Then he shoved her away, allowing her to stand.
‘Upstairs,’ Nero heard him say as she backed away from Rex. She glanced up at Nero, their eyes locking briefly before she lowered them again and moved out through the door at the back of the balcony space.
Nero looked back at Rex, who was staring right back at him with a blank, unreadable expression. Nero didn’t hold the look for long. Instead, he focused back on his food and resumed chewing.
‘Careful which friends you make,’ Cryptus said to him. ‘Some are more trouble than they’re worth.’
‘Did you see that?’ Nero asked.
‘Of course. He wasn’t happy about something, and he gave you a hell of a look, so, I think I can make a bit of an educated guess as to what pissed him off.’
‘He shouldn’t treat her like that,’ Nero said quietly, focusing on his meat.
‘Are you going to tell him that? Because I can guarantee that you will not walk out of here alive if you do. Like I said, some things just aren’t worth it.’
Nero grunted, and risked a glance back up at Rex, but he was already talking to someone else. He had a growing dislike for the Custodiac of this tower, but he really wasn’t sure what he could do. Freeing Nyx from Rex would obviously be the right thing to do, but it would almost certainly mean Rex would chase him down, and it would also mean for the first time in years, he wouldn’t be alone when he got out of here.
If he got out of here, he corrected himself.
Nero took another bite from the steak on his dagger and chewed at it, his mind conjuring images of the girl as he remembered watching her wander around the room.
After a few moments, he shook his head to banish the thought. He was acting like some teenage boy lusting after the school hotty. Shit, what was he thinking? She wouldn’t be interested in him anyway. He was at least ten years older than her, maybe fifteen.
Still, the thought of getting his hands on that soft skin never failed to get him revved up.
And there he was, thinking about her again. He’d seen all kind of girls, many of them very good looking, during his travels, but none of them had captured his imagination like this Nyx had. There was something about her, something he couldn’t put his finger on had branded her image onto his brain, and now he found himself thinking about her way too often.
He’d been alone for years, wandering those wastes, feeling sure that this was the way to live. The thought of someone joining him was a burden he just didn’t want to take on, and he’d shunned company ever since he’d lost his mother. But now, after meeting Nyx, was he actually considering throwing that away? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he was thinking about her an awful lot.
It wasn’t long before he’d eaten his meat and bread, as well as the other typical delicacies of the wastes: fried cockroaches and other insects, mushrooms, some maggots from the pot in the middle of the table. There were some fruits here as well. Some dates and peaches, meaning they were irrigating the land somewhere and growing crops.
It was the best he’d eaten in months.
Before long, he sat back and knew he couldn’t eat anymore, which was also a sensation he’d not felt in a long time. Having too much food was such a rarity these days and everyone at this table knew it, with most of the people sitting around toasting Rex and publicly offering their thanks to him for his protection and generosity.
Nero had seen people like this before, though. He’d seen how these people operate and how cruel they could be. He’d wager the supplies he’d been promised by Rex that he was no different. The way he treated Nyx only an hour ago being all the proof he needed. You could judge a lot about someone by how they treated those in the lowest parts of society.
‘Gonna call it a night,’ Nero said to Cryptus as he rose from his seat.
‘No problem, my friend. It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Have a restful night,’ the cloaked man answered.
Nero nodded to him and rose from his seat.
He wasn’t alone or the first to step away from the table, and a good third of the people in here were standing around the balcony space now, anyway. Nero slipped through the crowds and made his way down the steps and into the courtyard. He’d been given a small room close to the garage to sleep in, and even though he’d been promised one of the brothel’s girls, part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to partake in some bedroom olympics after that meal. So, he headed back to his room and ignored the glowing sign above the door of Madam’s Privay’s place. Nero pushed open the door to his room and stopped. The room was small, with only a dirty stained mattress beside a small wooden table with a lamp sitting on top of it.
