by C. A. Rene
"Are you sure you picked the right girl?" I sneer back at him and stuff the papers back in the envelope.
"Oh, I’m sure, Tempest Skeigh Verona."
Chapter Nine
Raiden
There's something that simmers just under the surface of her skin that sings to my fucking soul. I want to cut her open and watch it all seep out of her. The feeling is so strong and I have to focus all my attention on not stabbing her jugular just so I can breathe again.
That first night I watched her dance on the stage in nothing but that fur abomination, I knew she was something special, and since then it's been hard to stay away. I hate that she’s being dragged into this because I can see the strength hidden there under her pain.
The night Torrent and I watched her leave that piece of shit club and run to her car wasn't planned. I didn't want to approach her, I didn't want to touch her but I lost all common sense and my instincts took over. She looked weak, she looked scared, and she looked tantalizing.
I can still see those stormy grey eyes narrowing in anger as I dismissed her, those eyes portray everything, and the pain that shines through them is fucking delectable. I can see why they wanted her there and why I had to be the one to choose her.
I storm down the corridor and into my office, slamming the door shut behind me. When her skin brushed against mine, I had the overwhelming need to kill something just to stave off the craving for more of her touch. I will not get attached to her, there can be no sentiment associated with the dark-haired demon.
It’s a fucking shame because I have never been this drawn to anybody before and now her life is in my very hands.
“What’s up your ass?”
I turn at the sound of Torrent’s voice and throw myself into my chair. Torrent is my blood brother, our parents were drug addicts, and both died of overdoses when we were younger. We both ended up in an orphanage and when I turned sixteen to his fourteen, we ran off. A few years later, we started Deluge and we haven’t looked back.
“Nothing.” I crack my neck.
“You saw her, didn’t you?”
I give him a brief nod and lean back. “I don’t know how I’m going to last the week with her.”
“Good thing you won’t have to see her after that.” He chuckles and snorts the line he’s cut up on my desk.
“I think someone’s watching her.” I mumble.
“Probably Kenny,” he shrugs.
“I can only hope that after this year, we’ll be done with this shit and moving on to the next group.” I scrub my hand down my face.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Kenny’s face when it all goes down.” Torrent laughs.
“He brought us into this mess, it’s only right he sees us out of it.”
“Revenge will taste so fucking sweet.” Torrent laughs.
“Yeah.” I mumble and turn to look out the window. “Did yours show up?”
“Of course, that bitch was eager.” He chuckles and stands. “Hail and I are heading out to get everything we need for mass. Do you need anything?”
I shake my head and a few seconds later the door opens and shuts.
The thought of my birthday is exhausting and the age I’m turning probably has a lot to do with it.
Forty-five.
Age means nothing to me, it’s how I feel on the inside and my insides are brimming with youth. It’s my mind that’s exhausted. I carry this group, I lead us with an iron fist, and sometimes their faces feel just how iron it is. My birthday used to be a cause for excitement and anticipation, but now I just want to get it over with.
I’m getting restless as I pour over details, making sure everything is exactly right, and keeping our manager in the dark. This is by far the largest group of them yet and the original four who coerced us to sign our names in blood, taking advantage of our young age and jaded pasts.
There is one thing I’m looking forward to and it’s the one thing I have been cursing myself for. I pull out the switchblade in my pocket and open it up. There are still a few brown spots of her dried blood on the blade and I run my tongue along its sharpened edge, risking the slice to taste her again.
I wasn’t lying when I told her she tasted of pain and weakness, but there was something I left out. Her blood was flavored like sin and that is the part that calls to me. I have never had something so weak and yet so sinful.
My cock swells in my pants and I grab it as my tongue envelopes the tip of the blade. Soon enough, I will have her at my mercy, her body to do with as I please, and those eyes to stare into as long as I want. When I’ve had my fill, I’ll be more than ready to let her go.
Chapter Ten
Tempest
The club is packed tonight, and I am still shook over the fact that in a few hours I will be boarding a jet to an unknown destination to earn thirty grand. It’s an answer to so many of my problems. Does it clear all my debt? No, but it will certainly chop it down to normal standards.
I’ve just finished my set and I’m waiting for Sky to finish up hers, then we’re going to leave here and head to the address that was sent to us via text this morning. I may be excited to earn all this money in what I hope will be an exotic locale but I also feel trepidation towards all the secrets and seeing Raiden again.
My mind has been held hostage the last few days since I saw him and my body replays every spot he’s touched me.
“You girls are so lucky.” Tiny moans from her vanity.
“I know.” Diamond says, her voice dripping with disdain.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get chosen this year.” I say to her and she gives me a small smile.
I saw the girl that Squall had chosen this time and she’s also a gorgeous plus size dancer from another club.
“Verona.” Carl calls from the doorway. “My office.”
I feel like telling him to fuck off but quite frankly, thirty grand still ain’t enough to walk out on my job. Besides, Carl hasn’t done anything to me but be kind and give me a job.
He’s sitting at his desk when I get there and I close the door behind me.
