rained on Gage’s ever impressive shoulders, rolling along every line to begin their long journey down to the drain. She focused on the divot formed between his thick traps, teeth curling her lower lip while those drenched wing tattoos funneled the water to the center. The stream flowed all the way down the muscular path until it had no choice but to spill over that glorious behind. Jesus, she had never in her life been envious of water but there's a first time for everything. Tonight she wanted to be it in such a bad, bad way.
Slowly, Gage turned and ran his fingers through that untamed mop of hair. He opened his eyes and spotted Adrienne in the hallway. He locked in and without missing a beat reached for a sliver of years-old soap, still fragrant, and rubbed his chest. The pomegranate suds traced their way over his front, rising and falling on each one of his abs and down to his hand, resting around his full, aching self.
“Well,” he said deeply. “You want in?”
He did not need to repeat himself.
In an instant she was in the shower, being caressed by the same water she was jealous of not ten seconds before. She found herself kneeling in front of him again, the view just as marvelous as the day she first saw it. The v-lines of his abs pointed her in the right direction as she grabbed hold with both hands.
He stepped forward and brought himself to her lips, teasing her with a little taste before she wrapped her lips around his meaty head and went to work. Gage was noticeably aroused, flowing onto her lips with each suck. On she went, drawing more out of him than ever before and his legs started to buckle. After a few more long licks and a kiss on the palmful of man she held, she rose, holding firm while she leaned forward to nibble his ear. “Now it’s my turn,” she whispered. A hot breath went into his ear, nearly toppling that sturdy frame to the floor. “Does the beast want in, sir?”
A deep growl sent a tremor down her spine.
She reached over to the faucet and cranked it hotter. Steam began to fill the shower, rising along with her body as he lifted her in his arms and nudged her against the tile. His broad back expanded like a cobra to shield her from the falling water, allowing the monster to generously tease between her legs. Eagerly she locked her legs around his narrow waist while he effortlessly rolled on a sleeve. She looked ahead into focused green, his head crowned with mist.
Unwavering in his return stare, an eyebrow arched its way up as he spoke. “Time to feed the beast.”
That's all she needed to hear; those words, that voice, this man. Her arms cradled his thick neck while her uncontrollable wetness mingled with his shaft. She caught scent of his musk as they became one again and she had no choice but to scream.
He groaned, his tone falling with each inch that passed through her door. Heaven was again on Earth and it was the age of Gage and Adrienne.
Grabbing her with one arm he brought her in closer, moving away from the wall to hold her in mid air as she rode. She repeatedly took it all, head to base while her thighs tightened around him.
They went harder.
She began to churn along with his thrusts and like a series of waves, each movement built upon the last.
Harder.
The thrill was amazingly high. As her eyes rolled back she spilled herself around him, but did not stop.
Harder.
She could not stop.
Harder.
The luxurious sensations multiplied. The pleasure was contagious and Gage reached the point of no return, rushing right over the line.
Unable to hold back, he pulled himself out and set her down gently. It was taking every fiber of his being not to explode as she stood in front of him. They fervidly began to kiss as he propped up on her torso, reaching down to yank off the sheath. The feeling of freeing all twelve abundant inches from that latex prison was oh so much to handle.
As they continued to taste each other and rub himself between their slippery bodies, he lost control. Arching his back and grabbing hold with both hands, he unleashed a loud groan while he indiscriminately glazed the two of them, the surrounding tiles and everything in between.
Quivering under the pressures of intense joy, his legs cramped and he lost balance for a second, sending him and Adrienne back against the shower wall.
She bumped her head and let out a soft laugh, looking over the fashionable ‘gel’ that glowed against his dark hair. Rubbing her head, she noted that she was wearing it as well. A lot of it.
“Well, I guess that means mission accomplished?” she asked, holding a hand out under the water stream.
Gage let out a couple slow breaths, looking down at his satisfied self before nodding. “Oh yeah,” he barely got out.
“I guess we should actually take a proper shower now,” she said, turning the temperature down a touch. As she drew her hand back, Gage grabbed hold. She was always so silky.
“I love you, gorgeous. Like, I really do.” His green eyes shone like emeralds. “I have for quite some time… so much that you don’t even know.”
She took a step toward him and nuzzled his nose. “I bet I do know.”
“Nope, you can't. Because I don’t even know the limits of how much I have in my heart for you. Now let’s clean up, this hair gel smells like jizz.”
IT WAS QUIET IN the bedroom as they laid naked under the covers, the warmth of their bodies and the shower made for a soothing cocoon to entangle oneself in.
