by Jack Crosby
Before I could answer, “Do you not mean the four of us?”
Veronica walked into the room. I guessed Roxanne probably let her in through the back and warned her. “You’ve got a lot to explain young lady.”
“Master War, I cannot say I am surprised to see you here, for the Nyx I assume?” She took a seat where Roxanne had been.
War took another beer from the case. “Yes, as you knew would happen. You played a dangerous game keeping my brother in the dark. I would consider you lucky that you’re still here.”
“Oh I’m pissed. You let us go around in the blind cleaning up a mess you made. The witches may have grabbed her, but you never mentioned the Nyx was in danger from Hell. Shit Veronica, Kyrule was right here and you let him play us for the fool.”
Her expression never changed. “If I told you the truth, would that have changed anything?”
“Of course not, we would’ve still helped you. You bailed us out after the Beelzebub fiasco. Damnit, why weren’t you honest with us?”
“It’s obvious brother, she assumed you would’ve killed the Nyx.”
She looked down to the ground. “War speaks the truth. I assumed if you were aware of the imminent danger of Abaddon, you would have taken the life of an innocent.”
I crossed my arms, really pissed. “That wasn’t a decision you should’ve made on your own. You should’ve trust me and Roxanne to do the right thing.”
“It is over and we must return the princess to its mother in Shangri-La.”
She was right about one thing, it was over. I don’t like being played for a jackass. “Of course, we’ll take it to its mom, but after this, I don’t want to see you again.”
I grabbed two beers and left the room. War could do with the deceitful exile for all I cared at that point. I went back to the bedroom and saw Roxanne packing with a small cat sleeping on one of our pillows. She didn’t even look up, “So we’ve ben duped again.”
If you’re unfamiliar with our story, you probably think we’re a couple of whiny bitches. It’s not that simple. We had a close friend, Maggie, who we trusted with our lives. She turned out to be a vile creature in league with Beelzebub and nearly got us killed. Are we both a little extra sensitive about trust now? Yes. But Veronica knew that, especially after her partner betrayed us all too. She crossed a line.
“I don’t understand why she couldn’t trust us with the truth. Of everyone, you are I are two of the most reasonable to deal with.”
“Fuck ‘em I say. We have a responsibility to see the Nyx home, but after that, they can all go fuck themselves hard.”
I pulled her way from packing and brought her into a long kiss. “We’ve got each other and that’s good enough for me.”
“Me too. As long as we can trust each other…”
“…then everything will be okay.”
We fell back on to the bed. This wasn’t about sex this time; this was about two people who knew the other so well, it was scary. As the kissing grew more passionate and frenetic, clothing started to come off. I’ll never get over how perfect her body is; each curve a symbol of perfection.
I didn’t care how loud I was, it served both of them right to deal with a long bout of love making for ruining my evening. When I entered Roxanne, her gasp was almost a scream. Pure joy crossed her face as she nibbled on my ear. “Are you going to fuck me good Master?”
I just grunted in response, letting my actions answer her question. She parted her legs a little bit, giving me more leverage and making it easier for me to enter and exit at my own leisure. She bit her lip as I picked up the pace, as she was closing in on her first orgasm. As a Lust demon, she usually had two to three before letting me.
“I want you to hold that orgasm until I’m ready. Be a good girl and don’t let go yet.”
Her eyes flashed at my command. She gave me a devilish smile as I continued my work. Not much longer after, I could tell she was having trouble. I picked up the pace some more, building up to my own climax.
When she couldn’t hold it anymore, her legs wrapped around me and she let out a scream of pure bliss. Her orgasm caused her to start working my member and quickly brought me to the same place. She wouldn’t let me go until I finished, holding me tightly against her.
I was so hot and sweaty. Sweat glistened off of her perfectly formed breasts and I instantly got hard again, still inside her. As it grew, she gave me a soft ‘oh’ and kept me close. It didn’t take long before another orgasm came, for me anyway. She let me have my moment before releasing me.
“Mmmm master, now that was a good one.”
Panting myself from all the physical activity, “I’ve been waiting for that all day now darling.”
She playfully ran her nails over my back. “Why don’t you take a few minute to relax while I check on our little friend and then I’ll give you what I teased you earlier with?”
That sounded fantastic to me. “Only if you put on that outfit again. I want the full experience.”
She slid out from under me, still in her naked glory. “As you wish Master. I’d never want to let you down.” I don’t know if it was the way she said it or the licking of the lips that followed, but she couldn’t get back in bed soon enough.
Chapter 10 – Two Old Horses
“How do you think your master will react to the situation Khloros?”
Pyrrha and I were communicating through our telepathic link. I do not want you to think people would see two vehicles talking to each other. That would cause unneeded pandemonium. “Death has never been one to take news lightly. I am sure the two brothers will not see eye to eye.”
Our riders’ opinions of each other trickled down to the horses as well. Death and War have always been guarded with each other, due to their incessant need to be the best, strongest. Pyrrha and I were also at odds most of the time, mainly because we are loyal to a fault.