“What’s up?” I ask and he looks up at me.
“I need you to sign this form before you leave today.” He shoves a piece of paper across the desk.
I read it and laugh out loud. It’s basically something that states I chose of my own free will to participate at this event and in no way did The Temple have anything to do with it.
“This is all starting to sound like if I die, then none of y’all can be sued.” I look into his wide eyes. “Do I need to know something?”
“It’s because you are leaving the country with a group of men to do a private party. You met those men in my club and if anything happens to you overseas, I do not need the police breathing down my neck.”
“Gotcha.” I sign my name on the dotted line.
I turn to leave his office and hear him clear his throat.
“Take care, Temp.”
“Thanks Carl.” I grin over my shoulder and exit the office.
When I get back to the dressing room, Chanel is there looking through a few of my outfits.
“Can I help you?” I ask and she spins around.
“I figure you’re gonna be gone all week, might as well put a few of these to good use.” She stumbles over her words.
“Don’t touch my shit.” I snarl at her as she scurries by me.
“Let’s get out of here.” Sky struts in with her tits bouncing and her braids swinging. “I need this week to go by as fast as most men fuck.”
I snort and grab up my two duffle bags as she throws on a sweatsuit. I don’t mind this weeklong excursion and no matter how hard I try to deny it, I don’t mind seeing Raiden again either.
We’re dropped off at a small airport and led to a landing strip that has a large jet, its stairs descended to the asphalt. I see a few of the other girls giggling as they jog up them and a few others loitering to the side smoking cigarettes.
There seems to be about twe
lve of us and I can't help the excitement that courses through me. I want to go somewhere exotic because I never thought I would be able to, growing up dirt poor in a trailer will do that to you. I want to experience this even if it is at the hands of a man whose very pores sing with evil.
I'm following closely behind Sky who's muttering curses and shaking her head around. I know she doesn't want to do this and I get that her being here is completely due to her protecting her mother. We start up the stairs and I gasp as I get the first glimpse of the inside of the jet.
The seats look like the softest butter and the floor is a rich crimson red. There are red curtains over each of the small windows and the lights glow all different colors along the aisle floor. This is a luxury I have never witnessed in my life. Laying across one of the butter soft couches is Diamond.
She has a champagne flute in one hand and a bowl of grapes resting on her lap. She gives us a sly look and a smarmy grin.
"Hey girls. Come aboard." She pops a grape into her mouth.
Her voice and face drips with arrogance and it's grating on my last fucking nerve.
"I'm only going to tell you this one more time." Sky bends down into her face. "Shut the fuck up."
I snort as I follow Sky to another two-seater and watch as Diamond's face screws up into a sneer. She may be one to cause us issues, and I know I will have to keep an eye on Sky around her. Especially if Sky decides to drink, then she's even mouthier, and I can only foresee problems between them.
I look around the jet, seemingly taking in its opulence, but I’m looking for him. The man that’s old enough to be my father but will not leave my mind. There’s something that seems so youthful about him regardless of how old he looks.
I breathe out my disappointment when I notice that neither him nor his bandmates are on this jet and I still don’t have a clue where we’re going.
“If everyone will board the plane and take your seats. We can get going.” The stewardess calls out.
“Where are we even going?” Diamond's pretentious voice calls out.
“To Hell, bitch.” Sky mutters and I laugh into my hand.
“We will be going to the Caribbean island of Dominica.” The stewardess smiles wide.
Huh? I have never heard of Dominica.
“Of course.” Sky leans her head back and closes her eyes.
“What’s in Dominica?” I ask her.
“Myths and volcanoes.”
Chapter Eleven
Raiden
“Embrace the chaos inside of you, for this makes you wise, and perfection can only be found through the most chaotic. Elevate above the mortal plane and its simplistic form of thought. Do whatever you need to accomplish all your desires.”
“Yes, Magus.” The four of us mutter in synchrony.
“Go and spread your seed for it is great, spill blood for it is revered, and worship only yourself for you are your own god.”
“Yes, Magus.” We repeat.
“Go and be in his darkness.”
We all rise from our crossed legged positions on four points of the pentagram and Kenny drops his hood from where he’s standing at the fifth point. His cloak is pitch black with a royal purple lining and the symbol of Baphomet on the front. Only the best for a priest of the dark one.
“How many this year?” Kenny asks as he removes his cloak.
“The magisters requested four.” I answer him.
“Including Tempest.” His knowing smirk pisses me off.
“As you wanted.” I nod once.
“Four this year will bring you back into favor with the magisters, then maybe we can work on that new album.” Kenny says.
That’s what happens when you’re young and salivating for fame and fortune, you agree to absurd terms for it and choose to ignore the darker requirements. Our commitment now belongs to a secret group that believes all great things move in the dark. Too bad we have become the most dangerous things moving in that dark now and we have our own fucking plans.
“Everything is planned, Magus.” Torrent interjects. “We should get going because the girls have already taken off.”
