by Azure Boone
The monkey man crouched to the floor, sniffing along Karly's leg. Jessie whimpered as he opened his mouth wide, thick globs of saliva dripping from massive canine fangs, head wobbling like it wasn't entirely attached to his shoulders. His head swiveled left then snapped forward like a spring-loaded sledgehammer and struck Karly's upper thigh.
Karly's blood and scream erupted. The beast growled like a pit-bull on steroids nailing down for the kill. Karly brought both her palms down on the sides of his head, crushing it like an egg. Face crimped in fury, eyes flashing ruby red, she didn't even flinch at the blood and brain matter that splattered on her, and the walls.
Finally dressed for battle in the attire Kassern despised, Karly met the next beast in the air with a round house kick to the throat. The stiletto heel of her go-go boot adorned with barbs, sliced him open before she slammed her palm into his forehead and sank a ruby dagger entirely through his skull. She yanked her hand away and launched through the air onto the back of another creature some five feet away and buried her stiletto heels into its side as she plunged her bloodied blade into its lower cranium. Before he could drop to the floor, she jumped onto another.
Devyn suddenly went flying across the room and hit the wall. It seemed to serve as a springboard by the way she rocketed back toward Lucian's brother like a rubber ball, slamming her ruby spiked forearm into his face. Before he could recover, she grabbed his head and flipped him onto the floor. The two grappled for control and Devyn gained the upper mount and slammed her spiked knuckles repeatedly into his face.
In a flash he flipped and pinned her beneath him only for her to wrap a leg around his neck and flip him back, landing a few more rapid punches.
A monkey man attacked from behind and Devyn stabbed him in the chest with an elbow dagger. The break in momentum got her thrown off Leo.
The second Devyn gained her footing Jessie screamed as the man plunged a long knife through her chest and out of her back. Her wide-eyed gasp was silent as he threw her into the wall and she collapsed, unmoving.
Jessie continued to scream with the horror of it all happening right around her feet. The more evil version of Leo turned and licked Devyn's blood off his blade. "You're next."
She ran with no plan but escape. A body slammed into her from behind and she hit the floor hard, face-first, busting her nose and blasting the air from her lungs.
Leo flipped Jessie onto her back with a handful of her hair. Bending to her mouth, he forced his tongue inside while his fingers slowly clamped down on the bones in her throat.
She punched and beat at the solid wall, trying to breathe. Panic made her thrash but all it bought was his guttural laugh as he enjoyed her suffocation with a lusty kiss. Her body slowly went limp and the chaos around her faded to dark silence.
Air poured back into her lungs when Leo's head snapped back with a roar and he flew off of her. Jessie scrambled to a wall with sputtered sobs.
A man stood over Leo in only a garment covering his loins, almost a kilt or skirt, that seemed made of blue fire. A tattooed angel on his chest glowed the same blue as Dorn's eyes.
Lucian.
Thank God.
The wrath in his face added scary to his utter masculine beauty. Lucian grabbed Leo by the throat. "I'm going to kill you." Lucian rocket launched him through the wall before disappearing in a blue streak after him.
Seconds later, Lucian crashed through the roof, his brother skewered in the chest with a long aqua blade.
The tormented wails that came from Leo's throat sounded like twenty condemned demons. He thrashed under the blade for endless seconds before his body deflated into a pile of skin. Then it disintegrated and wafted away, black mist on a current of air.
Like in a bad movie, Kassern and Troy arrived just after the bloody fight. Lucian suddenly stood next to Jessie, wrapping his arms around her, soft Romanian words murmured in her ear and silky kisses along her hair line.
Troy still in his white robe, hurried to where Devyn slumped against the wall. He jerked toward Kassern. "Oh shit, help me!"
"You know what to do!" Kassern's voice thundered with emotion as he crouched over Karly's still body.
Troy placed his hand on Devyn's wound and gasped a long string of strange words. Devyn coughed and cried out as a red glow entered her body. She opened her eyes and Troy pulled her in a tight embrace, his face buried in her shoulder.
