War

by R. S. Broadhead

  “Nice guy.” Harley put his hand on my lower back as the two of us moved down the hall. “You really do look…good.”

  I smirked and licked my lips. “You don’t think it’s too much? Not sure about showing all this skin.” I tugged at the material again, trying to get it to cover more along the top.

  His eyes practically bulged and he couldn’t seem to pry them from my chest, which, thanks to me, was now jiggling. I dropped my hand to my side upon becoming aware of what I was doing. He probably thought I was doing it on purpose. I suppressed a groan.

  “Glad you took my advice,” Eight Ball bellowed as we approached. “It’ll be a lot easier to get you guys in looking like that.”

  We walked to a Jeep and hopped in. He spouted off the directions I needed to drive and soon we were passing through a neighborhood of overpriced houses.

  I eyed each one as we passed, becoming more and more determined that he had no idea where he was taking us. Before I could open my mouth, he instructed me to park.

  “Just right in these people’s driveway, huh?”

  He rolled his eye. “Do what I said.”

  I shrugged and put the vehicle into park. The three of us climbed out, and Eight Ball led the way to the back of the house. He climbed the steps and knocked three times in a distinct pattern. The door opened but no one stood on the other side. The inside looked like most houses, only insanely clean. Like no one actually lived there. I stilled and tilted my head. It wouldn’t be the first time a house was used as a secret entrance, recalling the opening to the first training facility.

  Eight Ball crossed the living room and stopped in front of the fireplace. He pulled one brick out and the fire within the pit vanished. Brick after brick shifted, moving upward until the opening was tall enough that Eight Ball could get in without having to bend over. With a cautious wave of one hand, he motioned for us to join him.

  Once inside the bottom dropped at an alarming rate. I gripped the collar of Harley’s shirt, fighting to keep my food down. Crashing was inevitable. We were going to die on the stupid fireplace elevator. Eight Ball had killed us. Instead of plowing into the ground, our landing came abruptly, barely even making a noise.

  Once everything quit wobbling, I slapped Eight Ball’s shoulder. “You could have warned us that it was going to do that. I almost hurled everywhere.”

  “Now what would be the point of that? Takes all the fun out of seeing you squirm.”

  Despite being used to plowing into wherever, invited or not, I let Eight Ball lead the way. This was his scene, and we could get what we needed if I chilled. We walked past the line of creatures waiting to get inside and went directly to the large beast standing at the front of the line. Without hesitation, it lifted the chain and Eight Ball passed through. “They’re with me,” he mumbled, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

  It wasn’t what I expected. Eight Ball was right. This place reminded more of one of those poetic coffee hangouts. The ambiance was super mellow; low music playing from a corner band, dim lighting, and shrouded tables all occupied by different types of species that I had never laid eyes on before. But instead of taking a seat amongst the patrons, we weaved through them and approached a large door covered in studded velvet. Eight Ball turned around and winked at me. Uh oh. That wasn’t a good sign. As he pushed the entrance open, grungy music enveloped me. Sweat clashed with the smell of sex. My senses tingled with awareness and kicked into high gear.

  Eight Ball leaned over. “It’s a swinger, fuck club in case you were confused.”

  I took in the sight of a creature immobilized within chains, drifting across the stage as a different type of creature had its way with her. “Oh, I think it’s pretty clear what type of place this is.” I had dressed up and been taken to the weirdest live porn in existence. There were things happening here I could have gone without ever seeing. “You don’t think any of them are going to think since we’re here we want to participate, do you?”

  “Don’t ever know in here. You do look pretty virginal compared to everyone else. That might tempt them to come over.”

  My mouth went dry. I spun on my heels and headed back for the door. I could just hang out with the beatniks until Eight Ball found out what we needed to know. At least those looked at me with disgust, not lust.

  A hand wrapped around my arm and stopped my escape dead in its tracks. I turned to find Eight Ball dabbing the corner of his eye to discard the tear that had sprang from it while laughing.

