Retribution, Devotion

by Kai Leakes

  Pushing from her bed, Nydia stood in her naked glory, forcing her tail away. Silky mahogany syrup was what she had heard her skin called. Parts of her were flawless while other areas of her skin were covered in raised scales like that of a reptile. Nydia let the flat of her hands trace over her body, cupping her bare mound, then upward to cradle her breasts. Each breast was plump like that of a melon. Her nipples were peaked thanks to the cool air. Down her back, the protrusions of her spinal cord curved in spikes of various sizes, stopping at the curve of her ass. It was nice being a demon.

  She was a beauty, but she was also a beast. Speaking of, an Initiate lay in her bed just as naked as she was and dead. His blood covered her as she painfully walked from the bed and let her eyes adjust to the dark. Something was happening to her and it was pissing her off. Ever since the fight on that roof, when the Oracle ripped her arm from her and when that man, the one she couldn’t believe she had just called out to, touched her to hit her with his Mystic magic, her nightmares had not been the same.

  “I shouldn’t be having these fucking dreams!” she roared to herself then pulled out a mop to clean the mess on her floor. She couldn’t believe herself. She was a Cursed minion, having nightmares!

  Coffee pupils glanced toward the form of the dead male in a sigh. She had hoped that his thick shaft and expert mouth would put that prickly feeling at ease. But as she rode his handsome face, her mind twisted and she saw that man from her dreams, her enemy bringing her pleasure that connected to that prickly feeling within her chest. Fury had fueled her, which resulted in her swiftly killing the Initiate at the same moment of cumming over his face. She should have let his body cook in the sun, but then, that would have put her at risk from burning as well and she had enough to deal with as it was.

  “I’m going mad. That is what this is. This is insanity and the Dark Lady should end me now. I am not good for her,” she hissed aloud to herself.

  Annoyance caused her to fall with a plop on the bed shaking the mattress. Her broom clanked as it fell at her feet to the floor. The Initiate’s body was finally evaporating into a miasmic mist, leaving her bed empty and covered in black-red blood.

  Fresh turns always take long to die, she inwardly contemplated, running her hands over her semi-scaled thighs. Nydia fell backward on her bed while her mind churned. She couldn’t understand that dream. She didn’t remember any of those things ever happening to her, but it felt as if it was her. It had to be some taint from the Light. Otherwise, she didn’t know what was going on.

  Shaking her head, she pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes then mumbled to herself, “Maybe it’s a Nephilim. Another thorn in my back to track, it has to be.”

  Propelling herself from the bed with an annoyed growl, Nydia pulled at the sheets of the bed in an angry tantrum then threw them to the floor. She had other things to worry about. Some silly dream was not one of them. While she cleaned, the sound of her cell phone drew her attention.

  “What!” she snarled.

  A familiar masculine voice chimed on the other side, causing her to narrow her eyes. “You know what. Meet me near West Chicago Avenue.”

  With that, the line went dead. This was her life. Orders and demands. Tossing her cell on her bed, she headed to her walk-in closet. Slamming her hand against a hidden panel against the frame of the closet door, her row of clothes parted, as if one was watching a curtain reveal. The many items slid to the side revealing various weapons and poisons. This was her world, her place of domain. Nydia reached to the right over her, snatching a revealing pair of black skinny jeans that were cut on the sides and fastened with various barbs of wire. Pulling out a drawer, she found an equally revealing black top that highlighted her ample bosoms. Before her, a row of glass bottles and bowls filled with fluid had her reaching for a flask of venom.

  She calmly twisted the cap open, and then dipped her fingers into the contents. The pleasurable feel of her venom stacks underneath her nails plumping with the new poisonous mix made her smile. Sealing the deliciously rancid mixture, she turned to grab her black Timbs then slide on her poison-tipped dagger boots. No, heels needed later. Before her call, she was on her way out of the house. She had picked up the faint thread of a human with the Nephilim gene whose blood scent matched what she needed for a fresh new Initiate for Valac.