"Father, please," Kassern whispered, hovering over Karly's body with his.
Dorn suddenly appeared with Sally in his arms.
"Dorn, help me." Desperation strained Kassern's words as he remained hovered over Karly's red encased body.
Dorn hurried to his side and knelt. "What is this?"
"I don't know, I've never seen it before." Jessie heard the panic in his hushed words.
"I'll call a potentia sanatore."
"Please," Kassern whispered.
Dorn flicked his wrist and spoke one foreign syllable into a small triangular device before it disappeared back into…his hand?
Kassern moved to the other side of Karly, and Jessie froze. A gaping black hole smoked in Karly’s leg where that thing had bit her. "Oh God," she whispered.
Kassern lifted Karly's head and supported her upper body in his lap, kissing her forehead while strange words swiftly poured out of him in a raspy whisper. "I've never seen this," he repeated, locking frantic ruby eyes on Dorn.
Sally felt a wave of evil closing in around them. "We have to go, they're coming!" She wrung her hands.
Dorn turned to her. "Your eye." He hurried over and took her face in his hands, staring.
Sally gripped his hands. "They're coming, I can feel them, we have to go, there's too many!"
"Kassern, can you move your triumvirate?"
"Yes. Troy, Devyn, come close to me and hold on to Karly."
They hurried to Kassern and Dorn turned with his hand out. "Lucian and Jessie."
Sally noticed the clothes on Troy, Karly, and Devyn suddenly changed back into what they wore, the process reminding her of a hologram. The second they all touched, Dorn breathed a syllable and things blurred. During the timeless transport, Sally felt the dark chokehold that had been closing in to their hide out slowly loosen.
It seemed like forever before they reappeared someplace. Sally looked around and figured out right away it was a luxurious hotel room. A look out the window said they were many stories up.
Kassern laid Karly in one of the beds and a bright white light glowed next to him until the luminous form of a being appeared. "We don't know what it is," Kassern said to the form. "I've never seen anything like this."
The tall glowing man wore a white robe with matching long hair and held a hand over the wound while Kassern studied his face for clues. Many seconds later, he turned his head to the ruby angel and spoke in another language.
"What?" Kassern frowned, incredulous. "How can you not know?"
He shook his head twice and spoke again, touching a vial to her wound. He placed the vial back in his robe and turned to Kassern. More strange words passed between the two and they bowed deeply. The being disappeared like something erased him from a piece of paper.
Karly bolted upright in the bed as though snatched from another reality where she'd been in the midst of screaming her head off. Kassern grabbed her up in his arms and spoke fervently into her ear until she calmed into soundless gasps.
She finally became coherent and looked at him. "I got you," he whispered. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed as Kassern pulled her into his lap and rocked her with soothing sounds.
Finally Troy asked what Sally was dying to know. "What did the man say?"
Kassern looked only at the floor between them. "He's taking it to Aesculapius' Grotto to test it. I can't believe this! How is it that I don't know what this is?"
"It's a new evil," Dorn said quietly.
Kassern gasped, his ruby eyes flashing to him. "New evil?" Like that alone
was too hard to believe. "How is there anything that we don't know brother?"
"We will find out. She'll be fine."
"Hey, I'm fine, I'm fine." Karly dried up her crying and turned his face to hers.
Kassern looked at her leg, touching it carefully around the still black skin. At least the hole was gone. "How did you get it? Do you remember?" His voice was delicate.
"The bastard bit me, the monkey thing."
He pulled her lips to his and kissed her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Well you can't be everywhere Kassern. But I did manage to crush his head."
"Like an egg," Jessie said.
Everybody looked at her and she nodded. Sally's heart constricted at seeing her sister's face bloodied and her dark eyes wide and haunted looking.
"Just like an egg." Jessie's repeat was whispered with a shaky voice.
"Glad I didn't need to take the blue pill," Lucian bit, glaring at the two angels.