“I can’t believe you're mine,” Gage whispered while shifting to give her a bit more room to come closer.
“Believe it mister,” she said, burrowing her head into her favorite spot. The space between his chest and neck welcomed her with that rousing bouquet. She reached down and traced a finger from the bottom of his balls all the way along his soft member before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
As she did, Gage turned and kissed her on her head. He ha
d an arm wrapped firmly around her, never planning to let go from this day forward. At last, something in this crazy ass world they lived in went right. Neither were now alone, their separate journeys becoming one and the same. Soon he found himself strolling into slumber land a happy man, the most content he had been in ages.
THE HOMESTEAD SAT QUIETLY amidst the picturesque scene of country heaven. The moon loomed large overhead, marking midnight across the sparse clouds and bathing the landscape in a cool blue hue.
Bang!
The sudden sound pierced the tranquil night and rumbled over the country hills, echoing far into the distance as the bleating of spooked livestock rose to join it in chorus.
Gage was jolted out of his restful sleep and rose with a start. By instinct he reached over to the nightstand to grab his gun, racking the slide without the slightest trace of hesitation.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of heavy metal beating hard against wood continued to fill the house with each strike. Whatever it was, wanted inside, badly.
“Adrienne,” he said, prodding her with an elbow to her still sleeping shoulder. “Get up. Now.”
She opened her groggy eyes, struggling to hold onto the luscious dream she was having.
“What is it, baby?” she whispered, still partially under the sandman’s spell.
The loud strikes continued, joined now by the distinct chittering and cracking of wood.
“We have company.”
With those three words, underscored with another loud boom, she snapped out of her lethargic trance and within a few seconds they were both up on their feet.
“Already?” she asked as she pulled on some underwear and an oversized nightshirt. “I expected us to be on the road before any trouble showed up.”
“Seems so,” he replied, donning a pair of sweatpants. “They must’ve had assets pretty close by. Dammit.” He took in a long breath to calm his nerves. “So, you ready to check this out?
She bent down and snagged her silver dagger off of her belt, giving him a nod.
“Let’s go.”
Gage carefully led the way out of the bedroom and down the upstairs hall. Immediately, they were assaulted by the oppressive smell of sulfur which unrelentingly bore down upon their senses. Undeterred, they continued toward the top of the stairwell with arms folded across their noses. There Madeline joined them, shimmering into view.
“Demons I gather?” Gage asked her, knowing full well what the foul odor meant.
“Yes,” she replied. “They've taken male hosts; probably possessed some of the neighbors from up the street. By the looks of them, it’s the Donnellys. I never much cared for them, always so weird and untoward. So, it’s no surprise seeing they’ve willingly let demons inside.”
“How many are there. A lot?” he asked, hoping the answer was small.
“No, not yet anyway. I saw three - the two Donnelly boys are the ones banging away at the front door and Lawrence, their father, is sneaking around the back.”
Gage shot Adrienne a confident look as he rubbed the back of his neck with his spare hand. “Sounds like nothing we haven't been able to handle before.” As he rubbed, he noted that he was still abnormally hot, the brief time spent rubbing causing his palms to sweat.
She brandished her blade, its embossed sigils catching the dim light as she passed him a wink. “Yup.”
Madeline was so pleased by what she saw. She longed for the day that Gage, ever the loner, broke down the walls he had built up around himself. It seemed that day had finally arrived. It was enough to warm this mother’s heart, if it were still beating of course. How times had certainly changed for the Crosse family.
“You two take care,” she said lovingly, “and I'll see you downstairs shortly.”
She vanished in an instant while the two of them pressed on and crept downstairs together.
The crashing grew more frequent with each step they descended, reaching near deafening levels by the time they reached the living room. The front door bowed and cracked each time, threatening to yield to the forces assailing it.
Gage and Adrienne readied themselves as the entryway finally gave way.
The door flew open and two young men rushed inside, their eyes rimmed with a fire that shined in the darkened room. Blake, older of the two brothers, was the first one through the door. He was moving his hefty, corn-fed body surprisingly fast.
Gage wasted no time firing several rounds his way, landing a strike into his broad chest and another straight to his head, knocking him to the ground in an incapacitated heap as the wounds flickered with a faint purple light.
“Shit!” he exclaimed, realizing the UV rounds were still chambered.
Before Gage could change the magazine or take two steps to finish off Blake, his younger brother Preston was upon him. Just as large as the two of them, he landed a solid blow to Gage's chin, knocking him back.