Squall and Hail nod as Kenny looks between all of us. He touches each of our heads and then nods his dismissal.
“I will see you all soon.”
I follow the guys out of Kenny’s house and breathe in the calming air. I need to get to Dominica and I need to get my hands on the girl whose face hasn’t left my mind in days. It’s a first for me and I can’t decipher if it’s because I’m craving her defiance or I want my dick inside of her.
This will be a weeklong affair of challenging my demon and fucking every orifice on her body.
“Let’s get on this fucking plane.” Torrent growls as he dips his pinky nail into a baggie of coke, then hands it to me.
I do the same, taking a few bumps into each nostril. I am going to need to take the edge off this anticipation I feel. I have been disciplined and I won’t let that be destroyed by a girl with hair like a raven and eyes like the storm her name represents.
“This abstinence rule before our leader’s birthday is fucking cruel.” Squall moans as he grabs his cock through his jeans.
“It’s for one fucking week.” Hail shoves at him and we all chuckle.
Squall is an addict of a different sort. Sure, he likes drugs and partakes in alcohol but he needs sex. His dick being in anyone erases the jumble of thoughts in his mind and helps him forget his past. It’s not healthy but none of us are remotely healthy.
We work hard to make our lives a success, to live in luxury, and to achieve all our desires. It doesn’t fucking matter how we get there, as long as we do in the end. And we always fucking get there.
Our success came from sacrifices, our own, and plenty from the other members. Sacrifice is the key to all answers and we sacrifice everything for our own gain. When we joined this organization, this one rule was beaten into us and it’s one that will stay with us until we die. It’s the reason none of us are married or have families and we never will. We are our own most important entity and no one else can come before ourselves. No one, not even the very people that brought us into the fold.
Our boundaries are each other and as the band’s leader, I make sure we stay on the right path. Therefore, every year we use my birthday as our thanks to the ones that set us free, that led us from the over searing light and into the safety of the dark. It's our time to indulge in all the power we possess and to show we are grateful. I can’t fucking wait to show the magisters and our very own Magus just how grateful we are.
"The orphanage burnt down last week." Hail states quietly and we all stop to look at him. "They said it was faulty wiring."
"Sounds like someone went back and did what we were all wanting to do eventually." Torrent snarls, his pupils the size of pinpricks.
We are all from the same orphanage and the place was run by Catholic nuns that liked to forget their vows of celibacy when we were alone. Even the Catholic priests that came for Sunday services liked to make sure we boys swallowed every drop of the lord's grace.
No wonder we were so quick to jump on the bus leading us to the other side of religion, and quick to drop the ones preaching about the light but committing the darkest crimes. We no longer wanted to praise a lord that took that praise in the form of raping young kids.
"The kids?" I ask.
"Twenty-three dead including four nuns. Sister Jane was among them." Hail says quietly.
Ah, sister Jane. She liked to whip us when we misbehaved then fuck us with the whip's handle after, just to drive home our sins. She was the evilest, some would say that she was the fucking devil.
"Then let's be thankful for their sacrifice in ridding the Earth of Sister Jane." I nod and the others do the same.
Like I said, sacrifice is the key to all answers.
Chapter Twelve
Tempest
Dominica.
It's breathtaking here, the trees are a lush green, and the ocean is a sparkling
clear turquoise. I have never seen anything like it. We are staying in a large mansion that easily has twenty rooms and as Sky and I were wandering around, we found a ballroom of sorts along with a large dining room.
There's a staff that comes at regular intervals with drinks and food, and a cook came to announce our dinner this evening, duck, and vegetables. I've never had duck, growing up, I was lucky if I had chicken to go with my ramen noodles.
"Did you read the itinerary in your room?" Sky asks as she downs her third glass of wine.
"I did." We have tonight off to settle in but starting tomorrow evening from five pm onward, we are to be present for all festivities.
"Let's take advantage of this free time and get drunk."
She's acting like this is a hard gig and it's starting to grate on my nerves. This is easy work and the pay is well and above premium. I decide to get up and start mingling with the other girls. Why not make friends with some girls that are as excited to be here as me?
I see a group of three girls, all blonde, tall, and willowy standing around the bar. I head to them and they smile when I approach.
"Hey." I give a short awkward wave and they all chuckle. "I'm Tempest."
"Nice stage name." One girl says and the others nod.
"It's my stage name and actual name." I grin and roll my eyes.
"Sweet. I'm Nova and this is Lavender and Silk." Nova points to the other girls. "We're a little nervous and about to take some shots, you in?"
"Yes!" I grin and watch as Nova pulls out a bottle of Patron.
My eyes open to complete darkness and I try to decipher why my heart is beating wildly. What woke me up out of a dead, alcohol induced slumber?
"You look like an angel when you sleep," I gasp at his voice. "Such a vast difference from the demon you resemble during the day."
"Raiden?" I sit up in bed and the blackness swirls in front of me. I had too many tequila shots.
"I've been trying to convince myself not to kill you for looking so angelic. I hate all things associated with Heaven and its occupants." He rasps.