  He needed a nanny so his bastard of a father had explained and since she already was looking for a new Initiate for Reina, the Medusa figured why not this human. The Medusa enjoyed chasing humans then turning them. The ability to possess and corrupt them was so easy and the fact that this one was human with a distant Nephilim link made it all more fun for her. She enjoyed the frozen looks on their faces while they looked upon their death. Something about it all made it so sensational for her and her lips itched to bite into the tender flesh of this new target.

  With a slap against her closet doorframe, she listened to the doors shut and return to normal. With a serpentine saunter toward her counter, she grabbed the keys to her ride and assortment of personal identification cards. Throwing her bag of weapons and clothes over her shoulder, Nydia moved to stand inside of her private elevator. She pulled the gate down, locking it and headed out.

  “Time to go.” She gleefully smirked as the name Calvin and the words as it was before, so shall it be again echoed in her mind, causing her to scream. The bottom of her boots slammed into the sides of her elevator as she lashed out at the air in fury.

  Smoke accosted her nostrils. Cackles with drunken drawls surrounded her, plucking at her annoyance. She was in a cesspool. The scent of various human dejection and depravities made her hungry to taste their blood and to add to the infection of their sins. The Medusa’s nails lightly tapped the glass of spumante she cradled in her hands. Time was wasting away. She had a gig to make in time.

  “Which is why I called you for this meeting, my dear Harpy,” a voice crooned near her. Casually walking through the smoke fog that was the tavern, Nydia noticed the one person on this earth she hated, but admired at the same time, Fallen Elder Jacques Fur’i. If she were in the Cursed kingdom she would have stood, but since they were on human ground, she could give two shits. At his side, an attractive brunette took his cane then stepped back to speak to a gruff older man near the bar. The woman’s ruddy lips parted in a fanged smile with a subtle shift under her cinnamon skin. Succubus, more so a Dark Witch; interesting companion, ran through the Medusa’s mind.

  Sipping her drink, Nydia gave a nod. “My Lord Fur’i, what is your request?”

  Sitting across from her, she studied the Elder’s alluring features. As was his style, Elder Jacques’s bald head was baby bottom soft. The light scent of cologne meant to make ordinary female’s havens wet did nothing for her, but she could appreciate the various spices within it. Cloaked around him was a long dark brown tailored trench coat, which was adorned with a fur collar. She bet it was bear. His pretentious demeanor dictated that he would kill some wild bear then sport it around his neck. The thought made her laugh while his dark brown eyes studied her, causing her to cloak her thoughts from him.

  “Ah, Medusa, how I always look forward to our meetings. My son sends you his dark thoughts of course. He enjoyed the Dragon you left for him to play with; unfortunately, another will have to take her place, since she died instantly. What can you say? Children, right?” he lightheartedly addressed her. Reaching for her glass, he downed it with ease with an amused smirk.

  Lord jackhole, aka Jacques Fur’I, sat before her in all his arrogance toying with her nerves. Actually, he was loving making her squirm because he knew she could not do anything about it. Thoughts of slashing his throat and dealing with it after kept her focused. “It pleases me that the young Lord enjoyed his toy. It was the same way you introduced my mistress with her first toy from you was it not?”

  Nydia inwardly flinched. Why in all that was dark would she say that? She was Reina’s first toy and she did not recall him introducing her to Reina at all. Silence took over.
Creaking of the table before them had Nydia noticing places upon it that were rotting under the Elder’s elbows. She sat, promptly put in her place while he had her feeling as if she were a lowly insect, one that needed to be stepped upon. Luckily, for her, his dark demeanor disappeared quickly before he addressed her.

  “Interesting memory, one I’ll think on later. Dear Nydia, as you do your bidding, do make sure to kill the woman you’ve chosen as my son’s nanny. We will not need her services after all. She is a loose thread that should have been snipped awhile ago. Also, these are the codes to deactivate their pesky barriers.” Sliding a palm-sized black book across the table, Jacques casually smiled her way.

  “Once that is out of the way, have your fun,” he replied, motioning with his hands. The sound of a man’s gruff scream drew Nydia’s attention away while she took the book. A sweet hit of the smell of blood hit her sense instantly.

  “I always manage to do so, as you should recall,” she heatedly replied, her body reacting to the craving of feeding.