Sally noticed his words distressed both angels, like they were just as pissed about that. Dorn scowled. "Nothing is what it should be."
"There was a man this time." All eyes turned to Devyn. "I don't know who he was."
"My brother." Lucian ran his hand through his hair, leaving it standing on end. "But don't worry, I killed him."
Sally heard a lot of things in his voice. Hate, shock, regret. "Where was he?" Dorn asked. "His body, I mean?"
"It disappeared." Lucian's expression seemed to wonder whether or not that happened every day with these guys.
Dorn and Kassern exchanged glances before Dorn turned to Sally and took her face in his hands. "When did this start?"
Sally wilted under his direct gaze and attention, hardly able to think. "W-when I was sleeping." She nodded a little. "Felt him in my dreams." She covered her eye with a hand, the pain of his pull still fresh in her mind. "At first it was something I wanted or had to have, then it turned painful, like I would die if I didn't go."
"I know." At Dorn’s soothing tone, Sally realized she worried she'd done wrong. He looked at Kassern. "The filthy bastard has somehow bound himself to her and can find her when she sleeps."
"You need to consummate." Kassern's words led to a momentary silence. "That will wipe him out of her entirely."
Sally's womb clenched at the word consummate with Dorn followed by nausea at the idea of the demon having any sort of hold over her.
"You're so right," Dorn said, as though amazed he hadn't thought of it. He pulled Sally into another room and shut the door then looked at her.
Sally's heart thudded in her throat and she swallowed, waiting. Ready.
"God," he breathed. "You're ready."
Like that was hard to imagine? "Very."
His beautiful brows narrowed. "I know your body is ready but…what about your…"
"My heart?"
"Yes," he whispered, so very concerned for her.
She went to him. A foot away, he stared down into her face and carefully stroked her cheek. She couldn't stop her smile. "I love how you care about me."
"I do." His sincerity made her breathless.
"I know."
"I realize that I'm not like…I mean I'm nothing like most men. Any man, actually."
Sally tip toed and put her arms around his neck. "Hold me."
Dorn lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
She smiled. "See?"
He stared into her face. "See what?"
"You knew I wanted you to pick me up."
"Yes." He stared at her mouth. "I know what you want. Like right now."
"What do I want?"
He leaned in slowly and brushed his lips over hers. "This."
She opened for him and he deepened the kiss, his tongue gliding perfectly over hers.
"And this." He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her hair just enough to feel really good. He moved to her neck and sucked then scraped his teeth along her skin. "This."
"Yes."
He stopped and looked in her eyes. "But do you love me?"
She stroked his full lower lip with her thumb before leaning to kiss it.
Dorn huffed in frustration and shut his eyes. "What in the Seven Universes could he possibly want?"
Sally raised her brows as Dorn let her slide down his body. Encountering his extreme hard on, she gave an oh!
"We have company. Let's go see what's going on." He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. "We'll continue this after."
Sally slid her fingers into his thick hair. "Promise?"
With one large hand on her butt he pressed her into his arousal, growling as his tongue danced across hers once more.
She gasped for air when he pulled up. "I like the way you promise." She smiled as he nibbled her lips one last time, clearly not wanting to stop.
God, neither did she.
****
Jessie eyed the newest angel. He was an arch angel, just like Kassern and Dorn. They called him Toren. And wow. His wings were on display and they looked like chrome. His eyes and nails matched. His hair too, with deeper flashes of blacks and grays mixed in for a stunning effect. His skin was light, maybe with a hint of gray. Or was it just all the silvery chrome that made it appear that way?
"There's a large scale re-animation underway." Toren kept his voice soft and low, as if to prevent the humans from being alarmed.
"A what!" Dorn's words cracked like a whip and he seemed ready to break something if he got another piece of impossibly bad news.
The chrome-looking angel stood at ease with his hands clasped behind him. "An earthquake a couple of hours ago left nearly two thousand people knocking on death's door. Demons are on stand-by for the legal inhabitation and possession."
