by Jude Marquez
I opened my mouth to repeat my earlier warning, but he nodded. “I know.”
Then he was on top of me again and it was so much warmth and softness and magic and wild that I couldn’t remember my own name let alone to speak any kind of warning.
He held one hand up to my face. “Lick,” he ordered.
I did, getting his palm slick before he reached down and grasped us both in his hand and began to stroke.
Something sizzled beneath my skin, a magic I didn’t know I had. I was caught up by Eli’s own magic, his wolf, the feel of him so close to me and how safe and protected I felt.
How complete I felt.
I arched my back into him and I wanted nothing more than for him to flip me over and take me, but there was a small voice in my head telling me to wait. If I waited, it would be even better than this.
I clung to that reasoning like a crazed man.
That didn’t stop my own wandering hands though. I cupped Eli’s face in my hands, ran my palms down his sides, up his back, and down again. I grasped his ass and spread my legs, grateful for his weight.
We were both so close to the edge and Eli sped his hand up, giving us both a little more friction.
I reached down to his ass and pulled him closer, wanted him always closer, buried inside of me, me inside of him, where we could shelter each other and keep each other.
My fingers stroked his opening, not pressing in, just making him aware. He hissed and pushed back, wanting more, more, more. All of it.
I pulled away from his kiss and looked up at him. He met my eyes, and the hunger was written all over him. I knew I looked exactly the same way. Then his eyes drifted down to his hand where he had us both pressed against each other and it was like the sight was too much for him.
When I followed his gaze, I understood. It was too much to see how we were both pressed against each other; the sweat glistening off of our bodies and I reached down and it might have been awkward, but it was worth it. We found a rhythm and the pre-cum we were both leaking helped ease the way.
“I’m almost-” Eli breathed into my mouth.
I nodded frantically. “Me too. Come on.”
It was like all the permission he needed. His body shuddered and I felt goosebumps rise along my body just the same. We spurted over our fists and Eli groaned and I felt the animal rumble in his chest.
I leaned back and my vision went silver-gray at the edges and I swear I lost consciousness for a second.
Then Eli slithered down my chest and began to lick our juices off of my chest.
“Gross. Why?” I asked stupidly.
Eli barely paused and shrugged. He didn’t seem to be operating at higher functions yet either, and I couldn’t be bothered to stop him.
It felt kinda nice too.
When he deemed me clean, he fell off of me and to the side.
“We might die if you have sex,” he said.
“I am fine with that,” I said. I could finally think again and I blinked at the ceiling. “I could feel your wolf.”
“I know. I saw where you keep your magic,” he whispered.
“Is that normal?” I asked.
“I don’t know. You are the first person that’s ever happened with.”
“Cause I’m a guy?” I asked.
“Cause you’re you, moron. How many other thousand year events will I ever be with?”
“I don’t know. You’re hot. Maybe you attract us.”
He fell silent but raised my hand, the one that was wrapped around our cocks just a moment ago, and kissed it. I loved this new habit.
“It’s cause it’s you,” he insisted.
I grinned and opened my mouth to say something but Eli shot to his feet faster than I could follow.
“What?” I said as he threw clothes at me.
“They’re here,” he said.
I pulled his shirt on as he pulled his pants on. I didn’t need to ask who.
The Ascendancy found us.
I HATED EVERY SINGLE part of this plan.
But we couldn’t think of anything better.
The three of us were shoulder to shoulder, hiding in some underbrush. We had been here for hours, watching men and women in tactical gear, armed to the teeth come and go. They didn’t seem to be assigned to any vehicle, just taking what was available.
The problem was, they were in teams of seven to nine. I had faith in Dante, knew he could take more than his share of guys, but that didn’t mean that Marcus and I could handle bullets like he could.
In fact, we didn’t know if he could handle bullets. I had been giving it a lot of thought and we knew what happened when one of Celia’s wolves, or regular werewolves if there was such a thing, was shot. With the bullets the Ascendancy was using now, it hurt them but it kept them under control.
But if Dante, who was not famous for his control, was shot...
I had to wonder what would happen. I knew that an animal wounded and in pain could lash out at the nearest thing. I didn’t want to be that thing. I saw what Dante could do with his bare hands, his claws and fangs notwithstanding. If they designed those bullets to drive someone out of their mind with pain, the conclusion was obvious.
So we were waiting to find a team that was less than five. Four would have been ideal.
We didn’t speak; we barely moved. I was in the middle of the two of them because if I had to listen to them snap at each other one more time, then I would take them into the Ascendancy myself.
The sun was setting, and I was glad that Dante was pressed against me. The kid was like a walking furnace.
“There,” Dante whispered and nodded to a group of men striding towards a Humvee. There were five of them. It would have to do.
“Where?” Marcus whispered. He wanted to know where they were going. Dante and his supernatural abilities was our best asset.
“Frosted and Fried,” Dante replied, keeping his voice low. The donut shop. It was two doors down from Azolata’s shop and the apartment we needed to get into.
“Let’s go,” I said.
