THE RED MIST TRILOGY: The Box Set

by R T Green

  I flattened against the wall; knew it was pointless but it came naturally. Zana wouldn't need to see me, she'd know she wasn’t alone.

  The figure passed across the alleyway entrance, filled my vision just for a second or two. And my heart began to thump like a piston engine. Leaving the shelter of the hiding place, I followed a short distance behind her, the soft soles of my trainers making no sound.

  The girl walking quickly a few metres ahead didn’t look back. A short red cape shrouded her perfect body, the loose hood pulled over her head. Her toned calf muscles flexed alluringly as she walked, and the red shoes with impossibly-high heels clicked mesmerizingly through the sound of the rain.

  Red.

  She always wore red.

  Zana reached the main entrance to the apartment block, pressed her finger into the reader, and the door slid aside. She paused, lowered her head slightly. Still she hadn't turned to look at me, standing motionless a short distance away. I waited for the words, knowing they would come.

  They did.

  'You coming in, Maddie… or are you just going to stand there like a stalker all night?'

  ‘Don't call me Maddie; you know I don't like it. Makes me sound like a teenage reality TV celebrity.’

  I'd followed her silently across the foyer, stood next to her in the plush lift. She'd pressed the button for the sixth floor, not pulled back the hood. Still I hadn't seen her face. But I could feel her smile.

  ‘You should be pleased I shorten your name, people do that when they feel comfortable with someone.’

  ‘Are you comfortable now?’

  ‘More than you are.’

  I couldn't answer her. Like so many times before when she'd verbally outwitted me, the words for a comeback weren't there.

  No one else ever left me speechless like Zana did. Maybe because her words always hit the spot. Or more likely because she always saw the truth, even when I tried to hide it. So once more I said nothing; followed her along the expensively-carpeted hallway to the wide oak door of her apartment.

  The background lighting that glowed from somewhere mysterious turned on to greet us as Zana kicked off the red heels, and headed straight to the blue-glass bar in one corner of the big open-plan room. I watched nervously as she slowly poured a little brandy into two glasses.

  Somehow she always made me nervous.

  Another thing no one else ever did.

  The red satin cape shimmered enticingly in the spotlights illuminating the bar, drawing my gaze, stopping me from looking away. She picked up the glasses, and for the first time turned to face me. Even from five metres away I mentally flinched as she fixed a stare into me and spoke quietly.

  ‘How was your day, Maddie? Was it filled with good things?’

  She knew.

  Then there was no doubt. So close to me then her intoxicating scent filled my senses, and even in the shadows cast from the hood that still shrouded her head, what I saw made me catch my breath.

  I was shaken. I tried not to show it but knew it was impossible to hide anything from her. Her normally flawless face looked strained and hollow, the impeccable cool and unfaltering confidence gone. The eyes that bore incessantly into me didn't falter, but they filled my soul with her pain.

  I took the brandy glass from her, couldn't answer her question. ‘Are you going to wear that thing all night?’ I tried to smile, it wouldn't come.

  ‘Take it off for me please.’

  I pulled the black tie-string underneath her chin, gently eased the cape open a little, revealing a simple vee-cut black top exposing enough cleavage to draw my eye. She drew a breath, her perfect breasts swelling tantalizingly, trying to strain the already-tight top to bursting point.

  I forced my eyes back to her face, locked onto the stare that had not faltered since she first turned to face me. Hands that didn't seem to belong to me anymore softly caressed her cheeks, and then drifted delicately upwards, her long silky blonde hair sliding tantalizingly between my fingers. My stomach churned as the hands I didn't own rolled back the hood, and finally I could clearly see her stunning beauty.

  She smiled, a sad pained expression. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  My hands dropped to her shoulders, and then slowly out to her arms, parting the cape further until it could cling to her no longer and fell to the floor. She let her body lean into mine, our lips millimetres apart. The hands I had no control over slipped around her slender waist, unable to pull themselves away.