  Jacques steepled his hands together, assessing the way she sat. She knew to keep a thin line of boundaries with him because he could kill her in a blink. It was also the fact that he sat emotionless, watching her in a cool demeanor that made her skin crawl with his magnetic aura. She had to get her control back. He wasn’t worth the dirt that rested under the cheap table they both sat at and she felt like telling him just that.

  As she began to formulate her mind to say something to the Elder, she was stopped mid-thought. She sharply gasped the moment he phased through the table then slammed her on her back. Two fingers found their way into her pants, slipping into her moistness. Fangs scraped against the side of her neck and she glanced into the eyes of evil. To the human eye, it just appeared as if he had quickly stood up and moved to confront her, but his grip grounded her in the truth as his minions caused calamity around them.

  “Give this gift to my Dark princess next time you see her. I’ll be busy with my games as you are familiar with so I do not have the time. If you disappoint me, Harpy . . .” His tsk against her earlobe caused her to reflect on their rough games in bed with Reina. Laughter bubbled within at the tight grip of his painful hold and the desire to gut him burned her mind.

  “Don’t disrespect how I hunt. I am the Medusa. People die just by my presence, so don’t confuse me with your other . . . weak minions.” She said with an irritated, yet annoyed flip of her hand in the air and a roll of her reptilian eyes.

  “What you need will be done. If it is not in the manner you want, you know it will be in the manner I need or want! Which is why her mark is still on my list. Okay, my Lord?” Nydia calmly drawled back.

  Screams sounded around them and the Elder gave a curt nod while standing. Sometimes, being in a drunk stupor can reveal the demons that surround a person, and the longer she and the other demons stayed in the bar, the illusion that was thrown up by Jacques’s Witch was quickly fading away. Especially with the spill of human blood.

  “Then we are done here. You might want to go now, doll.” He evaporated into air in front of her, and Nydia slowly sat up. Around her, everyone was either dead, trying to run away, or given the dark bite. The sound of thumping boots echoed outside with the loud clamor of a door falling to the ground.

  “Police!”

  The Medusa inwardly cursed then locked eyes on several cops who pointed guns her way. Sharply hissing, baring her fangs, the two cop’s eyes briefly shifted to red, signaling her of her kind. A satisfying smile flickered across her face. One of the cops headed back to the door, letting off rounds of bullets into humans who were used as food, but who were still alive.

  Nydia quickly slipped from the table, picked up a burly biker who had several fang marks in his neck and pressed an unmarked gun in his hand. Shooting around the room again, she shouted, cloaking her voice with a Cursed spell which made her sound like the man she held. Dropping him against a wall, two more bullets bore into his skull, this time from an unmarked gun Nydia had on her from a human goon she had tainted earlier in the night.

  Motioning for her to exit, the second cop muffled the screams of a woman who ran from the bathroom. His bite was swiftly lethal as he snatched her. It also infected the young prostitute, which amused Nydia. Watching her fall to her side in a daze, Nydia quickly headed to the back of the club. Exiting with a kick to the steel door, she ran into the side alley. The voices of various cops alerted her that she would not be able to get to her car right away. Therefore, opting for another means of exit, she dug her nails into the brick siding of the tavern and briskly scaled it until she reached the roof.

  Panting, the Medusa watched the tavern become overrun in blue, red, and white light. Annoyance caused her to shake her bladed inlaid braids before walking away to leap to a nearby building where her ride waited. “St. Louis, here I come.”

  Chapter 12

  The name “Kwame” plummeted against his mind as a throbbing hit his right shoulder blade while he drove his black SUV up into his old complex in St. Louis, Missouri. The Angelic Ghanaian script that ran down his shoulder and bicep was yet again ripping him a new one, causing him pain. He had to grip the steering wheel attempting to ignore it. This was not the first time that he had heard his true name, or his soul name as they called it in Society, within his mind. Lately, he was hearing and feeling it often. Each scream giving him flashes of his old life and causing the words on his shoulder to blaze with life. But, as usual, he had to deal with the pain and ignore it as he had to do now.

