by Jack Porter
“Who do they report to?” I wondered out loud, not for the first time.
But none of the girls seemed to know.
“What gives them the authority to act? Surely it can’t be just the belief that they have that authority?” I asked.
“If it was as simple as that, they would have been challenged long before now. But if it isn’t the government…” Rachel didn’t finish her statement.
“Then it must be something else,” I finished for her. But I didn’t have any more answers than the girls.
“What about the divine items they carry?” Piper asked. “The weapons and defensive items? Where do they come from?”
“Are they just relics they’ve collected over the years?” Rachel mused.
But I shook my head. “Surely they can’t rely on seizing such items. It seems too random.”
“So the BDA must have an actual source,” Sandy said.
I knew she was right, and Azrael seemed to agree. “They have access to some sort of divinity,” I stated.
The others all seemed to agree but didn’t have much more to add.
I looked at each of the women in turn, and summed it up. “So, there’s an armed, capable organization that has divine help and governmental authority on its side. Its sole purpose is to hunt down people like us and ensure that we don’t do the express thing we are doing. And they have unknown, possibly Divine support. Is that about the size of it?”
Sandy looked horrified at my summary, and Piper looked grim. Only Rachel seemed to accept the situation with equanimity. But none of them offered any contradiction.
“Does anyone feel like bowing out? Like stopping where we are, and just fading into our old lives?” I asked. At the same time, I didn’t want to return to my old life. Sure, life was infinitely more dangerous now, and the people I cared about were at risk. But it was also much more fun than it had ever been.
I had no intention of going back to my low status loser life, even if I could. And that was another question. If Sandy, for example, wanted to run and hide, she would still have a succubus within her. Just because of that, she would still potentially be on the BDA’s hit list, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Not that it mattered. The girls’ response was unanimous. They each vocally objected to the very idea. Even Sandy, who was the most delicate of the three, seemed adamant.
“I’m staying with you,” she said, in tune with similar statements from Rachel and Piper. “No matter what the BDA might try to do.”
I grinned very broadly, both proud and humbled by the expression of loyalty. But that didn’t mean we could relax. The BDA was out there, and it was now a direct threat. Which meant, unless we wanted to trust luck alone, we had to do something about it.
I had been dumping points into luck for myself and the girls on a regular basis. I figured I had a good chance of bankrupting any casino by then, simply by trying my hand at any of the games. But against the concerted might of an organization like the BDA, luck wouldn’t be enough.
“Okay. So, here’s what we need to do. Rachel and Sandy, use your resources. Find out everything you can about the BDA. Who they answer to. The limit of their power. And most importantly, how we might stay off their radar, or if that isn’t possible, what we need to do to defend ourselves from them.”
Both girls nodded. Sandy had a growing network of informants, people who’d had succubi and incubi awakened within them. At last count, the Azrael infection had spread through at least eight generations, and it was becoming hard to count how many there actually were.
With that many people all effectively loyal to me, she should be able to find out something.
Rachel’s talents were more digital in nature. With the aid of a computer, there wasn’t much she couldn’t find out.
But the Goth woman hesitated. “Um, do I have to start now? I’d like to test myself against Piper again. Now that I’ve had my upgrades from Azrael.”
I laughed. Both Sandy and Piper did too, and the grimness of the conversation was broken. Sandy and I gave the two combatants room, and this time, Rachel was a much better match for the assassin.
“Good,” Piper said when they finished. “The only difference between us now is training. And we can take care of that over the next few days.”
9
One of the benefits of being a crime boss in charge of the Syndicate’s entire South End was that I could get my car repaired without having to answer a whole bunch of tricky questions. This was important for two reasons. First, I liked the car I had taken as a trophy from my second professional hit. It was big, black, powerful, and dangerous, and it fit me and Azreal like a glove.
Second, I had managed to get the machine filled with bullet holes, and I wouldn’t have known how to explain those away if I’d had to.
Fortunately, one of the businesses I owned was a chop shop. They had all the tools and experience they needed to not only bring my monstrous machine back to how it had looked when it rolled off the factory floor, but also to tweak it to be even more of a monster on the road.
The Mustang was not a quiet, discrete vehicle. Even at a sedate pace, it roared like a demonic creature from Hell, spitting fire from its exhaust and straining to be unleashed on the world.
I knew that someday I would have to go all out, to point my car in a given direction and plant my foot as hard as it would go. And then, just to see what it would do, I intended to hit the red button on the dash that would dump a bunch of NOS into the engine.
But not today, I thought as I scared the pedestrians by driving past them at a sedate but loud pace. Today, all I needed to do was drive from point A to point B, and find a parking lot. The upgrades the Mustang had gained would still be there for when I needed them.
I was heading to another of the businesses I had taken from Dario Gambetti. This one was a hotel, called the Inner Sanctum, and on the surface, it was a legitimate business. One of those, in fact, that had brought my legal status up to the high twenties, which made me a higher status legal citizen than my old roommate Chad had ever achieved.