  Her full lips melted into mine, so delicately I could only just feel them. I kissed her back, a wisp of a kiss that lasted a brief moment yet filled my entire body with desire. She smiled again, a tiny tremble on her lips as she spoke the words that killed the moment stone dead.

  ‘Did you get them all, Maddie?’

  I slumped heavily onto the black leather sofa, fortunately only a couple of steps away. My legs didn't seem to want to support me, not after she'd said that.

  ‘Why do you do that?’ My voice was hoarse, more than a hint of anger in the tone.

  ‘I'm a bitch, remember?’

  She turned sharply, walked away to the bar and refilled her glass. I swigged my brandy in one gulp, coughed as the liquor burned my throat. It didn't go unnoticed.

  ‘What's up, Maddie… losing your sophisticated Brit cool?’ Her voice was sharp. She strode back to me, grabbed the empty glass and shoved the full one in my hand. ‘Here, you need it more than I do.’

  I took a sip, smaller this time. My eyes dropped to the floor, unable to look at any part of the woman who stood defiantly in front of me, trying desperately to regain the composure I wasn't sure I could find again.

  She wouldn't let me. I felt her fingers under my chin, lifting my head so she could pierce a stare into me once more. She was so close, my head level with the tiny strip of flesh that separated her black top from the short red skirt.

  Just the slightest of forward movement, and my lips could kiss her skin. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out all rational thought, leaving nothing but instinct. I couldn't resist her, not anymore. Why the hell should I?

  It had to be.

  It wasn't to be.

  My head was yanked roughly backwards, and I had no choice but to look into Zana's angry green eyes.

  ‘You know your problem, Maddie?’

  I found two words, no idea how. ‘Which one?’

  ‘The one that matters.’ She walked away again, back to the bar, lifted the lid on a tiny pot, and slipped a glace cherry into her mouth.

  ‘The one that says you're a lousy bitch.’

  ‘Ah, that one.’

  ‘A lousy bitch with a heart.’ She moved seductively back, knelt on the floor in front of me and slid her hands along my thighs. ‘You're in the wrong job, Madeline deWinter.’

  ‘The department doesn't think so.’

  ‘Fuck them. I take it they've finally told you the truth about me?’

  I nodded. ‘I know everything now.’

  ‘And yet still you want to be close to me.’

  Her face was next to mine again, blurring my vision as I fought to keep my cool. Her hands drifted to the inside of my thighs, pressing a little harder. She smiled, parting her lips for a second so I could see the cherry between her teeth. Then it was gone, her lips puckered into a perfect heart shape and her eyes narrowed.

  She whispered huskily, their faces almost touching.

  ‘You want the cherry, Maddie?’

  I was losing control again, knew I couldn't resist. But harsh reality was screaming at me, battling with the intense desire doing its best to win the fight. I had to resist, it wasn't right.

  Not anymore.

  The room around me faded into a blur. Zana's lips opened again, and the cherry came towards me, cupped in the curve of her tongue.

  Nothing mattered then, nothing except the taste of the cherry. The tip of her tongue touched my lips, she pulled back a fraction. I followed.

  My lips parted; her hands teased my crotch throu
gh the jeans. My head pounded, I couldn't see… there was nothing but her touch. Our lips met, her tongue deep inside me. Slowly she pulled away, her tongue sliding millimetre by millimetre out of my mouth, until it was gone and I was left with only the cherry.

  Her face caressed mine, not breaking contact as her lips worked their way around the side of my head so she could whisper into my ear.

  ‘So have you got the balls, pretty girl? All the guts it will take if you decide to kill me tonight?’

  I pushed her away, roughly. She fell back onto her elbows, I stood up angrily and walked across the room.

  ‘Fuck you, Zana.’

  She laughed, a mirthless sound that taunted me. ‘Have I hit a nerve, Maddie?’

  I stood against the bar, facing away from her. That wasn't what she wanted. She followed me, grasped my arm and turned me around.

  ‘So have you got the balls?’

  I couldn't hold her stare. ‘Yeah, I have,’ I said quietly.