  “Just hang out by the bar, Reese. Grab a drink. Nothing here will hurt you or try to sex you up.” He looked over the busy crowd. “I’ll see if we can get in a word with Locan.” Without waiting on me to reply, he turned and left Harley and me in the middle of the orgy.

  I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. This could not be happening. Take me back to getting my ass beat by those Valks in the woods. I could handle that much better than this. Slicing the air with my hand, I motioned in the direction of the bar. “Guess we should get a drink then, huh?”

  “Guess so.”

  We pushed through the writhing bodies, grinding on each other and reached the crowded bar. It appeared this was the onlooker station. The ones that hadn’t decided to participate, but still wanted a good vantage point to watch the show. My stomach twisted as I turned my back to what was going on behind me.

  The bartender appeared decked from head to toe in leather dotted with pikes. “What will it be, hun?” His voice was lyrical, so clear to be in his element.

  I shrugged one shoulder. “What’s the best thing you make?”

  A spinning strobe light caught his silver hair. One hand went to his hip that popped out in a dramatic fashion while the other tapped his chin. “I’ve got something for you, for sure.” His eyes flicked to Harley and a forked tongue peeked out before running it over his top lip. “What about for you, gorgeous?” He flashed him a saucy smile and winked.

  Harley’s face bypassed pink and went straight to maroon. “Um…” Pushing his fingers through his hair, he looked to me for help.

  I raised my brows and shrugged.

  “Whatever she’s having, I guess.”

  “Sure thing. Let me know if you see anything else you might want too.” He swished around, whipping his head, and sauntered away.

  My lips clamped together to suppress the laughter building in my chest.

  “Go ahead and do it. I know it’s killing you not to.”

  I doubled over, laughing until my sides ached. “Oh, my gosh! You should have seen your face. I wish I would’ve thought to get a picture of that with my phone.” I gently pushed his shoulder. “Come on now. The second time I saw you was in a bar, so you used know how to handle yourself with the bartender.”

  “I can honestly say I’ve never had that happen.”

  As if on cue, the overzealous bartender skipped back in our direction with a glass of something foamy in each hand. “A round for the best looking couple in the place.” He handed each of us one of his concoctions. “Bottoms up. Only way to fully enjoy it!” He bounced from foot to foot watching us intently. We glanced at each other and put the glasses to our lips. Before I could pull it away, he reached out and pushed the bottom up, making me down it entirely. Prancing around, he clapped and put his hand to his lipstick-covered mouth. “So what do you think? Huh? Did you love?”

  The fruity aftertaste buzzed, filling my mouth with pleasant delight. “I can honestly say that’s one of the best drinks I’ve ever had.”

  Harley nodded, but didn’t bother opening his mouth.

  “Awesome! Let me know if you guys need anything else. The night is still young.”

  Eight Ball appeared beside me. I jerked back with one arm recoiled, ready to strike. He clasped a hand over mine and pushed my arm down. “Easy there. It’s only me.”

  “Sorry.” I swayed, an onset of disorientation settling over me. I shook my head, trying to center myself. “Did you find who you were looking for?”

&n
bsp; “Yeah, but he’ll only talk to you. Alone.”

  15

  Reese

  I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly. I leaned forward. “Me? Why me?” My voice came out squeaky. The drink had a hidden agenda under that fruity crispness, one that would sneak up on a girl and bite her in the ass.

  “No clue. But he asked me to send you up there.” He pointed at the back of the room to a portion that had been roped off. There within the mist of a hazy red light sat a large figure.

  “Reese, you don’t have to go. We can find another way,” Harley said.

  Without breaking my gaze from the stranger, I took one step in his direction. “No. There is no other way.” The music seemed to become louder the more I pushed through the crowd. It seeped into my body, syncing with my own heartbeat. I stopped near the rope and craned my neck, trying to catch any type of hint to what I was about to come face to face with. Out of my peripheral vision, a guard unhooked the rope and motioned me in.