It was surprising, in a way, that all my illegal activities could result in such a thing. I mean, it wasn’t like I was trying. My main focus is, was, and probably always would be on the illegal side of the ledger.
It was just so much more fun to play in that particular sandpit.
Not to mention easier to Ascend to the heights. After all, there were fewer rules by which I had to abide.
I pulled up in front of the Inner Sanctum and handed my keys with some reservation to the valet. He was a skinny young man who couldn’t help but look at my car with admiration. Perhaps he would spin the tires as he squealed around the hotel parking garage. If he did, I couldn’t really complain. I liked to do that myself.
But I didn’t want to watch him do it. There was something a little bit wrong with the idea of someone else driving my car. It was a bit like the thought of another man screwing Rachel, Sandy, or Piper. But only a bit. It was, after all, the valet’s job to park cars, so I couldn’t very well remove his spine through his back for doing so.
Instead, I turned to the hotel entrance and made my way up the stairs.
The concierge was a small, round, capable man named Nigel, who couldn’t keep the look of fear from his face when he saw me arrive. The first time I’d been to the Inner Sanctum, I had arrived with Piper, and had threatened Nigel and his staff with their deaths if they didn’t shut the whole business down.
Given that the Syndicate conducted much of its business within the Inner Sanctum’s walls and there was even a full-service brothel operating inside it, it was a significant blow.
But the small, round man recovered quickly, offering me a smile.
“Mr. Kingman,” Nigel said. “Your guest has already arrived. She is waiting for you in the lower penthouse. I hope that’s all right.”
It was perfectly fine by me, but I gave him a wolfish grin nevertheless. “Was there something wrong with the uppe
r penthouse?” I asked.
He seemed slightly flustered. “Only that it is occupied. However, if you say the word, it can be made available right at this moment.”
“That won’t be necessary. The lower penthouse will be fine.” I looked around, seeing that everything seemed to be in order. It was a busy, expensive hotel that I knew made decent money. “It looks like you have the place back up and running as it should be,” I said.
The small man bobbed his head. “Yes sir. It took some effort, but everything is back as it was. The closure is no more than history.”
“Very good,” I said.
With that, I accepted the entry key and made my way to the elevators. At some point, I was going to have to get one of my succubi to seduce the man, just to ensure his loyalty. Not Rachel, Sandy, or Piper, of course, but one of the many I’d brought into being for that sort of purpose. But for now, that was a lower priority than all the other things I had to do.
I made my way to the lower penthouse and entered without bothering to knock.
Inside, it was an extravagant set up, a complete suite with multiple living areas, a full kitchen, and more than one bedroom.
“Hello?” I said.
“In here,” came the reply.
I grinned broadly, and made my way to the master bedroom, where I found Julie, the policewoman Ascender I had fucked at the club with her friend.
This time, she was alone.
She was also naked, sitting up on the end of the bed.
I had to smile. My life had become a never-ending succession of beautiful, naked women.
That and desperate battles for survival.
“You already carry Azrael’s seed,” I said. “You don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to.”
The dark-haired woman gave me a saucy grin. “Is that the only reason you have sex anymore? To awaken the demons within those you sleep with? Or do you still do it just for fun as well?”
There was a glint in her eye that suggested she had more on her mind than just fun, but even so, she made a good case. And anyway, I liked this woman. I’d found her attractive right from the start, when she had knocked on my door to ask about Chad’s disappearance.
Of all the women I’d slept with since then, there were few I found as memorable as her. So I took my time to study her feminine curves until Azrael spoke.
“What are you waiting for?” he said, and Julie’s grin grew even broader.
I didn’t need a second invitation. In moments, I was standing just as naked as her, with my clothes in a pile on the floor.
Almost as if she couldn’t help herself, Julie stood and reached out to touch the skin of my chest, just above one of the glyphs.
She made a small noise in the back of her throat, then tried to cover it with a cough, and shot a glance at my face.
“You are… harder than you were last time,” she said. “More muscular and solid. What are you made of? Tungsten steel?”
In answer, I reached for her and lifted her up, gripping her around the butt. She uttered a squeal and grabbed hold of me, wrapping her hands around the back of my neck and her legs around my hips, my erection caught between the two of us. To me, she seemed as light as a feather, and she didn’t seem to be able to stop herself moving against me.
“One of the benefits of having Azrael as a companion,” I said. “The stronger he gets, the more changes he can make to me, and to those connected to us. It’s like he’s almost maxed out the strength attribute. I’m as strong as it is possible to get and still be human. My muscles are much more dense than usual. You’d be surprised by how much I actually weigh.”
I wasn’t sure how much of what I was saying Julie took in. Her eyes were closed, and the way she was moving against me suggested she was distracted. Yet she still managed to ask me a question.
“Those connected to you?” she whispered.
I grinned. “Yes,” I said. But I didn’t give her anything else. I figured if she wanted to know more, she would have to ask.