He could taste the metallic hotness of a bloodied lip, wiping the bulk of it away with his wrist. Flinging the sticky liquid to the ground, he swirled the rest around in his mouth and spit at Preston’s feet.
“Mother fucker,” Gage said before rushing in to knock the shit out of Preston’s smirking face. His temperature was feverish, but he channeled that energy into his attacks. He got in double the amount of pain and punishment on that demon’s ass before signaling to Adrienne. He moved himself behind the demon and locked his large arms like a vice.
Adrienne came around in no time, positioning herself in front of Preston. Blade ready in hand, she dove in while he struggled to free himself of Gage's powerful hold. The silver shard sunk in deep and a golden hue erupted from the lacerated flesh.
Preston wailed as the shadow within the host, his true self, was vaporized into the nothingness that awaited it.
“Good job,” Gage said as he dropped the lifeless body.
“You know it,” she replied, wiping the dagger on her shirt.
While they were fighting, Blake had awakened from his short radioactive coma and broke away from the scuffle. He charged toward the back door, planning to let his father in for reinforcement.
He was halted by Madeline, who materialized in the kitchen and blocked the way. She waved a hand as if to toss him aside like a piece of trash, but before she was able to finish the motion, he pulled out a dark powder from his front pockets and blew it all around her. They were iron filings and they were as razors to her. They sparked and hissed vigorously as they punctured her, causing her to glitch as if she were being short circuited.
The attack also left Blake injured and he pulled back his own burning hands and grimaced. With his ghostly foe momentarily distracted, he continued to the doorway. Grasping the handle with a blistering palm, he gritted his teeth and turned.
The door creaked open and Lawrence stepped through, one squalid shoe at a time. He didn't hang back however, charging straight away on the offense and swiping at Madeline with an oversized wrench. The weight of the weapon was unwieldy and caused him to swing slowly. He missed while she weaved herself out of the way.
Lawrence had always been a small man and because of that he was agile. Being possessed by a demon amplified those characteristics and made him that much more dangerous as he continued to bring his weapon to bear. Mercilessly he swung at her multiple times in succession yet Madeline, who was equally agile, was able to tactfully keep him at bay.
Riled by his lack of success, he grasped the handle with both hands and flung it at her with all his strength like a hammer throw; the momentum he had built causing him to tumble forward.
Madeline ducked as the wrench whooshed by her head and impaled itself in the wall. Quickly she held out a hand as he started to regain balance and with a flick of her wrist, he was launched hard into the breakfast area where the furniture broke beneath him as he landed.
Blake then came at her swinging with his own iron bar, which she managed to dodge just as easily as before. Like his father though, he did not give up and did it again and again unt
il he finally lucked up and made contact with her. The bar slid through like butter, the path it traced vaporizing in a cloud of coral smoke.
She gasped in pain as she floated in tatters, grasping at the long shear in her body while waiting another inevitable strike.
“Bye, you spectral bitch!” Blake said with unabashed hatred, but the next move did not come from him.
Madeline heard Lawrence shuffling around behind her, the sounds of damaged furniture snapping beneath his feet. She spun around to face him and what she saw worried her.
He stood there in the ruins holding a small stone between two fingers and thumb. It was emblazoned with interconnecting white runes across its dull surface.
“Spiritum Ejicio!” he shouted joyously. The symbols flared up with an intense light that spiraled out toward her, striking her abdomen before binding her body as if with chains.
Incapable of escaping the magical prison, she was ejected from the house as the spell flung itself through the roof, knocking a gaping hole clear through to the outside.
“Mom, no!” Gage bit at his sore lip as his new magazine slid into place.
Both demons snarled back at him, baring their heavily plaque-ridden teeth. Scraps of tinder gently rained down.
“You…” said Gage, taunting with a finger pointed sternly at Lawrence, “are gonna suffer for that.”
Blake crowed as Lawrence took a step forward.
“Oh really, Mister Crosse?” he said without fear of the reputed demon-slayer’s response. “You have no idea the fate that awaits slayer scum like you. In fact, I think tonight I'll have the pleasure of finally seeing you suffer the same fate as your cunt mother and bastard father.”
Adrienne felt vastly uneasy.
“Easy now,” Gage replied, heat building in the very pit of his stomach. “Those are my parents you're talking about.”
“Duh,” he replied. “I know them well. In fact, I might have gotten to know them really well back in the day before they were… extinguished like a weak candle flame.” He made a puffing noise and stretched his fingers out wide like an explosion.
Homeward Bound (Journeyman Book 1) Page 21