  ‘Liar.’

  She took me by surprise, thrust her body against mine. Our lips met, blending together in a passionate kiss I couldn't stop. Her arms looped around my neck, my hands cupped her butt, pressing us even closer. She wrapped her legs around me, powerful thighs squeezing me, making me cry out.

  Her lips wouldn't leave mine, taking away my resolve and filling my senses like no one else ever could. Right then there was nothing in my world, just Zana, wrapped so tightly around me our bodies felt like one. She was sucking me dry, and I didn't want her to stop.

  Then suddenly our lips were apart, her eyes boring into me as she gasped for breath. The tantalizing smile was back.

  ‘You are going to fuck me first, I take it?’

  I froze, emotions lurching from ecstasy to agony. Reality hit home in a millisecond, and my shattered nerves couldn't handle it. Again I turned, away from the woman who drove me from the gates of heaven to the depths of hell.

  ‘Just… just stop.’

  ‘Hey!’ Her tone was sharp. ‘Don't walk away from me, miss big-shot assassin. The least you can do is take me out with a smile on my face!’

  I flipped, turned to her, rage and desolation taking over. I grabbed her arms, my whole body shaking. My sudden actions startled her, she pulled back anxiously but she knew I would never hurt her… not with my fists anyway.

  ‘How can you make jokes about this?’ I screamed. The sound of my own shouted words flicked a switch. My hands dropped away from her, my head lowered in remorse.

  ‘I'm sorry.’

  She took my hands, felt their sweat and the shaking that wouldn't stop. ‘No I'm sorry, Madeline. I'm pushing you. You’ve had a shit day and I'm not helping.’ She guided my hands, pressed them against her breasts. Her tone softened. ‘But I wasn't joking.’

  ‘You should hate me.’ My voice was hoarse, trembling.

  For a moment she looked sad again. ‘It's your job. Unfortunately for me. I could never hate you for that.’

  I lifted my head, looked desolately at her, the pain in her eyes all too clear. She pulled me into her, suddenly aware of the torment I was suffering.

  ‘Have you still not made your decision?’ she said, her voice quivering.

  I shook my head, looked at her with sad eyes. ‘I wanted to see you first.’

  She nodded slowly, knew exactly what I meant. ‘However this ends Madeline, please just one more night… for old time's sake as they say?’

  ‘I don't…’

  ‘Please?’

  I gazed at her beauty. She was the little girl again, pleading for the treat she so desperately wanted. I couldn't deny her that.

  She knew.

  I felt myself led him back to the bar like a blind woman, watched silently as another brandy was poured for me. ‘Sip it,’ she said firmly. ‘Don't want you going to sleep on me. Give me ten minutes.’

  I sipped it as ordered, my eyes following her as she walked sexily across the room and through the door into the master bedroom, closing it behind her. Alone, I leaned my elbows on the bar top, and covered my face in despair.

  It wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

  It was just a job.

  Easy, if you didn't have a heart.

  Unfortunately, thanks to Zana, now I did.

  Act 2

  I was facing away from her, still slumped over the bar top, when I heard her speak. Softly, nervously.

  ‘Madeline, look at me please.’

  I turned to face her, cried out in shock.

  I couldn't move, couldn't speak.

  I knew in an instant what she was doing. She'd placed her last card on the table, and finally revealed her true colours.

  She smiled, uncertainly. ‘No more disguises, Madeline. No more hiding the truth.’

  She stood two metres from me, naked. She was still Zana, but not the Zana I knew. I took two slow hesitant steps towards her, my eyes transfixed on the incredible figure before me, my brain reeling as it tried to accept the images spearing into it.

  ‘Do you find me repulsive?’ she asked me, her voice trembling with apprehension.

  Still I couldn't speak, couldn't find the words to tell her how I felt. I was hypnotized, the room around her fading into nothingness.

  All I could see was the real Zana.

  The green eyes I knew so well were full of uncertainty, but now they were no longer human eyes. The shape of a slender, beautiful leaf, they slanted upwards as they curved to a perfect point.