The lamp’s light cast a dim glow over the room and across the naked form of a dark haired girl who was laying on her front on his bed. She turned and smiled at him, rolling onto her back and spreading her legs wide, giving him a clear view of her.
‘Welcome back. I was wondering when you would return to your room,’ she said, gently tracing her fingers up the inside of her thigh.
‘Sorry, but, who are you?’
‘I’m Jerri, and I’m here at the request of Rex. He’s very grateful for what you did for him today,’ she said.
‘Oh,’ Nero grunted as he watched her run her fingers through her pubic hair and felt the stirrings of arousal.
‘Do you like what you see?’ she asked as she started to touch herself.
Nero smiled, there wasn’t going to be any lying to this one, not with the fairly obvious state of arousal he now found himself in. She was slim and smooth skinned, and the meagre light picked out her shape beautifully.
‘Why don’t you close the door and join me,’ she said.
Nero nodded and pushed the door shut beside him. When he looked back, she’d already sat up in front of him and started to undo his trousers. He took a deep breath and let her do it. He was still feeling full, but on seeing her there on his bed, naked and willing, the thoughts of wanting to just go to sleep slipped from his mind as she finally removed his cargo pants and grasped him in her hand. As he watched, she looked up at him, her dark eyes looking deep into his as she opened her mouth and placed her soft, warm lips around him. The warmth of her tongue as it moved around his length and played over the sensitive head of his cock was wonderful to feel, and he couldn’t help throwing his head back, closing his eyes and running his fingers through her hair as her head moved back and forth. He felt weak at the knees as she worked her magic on him, being careful not to use her teeth, but putting just enough pressure on him at the same time.
Her hands were all over him, touching him and caressing him, exploring him as she worked on him.
A few minutes later, she pulled away, her lips running over the full length of him before she laid back, her legs spread eagled.
‘I want you,’ she said. ‘I want you inside me.’
He didn’t need any further invitations, and pulled off his top as he knelt down and guided himself into her. He pressed himself deep inside of her, as far as he could, relishing the soft warmth of her as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in.
Nero started to move, withdrawing from her most of the way, before pressing into her again, and again, enjoying the feeling of her own arousal as the movements started to glide and become easier. He kissed her neck, burying his face into her and running his hands up her torso. He took her left breast in his hand, feeling the swell and softness of it as he caressed her.
The minutes passed as he brought himself closer and closer to his own fulfilment, until the pleasure built into a wave of sexual ecstasy that washed over him as he released inside of her, his body jerking with the power of it.
Seconds passed, and he rolled off her, withdrawing himself from her before laying back, feeling satisfied and happy.
‘How was that?’ the girl asked.
‘Great, thank you. That was fun,’ he said.
Jerri reached over and took hold of him once more, gently playing with him and running her fingers over him. Then s
he leaned over and took him into her mouth once more.
‘This really is a full service,’ he said, closing his eyes and enjoying her touch.
‘You have me all night, and I intend to make the most of it,’ she purred to him as he felt himself stiffening once more.
‘Oh, God,’ he muttered. She was good.
*
Nero jerked awake suddenly, lifting his head. Had he heard something? As he listened, he heard a muffled scream coming from close by.
‘Shit,’ he cursed, jumped up and pulled on his trousers, boots and jacket.
‘What is it,’ Jerri said. She was still naked on the bed and looked up at him sleepily. Another scream and the sound of something heavy crashing to the ground echoed through the walls. Jerri was suddenly wide awake and looking at him, her eyes wide with fear. ‘What the fuck was that?’
‘Stay here,’ he said as he picked up his weapons, jerked the heavy door open and looked outside. The corridor out here led towards the garage, and he could clearly hear sounds of shouting and movement in there now. Nero looked back at Jerri. ‘You stay here, got it?’
Jerri nodded vigorously, clearly terrified.