Whereas Death picked a car, War’s horse was in the form of a two wheeled motorcycle. I found it of no practical use, but to each their own. “There has been no broken glass or doors; I can safely assume they are not killing each other.”
“Always the optimist Khloros. Give them time, they will find uncommon ground to stand on.”
War was here due to the Nyx being a kidnapped princess. The red horse did not give up much else in terms of information, but he sure seemed to be riding high. Damnit, Grimm’s bad puns are rubbing off on me. “Maybe as they age, the petty rivalry will end.”
“It will end when your rider submits to mine for superiority.”
“I doubt that will ever happen. Besides,” he must have known it was coming, “their last disagreement ended with War having a scythe sticking out of his chest.”
That silenced the pompous horse. I chuckled to myself, as the memory was a rather fond one. In fact, allow me to share it with you.
**Past – Khloros**
“He pisses me off to no end.”
I sighed silently. It was bad enough we were in the middle of the Arabian Desert, but War was annoying Death and my rider was not one to take things lightly. “Ignore the Red one and concentrate on completing the task at hand.”
Our current task was to eliminate a cult of desert people who worshipped an Efreet (not to be confused with the great Wrath demon Ifrit). As always, War and Death were at odds over the appropriate way to handle things. “If he would just shut up and allow me to lead, as it should be, we would have already found the cult and be home.”
Smartly, Conquest and Famine were staying far away from this one. War was right behind us, “Just admit you are lost brother and allow me to take the reins of this assignment. There is no shame in saying you are not up to the task.”
I could feel the anger radiating off my master. “War, shut your mouth. If you would follow orders, we would not be lost, but you cannot! It would not hurt for you to admit you’re a dumb son of a bitch sometimes.”
“That is rich coming from you and your human fetish.”
Death
pulled me to a stop and turned around. “You say too much brother.”
Pyrrha stopped as well. “Do you think you can shut me up? I am afraid you have grown too soft to do such things. Why do you not step aside and allow me to…”
I felt his celestial fire blaze to life and the chains flared towards War. The first wrapped around his head, quieting him, while the second wrapped itself around his body. With a jerk of both hands, War fell face first into the sand below.
Hopping off of me, “It seems I was able to shut you up brother. Why do you not stay that way the rest of the trip?”
War, not one to take a slight so kindly brought his own powers to life. Unlike death’s ghostly white chains, War’s fire raged red and covered his body, forming an ethereal armor around him. Using brute force, he pushed Death’s chains away.
“This will not end well for you.” War just ignored Death’s warning and roared.
War brought out his giant sword, Ravager. This was a weapon made for ending battles in an instance. Towering over my master, this looked to be a terrible mismatch.
Death, not in armor, just his black cloak, matched War with his scythe, Leviathan. The reaper’s scythe, one of the most dangerous and holy weapons, reflected in the sunlight. Conquest and Famine made no move to come closer or to stop the coming brutal battle. They knew better than to involve themselves in this.
The desert itself knew an epic battle was just beginning. The wind that had been blowing sand in our face stopped, replaced by a calm not seen in this land for a long time. Neither brother was giving any ground.
When they met, the two old brothers collided with a clashing of blades. The sand under their feet swept up into a mini storm, wind sending it everywhere. Neither brother had the advantage from the first hit.
War used his power in short, harsh strokes. The sword, stained red from the blood of many battles, could easily fell a lesser man. My master was not a lesser man; he was the oldest of the Horseman. His scythe met blow for blow, never yielding. As War continued his onslaught, it became apparent with me he never stood a chance.
As his attacks seemed to be making progress, to the trained eye, it was obvious the big set up was about to fall. With a final blow, Death slid out of the way, leaving the larger Red rider off balance. As he stumbled forward, Leviathan sunk into War’s back, turning the sand red with blood.
The scythe was buried so deep the point was sticking out the front, ignoring the red armor that had formed around him. As War dropped to his knees, Death removed the blade quickly. “Yield brother.”
I knew the wound would not kill War, not even close, but it proved just who the stronger brother was. “I accept defeat.”
Death reached down and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. “Take care of yourself. We still have a cult and an Efreet to deal with.”
**Present – Khloros**
Pyrrha was still quiet. I decided it was my responsibility to try and repair the gap between us. “Just because Death is my master does not mean I do not find him pompous and annoying at times.”
I could feel a slight emotion change, from brooding to almost amused. “You think it is bad babysitting a horny teenager? If War is not pissing off the others, he is making us train. I do not know how many more millennia we must do the same exercises over and over again.”
“Does he still use trees as practice dummies and joust with them?”
“Constantly; I told him the medieval times were over and no one jousted anymore. He told me to know my place and charge even harder. I almost bucked him off and stomped his head in.”
That was War, one to never let old habits die. “Pyrrha, we should not let our riders’ judgments affect our own. I apologize if I came across as superior towards you.”
“It is I who should apologize. I let my master’s competitive spirit influence me. We are equals and that is the way it should be.”
I could not remember the last time we talked this plainly to each other. “We should have had this conversation before we parted ways.”
“Yes we should have. Eden is not the same without the two of you.”
“Death and I were not meant to stay there. As much as his actions are sometimes reprehensible, the freedom that comes with it is most enjoyable.”