  It was another new day and he was back at his old digs with Marco. It seemed like only yesterday that they were all living it up and protecting STL from lower-level Cursed. Now that all changed and now he was no longer in the comfort of this city but back at the headquarters, Chicago. Thinking back, sitting and listening to Sanna comb through the book was the most awesome experience in his life these past months.

  The Oracle blazed in front from him as he anchored her and Khamun fed her his strength. Calvin knew that Sanna had pulled as much of her energy as she could to help lead them correctly, due to her stunted gifts. He could see the disappointment in her because Oracle only could stay around for thirty minutes, but within those minutes, massive information was shared and they had learned a lot.

  They had learned that this book was a history of the Founders, the first fallen and it blew his mind. He learned the first Sin Eater was born to protect the Lady Magdalene as she carried the child of the Messiah. That alone almost made his heart stop and had him sitting slack jawed. Shit was boss.

  This unknown angel removed the One Son from his cross and in doing so, the Messiah whispered within his ear a Spirit Song, triggering their DNA, that changed him and his chosen warriors into what the enemy had become. Vampires. But unlike their evil brothers and sisters who killed and drank the souls of humans from their bodies and polluted their bodies with dark sins in order to create demons for the Dark One, they would feed from the Cursed and balance the unnatural law created by the Dark Fallen. This angel—whose name was blurred because they needed the other books to reveal it—was given a vision.

  The vision showed that a second war would take place where they would need to bind the Cursed and make them impotent. Part one to the punishment for their Fall, for lying with humans to create evil Nephilim, for the conception of demons and for the implementing of pain to the Most High’s children. He was told that those Chosen warriors who survived would be asked to willingly Fall and stay behind yet keep their anointed gifts, as a means to watch the Most High’s children and fight the remaining evil Nephilim. As they eagerly leaned in to absorb more, the rest of the scrolling ink script disappeared and broke off as the book automatically sealed shut on its own.

  As everyone sat in shock, he watched his cousin’s aura dwindle, her speech wavering. San explained to Marco and him that they had to intervene with a human with a dormant Nephilim gene. She explained that the young woman had to leave STL then return to her home. In addition, t
hat the woman would lead them to “the missing” and a clue in finding the true Key. Both men nodded their heads in understanding and acceptance of their mission. Which had them now back in St. Louis.

  Marco and Calvin had been in STL raising the body count, saving innocent humans, and slamming heads together all through the week. If felt like home again while they stomped through their familiar haunts and made the enemy run for cover. Now they were back in the streets ready to do it all over again as they searched for the one Sanna demanded they find. Stepping out of their ride, both men were greeted by a text. It was around eight at night in STL and they knew demon activity was heating up.

  It automatically made sense why the new team was scattered throughout the city and county of St. Louis, hunting now. Checking the cords, Calvin shook his head with a chuckle. “Hey, bro, drop this shit off and let’s head across the river. Looks like some demon heads are about to roll at Pink’s according to the intel I got from Dolla and Zion.”

  Marco slapped a hand against the hood of the SUV with a lopsided smile. “Perfect. Exactamente where Sanna told us we needed to be, Cal.”

  Whipping the ride down Natural Bridge and Kingshighway, they passed several Nephilim safe houses and churches then headed to the “Ill side.” Pink’s flashing sign appeared fifteen minutes later, letting them know the place was still bumping. The building appeared nonthreatening, as was the custom for places like this. Pink’s was known under the circuit as a neutral zone for humans, demons, Nephilims, and other supernatural entities to visit. Rules of places like this were that no one fed, no one killed, and no one hunted. Penalty of breaking the rules was being banned via a gridline that would kill the person on the spot if they stayed on the land.

  Both fellas loved how Mystic magic ran the place and how interesting it was that a non-house affiliate sect of Nephilim ran the spot. It was rumored that they could not be touched due to old laws handed down from the start of the war. That there would always be neutrals and these neutrals happened to be the only surviving Death Wraths, or Phantoms as they were called, with the infinity mark. Only the Most High or his appointed overseer could control infinity-marked Phantoms; unfortunately, no one could recall what or who the overseer was to the Phantoms and only the oldest surviving Pure Wrath could and he had disappeared eons ago.