We pushed ourselves backwards until we were deep enough in the forest that we wouldn’t be seen. When we felt safe enough, we stood and followed Dante. He made his way through the forest like the directions were clear. I was learning the markers but without him, it would have taken much longer.
Then he slowed near a clearing. He held an arm out and we stopped too. He glanced over his shoulder. “Be nice. If you can’t do that, just don’t say anything.”
I wanted to ask him what he was talking about, but I was startled back a few steps when Dante knelt and a woman no taller than a foot high approached him. Dante bowed his head.
“I’m sorry we haven’t been able to come and speak to you yet. It’s been... Busy,” Dante said.
The woman chittered. Dante nodded. I stared.
She had skin the color of moss and her eyes were black. Ideal for hunting in a forest at night. She had moss or maybe it was leaves draped around her in the form of a dress. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a complicated braid that reminded me of Billie and how she used to beg me to do her hair. In one hand she held a spear that was almost as tall as her, and though it didn’t look like it could cause much harm, I knew that in her hands it would.
“We might need your help. Would you-”
The woman interrupted him and Dante gave her a half smile and nodded. “Thank you. Anything you can do, will do, I cannot express my gratitude.”
She stepped forward and put one small hand on Dante’s knee and looked back at us and then glanced around, like she was looking for the others.
“Yeah- they had to- they had to leave. They are out there, looking for other stuff that might help us. We hope that they will be back soon.”
She said something and Dante nodded. “Lou is fine. He’s good. He is with Eli. They are headed to New Mexico and Colorado. I know that Eli will keep him safe but I want him back here too.”
The woman patted his hand and
they exchanged a look. She grinned at him and I felt my imagination break when I saw how sharp her teeth were.
She turned and stepped back into the shadows. I had to wonder how many pairs of black eyes were watching us from the dark. How many rows of sharp teeth were waiting for fresh meat.
“Let’s go,” Dante said and stood.
I was grateful that he pulled me from my dark imagings.
Just like most buildings in the town, Fried and Frosted backed up to the forest. There was another building, a bookstore it looked like, between the donut shop and Azolata’s shop.
“You ready?” Marcus asked and looked up at his little brother.
Dante was looking at the donut shop, and he gave one tight nod.
“Don’t do anything brave. Get them back here and then we can all work together. Not that you need help, I know. But we will need their uniforms, you remember. It’ll be better to change back here than in the shop. Too many windows,” Marcus said in a low voice. He spoke quickly and I wondered how much of the instruction was for him and what was for Dante.
I waited for Dante to say something smart back, but he was looking to the alley between the bookstore and Fried and Frosted. “Right,” he said and clenched his fists.
“Try not to get shot,” Marcus said, and it sounded like he was begging.
“Eli told me the same thing once. He said if I was going to get shot, to do it with Celia around. She would make it better or easier or something like that. Isn’t that weird?” Dante said.
He was stalling.
He was scared.
“Not really. You know her. I think the fact that she can make getting shot better is the least of her abilities,” Marcus said.
I didn’t know what surprised me more; that they were having a conversation in which Marcus was reassuring and directing Dante or the fact that Dante was listening.
“You’re right. Okay. If anything happens to me-” Dante began and wiped his hands on his jeans.
“Don’t-” Marcus started.
“Go back through the forest. The duende will help you find your way. Be polite. Be polite. Okay?” He said.
Marcus didn’t reply but when Dante darted a look over to me, I nodded.
“Don’t let anything happen to you,” Marcus ordered.
No one mentioned how his voice trembled.
“Right,” Dante said.
He stepped out of the shelter of the forest and made his way to the alley. We could see the Humvee but there wasn’t anyone lingering near it.
Dante glanced over his shoulder at us. This whole plan was predicated on the soldiers seeing him.
Marcus and I looked at each other and then back at Dante. Then Marcus pointed at a dumpster at the edge of the building. Dante looked over at it and pushed it.
It crashed into the building and everything happened so quickly after that.
The men came around the side of the building, guns raised. Dante ducked when they began firing and headed straight for us.
“Stop!”
“Freeze!”
Because that’s a person’s first instinct when you are getting shot at by people who have invaded your town with the sole purpose of killing you and everyone you love, I thought to myself.
They followed Dante just like we knew they would.
Marcus took out the first guy with a hard swing with a wooden bat to the soldier’s face. I heard his face break and then he crumpled to the ground. The second guy ducked when he saw what happened to his friend but I was ready for him.
Another bat, this time aimed low, for the guy’s back and kidneys. I swung like my dad taught me when I was eight years old and it was a beautiful spring day and I hoped to play baseball like the big boys on TV did.
I doubted that my dad meant for me to use his instruction like that but I knew he would understand and maybe he would be a little proud too.
The guy fell and Dante came from the side and took out the next two. By then, Marcus and I were ready for the last guy.
It was very anticlimactic after that. We stripped them of their weapons, their clothes, and their keys.
“You think they won’t notice we’re missing?” One guy asked and shivered against the cold. He was wearing saggy, green boxers.