  The same full lips smiled hesitantly to me, except now they were a deep iridescent red, so dark they were almost black.

  There wasn't a single hair, anywhere on her body.

  Two small, pointed ears only just broke the smoothness of her skull; a tiny, delicate ridge began in the centre of her forehead and ran over her head, blending back into her body as it reached the nape of her long neck.

  The same perfect body stood before me. The only difference was her fingers; a little longer than those of a human, yet somehow still elegant and feminine.

  But her skin was not human. The centre of her face and torso, and a strip along her arms and legs, were a deep dusky pink that seemed to shimmer in the low lights of the room. The rest of her, like a leopard, was dappled, tiny patches of red darkening the closer they came to the outside of her body.

  I dropped to my knees in front of her, awestruck.

  She was totally, utterly, mind-numbingly beautiful.

  My trembling hands caressed the side of her hips, drifted upwards to her waist. The dapples of red were raised just the tiniest bit, flecks of texture silky and warm to my touch.

  I kissed her delicately, just below her navel, looked into her eyes as I felt her body relax. She let out a little cry of relief, tears filling her eyes because she knew then I still loved her. Her fingers combed lovingly through my hair as her hands pressed me closer. I pulled her tight to me, my face melting into her skin.

  ‘Thank you,’ I heard her say quietly.

  Still on my knees, I felt my own eyes mist up as pure emotion took over. Her tears fell onto my face, felt so wonderful. Still unable to believe she could become any more beautiful than she already was, I couldn't tear myself away from the feel of her.

  She'd stunned me, yet again.

  She spoke through the tears, little more than a whisper. ‘Make love to me, Madeline… I need you to show me how much you love me.’

  Finally I stood, my hands never leaving her body. Softly I wiped away her tears with my fingers; gently I kissed her, the touch of her lips flooding me with an intensity more powerful than ever. And finally I accepted what deep down I'd always known.

  I could never kill her, regardless of the consequences. That was a physical and emotional impossibility. But now I also knew I would never leave her side, not for a single minute.

  Not until I was forced to.

  Not until the end.

  I took her hand and led her to the sofa, ripped off my jacket and dropped it onto the floor. Between us I lost the rest of my clothes,
lay naked on the huge sofa. Zana sat on my knees, her long fingers caressing me slowly and delicately. Somehow her touch felt different, I wasn't sure if it was purely psychological or something else.

  I didn't care. It was more wonderful than ever.

  I was high already, just from her exquisite touch, needing her to make me come. Her lips drifted up my body, a million kisses teasing and tantalising me. My hands caressed her head, the soft ridge across the top of her skull so incredibly erotic. Then she was kissing me, laying flat over me, her dark lips blending perfectly with mine, our crotches bonded together like one.

  For the first time I could feel all of her, the faint texture of her skin taking my breath away. My hands drifted slowly down her body to her butt, my fingers alive with sensations I'd never thought it possible to feel.

  I could feel her flex as she kissed me; tiny movements getting me higher still, long fingers slicing through my hair as she moaned in her pleasure.

  I was breathing heavily, my fingers boring into her butt as the passion grew. She was high too, I knew. Her movements grew more intense, yet still she lay on top of me, resisting the urge to touch me where I desperately needed her to.

  I knew what she wanted. It had to be the perfect moment.

  I felt her body tense, on the edge of coming. And then she broke away, spun around, her crotch sinking onto my face. As she sank her tongue deep into me, and she tightened around me more than she'd ever done, I cried out in pure ecstasy, and she screamed uncontrollably as we came together in seconds.

  It was the perfect moment.

  She turned back around, and for an age we lay there, our arms around each other, coming down from incredible highs.

  I could have stayed there forever.

  Then she lifted her head from my chest. ‘Thank you,’ she said again.

  ‘What for?’ I asked, the first words I'd managed to speak since she revealed her true colours.

  ‘For showing me you love me.’

  ‘Was it ever in doubt?’