Satisfied that she wouldn’t try to do anything stupid, Nero pulled the metal door closed and stalked up the corridor, moving towards the sounds. If he wasn’t mistaken, these were the distinctive noises of a fight or struggle of some kind. Then a roar, like that of a lion but worse, echoed up the corridor, causing Nero to freeze to the spot. That would mean only one thing: a daemon.
Taking a deep breath, Nero forced himself onwards, moving up to the end of the corridor, he looked through the gap in the doorway, which stood slightly ajar. He couldn’t see much from this angle, so he pushed the door open and gave himself a better view of the garage. A guard ran past him suddenly and charged towards the carnage before him. Sure enough, the same huge beast-like daemon he’d run from out in the wastes a few days ago was tearing through the guards in here, ripping them to shreds.
‘Well, fuck,’ Nero muttered.
Chapter 8
Nero
The daemon stood in the garage, meters away from Nero’s charger, trying to hit and kill the guards who were dodging around it. As he watched, another of them took a claw to the chest and went down.
Closer to him, Nero noticed a man, bleeding and injured, dragging himself along, trying to pull himself up to his feet but failing. He looked up at Nero with sudden hope.
‘Please, help me, man. Help me,’ he pleaded.
Part of him wanted to run. This wasn’t really his fight and if this thing hurt Rex’s chances of staying ruler of this place for much longer, then so be it. But as he looked down into that man’s face, he knew he couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing, or worse, run away.
Nero ran forward and picked the guard up, getting one of his arms around his body and forcing him to his feet before he moved towards the exit close to the door Nero had just stepped out of. It seemed like it would take hours to get out of here, and with another roar from the beast, Nero couldn’t resist a look behind him.
The daemon roared once more and ran right for Nero. He had one chance to do this right, he thought, and twisted slightly as he pulled the shotgun from his back, aiming it at the creature. It took all his willpower to focus and take his time with the shot. His body was fighting him the whole time, wanting to shoot wildly at the thing, but he knew that wouldn’t work. He needed a good shot to really do it some damage and give himself time.
Nero levelled his shotgun and once he was sure of the hit, fired right into the daemon’s face.
The huge beast was flung backwards with the shot, landing on his back amidst the remains of the men it had already killed. As he watched it scramble to stand up, shaking its head, the wound already beginning to heal, one of the few remaining people left alive in here opened up on the daemon with his automatic assault rifle.
The thing suddenly wasn’t interested in Nero anymore and turned to face the new threat. Nero turned away and moved as quickly as he could towards the exit.
As he reached the door to the corridor beside the main exit, a face appeared there.
It was Jerri.
‘Oh, shit,’ she said with a yelp, her eyes growing wider still.
‘Jerri, come here; help me. Come on,’ Nero said.
‘That’s… that’s…that’s a…’
‘Yes, yes, it’s a daemon, and if you don’t snap out of it soon, we’re dead. Now, come here.’
‘What? Why?’ she asked.
‘I told you to stay in the room, but you’re here now, so you can help. Come here and take this guy out of here. NOW!’ Nero shouted.
Jerri’s eyes snapped to Nero suddenly with his shout. ‘Oh, okay; sure,’ she said, stepping out of the doorway and getting on the other side of the guard. Nero let him go and allowed Jerri to take his weight. She’d luckily thrown some clothes on before leaving the room, and in seconds, she was around the corner and out of the garage.
Nero was already running back in towards the mayhem and sprinted towards another body on the floor. Nero skidded down next to it and lifted the guard, only to see he was quite dead and missing his face.
The thing roared again. Nero looked up as the daemon lunged for him. The attack was clumsy, though, and Nero rolled away, dodging the thing’s claws as he racked his shotgun. Nero faced the ugly brute and waited on his feet until at the last moment. As the daemon leapt for him, Nero dodged left.
The thing missed him, allowing Nero to turn and blast it, putting two shells into the creature's side. Blood splashed as the shells hit, and the daemon lashed out, slapping Nero hard on the side.