“Oh, buddy. We’re counting on it,” Dante said. He pulled at the shirt he was wearing. It was at least two sizes too small. The stitching was on the verge of busting. Marcus and I were lucky enough that two of the guys were close enough to our sizes that we were comfortable.
“Go,” Marcus said and pointed at the forest. They hesitated and Marcus raised one of their high-powered rifles and pressed it against one guy’s head. “Do you think anything will happen to me if I just kill you right now?”
They went.
I didn’t know how far we were planning on going into the forest, but every step away from Azolata’s apartment made me worry.
“This is good,” Dante finally said.
There was nothing unusual about the spot he picked. Trees, dirt, bushes, rocks. It wasn’t even a clearing.
“They’ll hear us. They’ll come,” one of them swore.
“I don’t think so. Sounds are weird inside the forest. You hear all kinds of things. You see all kinds of things. Especially humans who don’t show the proper respect for a place as ancient as this. We make weapons like this and think we are the top of the food chain,” Marcus said and tapped the rifle he held. He crouched in front of the man that spoke and continued, “But it made us complacent. Arrogant. Stupid. We forgot the first rule of nature. Do you know what that is?”
His voice was soothing, like he was speaking to a scared child.
The guy shook his head.
“There’s always something bigger out there. Something with sharper teeth. There is always a price to pay for what you take. And you and your people, they took something precious from us. So, I’ll cut you a deal. Tell me where the prisoner is and I’ll take you out of here,” Marcus said in a low voice.
Dante and I looked at each other. We hadn’t discussed this.
“Prisoner?” The guy repeated.
“Yeah. He’s about my age. Dark hair. Dark eyes. About six feet tall. Last seen wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Very James Dean.”
“I don’t-” the guy started.
“He’s in the church. The Catholic church on Maple Lane,” one guy blurted out.
“He’s lying,” Dante muttered.
Marcus sighed and shook his head. “That’s too bad. That was your only chance to walk out of here.”
“You can’t just leave us here!” One of them screamed at us.
Dante jerked his head back the way we came, towards Azolata’s shop.
Marcus went first, and I followed. Dante brought up the rear.
“Won’t they just follow us? It’s a straight shot back to where we were,” I whispered.
“No. They won’t have the chance,” Dante said.
I opened my mouth to ask him what he’d done, but then the first one screamed. It wasn’t much longer after that they were all screaming.
I paused and looked back. Dante nudged me forward. “That isn’t for you,” he said in a low voice.
It wasn’t. I saw more like the woman from earlier. There were dozens, hundreds, and they were all gathering around the men. I remembered the woman’s teeth and turned back around. I picked up my pace. I didn’t want to know why the men were screaming.
“There won’t be anything to find,” Marcus said grimly.
“No. There won’t be,” Dante agreed.
I wished they would stop talking.
We headed for Azolata’s shop and I pulled out the keys that opened the front door. I stopped at the security system and punched in the code he gave me the night I stayed with him. It was almost like he knew what was coming. I headed to a doorway that was partially hidden behind the counter. I used another key to let us in and disarmed another alarm. I headed upstairs.
The apartment
wasn’t much. One bedroom, one bathroom, a small kitchenette, and an even smaller living room. There was no TV, but there were books. The place was overflowing with books. I wondered how it hadn’t collapsed under the weight of all his books.
Some of them were contemporary, but some of them would have gotten him quite a lot of money if he sold them to the right person. But I remembered how he ran his fingers over them lightly, lovingly, and never voiced that fact to him out loud.
This was the place that Azolata relaxed. He could breathe here.
He let me in here.
“Don’t touch anything,” I warned.
I didn’t look over to them, but I knew they were exchanging a worried look. I had to swallow past a lump in my throat.
In the bedroom, I passed a small dresser where there was a silver ring with a pearl inlaid in it.
“Does this belong to your girlfriend?” I asked and picked it up.
Azolata turned and looked at the ring in my fingers. “No. That’s something that Lou’s mother gave me. She bought it back from a trip to Mexico.”
“Kind of sweet and dainty for you, don’t you think?”
“She said it was a gift. That it would be a gift from me to someone else.”
“Who?”
“Billie, I think.”
“Why?”
“Her birthday is soon, isn’t it?”
“Valentine’s day.”
“Of course.”
“You stupid bastard,” I muttered.
This time I saw the exchange between Marcus and Dante.
“He could have fought. He could have fought and maybe he wouldn’t have won, but he could have gotten away. Away is better than wherever he is. Who knew that a god could be so stupid, right?” I said. They ignored the bitterness in my voice just like we ignored the way Marcus’s voice trembled earlier.
I turned from the dresser and the ring. I pushed past Dante and felt along the edge of the bookcase until I found the lever. I flipped it and the bookcase swung inward.
“Gentlemen,” I said and gestured them forward sarcastically.
There were more guns than should have been allowed for an armory on the shelves that lined the walls. There were even more in the drawers below. The ammo was tucked away in several large trunks in a corner. In the middle of the room were the sharp objects and explosives.