  My muscles tensed as I went through and climbed the steps. At the top, I froze, not sure what to do. A hand with long fingernails drifted from underneath the blanket of darkness and pointed to a nearby chair. “Sit, Ms. Salt.” His voice was cultured, smooth, and seductive. Nerves devoured my insides, but I masked the uneasy from my features and took lowered myself into the chair. “Quite an usual request you have. Not many people want to pay a visit to a Death Dealer.”

  “Well, I have reason to believe this is the only way to get one of my friends back.”

  He leaned forward. His pale eyes regarded me with amusement. “Why not leave her be? It’s not hurting you any.” As he reached for a glass of clear liquid, his scent enveloped me. It was brute, power. He put it to his full lips and drank. My eyes dropped to his taut bare chest. “Now is it?”

  “Technically no. But I’m not the type of person to leave someone I care about behind. If she’s alive, she needs to be home.”

  He moved closer to me, so close his breath tickled my ear. “I see.” With one finger, he hooked a lock of hair and twisted it. “You intrigue me. The power inside you is both light and dark. So seductive.”

  My stomach quivered. I exhaled to ground myself.

  With his other hand, he snapped his fingers. The guard came in and handed me a folded piece of paper. “There’s where you need to go to find this Death Dealer. She’s quite…odd.” He leaned back, once again becoming shrouded in the shadows.

  I stood, fumbling the paper between my fingers. “Thank you.”

  “The pleasure was all mine. Come back if you ever decide you want to have a little fun with me.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I turned and quickly descended the steps. Without looking back, I could feel his eyes on me. I struggled to get through the crowd. They were much more touchy this time, hands pulled at me, lips brushed over my skin, and curves pressed into me. An audible sigh of relief rushed out when I broke free and found Eight Ball and Harley still at the same spot. As I approached, I held up the note and smiled.

  “Got it. Now can we get out of here?”

  “You two go. I think I’m going to hang for a bit,” Eight Ball said. A moment later, he was gone.

  “Guess he’s into this kind of stuff,” I said, walking toward the door.

  “Guess so.”

  A familiar feeling seized me, and I froze in my tracks. My gaze swiveled over the crowd searching for something, but I wasn’t sure what. I took a step forward and tingles shot up my back, making the hairs stand on end.

  “Something wrong?” Harley asked, coming up behind me.

  “I don’t know.”

  Suddenly the crowd parted enough for me to catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure hunched over one of the tables in the back. He sat alone with a hood draped so far over his face the only thing visible was the tip of this nose and mouth. Even without seeing his eyes, I knew he was watching me. An electric current rushed through me. I ached to take a step toward him, but my feet seemed to be locked into place while something inside me told me to run.

  The creatures around him continued to dance and carry on, but his attention never strayed. I was the sole focus to this stranger, and that made me even more uneasy.

  Harley reached for my hand, wrapping it in his. His mouth touched my ear as he leaned down close. “We should get a move on if you want to find this Death Dealer.”

  The stranger jerked up in a graceful movement. For a split second, I thought he would come toward us, but instead he darted through a side door. My feet were moving before I realized what I was doing. I shoved my way through the crowd, not caring who I slammed into or the scene I was causing in the process. Curiosity and the need to find out who this person was drove my actions.

  I slammed through the door with such force it hit the concrete wall and bounced back in my direction. I checked both directions to find myself alone, standing in the middle of a dirty alley. Unwanted images crept up, filling my gut with nausea from my last experience in an alley. Dead humans, all thanks to me. I backed up, hitting my back on the door. I twisted the knob to find it locked. Harley should be out here any minute. Surely, he would come looking for me after I ran off like a crazy person for no reason.