“Even me?” she asked.
“If there’s something you want to change, just ask.”
I didn’t bother to mention the limitations. By then, Azrael and I were collecting more points with almost each passing hour, and the pace was increasing.
Julie’s cheeks were starting to become flushed. Perhaps she was distracted, but she didn’t respond with any immediate request. She just pressed her breasts hard against my chest and breathed, “I told you. I’m an Ascender, just like you are. I want it all.”
Then, without me having to shift her about, she somehow managed to create enough space between us that I was no longer caught.
She didn’t need to use her hands, and neither did I. We were already lined up the way nature intended, and with me doing no more than holding her weight, she slid herself all the way down, taking all of me inside her.
“Oh my God,” she murmured. “You’re bigger than I remember. And you weren’t exactly on the small side then, either.” Then she looked at me, putting two and two together. “Is this what you mean? Did you change that as well?
I couldn’t help but smirk just a little. “Maybe just a tad,” I said. “Too much?”
“Yes… No… Oh, God,” she said, as she moved gently against me. She paused, swallowed, and asked for more details. “You mean you can adjust it on the fly? Just like that?” she asked.
Standing there at the end of the bed, with Julie’s beautiful body wrapped around me, I had to laugh. “Yes,” I admitted. “Do you want me to make it smaller?”
But she shook her head. “No,” she breathed. “Just give me a moment to get used to it.”
I gave her that moment, and several more besides, and Julie’s movements became more certain. She seemed to enjoy the fact that I could stand there, without any walls in support, and carry her weight. I figured I could probably even go hands free if I wanted, but figured that might not be the best for her, so decided not to try it.
I simply stood there, doing my bit as Julie gained enthusiasm and speed in her rhythm. She was right. I had made myself larger. I’d been big before, but could see little reason in holding myself back. Why shouldn’t I be the biggest, within reason? Why shouldn’t I be the strongest? The best?
I was going for status, going for the top spot in the totem pole. Why should anything else about my life be second rate either?
I had also made myself taller. When I’d started this journey, I’d been just a few inches more than five feet tall. Now I was just a few inches taller than six.
I had to say, it gave me a new perspective on life.
Julie was slowly working herself into a frenzy, and she was feeling pretty good. I was gripping her more tightly, squeezing the flesh of her butt, and doing my part of the work as I pounded against her.
It seemed she was right. She could get used to my size. She had become very wet indeed. As she enjoyed me, her mouth dropped open and her eyes closed. They even squeezed up at the corners.
All at once, she let out a gasp, and held on tight as she panted and groaned. But I wasn’t done with her yet. I held her in place as her legs quivered against my hips, and she almost seemed to flinch against me.
It took her more than a minute to recover herself, and when she did, she pushed herself away from me just a little, bit her lip almost shyly, and traced a random pattern on my chest with her finger.
“Yes, I think I could get used to this,” she said, not really talking to me, but more like she was confirming something for herself. Then she looked me in the eye. “It’s such a big bed,” she said. “It would be a shame not to make use of it. And I’m not done yet.”
10
I made Julie come three more times before finding my own release. After, we lay together, both of us panting, a sheen of light sweat over us both. Julie’s expression was one of bliss mixed almost with surprise, as if she hadn’t expected anything like what had happened. She seemed a little shaken, worn out, as if she no longer trusted her own bo
dy to do as she asked.
I gave her the time she needed to pull herself together. She looked at me, started to speak, stopped, swallowed, and tried again.
“Well,” she managed. “I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to walk after all that.”
I laughed. “Good thing you don’t have to. At least right away. Take your time. You can even call room service if you like.” I was lying on my back with my hands behind my head, feeling nice and relaxed with the cool air caressing my skin. At the same time, I hadn’t come to the Inner Sanctum just to fuck Julie’s brains out. It wasn’t the worst way to spend an afternoon, and I’d be more than happy to do it again. But the reason I was there at all was because Sandy had reached out to Julie along with everyone else, asking about the BDA.
And Julie had responded.
“In the meantime,” I continued, “how about you tell me why I’m here. What do you know about the Bureau of Divine Affairs?”
Julie was also lying on her back, trying to relax, but every so often, her legs quivered all by themselves. I could tell she was trying to stop it, but with little success.
She did her best to answer my question.
“Cops work with the BDA all the time,” she said. “Whenever we stumble across something with even a hint of the divine, we bring them in and they take care of it,” she looked at me, her dark eyes serious. “There’s all sorts of rumors about them. I don’t know how many are true, and how many are just rumors, but Sandy said you wanted to learn all you could. So, what do you want to know?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “How do I get them off my ass?”
“You can’t. If they choose to come after you, then there is nothing you can do to stop them.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
“Pretty much. They are not answerable to anyone, as far as I can make out. Anyone official, at least. And they have power. There are stories of them capturing full demons.”
I frowned. I couldn’t help but think if the BDA was so all-powerful, then why was Julie willing to trust her luck as an Ascender?