"Legal?" Kassern stood now, his wings erupting behind him.
"It's part of this unholy catastrophe that has inspired your entire mission. The dying person can be guaranteed survival if they give the demon permission to use them as a vessel. Of course, they don't tell the fine print, how the person will literally fuse to the demon via their genetics masquerade."
"Now is not a good time." Dorn forcibly relaxed his hands, curled into involuntary fists with Toren's explanation.
Toren sighed. "I'm aware this conflicts with your current operation, but it's you we especially need due to the tactical nature. And we need you like fifteen minutes ago, if I'm to be precise in the way that you usually prefer."
Jessie was sure she heard a note of sarcasm.
Toren's giant wings shuddered. "Our intelligence has gathered that their little trick works, and they are waiting for a large-scale opportunity such as this to start an all-out war among mankind. We obviously cannot let that happen despite our current game plan."
Kassern stood, gearing up. "We go, we defeat them, we come back."
Dorn turned to Sally and she nodded. "It's okay, we're fine."
He looked at Lucian. "You and Troy are in charge of their safekeeping."
"I can help." Troy glanced at Lucian before continuing. "If Lucian is staying I mean."
"No way, you're not angel enough for that." Devyn met his stare, all challenge.
"No, he is, actually." Kassern sighed the soft words, hands on his hips. "He was holy when I found him, he's more than capable now. Trust me. And the more help we have the faster we can return."
"Just hurry and leave so you can get back." Lucian raked a hand through his ebony hair and Jessie couldn't help but recall the last time she'd seen it that way. Made her want to drag him in a room.
Kassern eyed Lucian. "Stay put. You need help, you think it and we're here."
"Of course!" Lucian's equivalent to no shit.
Dorn went to Sally and held her shoulders before turning to Lucian. "She doesn't sleep. Not for a second. Not until I'm here to watch over her."
Lucian gave a mock salute to go with his sudden high levels of distress. "Not a wink."
Toren looked
decidedly uncomfortable while kisses were finally exchanged. "Holy Universes," he muttered, "like the lovely tulips will never return."
Kassern passed Toren and patted him on the shoulder. "Can't wait to see you eat those words."
"That will be the eternal day brother," Toren said.
Dorn chuckled once. "It most certainly will be."
The second they left, Karly moved to stand. "Think I'll freshen up."
"I'll help you," Devyn said.
"Me too," Sally chimed. "Jessie, might as well come too."
Lucian shook his head as they filed to the bathroom. "Or you could just tell me to go freshen up and save you four a few steps."
Once the girls were in the bathroom, Devyn spoke first. "Tell me the truth, how do you feel?"
"I'm fine." Karly's smile was a little too cheery and spots of brighter than normal color sat on her high cheek bones.
"Girl don't lie to me!" Devyn squeezed her hand. "I know you too well, I saw the lie you told Kassern the second it came out of your mouth."
"It hurts is all, what do you expect? I got bit. But he's upset enough, why make it worse?"
"Kassern seemed too concerned for you to play around with it," Sally said. "How bad does it hurt?"
Karly shook her head looking up. "Like a throb. That's about it."
"On a scale of one to ten, how painful?" Jessie eyed the wound on Karly's slender leg.
"Five okay? Happy? Now can I take a piss?"
"Promise me you'll tell me if that changes, Karly." Despite the hard edge to Devyn's voice, it shook.
"I promise, I promise." She shooed them all out.
The girls went into the main living area and found places to sit. Lucian paced near the window briefly before closing the curtains tight. He turned and pointed to Sally. "Better not sit."
Sally paused in the process of lowering to an overstuffed sofa. "Don't be silly."
"I'm not, just being careful."
She sat anyway. "I'm not going to stand up the entire time."
"It's fine." Jessie stroked Lucian's arm.
He looked at her and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm freaking out here."
"And I'm starving." Karly came out of the bathroom. Jessie was sure the timing of Karly's gait was off, but she didn't know her well enough to accuse her of hiding the severity of her injury.