Freedom, something Pyrrha would never know. “I think most of my anger comes from jealousy. I wish my rider was more free spirited as yours.”
“And sometimes I wish mine was more responsible, as War is.”
“He is here to take the princess back to Shangri-La. Mammon sent his minions to steal her from the Queen of the Nyxes.”
Hmmm. “What could the demons possibly wish to accomplish with the princess? Is it even grown enough to be a suitable host for Lilith?” Those witches were most stupid, in my opinion.
“The witches getting involved was just an unfortunate mistake. They have no place in the real machinations at work.” He paused, as if trying to collect his thoughts. “Death has made quite a few of the Arch-Demons uneasy. They wish to show him some pain of their own.”
This was no surprise after what happened to Beelzebub. “I get the feeling I am not going to like what I hear.”
His engine rumbled irritably. “No, the cat spirit is to be used in a sacrificial spell to open the gates of Tartarus. Those fools wish to free Abaddon.”
It was my turn to shudder. Very recently Derrick, Roxanne, and I barely escaped Tartarus with our lives. Abaddon and his Wild Hunt chasing us through the bleak landscape was a memory I would not soon forget. “We cannot allow that to happen. If we cannot return her to safety, we should kill it ourselves.”
“I agree, but do you think Death will?”
I did not answer that question. The Death of old probably would have killed the Nyx instead of returning in to Shangri-La under the theory if the Arch-Demons could kidnap it once, they could do it again. Death as he was today, or more appropriately Derrick Grimm, was a completely different story.
Chapter 11 – Weapons are a Girl’s Best Friend
“So where are we going?”
Roxanne and I had left the office without as much as saying hi to either my brother or Veronica. Granted, both were still asleep, so it was more of a moral victory than anything. Fortunately the Nyx was pretty easy going, so we easily placed it next to Veronica. It snuggled up to her and off we went. “We’re going to meet a friend.”
She sat in the passenger seat, looking on skeptically. Khloros knew who I referred too. “I cannot believe he agreed to move his operations just for you.”
“He knows where his bread is buttered. Besides me, who buys in the kind of volume that pays the bills?”
Roxanne reached over and slapped me. “Are you buying fucking drugs?”
“Owww!! What the hell was that for?” She didn’t pull the punches, ever.
“If you are having a drug problem, we need to speak about this.”
I shook my head as I pulled into the store front which claimed to be a junk dealer. “I’m not a druggie. The stuff the humans make doesn’t do anything for me anyways. Remember, I lived on this plane through the sixties and seventies.”
Sitting out front of the shop was a rough looking guy who was holding a rifle in his hands. When he saw me exit the car, he stood up and put the gun down. “You put me up in the worst spot possible in this hell hole of a city.”
“Oh shut up Azrael.” I walked over and gave him a handshake. “I brought my friend this time.”
His leering eyes looked Roxanne up and down as she got out of the car. I warned her not to wear heels and a miniskirt, but she never listens to me.
Azrael’s my weapons contact. He’s an old angel that’s gruff, pissy, and mean. Unlike Veronica, he’s not an exile, just someone that no one wants to deal with. Well besides me, and there are even days I avoided him like that plague. He seemed in a rather decent mood today, or as decent as he can get.
He didn’t take his eyes off Roxanne. “So what can I outfit you with today and is she m
y payment?”
Not one to take any shit, she walked right up to him and leaned in real close. I closed my eyes, knowing that it wouldn’t be good. “You wouldn’t last five seconds with me you shriveled up old prune. Look all you want and then go touch yourself after we leave.”
Instead of blowing up, he just laughed. “I like this one, she’s got spunk!”
“I’m sure you like the view, but we’ve got one hell of a job to do and need to reload. Don’t even bother with the small stuff; just show us your private stock.”
His expression changed. “Just what have you gotten yourselves into?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“If I’m to stock you with supplies, I can give a heavy discount for information.”
His prices tended to be reasonable, but I was also a miser. I was hooked at the word discount. “Alright, but if you’re accused as being an accessory, it’s your own damn fault.”
“No one would be stupid enough to try that.”
So, in the interest of saving my pennies, I told him what’d happen and what we needed to do. The old angel remained passive during the story, waiting until I finished before letting me have it.
“So,” his voice dropped a timbre, “you idiots need to take this Nyx home or else Baal and the rest of those assholes from Downstairs will free Abaddon. Damn…”
“Obviously this isn’t ideal, but killing the cat is not an option.” With my eyes, I motioned towards Roxanne. “We’ve got to try to get it to Shangri-La if we can. Once back in the mountain fortress, the Nyxes can protect it from further attempts.”
I can’t remember every seeing Azrael look so concerned, but it was there. “Let’s take a look at the good stock. If we can get that Nyx home, I’ll feel a whole lot better too.”
He led us to the back warehouse and to the mother lode. Guns, swords, grenades, spears, you name it, and he had it in this eclectic mix of old and new. My eyes immediately went to a snub-nosed pistol. I picked it up, recognizing it as a Colt Detective Special. “This is really cool.”