  I felt the presence without turning around. I was no longer alone. It became hard to stand as a power washed over me. One that shook me to my core. He grabbed my arm and twisted me around so fast my head spun. My back slammed against the wall a second later. The hooded figure stood only inches from me, his face still covered. He dipped low and ran his lips across my collarbone. Why wasn’t I screaming my lungs out? Why wasn’t I fighting this guy? All the questions pounded against the inside of my head, but I did none of those things. I stood; relishing in the attention this stranger was giving me. But the funny thing was he didn’t feel like a stranger. He felt…familiar.

  My chest heaved as he traveled down the crease between my breasts. I closed my eyes melting against his body. A moan escaped my parted lips yearning for more. A ton of feelings hit me at once. Fear and desire, among many other things. This was wrong. I didn’t even know who or what this thing was.

  “Who are you?” I managed to get out.

  He didn’t answer. His fingers dug into my hips and yanked me forward until our bodies were against each other. He kneaded my skin, slowly dragging his mouth up toward mine. I waited, willing him to close the distance and claim my lips.

  The door burst open, and Harley stumbled out, looking in the opposite direction. I blinked once, and the stranger was gone, leaving me feeling confused and exhilarated all at once. He turned toward me, and relief washed over his features. “Do you know how long I’ve been fighting to get that door open? It must have jammed when you went out.” His eyes roved over me. “You okay? You look a bit flushed.”

  I licked my lips. “Um, yeah. I thought I saw someone come out here that looked familiar. Sorry I left in such a rush. You must think I’m losing it.”

  He wrapped his arm around my midsection. “Nah. It’s all good.”

  16

  Reese

  The address was in the middle of nowhere. Literally. We ended up lost several times. I was just about to the point of turning the Jeep around and going back to that sex shack to give the owner a piece of my mind when we finally found it. The house looked abandoned. If it weren’t for the one light glowing in a back window I would have thought the Death Dealer had moved on.

  We crossed the dying grass and carefully managed to make it up the rotting steps. “Here goes nothing,” I whispered before knocking on the door. Dust showered me. I covered my nose with my hand to keep from sneezing.

  The door whisked open, and an older lady with thick spectacles perched on the tip of her nose stood in front of me. “Who are you?” She lunged toward us, but at the last minute stopped to hug the frame and peer out over the trees. “Are you with them? I told them I wouldn’t go. I don’t care how many bits of jewels are there.” Her wide eyes locked onto me. “You’re not with them. No. No
. No. A fairy would never dress so skanky.”

  I pulled back. Normally I would have knocked someone’s teeth down their throat, but coming from her it was pretty funny. Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t argue. I was totally dressed skanky.

  “Minnie Mae Pearson?” She stilled, a clung of wild busy hair covering part of her mouse-like face. I held up the note, containing her name and address. “I understand you’re a Death Dealer. I need your help.”

  She slowly blinked. “Help, help, they need help.” She twisted and walked back into the house. Pacing, she knotted and unknotted her hands together feverously.

  We were sent into the home of a crazy person. Odd was only putting it lightly. I gritted my teeth and entered the house. Instantly, my stomach turned. The pungent odor of rotting garbage was strong enough to make my eyes water. Once I was sure I could talk without spewing over everything, I grabbed her by the arms to stop her repetitive rants.

  “Listen to me. I need to see a reaper. Can you do that?”

  She nodded over and over again. “Yes. Yes. Reapers. They’re no fun. All business. Come.”

  She waved for us to follow her. I nearly tripped over bags of trash lining the darkened halls. The sooner we could get out of here the better. She opened the door to a back room full of plants and cages of animals. Dancing around the room, she tapped on each cage, rattling the animal inside until the room was filled with a cacophony of shrieks.

  “Please, can we just get on with it?” My patience was wearing thin.

  She turned her back to us and picked up the pitcher. Harley and I glanced at each other. I shook my head. My eyes dropped to the floor. This was pointless. Anger filled my insides. She could help us, and all she wanted to do was water her damn plants! The fire blazed within me. I clenched my fists, focusing on calming down before it erupted and set her house on fire.