It was a glancing blow, but it was enough to send him flying. He was flung maybe ten meters before he hit the ground and rolled, only coming to a stop when he hit Gus and Ras’ van.
Nero grunted as he lifted himself into a sitting position. It felt like his whole body was hurting. He looked around, but he was the only one in here.
Cursing, he looked over to the daemon and frowned as he watched the wounds his gun had inflicted upon it heal, knitting themselves back together right before his eyes. The creature turned and growled at Nero, looking left and right for any more surprises, before lowering its head and focusing on him again. Nero racked his shotgun, aimed, and fired, only to be greeted with a dull click. The gun was empty.
He dropped it and reached for his handgun, pulling it without issue and firing off five rounds into the beast. It merely turned its head away, letting him shoot it. As this gun clicked to empty as well, the thing turned to face him once more, baring its teeth in a deep throated growl while stringy drool oozed from between its nightmare inducing fangs. With a roar, it shot forwards, its mouth wide.
Nero barely registered the sudden flurry of footsteps above him, only really noticing something when someone jumped down from the top of the van between him and the daemon. The shock of blonde hair and the tight fitting clothing was enough to inform him who it was.
What was she doing, he thought? She landed right in front of the daemon and seemed to be struggling against it, holding it in place. Oddly, despite the life and death situation, a part of his brain noticed and enjoyed the wobble of Nyx’s bum as she moved before he saw the long and deadly looking blade that she had skewered the daemon’s head with. She ripped the blade from the thing's skull as she moved sideways. The daemon twitched, before dropping to its side, exposing its chest to Nyx. Drool foamed at its mouth as it seemed to go into a fit, its body shaking violently. Nyx lunged again and buried her sword into the thing’s chest.
As he watched, it jerked once more, before falling limp and still. Nyx watched it intently for a few more seconds before withdrawing the sword once more. Black blood poured from the wound and dripped from the blade, pooling on the rough, dusty rock ground.
‘You… killed it…’ he said in shock.
Nyx’s eyes flicked over to him.
‘How did you do that? They’re nearly impossible to kill,�
� he said, feeling shocked. He’d fought and escaped too many of these things to count, but he’d never killed one or seen one killed. There were rumours of course of people doing it, usually with high powered explosives that ripped them to bits, but other than that, they were near immortal.
Nyx didn’t answer. Instead, she walked over to a table where she picked up a dirty rag and proceeded to wipe the blood from her blade.
‘Thank you, you saved my life,’ he said. ‘How can I ever repay you?’
Nyx looked up at him. ‘Tell no one about this. I was never here, this never happened. Got it?’
‘Um, but…’
‘Got it?’ she repeated herself, her tone insistent.
‘Sure, I got it. You were never here,’ Nero said as he picked up his shotgun from the ground and started to reload it.
She took a breath, her chest rising and falling as she did so and a look of relief passing over her face. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘I have to go.’
‘Sure,’ he said and watched as she turned away from him and walked off into the shadows of the garage. Nero racked the shotgun having finally reloaded it.
He knew that there was something special about her, something different, and now he knew what it was. She could kill daemons. But she didn’t want anyone else to know. Or maybe she didn’t want one person to know, the one person who would want to know the most.
‘Rex, it was over here, in the garage,’ shouted a voice from outside. Nero stepped up towards the daemon where it lay on the ground, and suddenly it twitched, its arms reaching up into the air. Without thinking, Nero lifted his shotgun, the barrel inches away from the massive head, and fired.
The thing’s face exploded with black and deep red gore as it fell limp once more.
‘Holy shit, you killed it?’ said a voice from the direction of the door. Nero looked up to see a growing number of people standing there, looking at him and his smoking gun. He looked down, and then back up, and knew how it looked. He could see Doz and the guy he’d saved with Jerri looking in. Rex was there as well, along with Cryptus and Ras and with others he didn’t know. They all walked in.
Wasteland Road Knights Trilogy Page 7
